The Cursed Girl, #1

by Maria Vermisoglou

  I smiled. Ritta with her thousand questions at once and her scolding. I missed it. “Because something unexpected happened, and I am in pain because a soldier’s knife was in my arm.”

  “What could possibly be so important that you could not come?”

  I was glad we were not in the same room. I wished I could cover my ears, but that didn’t work in telepathic communication.

  “Your mother and I were worried. And which soldier dared to shoot you?”

  Even though she couldn’t see it, I smiled. “Don’t worry, he’s dead, and actually, you know him—it’s Nathaniel.”

  What the—?”

  There was emptiness like a thread was cut. Maybe she hadn’t mastered the spell perfectly or she was distracted.

  “Sorry, I am not good with this spell yet.”

  “It does take a while and if you are not focused...”

  “I am now. So tell me...”

  While I ran, I shared the details of our adventures with Ritta, and it felt good to tell someone who knew me, the real me.

  “No way. You stay down there and get to have amazing adventures and explore the tunnels while I am stuck in here? Not fair. Next time, I stay with you.”

  “There is no magic in here, sunflower.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “Even without magic, they slaughtered the poor people in the tunnels, Ritta. There is no one left.”

  “Oh heavens. That is a thing I do not want to see. I am sorry.”

  “Me too.”

  “Oh. And you are in trouble with the princess.” Ritta grimaced, or at least I think she grimaced. I was not good with expressions in telepathy.

  “Why? Because I cracked the wall of her frozen palace?”

  I felt her laugh. “No, because you didn’t come.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, but this “gathering” is not mandatory after all. It’s for our protection.”

  “Tell her. From now on, it will be mandatory.”

  “Is she wishing to be a tyrant? Or is she competing with the royals on Earth?”

  “I told you that you would be a better princess.”

  “Next time it will not be just a crack in her ice sculpture. Anyway, tell me now your opinion of my problem...”

  “Which one?”

  “Very funny.” I told her about what I had noticed with Jonathan throughout the last days and when I had given Alec and Jonathan the lessons.

  “Seriously? You gave them lessons on how to light a fire? And wash clothes?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did they know?”

  “Well, almost nothing. They have servants to do normal basic things; the only things they knew were eating, fighting, and several things about strategy.”

  “That is unheard of. And about your problem, there is only one answer. ¡El chico te quiere! The boy loves you.”

  “Oh, please. Stop with the speculations and be serious.”

  “I am. He said he loves you.”

  “He didn’t. But he kissed me.”

  “What? When? What? Why did you not tell me?”

  “So you would not act like a dog to which they promised a bone.”

  “I don’t act like—Don’t change the subject.” There was no way out of this so I told her the rest of it.

  “Oh. How romantic. He definitely loves you.”

  “Then why did he act cold all the time? And now he remembered his feelings?”

  “Hmm... he lost his parents and his kingdom. His brothers are in hiding, he is in hiding. There are a lot of factors. And he was injured, right? So maybe he was feeling weak or felt that if he said anything in this condition he would seem weak or something?”

  “Weak? Why? Because he was in bed?”

  “Well, yes. Men are all, you know... being strong and nice and gentle toward women whom they like—I think they call it chivalry.” Trust Ritta to tell you all about romance in every universe. “You still don’t know how you feel about him? What does he have to do? Abandon his place for you?”

  I thought that Ritta might be right, but still... “I am still confused.”

  “I can’t believe you.”

  “No, I would never ask such a thing of him, and I don’t want him to, but he’s a king and I am just a girl.”

  I felt her sigh. “Who saved him? Who saved his friend? And saved an entire army? Without even being there. And I am not talking about magic. You didn’t even use much magic. Just plants and herbs and flowers. Do you have any idea how important you are to them, to us, or anyone else? Stop thinking that you are just a peasant girl, and start thinking that you are the girl that saved an entire kingdom. You are still trying to even if they didn’t ask for it, even if you were exiled from their country. You two are meant to be together because you meet again and again without even meaning to. Think about it: he searched and asked, and he didn’t find you when you left and tried to avoid him, but still, he was drawn to you; you are bound like the sun and the moon. It’s a sign from fate.”

