The Raven's Curse

by Rain Oxford

  “You really believe it is more likely that Houda is behind this than your mother?”

  I shrugged.

  Chapter 15

  Since we were returning to the castle, we needed to go south. The complete waste of time and work traveling northeast put me in an extremely foul mood. I tried to focus on the positive and keep my mouth shut, but it wasn’t easy, especially with Houda and Sven.

  Houda replaced her disguise and resumed complaining about most things, from her feet hurting to being thirsty. She drank all the water I had before mid-morning, so we were all thirsty.

  Since Houda and Sven bickered the entire time, Merlin had to tell me all kinds of sweet and humorous adventures to counteract the anger that was trying to consume me again. They weren’t arguing about anything important; they argued about everything from the weather to whether sorcery or magicians were better. It reminded me a lot of my brothers.

  When Houda said that it was a good thing dragons were extinct, I joined the argument. Sven and I both talked about how dragons were the reason people came together in communities and they protected people from others. Of course, I made up some stuff, but I felt invested in the argument.

  Then I realized that Houda was really getting upset and figured it was probably because it was two against one, so I stopped. It was one thing to argue for the fun of it. Arguing just to upset someone was crossing the line.

  She has been nothing but a problem. Nobody moves as slow or complains as much. She must be another spy for your mother. Maybe she isn’t really even Houda.

  I was able to shake the dark thoughts quickly, but letting go of the doubt was a lot harder to do.

  As soon as the sun started getting low in the sky, Houda insisted we stop at the next town we came to and buy some food. I wanted to refuse, but Merlin agreed with her. Soon, we found another village. “Wait, I don’t like this,” Sven said as he stopped cold. He pointed to a sign on the side of the road that was half-covered by trees.

  Welcome to Certainty

  And underneath that was another sign.

  Dead End

  The buildings in the city were all brightly colored and matched the flowers blooming everywhere. There was a large, iron gate with white flowers all over it. Strangely, the gate had clearly never been closed before… and it wasn’t attached to a wall. It was just there.

  “This place looks nice,” Houda said.

  “I don’t want to stay here,” Sven argued. “Ayden, you’re a sorcerer; you agree with me, right? A sorcerer would never voluntarily walk into a place like that.”

  I blushed, for my wand created displays of magic even prettier than that and I still thought little bats were adorable. “After wasting many years struggling to be something I’m not, I decided it doesn’t matter. It’s nobody’s business if a sorcerer likes flowers or a wizard wants to keep serpents as pets. Most people don’t understand that because they’re taught that everyone has a place and their magic is supposed to dictate who they are. I met pirates who accepted me as a nice sorcerer and a few days ago, those same pirates accepted me as a curse breaker. We don’t have to be what we’re told to be. As Sjau, we’re even less bound by those stereotypes.”

  “I like knowing what to expect from someone, like a sorcerer, warrior, or mage,” Houda said.

  “But I don’t want to be conniving and cruel like my mother just because you think I should be.”

  “You can be a sorcerer without being like her,” Sven said.

  “I can also like tiny bats and shriek when a ghost pops out of the ground because I’m not just a sorcerer. I have light and dark magic. I’m not going to let everyone else tell me what I can and can’t do, what I am and am not, who I am and who I’m not. I’m Ayden Dracre. I love dragons and books, I was born a sorcerer with white magic, a centuries-old wizard from another world teaches me, and I am a curse breaker.”

  “Sorcerers don’t break curses. That’s a wizard’s thing.”

  “And I can do it better than wizards because I have both wizardry and sorcery. I’m still learning, but it’s something I’m naturally good at and enjoy doing.”

  “I am very glad you have come so far in accepting yourself, but I think now is not the time to discuss it,” Merlin said.

  “Let’s go.” We walked through the gate and into the small town. There were people coming and going, children playing and working, and animals roaming free. Everything was excessively colorful. It wasn’t a wealthy town, as the buildings were a mixture of cabins, huts, and tents. Running through the city was a crystal-clear brook filled with colorful fish and surrounded by flowers.

  “I am starting to get an eerie feeling from this place,” Merlin said. “In fact, I am pretty sure this is how most nightmares begin.”

  “Where’s the magician?” Sven asked.

  Only then did I realize I didn’t hear Houda complaining. We had to backtrack to find her leaning against a building, huffing and puffing in exhaustion and apparently pain. “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head and gave me her fake smile, which wasn’t nearly as pleasant with her disguise up. “I’m fine, just tired.”

  “Maybe we should get back on the road.”

  “No! I don’t want to be… on the road or in the forest right now. Can’t you just transport us to the castle?”

  “You know I can’t do it right now.”

  “Fine. Sven can do it.”

  We all turned to see Sven picking his teeth with a stick he found on the ground. “He doesn’t have a wand.”

  “Let him use yours.”

  “Gross. No way. However, if you really insist, we might be able to find him a wand.”

  “That is a lot to ask of someone with the mental capacity of a turnip,” Merlin argued.

  “But Princess Secret here insists.”

