The Zero Curse

by Christopher G. Nuttall

  “We’re going exploring,” Rose said. “Do you want to come?”

  Akin looked surprised. “Exploring what?”

  “The school,” I said. “All the sections that haven't been visited for decades.”

  “Cool,” Akin said. He looked wary, for a long moment. “Shouldn't we be in the workroom?”

  I shook my head. I’d spent the last few afternoons and evenings in the workroom, forging various commissions and experimenting with Magister Tallyman. It had been interesting, but both reassuring and frustrating. Akin couldn't touch the discs - or anything, really - without risking an explosion. He’d forged a set of discs and left them alone for a couple of days, but they’d exploded as soon as I’d tried to work them into an Object of Power. Magister Tallyman seemed to believe that we were getting closer to something we could actually turn into a research paper ...

  I wasn't so sure, really. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure we were missing something. But what? Did Akin’s mere presence contaminate the discs? Or was it something to do with his work? I just couldn't understand it.

  “I think I’ve done enough forging for the week,” I said. “Shall we go?”

  “Your sister said she sneaked out of the school,” Rose said, as we left the dining room and headed for the lower levels. “Is that true?”

  Akin shrugged. “She doesn't talk to me that much, these days,” he said. “She’s too busy brooding.”

  The school felt emptier and emptier as we made our way through the passageways and into sections that hadn't been touched for years. There were entire wings and floors of Aguirre Hall that were effectively abandoned - we’d played hide and seek there when we'd been children - but they didn't feel so old. Dust hung in the air as we pushed through a half-open door and walked down a darkened corridor. It was clear that no one had been in the area for years. The dust was so thick that it was interfering with Akin’s light spell.

  We stopped outside an old classroom and looked inside. The room seemed frozen in time, utterly unchanged from the day it had been abandoned. Someone had stripped the walls bare, but otherwise left it alone; someone else had written an unflattering comment about Magister Nortel’s body odour on the blackboard. I’d never even heard of Magister Nortel. He might well have left Jude’s before I was born, let alone gone to school.

  “I’ve never heard of him either,” Akin said, when I asked. He moved from desk to desk, flipping open the table tops. All he found were dust bunnies, some moving under their own power. They’d been left alone so long that they’d absorbed some of the background magic from the wards. “He must have left a very long time ago.”

  Rose snickered. “Perhaps he saw the note and felt too ashamed to return.”

  I shrugged. Very few students would be brave enough to tell a teacher that he smelt bad, no matter how bad it was. I rather suspected that the note had been written after the classroom had been abandoned and then forgotten. If no one had returned for years, the writer might also have left school. Perhaps it had been Dad. I found it hard to imagine Dad writing rude notes on the wall, but I supposed it was vaguely possible.

  We walked out of the classroom and made our way further along the corridor. Rose and Akin both felt uneasy, insisting that they could feel fluctuations of raw magic in the air. I felt nothing, save for the feel of dust in my throat. Faint sounds echoed through the air - rats and mice, disturbed for the first time in years - reminding me that the whole area had been exposed to magic. Who knew what was breeding down here?

  “It reminds me of the old sewers under the city,” Akin said. “My father told me that all sorts of creatures live down there, warped and twisted by loose magic.”

  I nodded. The old sewers dated back to the days before the Sorcerous Wars. Dad had told me that every magician had poured the remains of his experiments into the sewers, allowing hundreds of different brews to mingle together. By the time Magus Court had discovered that there actually was a problem, when some of the mutated creatures had started to climb to the surface, it had been too late to do more than seal off the old sewers and enforce newer and stricter laws about disposing of one’s potion residue. Mum hadn't been pleased about some of the requirements, but she had to admit they were necessary. Allowing so many potions - and worse - to mingle had been a seriously bad idea.

  “I don't think it will be quite so bad down here,” Rose said, as we reached a fork in the corridor. “This isn’t a sewer.”

  “Someone did blow up the South Wing,” Akin reminded her. “It wasn't pleasant.”

  We walked through a dozen more classrooms before the dust started to make my hands feel old and withered. I’d thought we’d hit pay dirt when we discovered a handful of textbooks in one classroom, but on closer inspection they turned out to be a mere thirty years old. I glanced at the titles anyway, then dismissed them. There were copies of these - and countless others, besides - in my father’s library. I could read them whenever I wanted.

  Slowly, we made our way back to the inhabited parts of the school. Dust billowed from my uniform, leaving me feeling thoroughly uncomfortable. Rose and Akin didn't look any better. Akin’s hair was so covered with dust that he looked old enough to be his great-grandfather. I was silently glad that no one was around as we reached the exit and stepped back into the corridor. We looked terrible. Anyone who saw us would probably send us for a shower, then give us thousands of lines to write.

  Akin held up a hand, then muttered a spell. A wind sprang up, lifting the dust away from Rose’s clothes. It blew around me too, but faded before it could actually remove the dust. I felt the earring go warm and whispered a rude word under my breath. Akin was trying to help, but the spell wouldn't work ...

