Cursed

by Sue Tingey

  “Pyrites,” I said. His head jerked up and his eyes began to glow, then he was scrambling across the floor to bounce around my ankles and up onto my lap where he licked my face like an over-excited puppy. I hugged him to me and buried my head in his neck, “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  “He will be now,” Kerfuffle said, “he was getting right despondent.”

  The hours ticked by and dawn was on the horizon and yet Jinx still hadn’t returned. I don’t think I was the only one who was worried, either. Well, maybe I was.

  “He’s the Deathbringer,” Kerfuffle said. “He’s darn near fireproof.”

  “Do you want me to go looking for him?” Jamie asked, albeit reluctantly.

  “Great idea Guardian,” Kerfuffle said, “you go off and he comes back and then he’ll go looking for you and you’ll come back and then it’ll all start over again.”

  “Lucky’s worried about him,” Jamie said.

  “Mistress, the Deathbringer will return shortly,” Shenanigans said.

  I guessed he was right. I just didn’t like us being separated. My run in with the Sicarii and then Pablo and his mates had rattled me more than I could say. “Jamie, what happened to Pablo and Dags?”

  Jamie glanced at me, his expression very dark indeed. “You ask, but you don’t really want to know,” he said.

  I looked at him for quite a long time and he stared back. He was right; I probably didn’t. I was about to ask about Duffus, but thought better of it. Then the door opened and any thought of what might have happened to my three assailants flew straight from my mind. Jinx had returned.

  When he strode through the door his expression was bleak, then he saw Jamie and he immediately glanced around the room and as soon as he saw me a huge smile lit up his face.

  “You found her then brother.”

  “Just in the nick of time as it happens,” Jamie said and Jinx gave him a quizzical look.

  “Later,” my angel said and then I was in Jinx’s arms being hugged so tight I could hardly breathe.

  If I’d had my way we would have stayed at the inn until we were ready to leave and begin our search for the Sicarii. Jamie and Jinx thought differently.

  “How long do you think it will be before Baltheza hears of our being attacked? If we don’t present ourselves before him with this news his paranoia will get the better of him and before we know it we’ll all be on his most wanted list,” Jamie said.

  “Anyway, I want to know how Henri is walking around free and almost certainly in the employ of the Sicarii,” Jinx said.

  Maybe Baltheza was barmier than we suspected and he’d set Henri on us? Though he had been pretty convincing when he’d told us Henri was being held in the Chambers of Rectification, but if it was the case that Baltheza had set him on us, how come Henri had been spying on us for several days? It didn’t make any sense at all. Was Baltheza playing some sort of game?

  So we went back to my room in the fortress and, as I knew all my friends were safe and Jamie and Jinx were deep in conversation, I decided to have that bath.

  The bath was filling slowly as there were no taps in the Underlands—only hand pumps—and the water was, at best, tepid. I wondered how Shenanigans and Kerfuffle usually got it so hot and I was beginning to think I should have accepted their offer to run the bath for me.

  A knock on the door made me jump. I really was unsettled. “Are you decent?” a muffled voice asked.

  “Come in.”

  Jinx poked his head around the door and upon seeing me sitting fully clothed on the edge of the bath, came in with Pyrites limping along behind him.

  “Do your stuff, lad,” Jinx said and Pyrites flew up above the bath and shot a sharp burst of flame down onto the water. Jinx trailed his fingers across its surface. “Once more,” and Pyrites obliged with another puff. “Perfect,” and Pyrites dropped down to the floor, rubbed himself around my knees then padded back outside.

  Jinx closed the bathroom door behind him and sat down on the bath edge beside me. Being alone with him in a bathroom was not something I’d usually encourage. Not because I didn’t want him, but because I did, and that was the problem. His sparkling gold and green eyes and irreverent sense of humor could easily be my undoing, and actually I quite wanted to be undone, especially after the events of the last few days. Then, why was it a problem? It was twofold: I wanted Jinx and I wanted Jamie: socially acceptable in their world, but not in mine.

  Jinx gave me a smile, but it was the sort of smile I would have expected from Jamie and it put me on the wrong foot right away. Laughing, teasing Jinx I could put up with; tender Jinx was another thing altogether.

