Chapter Four
Bleak and painful days dragged on for Carys. The spell had taken too much from her, confining her to bed, only leaving to dispose of rags soaked with venomous vomit. Her sole visitor was Gil.
Her questions flew faster than a cursed falcon. "Has Meical convinced any of his other allies to take part in the raid? Are there many recruits? What of his horde of beasts?"
With patience, he satisfied her curiosity and tried to distract her with a game of chess. They balanced the board between them, sitting across from each other on the bed. Every day, a little more progress was made on the game and her questions.
"If your brother catches me on your bed, my head will be on a platter at the next feast," Gil mumbled.
Carys stared at the chessboard, working out her strategy. "My brother is busy, and you wish it would only be your head. Now would you answer my questions before I curse your body parts off?"
He smiled at her threat. "Curselord Meical is cautious when it comes to inviting allies. No one he can't trust."
"So that excludes everyone in the Curselands?" Carys said in a barbed tone.
Gil's eyes twinkled. "He is recruiting many vicious fighters, but hasn't informed them of his grand plan. And I think you can hear the beasts for yourself."
Loud howls and roars tore through her window, a monstrous melody that forced away sleep.
"I have to regain my strength before Whitethorn Day, and that will never happen if those horrid things don't shut up!" She moved her piece with such vehemence that the board shook. "Even if I could get out of bed, I can't have people see me in such a feeble state."
Gil shook his head. "Wrong move."
"Why?" She blinked at the board. "What did I do wrong?"
"Too impulsive." He sighed. "Sacrificing your queen should only be done if you have a plan for what you'll do afterward."
She rolled her eyes. "What makes you think I'm going to sacrifice my queen?"
"I'm sorry? Was that meant to be a secret plan?" He winked. "Don't throw everything just to get ahead for the moment. Always mind the greatest prize."
"At least I don't take forever to make my move," she shot back.
While taking an approximate eon to consider his move, she picked up her comb and worked on her messy hair. She couldn't help thinking of Princess Bella's beautiful raven locks. Her own hair was so dry and wild, a tangle of blonde and nits. And now she found more dead lice than normal.
"You know, more people in the Starlands would embrace Curse Magic if they knew it was a cure for lice," Gil joked.
She bit her lip as the comb snagged. Her hair always frustrated to the point of wishing to shave it. "Can't they just use Star Magic?"
"No." He tapped his knee, the way he did when delaying his chess move. "It can only be used in constructive ways. They can't kill anything—"
She seldom felt the urge to giggle, but this made her snort. "They indeed make things difficult for themselves. If they can't even kill lice, they shan't be a threat."
Gil cocked his head. "There's a way around everything. Star Magic can be more dangerous than Curse Magic. Remember that they can destroy Curse Creatures. They forced Curse Mages into the Curselands, knowing it would condemn many to death. A righteous man is more ruthless than most cutthroats."
She shuddered. Gil and Meical agreeing was a rare occurrence. If their views converged, it meant something.
"I'm not going," Gil said.
"What?"
"You haven't need for my skills in the Starlands." He looked at the black-and-white board. "I won't throw my life away fighting them. They never give up. I was all of five when the Curse Wars ended. I still remember buildings being burned rather than surrender."
Her anger sparked. "And they're the virtuous ones?"
"They're good, and we're bad. That is the accepted tale," he said quietly. "And bad always come to a bad end."
"No." She clutched a pillow embroidered with a true deer. "I saw what I needed in the Seeing Water. This time they'll come to a bad end."
Sleep claimed her before Gil made his move. When she awoke, he wasn't there. But he had checked her. He couldn't have cheated, not with a cursed chessboard.
Lonely in her room, the Seeing Water called to her. Irresistible curiosity sparked, a desire to see those who lived in the light. But her throat tightened as poisonous envy permeated her. The jealousy wasn't of the princess' beauty or the young man's adoration. It was of a life lived in the sun.
A life denied to Carys.
She shoved her Seeing Water in a chest and spent the subsequent days regaining her strength.
The hellish howls of beasts followed her through each long day and into the night, making sleep almost as unreachable as the sun.
On the night before the attack, she gave up trying to sleep in her room.
She grabbed her blanket and climbed up to the top of the tower, feet brushing crumbling stone during the trek.
Her fingers grazed the parapet, locating the carved rune representing her name.
It was a mistake to carve her name. It just meant that part of her would always be a part of the Curselands.
The bleak vista from atop the tower offered little improvement over her room. Monsters chained to the tower's walls, blackened lands, and murky forests. The only signs of civilization were the few towers and fortresses able that withstood the attacks of Curse Creatures.
She laid upon the stone surface, trying to block out the Curselands. It didn't work. The scent of death drifted over her, and the crimson sky filled her eyes. Everything remained red until it dimmed into the dark of sleep.
"Nightshade?"
She blinked and lifted her head. Meical stood on the other side of the parapet. But that wasn't right. There was no surface.
"You will break your neck that way." She pulled herself up and dusted off her skirt. "Why didn't you just take the stairs or send someone to fetch me?"
"This way is quicker." He was atop a massive, nightmarish winged wolf.
The vicious, low growls from the beast suggested it would be happy to fling Meical to his death.
Carys jolted as the snarling, monstrous face turned to her.
Meical's face wasn't much better, his cheeks and forehead smeared with a scarlet substance. "You missed the rites, Nightshade."
She shook dirt from her hair. "My work will go better without them."
A lie. She didn't want the Curselands besmirching her on that day.
"No idling away when there's an important ceremony to ruin, Nightshade," Meical said, extending his hand.
