Chapter 198
Phoebe
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I gasped, sitting up so fast that my head spun.
My body was drenched in sweat, and my fists clenched tightly.
I was back.
I placed a hand on my chest, trying to calm my raging heart as my breaths came out in ragged bursts.
The shock was still evident in my body, as I trembled slightly.
The dream clung to me like a hungry baby waiting for its mother. I nearly lost my life too.
A chill ran down my spine at that thought.
It had felt so real, the wedding, the shadows, the terror and the fact that I almost died, but a wave of relief flooded me.
I was out of that horror land.
My eyes darted to Kaene. He was stirring in his sleep, and the frown on his face deepened.
I wondered what sort of nightmare he was having. I silently prayed to the moon goddess that he had the strength to wake up from whatever he was facing.
I stood up, stepping out of the candles. It had gone off.
My candles were the only ones that had died, probably because I was awake.
I looked around the room, half-expecting it to be filled with witches or maybe Iona and her minions.
However, the room was strangely devoid of witches, including the maid who had brought us in.
Did they leave us to die? Or did they simply hold no regard for us?
Anybody would have been fine, at least to stay with us and check if there was no mishaps in their ritual.
Witches, a very disrespectful and rude bunch. Never again would I associate with them.
I sat beside Kaene, watching his every move. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and it looked like he was struggling to breathe.
I was deeply worried because I couldn’t touch or calm him not with the candles still surrounding him.
My mind wandered to the boy I had seen in my dream, how similar he looked to Kaene, and how he had fallen into the depths of the earth right before my eyes.
It was pure torture. Everything I saw in my dream made no sense.
Elsa getting pregnant and Kaene killing me for me. I scoffed as I thought about it.
Keane would never.
Then, Kaene’s candles flickered before going out. His eyes shot open, and I could see the fear behind them.
His gaze found mine, relief evident in his eyes. In that moment, I knew we had seen things we weren’t supposed to.
His face was pale, and his hands clenched into fists. Whatever he had seen in his dream had shaken him just as much as mine had shaken me.
“You’re awake.” I said, my voice cracking at the end.
He nodded with a smile, stepping out of his candles. I hugged him tightly, tears streaming down my cheeks.
I was glad he had survived. I had missed the comfort of his arms.
“It’s okay, darling. It’s over.” he whispered, his voice weak as if he barely had the strength to speak. He hugged me tighter.
No, it’s not. Not until everyone wakes up.
We broke free from each other’s embrace, and Kaene pulled me to a corner as we waited patiently for the others to wake up.
No more words needed to be said between us, we both needed space to process what had happened.
He just held my hand tightly, as if he were afraid to lose me.
Across the room, Sir Elijah’s and Sir Alan’s candles went out at the same time. They both stirred, groaning as they woke from their nightmares.
Sir Alan gasped for breath, his eyes darting around in confusion and when his eyes found me,he glared at me like I was the cause of his nightmare.
While Sir Elijah held his head as if trying to shake off whatever horror he had seen.
They looked at us and remained quiet, probably thinking of the dangers they had just survived.
Not long after, Lycan Davos woke up too, his face etched with bitterness and his expression tight.
I looked at Negan.
He wasn’t moving.
His lack of movement began to bother me. Before everyone else had woken up, they at least stirred or groaned in their sleep. Sir Alan had even murmured in his sleep.
Negan’s body lay still, too still.
His breathing was slow and I could barely see the slow rise and fall of his chest. There was no sign that he would be waking anytime soon.
I staggered toward him, ignoring the dizziness that I felt. I stood by his feet, staring down at his body.
“Negan.” I said, my voice hoarse.
“He’s still trapped.” Kaene murmured, appearing beside me.
I glanced at him, searching his face for any sign that he knew what to do. But he looked just as lost as I was.
“What do we do?” I asked, swallowing hard.
Kaene exhaled sharply, rubbing his face. “We wait. His candles are still lit p>
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I couldn’t lose anybody to these witches.
I turned back to Negan. Just then, his candles went out. I waited, anticipating his awakening.
A minute passed, and Negan’s eyes remained closed.
“We can’t leave him like this,” I said, hyperventilating. My heart beat fast.
This wasn’t right. Whatever he was seeing, whatever was keeping him locked in his dream, was stronger than anything we had faced.
“We need to break whatever is holding him back.” I said, glancing around at the others.
We needed to help him so that his soul wouldn’t be trapped in his nightmare.
They were watching, hesitant, uncertain, and unwilling to help.
Selfish men. I understood that they had just been through a lot, but still, a friend was in need.
“We don’t even know what’s keeping him asleep.” Sir Elijah muttered.
I clenched my jaw. “We have to do something… anything p>
Kaene knelt beside me, pressing the back of his hand against Negan’s forehead.
I didn’t even know what he was trying to do with that gesture. Maybe he was checking for a fever.
Negan suddenly twitched, his body convulsing briefly before settling again.
I grabbed his hand immediately. “Negan.” I said.
For a moment, I thought he was waking up.
Before I could say another word, blood poured from Negan’s mouth.