  “Jamie told me what happened.”

  I poured some scented oil into the bath and swished it about with my hand making bubbles. “Nothing happened.”

  “It nearly did.”

  “But it didn’t.”

  He took hold of my hand and raised it to his lips. “I promised to protect you. We promised to protect you and we so nearly let you down.”

  “Jinx, it wasn’t your fault. We were played.”

  “We should never have left you alone. All four of us leaving you with Vaybian and only Pyrites as guards was a mistake.”

  “Jinx, it’s over. Done with. All five of you are safe and so am I. I’m now more worried about Vaybian. I think the Sicarii have him lined up for ritual slaughter, so we haven’t much time. Another reason I didn’t want to come back here. I really can’t be doing with another ‘interview’ with my … with Baltheza.”

  “Maybe not, but I’d be interested to find out whether or not he knows Henri is no longer languishing in the palace dungeons.”

  “I agree, I’m a little puzzled as to Henri’s involvement in all this.”

  Jinx looked into my eyes and stroked my cheek with his thumb. “I thought I’d lost you,” he said echoing Jamie.

  “And I you,” I said and had to look away.

  He wasn’t having any of it. He caught hold of my face and turned me back to face him. “It’s lucky James found you first.” He didn’t have to tell me what he meant. I shivered, whatever Jamie did to my assailants was probably ten times kinder than any punishment Jinx would have handed out. Then he kissed me, and although there was always a passion to Jinx’s kisses, this kiss was the kiss and I knew, although he may never say the words, that I wasn’t the only one who had lost their heart.

  He pulled me into his arms and his lips moved from my lips to my neck as he lifted me up and onto his lap. “Lucinda, my lucky, lucky lady,” he whispered and his lips were back on mine and I could have died there and then and been happy.

  A knock on the door saw us pull apart. Me gasping for breath; Jinx smiling his sexy smile. “I’m thinking that’ll be the Guardian making sure I’m not taking advantage of you.”

  I slid off Jinx’s lap and walked around to the other side of the bath, putting some distance between us. “Come in.”

  It was as Jinx surmised and I wasn’t at all surprised when Jamie’s head popped around the door. “I’m not interrupting anything?” he said, his slight frown saying “if I was—good.”

  Jinx looked down at the floor with a smile.

  “Nope,” I said, “but you both will be interrupting me soon. I’d like to get into my bath while the water’s still hot.”

  “Don’t let us stop you,” Jinx said. “There’s plenty of room for three.”

  “Jinx,” Jamie said, “now is not the time. Lucky was nearly … she nearly …” and when he glanced my way his anguish was palpable.

  I went to my angel and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Jamie?” He looked away. I glanced at Jinx expecting a nonchalant shrug, but for a split second a similar pain was etched onto his face before he had a chance to hide it. Okaaay—this was different—and for once it felt like I was going to have to be the strong one. “Boys, listen to me. True, it wasn’t exactly the best night of my life, but I’m fine. The worst didn’t happen, Jamie saved me.”

  “On
ly just.”

  “And I didn’t,” Jinx said, “I wasn’t even there.”

  Wow. This was more serious than I thought. “Jamie, Jinx, listen to me. What happened last night wasn’t your fault. If you’re going to blame anyone blame Henri, blame the Sicarii, but don’t blame yourselves. I’m alive, I’m unhurt and we’re all here together.”

  They both looked up at me, and not for the first time I thought that for all their differences, they were very much the same, and maybe that was what made it so easy for me to love both of them. And it was true: I did love them both.

  Jinx stood up, came to me and took my hand; Jamie took the other. “Why is it sometimes it is I who feel marked by you?” Jinx said, studying my face.

  Jamie squeezed my fingers. “I feel the same.”

  I lifted both their hands to my lips and as their fingers touched while held in mine I felt a surge of power shoot upward to my head and downward into the tips of my toes.

  “Hells bells, and buckets of piss, what was that?” Jinx said and although his hand had jerked in mine—both of their hands had—neither of them pulled away.

  “Oh wow,” Jamie said looking at me.

  “Bloody hell,” Jinx said giving Jamie a sideways look.

