Darian's eyes flew open as consciousness returned in a rush. For a moment he lay still, staring up at the familiar ceiling above his bed.

He was...home?

Slowly Darian sat up, blinking in confusion. His small bedroom looked exactly as it should, from the roughhewn furniture to the patched wool blanket tangled around his legs.

But how was this possible? Only a few seconds ago, he had been alone in the forest, just moments away from death.

Darian recalled the scene in chilling detail - the panther’s hot breath and claws digging into his shoulders, the stillness of the world around them. Then everything had gone black.

So how was he now safely back in his own bed?

Darian's hand trembled as he reached up to touch his neck. To his shock, the skin was smooth and unbroken. No blood, no bite marks or even a scratch. It couldn't have been just a nightmare - the memory was too real, too visceral.

He hugged his arms around himself, struggling to slow his panicked breathing. Never before had he come so close to death…or actually died. Just the memory of the life bleeding out of him was enough to make him retch.

A soft sigh nearby made Darian start. He turned to see a bundle of blankets on the small bed along the opposite wall. His heart clenched.

No, it couldn't be...

As quietly as he could, Darian slipped out from under his blanket and crossed the short distance between the beds. Holding his breath, he slowly peeled back the top layer.

Nestled beneath them lay his little sister. Talia's eyes were closed, her breathing quick and shallow. But she was solid and real.

Darian stumbled back, colliding with the room's small table and barely catching himself. Talia was here, alive. But it made no sense. He had watched powerlessly just yesterday as fever consumed her small body...hadn't he?

Darian's pulse pounded in his ears. Had the gods answered his prayers or was he trapped in some tortured afterlife, forced to relive his sister's death over and over again?

At that moment, their bedroom door creaked open. Darian whirled to see his mother poke her head in, likely to check on Talia.

When she caught sight of Darian's pale face, Mara gasped.

"Oh gods, what is it?" she cried, rushing to Talia's side. "What's happened?"

Mara flung back the quilts, then sighed in relief when she found Talia sleeping peacefully. After checking her temperature, Mara rounded on Darian.

"Foolish boy, lurking about like some spooked owl!" she scolded. Though her tone was sharp, Darian saw past it to the lingering fear in her eyes. "You nearly scared me to death, carrying on that way. What's gotten into you?"

Suddenly her face paled to match his own. "Gods preserve us, the fever hasn't struck you down as well?" Mara pressed a palm to Darian's forehead, feeling for unnatural warmth.

"I'm fine, Ma, I promise.” He pulled back reflexively. “Just...disoriented from sleep is all."

It wasn't exactly a lie. Darian's pulse was beginning to slow from the initial shock, but his mind still reeled. His mother’s clothes caught his eye - the faded blue linen dress and red wool shawl she had worn yesterday...or what he thought was yesterday.

"I know you're worried for your sister," she said gently. "But the fever has broken for now. Kalyna's medicine bought us some time."

Mara shook her head. "Though only the gods know how long it will last. We must pray Talia continues to recover."

Darian swayed where he stood. None of this made any sense. By all rights, Talia should be buried, and Mara dressed in mourning black. Yet here his sister lay sleeping, still flush with fever but very much alive.

Could yesterday’s events have been a nightmare? But no, it had felt terrifyingly real...

Mara was speaking again, but Darian could barely follow her words. A possibility too impossible to believe took root in his mind - somehow, impossibly, he had been granted a second chance to save Talia.

"...and try fetch a rabbit or two while you're out. I'll make broth for Talia to build her strength back up," his mother was saying.

Hunting. Yes, that's where he had been going to check his snares. And he had found...

Darian's eyes widened. The azure blooms of Miriam's Grace, with their legendary healing properties. He had read about them in one of Kalyna's herbals - even a small amount boiled into tea could work miracles.

If he could find the blossoms again, perhaps Talia could truly be cured this time.

Hope surged in Darian's heart like birdsong after an endless winter. He had to find those flowers, no matter what.

"I'm sorry Ma, I need to go," he blurted, grabbing his cloak off its peg by the door.

Mara looked startled. "But you've not had a morsel of breakfast yet. At least sit down a moment-"

"There's no time!" Darian called over his shoulder, already dashing outside. He barely heard his mother's bewildered reply before the cottage door closed behind him.

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All that mattered now was getting back to the glen where he had found the miraculous Miriam's Grace. Darian's feet flew over the familiar dirt paths as he raced for the forest, startling a flock of chickens scratching in the lane. Villagers waved in greeting, but he barrelled past without a glance.

Nothing could slow Darian down, not when he had a second chance to save his sister.

I’ll be back, Talia. This time I will save you. I promise.

Soon the village was left behind and he passed beneath the cool shadows of the towering forest trees. Here the ground grew uneven, crisscrossed by gnarled roots and studded with stones. Still Darian ran on tirelessly, following half-remembered trails until the glen opened up before him.

Where was it? It was meant to be here somewhere! he scanned the shaded hollow frantically.

There, beside the mossy log - a patch of brilliant azure blossoms waved among the undergrowth. Darian nearly wept in relief.

The Miriam's Grace flowers were really here, not just part of some fever dream. This was proof he had somehow gone back in time, however impossible it seemed. Perhaps the gods had not forsaken their family after all. He could save Talia now.

Just as Darian reached out to pluck a handful, a blur of movement caught his eye. He threw himself backwards on pure instinct, barely avoiding the lightning-fast strike of a snake lunging from the foliage.

Heart pounding, Darian scrambled away to put distance between them. The emerald-coloured snake coiled protectively in front of the flowers, its forked tongue tasting the air as it stared him down with unblinking eyes.

This snake must be guarding the Miriam's Grace blooms.

