Dreamless

by Jenniffer Wardell

  “Casual? Hah!” Cam made a disbelieving noise. “You’re apparently comfortable enough with the idea of wiping your mother’s memory that the terrifying wraith felt like he needed to be the voice of reason, and you don’t even like me. Don’t try to tell me the idea wouldn’t have crossed your mind at some point.”

  She sputtered for a few seconds, clearly trying to find a reality where he wasn’t right. “I don’t know why I’m even trying to explain myself to you,” she snapped, taking a definite step away from him.

  “If you could manage some reasonable explanation for why you are the way you are, I’d love to hear it! There are entire five or ten minute stretches where you’re a fairly pleasant human being, but then it’s like some sort of signal goes off in your head and you insist on doing something specifically designed to drive me insane. You make less sense than anyone I’ve ever met in my life, and that includes my little sister who spent a good three months of her life wanting to be a frog.”

  Her glare sharpened. “You think I’m the one who doesn’t make any sense? You clearly don’t want to be here, and yet no matter how many chances I give you to leave you insist—”

  “Silence!” Braeth’s voice thundered as he cut them both off, the echo in his voice making it seem like it was coming from all sides of the room at once. Both Cam and Elena fell silent, and the wraith let the stillness settle in before he spoke again. “Good. If I had needed to expend further effort to get your attention, you would not have appreciated the consequences.”

  He looked back and forth between them, then focused on Cam. “I assure you that your memories will remain unharmed while you reside in this castle. I cannot make the same promise for all of your limbs if you continue to vex my goddaughter, but I suspect you are already well aware of that.”

  Then his gaze swung to Elena, tone softening in the same way it had earlier.Really, the whole “goddaughter” thing made a lot more sense than it probably should have. “It will do you good to be vexed on a more regular basis.” He paused, considering. “In time, I suspect you will realize that as well.”

  Elena stared at him, appalled, then shook her head as if she’d given up hope of finding any common sense in the immediate vicinity. “Why does everyone like it so much when I get upset? You’d think a centuries-old sorcerer would have better things to do with his free time.” Still looking annoyed, she gestured to the wraith’s bookshelves. “Can I borrow Eskalion’s Treatise on Magical Forms’? I think it has something in there on exponential curse structures.”

  When the book floated over to her outstretched hand, she turned and pushed her way out of the room without another word to either of them. Cameron resisted for only a second before hurrying after her, pride temporarily bowing to the knowledge that he had no chance of finding his way to the dining hall alone.

  ~

  Several hours and one very stressful dinner later, all Cam wanted was a little sleep. His dad didn’t have a bedroom in the castle—there was a perfectly good one with a wife in it waiting for him at home—but there were a few rooms in the princess’ suite meant for ladies-in-waiting. Since Elena had talked her mother into reassigning all of hers to other parts of the castle, his dad had commandeered one of the beds for those few nights he’d had to sleep over.

  One of the maids had already brought his bag in and set it on the bed. Cam shoved it onto the floor as he sat down and scrubbed his hands through his hair. Elena was safely ensconced in her room, after deliberately locking the door on him, and he left his own open to make it that much harder for her to sneak past him.

  He let out a long, tired breath. Just six more weeks.

  “If he can’t see us, do you think we can sneak away and eat his pie?”

  Mood lifting at the familiar voice, Cam opened his eyes again to see his little sister and no-longer-quite-so-little brother standing in the doorway. Gabby was holding a covered dish that probably held a slice or two of the aforementioned pie, and both of them were flashing grins that matched the one he was wearing. Apparently, Mom had been letting Robbie practice his transportation spell.

  “I think he’s caught us, Gabs,” Robbie said easily, leading his younger sister into the room. He sat down on the bed next to Cam, his lanky teenage legs only an inch or two shorter than his older brother’s, while Gabby held the dish out to Cam. “Two slices of bloodberry pie, your favorite,” she announced. “I helped mom make it, so it’s more delicious than usual.”

  Robbie leaned over. “Don’t let that scare you off,” he said in a stage whisper, making Gabby scowl at him just like he’d wanted her to. “It’s definitely not poisoned. We’ve all tested it.”

  “Hah hah.” Gabby kicked Robbie in the leg. “I’m a good cook. I’ve decided I’m gonna be a big fancy chef.”

  “And I’m sure you’ll be a great one,” Cam soothed, rubbing at an errant smudge of flour just underneath his sister’s ear. She changed what she wanted to be when she grew up about once a month, throwing herself headlong into every new profession. His mother had been profoundly relieved when the juggling urges had passed, but so far Cam had been particularly delighted by that phase. “Now give me the pie.”

  She handed the dish over with a big smacking kiss, then started poking around the room looking for anything interesting enough to occupy her attention. Grateful for both the pie and the company, Cam started eating.

  “Wow, you really needed the pie. You look wrecked.” Robbie watched his brother with an analytical, sympathetic expression. “Since Mom didn’t mention that she was worried about anything, I’d say it’s the princess who’s been running you ragged.”

