The Cursed Girl, #1

by Maria Vermisoglou

“Your mother is home.”

  I relaxed and went to the kitchen, and she greeted me with a wooden spoon and an angry look. “You could have at least told me where you went last night. I can’t always track you down.”

  Here we go again. “I was tired and I didn’t remember the Line was a natural portal.”

  She scowled at me a little more, but she offered me her arm and I hugged her. Sometimes I wanted to stay here forever, buried in my mother’s safe arms, where nothing could harm me. We ate and talked mostly about the battle and my meeting with the princess. I knew my mother didn’t like the princess and had complained about her, but now I knew why; she was a stupid, arrogant, cold woman.

  “Who chose her?” I asked.

  “No one did. Since there was no heir at the time”—I turned to my food, regretting the question—“she volunteered, and no one bothered to check whether she was actually fit for the position. She was young, too, but everyone thought that her volunteering showed great responsibility and compassion.”

  “How old is she?” Ritta asked.

  My mother counted her fingers. “Five hundred and eight, I believe.”

  She was young for a witch. I lifted an eyebrow and looked at my mother. “You couldn’t possibly have been there, right?”

  She smiled. “I was when she was elected officially, and I was one of the witches who thought she would be unfit. No one listened to us, of course, they liked Princess Hanley too much.”

  I stared at her. How old was my mother? If she and some others were resistant to the idea, was that why we spent our time on Earth? “Is that part of the reason why the princess treated me the way she did?”

  My mother looked thoughtful. “Maybe, but I think it had more to do with your success in closing the grand portal when she had failed.”

  “She shouldn’t care who closed the grand portal. More witches would have died if the portal hadn’t closed.”

  Ritta walked in and snorted. “The princess cares about things she shouldn’t, and she doesn’t care about things she should, like the witches who died.”

  “Is there going to be a funeral for the witches who were killed in battle?”

  Ritta shook her head sadly. “No. As far as I know, Princess Hanley has never done something like that—unlike her predecessors who always honored the fallen.”

  “That’s not right. How will these witches be remembered in history? What future is there for them? Their sacrifice was very important.”

  Ritta sighed. “I know my history well so I can determine my future.”

  Like knowing your past would change anything. Yes, it was good to know things and not make the same mistakes, but I didn’t believe your past would determine your future.

  The Spanish War

  My mother stayed with us for four days, but then she went back to Spain so that she could keep an eye on any changes. She promised to inform us if something bad happened. Several days passed without any word.

  One morning, I couldn’t find Ritta anywhere in the house. I walked outside and found her in the garden reading a letter. She raised her eyes, and I could tell it was bad. “What’s wrong?”

  She touched my hand. “Your mother wrote. It’s not good. War has begun in Spain and... it’s really bad.”

  I took the letter. My mother usually had beautifully arranged handwriting, but her handwriting in this letter was a rushed scrawl. I could barely make the words out.

  War has finally broken out in Spain. You and Ritta should leave Portugal while you can. It won’t be long before war comes to Portugal too. The king’s uncle is more ambitious than any of us could ever imagine.

  Nobody knows how he has done it, but he has amassed a huge army. I believe he kept this army hidden until it was big enough and he was ready to attack. He doesn’t care about anybody or anything. His ambition and cruelty have destroyed villages and families as he marched toward Jonathan’s palace.

  The king and his friend have vanished. They were severely wounded, and nobody knows if they are alive or dead. All hope has been lost now that they have disappeared and a monster roams the city.

  I am sorry, darling, I know you liked them. Maybe fate was kind to them and they escaped, but we can’t hope too much. I know I can’t force you to do things, but I beg you to please go to the White Land and be safe with me.

  Love, Mom

  The letter fell from my hand and fluttered to the ground. They might be dead, they might be dead, they might be dead, they might be dead... dead... dead... dead. A chill crept through my body as the same words replayed over and over in my mind. No, no, no, no.

