The Zero Curse

by Christopher G. Nuttall

  Akin went to work with practiced ease. I felt a flicker of envy, then turned my attention back to the workbench. It didn't normally take that long to devise and forge my own tools, but this time I was going to stretch it out as long as I could. I needed time, time to think ... time to plot an escape.

  They definitely spent a great deal of money on this place, I thought, as I stacked up a number of gemstones. Did Fairuza know I’d found a way to produce stirrers that didn't actually need to be charged? I hoped not ... Rose knew, but she wouldn't say a word as long as she wasn't asked directly. And if I can charge a number of gemstones with magic, I can do quite a bit with them.

  The door opened, revealing the glamoured young man. He passed Rose a stack of clothing, then departed as silently as he’d come. I put my work aside and hurried to change into something a little more suitable. The nightgown wasn't bad, but I was uneasily aware that it would provide no protection whatsoever if I splashed hot liquid - or molten metal - on myself. Rose followed me, changing as well. The clothes were definitely not from the richer part of Shallot.

  And completely impossible to trace, too, I thought, as I eyed myself in the mirror. I’d grown too used to tailored dresses and school uniforms. I looked like I was wearing a sack a demented tailor had turned into a shirt and trousers. It was the sort of thing a tradesgirl would wear, not the daughter of a great house. Would anyone recognise me if I managed to escape?

  It was a chilling thought. People would recognise me in Shallot, but anywhere else? I was just another young girl. If I didn't wear noble clothes, would anyone recognise me as a noble? Or anything? It was just something else that cut me off from my former life ... I caught myself, sharply. I was not going to give in and surrender. I was going to escape and I was going to take my friends with me.

  I walked back into the workroom, just in time to see Akin finish his potion. I took the cauldron gratefully, then let him get changed himself while I started to work on the rest of the tools. They took shape one by one, while Akin and Rose took turns brewing different potions and watching me. I had Rose charge a handful of gemstones for later use, hiding them in the stirrers. With a little effort - if I was very lucky - I would never have to drain the gemstones until I actually needed them.

  It would be fascinating to see what happens, I told myself, if I combined the two designs ...

  The minutes turned into hours and the hours slowly turned into days. We stopped working long enough to eat and sleep, then returned to our work. I took two days - I thought it was two days - to design and forge a number of tools, then ran out of stalling tactics. The wardcracker design lay in front of me, mocking me. It was complex, but nothing I hadn't done before. The sword I’d forged had been a great deal harder.

  “Rose, cut me nine strands of gold wire,” I ordered. I wasn't sure that her cutting the wire would weaken the design, but it was worth trying. “And ...”

  Akin hexed me. I fell forward, hitting the stone floor hard enough to hurt. My hands and feet were suddenly stuck to the floor. I looked up, just in time to see Akin’s fingers - clearly moving against his will - casting a spell. The world went dark. I couldn't see a thing. He’d blinded me ...

  “You may not sabotage your work,” Akin said. It was the geas talking. “If you try, you will be punished.”

  I fought down the urge to cry, helplessly. I was trapped ... my hands and feet were stuck to the floor and I couldn't see a thing. The spell wouldn't last, I knew, but it didn't have to last very long. I thought I could hear footsteps ... someone walking towards me. Akin and Rose didn't want to hurt me, but the geas didn't give them a choice. If they wanted to kick me while I was down ...

  “I won’t try that again,” I said, desperately. Someone was right behind me, weren’t they? I could hear ... something. “I’ll cut my own wire.”

  The world suddenly blazed with blinding light. I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them slowly. The spell blinding me had broken ... or been removed. I wasn't sure. The spell holding my hands and feet to the stone vanished a moment later. I collapsed to the floor, shaking. I’d known I was vulnerable, but now ... I wasn't sure I could get anything past Akin and Rose. The horror on their faces didn't help. They might have been unwilling gaolers, but they were gaolers nonetheless.

  “I’m sorry,” Akin said. He was babbling ... I honestly wasn't sure who he thought he was talking to. Me? Or his family? “I’m sorry ...”

  I picked myself up, carefully. He was sorry? I was trapped and he was my jailer and he was sorry and ... I told myself, firmly, that it wasn't his fault. But it was hard to believe it.

  Rose passed me the wire, wordlessly. I cursed my mistake under my breath as I started to cut the golden thread, hoping her mere presence would be enough to cause problems. Rose might not have realised the problem, not when she hadn't been there for Magister Tallyman’s experiments. But Akin had ... I should have made sure he hadn't overheard the order. It was too late now.

  The wardcracker took shape, piece by piece. It was an elegant design, I had to admit; it looked almost like a wire hand, with gemstones trapped in a silver lattice instead of bones. And yet, it was dangerous. Someone using it could break through almost any ward in the city. I thought that the wardcracker wouldn't survive contact with a really powerful ward, but it would still take the ward down too. The City Guard was supposed to have a wardcracker that dated all the way back to the Thousand-Year Empire and was still functioning. I couldn't help wondering how the original forgers had compensated for the magic surge ...