  Cam shook his head, swallowing his mouthful before attempting to say anything. “I can’t talk about it. If I do, I’ll start shouting, and it’ll make it harder to keep drowning my sorrows in pie.”

  Robbie winced sympathetically. “Sorry. I know Dad was pretty insistent on dragging you back here, but I thought the fact that he’d managed to convince Mom meant it was probably safe.”

  “She loves him,” Cam grumbled, taking another bite. “That sometimes leads her to make poor choices.”

  Robbie chuckled. “Because I love you, I promise not to tell either of our parents you said that.” He patted Cam on the leg, expression sobering. “Honestly, though, I’m here for you if you think there’s anything I can do. You backed me up on enough of those magic fights between me and Dad that I probably owe you about a hundred at this point.”

  Cam was about to say no, not sure that there was anything anyone could do to make his life easier, when his mind went back to the rows of books lining Braeth and Elena’s shelves. He wasn’t going to get involved in the technical details of the curse—what a nightmare that would be—but he desperately needed to understand something that was going on with these people. “Do any of your books have anything about curses?” he asked, not sure if he’d be able to understand the books even if Robbie did have anything to hand over. Even if he couldn’t, though, this wasn’t the first time the kid had helped him with his homework. “How they’re put together, the basic features, that sort of thing?”

  “Witchcraft doesn’t really do curses, but there are a couple of theory books that might have something. It depends on what you’re looking for.” Robbie hesitated. “You know that a whole bunch of really serious sorcerers and sorceresses have studied the curse over the years, right? No one’s been able to figure out how to even get a look at the inner workings of the thing, let alone start on untangling it.”

  Cam looked at his brother in confusion, knowing Robbie was trying to politely say something but not sure what it was. When it hit him, he laughed. “You think I’ve got designs on fixing the curse? I’m not stupid, Robbie.” He returned to his pie. “I’m the first person to admit that the only thing I know about magic is what you’ve told me over the years. But there are about twenty different things going on here that no one wants to talk about, and
you’re the only person who I’m sure will give me a straight answer.”

  Robbie’s expression cleared in understanding, but before he could say anything, Gabby’s voice cut in. “Cam? Robbie? I don’t think that’s a bird.”

  Both brothers turned to look at the girl, who had stuck her body halfway out the window to get a closer look at something in the night sky. Suddenly suspicious for no reason that made logical sense, Cam hurried to the window to try and get a look at whatever his sister was seeing. Gabby, obliging, pointed at the tree line just in time to catch a dark shape disappearing just beneath the tips of the pines.

  Cam turned to his sister. “Did you see what direction it came from?” Elena had seemed a little too calm about him being able to watch her door, now that he thought about it.

  When she pointed in the general direction of the princess’s room, Cam swore and turned to Robbie. “Do sorceresses know flying spells?”

  “Not as far as I know. It’s usually easier to just ask a dragon to give you a lift.” Robbie’s brow lowered as he thought. “Witches use a spell to make their broomsticks fly, but—”

  “Close enough.” Cam bolted out the door, then went a few feet and swore again. He spun around on his heel, then poked his head back in to look at his confused brother and sister. “Does anyone know the quickest way out of this stupid building?”

  Chapter 5

  Joyriding

  Elena stared intently at the book sitting on the desk in front of her, willing herself to open it. Studying this new feature of the curse was the sensible thing to do, even if it wasn’t likely to get her anywhere without more blackouts to help her figure out the pattern. She couldn’t let Braeth do all the research work, even if they were the only two people who would know it. It would be irresponsible.

  Oh, how she wished she could be irresponsible right now.

  She sat back, pressing her fingertips against her eyes. It should probably comfort her that Braeth hadn’t seemed more worried about the blackouts, but now that the fear was gone the sheer inevitability of it all seemed that much more crushing. The blackouts were simply another cruelty that had always been waiting for her, one more facet of the curse’s labyrinthine, multi-shielded structure that she’d somehow failed to discover even after years of study.

  All her talent and effort had gotten her was a lifetime of beating her head against the wall, and the daily reconfirmation that she’d been a tragedy from the day she was born. If Cameron knew what was really going on inside her head, he’d be grateful she was kind enough to lie to him.

  Sick of herself and everything else, she stood and went to the chest at the foot of her bed. Digging down to the false bottom, she flipped the release catch and pulled out a leather harness and bracelet set that was absolutely soaked in magic.

  Changing into black leggings and an undershirt, she buckled herself into the harness and snapped on the bracelets. Pulling a dark blue tunic on over the whole thing, she put her hair up into a knot and tucked it under a black stocking cap. Then she opened her shutters and climbed up onto the window sill, swinging her legs down over the edge. Carefully surveying the scene spread out beneath her, she watched the rotation of the castle guards around the castle’s front perimeter. Alan had browbeat the guard master into changing their rotations nightly, but there were only so many possible combinations that the same number of people could move in. Over the years, she’d seen all of them.

  Within a few minutes, she’d figured out the current patrol rotation they were using and picked out the soldier she was looking for. Robertson had neck trouble, and wasn’t terribly fond of bending her head back when she didn’t have to. And it didn’t matter which of them ended up just beneath her window, because no one ever looked straight up.

