“We therefore commit this body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. In sure hope of the resurrection to eternal life.” The priest read from the Holy Book as Kalix’s coffin was slowly buried six feet under. Alessia put her arm around Elsbeth, who couldn’t stop shedding tears, while Rinna seemed to stay clear of her. Aunt Vilica sobbed in the middle of the ceremony, falling to her knees, unable to form a sentence. Not even Uncle Delroy was able to relieve her pain.

As the funeral ended and friends and family left the graveyard, Alessia caught up to Rinna before she left. “I need to talk to you,” she said.

“About what?” Rinna asked.

“How have you been at night?”

Her cousin averted her gaze elsewhere. “The salt works if that’s what you mean.”

Alessia raised an eyebrow in concern. “That’s – good. I hope it’s not too bad outside for you.”

Rinna shook her head, providing a bit of relief. “I just want my brother back, and now I am stuck here on Tethys and constantly reminded of what happened to him.” Her heart skipped a beat, and her face went pale as a ghost upon hearing that. The Sluagh loved reminding her of what they did to Kalix that night, engrossing her in every detail.

“What do you mean you’re stuck?”

“You damn well know what I mean. Count Fairley spoke to my father at the Feast, and he said you warned him not to let me leave the Island. My father was furious and won’t even look at me!”

“I didn’t mean to warn him.”

“If you wanted to leave so badly, you should have told me!” Rinna shouted, wiping her tears away. It was now only the two of them left in the graveyard. “I would have understood, you know. I am not cold-hearted.”

“Neither am I, Rinna! It slipped out after he rejected me.”

Rinna crossed her arms, leaning to one side. “So, you decided that I shouldn’t go either. That isn’t for you to decide! Now, I’m stuck here in this wretched town!”

Alessia took a few steps back, looking at her cousin as if to clarify what she meant. “What?”

“Everyone here knows, Ale. You aren’t the warmest person in existence.”

“You want to talk about cold? You never once visited our grandfather! Not once asked me how he was after he became sick. I was the only one in this family making sure the doctors gave him his medicine and made him comfortable in his final days. You didn’t even attend his funeral! Where the fuck were you?” Something inside of Alessia snapped like a twig. Keeping the way, she felt about her grandfather being abandoned by everyone in the family was bound to make an appearance sooner or later.

“What does he have to do with this? I was sad when he passed away! Please don’t turn this around on me, Alessia! You caused it by talking to Count Fairley because you’re selfish.”

“You never asked me what I wanted either!”

“But you could have told me!” she argued. “Why the secrecy?!”

Alessia shook her head, realizing the argument was not getting them anywhere. She brushed past her cousin, stomping away as she heard Rinna add, “Walk away like you always do!” It took all her effort not to turn around and scream something back, but she held her tongue. Rinna just experienced the loss of her brother, which didn’t help her anger. Then again, Alessia knew speaking with Count Fairley that night was improper, especially warning him that Rinna wanted the same thing.

She saw Calien in the house talking to Enora. Alessia did not want to see him after the argument last night, so she decided the best course of action was to start ignoring him again.

She checked on her father, who was resting in the guest room. He looked the most relaxed she had seen him in a long time. Alessia pulled the blankets over him, feeling his forehead with her palm, which was warm but not clammy. Good, no fever, she thought. She noticed his wound started healing faster than anticipated, meaning he could return to his Sea Captain job sooner rather than later.

“Alessia! Someone is at the door for you!” Enora called.

She left for downstairs, wondering who would be visiting her. She was sure it was not Rinna, but then who else would it be?

Alessia stopped short of one step as she gazed at the person at the front door. “Lady Alessia,” Count Fairley said, smiling at her. “I… have significant matters to discuss with you.” After the previous conversation, she thought Count Fairley wanted nothing to do with anyone, let alone her. “May I come in? I shan’t be but a moment.”

“Yes, of course.”

She led him into the empty kitchen. “You know, I do not normally make a habit of visiting,” Count Fairley said, sitting at the table. “However, last night had me worried about the inhabitants of Stag.”

She nodded. “You have given the salt plant more thought?”

“I have, and you were right. Because of my actions of not listening to you, more people died. What good leader am I if I cannot even protect them?” He clasped his hands together. “I apologize for my rudeness the other day, Lady Alessia. You were only trying to help.”

“You will let everyone know? Make sure they have salt every night?”

“Indeed. Although I did not perish either, luck had something to do with it. Luck that could potentially run out.”

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“Thank you, Count Fairley. I appreciate that. I could have told them myself, but as you know, I am not well-liked by people in Stag,” she said. He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. “It isn’t that hard to see. When I go outside, I get constant stares.”

“I am sorry to hear. They don’t know what kind of person you are.”

“Not sure I agree.”

Did he know that no one would allow their children to play with her when she was a child? The only child other than her cousins who interacted with her was Ceinwen, and that was a whole interaction in itself. Ceinwen did not turn everyone against her; being born did, and she never understood why.

“I apologize for how rude I was yesterday,” he said. “It should not have taken me this long to realize you were right, and because I let stress get the better of me, more people in Stag died.”

“I could have warned them but feared they wouldn’t listen. It’s best not to let anyone know I told you.”

He nodded. “I will have to call an emergency meeting at noon in a few hours.” He looked at her for a moment. “This shaman you spoke about, who is she?”

Alessia had to think about it momentarily until the name suddenly came to her. “Jaera.”

“Jaera Hennigan?” Count Fairley gave her a half smile. “Not a woman well-liked here either.”

“Just tell them to put salt below the doors and on the windowsills. It must be enforced, or more people will die, as you well know.”

