The Zero Curse

by Christopher G. Nuttall

  Nothing is impossible, I told myself, firmly. I’m not trapped until I surrender all hope.

  “Come on,” Fairuza ordered. “Now.”

  I brushed my hair back - Fairuza didn't seem to have supplied anything to tie my hair into place - and walked back into the bedroom. Fairuza was holding a porcelain jug of water in one hand and a drinking glass in the other. I took the glass and hesitated, a moment before tasting the water gingerly. It tasted normal, as far as I could tell.

  “If I wanted to force something down your throat,” Fairuza said, “do you think I couldn’t do it?”

  I scowled. Fairuza was a magician. I knew that, now. And that meant she could force me to drink whatever she wanted. There was no point in trying to limit my intake. Besides, I felt dehydrated. It was a sign, if I recalled correctly, that someone had fed me sleeping potion to keep me unconscious. I supposed I should have been grateful that they hadn't used nastier spells.

  “Drink whenever your body tells you that you need to drink,” Fairuza said. She passed me the jug as I finished the first glass of water. “You need to listen to it.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I know.”

  She turned away from me, exposing her back. I lifted the jug instinctively, then brought it down on her head. Or tried to. A flash of light sent me flying backwards into the wall. I hit the stone hard enough to knock the wind out of me, then fell to the ground, nearly breaking my legs when I landed. Pieces of porcelain crashed down around Fairuza, none of them actually touching her body. She’d woven powerful protections around herself.

  Fairuza turned to face me. “I do trust that that will be the last such attempt on my person,” she said, in a manner that reminded me of my grandmother. She’d always sounded more irritated than shocked by childish naughtiness. “The next time, I will be forced to take more ... unpleasant ... steps.”

  “You want me for something,” I said. I didn't bother to get up. “You won’t hurt me.”

  “You will be surprised, I am sure, by just how much pain you can suffer without being crippled or killed,” Fairuza said. “Get up.”

  I struggled to my feet. My legs hurt and I tottered when I walked, but I didn't seem to be seriously hurt. Fairuza led me though the second wooden door and into what was clearly a private workroom. A large workbench sat in the centre, surrounded by a number of forging tools. Bookshelves and cupboards leaned against the walls ... I had no doubt that they were crammed with reference materials and supplies. The pattern was familiar. The room had clearly been laid out by an experienced forger. Tools within easy reach, materials on hand, smaller tables that could be moved around for best advantage ... it was practically identical to the workrooms at school. I glanced at Fairuza as she moved around the room. Had she gone to Jude’s? With a face like that, she would have been remembered.

  Remain calm, I told myself. Dad had taught me what to do, if I was ever kidnapped. Gather information and wait.

  I allowed my eyes to roam the room. There were no windows here, either. Five lanterns hung from the ceiling, all out of my reach. Three more doors, one metal, were clearly visible in the stone walls. There were no runes, as far as I could tell, but that meant nothing. The wards might be positioned further away from the suite. Fairuza waited, patiently, for me to finish my survey. It struck me, suddenly, that she wasn't in any hurry. That wasn't a good sign.

  Rolf and his friends must have vanished already, I thought. He would have covered his tracks as best as possible, but someone might well have seen him with us. What could he possibly have been offered that made the certainty of incurring my father’s anger a good thing? They threw away their schooling, for what?

  Fairuza smiled. “Why do you think we brought you here?”

  I bit down a sudden flash of pure hatred. A formal exchange of hostages was purely ceremonial, with the ‘hostage’ being treated as one of the family. He wouldn't be supposed to actually escape. But someone who had been kidnapped would be expected to try to escape ... I didn't think they’d be put in a suite attached to a forge. It was more likely they’d be hexed into submission or simply chained to a wall.

  “I don’t know,” I said. I was playing dumb. There was only one thing that possibly justified the risk of kidnapping me. “You want to force my father to part with thousands of gold sovereigns?”

  Fairuza gave me a sharp look that reminded me of Magistra Loanda. “You’re not stupid, young lady,” she said. “Why do you think we brought you here?”

  I looked at the forge. “You want me to forge something for you.”

  “Correct.” Fairuza’s voice was loaded with sarcasm. “It was blindingly obvious, was it not?”

  “Yeah,” I said, in a tone that I knew got under my mother’s skin. “I suppose it was.”

  Fairuza didn't show any signs of anger. “As it happens, we want you to forge a great many Objects of Power for us,” she told me. “And you will do it for us.”

  I rested my hands on my hips. “No,” I said. “I won’t.”

  “Yes, you will,” Fairuza said.

  “Or you’ll hurt me?” I challenged. “How far can you go before I lose the ability to work?”

  Fairuza met my eyes. “Do you really want to find out?”

  The honest answer to that was no, but I knew better than to say that out loud.

  “You can't compel me to do anything, either,” I added. I wasn't entirely sure that was true, but I didn't want her trying to experiment. “A compulsion spell would make it impossible for me to forge.”

  “I assumed as much,” Fairuza said. I had the sudden sense I’d fallen into a trap. She raised her voice. “Akin! Rose!”

