The Twice Cursed

Chapter Eight

Aidan's stomach swam as Carys opened the bottle, allowing the blood onto drip on the ground.

She held her palm open as black fire ignited within it.

Undisturbed by the malevolent manifestation in her hand, she leaned down to burn the grass when a flash of amber fire shot out.

The shining flames crackled and glistened, scorching the spot before extinguishing.

A scattering of glitter covered the area, but there was no trace of crimson stains.

Bella faced the Curse Mage. "I won't allow more of your poisonous curses to taint this land."

Joy and pride quelled Aidan's misery. He had to replicate Bella's strength and determination.

The beasts didn't disperse with the scorched blood.

Iridescent bursts of magic flickered in the distance, resounding booms following success.

Panicked shouts lessened, but Aidan's frayed nerves weren't helped by the remaining mixture of mystical noise, horrified screams, and hellish howls.

Carys appeared uneager to plunge into the pandemonium.

"I've an amulet that keeps us unnoticed by the Curse Creatures." She bit her lip, lending the deceptive appearance of a troubled young maiden. "Even unnoticed we could get damaged by the chaos of battle."

Aidan, would have gladly charged into the fray, but couldn't risk his death rebounding. Only Bella expressed a desire to join the fight.

"After all, my death would free Aidan," she said.

Carys plucked a trampled rose from the ground. "Dying wouldn't free him. The prince's curse would simply kill the next one that he loves the most."

Aidan tried to focus on the battle and not on his invisible chains. Flying beasts retreated into the distance, smaller creatures ran from attacks. His stomach clenched at the thought of the damage they would do. He trembled in rage. "They'll kill innocent people. Don't you care?"

"They'll kill the weak." A blank Carys watched a beast with massive bat wings fly southward. "It's always been that way in the Curselands."

"But there are no innocents in the Curselands." Bella scowled. "That's the difference."

Vibrant flashes of magic struck down the remaining Curse Creatures. Winged monstrosities fell from the sky and gargantuan beasts turned to mountains of sludge. No longer did the ground rumble, and hellish screams disappeared.

Bella narrowed her eyes at Carys. "You're indeed a fool. If you kept the fight going, you could've had a massacre. You could have enslaved many people with Star Magic."

Carys didn't explain herself. She started walking toward the once beautiful gardens that had become a bloodstained battlefield.

Broken bits of beasts littered the ground around shattered scarlet splattered statues.

Hell touched Aidan's home, but he had no choice other than following the withc's shaky steps.

Sweat drenched her blonde hair, tremors wracked her body.

"Are you well?" he asked.

"I am not perishing anytime soon." She stopped to take a breath. "The amulet keeping the beasts at bay feeds off my magic."

She looked so young, so frail. Dismay deluged him as a revelation struck. If he had kept her away from Bella for a time, the amulet might have weakened Carys. He would have just needed to find the bottle of blood and destroy it.

Carys straightened her head and continued on her way. Shame hammered into Aidan with each footstep. His ignorance of magic had ruined everything.

The soft patter of Bella's feet followed them. As if unable to bear following, her pace picked up until she matched Carys' stride.

As if unable to bear his sight, she wouldn't even look at him.

Ancient standing stones no longer stood, blood and black substance soiled the rubble, and banners were trampled into the ground. Aidan's soul cracked at each fallen body. He looked desperately for familiar faces. Most just seemed to be injured, but that wasn't much comfort.

Carys halted at the statue of Sylvia the Bloodwitch, one of the few things untouched by the battle. "You were having your ceremony next to a corpse?" she asked in disgust.

Aidan flinched. "It couldn't be removed..."

Her eyes flickered to him. "Couldn't be removed? Didn't your own father force the Bloodwitch into this state? Forcing her to use so much magic until her body couldn't handle it... and it turned to stone."

"I..."

"Couldn't be removed," she repeated in a scornful tone. "I imagine you kept her corpse here as a trophy."

"Why do you even care, Curse Mage?" Bella demanded. "Your witchery requires human sacrifice. You've no high ground. As for the Bloodwitch, she brought this fate on herself."

