Downfall of the Curse

by Deborah Grace White

  “Good idea!”

  Lucy sank onto a settle, smiling over her brother’s eagerness to investigate. Matheus joined her, and the two of them bent their heads together as Lucy flipped through the pages looking for any reference to Isidore.

  She looked ahead from where she had last read, but Haydn was fully focused on Tara, and their life together once they were married. Lucy skipped over several pages describing the community’s expansion to a second base. Haydn discussed their triumphs, their scares on the rare occasions when Balenan soldiers ventured deep enough into the jungle to threaten their exposure, the reluctance of most of the community to restart the resistance. Haydn didn’t write often, it seemed. Only a few entries after the arrival of the newcomer from Thorania, he mentioned the birth of his first child, then a second followed.

  Lucy sighed, sitting back. It seemed Haydn had moved beyond his past, and while that was surely a happy thing for him, it didn’t help her to find out about Isidore.

  Matheus leaned forward, turning the pages back to the start, clearly interested in the entries Lucy had already seen.

  “Wow,” he said. “He got a monkey right through the eye when he was learning to hunt.” The fifteen-year-old got a faraway look in his eye. “Maybe I should be giving more time to archery and less time to swords.”

  “That doesn’t help us,” said Lucy impatiently.

  “Hang on,” Matheus said quickly. “He talks about Isidore here, look.”

  Lucy leaned forward again eagerly. Matheus had stopped at one of the entries that she had previously skimmed over, not interested in reading about jungle life. The name of Rasad’s ancestor obviously hadn’t caught her eye before, but now it jumped out, inserted between a story of a run in with a poisonous toad, and a description of which insects could be used for food.

  I couldn’t sleep last night. I was thinking about Isidore, even though I realize no good will come of brooding. I wish she was here. Her determination and intelligence would be a huge help to us. But she wouldn’t want to help us, I suppose.

  I still can’t understand why she seemed to feel the failure of the resistance was a personal betrayal. It’s not as though Alben, or any of us, knew what would happen. Doesn’t she realize we would never have gotten on those ships if we’d known they would all sink? Alben paid with his life for the mistake, as well as so many others. I thought we were fortunate to survive, but I suppose she couldn’t see it as good fortune.

  And it was hard, agonizingly hard, to be so close to returning home, only to have it ripped away. I know she has so much more to return to in Kyona than most of us. I can understand the bitterness. But still, it was more heartbreaking than all the rest to watch the bitterness spread like poison through her. It’s hard to write it, but…in the end, I think she even resented me.

  Perhaps I never meant as much to her as she did to me. But how could I not be captivated by her? Her beauty, her sharp mind, her endless determination…it’s no wonder her Thoranian admirer was drawn to her so quickly. But I wonder, sometimes, when I’m lying awake in the night…is he fool enough to believe she loves him? I think it would almost be easier to bear if I could believe she does. But I know that all she saw in him was opportunity. Opportunity to return to the life of ease she would have reclaimed if we’d made it back to Kyona.

  But it must have been more than just the luxury of his wealth. She’s too ambitious, too determined, to be satisfied with just comfort. I saw the way she watched him, the time she spent observing what she could of the court while we were trying to find a living in Thirl. I’m sure she saw in him a chance for influence.

  I wish I understood what she wanted to do with that influence, but by that time, I could no longer read her. All I knew was that she had no interest in helping our fellow Kyonans, for reasons I still don’t understand. We were well past the point where she would willingly tell me her thoughts.

  She probably thought that I left because I was jealous of him. I was, of course, but that wasn’t what drove me back to Balenol. I couldn’t bear to watch the bitterness consume her. I didn’t want to see what would happen if she let it continue to drive her. I wonder about her—I always will. But if I’m honest, I still don’t want to know. I’d rather think of her as she once was.

  “That’s…ominous,” said Matheus, after a long moment of silence.

  “Certainly paints a different picture from the entry Rasad showed us, doesn’t it?” Lucy agreed grimly.

  “But…that was generations ago,” said Matheus. “Whatever she was planning surely can’t have anything to do with Rasad’s plans.”