Darian's body began to tremble as he assessed the situation, his calm fracturing. As a hunter, he had tangled with snakes before. But now, faced with the serpent, flashes of memory assaulted him - fangs sinking into his neck, the panther's merciless eyes, the world darkening.

No! Darian shook his head fiercely, fighting down the surge of terror. It's just a snake. I've beaten snakes before.

But panic clawed at his throat, stealing his breath. His racing heart felt like it might burst from his chest. The snake's emerald scales seemed to blur into a panther's sleek black coat before his eyes.

This isn't real, he told himself desperately. It's not the same!

Yet he couldn't stop shaking. His pulse roared in his ears and cold sweat slicked his palms. Each flicking movement of the snake's tongue made him flinch, expecting to feel claws and fangs piercing his flesh.

Darian wanted nothing more than to turn and flee, to put as much distance as possible between himself and the serpent. But he had come too far to back down now. Talia needed those flowers.

Raising a trembling hand, palm out, Darian tried his best to sound calm. "I d-don't want to fight you," he stammered out. "But my s-sister...she's sick. She'll die without this flower."

His voice cracked on the last word as he remembered cradling Talia's still, cold body. The snake hissed, tightening its coils. Darian's heart seized with icy dread. It wasn't going to back down.

"I...I have to do this" he whispered. "I'm sorry."

His hand twitched towards his bow, but he knew it was futile. The snake was too close, too fast. Grasping his knife with a white-knuckled grip, Darian braced himself.

The serpent struck. Another flash of memory - claws tearing into him, jaws closing around his throat. Darian cried out, twisting away just in time to feel the snapping fangs graze his cheek. His responding slash went wide, the snake already looping back for another attempt.

They circled each other in a deadly dance, Darian struggling to see through the haze of fear and adrenaline. The snake was lightning-quick, making it nearly impossible to land a blow. His own movements felt sluggish, weighed down by terror.

I can't do this again, Darian thought wildly. I can't die like this!

Desperate, he snatched up a fallen branch, wielding it like a staff. The snake recoiled from the sudden movement. Seizing his chance, Darian kicked out, his boot connecting with the serpent's sleek coils and sending it tumbling into the undergrowth.

He stared down at the stunned snake, gasping for breath. "I'm sorry," he choked out. "I didn't want to hurt you."

With shaking hands, he cut a fistful of the precious blue Miriam's Grace blooms. The snake watched him gather the flowers but made no move to strike again, only coiling tighter around itself.

"Thank you," Darian breathed. The snake was only defending its territory. He couldn't blame it, but he'd had no choice. Talia's life depended on him.

Securing the flowers in his satchel, Darian turned back the way he had come. But he paused, struck by another memory. Something else important had happened here in this part of the woods, if only he could remember...

The wolf pup! Darian snapped his fingers as the scene came back to him. He had found a young wolf tangled in one of his snares and set it free. That was how the pack had come to spare him later.

New resolve filled Darian. Though time was short, he owed it to the poor creature to spare it unnecessary suffering once again. Following the vague tug of memory, he picked his way through the dense foliage until he reached the small glen where the snares were set.

Sure enough, the panicked cries of an animal sounded nearby. Darian pushed through a bramble thicket to find a trembling russet-coloured wolf pup trapped in the crude snare, its front paw bloody where it had frantically tried to escape.

Heart aching, Darian slowly approached it, hands raised. "Easy there, I'm going to help you," he soothed.

The pup snapped its jaws, but Darian carefully cut it free. It whined as he gingerly examined the injured paw.

"You'll be alright now," Darian murmured. After a moment's hesitation, he ripped some fabric from his tunic and bandaged the pup's paw to stop the bleeding. The young wolf remained wary but did not resist.

"There you go, little friend. Your pack is nearby, just head home to them." Darian stood and stepped back, allowing the pup to limp into the brush. It paused to look back at him for a heartbeat, dark eyes unreadable, before disappearing.

"Stay safe," he whispered after the vanished pup.

Darian tucked away his knife and headed for home, one hand pressed over the precious hidden flowers. He had what he needed to cure Talia. Nothing else mattered now except getting back before it was too late.

The journey passed in a blur. Darian flew down the forest paths and across the village fields.

At last Darian stumbled to a stop outside their cottage, gasping each breath. He burst inside to find Mara sitting anxiously by Talia's bedside. His sister was restless, whimpering and coughing more violently than before.

Mara looked up, her expression grave. "The fever worsened so fast...she's barely lucid. Go fetch Kalyna, I’m worried this might be the end."

"No!" Darian rushed over and grabbed the kettle. "I found something in the woods that will help her."

Hurriedly he threw the azure petals into the kettle along with some mint leaves and poured in hot water from the stove. As the mixture steeped, the floral, woodsy aroma filled the cottage.

Mara watched in bewilderment as Darian coaxed Talia to swallow a few sips of the tea. "Herbs alone can’t cure an illness this dire..." she began uncertainly.

But before she could finish, Talia's eyes fluttered open. Her breathing eased and a hint of colour returned to her cheeks.

"Mama?" Talia rasped weakly.

“My baby!” disbelief shone on Mara's face. "Just keep resting, you’ll be up and about soon," Mara soothed, stroking Talia's hair.

Setting down the empty teacup, Darian let out a long breath. He clasped his sister's small hand tightly in his. "You're all better now, little one," he told her with an encouraging smile. "The danger has passed."

Talia's nose crinkled. "Yuck...that tea smells nasty. Almost as bad as old Breck."

Despite himself, Darian laughed aloud. Spoken like the real Talia. He tweaked her nose playfully.

"Oh, it's not so bad. Hasn't turned you into a toad yet, has it?"

She made a face at him, and his heart soared.

His sister was finally back.