The smell of burning flesh made Elena's stomach churn.
All around her lay heaps of bodies, burned so badly she could hardly recognize them as human.
Tears burned her eyes– more painfully than the smoke and ash thickening the air. A shadow loomed behind her, and the fear rising in her chest was almost palpable.
Her head moved slowly, dread crawling through her veins as she turned to face her greatest fear.
But her eyes flew open just in time.
Sweat drenched her body, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Her heart hammered violently against her chest, as though it might burst free.
"It's just another nightmare," she muttered to herself.
From a distance, a cock crowed, announcing the break of dawn. Elena pushed herself up from the hard tavern floor she slept on and rubbed her aching temples.
It was the start of a new day.
"Elena! I hope the pastries are ready. You know how the morning customers get!"
The shrill voice pierced her ears, making her flinch. Pain throbbed behind her eyes.
"Yes, Aunt Kate," Elena replied, forcing her voice steady. "I just brought them out of the oven. They're on the table– right in front of you."
Kate scoffed. "Are you insinuating that I'm blind?" she snapped, her thin eyebrows knotting together sharply.
"I never said that," Elena answered weakly.
She didn't have the strength for her aunt's rage-baiting today. Her head felt like a million tiny nails were being hammered into it without pause.
As she worked near the flames, her hands trembled. The fire danced before her eyes, and flashes of the nightmare..the charred bodies, the suffocating heat flickered through her mind. She could almost smell the burning flesh again.
"Such an ugly attitude behind an ugly face," Kate sneered. "You'd better start washing the dishes. You have a long day ahead of you."
Elena said nothing.
"Your parents couldn't even stand the sight of you," Kate continued cruelly. "They ran off to their early graves and left me with such a burden. The least you could do is make yourself useful."
Elena stared at her wordlessly, then turned toward the sink. She was used to her aunt's verbal abuse. It had become part of her everyday life.
---
By evening, the tavern was alive with noise.
The air reeked of old bread and ale, a smell Elena had grown far too familiar with. This place was all she had ever known.
Evenings were the busiest. Men returned from their day's labor, leaving their wives and children behind to drink themselves senseless and flirt shamelessly with the whores who frequented the tavern.
It was disgusting to watch.
With her long hair pulled into a single plait down her back and a few loose strands framing her face, Elena moved swiftly between tables. She maneuvered expertly through the crowd, dodging wandering hands and breaking up drunken arguments with practiced ease.
A young man walked into the tavern, a hood covered the most part of his face.
She squinted. He didn't seem like the regular type of customer. He almost didn't fit in.
When he removed his hood she gasped softly.
His dark hair was ruffled covering one side of his face.
Just as he was about to turn around, she quickly averted her eyes before he caught her staring. She was used to handsome strangers who are traveling stopping by for a quick drink.
Elena sat down on an old stool near the kitchen to catch her breath.
Then she saw her.
A girl with bright red hair.
A genuine smile touched her lips.
"Amber!" she called out, hoping her voice would rise above the tavern's noisy chatter.
Unfortunately, it didn't.
Elena waited until Aunt Kate was distracted. She was flirting shamelessly with a man whose yellowed teeth made Elena shudder. Taking the chance, she hurried toward Amber and tapped her shoulder gently.
Amber turned around, piercing green eyes already filled with tears.
"Elena… I've been looking for—"
She broke off suddenly as warm arms wrapped tightly around her.
The dam burst.
Amber sobbed openly, her body shaking as she clung to Elena. Elena rubbed her back in slow circles, murmuring softly into the nape of her neck.
"It's okay," she whispered. "I'm here now."
Amber's chest heaved as she struggled to breathe through the sobs.
"Come with me," Elena said quietly.
She led Amber to the back of the tavern, away from prying eyes and drunken laughter. They sat on an old wooden barrel, the flickering lamp nearby casting warm light over Amber's tear-streaked face and highlighting her freckles.
"What's wrong?" Elena asked gently.
Amber sniffled, lips trembling as she struggled to speak.
"My dad…" she whispered. "He went to the next town to get supplies for his trade. On his way back, he was attacked and killed… by people with the curse."