The Raven's Curse

by Rain Oxford

  “You two have quite a lot in common,” Merlin commented.

  “I moved here as soon as I was old enough so that no one knew I came from a family that didn’t have magic,” Gideon continued. “Who is the next person on your list? With me helping, we should be able to warn the Sjau much faster.”

  I pulled the list out of my pocket. “The next person is Evelyn King, so if you’ll go find her, I’ll go to warn Houda Ameri.” I retrieved the mirror from my bag. Before I could make it show me the map, I saw something very disturbing in my reflection. My hair was still blond, but it was darker.

  “What’s wrong?” Gideon asked.

  “Nothing,” I lied. I waved my staff at it. My wand was more maneuverable, but I didn’t have it. I needed to find it soon. Magic flowed out of me, into the mirror. “Show me where all the Sjau are, with their names displayed.”

  “Well, that is a lot simpler than what we have been doing,” Merlin commented as the map formed in the mirror. This time, all but the dot on Akadema had a name on it.

  “Why doesn’t the new Sjau have a name?”

  “Maybe the baby has not been named yet. She could have been born early. Or, perhaps she is being protected.”

  “Mason has moved again. He’s with Koufax Niblock.” I checked the list. “He’s the last one on the list.”

  “He must be going to warn others as well, but he is doing the list backwards because he knows you are going down the list. That may be why he went to Livia’s home; he wanted to use her magic mirror to help you.”

  I relayed Merlin’s theory to Gideon.

  “Excellent,” the warrior said. “It won’t take long, then.”

  “Are you sure you can defend yourself against my mother on the way? You might have a hard time if she attacks you, especially if you have Evelyn with you. My mother is extremely powerful, so maybe I should have Magnus send a golem with you just in case.”

  “That would require you to use more magic. Besides, I am a warrior; I was trained for this my entire life. I’ll find Evelyn and help her get to Magnus’s castle. Also, if anything seems off with my magic or I meet people who have lost magic, I will let you know when we meet up again.”

  “Thank you. Merlin and I had better be going.”

  “Yes, back to the ship. Wonderful.”

  Chapter 12

  Gideon gave us some bread and fruit, which I had to force down despite being hungry. I suspected this also had something to do with the curse, because my brothers always hated anything that wasn’t meat.

  After that, we found Bloodbath, told him where we wanted to go, and returned to the ship. Merlin and I discussed the fact that the ravens were no longer following us, but we didn’t know if it was because we were on the ship or because I wasn’t using magic on the ship. We didn’t know much, in fact.

  I also told him about my hair, to which he replied he had noticed it but it wasn’t as apparent as my irritability. He also pointed out that the crystal on my staff was a little redder. “Have you had any dreams that can help us?”

  “My dreams so far are extremely general. Although I do believe they are a sign that my magic is returning, I cannot be sure they will improve enough to be useful at all.”

  Aside from that, the next three days were pleasant. Once again, Bloodbath’s men were as respectful as pirates got. I even enjoyed the sword training Bloodbath insisted on making me do after getting my butt handed to me by Gideon.

  * * *

  “We’re docked.” The captain was gone before I opened my eyes.

  My arms were sore from all the sword fighting and it was a cold morning, so I just rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. Merlin clutched my robe in his mouth and pulled it off me. Since it wasn’t my Dracre robe, I didn’t even say anything.

  With exaggerated languor, I stood and went up to the deck, where only Bloodbath was waiting. The sun was just rising over the horizon and it hadn’t yet chased away the morning chill. I missed Akadema’s warm weather.

  “This is it for now,” the captain said. “I just got word that my son is nearby. I’m going to find him and see if he needs anything from me.”

  “Good. I hope you two have a great visit. Thank you for your help. If you need any curses broken or anything, you know where to find me. Also, after all this is over, you can drop by and I’ll take you to the elementalist who has the dragon eggs.”

  “Thank you. I hope we’ll see you again soon.”

  I covered my face and hair before we got off the ship and headed through town. It was pretty basic, though there were some nice shops. One place had a grand display of cloth that promised to change colors. “How does that work?” I asked the woman who owned the fabrics.

  She smiled and glanced down, obviously noticing how my shabby clothes clashed with the high-quality robe. “It depends on what you want. This cloth,” she indicated a bright pink roll, “changes to match your mood.” She indicated a light blue one. “This one changes colors to match the weather.”

  I’d heard about this type of scam before. Using the trick Merlin taught me, I searched my surroundings for magic. Most of the people around me were magicians, including the woman in front of me. Of the remaining magic users, I sensed more sorcery than wizardry.

  “Ayden,” Merlin admonished softly.

  “Sorry. I just wanted to see what we were dealing with.”

  “That is not the issue. I am simply trying to remind you that someone is talking to you.”

  I realized the magician had continued her sales pitch while I wasn’t paying attention. “Actually, I just remembered that I spent all my money,” I said quickly. She dismissed me without another word, as I was now just a waste of time to her.

  “I might be wrong, but I sense something strange.”

  “What kind of strange?” I asked.

