“It can’t hurt to have another look around. In the daylight, perhaps things will be clearer.”
“I’m going to grab a quick shower,” Damien said. “See you in a few.” Damien showered, changed clothes and appeared in the bedroom, ready for his morning coffee despite the approaching of the noon hour.
As he ate breakfast, Damien discussed his request to visit the mill. Everyone agreed returning was a good idea. They set off for the mill after Damien finished his meal.
When they arrived, Gray and Alexander insisted Michael and Damien wait outside at a safe distance while they confirmed the location was empty. After they gave the all clear, everyone entered the building. They spent a few minutes checking the large room. No clues pointed to Celine being there.
After fifteen minutes, they descended the stairs to the lower level. Damien searched the area. He shook his head, finding nothing. “Celine, where are you?” he asked, glancing around.
Footsteps sounded overhead. Celine glanced up. Someone was in the building. She crossed the room to the door, peering out. Hushed voices floated down the stairs to her. She waited at the door. Within a few moments, figures descended the stairs. She smiled, recognizing Gray, Alexander, Michael and Damien. Damien appeared fatigued but not unwell.
The four men searched the space. “I’m here,” Celine whispered.
“Celine, where are you? Damien asked.
“Here, D. I’m here,” Celine answered, even though he could not hear her. An idea formed in Celine’s mind. She strode across her cell, sitting against the wall. She breathed deeply, closing her eyes. She slipped into another realm.
“How can she be here, and we can’t see her!” Damien exclaimed.
“That’s rather the purpose of the enchantment,” Alexander responded.
“It’s so frustrating! Perhaps we should try some of those ideas you had for the…” Damien stopped speaking mid-sentence. He stared straight ahead at the cell door across the room. Within seconds, he collapsed to the floor, shivering with escalated breathing.
Gray raced to him, followed by Alexander and Michael. “Is it Celine?” Michael inquired.
Gray glanced around. “Yes. I wonder if she realizes we’re here.”
“We must keep him warm. Cover him with your jackets,” Alexander instructed. They covered him with their jackets, doing their best to keep him warm while he remained in his trance.
The door across the room folded on itself in front of Damien’s eyes. The stone walls melted around him, creating a river that flowed away from him. He saw gray trees as the walls crumbled. “Celine?” he called, searching the landscape for her.
“Damien!” Celine called, racing toward him. She embraced him. “You found me. I can see you. All of you at the mill. I’m right there in the cell. I can see you. I can hear you. I’m right there with you.”
“Perhaps if you call to us…”
“No. I tried last night. You can’t see or hear me, but I can see and hear you.”
“Do you know any details about the enchantment? We are working to break it, but Alexander said it would be easier if you provided details.”
“I don’t have any. I’m sorry. You must go, but there is one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“If everything goes as planned, Marcus will cure Celeste’s condition tonight. You mustn’t try anything before then. Once she is cured, we’ll work on getting me released from this prison.”
“Okay. I’ll tell them. When I can. Sometimes I’m sick after and it takes me a while to recover.”
“I understand. Now you must go, Damien.” Celine released him from her embrace. The gray world turned black as he returned to his own realm.
Celine gasped as she returned from Shadow World. She stood on weak legs, wiping the blood running from her nose, and raced to the cell door. Everyone grouped around Damien. She peered at the scene. He shivered uncontrollably, gasping for breath. She covered her mouth as a whimper escaped. The scene twisted her heart into a knot. “Damien,” she whispered through tears. “Please wake up.”
“He’s really cold,” Michael stated, rubbing Damien’s arms. Alexander rubbed his legs.
“Should I retrieve Mille?” Gray questioned. Damien moaned.
“Wait, perhaps he is coming to,” Alexander replied. “Damien? Damien!”
Damien’s eyes remained closed, but he murmured, his head rocking back and forth. “… Celine… Celeste… see us…”
“He’s out of it,” Gray said, glancing to Alexander. “Should we get him back to the house?”
“Yes, he’s terribly cold. He needs to be warmed while he recovers,” Alexander answered.
“Okay. Lift him up,” Gray said.
“I’ve got him,” Michael said, shouldering Damien on one side. Alexander held up the opposite side. Together, they dragged him across the room, ascending the stairs.
Gray stood, glancing around. “If you’re here, Celine, and you can hear me, we’ll be back for you. Damien needs to recover, but we will be back after he’s better. I love you, Celine.”
“I love you, too, Gray,” Celine wept. Gray crossed the room, ascending the stairs. Celine stepped away from the door as silence fell over the structure. Worse than her own imprisonment, she wept for Damien. The negative effects from the trips to Shadow World were clear. Witnessing how ill he was following a trip there disturbed Celine. Perhaps she should only communicate with him every other day. Perhaps daily was too much for him.
Celine pondered the situation. She would make one more trip tomorrow to inform him of Celeste’s condition, then stop.
Alexander and Michael carried Damien to the sitting room. They placed him near the fireplace, propping his head up with a pillow. They covered him with blankets. Millie, who was reading in the sitting room, rushed to take his vitals. “Another contact from Celine?”
“Yes. At least that’s what we assume,” Alexander answered.
“It must be,” Gray replied. “It can’t be a coincidence that she told him she is there and contacted him while he was there.”
“We’ll have to wait until he can speak to find out,” Alexander answered.
“He spoke a little at the mill, but it was incoherent,” Michael added.
“His vitals aren’t too bad,” Millie
