Chapter Forty-One
The next few days were exhausting days of magic as they regrew the garden.
Once Claudia added the bits of Kieran to the spell, work moved faster.
The proxy sacrifice added a jolt to the magic.
Blades of grass burst from the dead earth, trees shot up in the blink of an eye.
Meical had more of Kieran sent back, and the blood unleashed a flood of foliage.
Every time a drop of Aidan's blood brought life back to the Curselands, Carys thought of the rose decayed by her blood, life tainted by her. Her blood brought no life.
But, for once, her blood saved a life.
She cherished her moments with Aidan as they brought life to the world of death. Despite the grotesque methods for greenery, a smile sometimes brightened his face, the closest approximation to sun in hell.
His smile died whenever Meical was around. As life steadily wove into the harsh environment, Meical swiftly prepared plans for taking out his rival Curselords. Carys tried to ignore her brother's work, despite knowing he would soon demand something from them.
It took a fortnight for greenery to cover the courtyard of Ghost Tower. Vines swathed Ghost Tower as if it had always been that way. Carys couldn't look at the beauty, knowing it was just a patch of what the Starlands offered.
But one morning Carys woke up and was no longer able to ignore it. She rubbed her eyes and stumbled over to the window. As her vision cleared, her heart jumped.
"Aidan!" Carys called out. "Aidan! You must come see!"
She heard Aidan approaching, but was unable to tear her eyes away. A tree branch was poking through her window. She tentatively touched the leaves, almost afraid they would crumble from her poisonous touch.
"That grew fast," Aidan said.
"I've never seen anything beautiful outside of my window," she whispered. "Ever since I moved into this chamber, all I saw was the bloody sky. I never expected to see anything different."
"It's not natural, you know," he said, running his finger over the fragile branch. "It is nearing winter in the Starlands. The leaves are falling to the ground, nothing will bloom for months."
"Nothing ever bloomed in the Curselands," she said quietly. "I never...never thought I would see something so beautiful. I don't care if it's false. I only...I only wish that Gil could see it."
Her hand tightened around the leaf, and this time she did break it off. She yanked her hand away from the tree, afraid of damaging it some more, and allowed the precious leaf to fall.
Her chest tightened with surprise when Aidan's hand gripped her wrist. He slowly turned her around. "It's not your fault, you know."
"If I hadn't done this whole plan, Gil would...would be here." She twitched, still unable to extend a branch of hope to Aidan. "Meical never would have sent him after Kieran because you...you wouldn't be here."
He stayed silent, too honorable to reassure her with an obvious lie and let go of her wrist. She turned from the tree, unworthy of such beauty.
She almost stopped breathing as Aidan threw his arms around her from behind. His spontaneous affection always confounded her, but she didn't resist. She leaned into him, holding onto his arm, the only person left that she could trust in the Curselands.
"I was blessed in my life in the Starlands.
I had love. But love comes with loss," Aidan murmured.
"I had an uncle who fought in the Curse Wars.
He was a good man, stayed with my mother after the battle.
He taught me to ride a horse. But he was damaged in the war and was never quite the same.
One day he was just dead. No one knew if it was an old curse or he had taken his own life.
All I know was that I was the last one to speak with him. "
She didn't know what to say. He slowly turned her around to face him, not letting go. If anything, his grip around her tightened.
Pain washed over Aidan's face. "I knew something was wrong. He was ever the odd one, but my youthful mind just thought that was Uncle Alyn. Still, it worried me, and I practically begged him to go to a healer. But he swore to the Old Dragon that he was fine. The next day he was dead."
She hesitated, unsure how to respond to his personal confession. "It's not your fault. What could you have done?"
"Afterwards, I worried for years that I should have forced him to see a healer. My brother Conan told me that I had to learn always to help people, even when they don't ask for help, else I'd lose them."
She couldn't stop herself from hugging him back. "You can't help people if they don't want your help."
"Very Law of the Beasts," he said dryly. "But it is also very true. It took being damned for me to learn that lesson. And you should learn it. Gil made his own choices. You are powerful, Carys, but you can't control him. He made his own choices, just like you or me. And we must suffer for them."
