The Raven's Curse

by Rain Oxford

  She sighed. “I honestly don’t care.”

  “You’re going to get tangled up in your own web one of these days.”

  She laughed. “Give your mother my regards.” She walked inside and shut the door behind her.

  After a moment, Kille calmly walked towards me, although I didn’t know if I was completely hidden or not. I started to take a step back when Kille made a motion with his hand. I felt very powerful magic envelop us in a glowing blue ward.

  “It’s been a long time, Merlin, but I remember you. I know you’re here to find a way to break the curse on Ayden or kill Ilvera if you have to. I’m not going to let you kill her, and it wouldn’t break the curse even if you did. There is a way, though. Only Ayden can break it, and he can’t do it alone. Take Ayden to the Roaring Mountains of Monhal.

  “In the heart of the mountains, there is a valley, and in the heart of that is a lake, and in the heart of that is a small island with a single pillar. Once you find it, walk along the shore of the lake until the pillar is directly between you and a set of twin mountains. As the sun rises between the peaks of the twin mountains, a stone at the top of the pillar will light up and illuminate the hidden entrance to a cave where you will find dragons.

  “The dragons will help, but make sure Ayden is respectful to them. I tried to teach him dragon etiquette, but his brothers were always around. Since he was born, I’ve been using very small curses on him, and I never scolded his brothers for doing the same. This forced him to instinctively learn to break curses. Although he uses this advantage to help others, I did it because I knew Ilvera would eventually use the raven’s curse.”

  I had so many questions, but no way of asking them.

  “Go quick. You’ve waited much too long to come here and you’re nearly out of time. The nature of the curse will cause Ayden to fight anyone who tries to help him. Go. You have a few days at most.”

  I tried to tell him there was no way I could make it in time, but all that came out was half grunt, half growl.

  “You’re going to have to try,” Kille said, as if he understood me. “If you fail, you must do anything to keep him from confronting Ilvera. If she dies, so will he.”

  I didn’t know if that was a warning or a threat. Even at the height of his power, Ayden wasn’t going to be able to take down both his parents. I started running full out back the way I had come. Whether his father was a threat or not was beside the point. Within ten minutes, I was exhausted, but with no other options, I kept running.

  Despite knowing it was wiser to pace myself, I was only focused on getting back to Ayden. I needed magic. At that moment, I would give up any chance of breaking my curse for just enough magic to save Ayden.

  Instead, I was going to have to use intelligence.

  Yet my brain was telling me there was absolutely no way I was going to make it without magic. I didn’t remember collapsing; I shifted seamlessly from conscious reality to a subconscious realm. I knew instantly it was not reality because I was back in my real body, and I was back on the mountain with Caedmon. Only, somehow I knew that Caedmon and Cennuth were gone. In fact, I was completely alone.

  I wasn’t going to waste this opportunity.

  I grabbed the ingredients I needed out of the cabin. I knew it would be stocked because it was my own dream. Once I had everything, I went outside and created a circle of thirteen rocks under the flowering tree. This time, I had gold flakes, so I sprinkled them inside the circle.

  Then I used a ceremonial fire sword to draw the dragon symbol in the circle and burned dragon’s blood incense in a pile in the center. I lit it with magic, and although I wanted to revel in the fact that I had magic to use again, I didn’t have the time.

  Ayden didn’t have the time.

  I stabbed the sword deep into the ground, sat, and faced south. When I said the incantation out loud, speaking for the first time in what felt like years, I felt the words resonate inside me. Magic was the core of my being and the curse was like an emptiness inside me. However, even with my magic returned to me temporarily, I was still not whole, for Nimue was still gone.

  By dragon wing and dragon claw,

  my defense is without flaw.

  Fly before me, Dragon bright,

  and blind my foe with thy light.

  Dark and terrible be thy wrath,

  Cennuth, protect me on my path.

  It did not surprise me in the least when I felt my magic flowing from me into the world. Wherever Cennuth was, my magic would find him. I was surprised, however, in the speed of its effectiveness. Within ten minutes, I saw Cennuth fly overhead. He landed soon after and I was amazed at his size. Of course, he wasn’t much larger than he was the last time I had seen him, it had just been a very long time.

  “Are you really here?”

  “You really called me, did you not?”

  “I am not sure. I thought this was a dream. Am I home?”

  “Your body is still on Caldaca, young wizard, but your mind is with me.”

  “Then, can you help me?”

  “We have not spoken in over five hundred years and you call me here to ask for my help? Have I not given you enough?”

  “I thank you for all those years of education and I will always value it. However, I have been cursed and so I cannot use magic.”

