Chapter Twenty-Seven
They reached a pure white door, incongruous among the filth and rot.
Runes were etched into it. Carys gave Aidan the candle and used her free hand to tap on seven of the runes that formed a heptagon, carefully avoiding any other rune.
She tapped on them for seven consecutive times before the door swung open.
She still clutched Aidan's hand and didn't hesitate to pull him into the room. As soon as they were inside, she slammed the door shut.
Shanna's quarters held none of the eerie ambiance of the lower levels.
Gil claimed it was decorated in the style of Rali.
Colorful patterned carpets concealed the cold stone floor.
Rainbow gauze strips hung from the ceiling, giving the illusion of multiple rooms. Pottery with intricate designs filled the room.
The walls were covered with paintings depicting Rali's glory.
Radiant structures and unique trees that Gil explained grew food called dates.
Aidan shook his head. "This wasn't what I expected."
"Did you expect a dungeon?"
His grip on her hand tightened. She remained still, but he wouldn't miss her slight trembling. A young girl, close to their age, had appeared right in front of them.
Shanna.
One of the most beautiful girls in the Curselands. Her sparkling silver curls fell past her shoulders. A sleeveless white tunic clung to her body, not concealing the silver runes painted on her cinnamon skin. She gave a smile of such sweetness, reminding Carys of her brief glimpse at the sun.
Aidan drew in a breath and she glanced sideways at him. First, he was flustered by Nyx, now her. What of his bonny princess?
"Shanna!" Carys' sharp tone made Aidan jolt. "It has been some time. This is—"
"I know who this is!" The innocent-looking girl clasped her hands together.
"This is Aidan, prince of Dalon. He sacrificed his happiness to save the life of his beloved princess, selflessly descending into damnation.
Yet, despite being brought down so low, the prince persevered.
And now, because of him, life is being brought to the Curselands. "
Aidan gave a faint smile at the enthusiasm. "Aye, but... I don't believe we've been properly introduced."
"Gil introduced us!" Her eyes sparkled. "He... well, he was you. And Carys. He acted out the whole tragedy."
"Did he now?" Carys asked, irked by it being dubbed a tragedy.
Shanna ignored her. "I only wish he could have been Princess Bella. I should have liked to see the maiden who was worth sacrificing yourself to Carys."
Anger sparked at the way Shanna phrased it, as though Aidan sacrificed himself to a demon. But Aidan's smile widened, evidently enthralled by the praise.
Or maybe enthralled by the pretty girl.
He released Carys' hand and stepped closer to the Rali shapeshifter. "Bella would've done the same for me."
Shanna beamed as if she bought that bunk. "I should have liked to have someone love me that way."
"Your brother has done much for you," he said.
The insufferable young woman moved even closer to him, forcing Carys to back up. "Gil ever has my gratitude. But he's still my brother. I'm speaking of a love as endless as an ocean and as consuming as a wildfire. I'm speaking of a love that I shall never experience."
Carys rolled her eyes. Rali poetic expressions irritated her and was thankful Gil hadn't spoken in that manner for years. "Most of us don't experience it," she said sourly.
Aidan didn't hear her or preferred to humor Shanna. "You ought to experience love," he told the Rali witch.
Carys wrinkled her nose. "She'd likely eat a suitor's heart."
Shanna tilted her head, only focused on Aidan. "It shan't ever happen for me. I must remained locked away on account of my curse. A maiden in a tower. Only a truehearted man would be brave enough to seek me out. Those men don't exist in the Curselands. Except for my own brother... and you..."
Carys struggled not to gag. How could a girl who spent her time locked beneath a tower become such a shameless flirt?
Aidan didn't notice. "It can still happen for you. I've heard there is someone for everyone in this life. Your true love is out there somewhere."
Shanna leaned closer. "Do you think?"
Carys' irritation turned to alarm. "Careful," she said, tugging Aidan away.
"Shanna's curse grants her siren qualities.