  “Yes,” Lucy agreed slowly. “It is hard to believe that Rasad could still be carrying her same ambitions. I mean, we don’t even know the names of any of our ancestors that far back, let alone feel any loyalty to their plans.”

  “Well,” Matheus corrected dryly, “we know some of them were probably called Wrendal.”

  Lucy grimaced. “I’m not interested in any of their plans, though.”

  “Definitely not,” Matheus agreed emphatically.

  Lucy ran a hand down her face. Haydn’s reflections hadn’t given her much of use, but they had made her more uneasy than ever.

  “I’m done waiting around for Cody,” she said, tucking the journal into a pocket. “I think we should look for him.”

  “I agree,” said Matheus, anxiety obvious in his voice.

  As if in response to their decision, there was a knock at the door. Lucy ran eagerly to answer it, ready to upbraid Cody for making them worry with his prolonged absence. Her heart sank when she was greeted not by his familiar face, but by a young serving girl who had crossed Lucy’s path a number of times since her arrival at Rasad’s Bastion.

  As the girl bobbed a quick curtsy, Lucy tried and failed to recall her name. The only reason she remembered the girl at all was that she had a thin scar running along her jawline. It wasn’t particularly obvious, but Lucy had found plenty of opportunity to notice it when the girl was hovering nearby, ready to meet Lucy’s needs.

  In fact, now Lucy thought about it, she had been nearby a lot. Perhaps it was less her physical appearance, and more her manner, that had made her stick in Lucy’s mind. She hadn’t put it into words before now, but the girl always gave Lucy the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. As though she was observing Lucy more closely that was really necessary. The thought crossed Lucy’s mind that Rasad might have tasked this girl with spying on the visitors, and she made an extra effort to hide her anxiety over Cody as she addressed the serving girl.

  “Do you have a message for me?”

  “Yes, miss,” said the girl. “The master asks if you would come to his study. You and your brother.” Her eyes flicked to Matheus standing inside the suite, and it struck Lucy again that the sharpness of the girl’s gaze didn’t quite match her meek servant’s posture.

  Lucy exchanged a look with Matheus. The same apprehension she felt was clear in his eyes.

  “Of course,” she said to the servant, lifting her chin slightly. “We will come now.”

  The girl bobbed another curtsy before leading them out of their wing and into the main part of the Bastion. Rasad was waiting for them in his study. The girl ushered them in before melting away again.

  “Luciana, Matheus.” Rasad gestured them into seats before steepling his fingers. His expression was grave, and Lucy’s apprehension increased. “Thank you for coming.”

  “You wanted to speak with us?” Lucy prompted, when the Thoranian didn’t continue.

  “Yes,” said Rasad heavily. “I’m afraid I have nothing pleasant to say. I regret to tell you that there has been an…unfortunate altercation.”

  Lucy sat up straighter in her chair. She could feel Matheus’s eyes on her, but she kept her gaze fixed on their host, trying to read his expression. “What does that mean?”

  Rasad sighed, running a hand slowly down his jaw. “Your companion had a run in of sorts with some of my guards a short time ago.”

&
nbsp; “What’s happened to Cody?” Matheus demanded, surprising Lucy with the ferocity of his tone.

  Rasad looked faintly surprised. “Nothing’s happened to him, Matheus. But it seems he was a little over eager to continue the tour from this morning. Some of my guards came across him in a part of the building where he shouldn’t have been. All a misunderstanding, I’m sure, but as I said, the incident most regrettably led to a confrontation.”

  “So you’ve…what?” Lucy tried to keep her voice steady as dread pooled in her stomach. “Locked him up somewhere for wandering down the wrong corridor?”

  “What?” Rasad sounded astonished. “Of course I haven’t done anything of the kind. I wasn’t even present. But it seems that he took offense at the conduct of my guards.” He lowered his head. “It is possible they were too rough, misunderstanding his intentions perhaps. Whatever the cause, it seems that Cody didn’t take kindly to being questioned. He has left.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Left?” Lucy and Matheus repeated in unison.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  The two Kyonans exchanged a look. “He can’t have left,” said Lucy firmly. “You must be mistaken.”