  One of the doors opened. Akin and Rose stepped into the room. I stared in horror. Both of them were moving with strange, jerky motions ... they were under a geas! My blood ran cold. Whoever had planned the kidnapping had managed to start a feud with two houses, not just one. My father and Akin’s father might loathe each other, but they’d work together to find their missing children. And very few others would be able to stand against their power combined.

  I looked at Fairuza. “What have you done?”

  “I thought you might need incentive,” Fairuza said. She indicated Akin and Rose as they came to a halt. “You might be immune to compulsion spells, but they ... they are not.”

  I swallowed, hard. Akin was seeing me in a nightgown, with my hair down ... I felt a hot flush of embarrassment, even though he was wearing something similar. And Rose ... she was wearing a nightgown too. I cursed myself as I saw my horror reflected in their eyes. If I’d been more careful, if I’d been more wary, they wouldn't be in this mess. I’d dragged them both into immense danger.

  “You’ve picked a fight with Magus Court itself,” I stammered. There wasn't a single family in the city that would risk uniting everyone else against it. Merely kidnapping someone from Jude’s was quite enough to start a war. “Who are you?”

  “That is none of your concern,” Fairuza said. Her voice hardened, suddenly. “You are aware of how geas spells work, aren’t you?”

  “No,” I said. I knew a little, but not enough to be useful. Dad had banned us from learning anything about such spells. “What have you done?”

  “Your friends will be their normal charming selves soon enough,” Fairuza said. “But they will do as I tell them - and they will do as you tell them, as long as you don’t order them to ignore my standing orders. They’ll assist you with your work, while keeping an eye on you ... just in case you devise a cunning plan. If you do, they’ll tattle on you at once.”

  “You ...” I stopped myself before I said something she’d make me regret. My friends weren't puppets, but they’d been turned into puppets ... no, they’d been turned into something worse. They would betray me at once if they thought I was working on an escape plan ... even though they’d want to escape too. “This is ... this is outrageous!”

  “I suppose it is,” Fairuza agreed. She crossed her arms under her breasts. “I have two other
things to tell you. For starters--” she jabbed a finger towards the wall “--you don’t have the slightest idea of where you are, and I’m not going to tell you. What I will tell you is that we are miles from civilisation. If you somehow manage to get out of this place, you’ll be in a very dangerous land indeed. I wouldn't care to bet on you reaching the closest town alive.”

  Assuming you’re telling the truth, I thought. We could be in a Family Hall in Shallot, for all I knew. The risk of keeping three prisoners in such a place would be staggering, but whoever was behind the kidnapping had already crossed the line. You’d want me to remain here, held by my own fears.

  “How nice,” I said. I tried to sneer, like Alana. “And what else do you want to tell me?”

  “Just this,” Fairuza said. Her voice turned nasty. “Akin? Hit her.”

  I barely had a second to react before Akin slammed his fist into my chest. I doubled over, gasping for breath. Akin was strong ... I’d known he was strong, but I hadn’t known how strong. He’d certainly never hit me before. I staggered backwards, grunting in pain. It was hard, so hard, to breathe.

  “I ...” Akin said. “I ...”

  “Be quiet,” Fairuza said. Akin’s mouth snapped shut. “Rose? Hit her.”

  Rose slapped me. I twisted, catching her blow on my shoulder instead of my face. It still hurt. Rose was strong too ... she’d slapped me once before, when I’d needed it. Now ... I looked up and saw horror written all over her face. My best friends had become my unwilling jailors.

  “I could make them hit each other, instead,” Fairuza said. There was a hint of heavy satisfaction in her tone. “Or I could torture them myself.”

  “No,” I managed. It was still hard to breathe. Maybe I could have held out, if it was just me, but I couldn't bear the thought of my friends being hurt. Or being forced to hurt me. “I’ll do as you say.”

  “Very good,” Fairuza said. She turned towards the door. “I’ll have food sent to you. After that, I’ll give you your first assignment.”

  She stopped and looked at me. “You are our prisoner, but it doesn't have to be unpleasant,” she added. I resisted the urge to snort. She sounded as though she was trying to be sincere, but it wasn't very convincing. “If you behave, you will be treated well.”

  Too late for that, I thought. My mind raced, trying to come up with a solution. We have to get out of here.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “I’m sorry,” Akin said, as the metal door closed. “I ... I’m sorry.”

  “It's alright,” I lied. The pain was fading, but the shock would linger for a long time. “It wasn't your fault.”

  Rose was crying, great heaving sobs that tore at my heart. I reached out and wrapped my arms around her, trying to give what comfort I could. Akin and I had some protection because of our family names, although I had no idea just how much it counted for now; Rose had none. No one would feel any need to placate a commoner family. And, I supposed, if you’d already made enemies of the two most powerful families in the city, you wouldn't really care about a commoner.

  I held Rose tightly, trying to think. Guilt overwhelmed me. It was all my fault. If I’d thought twice about helping Rolf and his friends ... but who would have expected them to kidnap us? They had to be out of their tiny minds. The sheer audacity of the plot staggered me. No one breached Jude’s neutrality, no one. Dad had been more concerned with someone trying to take me from the hall than school. I should have seen it coming, but I hadn't. It had been in my - our - blind spot.

