Lianne listened at the door. She held her breath, hearing footsteps from inside the room. She knew the three of the men were still downstairs in the tavern, so the person inside had to be the one she hadn't seen yet.

The footsteps were heavy and slow, but the floor didn't creak under the weight. The sounds were strangely dull as if the person was stepping on thin ice, a hollow echo following each one.

Lianne leaned closer to the door as the footsteps receded, the sounds eventually quietening down. When silence filled the room, Lianne finally breathed out. She had held her breath, her whole body tensed up.

Lianne wanted to know who that person was, but she wasn't sure what to do. She glanced around the hallway as if she would find an answer from her surroundings, but the hallway was empty and dark. Nobody was there to give her an answer.

Lianne's eyes darted from the door to the hallway and back again. She pursed her lips, her heart thumping loudly. She knew Amra would immediately forbid her from going, but her curiosity was stronger.

Disregarding her doubts, Lianne put her hand on the handle and tried it slowly. The handle gave in, signaling that the door wasn't locked.

Lianne stopped. Her heart beat so loudly that it was the only sound she could hear at the moment. Her hands started trembling nervously even if she tried to stay calm.

For a moment Lianne stared at the handle, pondering what to do. The last time she went on her own, she got into trouble. She knew it wasn't wise, even if her curiosity urged her to move on. She decided to listen to her conscience and took her hand off the handle while backing away from the door.

As Lianne stepped back, the handle suddenly moved on its own, instantly stopping her. She stared at the opening door paralyzed, expecting someone to be on the other side. But as the door opened up with a prolonged creak, there was nobody.

Lianne stood still, looking into the room through the open door, her eyes wide. She didn't move a muscle, baffled about the situation. She hesitated, but now that the door was open, her curiosity started taking over again. What harm could she do if she looked inside now that the door was already open?

She couldn't fight her curiosity any longer, so she took a step closer, her every muscle tense. Her palms were sweating and her knees weak as she peeked inside. The room was mostly dark. The moon shining from outside painted a streak of light across the empty bed closest to the window. The room seemed empty, but the pitch-black corners made Lianne hesitate.

Lianne once more glanced around, to make sure that nobody saw her entering the room. As she took her first step inside, shivers went down her back. Her whole body shook with small trembles that left her feeling empty. Her heart skipped a beat, but she shrugged the feeling creeping up on her and took another step into the room.

Lianne started conjuring a small flame of energy to her hand, to light up the room. She breathed in and focused on the energy moving inside her, shifting to her open palm. She felt it tingling, but nothing happened.

Lianne frowned. She breathed in again and felt the same sensation in her hand that tried to release the burst of flame. She felt the energy flowing through her as it usually did, but nothing. Something was interfering with her magic. Lianne closed her palm and looked around. It seemed that someone had cast a magic ward to the room.

Lianne noticed a distinct odor around her. The air was stale as if it wasn't flowing in the room. The moonlight that shone through the window seemed to distort. Its beams blended in the thick air, disappearing before they hit the wall. Everything felt too still as if nothing was alive.

Lianne braced herself and moved further into the room. She took careful steps while looking at every detail. The room resembled the one they had. Four beds were neatly arranged in the corners. She saw a painting in the dim light that resembled the inn. No belongings or anything suggested that someone was staying in the room. Nobody had even sat on the beds, the blankets neatly made on top of them.

Lianne walked to the window and peeked outside. The moon shone from a clear sky and the wind ruffled the trees. The stables were visible from the window, a couple of lanterns lighting the pathway. The flickering flames created dancing ripples in the air, making the shadows move.

Someone was walking outside, a figure of a man heading to the stables. He walked casually with brisk steps, his cloak swaying in the wind. He didn't look like one of the three men that were downstairs.

Just then Lianne stopped breathing. Her every muscle tightened as her body tensed up. She heard footsteps behind her and felt a shiver running down her spine again, even if she wasn't cold. Her breaths turned rapid and shallow, and a tightening sensation grew in her chest.

Lianne wanted to turn around, to see who it was. But as she tried moving her body, it froze to the spot. A force was keeping her still and panic started taking over her body.

Someone walked behind Lianne, and she instantly regretted going inside the room. She should have listened to her guts and not her curiosity. When would she learn?

"You should have stayed at home," a gruff man's voice said behind her, close enough to feel his breath tickle her neck. The voice sounded familiar to Lianne, even if she couldn't quite pinpoint from where. The air grew thicker around the man, and breathing was getting harder.