  “Right...” The sun and the moon. I liked that. “And if I don’t know how I feel?”

  “Then there is one way: Run to find them because there will be trouble even if Midnight is with them. At least you have got her to protect you.”

  It might sound weird to you, but Ritta and my mother were not so worried when I had Midnight with me; it was like she was a shield that would protect me from any harm.

  “How is she doing by the way?” Ritta asked.

  “Hmm... Meow, meow, meow, and a lot of mice.”

  “I see... I must go.”

  “Me too, I am almost there and it’s not sunset yet.”

  “If you don’t find a job after as a healer or a painter, you can always take peoples’ letters from the one side of the country to the other.”

  “Ritta!”

  “Joking. Goodbye.”

  “Tell mother I love her.”

  “I will tell her. Love you and be careful.”

  “I love you too.”

  The connection was lost and I was left alone. I was in Bologna now, so I had to search for Alec and Jonathan. I started walking and then I reached a crossroads. Somehow, I knew I had to go left. Weird. I didn’t know how I knew. Instinct? The connection with my cat? Something else? But whatever it was, I followed it and arrived at a forest with a lake. This was the place. I knew it was.

  I took out a dried fish from my cloak’s pocket; I always had one or two useful things like this anywhere I went. The fish was for my cat. Amazingly, she could smell fish from fifteen miles away. I called her name and waited. In no time she was coming toward me with her tail up. “Midnight.” I tossed the fish and she grabbed it and started eating. “What? No hello? No, I missed you?” Meow. She looked at me as if to say, “Good seeing you, thank you for the fish, now let me eat.” Such an ungrateful cat. I smiled, though, because it was good to see her.

  Now, where were Alec and Jonathan? I looked around and saw Jonathan who turned pale as if he had seen a ghost. “Eva?”

  I smiled. “I am back. Where is Alec?”

  Alec was right behind him and smiled. They tried to hug me at the same time.

  “Ooh, ow!”

  They backed off immediately. “Are you injured?” Jonathan asked.

  “We thought you were gone,” Alec said.

  “A little faith won’t kill you, you know,” I informed them. “I am mostly fine. Do you have my things?” I asked, eager to heal my arm.

  “In the cave,” said Alec.

  “What cave?”

  They told me about their journey while we were walking toward the cave. Shortly after arriving in Bologna, they had moved into a cave where it could be easier to hide. After I had cut the bed sheet rope, they had run, but they believed that I would meet them soon. When they had reached the city’s borders, they had waited a while, but when they saw soldiers come, they left and hoped for the best. They had found this cave a few miles outside Bologna—or rather Midnight had found it—and t
hey had stayed here ever since.

  “How did you get here so fast?” I asked. There was no way they ran here; humans couldn’t run that fast.

  “By horse. We kind of stole it from a soldier when we were at the border,” Alec said.

  “And he didn’t chase you?” That was strange.

  “No, he was already dead.”

  “You stole from a dead man? What kind of people are you?” I asked.

  “People that need to survive,” Jonathan said.

  True, everyone would have done what they did, but not them—they were royals. I looked at them, but I no longer saw royals. I saw people trying to survive: runaways like me. “I guess some things don’t need to be taught,” I said and walked into the cave.

  “I think that means well done,” Alec said before walking in.

  Yes, Alec, that is what it means.

  Moss grew on the ceiling of the cave and some plants had formed a type of bed on the floor. Hanging vines and plants formed curtains over the mouth of the cave, which hid it from view. In one word: brilliant.

  “So, how you like our new home?” Jonathan asked.

  “Good,” I said, but then I thought of something, “There is no other exit?”