  “I’m not,” said Rasad. His voice turned dry. “The missing horse from my stables confirms it.” He sighed. “But I won’t hold that against him. He was clearly extremely agitated.”

  “Rasad, this is nonsense.” Lucy was on her feet, although she didn’t remember standing up. “There’s no way Cody would ever leave without speaking to us. If it comes to that, there’s no way he would leave without taking us with him! Where is he?”

  Rasad met her protest with a look of confusion that Lucy was sure Matheus found as unconvincing as she did.

  “Well, you know him better than I do, Luciana. My guards seemed to be under the impression that he was riding for Thirl, that someone was waiting for him there.”

  Lucy opened her mouth, then shut it again. Rasad’s mention of someone waiting for Cody made her pause. She definitely had the impression that Cody had spoken with Lady Yasmin without her, perhaps more than once. She could imagine him promising to tell the noblewoman if he found anything of interest. But he would never do so if it meant leaving his companions behind.

  “Perhaps my guards misunderstood,” Rasad was continuing. “Perhaps he just went for a ride to clear his head. I will send someone after him.”

  “No need, I’ll go,” said Lucy flatly, but Rasad had already nodded to a servant standing in the corner. The man ignored Lucy’s protest, slipping out the door.

  “It’s no trouble,” said Rasad soothingly. “I believe it isn’t long since he left. I’ll send someone in the direction of Thirl. If he’s gone that way, they’ll catch up to him. If I’m mistaken, and he’s just out for a ride, he’ll probably beat them back.”

  Lucy sat back down, trying to keep an impassive face as her thoughts swirled frantically. Something was clearly terribly wrong—she didn’t know what was going on, but she did know with absolute certainty that Cody wouldn’t take off on a horse in any direction without communicating with her and Matheus.

  She took a deep breath, trying to hide her panic as she looked up at Rasad. There was no telling how much their host knew, and she didn’t want to give him anything to work with.

  “I don’t know what to say,” she said carefully. “I’m sure wherever Cody was wandering, he didn’t mean any harm. I can’t deny that I’m upset your guards overreacted.”

  “It’s understandable that you’re upset,” said Rasad smoothly. “I’m very sorry this has happened, and I have already reprimanded the guards involved. Let’s hope you’re right, and Cody will return soon.”

  “Yes,” Lucy agreed colorlessly. “In the meantime, I’d like to be alone.”

  “Of course.” Rasad’s manner was the perfect blend of politeness and regret as he dismissed them.

  “Lucy!” said Matheus the moment they left Rasad’s study.

  “I know,” Lucy muttered, her eyes on the serving girl who seemed to have been hovering nearby the whole time they were inside the room. “Wait until we’re in my suite.”

  Matheus seemed barely able to contain his panic until Lucy’s door was closed behind them, and the moment they were alone, he burst into speech.

  “That was a pack of lies, Lucy, what are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know,” said Lucy, her thoughts and her heart racing. “But I think we can safely assume that Cody is in trouble.”

  Matheus’s face was whiter than Lucy had ever seen it. “Rasad wouldn’t…hurt Cody, would he?”

  Lucy knew what her brother was really asking, and she wished she had reassurance to give him. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know what he would do. But it’s clear that Cody pushed too hard on the wrong door, like I was afraid he would.”

  “So do you think Rasad knows we’re suspicious of him?” Matheus asked.

  “I think he always knew that,” said Lucy. “The question is what else he knows.”

  “Do you think there’s any chance that Cody really did just go riding?” Lucy’s heart wrenched at the hope in her little brother’s voice.

  “Maybe,” she said. “Of course Rasad was hiding something from us, but the most convincing lies have a little truth in them. I don’t think he mentioned about the missing horse for no reason. But if Cody really has left, it can’t have been willingly.”

  “Maybe the missing horse was a message,” said Matheus, painfully eager. “Maybe he wants us to sneak away, to follow him. Maybe that’s why he let slip to the guards that he was heading for Thirl.”

