Chapter 14 #2
“She has high spirits, but nothing you can’t break over time,” Namar said, handing the length of rope to my buyer.
Vaelor let out an angry hiss.
“She is perfect. Thank you,” the buyer said.
The servant returned and placed my bag and the sword in my buyer’s possession.
He hefted them as if they were nothing, took my leash and gave a little tug.
I stumbled out of the camp. I glanced over my shoulder at Vaelor, who stood at the bars of our wagon watching me, a mixture of worry and fear visible on his face.
“My name is Bargoth,” my new master said as we disappeared into the woods.
He lumbered ahead of me. Despite my pounding head, I looked him over.
There had to be a way to get rid of him.
I knew of several plant mixtures that might accomplish the task, but it would take too much time to gather the ingredients and find the right opportunity.
Vaelor only had seven days left. By the time I got everything and put my plan in motion Vaelor would be sold or even dispersed into nothing.
There was only one option.
“Master,” I said. “You are missing out by not purchasing that demon spirit.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
“There are spells, many powerful ceremonies that you can use a spirit in. Ones that can give you powers beyond your wildest dreams. I’m familiar with these spells. I can show them to you.”
Bargoth shook his head. “The dealer said he already had a buyer. That implies he is off the market.”
“He only said that because he doubted you were able to match the price. But I assure you, the spirit is well worth it. Using the power he gave you could change your life.” I forced a smile to hide my nerves and tried to appear helpful.
“Tell me your name,” the demon said.
“Denara.”
He nodded as if he somehow knew this. “You really want me to return for him?”
I hesitated. “It’s not what I want. It’s advantageous to you.”
He snorted in disbelief, but then squinted at me. “Are you certain he doesn’t have you under some sort of spell?”
I blinked. “I… don’t… does that matter?”
He walked over to a tree and tied me to it. He dropped my bag at my feet. “Wait here, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Strange demon. I clenched my teeth as I waited, thinking about Namar and how he had handed over his sword to his fellow slaver so he could stab Vaelor over and over.
I glanced at my fingers with his flesh buried in them and recalled the spell in the hedge witch book that allowed one to curse their enemy with their blood.
The one my mother had taught me. Despite not being a hedge witch, the words still stuck in my head, and it cooled my anger to murmur them over and over.
I bent and carved the signs into the dirt.
“Curse my enemy. Curse my enemy. Curse him that refuses to release Vaelor. Curse him until he shall do my bidding and set him free.”
Bargoth returned alone. He gave a long sigh. “It’s no use. Namar is determined to sell him off somewhere else. I don’t even have the money I’d need to pay for him.”
Disappointment burned strongly in my throat. “Then why did you go back?”
“Because you wanted me to.”
“I’m your slave, sir. What do you care what I want?”
He gazed at me, open and curious, his feline ears flicking. “You look like her. The same eyes and hair. The same way your shoulders square and jaw clenches when you become determined.”
I stared at him, my heart rate speeding up. “You’re speaking about…”
“Your mother.”
A blast of icy realization froze me. The revelation was a slap in the face. “You know my mother?”
He held up a hand. “Listen.”
I remained very still and listened. After a little time, I heard what he did. Demons crunching through the forest. Bargoth hurried over and picked at the knot, trying to set me free. But he wasn’t fast enough. Demon slavers entered our small clearing.
“Bargoth?” said a hobgoblin slaver.
Bargoth gripped my untied rope, but there was a nervousness in his stance. “Yes?”
“Come with us. Namar wishes to reconsider your offer for the spirit.”
Bargoth frowned, clearly worried it might be a trap, but he said, “Of course.” He picked up my pack and then tugged on my rope, urging me to follow.
We walked to the slave train, my pulse hammering and my palms damp with sweat.
Namar must have changed his mind. There was no way he’d let me go after I attacked him. Why would he? I’d tackled him in front of his underlings, making him look weak.
No, he couldn’t permit me to live.
He was bringing me back to torture and kill me.
The wagon train full of slaves came into view, the stench as strong as ever.
A disfigured creature groaned and staggered toward us.
I stopped in shock at the boils covering Namar’s body.
Some leaked and oozed, and in other places his skin was peeling so badly that he was bleeding.
Every step he took was a step of pain. “You have played me ill, Bargoth. You did not say you had a hedge witch with you—where is she?”
I stared in morbid fascination, a dark surprise within me. I glanced toward the trees, wondering if Bargoth did have a hedge witch nearby. But that didn’t make sense. I had Namar’s blood under my nails. I’d said the words…
But I wasn’t a hedge witch. I’d simply chanted the spell in vengeful helplessness.
If Bargoth was surprised, he didn’t show it. “Do you believe she’d be foolish enough to risk capture? She is well-hidden. You and your men can try to sniff her out, but I wish you luck.”
My words. The hedge witch’s spell. My mother’s words. Had my mother been nearby? Could she have laid the curse on him? That was silly. If that were true, she would have to be a hedge witch.
She wasn’t.
She only had a book full of medicinal herbs and plants with all sorts of uses. And had taught me the hedge witch spell long before I’d ever touched a spell book.
Oh gods. Could it be true? Was my mother somewhere nearby?
“Well, what does she want?” Namar begged as he fell to his knees, gasping in pain.
“I believe you grasp her desires,” Bargoth stated.
Namar lifted the finger from around his neck. “Here, take him. Take him.”
Bargoth walked over and took it from Namar. He placed the finger on his neck. He turned to Vaelor. “You’ll come with me. You will harm no one unless I say.”
Vaelor’s eyes narrowed, but he stepped out of the caged wagon. In an instant, he came over and stood next to me.
Namar’s skin had stopped bleeding, but the pain-filled blisters remained. It would take a while to heal. “I won’t forget this treachery, Bargoth. I'll warn the others, and you’ll be banned from every slave-trading camp in the five nations.”
Bargoth didn’t respond as we left, merely saying loud enough for all to hear, “Vaelor, if anyone should come after us, you are free to attack, possess, and kill them.”
A bloodthirsty grin came to Vaelor’s lips. “Gladly.”