Lost in the Castle

~41~

The following morning, I woke up with a splitting headache. There was a strange, low, and unpleasant buzz resonating through the stone walls of the castle, making the air around me seem to vibrate. Or maybe I was just imagining it as Katerina, coming in with my breakfast, seemed totally unfazed and undisturbed by the noise.

"How are you feeling today, my lady? You look even paler than usual," she mentioned as she put a small tray of food on my lap when I sat up and propped myself against the pillows.

I looked at the food that did not look tempting at all. "Fine," I said through tight lips, trying to fight off the waves of nausea washing over me at the sight of my breakfast.

It wasn't easy at all. The feeling, which was bad enough normally, was nearly unbearable now, accompanied by the headache.

"Katerina, I can't eat. My head is killing me," I said, looking at her, my eyes pleading, as she watched me intently, lost in her thoughts.

"You know, I was just thinking... this feeling sick in the mornings..."

Well, I've been thinking about it too. A lot. How could I ignore it, with Junior teasing me about it on every opportunity he got? And the thought was starting to drive me crazy over the last days. However, I didn't want to talk about it with anyone until Vlad's return.

"Not now, Katerina. Please."

"All right, as you wish, Lady Samara," she said, surprisingly dropping the subject. "Just have your milk then. I'll leave the food here, you can eat when you are hungry. But make sure you'll eat something. I'll come back later with some willow bark for your headache. Now rest."

"Thank you," I told her, finishing the milk immediately and putting the empty cup back on the tray before she placed it on the small table by the bed.

The old nurse shook her head and sighed as if something was troubling her.

After a moment, she said, her voice laced with worry, "I really hope your husband will come back today."

"Katerina! Why do you say that? What did you hear? Is something wrong? Tell me!" I called, struggling to stand up fast and failing. The headache was awful... Tiny black dots appeared in my field of vision, making me feel dizzy, forcing me to remain seated for the moment.

"Hush... I didn't hear anything, I don't know what's keeping them," she said, making me lay down again. "It's just that if he won't be back tonight, you'll have to walk through on your own."

Oh. Is it Halloween already?

"I'm not going anywhere without him! Are you crazy?!" I exclaimed. I would not let her force me to go through the portal alone.

"We will see. You should walk through, you know that, we don't know what might happen if you don't..."

"But not without him... What if I won't be able to return?"

"Calm down, my lady! You'll only make yourself feel worse. We will see what happens later. Hopefully, they'll be back here on time. In the meantime, rest. I have to visit the sick, but I'll be back with you soon. Try to sleep," she advised, leaving me alone.

As if it was that easy...

I sat up slowly and carefully this time, trying not to make the headache worse. If only the buzzing would stop.

I noticed that the wolves were not in their usual spot by the fire as I walked past, pulling my blanket tighter around me. They must have gone out, despite the cold, when Katerina opened the door.

Pausing by the window, I realised why it felt colder today. The first snow had fallen during the night, covering the countryside as far as I could see. The layer didn't look very thick; it would be gone by the afternoon. Still, it made a difference in the temperature.