  “If you’re going to talk about me, at least have the decency to do it behind my back,” the magician said angrily. She let go of the building and we continued our search for an inn and a wand.

  The magic shop was easy to identify by the sign in front of it, but I was a little surprised. “What is a ‘discount otherworld magic shop’?” I asked.

  “I have never heard of such a thing, but I have a bad feeling about this. ‘Discount’ and ‘magic’ should never be together.”

  “Houda, watch Sven. I don’t think he should come in here.”

  She mumbled something, but I ignored her. Merlin and I entered the shop and saw three of the walls lined with bookshelves and the fourth lined with a long counter. Since the proprietor wasn’t anywhere to be seen, I looked over some of the objects on the walls.

  The first thing I picked up was a very strange weapon. “What is this?”

  “A compound bow. Although they work a little differently than the bows you have seen, they are not magical.”

  There was a little piece of paper hanging on the bow. “Magically enhanced to always hit its target…” I read.

  “Therein lies the magic.”

  “… two out of three times,” I continued.

  “And therein lies the discount.”

  I picked up a rubber chicken and read the note on it. “Exploding rubber chickens. Throw it like a grenade. Only one out of ten will just turn into a chicken dinner. What’s a grenade?”

  “Put it down very carefully.”

  I did and then picked up a candle. “Clap-on candles and torches. Clap your hands and say on or off.” I set it down and clapped my hands. “On.” A dozen candles and five torches suddenly lit. Afraid of causing a major fire, I clapped my hands again. “Off.”

  They didn’t turn off, so I took off my robe and flapped it at the fire. Once I got them out, I picked up the candle and read the second part of the note. “Off function not working, please blow out with wind.”

  “We should not be here. No good will come of this.”

  “You worry too much. Maybe the proprietor will have something that can help us.”

  “Are you talking about me?” a ma
n asked, appearing behind the door. He was tall and very thin with a pasty face and oily black hair. He looked like either a necromancer or a vampire.

  “That depends. Who are you?”

  “Who am I? Well, I’m me. I know who I am. Who are you?”

  “I’m Ayden.”

  “Nice to meet you, Ardon.”

  “Ayden.”

  “No, I’m Skevol.”

  “I wasn’t asking your name. My name is Ayden.”

  “I thought you said your name was Ardon.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Then Ardon is your nickname?”

  “No. It’s Ayden.”

  “Ayden is your nickname?”

  “I haven’t got a nickname. My name is Ayden.”

  “Then why did you tell me it was Ardon?”

  “Are you the proprietor or not?”

  “Well, that depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On who you’re asking.”

  I groaned. “I need a wand for my friend and a spell for myself.”

  “Well, you came to the right place! Probably.”

  “Um… great… I’m hiding from my mother.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she wants to kill me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure! You’re making me mad now!”

  “You should do something about that temper. Is that why you want to kill your mother?”

  “I don’t want to kill her! She wants to kill me!”

  “Would you make up your mind?”

  “Just give me something so that my powerful sorceress mother can’t find me!”

  “Okay, okay, calm down. I have the solution right here. But first, you have to guess my name.” He grinned widely.

  “What?!”

  “That’s the deal. I don’t want money, you just have to guess my first name and I’ll give you something to protect you against your mother.”

  “He already told you his name,” Merlin pointed out.

  “You said that Skevol is your name.”

  “That’s my family name. If you want it, you have to guess my first name, but if you guess wrong, I get your first born son.”

  “What?! You’re insane!”

  “Ayden!” Merlin admonished.

  Just as I realized my horrible mistake, the man’s face fell. “That’s correct. Why does everyone keep guessing that my name is Insane? I should definitely change it. Here.” He gave me a large black ball that had a symbol on one end and a blank circle on the other. “Just ask a question and shake it up and it will tell you the future.”

  “Really?! That could definitely come in handy.”

  Merlin groaned. “It is a worthless toy. I have seen those before.”

  “Oh.” That was unfortunate. “Can I trade it for a wand for my friend?”

  “No, but I’ll make a deal with you for the wand.” He pulled a plain stick out from under the counter and held it up.

  “That’s not a wand.”

  “Oh, yes it is. This is a magnificent wand.”

  “How is it magnificent?” I was out a wand myself, but Sven really needed it more than me.

  “It can stop anyone around you from lying when you hold it out.”

  “Well, that is pretty impressive.”

  “How is it defective?” Merlin asked.

  I asked the proprietor why it was discounted. “Well, it has a faulty part. It can’t harm anyone.”

  That might be a problem for Sven. “It won’t do sorcery of any kind?”

  “Oh, it’ll do sorcery just fine. It just won’t hurt a person or animal.”

  “Then that sounds fine. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone anyway. How much?”

  “I don’t want money; I want to make a deal. All you have to do is guess what’s in my pocket.”

  “A magic ring,” Merlin said.

  “But if you fail, I get your---”

  “A magic ring,” I interrupted.

  Once again, the proprietor’s face fell. “How did you know?”

  “It is always a magic ring.”

  “A lucky guess,” I said, taking the wand from him. “Thanks for the discounts.” As Merlin and I walked out, I asked, “How did you really know there was a ring in his pocket?”