She used to show some measure of control over those abilities.
But when she lost control in the past, men were no match.
It didn't work on me or Gil because I'm a girl and Gil is her brother. "
Shanna rolled her eyes, abandoning her aggravating flirtatious act. "Your sex had nothing to do with it," she said tartly. "I can lure anyone. But not someone like you, a girl with a heart of stone."
Carys scowled.
Shanna tossed back her head. "As for Gil, our familial connection doesn't block my abilities. He's just too pure."
Carys winced at the way Shanna had been twisted by her curse. She practically admitted to attempting to use those abilities on her own brother. Aidan's obliviousness frustrated her. The poor fool always believed the best of people.
"We're here about your brother," Carys said. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Gil hasn't been cavorting with his mummer tricks of late. He has been captured by Curselord Kieran."
"You could have shared the news with more care," Aidan said with a grimace.
Shanna dropped all pretense of charm. Her eyes mirrored the dark storm of Carys' eyes. "Captured by that foul Kieran? Need I even ask if he was on a mission for your brother?"
Carys clenched her fist. "Gil makes his own choices..."
Mystical wind roared into the stuffy quarters. Gauzy hangings flapped wildly while a ceramic pot flew across the room, shattering upon contact with the wall.
"Don't give me that choice rubbish!" Shanna spat.
"Prince Aidan? Did this witch try to feed you that choice shit before you came to the Curselands?
It's never a choice. You are forced into their service.
And once they have their hands on your soul, they will keep dragging it down.
They're taking your blood now? They'll want more, they always want more. "
Carys glowered. "Aidan wants to make the Curselands better."
A spiteful laugh tore from Shanna's throat. "I'm sure you've him thinking such rubbish. Prince Aidan, Carys is tricking you into believing she's innocent. She's not innocent."
"Neither are you!" Carys snapped.
"You've caused my brother's death." Shanna's voice dropped to an abnormal, beastly tone. "I should tear your eyes out and eat them. That way, if you ever return to the Starlands, you won't see the sun!"
A terrible chill filled the room, freezing Carys' soul.
Shanna's eyes swirled with darkness while her teeth and nails grew jagged.
Before Carys could blink, Shanna was in front of her.
She backed Carys into the wall, thrusting arms on either side to trap her.
A gasp escaped Carys. If she defended herself with magic, Shanna's monstrous instincts would be more destructive.
All she could do was remain still as Shanna's clawlike nails trailed down her arm, tearing the cloth and breaking the skin.
A trail of warm blood trickled, and the girl licked her bloody fingers.
"Shall I consume your eyes? Oh... but they would be delectable if I could see the true colors.
" Shanna's head twisted at an inhuman angle.
"Wait... what of your Dalon prince? You need him, don't you?
You want to make your bastard brother's dreams come true with the prince's blood. Perhaps I should kill the prince..."
"You can't kill him, you fool!" Carys snapped. "I've cursed him. His death will rebound on the one that he loves the most. Surely Gil told you that part of the story."
"Aye, I can smell it," Shanna whispered. "Such an odd curse from a girl who can't love. I suppose I could kill him and let his true love perish. But what if the curse keeps going? What if every time he dies, it kills another of his loved ones?"
Carys was certain it didn't work that way, but Shanna sounded as if she was genuinely puzzling over the situation.
"Perhaps I can keep killing him until it sticks." Shanna's head swayed. "But that wouldn't be fair to the Dalon prince. It's not his fault that you chose him for your schemes. Perhaps I'll just drain his blood, bury him alive, and make certain that you can never use him. I'll save him from you..."
Carys shuddered. "Your curse has rotted away your sanity."
"At least I once had sanity." Shanna's breath was like brimstone. "But you? You never had any, never had a heart. I should kill you, but that would be mercy. You deserve to exist in this land of misery. But I can still make your existence as painful as possible..."
"Don't you want to save your brother?" Aidan asked quietly.
