Chapter 73: Searching for a ghost
Karin
"Vayrie... master...we need to take a break! You’re wounded. If we keep going at this pace, you’re not going to make it," I pleaded, anger burning in my gaze as I watched her stubbornly remain standing.
The heavy cloak covering her head shielded her face from both the sun and prying eyes, but I already knew what lay beneath it.
The pale, weathered face of a woman whose life force had been forcibly drained from her.
"Karin, I waited too long to find her. I thought I still had time," she sighed, turning to look at me, and once again I was struck by the beauty of her blue eyes.
She was thin now.
Far too thin.
Her body looked starved and exhausted, yet her face remained just as beautiful as I remembered.
"We need to move faster. They might catch up to us if we don’t. And I intend to see her before I die, Karin. I must."
"It was a mistake to leave her behind..." she continued, stubbornly walking ahead before stumbling.
I caught her just before she hit the ground.
"Steady, Vayrie," I murmured, slipping my arm beneath hers so she could lean against me while we continued forward.
"We’re not far. It should be around here, just like I remembered," she continued speaking when she should have been conserving her strength.
Words I had heard at least three times since our journey began.
Enough times that I believed them less with every repetition.
"Vayrie, shouldn’t we try to get revenge instead?" I asked carefully.
What was the importance of a daughter she herself admitted lacked magic before abandoning her?
"...even if you find her, you’ll only put her in danger. Loretta is mad. She’ll chase you to the ends of the earth for your core," I reminded her.
Even before she answered, I heard the stubborn grind of her teeth.
The way she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders despite the pain she had to be enduring only made me respect her more.
She was my master.
And I continued helping her forward.
She was being hunted, but as her apprentice it was my duty to follow her until death.
Something I fully intended to do.
Even if it meant desperately searching for some way to keep her alive longer despite knowing that nothing could replenish the life force she had lost.
A forbidden spell.
One no one even knew existed until Loretta used it in her attempt to wipe out all the elder witches.
What exactly caused the coven to fracture? What decision had divided them so completely?
I had asked Vayrie countless times, but no matter how often I questioned her, she always refused to answer.
Telling me not to waste time thinking about it.
Which only made me think about it more.
We continued walking together until even my support was no longer enough.
With every step, she seemed to sink lower.
Then suddenly we heard the sound of rushing water nearby.
Immediately, renewed energy lit her eyes.
"There!" she gasped, pointing ahead with excitement before rushing forward.
I hurried beside her, knowing better than to let her out of my sight.
We had barely entered a clearing surrounded by wooden walls when she collapsed again.
This time, I caught her fully before she could hit the ground.
Holding her in my arms, I hated how little she weighed now.
She breathed harshly, like her lungs were struggling to keep up.
Pain filled her eyes as she pointed frantically ahead, disappointment already obvious on her face.
The clearing looked abandoned.
From the scent lingering in the air and the structures around us, it was clearly werewolf territory, but there were no signs of life anywhere.
Whoever once lived there was either dead or gone.
"No," she gasped, anguish tearing through her voice as she urged me forward again.
I obeyed immediately.
Her hood slipped back as we moved, revealing black hair that had once been thick and beautiful but now remained only in uneven patches across her scalp.
"They’re gone. They left."
Her gaze darted around wildly, panic overtaking her expression.
I listened quietly.
I felt her despair as I held her close, though I personally felt none.
Truly, I believed searching for her daughter was the last thing she should be doing.
I cared about her.
I wanted her to rest.
It was already painful enough knowing we both understood she didn’t have much time left.
Shouldn’t she spend those final moments with me instead?
I had known her since childhood, since the day she took me from the streets.
To me, she was more than my master.
She was my mother.
And I wanted her to live.
I knew better than to cry.
Crying would only anger her.
Her temper, once patient and warm, had worsened after realizing her remaining time was limited.
Still, despite myself, I felt relief.
The village being empty meant she might finally give up.
And if she gave up, perhaps we could find somewhere safer to hide from Loretta, who wanted both of us dead.
With enough time—and perhaps the goddess’s blessing—maybe I could still find a cure for the life force she lost.
Though even imagining it felt impossible.
There was a reason life force was bound so deeply into every living being.
Once it was forcibly removed, replacing it was impossible.
Every soul was inherently unique.
"Karin, look around. We need to search. Someone must still be here. Someone has to know where they went," she said hoarsely, desperation thick in her voice as she fought against despair.
"We’ll look, Master. We’ll search carefully," I assured her, even though I already knew I would do exactly as she wished.
She was dying, that much was obvious and there was no way for me to help her.
If she intended to hasten that death searching for her daughter, then as her apprentice it was my duty to help her.
No matter what I personally wanted.