  Whoever did this has to be very powerful, I thought. And yet, who did have that sort of power? The king? I couldn't imagine King Rufus making enemies out of everyone in Shallot. He could just have ordered me to Tintagel, if he’d wished. Everyone else would be far more concerned, surely, about uniting the city against them. What if ...

  My blood ran cold. What if we’d been taken right out of the kingdom? I’d never really considered the possibility, but I should have. Tintagel had enemies, enemies who feared us as we feared them. They wouldn't be happy about Tintagel producing new Objects of Power, would they? A single Object of Power, used properly, could change the course of a war. And yet ... there was something about Fairuza that suggested she was from somewhere a little closer to home. I didn't think we’d been taken that far from the city.

  But there’s no way to know how long we were asleep, I reminded myself. A regular dose of sleeping potion would keep us asleep for weeks, if they were careful. They'd have to feed us, somehow, but that wouldn't be a problem. We could have been asleep for quite some time.

  My mind raced, suggesting possibilities. A week ... someone could have carried us out of the kingdom by that time, either in a carriage or on a boat. Or simply moved us to a hiding place in Shallot and waited to see if we could be traced. Dad - and Akin’s father - had our siblings, didn’t they? I didn't know if Dad could use Alana or Bella to track me - I still had no idea if my blood could be used for magic - but Carioca Rubén had Isabella. Her blood could be used to track Akin. Unless we were very heavily warded ...

  I looked up. The roof was bare, but that meant nothing. We could be in a very small part of a very large building. The wards could be blanketing the outer walls, making it impossible for someone to track us down. And yet, blood magic was hard to keep out entirely. I wouldn't have cared to take the chance ... I shivered. They had to be very sure they’d blocked Akin’s connection to his sister. If they couldn't be sure, keeping him prisoner was dangerous - and stupid. They’d have let him go or cut his throat by now.

  “We’ll get out of this,” I said, patting Rose’s back. But I didn't know how. My friends were my jailers. I couldn't share anything with them without having it passed on to Fairuza and her allies. “How much do you remember?”

  Rose said nothing. It was Akin who answered.

  “When I woke up, the geas was already in place.” His voice was raw with anger - and bitter helplessness. “Fairuza gave me my orders, then told me to wait.”

  I nodded, slowly. Someone smart might be able to find a way to subvert the geas, but it would take time. And Akin would have to convince himself that he wasn't cheating. That wouldn't be easy. Until then, I didn't dare rely on him. He was too smart to be tricked easily - and if he caught on, he’d report me. The geas wouldn't let him do anything else.

  And Rose will be the same, I thought. Despair threatened to overcome me, again. I’d only just started to have friends and now... I can't count on either of them.

  I helped Rose to a chair and told her to sit down, then started to go through the cupboards. As I’d expected, they were crammed with raw materials: wood, metal, everything a forger might need. The layout was definitely familiar. Whoever had set up the workroom had gone to Jude’s. The tools were well-made, but lacked a maker’s mark. I puzzled over that as I inspected an etching tool. Most forgers and artificers would have passed up on a contract rather than produce work that didn't carry their name. And it didn't look as though the mark had been removed. Someone must have shelled out a lot of money to get the tools.

  “Dad will find us,” Akin said, firmly. He sounded as though he was trying to convince himself. “He’ll be looking.”

  I hoped he was right. Enemy of the family or not, I would have given a great deal to see Carioca Rubén. But I wasn't so sure.

  Fairuza must be someone’s client, I thought. It was unlikely her family had enough money - or a title - to overcome the prejudice she would have faced. A girl with no lineage to speak of wouldn't have many prospects, not in Shallot. But someone had clearly seen her potential and given her a job. Maybe she hadn't been trained at Jude’s. That didn't make her useless. I wonder if I could talk to her ...

  I considered the possibility as I peered into the second bedroom, Akin following me like a lovelorn dog. The geas wouldn't let him do anything else, I feared. One of my friends had to be with me at all times. They couldn't escape on their own ... I wondered, slowly, if Fairuza had left such an obvious chink in the
ir armour. But I doubted it. Anyone willing to use a geas on children would have practiced first.

  The second bedroom was smaller, but had the same basic layout as the first. I guessed I was meant to share my room with Rose, which wouldn’t have been so bad if she hadn't been bespelled into spying on me. She wouldn't sleep well at all ... I made a mental note to see if I was allowed to sleep without being chained to the wall. If not ... I might be able to sneak around while they were sleeping. Rose had slept in a dorm. She’d be used to sleeping through loud noises.

  Although she would have been nervous about someone sneaking into her drapes and casting spells on her, I thought. I’d rarely slept deeply, even after I discovered ways to protect myself from my sisters. She might sleep very lightly indeed.

  I kept my thoughts to myself as I checked the bathroom, then walked through the third wooden door. The room was barren, completely bare save for a lantern hanging from the ceiling. There was no window, nothing except empty walls and a featureless ceiling. I guessed it had been a bedroom, once upon a time, but there was no way to be sure. Maybe Fairuza used it as an office. Or ... or something. It wasn't as if there weren't hundreds of unused rooms in my family’s hall.