Both girls turned to him. Carys had almost forgotten he was there.
"My brother is already dead!" Shanna snarled.
Aidan stepped forward. "I've Seeing Water. Carys gave it to me so I could see the one that I love the most. You could have it to see your brother."
Shock rippled through Carys. She couldn't believe that he would give away his only connection to Bella.
Shanna shook her head. "It won't work. Kieran's magic would conceal him."
"We're going to the Doom Ball to save him," Aidan said. "We've need of your blood to find him in Cinder Fortress. I understand your anger, but please don't throw away your once chance to save Gil."
Shanna released Carys. "The Doom Ball?"
Carys leaned back against the wall, slumping down. Horror rippled through her at coming so close to death.
Shanna frowned. "Do you truly think you can easily find Gil?"
"It shan't be easy at all." Aidan grimaced. "But anything worth doing isn't easy. Still, it would greatly aid us if you could lend your blood to our cause."
Shanna stepped into the shadows, shifting back into the guise of an innocent maiden. "Curselord Meical would never agree."
"He already has," Aidan lied with ease.
Shanna's brow crinkled. "He has?"
Carys struggled to keep her face still under Shanna's scrutiny.
The shapeshifter shrugged, a tunic sleeve slightly sliding down her shoulder. "I can guarantee you that if Meical agreed, it's only because he has his own reasons to attend the ball. Even if you've the best of intentions, my Dalon prince, that bastard will not."
"You can trust me," promised the lying prince.
The mystical wind ceased roaring, and Shanna flopped down on a cushion. "All right. Take the blood. But all of it must accompany you."
Aidan's forehead crinkled. "I don't follow..."
But Carys did. "You must be completely mad if you think we'll let you out!"
"You haven't a choice." Shanna didn't look at her. "He's my brother. I trust no one but myself to save him."
"No," Carys said.
"Blood magic with the Rali is notoriously tricky." Shanna extended her arm, tracing her veins. "I believe our shapeshifting makes the blood unreliable. But if I were to take the tracking potion, I could use my beastly senses to sniff out Gil."
Carys shook her head. "Meical would never agree.".
Shanna smiled. "There is benefit to Meical. He could show Kieran that he has a monster like me at his bidding."
A surprisingly well-reasoned argument and Carys couldn't manage a decent rebuttal.
"That seems acceptable," Aidan said.
"It's far from acceptable!" Carys snapped. "Gil would kill us if we put his sister in peril!"
Shanna let out a laugh that bordered on madness.
"Put me in danger? Soon I shan't be able to hold on to this frail form and I will be one of those murderous monsters that prowl this land.
" She calmed, a twisted smile settling on her face.
"Although it is better than ending up a tree.
Does that keep you up at night, Carys? Beast or tree?
What a fate... no matter what side the coin lands, damnation is coming for you. "
Carys tensed, forcing herself to look into Shanna's eyes.
Into her future.
"You would have to make a blood vow not to harm anyone." Carys picked herself up, ashamed that she allowed Shanna to have that kind of effect on her. "And I can't promise that Meical will agree."
"If Meical agreed to this madcap scheme, he'll probably allow me to come." Shanna gave a knowing smile.
Carys managed a brief nod, unwilling to grant the beastly girl anything more.
They had to stay a bit longer. Shanna wanted news of Rali from Aidan.
But Carys could hardly wait to get out of there.
She took the first opportunity to pry Aidan away and slip out.
Once in the hall, she leaned against the wall and sank to the floor.
Aidan slid down beside her. "I suppose I shouldn't ask what's amiss."
"She was sweet once, you know," she said offhandedly.
"When Gil first arrived in the Curselands, she was only fourteen.
The atmosphere slowed her transformation.
Her mind and manner were more girl than beast. She could move freely around Ghost Tower.
We were... I'm not sure if friends are the right words, but we were sisters in the craft. "
"That sounds like Curselands friendship," Aidan said with a small smile.
