Dark Enchantment

Chapter 6.5

She could hear voices, crying out for help. Maybe her memories were haunting her.

"Why did you leave us, Princess?" a plaintive voice called out.

"Princess, help me!" another voice pleaded.

Eira sat up in bed again, her heart thudding in her chest. The voices seemed to be coming from all around her, echoing through the walls of the inn. She could feel a chill in the air, even though the room was already cold.

Then she heard the voices again, louder this time. "Please, Princess, you must help us!" a chorus of voices cried out.

Eira realized with a jolt that she recognized the voices. Those of the teachers and children from the Elindar academy. How were they communicating with her? How were they here? Why seek her out now? Something had to be terribly wrong. 

Tinwëgil seemed to warm at its resting spot just below her sternum. 

"What do you want from me?" she asked, speaking into the darkness. She heard whispers all around her, but nothing met her eyes.

The voices grew even more urgent. "We are trapped here, unable to move on to the next world," they said. "Our spirits are bound to this realm, and we cannot rest until our curse is lifted."

Eira felt a shiver run down her spine.

The ghosts were asking her to help them, but she had no idea what to do. She had never dealt with spirits before, and she wasn't sure she was ready to start now. Her magic was elemental, not spiritual.

She could swear she made out light blue eyes in the dark if she squinted closely enough, but they disappeared as quickly as they came. 

"I'll do what I can," she whispered, feeling the weight of the ghosts' sorrow bearing down on her. "But I don't know how much help I can be."

"Anything you can do will be a help," a voice said, vaguely reminding her of one of the children she had practiced with in one of her spell making classes.

Eira was about to open her mouth to respond, to get out of bed, but her attention was caught by the sound of the door slamming open. Monty appeared in the doorway, his eyes blazing with green light. Even his body seemed to emanate the glow. 

"Princess, don't listen to whatever you are hearing. Those are not the voices of whoever you think is communicating with you," he said, his voice low and urgent.

The voices screamed, shrill and enraged, and Eira brought her hands to her ears at the noise. 

"What are you talking about, Monty?" Eira asked over the noise.

"The voices you're hearing are those of a powerful Hindoloth, trying to lure you away and feed on you," Monty explained, his eyes scanning the room warily. "I heard something moments before you must have awoken, it was likely trying to lure me away from you."

Eira felt a wave of fear wash over her. She had heard of Hindoloths before, and she knew how dangerous they could be.

"What do we do?" she asked, sitting up.

"We need to get out of here, now," Monty replied, his voice firm. "Grab your things, and let's go. I'll explain more once we're outside."

Eira quickly grabbed her pack and followed Monty out of the room.

"They're skilled shapeshifters and masters of deception," Monty said, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings as they made their way down the stairs. "They often feed on the life force of unsuspecting victims, draining them of their energy until there's nothing left but an empty husk."