The Cursed Girl, #1

by Maria Vermisoglou

  Metal glinted in the light as the soldier behind Jonathan stabbed him. “No!” Jonathan had pushed me away to protect me, and now it was my turn to protect him. I ran to the soldier and stabbed and kicked him. He laughed at me, so I stabbed him again, but that wasn’t enough for me. He had stabbed Jonathan, and he would pay, so I slit his throat. I am not usually that vicious with humans. Attacking my friend is a capital offense. I ran toward Jonathan. “No, no.” I searched my pockets for something to heal him. I had to heal him.

  “Eva. Eva, look at me.” He took my hand. “It’s all right, I have been saved enough times, and I have been given enough second chances. You can’t save me every time. Just tell me why do you hate me so much?”

  I started to cry. “I don’t... hate you.” I sniffled. “You just do stupid things and take stupid risks. How do you want me to react? I care for you and I don’t want you to die.” Tears streamed down my cheeks and wouldn’t stop.

  “Don’t cry for me. It’s all right,” he said in a weak voice.

  “It’s not all right,” I yelled.

  “You are pretty when you are angry,” he said, and then I felt it. His eyes continued to look at me, but I knew that I had lost him.

  “No!” I yelled.

  Thunder and lightning tore the sky apart and rain poured down. I couldn’t stop crying. Was the rain my tears? I didn’t know. I felt warm. Shouldn’t I feel cold? When you lost someone, didn’t your heart become cold as ice? I watched my hands. They were turning silver. What was happening? My hands touched Jonathan’s chest wound and it disappeared. What happened? My hands were their normal color once again.

  Alec ran over. “Eva! What happened?”

  “He’s dead,” I said and started crying again.

  Alec touched Jonathan’s chest and then his eyes widened. “Eva. He’s still alive.”

  “But he was stabbed and then he was dead.”

  “His heart still beats.” He placed my hand on Jonathan’s heart and I felt a weak thump, thump and froze. He is alive?

  “What does he need, Eva?”

  Alec’s words brought me back to reality. “Can you raid Stefen’s shop? I need all the herbs you can find.”

  He smiled and ran toward Stefen’s shop. Alec returned with a basket containing all the jars, and I chose the correct ones, made what Jonathan needed, and gave it to him. I sat back and watched for any changes in Jonathan’s condition. “I don’t understand. He was dead.”

  “I believe you, but maybe a miracle happened.”

  A miracle... humans believed in miracles. Why couldn’t I believe it, then? I was a good healer. Couldn’t I tell the difference between a person who was alive and one who was dead?

  Alec cut branches from a fallen tree, and we made a bed with the leafy branches. We didn’t want Jonathan lying on the ground. “Can we move him now?” Alec asked.

  “Let’s—” a cat yowled and startled me. I had not seen any other cat here except for Midnight. I looked for her and saw a Spanish soldier had stabbed her in the leg and had his dagger raised to stab her again. “Stop. Stop hurting my cat,” I yelled. I had almost lost Jonathan, and I didn’t know if he would make it. I would not allow anyone to take my cat from me. “I said stop hurting my cat!” Everyone turned to look at me, but I didn’t care. I ran in front of the soldier and put my knife to his throat. “What did she ever do to you?”

  “I am hungry. I will eat cat,” he said. How cruel. “You. Will. Not. Touch. My. Cat.” I kicked him and stabbed him, and when he was unbalanced, I stepped back from him and threw my knife, which split into three knives that stabbed him. I turned to Midnight. “Will you do the honors?” She gave him a huge scratch on his face, and he fell. “You will never think of eating a cat again. Not now, not ever.”

  I picked up Midnight and walked over to Alec and Jonathan. I fed Midnight some medicine and bandaged her leg.

  “Wow. No one shall attack your cat again after that,” said Alec.

  I checked on Jonathan. “He breathes, but I didn’t heal him. He must rest and we shall see.” I did not save him, or did I?

