The Curse Begins

by Abby James

  “Where’s Emrol?”

  Amy snagged my arm and dragged me toward the stairs. A great gust of wind swirled up like a mini tornado and ripped through the common room, sending everyone for cover behind the couches, blowing books, magazines, cushions, anything that didn’t weigh a ton.

  “What the hell, Amy!” someone yelled from behind the couch.

  She dropped my hand and stared at the devastation in the room. “Oh shit, sorry guys.” Her face looked so sad and dejected I forgot for a moment my own horrific experience.

  “Come. We need to talk.” This time though I didn’t touch her. Something weird was going on all right and I didn’t think Amy was the cause of it.

  Amy shut the door to my room as I slumped down on my bed.

  “You looked terrified running through the forest like that. What happened? Why were you so late?”

  “Where is Emrol?”

  She rolled her eyes and joined me on the bed. “Where all the fae go when danger strikes. Back across the veil into their own realm. Then they seal the entrance closed so no one or thing can enter.”

  “Why are we all locked up in our houses?”

  “For safety.”

  “But I thought Darkwells was safe.”

  “It is. Look I don’t know a lot. No one does. They keep it a secret. But there is something locked away within the heart of Darkwells. I’m not sure what. Some ancient power or evil, or something. I don’t know. It’s apparently the only place powerful enough to hold such a thing. The strongest of the casters have bound it within a cage somewhere inside Darkwells, but every so often it tries to escape, or manages to get out, or…I don’t really know. Everything is so hush hush. So this happens sometimes, not that often, thank god. The warnings sound and we’re forced back to our houses, which the casters have warded while they deal with it. A psychic claimed once to have seen the fruition of some supposed curse placed upon Darkwells the day the creature was caged, created by the creature itself. She said she saw nothing but darkness and pain.

  “What sort of curse?”

  “God knows. Something about the beginning of end times with the coming of one who enters Darkwells and bears no mark, but will take the mark of all. See it makes no sense. Most ignored her. But I’ve heard descriptions about of the creature caged. This second year psychic said he saw something in the darkest reaches of Darkwells once in a vision, some horrible beast like thing that was trying to escape. You should’ve seen him when he was having the vision. His face was white, his forehead dripping with sweat. He was really scared.”

  I’m sure my face had turned whiter than normal while I listened to her description. It was about to roll off my tongue that I had seen a vision similar, felt the same terrible fear, but I said nothing because it didn’t make sense. I should not have been able to see a psychic’s vision.

  “A man saved me from one of those ugly marble statues.”

  “Huh?”

  “One of the statues came to life.”

  “You’re bloody joking.”

  “No. One attacked me, pinning me to the ground with its spiked tail.” I showed her the tear in her sweatshirt. “Sorry.”

  She waved her hand to dismiss it. “That’s powerful magic. Only the casters could do something like that, or some advanced students.”

  “This guy who saved me, I think he blew the statue apart.”

  “Was he one of the teachers?”

  “No. He was different. Dressed in black and—”

  She exhaled. “Luca. Of course.”

  “So who is he?”

  “One of the dark ones. A vampire.”

  “A what? You mean I’ve met a vampire?”

  “Don’t get too excited about it. It’s any wonder he bothered to save you. The vampires are worse than the fae. They only care about themselves and their kind. They never join in any of the classes and keep only to their kind.”

  “Why are they here if they never join in?”

  “It’s Darkwells policy to accept all supernaturals. Maybe the vamps want to make sure they have representatives at the academy to make sure no one’s conspiring against their kind.”

  “Why was he out in daylight?”

  “Because Luca is special. He can tolerate the sun without turning to dust. He’s usually the one the casters call on when whatever is contained within Darkwells causes problems.”

  “Why? How is he able to do any more than the casters?”

  “I don’t know. But you should stay away from him. Honestly, he’s dangerous.”

  “And amazingly hot.”

