The Zero Curse

by Christopher G. Nuttall

  “I’ll help you get through the wards,” I said. I didn't have to make them something specific for the job. “But it’ll cost you more than just the chocolate.”

  We haggled backwards and forwards for nearly ten minutes before agreeing on terms. I was mildly impressed, although a merchant’s son should know how to bargain. And yet, he needed me. Getting over the rear walls was supposed to be very hard. I was in a strong position and I knew it.

  “Meet us by the Blasted Oak in an hour,” he said, when we’d finally agreed on terms. “And bring at least one of your friends. We don’t want to be seen with you alone or people will start asking questions.”

  I nodded. Every upperclassman who’d asked for a commission had worked hard to get me alone, just to make sure no one saw them socialising with a firstie. If I’d had an older brother, he wouldn't have talked to me too. I was surprised that rumours had started to leak out, let alone reached Alana’s ears. The upperclassmen had every reason to keep their private commissions a secret.

  “You’ll have to give whoever I bring chocolate too,” I said, firmly. “They need a reason to keep their mouth shut.”

  Rolf looked pained. “Very well,” he said. “But no more than three friends.”

  I shrugged as he turned and left the workroom. I didn't have three friends. Rose and Akin were the only ones I’d consider inviting. Rose deserved a chance to share chocolate too, while Akin probably wanted to show his sister that she wasn't the only one who could bribe upperclassmen into fetching chocolate.

  And if I invited Bella, she’d eat all the chocolate, I thought. Mum would not be pleased.

  I walked out into the main workroom. Rose was bent over a workbench, carefully carving runes into a piece of wood. Akin stood on the other side of the table, whispering advice as she worked. I felt a flicker of jealously, mingled with relief. Rose was already considered part of my patronage network - my only client, as far as most students were concerned - and that put her on my family’s side. Her being friends with Akin might just keep her from being automatically classed as an enemy by his family.

  “Nearly done,” Akin said, without looking up. “Rose is doing very well.”

  Rose blushed. “Thanks,” she managed. “I ... I think it’s ready.”

  Akin held up her work for inspection. “It’s definitely going to last for quite some time,” he said. “Make sure you make good use of it.”

  I smiled. “Well done,” I said. “Very well done.”

  Akin nodded. “What did he want?”

  I didn't have to ask who he was. “He wants my help.” I explained, as quickly as possible. “And I need you two to come too.”

  “Clever of him.” Akin looked oddly amused. “A Device of Power would probably be unable to get through the wards. But an Object of Power ...”

  Rose cleared her throat. “Is this actually a good idea? I mean ... we’re talking about leaving the school.”

  “No one would dare to harm us,” Akin said, confidently.

  I wasn’t so sure. Akin had magic and a family name, Rose just had magic. And I had the name. But it didn't matter.

  “We’re not going to leave the school,” I said. “We’re just going to help them get out.”

  “It’s tradition,” Akin agreed. “And if we were to sneak out too...”

  I shook my head. “Let’s just get them out, shall we?”

  Akin looked rebellious. I understood, all too well, just what he must be feeling. The chance to leave the school and roam around for a few hours ... he’d get in trouble when he returned, but he would still have done something that would never be equalled, let alone bettered. And he had magic to protect himself. His father would probably laugh and make snide remarks about boys being boys rather than demanding immediate punishment. Mine would be much less sanguine.

  “You can go,” Rose said. “But we’ll stay here.”

  “I’ll bring you back some chocolate,” Akin said. He winked at me. “It should be fun.”

  I went back to my workroom to gather my supplies. The outer edge of the school’s wards - the one configured to block anyone leaving the school - wouldn't be that strong, not compared to some of my father’s wards. Jude’s was just too big and unwieldy to be protected properly. And while I might not be able to knock the wards down without setting off alarms, I could weaken them enough to let Rolf and his friends get out. They could take the blame, while we took the chocolate.

  And if Akin wants to go, I thought, why not?

  We made our way out of the building and walked slowly around the school. Jude’s had just kept expanding until the outer walls were a mismatch of styles, ranging from stone buildings that dated all the way back to the empire to more modern brick and clay. The gardens were a mess too, a strange mixture of rock formations, tiny pools and overgrown hedgerows. I’d heard that older students liked to pick herbs from the gardens, but I doubted it. Mum’s herbal garden was perfectly regimented, everything in its place. Jude’s gardens would make any gardener weep.

  Rose cleared her throat. “Why is this such a ... a mess?”

  “It provides cover for students climbing over the walls,” Akin said. “It’s tradition.”

  I nodded in agreement. There were hundreds of traditions in Shallot, some of them so old that the original purpose had been forgotten long ago. It was possible that some previous Castellan had decided to let the gardens lie fallow, I supposed, but it was equally possible that he’d reasoned that the school would be expanding again soon and there was no point in trying to keep the gardens tidy. He might have been right, I thought. There were some buildings on either side of the school that might wind up being absorbed, sooner or later.

  “The walls aren't very high,” Rose pointed out. She sounded as if she wanted to be somewhere - anywhere - else. “Our fences back home are higher.”