  “He will be all right, Eva, and you do what you can. We should be grateful...”

  Why am I not grateful? “I almost got him killed... he tried to protect me from someone that came from behind. If I hadn’t been so busy talking—”

  “But we heard the ‘it’s over’ speech. We all let our guard down. It could have been anyone... don’t blame yourself.”

  But I do. I am a witch and I should have sensed him coming. I heard a groan and turned toward Jonathan who opened his eyes.

  Jonathan groaned again. “What did I miss? Did we win?”

  Alec nodded. “Yes. And no Spanish soldiers are left.”

  Jonathan smiled. “You killed the last one?”

  Alec shook his head and smiled. “The last one was killed by a girl and a cat.” Jonathan laughed and tried to get up. “You killed the last one? You are making us look bad.”

  I put my hand on Jonathan’s chest and pressed him back to the bed. “You will never do such thing again!” I stood and put my hands on my hips. “And you will not stand until I said so. Are we clear?”

  He nodded and I saw I had scared him. Good. Maybe he will stop and think before he goes idiotic again. I turned to walk away, and Alec said, “Where are you going?”

  “To help more people.” As I walked away, I heard Alec talking to Jonathan. “Seriously, what were you thinking? You are not going to make her like you that way, I can assure you.”

  I helped people who needed it, but I didn’t speak to anyone. The other healers were nowhere to be found. When I healed people, they smiled, and when I saved people near death, they were grateful and said I was an angel. But I am not an angel. I am a witch who can no longer control her head or her heart.

  “Mommy. Mommy. That’s her. That’s the girl who saved me.” Alicia was walking with the other healer. The two approached me and the other healer said, “Thank you for saving my daughter, and it should have been you. In the selection, you were not selected, but you did the job anyway and in a perfect way. Why didn’t you insist?”

  I shrugged. “Thank you, but fair is fair.”

  “Did Stefen know you were the best?”

  I nodded. “I and my friends warned him about the threat, and he took action.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “You did all those things, and he didn’t select you anyway? That’s rude.”

  I shrugged again. “We are women in a world of men... What to do?” I was too tired to have any conversation, and it seemed she understood that.

  “Alicia told me you live in the woods. Do you want to stay with us? Until you want to leave, that is...”

  “Thank you, but one of my friends was injured and...”

  “Then you can all come. We live in the blue house.”

  Alicia asked, “Is he injured very badly?”

  “He can’t walk yet, but I think it’s mostly pain.”

  Alicia jumped up and down. “You can come, and we will take care of your friends, and you will make me the arrows you promised.”

  “I will go and tell them, then.” I went to Alec and told him about the offer.

  “That’s great. But what about our things?” Alec asked.

  I gathered the basket with Stefen’s herbs and Alec helped me put Jonathan on my back. “I will go get our things once I leave him at the house. And give him Midnight, he has cat duties.”

  Jonathan protested, “I have a name, and why do I always have cat duties?”

  “Oh. When you were calling her ‘the cat’ was that nice? And the answer is because you are injured.”

  Jonathan scowled. “Next time, Alec, you get injured.”

  Alec and I talked while I took Jonathan and toward the blue house. We attracted a lot of attention. A girl carrying a boy was not a common sight.

  “How come you weren’t injured, Alec?” Jonathan asked.

  “Because I am smarter than you,” Alec laughed.
>
  When we reached the blue house, Alicia greeted us at the door. “Come in. Oh. You are very strong. How can you carry him?”

  “I just can,” I responded.

  “This way,” Alicia said and showed us upstairs to a room big enough for three people. The walls were blue with waves painted on them. “What are your names? I am Alicia.”

  Before the boys could give their real names, I said, “This is Lex and the injured is Jo.”

  “Are you going to use my name?” Jonathan whispered.

  “No.” He threw his hands in the air.

  “I like the waves,” Alec said, obviously changing the subject before Jonathan and I started arguing.

  “My mom drew them.” Alicia grinned. “She is an artist.”