Carys stayed silent as she examined every aspect of the grotesque figure. The Bloodwitch was Aidan's picture of a Curse Mage for so long. Carys looked less monstrous.

But her face appeared stonier than the statue.

"Aidan!"

The shout rattled him before he recognized the voice. Relief soared, only to be followed by the weight of shame. He wanted to hide, but kept his feet anchored as Niall raced to them. His undemonstrative friend flung his arms around him.

"By the Old Dragon, I thought..."

Aidan hugged him back, overcome by thankfulness for Niall's survival. Niall pulled away, giving a quick bow to Bella before glancing at Carys. His hand immediately went for his sword.

"No!" Aidan jumped in front of Carys. "You cannot harm her."

Niall blinked. "You've been cursed."

The words hit Aidan. He wondered if he had any visible curse signs. Then it occurred to him that his irrational behavior exposed it.

He gritted his teeth. "Aye. But it's not affecting my mind. It..."

Bella looked away. He took a deep breath before recounting the wretched tale. With each word, Niall's expression grew more granite than the statue behind them.

"We'll find a way to keep you here," Niall said when Aidan finished. "Kane, the mages... they know so many alternatives. All we need is time."

"You haven't time." Carys ran her hands against the Bloodwitch's mangled stone hand. "I never said how long I've been in the Starlands. Each moment is another moment closer to my death."

Aidan kicked a fallen banner. "We must hurry."

Niall's face twitched. "To the portal?"

"I haven't time for the joust now," Aidan said, his strained voice ruining the joke.

Niall directed a murderous gaze at Carys. "Most of our forces have gone there to stop this attack. I was sent back to make sure that the princess was all right."

"They are there now?" Carys asked softly, and Niall nodded. "Indeed, we must hurry." She dropped the crumpled rose that Aidan't hadn't realized she still carried. "The agreement was to allow my people to return peacefully. Your people could very well be killing my kind."

Bella folded her arms. "Well-deserved."

"Perhaps." Carys glanced toward Emerald Forest. "But your prince has already agreed to go to the Curselands. Do you truly think my people will treat him kindly if their brethren fall?"

Niall frowned. "If I am understanding this curse correctly, you cannot kill Aidan, or you will die. And the princess will die. You would lose your life and he would have nothing chaining him to hell."

"True. But I didn't say they'd kill him." She tapped the Bloodwitch. "There are much worse things they could do."

Aidan held his head high. Any consequences would be worth eliminating a few invaders.

But Niall's jaw twitched, and Bella glared at Carys.

The Curse Mage resumed walking, and Aidan reluctantly kept pace with her.

Bella still wouldn't look at him, but that was better than Niall's looks of commiseration.

Warriors and mages had formed a perimeter as they neared the sealing stone. Carys kept her cursed eyes firmly fixed on the ground as Aidan talked their way through the defense. One captain was adamant about not allowing them past.

"Prince Aidan and Sir Niall, I've no right to tell you to stay back. But I cannot allow these maidens into a battle."

Aidan allowed his suppressed fury to erupt. "Are you questioning me? Do you think I would actually endanger maidens on a lark? This is important, and I order you to let us pass!"

The captain's mouth fell open as Aidan pushed ahead. Niall joined his pace and gave him a sidelong glance. "Are you certain the curse isn't affecting your mind?"

"No." Aidan kicked a stone. "I might be a bit cross. This day didn't go as planned."

Another strained joke that brought no laughter.

Unlike the gardens, the maze of black standing stones remained intact, blocking the sight of the battle.

But grunts and the clashing of swords stung Aidan's ears.

When they reached the clearing, he found the Star Warriors outnumbered the Curse Mages.

Brilliant bursts of magic tossed back the enemy.

Forced to rely on defensive techniques, the invaders fell further back.

A terrible part of Aidan hoped for victory.

He wanted these monsters punished for all the damage that they wrought.

No matter what happened to him.

His heart leaped as Conan battled a wild blond in dark armor.

The Curse Mage attacked with a staff. Ebony flames whirled around it, and a fireball shot out.