  “I think one of the Sjau is here.”

  “Great! Maybe it won’t be as hard to find Houda as I thought. If only I could use magic to find her.”

  “We can do this without magic. We have her name. Surely someone knows her or has heard of her. Try the tavern. That is usually a good place to start because people talk in a tavern.” We found it easily. To my surprise, however, the door was locked and there was a sign on it.

  We are closed for the evening event.

  Sven Brooks will be burned at the stake at sundown.

  Snacks and refreshments will be served!

  “Why is that name familiar?”

  “I am more disturbed by the cheerful public announcement of a man’s death. We should leave; I do not want to watch them prepare for this. I have seen enough people put to death.” I nodded, still trying to figure out why the name was familiar.

  “I remember Houda being close to the middle of the land. I wish we still had Kirin.” If I wasn’t trying not to use magic, it would have been easy.

  “Unicorns are not horses. You should be grateful that he helped you as much as he did. He may be out there right now, helping others.”

  He said something else, but I got distracted by a small bat in a cage in front of a little shop. Through the open door, I heard quite a few creatures making noises. As a woman stopped me, I asked her what the shop sold.

  “Animals,” she said with a scowl.

  “Animals?”

  “That’s Kian’s shop. He’s a sorcerer, but he doesn’t have a family. He trains animals and sells them as companions.”

  “That’s… interesting.”

  “He’s a nuisance; he plays pranks on everyone, spreads nasty rumors, and uses his magic to learn everyone’s secrets. Still, at least he controls his animals. He hasn’t come in the last few days, so they’ve been driving everyone in town nuts with the noise.” She walked away.

  “That’s a good idea, actually,” I said as Merlin and I continued northeast. “Some people who live alone get lonely. Animals can be useful and loving companions.”

  “I was friends with a wolf when I was young. I shared some food and he saved me from a
bear attack.”

  “I think it’s great to see a sorcerer doing something that helps others. It makes me feel… a little bit normal.”

  “Your father and his family protected dragons, which is honorable. I know sorcerers only use dark magic on Caldaca, but no person is malevolent just because they were born to parents who were malevolent. Sorcerers can only do dark magic on Caldaca because that is how magic is balanced here, and thus, sorcerers are taught from birth to be selfish and cruel. I understand why now; it prevents emotional conflicts. However, not everyone has it in them to be cruel, even if their magic is dark.”

  “Like me?”

  “Actually, I was referring to your father. You are an enigma. On my world, magic is only dark if the user is malicious, and that is why your magic is mostly white. There are some sorcerers here who are on the kinder side of the… dark side. Sorry, I think I just crossed streams there.”

  “Then why am I getting angry so easily and acting like a sorcerer? Mason said my magic could only be changed, but the change is caused by using magic. So is the curse changing my personality and making my magic dark, or changing my magic and making me dark?”

  “I think your magic is reflecting a growing darkness inside you, but the darkness is being fueled by your magic. How or why, I have no idea. I do not believe, for an instant, that you are a naturally cruel person.”

  “Okay, it sounded like you were saying not all sorcerers are constantly angry and arrogant.”

  “That is exactly what I am saying.”

  “Then why am I getting so angry and arrogant?”

  “I cannot be sure. Perhaps it is the nature of the curse.”

  He’s lying.

  No, he’s not. Merlin doesn’t lie.

  He knows something, and he’s not telling you what it is.

  Stop it! These aren’t my thoughts!

  Or is that just what Merlin wants you to believe?

  By that time, we reached the edge of town and had to choose between three paths. The one on the left led into the forest, the one in the middle was in a field, and the right one led into what looked suspiciously like a swamp. “Let’s go that way,” I said, pointing into the forest.

  “Why?”

  “It has tree cover.”

  “We are not going through the forest when we can take the path that is out in the open.” A raven landed on the branch of a tree near us and Merlin growled.

  “Is it one of the ravens that have been following us? I haven’t used any magic.” Before he could answer, at least a dozen ravens flew over us and landed in the same tree, and every single one of them was staring at me. “Okay, I’ll take that as a yes. I should use magic, right?”

  “Not yet. If they are just here to spy on you, then you have already been seen. Be ready for them to attack, though.”

  I figured he said something else, but I stopped paying attention. Instead, I pulled the list of Sjau out of my pocket and read the names. “That’s it!” I shouted, causing several of the ravens to flap their wings. “I knew I recognized the name! Sven Brooks is about to be killed. He’s one of the Sjau!”

  I started running back towards the town without worrying about the ravens. Merlin chased after me and we returned to the tavern quickly. Unfortunately, there was no change. I stopped the nearest person; a child carving a wooden dragon with magic. “Excuse me, do you know where Sven Brooks is?”

  “Who?”

  “The man who’s going to be burned today.”

  “I have no idea. I’m not old enough to watch.”

  “Thanks anyway.” I asked the next person; an elderly woman carrying two pales of water.

  “I don’t have any interest in that kind of behavior,” she said grouchily, as if I was personally responsible.