  There was a knock on the door. “Are you all right in there?” I heard Kerfuffle call.

  “Fine,” Jamie said. “We’re fine.”

  “Mistress?” Shenanigans asked.

  “Honestly, we’re all fine,” I said.

  There was some muttering from the other side of the door. “Well … if you’re sure.”

  “I think we’d better let them come in,” I said. Jamie and Jinx exchanged another look. “For goodness’ sake, what is it?”

  Both my demons led me across the bathroom to the washbasin. Jinx’s lips twitched into a smile and he gestured with his head toward the mirror. My heart began to pound in my ears and there was a solid lump of anxiety in my diaphragm. I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and looked. My demon self gave me a tentative smile back.

  “This has happened before,” I told them, not wanting them to read too much into my transformation.

  “Not like this,” Jamie said.

  “Yes, just like this.”

  “When? Your reflection has changed, but we’ve never seen the demon you in person,” Jamie said.

  “Yesterday,” I said, “when Henri tried to kill Pyrites.”

  “Hang fire, you never told us this,” Jinx said, which was true, I hadn’t; too much had been going on—and I’d been too embarrassed.

  I could feel my skin flushing. “He wanted revenge on Pyrites and me for slashing and burning him. He was going to stab Pyrites in the throat and I sort of lost my temper.”

  “Pyrites wouldn’t have survived a slit throat,” Jamie said.

  “I know, that’s why I attacked Henri with one of the Sicarii’s swords,” I explained, then told them how I had hacked off Henri’s right hand. At the end of my story they both looked at me in open-mouthed amazement and I was way past embarrassed.

  “You cut off Henri’s hand?” Jamie asked and Jinx began to laugh.

  “It’s not funny, Jinx,” I said.

  “I think it is. Henri’s going to have to have a change of career.”

  “The Sicarii seemed to think their healer might fix him.”

  “Let’s hope not,” Jinx said and as uncharitable as it might seem, I agreed with him.

  This time I didn’t change back, at least not right away. I shooed the boys out so I could take my bath and examine my new body. It actually didn’t look a lot different except my skin was a shimmering rose pink. My hair was no longer chestnut, but a glistening mahogany and aubergine. My nails were sharp, pointed and maroon and my eyes a kaleidoscope of glowing violet and garnet. I was still about five foot five; I had no horns, wings or a tail and, thank the lord, no third or fourth boob, though rather disappointingly they weren’t any bigger either.

  I sank down into the bath to contemplate looking like this forever. It was a possibility; I certainly hadn’t felt any surge of power when I’d changed before. Last time I had felt stronger, faster, tougher and more powerful, but not like I’d been plugged into a mainframe.

  My long, hot soak lasted little more than five minutes before there was a knock on the door and a message that Daddy Dearest wanted to see me. That I didn’t want to see him, and certainly not looking as I did, didn’t come into it. I had been summoned. I wrapped myself up in a towel and walked into the dressing room to find something to wear. I hoped that somewhere amongst the rails and racks of clothes I’d find another pair of trousers. The pretty frocks would no doubt look good on me in my demon form, but I was happiest in a pair of jeans. Leather trousers would do if there was nothing else.

  Kayla came up trumps. Under another leather jacket, this time in a rather fetching oxblood red, was a pair of black leather trousers. They laced up at the front, but were actually quite comfortable.

  Suited and booted I returned to my men. “How do I look?” I asked.

  “Like a real demon princess,” Kerfuffle said and Shenanigans nodded enthusiastically.

  Jinx licked his lips and winked, which made me laugh and Jamie mouthed “you look beautiful.” Why he couldn’t say it out loud I don’t know, but that’s men for you.

  “Why does he want to see me now?” I grumbled with ill-disguised bad grace; I’d been looking forward to a long hot soak.

  “He probably expects to hear about what happened yesterday as soon as possible,” Jamie said as we strode through the passageways leading down to the great hall.

  “How does he know about that already?”

  “I suppose the piles of dead Sicarii lining the streets may’ve been a bit of a giveaway,” Jinx said.

  “Oh.” I’d never given them a thought. “Why do you think he wants us to meet him in the great hall?”