  Amy’s lips twitched. “Yeah, I know. All the gorgeous ones around here are too arrogant or dangerous to be any good as boyfriends. Best just use them as good lays. But not Luca. Okay. There’s no heaven sleeping with him, I’m afraid, only hell.”

  “I don’t plan on sleeping with anyone.”

  “Yeah right. Let’s see how long that lasts.”

  We laughed. After everything that had happened it was good to laugh. But the good feelings could not erase every doubt. What was happening to me? First Massus at Rifos, then the skurk in the toilets, next Amy and her elemental power, the psychic, Emrol and Luca. Nothing made sense, but all I could say was Ms Lane had me wrong. I was not an empath. But if not, what the hell was I?

  12

  I’d been impatient to get back to see Ms Lane, but I had been forced to wait a further three days. I wanted to learn from Ms Lane the extent of an empath’s abilities. It was obvious empaths could sense another’s ability. After all Ms Lane had sensed mine in our first session, but did it allow an empath to feel another’s ability as if it were their own?

  In the last three days I’d struggled with myself not to hunt down Luca. Lucky for me I couldn’t remember the route I had taken when I had accidentally stumbled on the vampires lair because if I had remembered I probably would’ve retraced my steps just to ask him a question. How had Luca known I was not an empath? He’d asked me what I was, sensed something different about me after we touched, and I wanted to know what it was he sensed. I would have to be content with asking Ms Lane subtle questions.

  I still wasn’t comfortable revealing to anyone all the things I knew about myself. The people who’d cared for me changed every few years, sometimes with little warning, so I’d learned to shield my heart, feelings and secrets. Once it’s a habit it’s damn hard to change. I also didn’t like the idea of being treated differently, like a bizarre experiment that needed monitoring, poking and prodding.

  As I made my way to Ms Lane’s room I planned the questions I would ask and prepared myself so I would not leak too many emotions. So much had happened since I last saw her, and I was bound to be stewing on a lot of anxiety. If I was lucky she would think it was because of the lock down of days ago.

  Like last time the door swung open before I knocked. I stepped inside to a silent room. Someone had found the scribe I’d dropped the other day. I’d woken the next morning to find it sitting on my bedside table. I pulled it from my back pocket and double checked to make sure I was at the right place.

  “Hello.” I headed through to the atrium but still no Ms Lane.

  According to the scribe I was supposed to be here, so either I sat and waited, or I did some exploring. And the first place I headed was the large tree that rose up through the center of the glass spire. I ran my hand over the bark as I wound around the tree, leaning in close while I looked for the shright, Merlin, but he was nowhere to be found. I backed up and arched my head back to look up into the boughs farther to the top. The tree was magnificent.

  After awhile I turned back to the chairs and the view out the glass walls on to the garden. Ms Lane held an affinity for living things, the wilderness and beauty. Maybe she had fae ancestry in her veins somewhere, or maybe the fae and humans couldn’t mate because of genetic differences.

  Something landed on my shoulder, then started chattering in my ear with small, choppy chirps. Merlin then climbed around using his tiny long
, lean fingers to cling hold of my shirt.

  “All right, little guy. You are excitable.”

  I held out my finger as I’d seen Ms Lane do and the shright flew up and perched on top. “You’re very cute in an ugly sort of way.”

  “Watch who you’re calling ugly.”

  I jerked hearing his voice. The only thing that kept him on were his long little fingers, suctioned on like a gecko.

  “I understand you.”

  “It’s about time too. I’ve been having a one-sided conversation for too long.”

  “But you talk to Ms Lane?”

  “Her ability to understand is limited to sensing my desires and intentions. We don’t really have a two-way conversation, even though I understand everything she says. Us shright are not limited by language or dialect. I am yet to discover a language I could not interpret.”

  “Why do I hear you?”

  “Because you are suitably gifted. Now come, much mischief is to be had.”

  I didn’t like the sound of glee in his voice. “Come where?”

