Tears can Blind you… Smiles can break you…
Chapter 16
"You sat next to the fire lost in thought. You were relieved for now, but what if Brent came back? *I don't want to hurt him...* You said over and over again in your mind. You still had the silver amulet in your pocket, but there was no way you could use it. You looked down at Jason, who had fallen asleep with his head on your lap. He had swore that he would stay awake and protect you no matter what, but you had started singing and it slowly lulled him to sleep. His rest was not peaceful though. He murmured and moved calling out your name as though you were in danger. Each time you gently stroked his hair and he would quiet, but soon after he would be having nightmares again. *Not that that's surprising...* you thought wearily as he began to talk about zombies and werewolves again. *This entire place is like a nightmare...*
You looked at the sky sadly wondering what to do. Then a raspy voice interrupted your thoughts. "It was the wolf..."
You didn't look up as the old woman sat down beside you. You just kept your head down as if trying to block her out.
"I see," she answered, coughing. "Why did you not use the amulet I gave you? He could have killed you..."
"I don't believe that," you argued in his defense. "He stopped himself. I saw his eyes going from red to blue. He was fighting whatever it is that's inside him. And maybe... maybe we can defeat this curse. There has to be a way..."
The old woman sighed. "I do not know the cure for this curse... But I do know of where there are others with the same affliction. If you find them they may be able to guide you in the right direction. In the land of Kartakass, far away from here, there is one named Casimir. I think that if you travel to find him he will be able to help you."
"But I don't understand..." you cried as she got up to leave. "If he is still a werewolf then he does not have a cure!"
"He is searching..." She whispered from somewhere in the dark. "Go to him when Brent is again normal. But be careful, child. The lands are filled with evil beings of all kinds. The undead is only one thing you have to worry about here. Past this land... You will find for yourself that it is far easier to give them your soul rather than to fight them. I pray you remain strong..." And with that she left you to your own thoughts. But you didn't really have a choice in the whole matter. And maybe Brent didn't want to be changed... It didn't matter though. You had to get as far away from Strahd as possible. And this might be your only chance...
"So we're going to Kartakass," you explained to Jason in the morning when he had asked why you were packing provisions for a long trip.
"And... where exactly is that?" He asked helping you fill bags with food.
"Well..." You started looking up at him and rubbing the dirt off of your hands. "It's very very far away. It's a place that has one or more werewolves where a guy names Casimir is supposed to be looking for a cure for it. So we're going there with Brent to try and find a way for him to calm the beast within so to speak. If not change him back into a human. It's very dangerous and we'll meet lots of evil creatures that will try to kill us. K?"
Jason visibly paled to your answer. "I wish I hadn't asked... Aren't you afraid?"
You stopped and thought about it for a minute. You were going to be in real danger and possibly killed. There was no way you would get out of this without a couple of scars. But looking at Jason's worried expression made you harden slightly inside and you smiled. "I'm sure everything will be fine. I mean most of the journey is through Barovia which no will hurt us since Strahd rules here. And then we go through a place called Forlorn which is a big empty forest and a lake. The old gypsy said it was rumored to be red like blood but that's probably just talk. And then from there It's pretty much safe on to Harmonia which is the village in Kartakass where Casimir lives. It'll be easy."
"Great," Jason murmured as he plopped down, exhausted. "More werewolves..."
You smiled at him again and decided not to tell him of anything worse they might encounter. Better for him not to worry about it... That's when you saw Brent come through the trees and look at you guiltily. You only waved and smiled. It wasn't his fault what happened after all. So you weren't going to hold it against him.
He walked up to and looked at the ground. It had been a couple days since you had seen him and he looked terrible. "Uhh... Aiyana. I'm... really sorry. You know... about-"
"It's ok Brent," you said hugging him. "Don't worry about it."
He looked up at you relieved. "Really?"
You nodded and pointed to the horses which were loaded with things for your journey. "We're going to leave soon."
Brent looked alarmed. "What? Where?"
"To Kartakass," you replied like it was obvious. "We can't stay here forever. And Kartakass seemed like the closest place with less danger."