  From the whole letter, I understood one phrase: they might be dead. I stood there frozen and wished I could go back. I wished I had gone with them to protect them. What a fool. How did I ever believe they would stay alive? Jonathan... Alec, you promised.

  Ritta touched my hand gently. “I am sorry. There is another letter from the palace. We must go to the White Land for safety. Come.”

  I pulled my hand back. I was staying here.

  “I know you are hurt, but you shouldn’t do foolish things...”

  Foolish things... I had to stay here and keep busy or I would drive myself crazy up there. Maybe the princess would find another reason to accuse me, but I didn’t care.

  “I have to help the people. They will need me...” I could barely hear my own words.

  “Are you insane? You might get killed. This isn’t a game, Eva. It’s a war, and we have just come out of one with demons, and you want to participate in another one too?” Ritta’s eyes sparked with anger.

  “And what am I supposed to do? Let them die? What am I going to do up there? Stare at the windows all the time? At the sky? No one needs me there. They snap their fingers and they get healed, but humans don’t have powers, and they need my help. I have a gift and I am going to use it.” I didn’t want to argue with Ritta. We never argued, but I had no choice, I had to stay here.

  With pleading eyes, Ritta took my hand. “If things get really dangerous, will you please come?”

  “The gates will be closed.”

  She shrugged. “I will open them for you.”

  I almost smiled. Ritta was devoted to me, and I wasn’t even myself to appreciate it. I felt like only half of me was here. Now I understood what a broken heart meant.

  We said goodbye, and not wanting to watch her leave, I looked down at the ground. The ground beneath my feet was white and frozen. My emotions had triggered my uncontrollable powers, and I had turned the ground to ice. Midnight followed me to my room and tried to comfort me.

  The next day I went to my shop, and I served everyone who was trying to prepare for the upcoming war. I smiled while I wanted to cry, but I had promised I would not cry and I would not grieve—especially not in front of others. I didn’t understand. The tarots showed one death, but not two; did I read them wrong? The stones and my dreams had said the same thing. What went wrong?

  I left work early since I wasn’t in a good mood. I sat by the fire until it was dark. I will not grieve. No. They are not dead. I refuse to believe it. I went to the kitchen for a cup of tea and tried to pull myself together. A scraping sound from below the floor startled me. Nothing in my cellar should make that noise. I kept jars of herbs and items for spells in my cellar, and Midnight knew not to touch anything down there.

  The scraping sound came again. What if someone was in the underground tunnels and had entered my house by mistake?

  Nobody should be in the underground tunnels after dark unless they were up to no good or something bad had happened. And nobody would have any reason to enter my house from the underground tunnels. I grabbed a candle and a knife before entering the cellar.

  “Who is there?” I yelled, holding the candle high. In the shadows, I saw what looked like one person carrying another one. What was going on? Someone needing help? But why would they come through the tunnels? I pointed my knife in their direction. “Tell me who you are or prepare to fight.”

&
nbsp; “Please. Don’t use the knife. I had enough of them already, Eva,” a man croaked.

  I wasn’t going to let my guard down just because he said my name, and I kept my knife pointed at him. “How do you know my name?”

  “It’s me... Alec.”

  It couldn’t be true. As he stepped closer, the candlelight was enough for me to see him. I wanted to throw myself at him, but he was injured and carrying someone. Who was he carrying? When I saw the black halo of hair, I knew who it was. No, he couldn’t be dead.

  “He is still breathing,” Alec said, his brow creased in worry.

  I helped him to carry Jonathan upstairs. We put him in a bed and I examined him. He had lost a lot of blood. I thought the best way to help him, and then I saw the vase with the two flowers Jonathan had given me—the star flower and the moon flower. I was wrong when I told him the star flower didn’t have any abilities at all. Its leaves could heal persons who had lost a lot of blood. How ironic. His gift will save him...

  I took two leaves of the star flower and put them in the boiler. I turned to Alec and examined him. Most of his injuries were minor, but he had a large gash on his arm. I put some ointments on it and bound it. I poured the medicine from the leaves of the star flower in Jonathan’s mouth. Some color returned to his cheeks. “He will be all right after some rest, but he won’t be able to move for some weeks.”

