Maria’s hand trembled as she ran her palm against the cold stone wall, trying to prove that it was there and she wasn’t losing her mind.
The women in veils had been right there where this wall was, and now they were gone.
"Maybe I’ve not only lost my memory, but I’m losing my mind too." She muttered, pressing harder against the wall until her fingers hurt.
"Is there something wrong, my lady?"
She turned immediately. Alice stood behind her, holding a neat bundle of folded clothes against her chest.
"No, I was just looking at the wall."
Alice frowned slightly. "You’ve been staring at it for quite a while, so I wondered if something was going on." She walked in the direction of the room and Maria followed her.
"I brought more gowns, Incase you didn’t like the ones from earlier. King Trevor said you should choose whichever feels comfortable. The ceremony is tonight." Alice said as she dropped the bunch of dresses on the bed.
"Tonight?" Maria echoed.
"Yes," Alice responded with a soft smile. "The full moon was predicted for tomorrow, but the reading was wrong and it will be tonight."
Maria nodded her head absently, her gaze drifting to the wall in her room.
"You’re sure you’re alright?" Alice asked again.
"Yes," Maria said with a faint smile. "The walls here just look unique."
That was a lie. She had seen the same vision of the women in veils a second time, but it cleared before she could make sense of it.
Alice said nothing more and left quietly. When the door closed, Maria exhaled and reached out to touch the wall and it was normal like she hadn’t just seen something strange appear on it.
She stepped outside, hoping the sunlight would clear her head.
Outside was vibrant and alive with colour and bustling with activities. Strips of pale blue and red fabric hung from the branches of trees. Lanterns adorned with shells and made of dyed glass hung between the fabrics, reflecting the sun rays.
Rogues bustled about, busy with the preparations for the night ceremony. Maria watched quietly as they worked, some tying ribbons around and arranging garlands of flowers.
The men drilled poles into the ground as though trying to form a fence around the areas. Colourful mats were arranged on the floor.
"You must be the woman who was found at the river!"
Maria turned to see a young girl, sixteen years perhaps, bright-eyed and carrying a basket of wildflowers. "I’m Kelin," she said with a smile. "I know everyone around here, and you were just different."
Maria responded with a small smile. "I suppose I am."
"Everyone has been talking about you. You’re prettier than they said. Mother says it’s a miracle that you survived."
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"Yes," Kelin said proudly. She kept her basket on the grass and sat down by Maria’s side. "Tonight, I’m going to pray to the moon goddess for a mate." Kelin added with a voice full of excitement.
Maria found herself feeling bubbly as well. "You sound happy."
"I am, and if I get a mate, I’d be happier. It’s rare for rogues to ever find one. My mother was cast out of her pack when she got pregnant, so she gave birth to me here, but I’m going to rewrite my fate."
Maria nodded her head at the enthusiastic young girl.
Maria smiled faintly, though her thoughts were far away. As Kelin spoke, Maria’s gaze was caught on a group of women arranging flowers around a tree. Among them, she caught sight of a familiar face.
Maria blinked twice, unsure if she had seen right. The woman turned her head slightly, same shape, same hair.
Kelin tugged at her sleeve, distracting her. "I have to go. You’ll love the ceremony."
When Maria looked again, Freye was gone. She wondered if she was lost in the crowd or if she was hallucinating again.
Maria stood up and walked towards the spot that she sighted Freye. The women there looked nothing like her. Enough strange occurrences had happened to her for the day, and she felt like if another repeated, she may just lose her mind.
The hours passed quickly. By nightfall, she wore one of the dresses Alice picked out for her, a soft white gown, threaded with pink embroidery.
The moon was an enormous circle above them, casting a soft glow around them. She joined the crowd as the ceremony began. The rogues knelt on the mats and Trevor knelt in front, his face raised towards the sky.
His voice rolled deep through the night. "Bless our cursed lands oh moon goddess. Remind us that you are merciful."
The crowd repeated the chant in unison. The drums grew louder and faster.
Maria looked through the rows of the kneeling rogues and froze in disbelief.
"Freye," the words escaped her mouth as a whisper.
The woman turned towards Maria. She looked less sickly and bony than Maria had seen in the dungeon. How did she recover so fast?
Maria stepped forward. "Freye?" She called louder.
Heads turned as she stood up, but Maria didn’t care. "How did you escape?"
The woman blinked in confusion. "Escape?"
"Yes, from the dungeon. I saw you last night, don’t you remember?" Maria’s words tumbled out with her voice full of curiosity. "You said Trevor wanted to kill you, that I should help you escape."
The woman’s brow furrowed. "I think you’re mistaken. I’ve never been imprisoned. I don’t know what you’re talking about."
Maria narrowed her eyes, confusion took control over her body. "You’re Freye. You told me the name yourself."
"I am Freye." The woman said slowly. "But I’ve never seen your face before."
Trevor’s voice broke through, he tried his best to keep his calm at the disruption of the ceremony. He stood behind her now. "Blossom. What’s going on?"
She turned towards him, her voice trembling. "You said there are no prisoners here, but I saw her. I saw Devon bring her food. You have to tell me the truth if I’m truly your mate."
"Blossom, Freye has never been locked up. There are no dungeons here."
The ceremony was already disrupted, with almost everybody turning towards them.
"Then come," she said, grabbing his hand. "I’ll show you where I saw the dungeon behind your library."
Trevor followed her without protests, Freye and some of the rogues accompanied too.
They entered the library. Maria moved to the far wall, pressing her hand against the shelf. "There was a door here last night. I saw it. Is there a secret key to opening it?"
"You’re saying you saw Freye in a dungeon behind these walls?" Trevor asked in a voice that screamed confusion.
"I did. And she told me about Veilwood and that you are..." she paused for a while. "Dangerous."
Trevor frowned. "This is absurd. I know Veilwood, but there’s no secret dungeon here."
He turned and picked up a wooden axe leaning by the wall. Before anyone could speak, he swung it against the wall, once, twice, until she lost count.
The stone began cracking and after numerous thuds, the wall crumbled, revealing an exit towards the outside.
"See?" He pointed towards the large hole as he lowered the axe. "There’s nothing here."
Maria stared at it in utter bewilderment. "But I..."
"I am a rogue, yes," Trevor interrupted her. "But I’m not a monster. I only want you to recover. You’ve been through too much, and you’re seeing things that don’t exist."
He stepped closer and held her hand. "I will go and continue the ceremony. You should get some rest and stop imagining things."
Before she could form any words to respond, he hurried out of the library. She was left alone in the library, staring at the broken wall and wondering if it was telling the truth.
She walked out of the library and the ceremony continued, but everything was like a blur. Her mind was occupied with thoughts. "Was I running mad?"
She pinched herself, trying to find out if she was trapped in a trance, if the ceremony around her was a mirage too. She felt her soft skin, but still didn’t know what to believe.
The voices of the rogues towards the moon echoed in her ears, but she sat quietly in a corner, debating on numerous thoughts.
Then, she felt a hand on her shoulders and jerked. Alice tapped her. "You need to have some rest."
Maria didn’t argue. She was already exhausted. She allowed Alice to lead her to the room and set a warm bath to cool her nerves. Alice brought dinner to the room for her.
Maria didn’t utter a word about what happened, and Alice didn’t say anything either. Freye had felt so real that night. Maria remembered hurting as she touched the silver padlock of the prison. And these other things on the wall that she saw drew fear into her.
She didn’t know the answer to any of them, but she knew one thing—She wasn’t going to sleep through the night with all the uneasiness that she felt.