Brent looked uneasy. "That's where Casimir lives."
"Yeah, the old woman told me about him," you sighed and rubbed your forehead. "She said it might be nice to go and see him."
Brent didn't argue and soon everything was ready. You stood before the old woman as she passed a prayer over you and Jason, as Brent refused her services, and in no time you were on your horses and speeding through the forests of Barovia.
You looked at the sky sadly wondering what to do. Then a raspy voice interrupted your thoughts. "It was the wolf..."
You didn't look up as the old woman sat down beside you. You just kept your head down as if trying to block her out.
"I see," she answered, coughing. "Why did you not use the amulet I gave you? He could have killed you..."
"I don't believe that," you argued in his defense. "He stopped himself. I saw his eyes going from red to blue. He was fighting whatever it is that's inside him. And maybe... maybe we can defeat this curse. There has to be a way..."
The old woman sighed. "I do not know the cure for this curse... But I do know of where there are others with the same affliction. If you find them they may be able to guide you in the right direction. In the land of Kartakass, far away from here, there is one named Casimir. I think that if you travel to find him he will be able to help you."
"But I don't understand..." you cried as she got up to leave. "If he is still a werewolf then he does not have a cure!"
"He is searching..." She whispered from somewhere in the dark. "Go to him when Brent is again normal. But be careful, child. The lands are filled with evil beings of all kinds. The undead is only one thing you have to worry about here. Past this land... You will find for yourself that it is far easier to give them your soul rather than to fight them. I pray you remain strong..." And with that she left you to your own thoughts. But you didn't really have a choice in the whole matter. And maybe Brent didn't want to be changed... It didn't matter though. You had to get as far away from Strahd as possible. And this might be your only chance...
"So we're going to Kartakass," you explained to Jason in the morning when he had asked why you were packing provisions for a long trip.
"And... where exactly is that?" He asked helping you fill bags with food.
"Well..." You started looking up at him and rubbing the dirt off of your hands. "It's very very far away. It's a place that has one or more werewolves where a guy names Casimir is supposed to be looking for a cure for it. So we're going there with Brent to try and find a way for him to calm the beast within so to speak. If not change him back into a human. It's very dangerous and we'll meet lots of evil creatures that will try to kill us. K?"
Jason visibly paled to your answer. "I wish I hadn't asked... Aren't you afraid?"
You stopped and thought about it for a minute. You were going to be in real danger and possibly killed. There was no way you would get out of this without a couple of scars. But looking at Jason's worried expression made you harden slightly inside and you smiled. "I'm sure everything will be fine. I mean most of the journey is through Barovia which no will hurt us since Strahd rules here. And then we go through a place called Forlorn which is a big empty forest and a lake. The old gypsy said it was rumored to be red like blood but that's probably just talk. And then from there It's pretty much safe on to Harmonia which is the village in Kartakass where Casimir lives. It'll be easy."
"Great," Jason murmured as he plopped down, exhausted. "More werewolves..."
You smiled at him again and decided not to tell him of anything worse they might encounter. Better for him not to worry about it... That's when you saw Brent come through the trees and look at you guiltily. You only waved and smiled. It wasn't his fault what happened after all. So you weren't going to hold it against him.
He walked up to and looked at the ground. It had been a couple days since you had seen him and he looked terrible. "Uhh... Aiyana. I'm... really sorry. You know... about-"
"It's ok Brent," you said hugging him. "Don't worry about it."
He looked up at you relieved. "Really?"
You nodded and pointed to the horses which were loaded with things for your journey. "We're going to leave soon."
Brent looked alarmed. "What? Where?"
"To Kartakass," you replied like it was obvious. "We can't stay here forever. And Kartakass seemed like the closest place with less danger."
Brent looked uneasy. "That's where Casimir lives."
"Yeah, the old woman told me about him," you sighed and rubbed your forehead. "She said it might be nice to go and see him."
Brent didn't argue and soon everything was ready. You stood before the old woman as she passed a prayer over you and Jason, as Brent refused her services, and in no time you were on your horses and speeding through the forests of Barovia.