  “Stay well clear,” I ordered, as I pushed the final pieces into place. It should work ... Akin had watched me like a hawk, nudging Rose away whenever she got too close. But if I was wrong ... I thought the spellform would still take shape. It just wouldn't be perfect. “Here we go ...”

  I carved the final rune into the handle. The wardcracker blazed with light. It was so bright that I had to cover my eyes and turn away, although it didn't help. It felt as though the light was burning into my very skull. There was something about it that felt ... wrong. And then the light snapped out of existence, leaving the wardcracker lying on the table. I reached out gingerly and picked it up. It felt ... ready.

  “It’s perfect,” Akin breathed.

  I hoped he was wrong. I hoped it wouldn't survive its first encounter with a powerful ward. But I had no way to know ... I had no way to know, either, if Fairuza would believe I’d sabotaged it somehow or if it was just a problem with the design. I’d done the calculations in my head - Akin had checked the ones I’d written down - but I knew they were far from precise. Too much could go wrong with the design.

  Rose touched my shoulder. I leaned into her embrace, feeling bitter. It would have been great, if I’d done it for myself. A working wardcracker would have been a remarkable achievement. But now ... Fairuza was going to take it and ... and what? A wardcracker could be used for all sorts of things. Very few of them were good.

  She could try to break into the family hall, if she wished, I thought. Dad’s wards were strong - and he had good reason to know that there might be new Objects of Power on the way - but I wasn't sure how well they’d stand up to my work. Or even break into the palace itself.

  The door opened. “Very well done,” Fairuza said, as she stepped into the room. She sounded amused. “You did a very good job.”

  I glared at her, sullenly. “Can we go now?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Fairuza said. “But I will consider a few other requests.”

  “Something to play, when we’re not working,” I said. “A chessboard, perhaps.”

  Fairuza smiled. “We’ll see what we can find,” she said. I had the odd feeling she meant it. “Anything else?”

  “Books,” Akin put in.

  “I want to write a letter home,” I said. “You can sneak it out ...”

  “I’m afraid not,” Fairuza said. “It would be far too revealing.”

  “You could read it first,” I said. “And you could take care w
ith any reply ...”

  “No,” Fairuza said. Her voice was firm. “And that’s the end of it.”

  And we have to get out of here, I thought. Or we’ll go mad.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I would have enjoyed the next few days, if we hadn't been prisoners.

  It was what I'd wanted, I knew all too well. The chance to be useful, to be the sort of person others asked for help. And yet, I was a prisoner. Fairuza came every day with a new request, a new demand for an Object of Power. And I had no choice but to forge it for her. I had no idea what she intended to do with them - or what whoever was backing her wanted to do with them - but I doubted I’d like it when I found out. I had to find a way to get us out of the trap.

  And yet, it was hard to prepare an escape when I was being watched like a hawk. Rose stayed with me all the time, even when I was in the bathroom; Akin watched and checked my work, alert for even the slightest hint of sabotage. If he’d known everything, I was fairly sure that there would have been no hope of escape. As it was, gathering the tools, charged gemstones and potions I needed was difficult. He certainly wouldn't have let me get away with what little I was doing if he’d noticed.

  “That was a good game,” Akin said. He’d been playing Rose. Chess was supposed to be a nobleman’s game, but Rose had admitted that she’d learnt to play a long time before she’d gone to Jude’s. “You’re getting better at this.”

  “She beat you three games to two,” I pointed out. Akin didn’t seem to take it personally, but there were some noblemen who’d be horrified at the thought of a commoner beating them at anything. “Shall we have some tea before we go to bed?”

  I rose as Akin reset the board and poured hot water into the teapot, then added a tiny splash of makeshift sleeping potion. It wouldn't be enough to send them to sleep - not immediately - but once they were asleep, it would keep them out for at least five hours. I’d be drinking it too, yet ... if I was right, the magic would fade before it managed to take effect. And if I was wrong ... well, I’d just have to come up with something else.

  “We should have another game,” Akin said. “Winner takes all.”

  “I’m still ahead of you,” Rose said. “You’d have to beat me at least twice.”

  I smiled, pouring three mugs of tea and passing them around. Akin took his and sipped it, gently. I did my best to pretend I wasn't watching as he drank. If he noticed something funny about the taste, he’d alert Fairuza. And then I’d be in deep trouble. Rose drank her tea quickly - I was less worried about her noticing something wrong - and then headed for the bedroom. I waited until she’d finished in the bathroom, then moved to follow her. Akin already looked tired as he headed for his own bedroom. He didn't seem to notice when I left the bedroom door slightly ajar.

  Rose lay down on her mattress, looking tired. I hoped she didn't realise that she was too tired as I lay down myself. I’d have to stay awake, somehow, until her snores told me she was deeply asleep. I forced myself to design newer and better Objects of Power in my head, trying to think of something that might get us out of the trap. It was a shame that Akin was so good at forging. Someone who didn't know so much might miss what I was doing until it was too late.

  But even a complete novice would notice if I was forging a suit of armour, I thought, as Rose began to snore. And I have to hope they’re not watching the suite too closely.