  “Eva draws too,” Jonathan said. Did I detect a tone of pride in his voice? “How come you get to keep your name?” Jonathan whispered to me.

  “Because I am not a wanted person. You are. Lucky you.” I whispered back.

  Alicia beamed. “Really? Wow. You are a healer and a fighter and an artist. Is there anything you can’t do?”

  “Fight with a sword.” She laughed, and I put Jonathan in the padded chair in the corner. “I am going to get our things. You two stay here, and you have cat duties.” I put fingers to my lips and I hoped they understood they must not say too much. I walked out of the room.

  Before the door closed behind me, Jonathan said, “The girl just doesn’t like to be saved...”

  No, I didn’t and I hated losing friends, but I still didn’t know what had happened with Jonathan. If Ritta were here, she might know what happened. “Ritta,” I yelled in my mind, hoping she might hear me.

  The Duel

  “You called?”

  “Ritta. You heard me.” I smiled.

  “Of course, I did. I am getting better with that spell. What do you need? Advice? What happened?”

  I told her about the incident with Jonathan and the healing.

  “Are you serious? You are a healer. Oh, my heavens! That’s amazing. I thought there were very few left.”

  “What do you mean? I am a healer, but I only heal with herbs, and I use magic like you.”

  “No. I don’t mean that. I mean a witch healer. Her magic touch can heal everyone—that power is supposed to be used by people with pure hearts, but it’s difficult to control it because it’s emotionally triggered.”

  “All right, but how did I get this power?”

  “Maybe it’s an heir thing? Or your powers are growing. I will look into it, but what were you feeling that moment?”

  “I don’t know... pain, loss.”

  “Love?”

  “I don’t love him. He heroically saved me, which I didn’t need. Then he died, and then he was alive. Can you make sense of this? And he kissed me twice!”

  “Emm... about that... Wait. He kissed you again? Oh, that’s so romantic. Why don’t you tell him you love him?”

  “Because I don’t love him.”

  “But you care about him.”

  “Yes, so?”

  “Why can’t you love him?”

  “You know why...”

  “But can you live without him?” Good question. Could I?

  I told her about Midnight and the soldier who wanted to eat her. Ritta swore profusely. “I will kill him.”

  “I already killed him.”

  “I don’t care. I will kill him again. Eva, I am glad you called; you are in trouble.”

  “With who? The princess?”

  “Yes. Eva, you kind of altered the history of humanity by intervening.”

  Now I understood why Ritta was so worried. A witch should never do that. “I guess I am the first.”

  “It’s not a joke.”

  “I know, but I don’t like her, and I couldn’t just leave them. And I never understood why can’t we help them? We fight demons. If we don’t help the humans, they will destroy each other and there won’t be much Earth to protect. Will it be? If his uncle gets his way, nothing will be left. Shouldn’t we follow the same rules as with the demons? Or at least imprison him for eternity?”

  “I know you are right, and I want to protect them too, but you know the rules...”

  “I hate rules. Next time she summons me, I will destroy her palace.”

  “That I’d like to see.”

  “I have to go. We are going to stay in a house, and I have to take our things from the cave. Oh. One more thing: Spain has lost her Red Death.”

  “What? You killed him? That’s not fair.”

  “And some weird black soldiers that I had to cut their heads off and then burn them; same story though.”

  “Why do you have all the fun while I am locked up here?”

  “Because you chose it and it’s not fun.”

  “It is a little when you fight legends.”

  I smiled. “I guess.”

  “Did you leave the boys in the house?”

  “Yes. Cat duties.”

  She laughed. “I still think you should tell him.”

  “No. I am too mad at him right now.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he was dead, Ritta, that’s why.”

  “But he’s not now. Maybe it means something...”

  “I don’t know. I have to go, I love you, give my love to mother.”

  “I will, love you too.”

  Our connection ended. I finished gathering our things. Before I left the cave, I touched the rock wall and said, “Thank you. Blessed be.”