Lianne tried saying something, but she couldn't open her mouth. Nothing seemed to reverberate from her throat as if her voice was robbed from her too.

A loud clatter suddenly rang out from downstairs. Lianne's heart immediately jumped with a horrible feeling. She heard yelling, things breaking and everything blending into a cacophony of noise. Lianne knew that there was a fight going on.

"Lianne!" Amra's shout reached her ears so clearly that her blood froze. Lianne instantly stopped breathing, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Lianne, watch out for-" Amra shouted again with a raspy yell until a loud thud cut her voice short.

Every sound in the inn immediately quietened down. Amra's voice echoed in Lianne's ears, her mind going numb. Something started bubbling deep within her. She tried to yell for Amra, her heart yearning to know what happened to her, but she couldn't get any words out.

Then, to her horror, she saw through the window as the three men headed toward the stables. They were carrying a person, even if Lianne couldn't see who it was. The men's shadows moved smoothly over the ground as they huddled across the pathway.

Another tremor of shivers went through her as she felt the same cold breath on her neck. "We will get you when you are ready. Do not follow us," the man spoke, emphasizing every word, his voice a low growl. "I will come back for you later."

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A hand lifted on Lianne's head as the man stroked it surprisingly gently, his fingers combing through her brown and ashen hair. Lianne tried to move, wanting to get away from the touch, but she couldn't. She felt the panic taking root in her soul and the darkness beginning to grow.

The man's hand slowly receded, his fingers untangling from her hair. Lianne heard footsteps walking further away from her. She wanted to yell at the man, pleading for him to release her, but her voice was still drowned inside her.

When the footsteps quietened down again, the thick air seemed to fade away, and the strange odor disappeared. Lianne felt tingling in her muscles as if blood was flowing through her again. She could first blink and then start moving her hands and legs. Her body was hers again. The man's spell was gone with him, and the place seemed alive again.

Lianne didn't hesitate before she sprinted out of the room and down the stairs. She staggered in the stairs while running down when a sudden sting pierced her heart. Her balance swayed and she instinctively screamed.

Lianne stopped. She leaned against the wall and lifted her hand, grabbing her chest. The darkness wanted to take over her, the piercing pain relentless. She took in a deep breath, her eyesight blurring. Through pure willpower alone, she continued descending the stairs.

Lianne almost tripped when hitting the ground floor. "Amra!" she yelled with a hoarse voice while staggering toward the tavern as if she was drunk.

She felt another horrible stung in her heart, making her stop. She put her hand against the wall and leaned on it, concentrating hard to keep the darkness at bay for now. Cold sweat covered her body already as she used all her energy to keep on going.

A fight had clearly happened in the tavern. It was a mess. Lianne scanned it through, to see that Amra wasn't there. Chairs were all over the floor and tables were knocked down. Hann was putting everything back, a worried look on his face.

Lianne ran outside, almost bumping into the wide-open door. Her growing desperation and panic urged her to move quickly. She could only hold herself together for so long.

As Lianne got outside, she saw Faolin laying face first on the ground before the door. "Faolin?" she gasped while falling on her knees next to him. She turned him around, seeing his face scrunched up as if he was in pain.

"Faolin!" Lianne yelled and saw Faolin's face twitching before he let out a small groan. "Get up!" she yelled again while quickly standing up. Her legs almost gave under her, but she was able to steady herself. She couldn't wait for Faolin to come around. She had to get to the stables.

Lianne rushed unsteadily toward the stables. She was dragging her feet as her steps grew heavy. The darkness inside her spread like fire, reaching every vein and muscle too fast. She tried to keep as calm as she could but failed miserably. She was panicking.

Just then two horses and the wagon rushed out of the stables, steering straight toward Lianne. The clopping of hooves rang in her ears loudly as if tremors hit the earth. The horses nearly ran over her, but she was able to stumble to the side in time. She almost fell to the ground, barely keeping her balance.

"Amra!" Lianne yelled after the wagon as loud as she could, but the horses kept on going. Her voice broke and she coughed violently, making her sway.

Lianne steadied herself and started conjuring all the energy she could at the moment. The darkness pulsed inside her, but she still felt her own powers flowing through. Her heart thumped loudly but she disregarded that for now.

Lianne's hands tingled as she conjured a gust of wind to her palms. She felt prickling inside her body that soon changed into stinging needles. The pain grew, but she couldn't give in yet. She continued growing her energy despite the pain.

The wind grew into a whirlwind that started to ruffle the plants and trees. Lianne lifted her hands, her every muscle tense. Her whole body felt like an extension of her powers, her blood pulsing with the movements of the magic.