She tilted her head up, brushing her lips against his mouth. Her heart almost stopped as reality crashed into her. She inched back, expecting Aidan to push her away. They remained still, his steady breathing tickling her face.
As she struggled to summon up an adequate apology or explanation, his face changed. A familiarity and foreignness flashed through his eyes and he kissed her back. His warm lips sent tingles and trembles through her body. Gentle caresses, like waves of an ocean she would never see.
All her life, she had seen people in the Curselands indulging in base fornication. They ended up abandoning their dignity for cheap passion in the halls, on the ground, and against the walls, drowning in their own lust.
This was different. She clutched him, not afraid of drowning, but wanting to float away with him.
Leaves tickled her head, and unfamiliar fragrant nature filled the air, sweet scents taking Carys far away from the world.
As the kiss continued, she pretended to be somewhere else.
Somewhere beautiful and safe, where she was a girl and not a witch.
Her heart pounded as they broke away. Aidan ducked his head, fidgeting a bit, but his hands tightened, as if not wanting to let go.
Confusion churned, yet questions remained locked inside. It couldn't be base lust, not with that sweet sincerity. But after everything that transpired, it was wrong. He shouldn't feel that way about her.
She wanted him to feel that way about her.
He reached forward and picked a leaf out of her hair. The gentle touch sent a shudder of longing through her. She wanted him to kiss her again, and his expression suggested a similar desire.
Then his eyes darkened.
Her heart froze at the look. Then she heard a fluttering sound and whirled around. Meical's Curse Raven had landed on the branch.
She scooped up her shawl that was hanging over a chair and began whipping it at the bird. "Go on! Get out! This is my chamber!"
The bird wouldn't budge until smacked with the shawl. She could only hope that Meical felt the strike through their connection.
"I should go," Aidan muttered. "That carrion feaster wouldn't be here unless Meical was summoning me."
Carys glanced out the window, taking in the tapestry of colors brought to the Curselands. A small dark blotch stained the garden.
Meical.
"Why should Meical be summoning you?" Carys demanded. "Aren't we supposed to be bringing more life to the Curselands?"
Aidan ignored the questions and just nodded at her. "Forgive me. You must accompany me."
She opened her mouth to tell him that it was unnecessary but clamped it shut again as fluttering sounded outside the window. As long as Meical was around, it was unsafe to speak the truth.
They made their way to the garden, physically close and spirits apart. Carys' spirits lowered as Meical stepped forward.
His dark eyes fell on Aidan. "I expect your Star Magic to assist me."
Carys winced. Her brother's shadowy figure felt wrong amid graceful green trees and vibrant flowers.
Aidan stiffened. "I'm already serving you here," he said, gesturing at the greenery. "Isn't that enough, my lord?"
Meical approached him, towering over the tall prince. "You pledged yourself to me. Your presence adds to my cause. It is important that no one believes you were coerced or show any hesitance at following the Law of the Beasts."
Aidan fidgeted. "Kieran wasn't enough?"
A shadow of a smile crossed Meical's face. "Nothing is ever enough. I won't have any thinking you are weak."
Aidan clenched his hand. "And what would you have me do to prove my lack of weakness?"
Meical stepped closer, trampling precious petals. "You've nothing to fear yet," he said. "I shan't risk tainting your Star Magic when you still have so much to offer. But you will accompany me and not turn away from anything."
Carys wanted to speak up, to tell Aidan that he didn't have to follow Meical's bidding. Struck by the memory of Meical putting her in her place, she stayed silent.
Aidan's expression faded. "Very well, my lord."
His smiles died that day. Occasionally the ghost would return and Carys would see the prince who could find hope in hell.
But not turning away from Meical's actions weighed on him. Meical ensured Aidan couldn't protest publicly. He made Aidan watch as he sacrificed beasts, tortured enemies, and fatally threw someone into the pit of serpents.