  Alec smiled. “Of course, there is.” He went to the back of the cave and disappeared.

  “Where did he go?” I asked Jonathan.

  “Come.” He took me to the back of the cave. A carved corridor turned to the left at the back of the cave, and there was a natural staircase made out of stones that led up. The stairs led up to a waterfall, and from there, I saw the whole city of Bologna and most of the forest. “Amazing,” I said.

  “Isn’t it?” Jonathan smiled.

  “Yes,” I said and went down in the cave again. The boys followed me.

  “What happened?” Jonathan smiled.

  “Didn’t you like it?” Alec added.

  My approval, I realized, meant a lot to them. They wanted to prove to me that they had done well without my help. “I liked it, but I would like it more if my arm didn’t hurt so much.” I sat on the floor. I was exhausted.

  Alec brought me my bag, and Jonathan began to pull out jars. He might not know what I needed, but he knew it would be in some of the jars. He took out the mixing bowl too. I took the correct herbs. Jonathan cut them and Alec mixed them since I couldn’t use both hands. When everything was mixed together, I applied the medicine. Soon, I was feeling better, and if I could have some sleep too, I would be as good as new. Before trying to sleep, I shared what happened after I had cut the bed sheet of rope so they would have something to discuss.

  “All those people...” Alec said.

  “How could they slaughter the whole city?” Jonathan asked. “Who did it?” He suddenly turned to me. “Who betrayed them? Who betrayed us?”

  I pursed my lips. “He’s dead. It won’t help your rage. Maybe you should direct it elsewhere.”

  Alec caught my eye and I knew that he knew who did it. “Why?”

  “Power and money is a bad motivation,” I said.

  Jonathan turned to Alec who said, “The one who helped save me.”

  Jonathan’s eyes were like flames, but then he calmed down. “What’s done is done, I guess. We now have to see what to do.”

  Spoken like a true king. “There is something more: They knew you are not dead...” I pointed at Jonathan. “At least you. I don’t know about Alec. He wants to find you, no matter what.”

  Jonathan stared at me. “But why? He has the throne. I don’t understand why he must hunt me down?”

  “Even if you didn’t want the throne or even if you weren’t the legitimate heir to the throne, he would still hunt you down. Because as long as you remain alive, you are a threat to him.”

  He turned to Alec who responded, “He always would be afraid that he would lose the power.”

  Jonathan didn’t know what to say. He seemed to be at a loss.

  “Sometimes the best suited for power are those who do not want it.”

  Alec looked at me. “Yes. I think that is true too.”

  “You should sleep. You ran all this way with a wounded arm. It’s no small task,” Jonathan said and he didn’t even ask how I did it. I did as suggested, and I curled into the bed of plants pulled my blanket over me. I closed my eyes and that was it. No dreams. No thoughts.

  I don’t know how much time I slept, but I knew the sun was up outside and no one was in the cave. Maybe they had gone to search for food. I decided to take a walk outside and examine the waterfall. Maybe I could take a bath in it? I took Midnight, but she didn’t like the idea of approaching the waterfall and stayed behind me.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice interrupted my thoughts.

  “Yes.” I turned and Jonathan was there smiling.

  “So many colors...” he said.

  “Exactly. I could stare at it all day, but I don’t think I could capture all its beauty.”

  He laughed. “I am sure you can try. How did you sleep?”

  “Good. How many days have I slept?”

  “What makes you say that?” he asked curiously.

  “I know it’s more than half a day.”

  “It’s morning of the next day.”

  Only one day? Wow. That was fast. I stared at the pool at the bottom of the waterfall.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I am calculating how deep the water is...”

  “No, Eva, you can’t be thinking—”

  I ran and jumped in the waterfall. You might think I was you stupid, but I wasn’t. If I needed to, I knew I could cast a spell that would be hidden by the water.

  The water was clear and surprisingly warmer than I expected. The water felt cool and refreshing, and I was glad because it was a warm sunny day.

