Chapter 2 Whispers through the veil

The forest behind Blackthorn Manor hadn't changed. Gnarled trees arched overhead, their twisted branches like fingers reaching for secrets. Mara followed the winding path, drawn by a sound she couldn't quite name - not footsteps, not wind, but whispers.

Each night since Aiden's return, she'd dreamed of a woman standing at the edge of the veil - a place between life and death. Her face was always blurred, but her voice was clear.

"Break the chain, or lose him again."

Mara pressed forward, the cold biting through her coat. At the center of the woods stood the ancient willow. Beneath it, the earth was soft and marked with symbols. She knelt, brushing dirt away until a name surfaced: Eleanor Blackthorn.

A snap of twigs behind her made her spin.

Aiden stood there, breathless. "You heard her, didn't you?"

Mara nodded. "She wants something."

"She wants blood," he said bitterly. "The curse was her doing. She bound us to it. We're just echoes of what came before."

Mara stared at him, her fingers tightening around the damp soil.

"If we don't stop this," he said, "we'll lose everything. Again."

And in that moment, she believed him completely.

She had that assurance.