  Admittedly, she could have simply used a cloaking spell and eliminated any threat of discovery. But where was the challenge in that?

  Elena moved up into a crouching position, murmuring the words of the spell while the guardsmen moved into position below her. She felt the magic take effect, the lift of the harness pulling her slightly upward. When the moment was right, she pushed off into open sky.

  There was a slight lurch as the harness accepted her full weight, then she was arrowing off towards her favorite patch of trees. She’d adapted the spell from the one witches used to make their brooms fly, spending months tinkering on it whenever she didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts.Later, after a few practice runs that had edged into the comical, she’d added bracelets that gave her better control of her steering.

  Elena coasted carefully over the guard’s heads, staying high enough to avoid the light and moving quietly enough that she made no noise. Only Braeth and Alan knew she made these flights,with Alan following her out whenever he stayed over at the castle and Braeth using his magic to watch her. Even without them, she was wrapped in so many protective spells that she never worried about being caught out on her own.

  Once she was out of range, she celebrated by doing a loop in the air. Her stomach flipped in the best possible way, and she let herself grin like an idiot before indulging in another one and speeding off as wind brushed against her face, she closed her eyes and let herself savor the sensation before ducking down beneath the tree line.

  Playing beneath the huge canopy of branches didn’t offer as much freedom as the open sky, but it was considerably better protected from overly concerned guards or annoying princes who wanted to take advantage of the curse. She landed carefully on an exposed tree branch, disturbing an owl who gave her an annoyed hoot as it vacated the premises.

  Whispering an apology as it flew off, Elena pushed off again to weave a slow, curving path through the moonlit trees. Some nights were for experimentation or training—with this rig, flying straight down took a lot of leg strength—but right now she just wanted to relax and enjoy this beautiful section of forest. A quick spell cast a faint glow, giving her just enough light not to run into anything.

  A walk might have been simpler, but girls who walked through the woods alone in the dark tended to be either kidnapped or accosted by mysterious creatures intent on making trouble. Flying through the woods, however, not only did you have an immediate escape route, but it tended to confuse people just long enough to let you use that escape route.

  She dipped low to the ground, fingers brushing lightly over the bright blue blossoms of the wild fairy bonnets that grew wherever sunlight made it all the way to the forest floor. Her dad had loved nature far more than he’d loved being a king, and she could still remember the stolen sunlit mornings when they’d take walks together through the woods around the castle and he’d teach her the names of all the plants and flowers: hyssop, Witches’ Nails, fairy bonnets, sweet ivy, dragon’s breath.

  Sometimes, her mother would join them. Witches had a much wider range of herbal knowledge than sorceresses, but Illiana Randall had known a few stories designed to impress the wide-eyed young girl Elena had been. Her mother had smiled so much more in those days, even though the curse was already a part of their lives, and if she concentrated she could still remember the sound of her parents laughing together on those long-ago walks.

  The memory was a sweet-sharp ache, deep in her chest.

  Pushing it aside, she kicked her legs and headed upward to weave in and out through the branches. It was unlikely that Cameron would think to bother her while she was out—he was watching her doorway, not the window, and had absolutely no reason to be scanning the skies looking for her. Besides, he’d seemed drained enough when he’d gone to his own room she couldn’t imagine he’d have any interest in crawling out of bed. She’d been surprised to find herself faintly disappointed—from everything Alan said about his children, she would have thought Cameron would be at least a little better at keeping up with her—but it meant the next few weeks would be easier than she thought. All she’d have to do was wait him out.

  “I hate to say it, but I�
�m actually kind of impressed.”

  Elena jerked around in the direction of the unexpected voice, forgetting that she hadn’t given herself a great deal of clearance when she’d gone under the last branch. She smacked straight into it, immediately getting scraped arms and a face full of leaves, and there was an endlessly embarrassing minute while she fought her way free and flew out into the clearing.

  Cameron, who had now officially earned the title of the most annoying man in this world or any other, was standing in the middle of the undergrowth looking up at her. He’d taken off his uniform jacket at some point, along with most of his weapons, and he had his hands in his pockets like he’d been watching her for awhile. When she strengthened her light spell—it was always important to see your enemy clearly—there was a grin on his face like someone had just told him a really fantastic joke.

  If she killed him now, she could probably blame it on wild animals. “If you laugh at me, I’ll set your internal organs on fire.”

  “I’m sure you could, but then you’d have to explain what happened to my older sister.” When he stepped closer, however, she realized there was no mockery in his expression. “Besides, I’m way too thrilled by the fact that you’re secretly a free spirit to even think about mocking you for it.”

  She blinked, not having expected that response. “You’re not going to yell at me for sneaking out of the castle in the middle of the night?”

  “Oh, at first I wanted to kill you.” He gestured slightly behind him with his head. “I actually brought some rope, in case I needed to tie you up and forcibly drag you back to the castle.”

  She flew upward a little, glaring down at him. “You could have tried.”