  I forced myself to wait until Rose’s snores became regular, then slipped out of bed as quietly as I could. For once, my sisters had been useful. I’d had a great deal of practice in sneaking around. I listened carefully at the door for several minutes, then crept into the workroom and checked Akin’s door. It was firmly shut. I picked up my spectacles and peered at the wooden door. It was crawling with nasty-looking wards.

  Clever, I thought. I felt a flash of warm affection. Akin hadn't managed to beat the geas, but he'd found a way to subvert it, just a little. Even he would need several minutes to take down his wards in the morning. I’d have plenty of warning if he decided to get up and check the workroom in the middle of the night. That’s something I’ll have to exploit for myself.

  I kept the spectacles on as I walked to the metal door. It was glowing faintly, confirming my suspicion that it was barred by magic. I couldn't see enough of the spell to see the spellform, but it didn't matter. I knew how to take it down, if I wanted. But I had no idea what else was on the far side of the door. I wasn't sure of anything, except for one thing. We had to get out of the trap before it was too late.

  And we don’t even know what time it is, I thought. I’d asked for a clock, but Fairuza had flatly refused to provide one. It felt like the middle of the night, yet ... was it? I’d been told that people who took too much sleeping potion often lost track of the time, their bodies insisting that it was the middle of the night while the sun insisted it was midday. We don’t even know how long we've been here.

  I pushed the thought aside as I walked back to the worktable. I didn't have much time. If Akin or Rose woke up, I was in deep trouble. I’d done as much as I could in the open - I’d explained that I was preparing additional supplies for future projects - but I knew I was about to start something I couldn't explain. If I was caught, I was dead.

  The ancients had done wonders, I reflected, as I pulled the spellcasters together. I wasn't entirely sure I understood the calculations, but it allowed me to rig up wands and focusing devices without asking Rose or Akin to cast the spells for me. The spells lacked the finesse of a trained magician, yet it wouldn't matter. All that mattered was that it would give me the ability to cast spells without magic of my own.

  And yet, I asked myself, where does the power come from?

  Magister Niven’s question nagged at my mind. I’d built Objects of Power that were using magic, some very intense magic. A wardcracker might just feed off the ward it cracked - and some of my protections drew their power from the spells they absorbed or redirected - but where did the spellcasters get their magic? And how could I even use them? Jabbing the pointy end towards the target seemed to be more than enough. I had the strangest feeling that I was on the verge of a breakthrough, if I had time to plan some experiments, carry them out and then sit down and think about the results. But I didn't have time. I didn't even dare write anything down for later.

  I put the spellcasters aside - it was lucky that I had convinced Akin that he shouldn't touch my prepared supplies, as it allowed me to hide something on the top shelf of the cupboard - and started to work on a new set of protections. The earrings were too noticeable, I felt, but I could work the same design into makeshift bracelets and ankle chains. Wearing several would allow me to balance my protections, even making them stronger. It ran the risk of one of them overheating - it couldn't reflect the spell back if it was covered - but I’d just have to live with it. Thankfully, they were flimsy enough that I could just break one of them off if necessary.

  It was tempting, very tempting, to slip one on and wear it. But I didn't dare. Rose and Akin knew I didn't have any jewellery. They’d certainly report it if they saw me wearing a bracelet, even if it wasn't apparently an Object of Power. Instead, I put them next to the spellcasters and concealed them behind random supplies. They’d just have to remain hidden for a day or two.

  And I could break the spells on them, if I dared, I thought, sourly. A dispeller - like the one I’d forged for Jeannine - would probably break the geas. But Fairuza would notice immediately. I knew she spoke to Akin and Rose every day, conversations they hadn't been allowed to share with me. I’ll have to stun them too before I get them out of here.

  I put a dispeller together anyway and concealed it with the rest of the gear, then walked back to the door and listened. There was no one outside, as far as I could tell, but that meant nothing. The door was solid metal, effectively soundproofed. There was probably a silencing charm or two on the far side of the door too. Rose or Akin might be able to sense it, but I couldn't. The spectacles couldn't tell me enough to be useful
. There could be anything on the other side.

  I cursed under my breath. I could go now - I could get out - but where would I go? I didn't know. I knew nothing about the layout of the building, let alone where we were in the wider world. It wouldn't be that hard to build a compass that would point to Shallot - or Akin’s family, at least - but we might be hundreds of miles away. Fairuza had told us that it was a very long way to civilisation ... she might be lying, of course. And yet, keeping us close to the city would be incredibly dangerous. An alert guardsman might just realise that a country house was suddenly buying more food than before ...

  And she wants us to keep forging for her, I thought. She intends to keep us prisoner permanently.

  I rubbed my tired forehead. Fairuza couldn't be the person in charge. If nothing else, her superior wouldn't want to show himself - or herself - to us. Proving that someone wealthy and powerful had been behind the kidnapping wouldn't be easy. And yet ... if someone started selling new Objects of Power, it would be a red flag to Dad. Whoever was selling the items certainly wouldn't be able to produce a second Zero, when asked.