Echoes of a silver vow

Chapter 4

Silvia's POV

The sound of the front door opening snapped me from my dark thoughts. I scrambled to my feet, wiping my damp hands on my skirts as Madeline’s voice carried down the hall.

“He’s here, Mum. Doctor Asher.”

I smoothed my hair, forcing my expression into one of measured calmness as I stepped out to meet them. Asher stood in the hallway, his medical bag in hand, his calm, cautious demeanor a stark contrast to the storm raging inside me. He gave me a slight, professional nod.

“Madam Silvia.”

“Thank you for coming so quickly, Doctor. She’s upstairs.”

I led the way, my steps measured though as my heart hammered against my ribs. Catherine rose from the bedside chair as we entered, her face pale with worry. Lillian lay still, her silver hair dark with sweat against the pillow, her breathing a shallow, troubling rhythm.

Asher set his bag down and began his examination with quiet efficiency. His long fingers pressed gently at her throat, checked her pulse, laid a cool hand on her burning forehead. He listened to her chest, his expression unreadable. The silence in the room grew heavy, broken only by Lillian’s ragged breaths.

Finally, he straightened up and turned to me, his gaze serious. “Madam Silvia, I would like to speak with you.…" He paused, his eyes looking around "In private.”

My blood ran cold. I knew that tone. I kept my voice steady. “Mrs. Nettle, Martha—please give us the room.”

The maids slipped out, casting nervous glances behind them. The door clicked shut, leaving the four of us—me, my two eldest daughters, and the doctor—in the tense quiet.

Asher’s eyes met mine, and in their careful, guarded depth, I saw the confirmation of my deepest fear. My heart leaped into my throat, a frantic, trapped bird. I crushed the panic down, locking it away behind the mask of the composed mother.

“What is it, Doctor?” My voice came out softer than I intended, barely a whisper. “What’s the matter with my daughter?”

“It’s a fever,” Asher began, his voice low and measured, “but the cause…” He paused, his dark eyes holding mine, and the air in the room grew thick and heavy. “The cause is that Lillian’s power has started to manifest.”

The floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet. A cold, sharp dread pierced my chest, and a broken sound escaped my lips before I could stop it. My hands flew to my mouth, but it was too late—the dam broke. Sobs wracked my body, violent and uncontrollable. All my efforts, all my sacrifices to keep her safe, to keep her hidden… it was all for nothing.

“Mum, please, breathe.” Catherine’s arms were around me, her voice firm but gentle near my ear. “Doctor, how could this happen? You told us it was dormant. You said it was secure.”

Asher’s expression remained carefully neutral, though a flicker of something—pity, perhaps—crossed his features. “Something must have triggered it. A powerful emotional surge, a traumatic event… it acts as a catalyst. Has anything unusual happened recently?”

Madeline stepped forward, her usual playfulness gone, replaced by a sharp intensity. “Things like what? What kind of event?”

“Intense anger. Profound grief. Overwhelming joy or fear. Any extreme emotion can fracture the safeguards.”

A memory, sharp and cruel, sliced through my grief. “Yesterday,” I whispered, my voice raw. “I scolded her. She was crying. And before that, at the market… a man took her ice cream. She was so… furious. I’ve never seen her like that.” The words tumbled out, laced with a fresh wave of guilt. “It’s my fault. I made her cry. I pushed her too far…”

Catherine frowned, her emerald eyes narrowing in thought even as she kept a comforting hand on my shoulder. “But Mum, you used your own power to suppress hers. You placed the enchantment yourself. Unless it was broken, her power shouldn’t be able to surface.”

Asher was silent for a long moment, his gaze drifting back to Lillian’s still form. “There is another possibility,” he said slowly, almost reluctantly. “That Lillian’s innate power has grown stronger than the suppression holding it. Stronger than your own, Madam Silvia.”

My breath caught in my throat. No. That couldn’t be. I had poured everything into that binding.

To prove his theory, Asher placed his palm gently on Lillian’s forehead. A soft, milky white glow emanated from his hand, a subtle hum of energy filling the room as he focused. I watched, every muscle in my body tense, praying silently. Let it be just the emotion. Let it be a temporary flare, something I can still contain.

Please.

After what felt like an eternity, the light faded from his hand. He withdrew it slowly, and when he looked at me, his face was grim. He gave a single, solemn nod.

The confirmation hit me like a physical blow. All hope drained from me, leaving a hollow, icy certainty. My legs gave way, and I would have crumpled to the floor if not for Catherine and Madeline holding me up. The truth was undeniable, and it was a truth I could no longer control.

A heavy sigh escaped Asher’s lips as he watched me crumble. “You must prepare yourself for the worst, Silvia.”

“The worst?” My voice was a broken whisper. Catherine’s arm tightened around my shoulders. “What do you mean? Why?”

“The enchantment you placed… it wasn’t just a lock. It was a dam,” he explained, his tone clinical yet laced with a grim finality. “Lillian’s power didn’t just surface. It shattered your suppression. That kind of violent breach… it creates a backlash. And given how long you’ve held it back, the recoil will be severe. Her own energy is now turning against her.”

A fresh wave of sobs tore through me. “I never should have done it. I should have taught her, guided her, not buried it like some shameful secret!”

Catherine’s voice was firm beside me, a steady anchor in my despair. “Mom, you did nothing wrong. You did it to protect her. If he had found out… who knows what he would have done to her.”

I shook my head, the guilt a bitter taste in my mouth. “I should have found another way. I should have tried to explain, to keep her safe while letting her understand what she is.”

“Is there nothing you can do?” Madeline cut in, her usual tone, replaced by a sharp, desperate edge. “No medicine? No treatment?”

“Nothing,” Asher said, the word absolute. “My skills are useless here. This is a battle of mind, not body.”

A wild, desperate thought seized me. I pushed myself upright, wiping my tears with a trembling hand. “My power. What if I use my own energy to guide hers? To soothe the backlash?”

“No!” The word was sharp, immediate. A rare c***k in his calm facade. “Your power is the very thing hers has learned to resist. For years, it has fought against your influence. If you try to force a connection now, her energy will reject you violently. It would only worsen the trauma, like pouring oil on a fire. Her survival depends entirely on her own will now. Her strength to endure the storm inside her.”

The finality of his words shattered the last of my hope. I sank back onto the edge of the bed, my hand finding Lillian’s burning one. Her fate was entirely out of my hands.

Asher picked up his bag, preparing to leave. He paused at the doorway, his dark eyes meeting mine one last time. “There is one more thing. He's noticed… irregularities. Whispers in certain circles. He's already begun to investigate.”

Catherine gave a slow, solemn nod of understanding beside me. She knew, as I did, what—or who—he meant.

Without another word, he left, closing the door softly behind him. The click of the latch echoed in the silent room, a sound that felt like a verdict. I was left with my daughters and the terrifying truth that I had, with the very best intentions, possibly broken my child.