“Indeed. Well, I must be going,” he said, standing up from his chair. He shook Alessia’s hand firmly. “Again, I am sorry for my attitude toward you and hope you can forgive me.” She nodded and walked him to the front door, where his guardsmen waited for him outside. He tipped his felt hat in her direction.

She closed the door, letting out a huge, relieved sigh. She never thought Count Fairley would come to her house or any of the places in Stag.

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She left her house, needing a bit of a break from everyone. Now that her cousin Rinna could not stand her, she had no one else except her parents. Her mother was too busy taking care of her injured father, and her father recovered slowly. She still did not know what happened to them at night or how her father received the injury.

She headed to the gardens near the Count’s manor, where he allowed people to walk and admire the scenery. If she didn’t head to the graveyard, she went there instead. She sat on a stony bench, closing her eyes briefly. Something soft landed on her shoulder. She looked slightly to the left, and a bluebird chirped at her. Alessia studied the bird closely. It was the same bird she resurrected a few days ago.

It chirped at her, pecking at her skin.

“Hey – now! What was that for?” The bird pecked at her again, pointing its beak in a different direction. “You want me to follow you, is that it?”

The bird chirped again, flying away to the other side of the garden. She followed it to the exact spot, not seeing anything unusual except for a large lump of soil. She uncovered it, almost gagging, when she realized it was the corpse of someone who died months ago. She covered her nose to shield herself from the stench. What did the bird want her to do?

It chirped a few times. It wants me to resurrect it? She thought. What is a burial mound doing here in Count Fairley’s garden? “I can’t… I can’t resurrect humans, little one.”

The bird tilted its head in confusion and screeched at her.

“You think I’m joking? I have never resurrected a human before.”

The smell was too much, so she humbled the bird and touched the corpse. She closed her eyes, converging energies into the deceased person. A blue aura surrounded her as it swirled around and eventually disappeared.

Did it work? The dead human was, well, still dead. Alessia sighed and shrugged off her failure. “I tried, Pipsqueak. I did.” She buried the corpse again and had no time to stay before someone would find her. So much for peace, Alessia thought. The bird stopped following her and remained at the spot it was at before.

She felt lonelier in the Gardens than strolling in Stag. Sometimes, Rinna accompanied her, but with how things were, she doubted it would return to normal between them. At least Rinna didn’t blame her for Kalix’s death. At least not yet.

“Alessia,” a voice crept into her ear whispered. She ignored them, worried it might be the person who tried killing her earlier. Who else would it be? She still had no idea of its identity and shrouded itself in mystery.

She walked on, the muffled voices chattering amongst themselves. Alessia needed to ignore them as much as she could. Don’t give into them, she thought, but the robust voices intensified.

Alessia made it to the entrance of her house before the pain in her head started. She groaned, collapsing on the stony steps.

Visions of a bloodied hand reaching for a strange-looking device, but they were stopped by someone holding a knife. “What the fuck?” she said to herself, standing up. Why did I see that? The screams grew intense in volume. She covered her ears, begging for it to stop. The thick liquid that smelled faintly of rust soaked the palm of her hands. The ground swayed beneath her as she tried grabbing a hold of something to keep her steady.

“Are you okay?” a voice not from the visions asked her. It was Enora who came outside. “What’s wrong?” Alessia looked down at her hands. There was no blood on them, but she could have sworn she felt blood coming out of her ears.

“I –” she shivered. Everything she saw in the vision disappeared. “I don’t know. I was standing up, and then I blacked out.”

Enora felt Alessia’s forehead. “Hmm, no fever, but let’s get you inside.” She gently took Alessia’s arm and brought her into the kitchen.

“I’m not sick,” she said, sitting down.

“Are you sleeping enough?”

“I try to.” Last night was rough, although not nearly as bad as the first night.

“Try to stay calm. Just remember you’re safe in the house because of the salt,” Enora said with a hint of sympathy.

Alessia nodded firmly. “Each knock on the window wakes me up.” She scratched her nose and sighed. “Each time they talk or whisper something, I wake up.” She wished there was one room in the house that did not have a window. Maybe then she could get sleep.

“Perhaps we should take some extra measures,” Enora said.

“Like what?”

“Boarding up all the windows.”

“Why? I’ll still hear them.”

“You won’t see their shadows behind the curtains.” Alessia looked up at her mother, surprised she said that. “Do you think I don’t know? I am – everyone in Stag is in the same boat. You aren’t alone in this.”

“I appreciate the help, mother,” Alessia replied. “I just don’t know if boarding up the windows will do me any good.”

“All right. At least rest a bit earlier.”

It felt like they were walking around in circles. She was never going to sleep, no matter what her mother advised her, but she would rather try instead of giving up. I can’t give up. Not now, she thought.

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Alessia returned to the gardens in the morning. She decided to take another walk and clear her mind once more. Last night was better, but the whispers never get easier to hear. She wasn’t positive it was just her who listened to the Sluagh whisper as if they were in the bedroom with her. The only way to stop them was to find the person who created the curse, but she was not getting anywhere.

She wandered around briefly, admiring the perfectly cut shrubs in various shapes. Count Fairley goes all out on this, she thought. Although not as intricate as Jaera’s garden, she felt she could be herself there.

The bird she resurrected was not around, but it acted odd. She resumed her walk to the area of the Garden, where she found the burial mound. Alessia stopped short of it when she saw the mound had been dug up. Did someone do that? She knelt, looking over the mound. There were hands and footprints on the soil. Nobody dug it up. It was as if the person buried clawed their way out.

It had worked.

Alessia stayed there for a moment with the realization that she had raised the corpse from the dead with a contorted grin spreading across her face.