CHAPTER 2
Once the other girls left, I convinced Verika that all I wanted was to fall asleep as quickly as possible. My sister grumbled a bit, of course. She was clearly dying to know what I’d seen in the mirror. But I must’ve looked like a complete wreck, because she didn’t push me on it.
Soon, we were tucked into our respective beds, breathing softly. Well, Verika was. She even mumbled something incoherent in her sleep, which she often did. I was used to it by now; it didn’t bother me. Sometimes, it was even amusing to listen to whatever was troubling her in her dreams. But not tonight.
Tonight, all I could think about was that cursed evil spirit that kept ruining my life. Why was it so fixated on me? Couldn’t it see that it wasn’t going to get anywhere with me? I’m getting married! And anyway, what did it even want from me? If only it would speak up just once and tell me why I was being tormented like this! I immediately pictured how I’d react if the evil spirit actually did speak. A shiver ran through me. No, better not!
Gradually, sleep started to take over. The room was warm and quiet. I convinced myself that the evil spirit’s harassment was done for the day. Calmed by that thought, I let my eyelids close and drifted off.
I woke up with my heart jolting so hard it felt like it might leap out of my chest. I opened my eyes, trying to figure out what had startled me. Maybe another nightmare? But I couldn’t remember any. The dream I’d just had was thick and black, like tar, with no vivid images. So what had woken me up?
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a milky-white path across the floor. In that eerie glow, I peered into the darkness of the room. Just to be safe, I felt for the pouch on my chest and gripped it tightly. I whispered words I thought might ward off the evil spirit:
“Begone, evil spirit! In the name of the Bright God, begone!”
A quiet, mocking laugh cut through the silence, sending goosebumps racing across my skin. I bolted upright in bed. Desperately, I squeezed the pouch even tighter and pulled my knees to my chest, scooting back against the headboard while frantically tracing the sign of the Bright God in the air with my other hand: a triangle with a dot in the center.
The laughter grew more derisive, and now it sounded much closer.
“Do you really think that’ll work on me?” a sly male voice spoke clearly from somewhere nearby.
A scream caught in my throat but didn’t come out, as if choked by an invisible, iron grip. Terrified, I opened and closed my mouth, trying to force my voice to return. It was no use! This had to be another trick of that damned evil spirit! And the fact that it had finally spoken to me tonight made it even more terrifying. I whimpered, unable to make a clearer sound, and held out the healer’s pouch in front of me as far as the string would allow.
I shuddered when an unseen force yanked it right out of my hand. The pouch hit the wall with a faint thud and disappeared from my sight.
“That won’t work on me either,” came a sarcastic snort right by my ear, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
What in the world was happening?! None of the protective charms hung around the house, nor the sign of the Bright God, nor even the healer’s pouch had any effect on this cursed shadow!
I wanted to cry from despair and terror, but I held on with everything I had. My tears would only amuse the evil spirit. From what I’d heard about such entities, their favorite pastime was tormenting humans. The more scared you were, the harder they tried. Well, not on my watch! I wouldn’t show it how afraid I was!
All my brave intentions vanished the moment a blurry dark shape appeared before my face, accompanied by two blood-red flames.
If that invisible hand wasn’t still squeezing my throat, I would’ve screamed loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood. Instead, I just flinched and pressed myself even harder against the headboard.
I was shaking all over, with only one thought pounding in my head: “What do you want from me?!”
“You’ll find out soon enough…”
The fact that the evil spirit answered the question I’d only thought in my mind completely unnerved me. It could read my thoughts?! It knew everything going on in my head right now?! That realization made me feel even worse.
I cautiously glanced over at Verika, hoping the strange voice would wake her and she’d raise the alarm. But Verika kept sleeping soundly, occasionally muttering incomprehensible phrases into the darkness. Either the evil spirit had deepened her sleep, or she was just that out of it.
Realizing I could at least communicate with this otherworldly being that wouldn’t leave me alone, I gathered my courage and thought:
“Why are you stalking me? What do you want to do to me?”
“Mmm… There’s a lot I want to do to you… But it’s not something innocent little ears should hear just yet…” came the velvety voice of the evil spirit. And for some reason, it sounded oddly familiar now.