  “Are you out of your mind? You could have been killed.”

  “By what? Fish? I don’t think they like the waterfall, and anyway I wasn’t. You can come in if you want.” Why is he acting like this? If anyone heard him, they would think I jumped in a volcano.

  He looked at me shocked. “What about your clothes?”

  “I can wash them, but it’s clear water, not saltwater. We can even drink from this, and it’s not even freezing cold water.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t believe you.”

  Before I could blink, he was right next to me. “You could warn me next time,” I said.

  He shook his head and blinked water drops from his black eyelashes. “You told me to come in.”

  His eyes were the same color as the water. He swam gracefully in the pool near the waterfall. I stayed where I was since my feet could touch the bottom. I didn’t dare to go into deeper water.

  “Well, come. The water is cool. You started it anyway.” He laughed and I just stood there.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I can’t swim.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know how.”

  He swam toward me. “Really?” He stood in front of me now.

  “This is not a peasant skill. We are not required to swim, but I do know how to fish.”

  He smiled. “And what would happen if you had to jump in a river to save yourself?”

  I would use magic. “I will not find myself in such a situation.”

  “I guess not,” he said and took my arms to show me how to swim. His hands felt warm even if the water was cool.

  There were things I still had to learn, and after a few attempts, I had mastered floating and then I was able to swim back and forth across the pool. “Well, I guess now you can jump into rivers.” He laughed.

  I looked at him and saw his gold aura dance around him. It was shaped like wings. What was going on? He was not an angel, not a real one like Alec who was half angel and I didn’t see things like that. What was happening?

  “Well, that’s strange,” he said.

  I stared at him. Surely he couldn’t see the wings? He had moved closer to me. “What’s so strange?” I said.


  “There is a rainbow, and yet there is no rain.”

  Oh, great. I created a rainbow. “Well, maybe it rained before or elsewhere. You never know...”

  He was looking at me strangely. “It is like that day...” He seemed lost in thought.

  “What day?” His radiant smile warmed my heart.

  “The day I first saw you at the market. There was a rainbow, but it didn’t rain before.” He took my hand. “I remember that day. I was angry and tired, so Alec suggested we go outside for a while. I never understood why he liked these walks so much, and I was about to suggest that we leave when I saw you.

  You had a green dress on, and Ritta was talking to you, and you laughed once. This sound was like music, like birds were singing, and you were indifferent to what was around. Everyone knew who I was but not you; you thought I was just a boy.”

  Why was he telling me this? Why was he making things more difficult? And since when did he call Ritta by her first name? The few times Ritta was with me, he called her “Miss” and once in a while “Miss Ritta” but never by her first name. What changed? I was so caught up in my thoughts I didn’t anticipate his next move.

  He leaned in and kissed me, and everything went upside down: it was gold everywhere, and I was drinking water and mint and silver. But he did not have a two-colored aura. I didn’t understand. The kiss was fire and rain, cold and warm, thunder and fireballs. It was like I was flying and falling at once, and then I heard thunder. I pulled away and looked up. It was a real thunder, and I had made the sky rain and filled it with the sound of thunders.

  “This weather is so unpredictable. First, rainbows, and then rain and thunder. What kind of weather is this?”

  It’s weather with a name: Eva—more powerful than any storm because anything can happen. When we walked out of the water, I thought about how he made me extinguish every candle in the nearby houses and now the weather incidents. What was going on with my powers? Or with my feelings? Or both? If I continued to feel like this around him, things would be very bad.

  We went inside the cave and Alec looked at us strangely. “Caught in the rain?”

  Jonathan smiled. “Kind of. I taught her how to swim, and then we were caught in the rain.”

  Plain and simple. Nothing happened. At all. We changed clothes and I took the clothes—without looking at him—to dry outside since the sun had come back out. Alec had already cooked the food, so we ate. The boys were joking, and I tried to focus on the conversation, but I couldn’t.