  “You’ll have to take it off,” Akin said. He cleaned his own clothes with another spell. “You can't walk back to your dorm looking like that.”

  I hesitated. I’d been careful not to remove the earring when someone else was around. Did I trust him enough to take it off? I knew he wasn't like Isabella, but ...

  There’s no choice, I thought.

  I reached up and removed the earring, passing it to Rose. Akin repeated the spell, blowing a wind through my hair. My braid threatened to come loose - I put up a hand to hold it in place - as a small storm of dust blew away from me. The wind failed a second later, allowing me a chance to tie my hair back into place. I still felt unclean - I’d have to go for a shower before lunch - but it was a vast improvement.

  “I’ll see you in the workroom later,” Akin said. “Bye.”

  He gave us a jaunty wave and strode off. I exchanged a look with Rose as she gave me back my earring, then shrugged as we started to walk back to the stairs. It was probably pretty close to lunch time, although I had no way to be sure. Our dormmates would probably be up by now. We could slip back into the dorm, get a shower and then go for lunch. And then ...

  Alana stepped out of the shadows. “Cat,” she said. Her gaze fell on Rose. “Scram.”

  I glared. “She’s my friend.”

  “And this is family business,” Alana said. “Send your friend away.”

  I hesitated, unsure what to do. If Alana was right - if this was family business - Rose shouldn't be hearing it. She wasn't family. She wasn't even one of our trusted retainers. And yet, I didn't want to send Rose away either. She deserved better than to be pushed around by my sister.

  “I’ll see you in the dorm,” Rose said. She squeezed my hand. “Good luck.”

  I crossed my arms and glowered at Alana. “What?”

  Alana looked back at me. “Why are you spending time with Akin Rubén?”

  “He’s a friend,” I said, although I wasn't entirely sure that was true. I liked him, but our families were bitter enemies. His sister was a bitter enemy. “And who are you to care who I spend my time with?”

  “I’m your sister,” Alana said. She leaned forward, her eyebrows narrowing in a way I knew portended a hex. That didn't worry me, not now. “And I have a duty to you.�
�

  I laughed, harshly. “Where was your ... duty ... to me when we were younger?”

  Alana opened her mouth, but I pushed on.

  “You made sure I didn't have any friends,” I reminded her. “You made sure that I could never relax, even in my room. You made sure that I was the laughing stock of the entire city ...”

  “That was then,” Alana said, ignoring what I said. “This is now.”

  I met her eyes. “Oh? This is now? What has changed? Oh! I know! Little Zero Cat is suddenly useful!”

  Alana’s fingers slipped into a casting pose, then relaxed. I knew that meant nothing. Alana could cast spells with surprising intensity without moving her fingers, if she wished. And yet ... I had the earring. She would freeze herself again, if she cast a spell. It felt so good not to be scared any longer.

  “I never thought you were useless,” Alana said, slowly. “I ...”

  “You thought I was completely useless,” I snapped. I wasn't going to let her rewrite family history. She’d been horrible to me - and Bella and anyone else she could get away with bullying - for the last five years. “You said you were going to turn me into a frog permanently when our parents died, remember?”

  “It was a mistake,” Alana said. She took a breath. “What are you doing with those upperclassmen?”

  “Building a patronage network,” I said. Upperclassmen? Alana had discovered that there was more than one? Who had talked? And why? “You know ... what we’re supposed to be doing.”

  Alana rested her hands on her hips. “Akin Rubén is just trying to use your talents,” she said, icily. “And so are those upperclassmen.”

  I felt a flare of hot anger. “And you’re not trying to use me?”

  “They’re not interested in you, Cat,” Alana said. “They’re only interested in what you can do for them. What you, and you alone, can provide. They wouldn't give you the time of day if you didn't have your unique talents.”

  “I do have my talents,” I protested. My voice rose. “Why shouldn’t I use them?”

  “And why should they be allowed to use you?” Alana asked. “You shouldn’t be talking to our family’s enemy, let alone students who will be graduating in a year or two ...”

  “And why not?” I demanded. “You were surrounded by a circle of cronies the moment you walked into the school. They didn't sign up with you because you have a nice personality, did they? Why shouldn't I use my talents to build up a patronage network too?”

  “Because they’re using you,” Alana snapped. “Cat, as your sister, I order you ...”

  “You’re not the boss of me,” I snarled. “I don’t have to do what you say!”

  Alana’s hand lanced out. Before I could stop her, she grabbed the earring and yanked as hard as she could. I screamed in pain as the earring came free, blood dripping to the floor. Alana cast a spell a second later, slamming it right into me. I froze, instantly.

  “You have your tricks,” she said, as panic gibbered at the back of my mind. The pain was suddenly gone, but it didn't matter. I was defenceless. She could do anything to me. “But what are you without them? Nothing.”