  Alec looked relieved. “Thank you, Eva. Again. I don’t know what we will do without you...”

  I smiled. “You wouldn’t be here.”

  “True.”

  “What happened? I heard that you disappeared and that you were... gone.”

  “Is that what everyone’s saying? Good. I mean... I am sorry to have scared you, but really I didn’t know if I could make it in time, and I wasn’t sure that the underground tunnels were a good idea, but I had no choice.”

  I nodded and then hugged him.

  “Ouch!” He winced.

  I pulled away. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  He half-smiled.

  “Do you know how dangerous going through the underground tunnels was? And how did you find your way? Did you have a map?”

  He looked at me like I was crazy. “Wait. There is a map?”

  “Of course, there is a map. The tunnels are endless. You can start from here and end up in London.”

  “Really?” He looked at me in awe. “Had I known it, I would have found an entrance from Spain instead of getting injured and finding the door in Portugal.”

  You walked to Portugal to find a door? Were you being chased?”

  “Are you alone?” he asked, looking around.

  “Yes, Ritta and my mother left.”

  He looked at me strangely. “But you stayed.”

  “I still believed.”

  He smiled. “Thank you.”

  “You should rest too. You are not fully healed yet. No one comes here, so you should probably stay here. You’ll be safe.”

  He coughed. “Do you have any news?”

  I didn’t have to ask what news he meant. “He wants to conquer the world. He will soon come here. People are preparing for the war.”

  He lowered his head. “I always knew he was calculating and dangerous, but to go that far...”

  I closed the shutters. “The queen? And his brothers?”

  He shook his head. “The queen is dead, but a servant took the kids away. They are safe for now.”

  No one was safe now. My mother would be sad when she learned that her friend had died. “You look exhausted. Get some sleep, and we’ll talk in the morning.”

  “Where are you going to sleep?”

  “In the other room, don’t worry. Come on, Midnight.”

  “Goodnight, Eva,” he said.

  “If you need anything, just knock.” I left the room.

  The next day I woke up and Alec was already up making breakfast. “Good morning,” I said.

  “I know it’s morning, but good? I don’t know.”

  If I had heard anyone else say that, I wouldn’t mind, but from Alec? I could hardly believe it. “As long as we are alive, we must cherish each day, no matter how bad it is.”

  “You never lose hope?”

  I shook my head. “Not as long as we are alive. I’m going to check on Jonathan.”

  Jonathan was still sleeping. His pulse was stable, which was good; with so much blood loss, you couldn’t expect much from a human. Still, I was glad he was all right, and soon he would be annoying me again.

  When I returned to the kitchen, Alec turned to me, a silent question in his eyes.

  “Better, much better than yesterday,” I said.

  “I can’t thank you enough. For me, for him... it’s a miracle. And that you still want to help us.”

  I took his hand. “No matter how bad things are or will be, I will always be there to help you.” A small laugh escaped my lips.

  “Why do you laugh?”

  “It’s kind of ironic, you know.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “What? That we used to be royals and now we are runaways?”

  I shook my head. “That’s not ironic. It’s weird. I will tell you what’s ironic: remember the flower he gave on my last day in Spain?” He nodded. “Well, that flower saved him. I was wrong. The plant had abilities.”

  He looked at me to see if I was joking. “Seriously?” I nodded. “Unbelievable.” He laughed a little too.

  Alec finished making breakfast, and we sat down and ate together. “I have to go to the shop. We have to act normal, and everyone is going to look for me. If something happens, go to the cellar.”

  Before I left I petted Midnight and spoke to her. “You stay here and protect them, all right?” Meow. She went back to the room like she understood. Good cat.

  I went to the shop like always, but I was worried. To try to put the worry from my mind, I started drawing a map of the underground tunnels when I had no clients in the shop; I had a feeling we would need it soon.