She smiled back. "She would tell me of the Starlands. That's why I know so much about your realm. Gil was so happy that his sister was doing well. She even had a young friend. Almost a swain."
Aidan set the candle down. "Did she?"
She giggled. "I never thought infatuation could flourish in the Curselands. But they were quite taken with each other. Only..."
"Only?"
She swallowed, hugging her knees. "One day her swain went missing.
Nobody knew what happened. I... I discovered some remains under her bed.
She didn't remember. Her beastly instincts took over.
Gil couldn't bear to tell her. So we found a place for her down here.
Safe for her... and others were safe from her. "
Aidan drew in a breath. "That poor girl..."
A peculiar sadness ate away at her. "Shanna's mind is going because she is fighting her transformation. But she will become a beast. I don't know what Gil will do when that happens. He damned himself for her. How can he live without her?"
"I don't know," he said.
"She's also right about me." She forced herself to face him. "I use so much Curse Magic. One day, a curse could rebound... I could turn into a beast. And if not, I'll end up a Curse Tree keeping the Curselands alive with my magic."
Shadows couldn't conceal the sadness in his eyes. "After we've healed these lands, you won't have to use your magic so much. Things can be different..."
She let out a choked laugh. "You are ever an idealistic fool. I wish I could be like you. But even if I can't... it's nice that you think that way."
He frowned and leaned closer, his head almost brushing into hers. "Carys..."
She fought the urge to wipe away a tear. "What?"
"For a moment, just a moment, I thought I saw your eyes."
The breath almost died in her. "My eyes?"
Excitement filled his face, and he squinted, examining her. Flustered by his scrutiny, her hand flew to her eyes.
He frowned. "You don't want me to see?"
She lowered her hand and her cheeks flushed. "No, but... that wasn't supposed to happen." Her heart pounded. "The curse is too deep in my soul... my true eyes will be concealed until the day I die."
Sadness washed over his face. "Why do you suppose it faded for a moment?"
She shrugged. "I couldn't guess. Perhaps your eyes were playing tricks on you. Perhaps Shanna's magic is playing tricks on you."
"I don't think so."
She bit her lip. "Then may I ask you a question? And please don't mock me for asking."
"I wouldn't mock you."
"What color were they?" she whispered.
His face twitched in surprise. "You don't know your own eye color?"
He didn't mean to be rude, but shame seared her. "I've been using Curse Magic since I was young. I don't remember."
"Of course," he said in a raw tone. "Did you ever ask your brother?"
She hugged her knees tighter. "My brother has been good quite to me, but I can't expect him to remember something as trivial as eye color."
"I should think that's important."
The truth was that she feared Meical would consider it foolish. Weakness was not a virtue in the Curselands and sentimental weakness was the worst of sins.
Gil's sentimental weakness in allowing his sister any freedom had resulted in death.
"All right," Aidan said. "It's dark down here, mind you. So I couldn't see very well. But they are either blue or gray."
Her spirits sank. "Blue or gray?"
"I'm sorry." He lowered his head. "I wish I had a better look."
"Don't be sorry," she said, her voice gruff. "That's more than I knew a few moments ago. Not that it matters."
"It does." He raised his enthralling emerald eyes. "You deserve to know your eye color."
"We lose parts of ourselves when we invoke Curse Magic. Eye color is still a shade better than craving human flesh," she jested.
With no hesitation, he put his arm around her. For once, the contact didn't bring discomfort. She leaned into his warm body, a shield from the unnatural cold of the tower. It wasn't the wildfire passion of Cal, more akin to the warmth of the sun. A sweet warmth that wouldn't burn her to ash.
Their moment of sun darkened as a raven flew into the hall. The candlelight flickered as it flapped down. It stared at them with beady eyes.
"What's that bird doing here?" Aidan asked, wariness creeping into his tone.
Coldness crept back into Carys' soul and she pulled away from him. "It's a message."
"From who?"
"Meical."