Conan's sword made contact with the fire and a thunderous crack pierced Aidan's ears.

Emerald magic flared over the blade, snuffing out black flames.

A rapid series of fiery streaks scorched the air, but Conan struck high and low, loud cracks following each extinguishment.

He advanced on his attacker, turning the tide of combat.

Carys stiffened. "Stop the battle."

Ears still ringing from the mystical reverberation, Aidan almost missed her hushed words. "I can't stop my brother."

Rage twisted her face, bringing a closer resemblance to the Bloodwitch. "If you don't, I'll kill the princess right now!"

"Do it." Bella held up her arms. "If it will foil your schemes, I will gladly die."

"Then the curse transfers to the next person that he loves the most. Perhaps his dear friend?" Carys jerked her head at Niall. "Do you really want to risk it?"

"I'm no coward." Niall stepped forward and flashes of emerald light illuminated his scar. "I'd gladly die for the prince."

"It might not even be you," she said, grimacing as more fire extinguished and Conan came closer to sticking his blade into the blond man. "That's the problem with loving too many people."

Aidan never expected to be so ashamed of loving people. But there wasn't time for shame. He ran straight to the battle. "Stop! For the sake of the princess, you must stop. She'll die if you don't."

Conan swung his sword as if unable to hear him while the Curse Mage raised his fiery weapon.

Aidan forced his feet forward and pushed himself between them. "Don't!"

His brother hesitated, but lowered his blade. Black fire continued churning around the Curse Mage's staff, and its heat reached Aidan's flesh.

Aidan looked over at the motionless Carys. "I called off the attack. You do the same."

She slowly made her way to them, as swords pointed at her. "Meical, the battle is done," she said to the wild warrior. "The curse succeeded."

The black flames snuffed as the man, Meical, inclined his head. "I never doubted you."

They began a whispered conversation. Aidan tried to hear, but his senses hazed as his brother approached him. His warriors trailed behind, ready to attack at the first sign of trouble.

"Aidan? What is this about?" Conan asked, far too calm for the situation.

Shame almost smothered the words. Aidan fell back on years of knighthood training to maintain a dispassionate tone as he forced out the whole sorry tale.

As he spoke, his brother's expression flashed with murderous anger.

A chill assailed Aidan, not from the fury, but the quiet.

They never had this kind of one-sided conversation.

His verbose brother only held his tongue when he assumed a kingly manner.

The silence seared after Aidan finished.

His stomach churned as he slowly accepted Conan's disgust.

Then Conan flung his arms around him.

Aidan tried to pull away. "I'm cursed. You cannot—"

"It's not contagious." Conan glanced toward the indifferent Carys. "Is it?"

"Only his death could hurt you... and only if you are the one that he loves most," she said, sounding as if she doubted it.

Conan hugged Aidan tighter. "You are the bravest of knights. Our father would be so proud. You've saved the life of a future queen, the hope of her people. You are a hero."

Meical scoffed, leaning against a black standing stone. "Is he? The fools of the Starlands always claim noble intentions but are really just selfish. The boy is trying to save the princess because he desires her...he doesn't give a damn about her people."

"Not true!" Bella defiantly stepped forward.

"He cares for my people and the Starlands.

You've won the day, but this day will end soon enough.

You cannot stay in the Starlands for much longer.

His sacrifice shan't be forgotten by me.

When you can return, I'll be ready with my armies. Aidan has given us all time."

Aidan's heart wrenched, unable to believe that she wasn't disgusted with him.

Meical smiled balefully. His twisted expressions were more disconcerting than Carys' dead expression. "Time is the greatest curse of all, Princess. It engenders hope. Hope that the monsters will stay buried. Hope that your true love won't suffer. But you know what?"

Blades pointed as Meical approached Bella. Aidan couldn't help himself and almost lunged at him. But Bella held up her hand, indicating that all should stay back. The Curse Mage moved close to her—too close. So close that Aidan shook with rage.

Bella raised her chin, contempt clear in her eyes. "What?"

He leaned down. "Time will show you hoped in vain."