  Lucy shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like Cody. He’s not one to speak in code. He would find us, and tell us what he wanted us to do.”

  “Not if he couldn’t get away from the guards any other way!” argued Matheus, clearly taken with his theory. “Maybe he thought he could leave us clues.”

  “Or maybe Rasad made all of it up,” said Lucy dryly. “Matheus, we don’t know anything for sure.” She frowned. “What we really need is more information.” Her eyes fell on her brother, and she reached a sudden decision. “Give me some time to think, Matheus,” she said. “I’ll try to come up with a plan. If Cody isn’t back by nightfall, we’ll sneak out and steal some horses to follow him, like you said. For now we should play along with Rasad’s story. Lie low in your suite, pretend you’re upset about what’s happened.”

  “I am upset about what’s happened.”

  “You know what I mean,” said Lucy impatiently.

  Matheus frowned suspiciously. “And what will you be doing?”

  “The same,” said Lucy, not quite meeting his eye. “There’s nothing more we can achieve by talking about it.”

  The younger boy hesitated for a moment, his eyes narrowed. Then he turned without another word, heading for the door.

  Lucy waited only until she heard his door close across the corridor before slipping out herself. She didn’t like to deceive Matheus, but there was no way she was letting him come with her. Cody’s situation—whatever it was—was all the proof she needed that there was something to be found at the Bastion, something that Rasad didn’t want his guests to discover. And she needed to know what it was before she figured out what to do about Cody.

  Maybe everything Rasad had ever said to her had been nothing more than a strategy. But if there was a chance, any chance, that his admiration for her was real, it might protect her if Rasad caught her doing what she intended to do. It wouldn’t protect Matheus, though. And with Cody missing, the last thing she wanted to do was lead her brother into danger.

  Her heart raced erratically, but her steps didn’t falter as she made her way through the same corridors Rasad had led them down earlier that afternoon. She passed a few servants, but no one paid her any particular attention. Perhaps news of the incident with Cody hadn’t yet spread. To her relief, the building became more deserted as she neared Rasad’s private wing. Maybe even his own servants were fo
rbidden from coming here without specific instruction.

  Lucy pushed the thought aside. The question of whether Rasad could be trusted was no longer abstract. Cody’s life might depend on her finding out what the Thoranian was up to.

  She had to hide behind a suit of armor to avoid a passing serving boy, but she managed to slip inside Rasad’s suite without detection. After satisfying herself that she was alone, she hurried over to the writing desk where Rasad had placed Isidore’s journal. It seemed like a good place to start.

  At first she was surprised that the desk wasn’t locked, but a quick search revealed that it contained nothing of interest beside the slim leather volume. If Rasad had written plans of a private nature, they were stored elsewhere.

  She flicked through the pages of the journal rapidly, not sure how much time she had. Isidore barely mentioned Haydn, the early entries focusing mainly on her rapid courtship and marriage. Lucy felt slightly offended on the rebel’s behalf, remembering how much Isidore had featured in Haydn’s thoughts and writing.

  Lucy skimmed over descriptions of Isidore’s triumphs at court, not caring what methods the former slave had used to increase her influence in Thorania. She wanted to know why she had sought that influence with such determination, and whether her plans or opinions could provide any insight into those of her descendant. Certain passages jumped out at her across the pages, giving her no great liking for the long-dead Kyonan.

  I’m pleased to find the crown prince’s opinions so poorly formed. He will make a very useful king one day—easy to encourage in whatever direction his advisors want. And I fully intend for my husband to be one of those advisors.

  …

  We have identified the perfect plot for establishing ourselves, away up in the north where the air is clearer. I do not want to settle always in Thirl—I miss the ocean. The land is currently part of a noble estate, but I don’t anticipate a problem. The current lord is a weak-minded man, and rumors say that he has too great a fondness for games of chance. With some patient encouragement in the right direction, it shouldn’t be difficult to help him reach a situation where he will be only too glad to sell some of his land for the kind of price we can pay.