Before I could dwell on that startling thought, invisible cold lips brushed against my temple. I jerked and struggled in someone’s tight grip. The hold was so strong I could barely move.
“So, you thought marrying someone would get rid of me? That old hag who gave you that advice—I’ll pay her a visit too. I’ll thank her for her ‘concern’…”
“She has nothing to do with this!” I thought hurriedly, now worried not just for myself but for the poor healer as well.
“Either way, you’ve only sped up my plans,” the evil spirit said, ignoring the topic of the old woman and gripping me even tighter with its cold hands. “I wanted to let you live a normal life a little longer… But now… I have to act immediately.”
“Act how?” I thought, instantly on edge.
And then, shameful thoughts crept into my mind. Did it want to assault me?! My memory helpfully dredged up a scene I’d glimpsed as a child—watching a girl and a guy fooling around in a hayloft. What they were doing made my cheeks burn back then, even though I was too young to fully understand. I just knew it was something scandalous.
“I like where your mind is going,” the evil spirit commented on my thoughts.
And now my cheeks burned not from the memory but from embarrassment.
“Just try doing something like that to me!” I threatened bravely in my mind.
I tried not to think about what I could actually do against this cursed spirit. Maybe the threat alone would work? Perhaps it had a vivid imagination too and would come up with its own worst-case scenario.
Another burst of laughter rang out, and something gently flicked my nose.
“You’re a little wonder…”
I widened my eyes at the unexpected compliment and stared even harder into the darkness. But, as before, all I could make out were those red flames.
“Alright, enough idle chatter,” the evil spirit said suddenly.
“I’m perfectly fine with talking!” I hurried to assure it in my thoughts.
“I’m sorry, little one, but you’re coming with me.”
“Coming where?” My terror reached its peak. I trembled like a leaf in the wind.
“To a place where you’ll start a completely different life… You’ve dreamed of that, haven’t you?”
Damn it! Had this creep been snooping into my dreams too?! Another mocking laugh only confirmed my suspicions.
“I never dreamed of anything like that!” I lied in my thoughts, only to hear a skeptical snort. “Okay, fine, maybe I did. But they’re just silly dreams! I definitely don’t want to make them real. And anyway, I’m getting married. My new life is starting without you.”
“You can forget about that mortal idiot of yours forever,” the evil spirit’s voice turned cold and angry. “Remember this: you’re mine! And you always will be.”
“Why do you even want me?!” I thought desperately.
I shouldn’t have asked! Icy lips seared mine, crushing my feeble resistance. No one had ever kissed me like this! Sure, some guys had managed to steal a peck or two, but compared to this, those didn’t even count. I could barely breathe under the pressure of those cold lips, which grew warmer with every passing second. This damned creep even slipped his tongue into my mouth, completely shocking me. What was he doing?! I couldn’t even tell if it stirred anything in me, I was so stunned. All my energy went into gasping for air between each clash of our mouths.
By the time he finally let me go, colorful spots danced before my eyes. My head spun as if I’d snuck a sip of Mom’s blackcurrant liqueur.
When a cloak was draped over my shoulders—a fine one, by the feel of it, made of expensive fabric with a satin lining—I was utterly baffled. Evil spirits wore cloaks? How did that even make sense?! It didn’t fit at all with my usual ideas about otherworldly beings.
Invisible hands carefully wrapped my trembling body in the cloak. Then they lifted me into the air and pressed me against an equally invisible chest. And they carried me… not toward the door, no. Toward the window!
Only now did I notice that it was wide open, not just slightly ajar as it had been before. I didn’t have time to process this new discovery before the evil spirit leapt out the window with me in tow, carrying me off somewhere so fast that the wind whistled in my ears.
“Please, don’t do this!” I tried to plead in my thoughts to my kidnapper, who was dragging me to who-knows-where. “Take me back home!”
“You’ll have a new home,” the evil spirit deigned to reply. “You’ll get used to it. Soon, you won’t even be afraid anymore.”
I seriously doubted that last part! He scared me out of my wits! And the realization that I was completely at his mercy, unable to even call for help, filled me with despair.
