CHAPTER NINETY FOUR - JEALOUS UNREQUITED LOVE

The morning sun filtered through the leaded glass windows, casting a warm glow over the chamber where Karina sat vigilantly at John's bedside. His brow was beaded with sweat, his features etched in a grimace of pain even as he slumbered—a lingering effect from the latest ritual treatment overseen by Becky and her druid daughters. Gently, Karina dampened a cloth in the bowl of cool water beside the bed and dabbed at John's feverish forehead. He stirred slightly, his eyelids fluttering, but did not wake. With a weary sigh, Karina settled back in the chair, trying not to dwell on the myriad worries that gnawed incessantly at her mind. A soft rap at the door drew her attention. She turned as a young maidservant—one of the new girls recently hired to assist in the day-to-day operations of the manor—poked her head uncertainly into the room. "Pardon me, miss," she said in a hushed voice. "But Lady Becky has requested your presence in the great hall at once." Karina's heart sank. After the