He tilted precariously on the back of the Curse Wolf, his feet at the edge. The furious wolf only needed to move an inch, and Meical would fall. But enchantment granted Meical control of the beast and kept his body anchored to the creature.
"I might find another way to the portal," Carys mumbled.
"That would take far too long." Meical gestured impatiently. "This wouldn't be a problem if you just bonded with one of these beasts earlier. You could travel on your own."
"I needed to conserve my magic for today—"
"You know I meant long ago." He smiled. "It's risky to be sure, but there is nothing like forcing a powerful creature to do your bidding."
She sighed. "I'll know that feeling soon enough."
"Indeed." He leaned forward. "Shall we go see the sun, Nightshade?"
This was it. She was so close to the sun, to blue skies and beautiful animals.
So close to life.
She accepted his hand and climbed over the parapet.
With a rough landing, her feet scraped on the abrasive fur, and she almost lost her balance.
Her stomach dropped as she tilted at the edge.
The magic of the beast pressed at her body, preventing her from falling to her death.
But she didn't hesitate to adjust her position and steady herself.
The wolf was too large to ride astride. She crushed down her desire to cling to her brother like a child and knelt on the beast's back, gripping onto tufts of ebony.
Her touch triggered a louder growl, but nothing more.
Mounted on all manner of beasts were mages and warriors.
Perched on a monstrous falcon was Meical's personal mage, Bradon.
Devoted warrior and lover of Meical, Nyx, rode a winged Curse Stallion who swooped near the outer walls which protected the tower.
They waited for their leader, but instead of commanding his beast forward, Meical hesitated and turned back to Carys.
"Are you truly willing to make this sacrifice, Nightshade? "
Her mouth dropped open at his uncharacteristic last-second doubts. "Who else will do it if I don't?"
"I know a bit of magic myself. I could—"
"No!" she said. "You are the one person who keeps us all together. We would eat each other alive if we lost you. That's why I went this far."
His black eyes closed. "True."
The Curse Wolf stayed still, and Carys worried Meical might change his mind.
Then the beast shot forward, urged on by Meical's silent command.
They sped past the outer wall in a blink of an eye, flying over the beasts tethered to it.
Thunderous howls followed them, distracting Carys.
A rumble rippled through the Curse Wolf as it let out a terrible growl.
She lifted her head as a large python lunged at them with its mouth wide open.
With expert precision, Meical moved to the left, avoiding the hungry beast. But Carys remained tense, even when they were clear of the gargantuan serpent. Mounted winged creatures followed Meical, smaller ones struggling to rein in speed and bigger beasts doing their best to keep up with the wolf.
As they flew, the Curselands grew less real, becoming a blur of red and shadows. The journey to the sealing stone took forever and happened too soon. Meical landed his beast, leaped off, and helped Carys down. Her heart pounded as she approached the stone decorated with many-hued magical lights.
The amber light remained snuffed.
She pulled a small bottle out of her satchel.
It contained the remaining blood of Star Champion Zana.
She shook scarlet droplets upon the rest of the lights.
The magic had already weakened from time and lack of support from Zana's rune.
One by one, every light vanished. When the emerald rune snuffed out, the stone crumbled into dust, revealing the portal.
It resembled churning black water, whirling around faster and faster.
"This will stay here?" Meical asked, though Carys had explained it many times.
"Yes." Carys pushed her hair back. "And right now, all thirteen stationary portals have opened. The blood of Star Champions can reseal them. But until all are resealed, they will stay open."
"It's good that all the portals are far flung." He walked around the portal as if trying to glimpse into the Starlands beneath the murkiness. "It could take them days to coordinate a resealing."
She tried to hide her growing excitement. "And we only need this day."
"Indeed." Meical nodded. "Well?"
Hesitation held her. "You won't go first?"
"You've done the hard work and will be doing even harder work." He grinned. "I want the first glimpse of the Starlands to be for you."
She glanced at the arriving mounted warriors. They would never see Meical's decision as anything other than using his sister as a scout and possible shield. They could never understand the truth.
"Thank you," she whispered.
She didn't wait a moment longer and plunged into the black water. The vicious vortex pulled at her, tearing at her skin. Her senses submerged into shadows, suffocating every bit of her.
Then her lungs cleared, and she hit the ground. Soggy, squishy ground. Her hands grasped green and brown. She recognized the latter as mud, and realization belatedly struck her that the green was grass.
Grass wasn't a foreign concept for her. Chunks of earth and grass often fell through Jumping Portals. A few magically crafted strips of grass existed in the Curselands.
But this was different. The smell was so fresh and biting. The sensation so soft and sweet.
So entranced by the wonderful color, it took a moment to realize little drops of water pelted her body. She looked up, and more dripped into her eyes. Her first sight of the sky was a blurred, gray canopy.
"Dragon shit. I was hoping the sun would shine for you, Nightshade."
She hadn't noticed Meical's arrival, and her gaze remained fixed on the churning gray clouds as she rose. "True water really rains from the sky. Not ash, not toads, and not blood."
"Aye." He coughed. "I forgot about irksome things like rain. I hope you don't end up catching a cold."
She held up her hands, allowing the water to drip through her fingers. "It's wondrous."
He chuckled. "Enjoy it for now, Nightshade. The Star Mages will banish the rain for the same reason that they banished us. Nothing can disturb their pleasure."
That brought her attention back to the task at hand. She couldn't get distracted by the emerald forest, the soft caress of the wind, or the sweet sprinkle of rain on her head.
There was work to be done.