She kept her queenly composure, but her hands clenched. Conan stepped in front of Aidan, as if wanting to save his brother from what was coming. Aidan's soul shivered, but out of fear for Bella.

At least, he tried to tell himself that his fear was only for her.

"Words!" Conan spat. "You'll see this was your worst mistake. I will find a way to free my brother, and I'll storm hell to get him back."

Meical pivoted in Conan's direction. "I am Curselord Meical. Mark that name, for we'll be back."

"No, you won't. You weakened the sealing, but didn't entirely break it." Conan held his sword higher. "I was fourteen during the Sealing Sacrifice. It only worked if the Star Champions went into Curselands to sacrifice themselves and someone of their blood to touch the rune on the other side."

Touch the rune...

Bella's face mirrored Aidan's horror. She lifted a hand as if wanting to grasp him before turning away.

Conan sighed. "The only way that you could have weakened the seal is if you had blood of one of the Star Champions and their kin made contact with the rune. Our folly was not knowing you had any of it."

His brother was chivalrous enough, or diplomatic enough, to place the blame on everyone in the Starlands instead of Bella. But Bella's gaze fixed on the ground as a shudder rippled through her body.

"You can take my brother, but it won't stop us from resealing the stone. His blood will do you no good." Conan's jaw clenched. "No one of his kin will touch the corresponding rune."

Meical shook his head. "So much for saving your brother."

"I'll find another way to save him." Conan glared at Meical. "But you'll get nothing out of taking him."

Meical's black eyes grew darker. "It would be best to not reseal the portal again. If you do... in a year, you won't even want your brother back."

Thousands of burning hands seemed to clutch Aidan.

The world whirled, and he lost control of his body.

It took him a few seconds to realize that Meical used magic to pull him over.

Before he could shake off his daze, Meical grabbed the collar of his tunic and yanked him toward the portal.

An eruption of protests followed the action, only for Conan to demand everyone to stand down.

Aidan looked around frantically, his vision filled with looming ebony standing stones and a blur of people.

He couldn't say goodbye to his mother. She didn't know what was happening.

The knights stayed back, presumably on Conan's orders.

His brother followed, as did Bella. Relief and shame drenched Aidan as some of his knight friends trailed after their king.

He hated that they saw him in such a pathetic state.

But Niall moved the swiftest, keeping pace with them as if he believed he could still stop this disaster.

As they approached the sealing stone, Aidan gasped. The grass had blackened and now carried the stench of death. All that remained of the stone was an outer ring with the runes. The magic faded, dim lights flickering except for one. An amber light was conspicuously absent.

The Curse Mages didn't waste any time. Every moment in the Starlands brought them closer to death.

Most dove into the portal without a second look.

A few lingered to gaze at the sky. One woman lifted her half-rotted face to the sky for a full minute as Aidan stared at her hideous visage.

When she noticed him gaping, she winked from the good side of her face before plunging feet first into the passage between worlds.

Meical shoved him to the edge. "Time to go, my prince. Enjoy your last sight of the sun."

Aidan didn't look at the sun. He peered into the portal, expecting hellfire or some nightmarish image of the underworld.

Instead, he found black churning magic, swirling and lapping like a storming ebony ocean.

Terror choked him at the idea of surrendering himself to the unnatural whirlpool.

Desperate to see anything else, he looked back at his loved ones.

The anger on Conan's face chilled Aidan almost as much as the portal.

His brother only became truly angry when he felt helpless.

The last time Conan felt that way was when their father plummeted into hell, sacrificing his life to seal the Curselands.

And now Aidan would follow his father's footsteps while undoing his work.

He wanted to reassure Conan, but didn't know how to begin. His confident brother never needed comfort.

"Wait!" Bella ran to the portal. "If you please, grant me one last moment with Aidan."

Meical scratched his beard, seemingly considering the request. "Well... I never could refuse a pretty girl."

He thrust Aidan toward Bella. Aidan barely regained his balance before she threw her arms around him. Her soft, warm body pulled him out of his cold haze.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, returning her embrace. "I think... I think your trip to Dalon has been terribly disappointing."

