She stared at the swirling purple vortex of light emitting from the monstrous doorway’s mouth. It was like a moth to a flame, Fadiya couldn’t stop looking at it. She wondered how Ralof was fairing. The others…
Her feet were aching from pacing back and forth across the stone floor. Her hands were beginning to grow raw from wringing them as she paced.
“They have to be back soon,” she said to herself. “They have to be, surely it’s nearly dawn.”
A wind blew through the monstrous doorway, chilling Fadiya’s skin. A voice whispered on the breeze. Daedric mutterings, it was inarticulate. She twitched her head to the side, attempting to distill the chill from her bones.
“The raven said when the blood moons come, the cows will rain… or was it reign?” Fadiya muttered. “What does the raven know? Cows can’t do either.”
“Fadiya…” a voice whispered.
She ignored it, walking faster. “But the raven was right about the weevils,” she muttered again. “It ate through all the limestone and built a shrine with bread…”
“Faaaaaaadiyaaaaaaaaaaa,” the voice called again, closer.
“No,” she said. “No, no, no.” She shook her head violently. “I already told you, I don’t have the guidebook.”
“FADIYA!” the voice screamed from behind her.
“I SAID DON’T YELL AT ME!!!!!!!” Fadiya shrieked, gripping her braids and pulling at them.
Shura and Melora exchanged looks with one another. Fear creeping into them as they watched their queen, their friend, slowly descending into madness.
Inktober 2024, Prompt #15: GUIDEBOOK🧡🖤👻🎃


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