Meical had plans to conquer another Curselord and made it plain he expected Aidan to accompany him.
And Spiky.
Aidan didn't argue, but after they took their leave of Meical, Carys could no longer remain silent.
"He wishes you to take Spiky so that you can fight for him." They stopped in the hall beside a tapestry of tormented victims. "Kill for him."
"I know," he said quietly.
She balled her fists. "Do you want to kill for him?"
"No."
She exhaled. "Refuse him."
"I pledged my loyalty."
"Your loyalty is put to better use by improving the Curselands." Carys shook her head. "Refuse him."
"I pledged..."
"Your promises were to save Gil!" she snapped. "How can you be bound to them now?"
"Meical says Curselord Dai sacrifices children."
She bit her lip. "Meical told you of his foul doings so you would agree to this plan."
"Somebody needs to stop Dai."
She twisted her skirt, wishing explaining came easier to her. "Meical is pulling you into his web. He is getting your hands dirty."
"My hands are already dirty."
"You've come so close to Sacrifice Magic." She hugged herself. "You don't know what it will do to you!"
"Neither do you!" Aidan glared at her. "I came closer to it than you!"
"You did not!" Carys retorted. "Spiky did the work and I was just as connected to Spiky as you."
"But I made it happen." He shook his head. "I'm not arguing. I pledged myself to your brother. We can make this land better. It just takes a little sacrifice."
No hope brightened his face. He looked like he was marching to his death. Meical would push Aidan to the absolute limit.
And Carys didn't know how to stop it.Carys still had little privacy and separation from Aidan, not while he didn't want to chance their curse activating. But as Meical required Aidan to assist in training with his Curse Warriors, Carys was able to slip away.
She struggled through the crowd of bloody, bedraggled brutes. Most recognized her as the sister of Meical and left her alone. Only one tried slapping her bottom.
Something he surely regretted when Carys' magic made him brutally strike something of his own.
Carys trotted up the path to Claudia's cottage and entered just as the witch was tearing the head off of a dove.
"Mistress Claudia, I don't think Aidan should be using anything close Sacrifice Magic," Carys said in a rush. "His Star Magic is the only reason we've such beautiful...I mean, useful greenery in the Curselands. If he sacrifices, it will taint that pure magic."
Claudia threw the dove's head into her cauldron. "You speak true. But Sacrifice Magic also enforces the power of his magic. As long as we keep cleansing the taint within him, he should still be of use."
Aidan only being measured by his usefulness filled Carys with fury. One of the hanging baskets began swinging wildly as her magic slipped from her control. Claudia's eyebrow raised, but said nothing.
It took a moment for Carys to calm down. "We should be working on healing the Curselands. If Meical wants to fight Dai, he doesn't need Aidan."
"True." Claudia clunked her tongue as she plucked bloody feathers. "I said as much to your arse of a brother."
Despite herself, Carys' heart leaped. "You did?"
Claudia nodded. "Naturally, he didn't listen. Never does." She sniffed one bloody feather, then took a lick. "He wants to use that lad as a symbol, to make sure that people see the lad following the Law of the Beasts."
"We can cleanse Aidan time and time again, but, eventually, the taint will get too much."
"Eventually," Claudia agreed.
Carys flung herself on a stone stool. "I don't understand! Meical wanted to return to the Starlands."
"Your brother wanted to return to the Starlands because he knew that his position in the Curselands would always be unstable." Claudia finished plucking the feathers and began pulling out the entrails. "The Dalon prince's wild actions at the Doom Ball opened up new possibilities."
Carys buried her face in her hands. She heard a fluttering in front of her and looked up as a piece of vellum floating down. It wasn't falling from the eaves. Magic directed it to her.
Claudia didn't glance up. There was almost no evidence that she had sent the vellum in Carys' direction.
But it certainly wasn't the dead dove.
Crinkling ripped through the silent cottage as Carys snatched the vellum. Claudia still didn't look over. Carys hastily looked at the writing. Red ink, most certainly blood, and striking handwriting that she would recognize anywhere.
Gil.