A weak laugh shook her. "I don't know... it seems I've had a lifetime of adventure. I found true love, slain beasts, and saw such sights. I only wish—"

"I know."

Niall coughed. "Prince Aidan, I hate to interrupt your moment, but I'd like to offer my service to you in the Curselands."

Shock surged through Aidan. "You'd damn yourself for me?"

"Always."

Aidan's throat felt sticky. "Thank you, Sir Niall," he said gruffly. "But you needn't make such a sacrifice when I was going to ask a sacrifice of you. Please stay by Princess Bella's side to protect her."

"No." Niall waved away the order. "You are my liege. I..."

Aidan looked him in the eye. "Aye, I'm your liege... and also your friend. Stay with Bella. Please."

He couldn't imagine what they would do to Niall in the Curselands. It was one thing to damn himself, but he wouldn't damn another.

For one long moment, it seemed as if Niall wouldn't agree. Then he nodded with a shudder. He clutched Aidan's arm before leaning close to his ear. "Your brother says that under no circumstances should you kill another man in the Starlands, nor use Curse Magic."

Aidan blinked. "What?"

Niall's face crumpled in confusion. "I don't know. He was quite insistent. That's why I should come with you. You can't go down there and not kill—"

"Protect Bella," Aidan interrupted. "Tell my brother that I will heed his orders."

Niall stepped aside, and Aidan turned back to Bella.

Her midnight eyes shone, but no tears fell.

"We'll save you," she said hoarsely. "You will only be bound to the Curselands if you spend a year in that place.

We'll save you within that time. We were already going to wait that long for our official wedding.

So we shall only have a little time apart and then. .."

He tried to grasp the hope that she offered. "Then we'll marry. We shall make Valoa a kingdom of legends. You'll be a queen revered throughout the Starlands."

Blissful tingles shot through him as Bella stroked his hand. "And you shall be remembered as my heroic husband, who sacrificed himself for me. Aidan and Bella... all shall remember us for ages."

He discarded thoughts of the curse and kissed her, needing the warmth that she offered, a warmth that would soon be denied.

She returned his kiss, her hands clutching at him.

Nails dug into his flesh as if she never wanted to let go.

Her grip drove him to a new intensity. Dirt and blood almost buried her flowery fragrance, but just enough remained.

He needed to block out pain with paradise.

Desperation and passion fueled the kiss. This might be their last kiss, but it felt like their first one.

When the kiss ended, he stared at her face, attempting to etch it into his memory.

The setting sun offered little light, but it was enough.

Even bruised and covered with filth, her beauty shone.

If only his last sight wasn't of such a sorrowful expression.

Although he probably wasn't leaving her with a better memory.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Carys. Something about her gaze unsettled him. No longer indifferent or satisfied. Just thoughtful.

Aidan didn't think about what it meant. He only wanted to drink in Bella's beauty.

Meical cleared his throat. "Sorry to break up the romantic moment...actually, I'm not sorry!"

The Curselord ripped him away from Bella.

Aidan stumbled over dead grass, almost toppling into the churning portal.

He pushed himself up and caught Carys staring at him with her dark eyes.

Unable to stop himself, he opened his mouth to appeal to her, only for the words to be knocked out by a fiery blow to his stomach. Meical had shoved him into the portal.

The shock wrenched a scream from Aidan. He tried to smother it, hoping nobody heard such a cowardly noise from him. His heart was in his throat as he fell. Twenty terrifying seconds of plummeting ended as he made contact with a rocky surface.

Nausea burned his stomach as if he spent too much time at sea. The ground swayed as he struggled to stand. He steadied himself, but his vision swirled and shakiness overcame his legs, sending him back down.

He attempted to calm his rapid breathing and collect himself.

Desperation to pretend this was home overwhelmed him.

But the ominous odor that bordered the portal now deluged him, hellish heat tore into his skin, and a confining sensation smothered him.

He raised his eyes, meeting the greatest evidence that he left the Starlands.

The sky was the color of blood.