The evil spirit carried me all the way to the Cursed Grove, a place I knew full well you shouldn’t venture into at night. Or even during the day, for that matter.
This raised more suspicions in my mind. But for now, my brain flat-out refused to cooperate and piece everything together.
The sound of a horse neighing snapped me out of my gloomy thoughts. I was stunned again when I realized the evil spirit had brought me to a horse tied to a tree. Why would an evil spirit need a horse?!
Another quiet laugh rang out.
“It’s so amusing to watch what goes on in that pretty little head of yours! Shame I’ll soon be deprived of that pleasure.”
Deprived? That was a small relief… What did he mean by that? Though I immediately thought, with a sense of doom, that it probably wasn’t anything good. I could only guess at the evil spirit’s plans for me. My imagination offered to help come up with possibilities, but I quickly shut it down. I was scared enough as it was.
Before I could finish that thought, I was hoisted onto the horse. Oh no! I was terrified of horses. Not as much as evil spirits, but still! One had kicked me when I was about five, and I’d spent a week in bed after that. So, I tried to stay far away from them. And now I was being put on one! And this horse was clearly a feisty one. Look at the way it glared at me with that mean eye! I let out a yelp of fear. Then, to my surprise, I realized I could make sounds again and immediately took advantage of it by shrieking even louder.
“Do you want me to take away your ability to speak again?” came a snicker.
Too late, I realized the evil spirit had also climbed into the saddle—right behind me. For some reason, alongside the fear of this dark entity, I felt a strange sense of relief. At least now I didn’t have to worry about the horse pulling any tricks. And I didn’t want to feel like a fish again, only able to open and close my mouth. So, I decided I wouldn’t scream anymore.
“There’s a smart girl!” the evil spirit said shamelessly, having eavesdropped on my jumbled inner monologue. “Now, don’t be scared.”
And why did he have to say that?! Instantly, I got even more scared. And for good reason!
We charged straight into the Cursed Grove, deftly dodging trees and other obstacles. At times, it seemed like the horse was some kind of unholy creature itself—it moved through the darkness with such uncanny precision. Just when I thought we’d crash into the next tree, the horse swerved past it as if by magic. Still, by the time we reached our destination—a small lake—I was pretty sure I’d gone completely gray from the harrowing ride. Spitefully, I thought that might not be so bad. It’d ruin the evil spirit’s fun. He expected to claim a young, dark-haired girl, but instead, he’d get a gray-haired, half-crazed scarecrow.
Another laugh from the evil spirit rang out, and my waist was squeezed tighter.
“You really are funny!”
Funny?! Was I some kind of pet to him? I got angry and started mentally crafting words to throw at him. But they stuck in my throat before I could even form them properly. I stared in horror as a ghostly silver glow flared up over the dark surface of the lake.
“What’s happening?!” I didn’t even recognize my own voice, it trembled so much.
“Everything’s fine, little one,” came an almost tender whisper in my ear. “We’re just crossing into another world.”
Did he think that would calm me down?! I was seriously considering jumping off this horse and running for it! Anywhere, as long as it was far from here! Even my fear of the Cursed Grove wouldn’t stop me now. I’d wander through it all night if it meant avoiding something worse!
“Shh,” came a breath beside me. “Trust me, nothing will harm you there. Not while you’re under my protection.”
That “while” scared me even more.
“Listen, just let me go!” I begged, throwing pride to the wind.
I even tried to squeeze out a tear for extra effect. But for some reason, my tears seemed frozen inside me, along with all other emotions. All that remained was raw, burning fear.
“You’ll have to accept it, Teyka,” my kidnapper said seriously.
He even knew my name? Who the heck was this, anyway? And what did he want from me?
“You still haven’t figured out who I am?” the evil spirit said with a smirk, and once again, his voice sounded vaguely familiar.
Then, a bright flash seemed to burst in my mind. The lake in my memory was bathed in daylight, just as I’d seen it the last time. Fragmented images started piecing themselves together in my head, throwing me into even greater confusion.
Finally, I realized who had been stalking me all this time.