  “Questions will be answered once our task is done,” he squeaked and the room began to shimmer.

  “Merlin what is going on?”

  Before he could reply the shimmering increased such that I could no longer make out Ms Lane’s room. It was like I was underwater, staring out with blurred vision because my eyes were not accustomed to looking through water. Then, as quick as the shimmering and blurring had appeared, it settled and I found myself in a larder, a huge larder filled with sacks of legumes, hanging dried meat, dried herbs, spices, pots of dried pasta, baskets of fruit, barrels of grain and rows and rows of shelves stuffed with bottles, jars and tinned food. The air was filled with the aroma of ripe bananas, cinnamon and aniseed, thyme and basil, not to mention the spiced sweet scrolls that sat on one of the lowers shelves in a wood box covered in a fine mesh to keep the insects off.

  “Are we in the castle kitchen?”

  “You are very astute for a human.”

  “What are we doing here?”

  “Or maybe not so astute.”

  “You want me to raid the larder stores?”

  “Hmm…now you’re finally understanding.”

  “Merlin, how did I get here?”

  The little shright flew from my shoulder and landed down next to the box of sweet scrolls. “I am not strong enough to carry all of this back myself.” He turned to a round tin decorated in a pattern that looked like a traditional old fashioned market scene. “If you lift the lid you will find some cookies.”

  “You want me to thieve for you?”

  He clapped his small hands together. “Get to it, the cook will be in here soon.”

  “I am not going to be your thief, Mister.”

  “I thought we had a deal.”

  “You weren’t clear enough on the terms, in fact I don’t remember any discussion at all before you brought me here. How did you do that anyhow?”

  Merlin folded his hands across his chest and looked away from me. “I will reveal naught. Unless of course you see fit to grab one of those pastries.”

  “Do all shright know how to blackmail or is this something you’ve perfected since being in the human world?”

  He continued to look away from me. “I will speak no more.”

  “Fine. Take me back to Ms Lane’s room, and I will keep quiet about what you get up to.”

  “You might have to find your own way back.”

  I snorted a laugh. “I don’t believe this. You’d leave me here?”

  Merlin flew up to my shoulder where he could whisper in my ear. “I know what curiosities live in your heart. I am a hungry shright. All I want is a little taste. If you help a hungry shright out then he will reveal to you the greatest secret you wish to know.”

  “What would you know about my secrets?”

  Merlin flew up and hovered in front of me. “I know the human girl fancies a dark one.”

  Jesus, what? The cheeky little critter. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “You can’t stop your thoughts about him.”

  “Because I want to know what he knows about me.”

  “What makes you think a dark one would know or care about a human girl?”

  “I don’t care what he thinks of me—”

  The shright spun somersaults as he laughed. Once he righted himself he flew in close. “And what about the fae boy?”

  I went to swipe him from the air but he was too fast, darting out of reach.

  “Are you spying on me?”

  “Merlin does not need to spy.”

  “Tell me then, what is it I want to know so badly?”

  “The human girl wants to know what is her true ability.”

  I stopped swiping at the air. “As if you could tell me that when Ms Lane couldn’t.”

  “Ms Lane is Merlin’s dearest friend, but she is not a shright.”

  “And that means everything.”

  “I will have two scrolls and three cookies.”

  I couldn’t believe I was about to steal for a cheeky little creature that looked like he had flown out of a Grim’s fairy tale.

  “Hurry now, the cook will be in soon. She’s a dragon in disguise.”

  “There are dragon shifters?”

  “No, she’s the meanest human a shright could meet. Not that I have met her, I’m too cunning for that, but she senses something is afoot in her larder and she turns up at the most inopportune moments.”

  “I’m not feeding your thieving habit.”

  “Would you grab me something if I told you that my small shright powers were not enough to bring such a fat creature as yourself here without some help.”

  I blinked. “Then how did I get here?”

  “Hurry, the troll will be at the door soon. Two scrolls and three cookies.”