  “Like I said before; my powers of prediction are returning, at least to a certain extent.”

  Not to my surprise, Houda and Sven were arguing when we reached them. When I gave Sven his wand, he was so overjoyed that he hugged me. I decided not to tell him the two quirks, just in case it made him want to hug me again. Instead, I played with my magic ball.

  “What is my mother’s plan?” I asked.

  “You must ask it a yes or no question,” Merlin said.

  “Oh. Is my mother going to kill me?” I shook it up and an answer came up. And your little wolf, too. I frowned. “Well, that doesn’t make any sense. Does she know where I am right now?” My sources say yes. “Can I stop her?” I don’t know. Ask again later. “What, after I’m dead?” Yes.

  I tried to strangle the ball, getting looks from both Houda and Sven. Merlin seemed unbothered. “I told you they were faulty,” he said.

  I stopped trying to squish the ball and was surprised when another answer came up. That’s not true. Feeling a little shaken myself, I slipped the ball into my bag, then asked the closest person where the tavern or inn was. The old lady told us to turn right at the end of the street and go down that street, where we would find a tavern with several rooms available. On the way, everyone smiled and waved to us. When we passed close to them, they gave us a pleasant greeting, thanked us for visiting their city, and asked us if they could help.

  The tavern was very, very clean. Even the floor seemed to shine. All of the tables were brilliant colors and carved with style, and the walls were a sunny shade of rose-red. Every seat was filled with men and women. They all had cups, but no plates or food. When we stepped in, every single person turned as one and waved to us. I shuddered and Sven hid behind me.

  The man behind the bar was huge, though not the biggest man I had ever seen. His red hair, mustache, and beard were shaggy and speckled with food and right in the middle of his head was a bald spot.

  “This is going to be fun,” Merlin said sarcastically.

  “Excuse me, I was wondering if you had a room available?”

  “Well, you’ve come to the right place! Probably. You can ask me!”

  Houda gaped, Merlin groaned, and Sven laughed… awkwardly.

  “Okay… do you have a room available?” I asked.

  “Two rooms,” Houda interjected. “I’m not sharing with Sven.”

  “Well, now, that’s two very different questions. Are you sure you know why you’re here? Are you prepared to hear the answer?”

  I turned to Houda. “Are you sure we can’t sleep in the---”

  “I am sleeping in a room, even if I have to take it from someone,” she growled with her teeth clenched.

  I looked at Merlin and he nodded. “Um… do you have two rooms available?”

  “We have plenty of rooms!” the man said brightly. Then he glanced at Houda and his smile faltered. It obviously made her uncomfortable because she wrapped her robe tighter around her body. “And there is a mage right down the street if you need her. Her name is Rose, and she’s just fantastic.”

  Houda blushed and nodded. “Thank you.”

  He handed her a key. “First door on the right.” He handed me another key. “First door on the left. I’ll send in some dinner as soon as you’re settled.”

  “Oh, what is it?” I asked, hoping it was some kind of meat.

  “Dinner is food that you eat in the evening, usually the last meal of the day. You put a small portion of it in your mouth, chew, and swallow. You need to eat food at least once a day, but dinner is your last meal of the day.”

  Sven laughed again and it sounded a little hysterical. Chills ran down my spine.

  “Also, in case you n
eed it, there is a bathhouse right across from us. Just make sure you are in your room with the doors locked by dark.”

  “Why?”

  He smiled so hard my cheeks hurt. “It’s just safer to be inside after dark.”

  “What about money?”

  “Oh, don’t worry about it. We just want you to be comfortable. There is plenty of room. In fact, there are homes available if you want to stay longer.”

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  “Well, it’s an option if you change your mind. Your rooms are just through that door,” he said, pointing to the door on the north wall.

  We went through it and found a long hallway. Obviously, the tavern used magic to make it larger on the inside. It was a convenient way to save space in crowded cities, but not a cheap one. Houda opened her door and I could see the room inside.

  It was ridiculously lavish. The bed was covered in soft-looking white blankets, soft furs covered the wooden floor, and the furniture looked like it was crafted for a castle. In fact, it was nicer than the rooms at Magnus’s castle. There was a wardrobe, a foot chest, and a table, all with rosewood and silver accents. On the table was a fancy candelabrum.

  Sven, Merlin, and I then went to the other room, which was completely identical. “This is a little odd.”

  “Whatever you do, do not eat or drink anything they give you. This place has the makings of a very frightening cult.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Just trust me. If I was not worried about Houda having complications, we would already be as far away from here as we could get. I have severe reservations about sleeping here.”

  “What is he saying?” Sven asked.

  “That we shouldn’t eat or drink anything they give us.”

  “I’m glad. I didn’t want to say anything, but that man was really creepy. I’m going to go warn Houda not to eat the food, and then I’m going to look for that bathhouse.”

  “Are you sure you can find it?”

  “Everyone is so nice; I’m sure they’ll help me.”

  “Okay, just don’t blow anything up.”

  “The man said not to be out after dark,” Merlin warned. I relayed his warning.