  “The walls aren't the real protection,” I said, suppressing a pang of guilt. The walls surrounding my family’s hall weren't that high either. “A single blasting spell could put a hole through the walls, if they weren’t crawling with wards. They’re only really there to mark the school’s territory.”

  I slipped my spectacles on as we reached the rear of the building. It was practically a jungle, dozens of trees competing viciously for the same space. I could see flickers of raw magic passing through the woods, blurring into the faint haze surrounding the school. Rolf was standing by a path, doing his best to pretend he was ignoring us. I suppose it would have fooled me, too, if I hadn't known we were supposed to meet him. Rolf would become a laughing stock if his fellows thought he was talking to us.

  And yet, he wanted to take a few friends over the walls, I thought, as we walked into the jungle. Insects flew past us, the buzzing setting my teeth on edge. But they’d all have a vested interest in keeping their mouths shut.

  I looked around with interest. The jungle would have made my mother throw up her hands in horror, but there was something about the green wildness that appealed to me. I knew the jungle really wasn't very big, yet ... I couldn't help feeling that it went on forever. Paths appeared and disappeared as we walked on, twisting so I couldn't tell where they led; a handful of statues peered out of their leafy disguise; strange fruits hung from some of the trees, slowly ripening before they fell to the ground. The smell was strange, almost heady. I took a breath as the wind shifted and regretted it, instantly. The smell grew sour, utterly vile. And yet, it was oddly familiar. I wondered, absently, if some of the fruits were used in potions.

  Rolf caught up with us. “That’s the edge of the walls,” he said, pointing. His voice was hushed, although I have no idea who he thought would overhear. The sound of insects buzzing through the trees was overwhelmingly loud. “Can you see the wards?”

  I nodded. I could see the stonework at the end of the path. The walls were lower than before - I could have climbed over them without difficulty - yet they weren't unprotected. The wards were invisible to the naked eye, but I could see them through my spect
acles. A real magician wouldn’t have been able to see them either, yet ... they’d be able to sense them. I wondered, as we moved closer, if I actually had an advantage. I could see the spellform - and the ward’s structure - in far greater detail than any magician.

  As long as I have the spectacles, I reminded myself. I touched my earlobe, gingerly. The pain had largely faded, but it still ached. Without them, I wouldn't even sense the ward until it was too late.

  “You came,” a dry voice said. I looked up to see another upperclassman standing there. Two more stood behind him, their faces nervous. I understood. Getting caught as they tried to sneak out of the school would get them laughed at, nothing more. “Welcome.”

  Rolf put a hand on my shoulder. “Can you weaken the ward?”

  I studied the ward for a long moment, then nodded tersely. I’d have to work fast. The longer we stayed here, the more likely someone would come to investigate. I had no idea how well Rolf could spin a story, but I didn't think there was any good reason for four upperclassmen and three lowerclassmen to be in the same place. It wasn't as if Rolf was my brother, having a private chat with his sister. Someone would definitely ask a lot of hard questions.

  “Be careful,” Rose murmured.

  I nodded as I went to work. The ward was beautiful, in a way. I could see magic ebbing and flowing around the walls. And yet, it was clearly weak ... it had been designed to provide a deterrent, rather than an actual barrier. The other wards, the ones designed to stop people entering the school, were far stronger. I could see them too. They wouldn't turn on us as long as we were actually leaving.

  And we might be in some trouble if we got caught between them, I thought. We’d be stuck until someone came to get us.

  “This should tear a hole in the wards, just for a few seconds,” I informed them, once my Object of Power was in position. I didn't think the ward was directly monitored. If it was, we were in trouble. Bending the ward out of shape would probably not set off an automatic alarm, but a living mind would definitely notice. “Get ready to get over the walls and out.”

  Rolf moved forward. “Do it.”

  I pushed the Object of Power forward. The ward sparkled into visibility, a sheet of blue light that danced in front of us. I pressed harder, bracing myself. A Device of Power would have shattered at this moment, unable to cope with the feedback. But an Object of Power ... I heard someone breathe an oath behind me, a word I wasn’t supposed to know, as a gap appeared in the wards. It rapidly grew big enough for a grown man.

  “Now,” Rolf said.

  His voice was sharp, different. I glanced back, just in time to see him slam a stunner hex into Akin. Akin tumbled, hitting the ground with a terrifying thud. Rose fell a second later, blasted down by one of Rolf’s friends. I grabbed for the speller in my pocket, but it was too late. Rolf brought a small club down on my head ...

  ... And I knew, as I fell into darkness, that I had made a terrible mistake.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  My head hurt.

  I fought my way back to wakefulness through a haze of pain. My memories were a jumbled mess. Something had happened, but what? A potions explosion? Another potions explosion? Or something else ...

  “Welcome back,” an unfamiliar voice said. Panic shot through my mind. “Open your eyes.”