  “This might take a while,” Merlin said. “We might wait until the---”

  I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted, “Where are they keeping Sven Brooks?!” Several people hesitantly pointed down the street. “Thank you!”

  “I find it a rare quality in a man to be wise with just the right amount of modesty and stubbornness. You lack the wisdom, but you have the other two traits. Since we left the castle, you seem to have found a spot right on the intersection of aggressive, stubborn, and humble. I get whiplash hearing you speak.”

  I shrugged. “It’s better than being afraid of everything.”

  “You are not afraid of everything. I think you are mostly afraid of failure, which is more common than people realize.” I thought about this until we reached a hut that Merlin stopped to examine. “There is someone very powerful in there.”

  “Is it Sven?”

  “Most likely. His power is much darker than yours. Be prepared for any kind of reception.”

  I nodded and opened the door. Inside, it was fairly dark. There was a desk in the corner to my left. Along the far wall were three cells, two of which were empty. The middle one contained a man about nineteen. As soon as we entered, he stood up.

  I studied him for a moment, because he wasn’t what I expected. When Merlin said the man had dark magic, I thought he would look like a sorcerer, like Zelli. Instead, he had white-blond hair and gold eyes. His plain, brown clothes were dirty, way too large on him, and covered with patches. His rust-colored robe was worn completely through in spots.

  What kind of magic user had white hair? “Are you Sven Brooks?”

  “Yes. Are you here to take me to the town center to be burned?”

  “No. Why do they want to kill you?”

  He stared intently at his shoes. “Because I’m a nuisance. Everyone just calls me Trouble. I actually lived on a land east of here, but my village kicked me out when I accidentally flooded the entire valley by blocking up and overfilling the river.”

  “Why did you do that?”

  “It wasn’t on purpose. There was a drought and my aunt said that I needed to bring some water from what was left of the river. I only meant to help, but my magic has a tendency to go wrong. Anyway, my aunt was trying to convince the village to let me stay, but then a bunch of ravens started following me around and the villagers said I was just too weird. The ravens followed me all the way here.”

  “Did they do something to cause you to get arrested?”

  He blushed deeply. “No, that was an accident.”

  “Why does that sound familiar?” Merlin asked.

  “I tried to convince people in this town to give me a job, but I just ended up screwing everything up. Finally, I was made the assistant of the resident mage. He had me mix some potions, but I forgot the names of the ingredients.”

  “You asked him again, right?”

  “No… I thought I could do it because I remembered watching him mix it together and I remembered what colors the powders were. He used something black, something white, and something yellow. I used a yellow powder that smelled like rotten eggs, and a white one that was like fine salt, and some black powder.”

  Merlin groaned.

  “Then I lit it on fire and the whole cabin blew up. I really didn’t mean to, but the village said I was too much of a disaster to live. I don’t know why I’m so bad at magic.”

  “What kind of magic user are you?”

  “A sorcerer.”

  “Why is your hair white? Are you practicing to be a ghost?”

  He frowned. “What?”

  I shrugged. “My brothers always said that that’s why people’s hair turns white when they get old; they’re practicing to be ghosts. Of course, some people’s hair doesn’t turn white, and that means they don’t want to be ghosts.”

  He nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. But no, I don’t want to be a ghost.”

  My father said it was because I was so dumb. He said that there wasn’t anything in my head, not even hair color.”

  “That’s mean.”

  “I know, and I told him that, but he just smacked me and sent me to live with my aunt. I can’t make potions or curses or even clean the house. My brothers said I
was a curse on anyone I was around.”

  Maybe I was actually better off than him. “Don’t worry; we’re going to get you out.”

  “Really? Yay!” he shouted with excitement.

  I forced myself not to notice how ridiculous that looked. “I’m Ayden, this is Merlin, and we know why you’re a screw-up.”

  “You do?”

  “I’m a screw-up as well. Not quite as bad as you, though.”

  “That’s good. I’d be afraid to meet someone as accident-prone as myself. How are you going to get me out of here? There’s an anti-magic spell on the cell.”

  “I expected that.” I reached into my bag. “My father told me that there are more unlocking spells than there are locking spells, and more anti-magic spells than there are unlocking spells. Because of that, most people don’t remember what everyone did before there was magic.” I finally reached my little kit from the bottom of my bag and pulled it out.

  “What is that?”

  “A lock picker.”

  “What do you do with it?”

  “I pick the lock.”

  “Without magic? That’s crazy.”

  “Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but I’m trying to free you, so shut up maybe.”

  “Sorry.”

  I started picking the lock just as Merlin let out a low growl. “Someone is coming.”

  “I can’t pick any faster. I don’t use this very often.” That being said, my father had taught me to do it under fire. In fact, he was pretty intense about everything he taught me. I heard the click just as the door opened and picked up my staff. Make Merlin and me invisible!

  Fortunately, the man who walked in was counting gold coins in his hand instead of watching where he was going, so the magic that flowed from the staff into Merlin and me worked in time. Obviously seeing something from the corner of his eye, he looked up, but we were already invisible and he only saw Sven standing in his cell.