The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 37: The Fountain Pool

Chapter 37: The Fountain Pool

Annalise let out a surprised cry as cold water rained on her, drenching her from head to toe just in a minute while she was completely taken aback because of the situation.

"My Lady..."

"Where is the water coming from?"

"Let’s get Her Lady out of the pool first."

"Sera, go and bring a warm blanket or cloak."

There was chaos around her as everyone panicked. Sera immediately disappeared inside the castle to fetch a blanket while Aunt Claire and Garron tried to help Annalise. On the other hand, Mr. Warren was struggling to find a way to stop the fountain from pouring water all over the place.

However, it seemed like the water was too out of control because there seemed no way for stopping it. The flow was so excessive that the pool was already half filled.

"My Lady, give us your hand." Aunt Claire shouted as she tried to enter the pool but was immediately pushed away by a strong force that came out of nowhere. Thankfully, Garron was there to help her or the old woman would have definitely ended up getting injured.

On the other hand, Annalise felt something wrapping around her ankles. The memories of the vines that bound her in the dark forest a couple of days ago entered her brain and panic settled inside her.

She struggled to jerk her legs out of the grip of whatever was trying to restrain her but her strength was nothing compared to it. "Garron, Mr. Warren, get me out of here. There’s something in the water..."

But to her utter dismay, the others were locked out of the pool by a wall of water that had surrounded the entire pool and locked her inside the pool. She could still hear the shouts from the others but none of them was able to pass through the water wall.

There was no longer any doubt left that whatever was happening had nothing normal about it. A deserted fountain suddenly came back to life with so much water coming out of nowhere, weird things gripping her ankles, and then a weird wall of water that suddenly popped up to block others from helping her.

Annalise once again tried to tug her legs to get them free but once again failed miserably. The water of the pool had already risen above her waist and it only kept rising as the fountain pumped out more and more water.

A shape tug on her feet suddenly made her lose her balance and she ended up falling into the pool. The panic and anxiety immediately surrounded her as her breath got knocked out of her and she struggled to break out through the water’s surface to take a breath.

Her lungs struggled for oxygen but she was unable to even move as her body felt immobilized. Darkness surrounded her vision and she felt the world fading around her. The terror of death shook her from the inside out.

Her eyes became heavy and she felt her body giving in... but then she felt something warm and powerful brewing inside her, something so foreign but yet so familiar that it filled her body with energy.

She felt it taking control of her entire being and just when it was about to break out and fight the darkness that was trying to drown her. Though the energy inside her disappeared completely in a blink, she still managed to get out of the water.

She didn’t remember much about what happened and how she came out of the water. All that she could recall from that moment was the pair of strong arms that were wrapped around her like a protective ward.

She remembered someone kissing her forehead and then someone else whispering something in her ear but she was already on the verge of submitting to the darkness. And that’s exactly what she did.

*****

"I don’t understand. What is exactly wrong with this damned place?" Damien looked like he was ready to tear apart the place as he paced around Annalise’s bedroom.

The dark clouds outside the castle and the strong wind that was blowing clearly showed just how bad his mood was.

"Didn’t you say that this castle likes her? Then why is it trying to kill her now? It’s already been twice. The first was when it allowed her to cross the protection ward knowing fully about the dangers that lurk in the dark forest. And the second time was today in the fountain pool. This doesn’t seem like a castle liking someone." Damien’s accusing words were aimed at Valerius who was sitting next to a sleeping Annalise.

"Damien, calm down." Kenric made a futile attempt but again... it was indeed a futile attempt as Damien was not in the mood of listening.

"Calm down? Seriously, Kenric?" Damien turned his accusing eyes at his younger brother who immediately raised his hands in surrender.

"I don’t think the castle is trying to harm her," Valerius spoke as he looked at both his brothers. His words got mixed responses as Damien just laughed without any humor and Kenric looked skeptical. "Why do you think so?" The latter asked.

Valerius took a deep breath before he spoke, "We have been living here for centuries and we all know just how dangerous this castle is. Do you guys really think that she would have survived so many days in this castle if it really wanted to kill her?"

This time, even Damien seemed hesitant as he too could sense the logic behind Valerius’ words. The Cursed Castle wasn’t called cursed just for its appearance, there was a very dark history behind it.

"Then what do these attacks on her mean?" Kenric asked as his gaze landed on their wife. The color was finally returning to her cheeks after Valerius had fed her the potion.

"I’m not really sure, but it seems like a warning to me. Or maybe... maybe it’s something we aren’t aware of at all."

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