Salome Shadowmoor's Arc

Chapter 2 of 8

The village square bustled with morning trade. Salome planted her staff on the cobblestones and approached a woman selling herbs. She asked about the swamp. The woman's face went pale. She spoke of lights that led travelers astray and ground that could swallow a person whole. Salome nodded and moved on. She needed facts, not fear. An old man mending nets told her about the gallows. They stood near a black pool where the water never froze. He warned her not to go alone. She thanked him and turned away. She had everything she needed now. Tomorrow she would enter the swamp and find where the curse began. Back at the castle, Salome walked past the old stone temple on the eastern grounds. The black structure rose before her, gargoyles staring down from their perches. Her family had kept records there for generations. She pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside. Dust covered the shelves that lined the walls. She pulled down leather-bound books and spread them across the stone floor. One book showed drawings of the gallows. Another described the black pool in detail. She read for hours, tracing her finger over maps and ritual instructions. The curse had started with betrayal and dark magic. To break it, she would need to reverse the original ceremony at its source. The sun began to set as she left the temple. She walked to the stone courtyard near the castle's edge. There, cut into the ground, sat a pool filled with dark liquid that swirled without wind. She knelt beside it and dipped her hand in. The water felt warm and hummed against her skin. This pool would cleanse her before and after the swamp ritual. She spoke the old words her grandmother had taught her. The liquid glowed faintly, then settled. Her preparations were complete. Tomorrow she would face the curse where it lived, armed with knowledge and ritual. The blood curse would break, or she would die trying.