  I tensed as my memories snapped into place. Rolf had lured me to the walls, talked me into opening the wards, then ... then he’d hit me. And then ... where was I? Rolf had to be out of his mind if he thought he could kidnap me. Where were Rose and Akin? What had happened to them? Did Rolf really want two of the most powerful families in the city for enemies?

  My eyes opened, slowly. I was lying on a comfortable bed, in an unfamiliar room. A young woman - probably about nineteen - was sitting by my bedside, watching me through worried eyes. I didn't know her, which meant ... I wasn't sure what it meant. She wore a long black shirt and trousers, a style that had never quite gone out of fashion among Shallot’s magicians. And her hair fell down her back and brushed against her waist.

  I studied her, thoughtfully. She looked Hangchowese, with almond dark brown eyes, but her face was pale enough to suggest she was mixed. The child of a sailor and a local woman, perhaps. There simply weren't many other Hangchowese in the city. And a magician ... I wondered, grimly, if she really was a trained magician. It was illegal to dress like a magician without proper training, but kidnapping was also illegal. Wherever I was, I was a long way from home.

  I could be on the edge of the city, I thought, slowly. Or maybe in a nearby country home.

  “I apologise for the rough treatment,” the girl said. Her accent definitely suggested Shallot, although there was a hint of something different. “Please rest assured that it was I who tended to your wounds, removed your remarkable artifices and dressed you.”

  I looked down at myself. My uniform was gone. Instead, I was wearing a simple white nightgown that itched against my skin. I felt naked without my protections ... she’d taken everything, even the dispeller. And I’d been kidnapped ... I swallowed, hard, as the implications struck me. If I was behind a set of sealed wards, it was unlikely I’d ever be found.

  And how long, I asked myself, was I asleep?

  Panic bubbled at the back of my mind. I forced it down, ruthlessly.

  “Thank you,” I managed. My voice sounded croaky. My throat was dry. “Who ... who are you?”

  “Call me Fairuza,” the woman said. “It’s as good a name as any.”

  And definitely not your real name, I thought. Fairuza had been a popular name, once upon a time, before Queen Fairuza committed some kind of treason against her husband. I didn't know the details, but she must have done something terrifyingly bad. The name had gone out of fashion with remarkable speed. Who are you really?

  I looked around the room. It was a simple bedroom; bare stone walls, no windows ... the only illumination came from a lantern, hanging high over my head. There were three doors: one made of solid metal, the other two made of wood. I guessed that one led to the bathroom, but the other two were a mystery. There weren't even any runes, as far as I could see. The walls were completely bare. It was a prison designed for someone without magic.

  “There’s no way out,” Fairuza told me, calmly. “This place is very secure.”

  “Oh,” I said. I forced myself to think. “You do realise that my family will be looking for me?”

  “I’m afraid they have no conception of where we’ve brought you,” Fairuza said. She leaned forward, threateningly. “There’s no way they’ll find you here.”

  I swallowed, hard. I was alone, I was defenceless ... I didn't even know where I was. And I doubted she’d tell me, if I asked. Knowledge was power ... a bitter swell of defeat threatened to overcome me. She could simply use magic to make me do whatever she wanted, if she wished. I couldn't even jump her without being frozen mid-leap.

  “My family will pay for my return,” I said, trying not to panic. Dad would ransom me, wouldn’t he? I was sure of it. Alana might be pleased at the thought of me never returning home, but no one else would agree. “He will ...”

  “He can't pay what we’d want,” Fairuza told me. “You’re our servant now, our slave. And the sooner you come to terms with that, the better.”

  I stared. Me? A servant? A slave? It was unbelievable. And yet it had happened ...

  Fairuza stood. “Get up,” she ordered. She nodded towards one of the wooden doors. “Use the washroom, if you wish. And then I have some things to show you.”

  I didn't move. “I’m not your servant.”

  Fairuza snapped her fingers. The bed lurched, then tipped on its side. I rolled over and fell, landing hard on the stone floor. It felt cold and hard against my bare skin.

  “Get up,” Fairuza repeated. “I will not ask again.”

  I glared at her. I wanted to resist, I wanted to force her to pull me to my feet, but it was clear I had no choice. Moving as slowly as I dared, I stood and tottered towards the w
ashroom. It was simple, very simple. A bath, a shower, a washbasin and a single mirror. I peered at my own reflection, trying to guess how long I’d been asleep. My hair, hanging down in an unwashed mass, didn't seem to have grown any longer. Maybe I hadn’t been asleep for more than a few hours.

  They would have had to get me well away from the school, I thought. Rolf and his friends might well have attracted attention, if they hadn't moved quickly. And how long would that have taken?

  I worked the problem as I splashed water on my face. Assuming they’d had a carriage waiting, they could have whisked me to the docks and loaded me onto a ship ... or driven me out of the city before the hue and cry was raised. How long would it have taken the school to notice I was missing? Magister Tallyman would have noticed when none of us showed up for his experiments, right? Sandy would definitely have noticed when I didn't sleep in my bed ...

  Despair howled at the back of my mind. I was a prisoner, a helpless prisoner. No one knew where to find me. And escape was impossible.