  When I returned home, I couldn’t find Alec anywhere in the house. Surely he wouldn’t be stupid enough to go to the garden? He wasn’t there either, and that left only one place. The cellar. What if he saw the jars with my spell ingredients? I went down to the cellar, and there he was. He wasn’t where I thought I would find him. He was in the corner where I stored my drawings. Why did I store my drawings in the cellar? Because they were precious to me and the cellar was indestructible, but no one knew that.

  He looked at me when I approached and smiled.

  “You gave me a fright. I thought you went outside.” I chided him.

  “Sorry. I was distracted. I didn’t know you drew so well. Your drawings should be sold.”

  “Then I wouldn’t be able to help people, and if I had pursued this, I wouldn’t have been able to heal you.”

  He was silent for a moment. “You can do both.”

  I smiled. “Besides, I am not that good, and I do this for pleasure, not because someone wanted me to.”

  He was silent for a moment. “If life goes back to where it was, I will commission a drawing of my choice from you,” he said.

  “And what the prince would want in his room?”

  He laughed while we went upstairs. “The market with the people and the sea with the meadows in the background.”

  I smiled. “That’s not difficult.” He stared at me. “See, I have already drawn it. I always carry papers and pencils with me. When I see something I like, I want to draw it, somehow capture the sense of it on the paper.”

  He had a questioning look on his face. “That’s amazing. But I didn’t see it down in the cellar.”

  I smiled. “Not that cellar.”

  “There is another?”

  I laughed. “Not here. In Spain, at my mother’s house.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You must have a lot of drawings then.”

  I shook my head. “Not that many.”

  We heard some voices outside, and I pushed him toward his room.
“Go inside your room and keep quiet,” I said, and when I was certain he was well hidden, I went outside. An old woman was close, and I shouted at her. “Excuse me, what’s going on?”

  She turned and said, “It’s terrible. That Spanish king is too ambitious. He wants to take over the Iberian Peninsula.” That isn’t the only thing he wants... I thought. “He has declared war with us. We must flee immediately before the bloodshed begins.”

  That was not good. “When is he coming?” I asked, dreading the answer.

  “In two weeks he will be here.”

  We had some time, but not much. I thanked her and went inside again. Now that the sun was gone and I had the shutters rolled down, it was dark, so I lit a candle. “Alec?” I called softly.

  He came from Jonathan’s room. “What is it?”

  I tightened my lips. “They are coming... soon.”

  His expression was serious. “How soon?”

  “In two weeks.”

  He nodded. “It’s enough for us two to leave.”

  “Two?” I arched an eyebrow. “I think we are three.”

  He crossed his arms. “No, Eva. You are not coming with us.”

  I cocked my head to one side. “Really? And what am I going to do? Sit here and wait to be killed?” He didn’t say anything. “Besides, who is going to heal you when you’re injured? And how are you going to navigate through the tunnels? You were lucky to find your way as far as here, but how are you going to find your way to other countries? The underground gets more complicated in bigger countries.”

  Defeated, he sighed and lifted his gaze to mine. “Fine. We three then, but I don’t like it. We will put you in danger.”

  I stared into his eyes and didn’t blink. “I made my choice when I decided to stay here. Now I make my choice to go.” I thought of Ritta. Sadly, I wouldn’t go meet her in the White Land, but I wasn’t going to be part of the war either.

  Midnight put her paw on Alec’s leg. Meow. He looked at me without understanding and I smiled. “It seems our number keeps on increasing.”

  “How I can say no to such a devoted guardian?” A faint smile crossed his lips. “She hissed whenever someone was close to the window. It’s broken and I didn’t know how to close it.” I petted Midnight who stood tall like she understood we were talking about her. I gave him the drawing of the map. “Take this in case you need to get going sooner than expected. Here”—I pointed at the map—“is the meeting point of a road that you can take from either Spain or Portugal. Wait for me when you arrive. It gets difficult from there. Or put signs but use signs that will be insignificant to other people.”