The whirlwind moved in large motions around Lianne, growing and getting closer to the wagon. The harsh gust pulled off the trees' leaves and lifted the loose sand, covering the tornado with small rubble. The lanterns along the pathway collapsed and the walls of the stable creaked loudly. Lianne's hair and clothes only swayed a little as the wind swirled around her. She was in the eye of the storm.

As Lianne pushed her hands out, the wind picked up and lashed toward the men. The gust swirled around them and started to lift the rear of the wagon. The back wheels spun in the air, stopping them from getting forward. A horse neighed loudly while rearing, dropping one of the men down.

Lianne yelled, every vein and muscle in her body aching. She used all the energy she had to control the wind. She was determined to stop the men, but her powers diminished. The wind started to weaken and the horses pulled the wagon out of Lianne's grasp, relentlessly whipped by the man driving it.

Lianne breathed heavily, her face beaded with cold sweat and her skin pale. Her hands fell to her sides when the wagon continued going forward. She looked horrified after the men as the wind calmed down and the air grew still again. The sand and leaves that the gust had lifted now slowly fell as if it was snowing.

Lianne winced in pain again and grabbed her chest. She felt the darkness pulsing, but she had to keep on going. She turned around and started heading unsteadily to the stables when she heard a yell after her.

"Lianne, no!" Faolin yelled and ran to her. Lianne felt as his arms wrapped around her body tightly, stopping her. "You cannot let it take control!" Faolin said, trying to keep her still, his breath brushing against her neck.

"Let me go...I need to...to Amra," Lianne said with ragged breaths. She tried to squirm out of Faolin's grasp, but he held her tightly, his chest flush straight against her back. He wasn't giving up an inch.

"No! You are going over," Faolin said firmly. Lianne felt as he sank his fingers into her chest, grabbing the fabric forcefully. His hands instantly started glowing with his energy and warmth surrounded her. Lianne heard Faolin starting to speak in a language she didn't understand, the unfamiliar words rolling out of his mouth in whispers.

At first, Lianne didn't feel anything, only her pulsing blood that urged her to move. "I don't have...time..." Lianne said, trying to make Faolin stop. "I need...to go."

"No, I will not let you," Faolin said, stopping his incantation for a moment before continuing. He held her so tight that even if she tried to struggle, she couldn't get away.

Lianne felt Faolin's magic trying to penetrate the darkness inside her, but she didn't have time for it now. She needed to go after the wagon before it would disappear into the distance. "Faolin! Let me go!" Lianne yelled, her voice breaking before she coughed violently again. She was at a breaking point.

When Faolin kept a hold of her despite her pleading, Lianne closed her eyes, feeling some of the energy still flowing inside her. It wasn't much but she was desperate. She apologized in her mind before she moved her hands and opened up her palms. She hoped that he would understand.

Another horrible pain pierced her heart as the tingling in her hands grew. A bolt of energy rushed through her body. She turned her palms backward and tensed up her muscles, holding her breath. A strong flare of energy shot from her open palm, flashing with a bright light. Lianne heard a hollow thud as Faolin groaned, his hands ripped away from her.

Lianne yelled, her whole body aching as she fell on her knees. She heard a crash from behind but couldn't stop and see what happened to Faolin. Struggling, she scrambled up, her hands grabbing air. She focused only on the stables ahead, her eyesight blurring. Her heart beat so fast that it drowned all the other sounds beneath it.

Lianne quickly staggered to her horse. She was sure that someone was in the stables, but she couldn't focus on it now. She untied Luna and grabbed its mane tightly in her hands. With all the strength she still had, she pulled herself up and instantly snapped on the reins.

"Go!" Lianne yelled with a hollow voice as Luna spurred out of the stables. She quickly rode toward the direction the wagon and the riders were heading. As she rode past the inn, she saw how Faolin leaned against the fence, holding his head. She felt a pang of guilt for using her magic on him, but he wouldn't have let her go otherwise.

Lianne urged Luna to move faster. She stared closely at the wagon in the distance, feeling her hands trembling. Her balance swayed as her strength diminished. Lianne had used all the energy on her magic and trying to keep on going. She had no more strength left. Blood pounded in Lianne's ears as her senses heightened. She couldn't hold back the darkness within her anymore.

Luna neighed, sensing the change in its master. Lianne felt a rush of a burning desire for blood in her body. She wanted it. She craved for it. She could see the veins of the men before her, and she knew she would kill them all.