  Her voice hardened. “They’re just using you,” she warned. “And don’t you ever forget it.”

  She dropped the earring into her pocket, then turned and walked away. I struggled to move, but my limbs refused to budge. It felt like every muscle had locked solid. All I could do was wait, silently praying to all the ancestors that no one would come along until the spell wore off. She hadn't cast a very powerful spell, had she? I didn't know.

  It felt like hours before the spell broke. I dropped to the ground, every muscle aching. My ear hurt ... I touched it, lightly. It wasn't as bad as I’d feared - I’d thought the whole earlobe had been torn off - but it was still pretty bad. I’d have to go to a healer.

  I forced myself to stand. She was wrong, wasn't she? They weren't using me, were they? I was trading favours, just like Dad and the other high lords ...

  I clung to the thought as I made my way to the infirmary. Alana was wrong. I was sure of it.

  And I was certain, too, that I was right.

  Chapter Twenty

  Alana hadn't just frozen me, I discovered as I reached the infirmary. A normal freezing spell wouldn't have had quite so many side effects. Instead, she’d used a spell that locked my muscles solid, holding them firmly in place. I had pins and needles everywhere, making it increasingly hard to walk. It felt as though I was walking through neck-high water.

  “That looks bad,” Healer Risdon said, as he examined my ear. He was a young man, one of the healers who’d saved my life after the dragon scales potion had exploded. “What were you doing?”

  Stupid question, I thought. I wasn't going to tell him. I wanted to take revenge myself, rather than be thought a sneak. And I had to take revenge. Alana wouldn't hesitate to walk all over me if she thought she’d cowed me into submission. What do you think I was doing?

  “I accidentally pulled my earring free,” I said. “And I broke the skin.”

  He gave me a look that suggested he knew perfectly well I was lying - he’d probably seen quite a few students suffering from the after-effects of hexes and jinxes in the corridors - but said nothing. Instead, he rubbed a salve on my earlobe and offered me a potion to drink. I hesitated before taking it - I couldn't afford magical contamination - but there really was no choice. The pins and needles were becoming unbearable.

  “It doesn't seem too bad, now I’ve wiped away the blood,” he told me. I took the tissue and put it in my pocket for later disposal. “But I suggest you give it time to heal before you put on another earring.”

  I nodded, curtly. I’d had to argue for hours to convince Mum and Dad that I should have my ears pierced, particularly after Mum had thrown a fit about Bella getting her ears pierced a year or so ago. But it was the easiest way to keep an earring safely attached to my person. I made a mental note to design other protective Objects of Power. A bracelet, an amulet ... even a belt buckle. Alana wouldn't be the last person to think of simply tearing the earring off and then hexing me.

  And she has one of my earrings now, I thought. What am I going to do without it?

  The question worried me as I slowly made my way back to the dorm. I felt naked. If someone decided to hex me, I was defenceless. It was all I could do to walk normally, as if I didn't have a care in the world. I’d hated the etiquette lessons Mum had drilled into our heads, but I was grateful now. Mum had taught me to remain calm and dignified, whatever the situation. High Society would have been proud of me.

  Rose looked up from her bed as I entered. “Cat? What happened?”

  I glanced around, making sure we were alone. It was lunchtime. Everyone else would have gone to lunch before the netball game. Isabella had been making herself obnoxious about it, bragging about her place on one of the teams. She’d even told me that she was going to humiliate Alana ... Alana, who’d also bribed her way onto one of the teams. A thought occurred to me and I smiled. Getting into Shark Dorm might be impossible, but ...

  “Cat?” Rose asked, urgently. I’d zoned out. “Are you all right?”

  “Alana thought it would be a fun idea to grab my earring,” I said, sourly. I kept the rest of our discussion to myself. I’d developed a talent that put hers in the shade. All of a sudden, people were paying attention to me, not to her. She was jealous. She wanted the spotlight back. “And I need to plan revenge.”

  I walked over to my bed and searched through my trunk for the spare earring. Dad would have reprimanded me for not thinking ahead. I’d never anticipated someone actually grabbing the earring and I should have. But then, most magicians used their magic, rather than their hands and fists. I’d punched Isabella in the nose and everyone had been shocked by the sight of blood.

  Score one for Alana, I thought. I was going to make her pay for that - and all the other humiliations. She is not going to get away with this.

  I clipped the spare earring over my other ea
rlobe, then dug through to find a handful of very special ingredients. Alana knew to be careful, of course. She didn't sit down until she’d made sure to check the seat for concealed hexes. And she wouldn’t leave her own possessions undefended. I could dispel her charms, of course, but she’d notice they were missing. I’d have to be very careful, too.

  “We’ll go to lunch,” I said, once I’d pocketed a handful of supplies. Alana had been imaginative enough to realise she didn't need to use magic. But did she understand all the implications? “And then I need you to help me.”