  “What did you mean by what you said?”

  “Two scrolls and three cookies and I shall tell all.”

  I sighed then grabbed the scrolls and cookies. “Spill.”

  “The impatient human must wait until we return to safety.”

  He flew up to my shoulder. “Very good human.” Making it sound like he’d just trained me like a dog, which I guess he had.

  “Make sure you hold tight to my goodies. I don’t—”

  “Shhh,” I hissed at him.

  “I beg your pardon.”

  “Shut it,” I whispered as I moved closer to the door of the larder.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Merlin squeaked in an alarmed voice.

  I waved him to be quiet then hovered near the door, holding my breath so I could hear better.

  Merlin grabbed hold of my earlobes with his suction like fingers and whispered inside. “Oh no you don’t. You will not spy on him.”

  Ignoring Merlin I inched my head around the door jamb and peered into the kitchen. All I saw were massive copper pots hanging from the ceiling by large hooks, and the edge of a wooden work surface. I craned my head around the corner some more until the back of Luca came into view. What was a vampire doing down in the kitchen? Didn’t they only consume blood?

  I backed into the larder again.

  “We have to go. And you won’t make it anywhere without me, remember that.”

  “Fine take your scrolls and cookies and head back,” I whispered.

  “How am I supposed to carry all those? Why do you think I brought you here in the first place?”

  “I’m just curious, that’s all.”

  “He’s not interested in you. Vampires hate humans more than they hate every other faction. You’re nothing but an ant to him.”

  “Thanks, Merlin.”

  “There’s no point in building romantic fantasies in your ugly oversized head.”

  I swatted at Merlin and this time managed to hit him, sending him flying sideways. It didn’t take long for him to right himself and flitter back to me again. “You’ve made you choice.” Then he was gone, blinking out in a second, leaving me to hold his
pastries.

  Great. Did this mean I would be marked? Caught in the larder, Christ how was I going to explain this?

  I turned back to the door, about to take another peek when a flurry of black appeared in front of me. A gust pushed me back against the wall with such force the wind was knocked out of me. Luca used his body to sandwich me in place but kept any part of himself from touching me. His turbulent eyes, showing more signs of amber than crimson red this time, drilled into me. Backed by his savage expression, I could only think of how many clover seeds I would have to separate and count to wipe my slate clear.

  But the worry of being marked was soon forgotten as Luca leaned in close to my neck, running his nose from my jawline down the side of my neck to my shoulder, all the parts of my body that were exposed.

  “Well, well, aren’t you a naughty girl.” He spoke as he continued to map my skin with his nose without touching me. He wouldn’t do that. Not after last time. The warmth of his breath danced along the invisible line he traced.

  “I didn’t think vampires ate.”

  He pulled his head back, but not his body, which continued to keep me sandwiched to the wall. “I must’ve created quite an impression.”

  “I like to know as much as I can about my enemies.”

  Even his smirk was delicious. My nether regions tingled and stirred to life. But I did notice he made no attempt to correct me on that last point.

  “As do I, Samara. But you’d do well to keep me on side. I’m an unforgiving enemy.”

  “I’ve been known to be ferocious myself.”

  It was no longer a smirk this time, more a hard line with the smallest upward twist at the corners.

  “The daughter of an empath and an elemental. You are a puzzle.”

  I liked that. Although I’d rather he had said something along the lines of me being irresistible rather than a puzzle.

  “Sounds like you’ve done your homework too?”

  “Why is it you smell like a human and nothing more?”

  “Maybe that’s because I am human.”

  As much as I liked being in close confines with him, I needed some room. Rather than tell him to back off, I raised my hand and pointed at his face, scroll still in hand. His eyes dropped to my finger as he watched it move closer to his chin. He moved his head backward, keeping the distance between him and me a constant. I lowered my finger and moved it into his chest, making him back up a foot. As I suspected he didn’t want me touching him. Pity, but interesting.