  “Ego trip,” Jinx said.

  “’Scuse me?”

  Jamie made a huffing sound at Jinx. “He’s handing out sentencing this morning to convicted felons,” he said.

  “As I say—ego trip,” Jinx said. “He loves his power over life and death.”

  “And you don’t?” Jamie asked. I don’t think he was being mean, just curious.

  “No, brother, I don’t. I have no choice, it’s my role in life.”

  “So, if you did have the choice would you be a farmer or a baker or a cabinet maker?” Jamie asked with a chuckle. Jinx, of course, didn’t get that very human expression.

  “Hmm,” Jinx said, “I think I would be a reprobate, with nothing better on my mind than wine, women and song.”

  “Not very much different then?” I said.

  Jinx grinned and addressed Jamie. “But what about you? If you weren’t the Guardian, how would you spend your days?”

  “I think I would join you, making love to a beautiful woman in the sunshine with a bottle of red at my elbow.”

  “Let’s do it,” Jinx said. “When we’ve done with this latest challenge, let’s find some exotic beach and spend our days eating and drinking and making love to our lucky, lucky lady.”

  “I’m game,” Jamie said.

  “Lucinda?”

  I smiled at my two men. I knew what they were doing and appreciated the gesture, but nothing was going to abate the nerves I felt every time I went into Baltheza’s company. I didn’t tell them this, instead I said, “I’d like that very much.” And then we reached the entrance to the great hall; Jamie lost his smile, Jinx plastered on a devil-may-care smirk and I held my head up high and entered the chamber doing my best power strut.

  Baltheza was seated on his ornate throne on a dais toward the back of the hall. A line of demons stood before him; bedraggled, pathetic-looking creatures weighed down with heavy chains around their wrists and ankles. Amaliel Cheriour stood in front of the dais slightly to the left watching the proceedings. There were a few onlookers, mainly bored soldiers, who were scattered around the back of the hall.

&nb
sp; Baltheza saw us arrive and if he was surprised by my appearance he didn’t show it. We stopped halfway across the hall behind a rope barrier spread across the width of the chamber, and used to separate the members of the court from the criminals awaiting sentencing. I had a feeling I’d been summoned here for a reason, probably to see more of Baltheza’s vile justice in action. I hoped the sentences would be carried out at one of his after-banquet entertainment sessions and not now. I certainly didn’t want to see it. Once had been enough.

  Baltheza gestured to a guard in shiny dress uniform to proceed. They had apparently been waiting for our arrival. I clenched my fists; if that were the case, I knew things were about to get bloody. Baltheza enjoyed seeing my reaction to his excesses, I’d learned that much.

  “Here we go again,” Jinx muttered under his breath. “Time to put an ‘I don’t give a shit’ smile upon your face and hope you can keep your last meal down.”

  “You think?”

  “’Fraid so,” Jamie answered for him.

  The guard read out what I imagined was a load of ceremonial blather about the court of Lord Baltheza and its legal processes then proceeded to walk along the line of miscreants stopping at each one to list the crimes for which they had been found guilty. He then climbed up upon the dais and handed the parchment to Baltheza who made a great show of looking at each individual in turn and running his finger down the scroll reading their crimes.

  While this was going on, gray specters drifted down from the high beamed ceiling above and moved around the condemned, touching their arms and patting their backs; offering unnoticed sympathy. One demon, larger than the rest and not so undernourished, started at such a touch and looked this way and that. A sensitive I assumed. He wasn’t like the others. When I caught a sideways glimpse of his face he appeared alert and intelligent. He reminded me a bit of Shenanigans, although to look at he was completely different apart from his size and brawn.

  His torso could have belonged to a Greek god, though he was a strange orange brown that reminded me of earthenware pots; he even had the same semiglazed look. His sandy hair was short, curly and also had the Grecian look. His features were almost human apart from a short tusk between his eyebrows. I don’t know what it was about him, but I had this feeling that he was here, not for a crime he had committed, but because someone wanted him gone. He glanced back over his shoulder and looked straight into my eyes. It only lasted a moment, but it was enough. I wasn’t sure how, but I had to help him.