  I arrived at the house and I tidied up some of our clothes, washed the dirty clothes, and sorted through our supplies. The boys talked, but I didn’t pay attention. Why was I so mad? Was it because he almost got himself killed? Yes. But it wasn’t only that. He shielded me when it was supposed to be the other way around. I was the witch. I was the one who had to help people—not the other way around.

  Alec was helping Alicia with something, and Jonathan was lying in the bed now. “Eva?” I turned to him. “Why are you so mad? Is it because I saved you?” I nodded. “Why?” He looked puzzled.

  “You do not help me. I help you. That’s what I do. You fight and get injured, and then I heal. Not the other way around.”

  He laughed. “That’s ridiculous. You can’t always save people. You have to let them save you.”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  I take one breath to calm myself. “Because that’s how it’s supposed to be. The lion chases and the lamb runs. It’s not the other way around.”

  “But here we are all lions. We all chase. Why do you think it’s so bad that I saved you? Everyone needs saving once in a while... from an enemy or from themselves.”

  I shake my head, “Not me.”

  His brow furrowed. “Why?”

  “Because I have to help people.”

  “You help people in many ways and we are grateful. That’s not bad.”

  This time, it took two deep breaths to calm myself. “I have to help people. I am a healer. If I don’t heal what am I supposed to do? Watch you die?”

  He took my hand. “Who says that? You can fight too.”

  “No.” I will not cry.

  “Why?”

  Anger got the better of me. “Because I am a woman,” I yelled and tears spilled down my cheeks. “They expect me to stay at home and do housework and be a good girl while others get killed. Do you know how many men come to my shop to criticize me? They say, ‘This is not your place. Go home.’ I save people and I don’t care.

  “I save people because if I don’t, I am useless. You say I should have been an artist, but I can’t. Have you seen any woman who is a painter? It’s a man’s job. They will eat you like raw meat if you try to take their place,” I yelled and gestured wildly.

  He stared at me and squeezed my hand. “I had no idea.”

  I pulled my hand out of his. “Yes, what you don’t know can’t harm you. You live in your perfect world of a cage and never see what’s going on outside. Y
ou think everything is fascinating because it’s just a game to you, isn’t it?” I yelled and ran to the door.

  “Eva! Wait,” Jonathan yelled and tried to get up, but he fell back on the bed. He wouldn’t be able to follow me.

  Alec opened the door and I almost ran him over as I left the room. When I was out of the house, I ran toward the woods and I climbed up into a tree and sat on the large branch. Hours passed, but I didn’t care. I was angry and sad and so alone. I wished Ritta was here or my mother. They would have understood. I loved humans, but sometimes they were so limited. That’s why I didn’t like rules. I had become someone important because I had broken all the rules, and I hadn’t gone to jail because I had saved the king, the prince, and his army.

  The leaves rustled below me and branches shook as someone climbed the tree. Can’t they just leave me alone? “You know,” Alec said while he took a seat on the same branch, “You were the most difficult to find. That is not fair. You can guess with closed eyes where we are but I have to search for hours until I find you. I don’t want you to be my opponent in hide and seek.”

  I almost smiled. “You don’t play hide and seek.”

  “I do sometimes.” He grinned. “We play with Jonathan’s brothers; they love that game.” He took my hand. “I am sorry you were so sad. We didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell us?”

  I shrugged. “You might have helped me, but would you have helped other women too? No. It’s not fair. That woman, Martha married the soldier only because she needed money like many others; she didn’t love him, but she tried as hard as she could. In this society, women like me don’t survive. I should have gone somewhere else where they think women are useful, like France or England.”

  “You might have gone there, but then you wouldn’t have met us.”

  I nodded. “True, true.”

  “We’ll fix things when the war is over.”

  I looked at him. “You keep saying that, but you don’t know if you will have the power or even if we will be alive.”

  “I escaped the fight without a scratch. I know wars have many dead, and we mourn them, and we are grateful for them and their help, and we honor them.”