Elizabeth froze. Stuck between the need to run away and the need to help whoever was screaming, she just stood, undecided. She looked at Katherine, but the other girl seemed to nervously wait for her decision.
Deep from her memory came sounds that didn’t quite make a melody… What song was it? She frowned, trying to remember. She tried quietly singing, but it came out worse than the sounds in her head.
“What are you doing?” Katherine whispered.
“I’m trying to remember a song.” Elizabeth whispered back.
“Um, what about the screaming guy?” Katherine stepped from foot to foot.
“I think the song’s important somehow.” Elizabeth frowned again. Then she remembered. Not all the words, but the memory of being warm, swaddled in a blanket. Her mom was sitting beside her, singing.
“When you don’t know what to do, ask Him.” She whispered.
“Ask who? The screaming guy?” It was Katherine’s turn to frown.
“No, silly! It’s from the song, I think. To ask the God my parents believed in.”
“You remember your parents?” Katherine asked.
“A bit. But I have no idea…”
Another scream interrupted Elizabeth.
What do I do? How do I ask? She thought.
Go help him. She felt in her mind, or maybe was it in her heart?
When another scream came, she took a deep breath and stepped toward it.
“Are you all right? Where are you?” She called.
“Over here!” She heard a drained voice. She followed in that direction. Soon she spotted a boy in a knight’s tunic laying on the ground. Before she reached him though, a sharp pain went through her body.
“What happened, Elizabeth?” Katherine called from behind her.
“I don’t know, but it hurts so much!” She bit her lip in hopes it would stop her from crying.
The boy screamed again.
Elizabeth clenched her fists and forced herself to move forward.
I wish I had the power the books about the shrine were talking about. Then I could just snap my fingers and not only get my brother back, but help this boy and whoever needed it, without any of the pain. I bet my paintings would be better too. She thought as she made her way to the boy.
“I think I know what happened.” Katherine said. “You’re in the sphere surrounding the shrine. Quick, take the potion!”
“Which one?” Elizabeth asked, opening the bag.
“Doesn’t matter. Just don’t take them all at once, I’m not sure what would happen.”
Elizabeth took out the first vial she grabbed, thankful that she didn’t have to remember which of the potions was it. She swallowed the liquid and waited for the pain to go away. But it didn’t.
“How long before it will start working?” Elizabeth tried not to sound desperate.
“You should already feel some difference.” Katherine frowned. “But maybe give it a few more minutes.”
Did she really want to wait? Maybe going back, out of the sphere would be a better choice?
She saw the boy grinding his teeth, surely fighting against another scream.
I’m not going to leave him here. She decided and forced herself to make another step. After what felt like eternity, she reached the boy. She plopped down to her knees, trying to rest, but nothing seemed to help with the pain.
“I think you can take the next one now!” Katherine called.
I hope it’ll work better. Elizabeth thought as she swallowed one of the other potions.
Not wanting to wait in pain and see if the potion will work or not, she grabbed the boy’s shoulders and started to pull him toward Katherine. She cried out as the pain intensified and dropped the boy.
She sat on the ground and wiped a tear that escaped down her cheek.
The pain showed no signs of lessening. Elizabeth looked toward Katherine, who was busy looking through nearby plants. Could she even make it back on her own? She wanted to give up, to lay down and scream.
Rustling of leaves made her look back at the boy. He rolled to his stomach and was now crawling, gritting his teeth with each move.
Elizabeth bit her lip and nodded, even though the boy couldn’t have seen that, with his eyes focused ahead, on the stone marker that Katherine uncovered.
He’s been stuck in this terrible pain longer. If he can make it, so can I. Elizabeth started moving toward the marker too.
“You can try the third one.” Katherine called, though her voice shook with uncertainty.
Elizabeth reached to her bag, though she didn’t have much hope either. She gulped down the third potion and took another step. Three steps later the pain started to numb down. She didn’t reach the marker yet. Was the pain lessening at the edge of the curse or was this potion finally working? She pulled out another vial of this potion and extended it to the boy.
“This one seems to work. A bit.” She said.
With a short nod he accepted the potion and they kept trudging. Even with the lessened pain the short distance seemed to take them forever.
Finally, they reached the marker. It felt like a heavy weight lifted off of Elizabeth. Her body was exhausted with the pain she went through and couldn’t quite get rid of it just yet, but no new pain was added. She let herself slump to the ground, lazily watching Katherine adding herbs to the kettle.
“I won’t be able to go back in and get Jonathan!” She sat up, struck with the realization. Was her brother stuck somewhere in that forest, overcome with pain? No wonder he couldn’t get himself to write any explanation.