  “Apparently, I have taught you nothing.”

  “I was one of the most powerful wizards of any world. I have had over five hundred years to master all forms of magic, not to mention the wisdom I have gained.”

  “Yet you think like a mortal. That was Baltezore’s mistake as well.”

  “You know him?!”

  “Of course I do. I know everything about you, including your enemies.”

  “I thought he was gone.”

  “Your ignorance is appalling. If you want to defeat him, you will have to forfeit your mortality completely and become a being of magic. Then, no curse will ever stop you.”

  “Become a dragon? I can do that?”

  “In a manner of speaking.”

  “Then I can save Ayden and find Nimue.”

  “No. In order to become a higher being, you will have to forfeit your mortality entirely. That means severing all ties with the mortal world. You will not be able to feel emotions, as they only cloud the mind.”

  “Caedmon taught me to cherish life.”

  “Caedmon is dead because he was mortal. You do not have to suffer the same fate. If you relinquish your mortality, you will never have to fear a mortal’s curse. Besides, it was the young sorcerer who cursed you in the first place. Leave him to his fate.”

  “Ayden only did it because he had no other choice. I am not going to choose anything else until he is safe.”

  After a moment, the dragon sighed. “So be it, but you are choosing a path that will not end well for you.”

  “Ayden would do the same for me.”

  “Perhaps. This will not be the last time we meet.”

  “So, you are not going to help me?”

  “I will, because your fate is not to die here and now. Very soon, the fate of many worlds will be in your hands. Vokirex’s egg is ready to hatch, and when it does, there will be a war for power. You must protect the hatchling at any cost, which includes vanquishing Baltezore once and for all.”

  “Why is the egg hatching?”

  “Because the source of all magic is dying. You must find the egg before it hatches. I told you before I ever started teaching you that you would end the war on magic.”

  “I thought you just meant on my world.”

  “Magic transcends any one world, and so does your destiny. You were always meant to protect this egg.”

  Chapter 20

  I woke as sharp talons set me down on the ground gently. To my disdain, I was back in my cursed form. I struggled to my paws and realized I was on the beach facing Livia’s castle sometime in the early hours before sunrise. Above me, Cennuth was hovering in the sky, as massive as he was when I first saw him. D
espite everything he said, I still cared very deeply for him.

  I tried to thank him for his help, but I only managed a low grumbling growl. Cennuth made a huff that somewhat sounded like a laugh. Without another word, he flew away. Limping, I made my way towards the castle. The front door opened as I approached it.

  “You look as bad as Ayden did,” Mason said. Fortunately, he wasn’t chatty. “I’ll take you to him, but I think you need to talk to Livia first.”

  I growled.

  “Fine. I’ll take you to Ayden first, but you mustn’t wake him. It’ll be very bad if you wake him, so be quiet when you freak out.”

  I saw a lot of resemblance between the two. If Ayden had grown up with the same acceptance as Mason had, he probably would have been just like Mason… excluding for one or two major exceptions.

  Mason looked very nervous as I struggled to get up the steps, but he didn’t say anything. We reached a room and he stopped. “Ayden is in here. I’ll go get you some water and tell Livia you’re here. Remember not to wake him.” He opened the door just a crack and left.

  I entered, and the first thing I saw was Ayden asleep in the bed. His hair was black and he looked pale as a ghost, but it was undoubtedly him. Even as I could feel the dark power radiating from him, it was still Ayden. I meant it when I told him I would support him as long as he was being true to himself, whether he wanted to be a wizard, a sorcerer, or something in between. That wasn’t the same as being under a curse.

  And the black hair still didn’t suit him.

  The second thing I saw was one of Ayden’s brothers sitting in the chair beside the bed. I snarled at him, flashing as much fang as I could without making a sound that would wake Ayden. The older sorcerer raised his left hand in surrender and pointed his wand at me with his right hand. He might have just invented mixed signals on Caldaca.

  “Merlin, I’m not here to hurt him,” he whispered. I snarled a little less. “I’m Thaddeus. I haven’t spoken to my mother since Ayden gave me a chance to run. She can’t even find me. I’m guarding him.”

  I dropped my snarl and he slowly lowered his wand. Once he slipped it into his pocket, I approached the bed and put my forepaws up to see Ayden better. There wasn’t much to see, however, as it looked like he was simply asleep.

  There was a shirt and his green robe folded on the nightstand and I could see bandages peeking out from under the edge of the blanket. I was furious that he had gotten hurt and felt guilty for leaving in the first place. He grew up relying on himself, so maybe he didn’t really need me, but there was still so much I could teach him.

  “Merlin,” called a familiar voice. I ignored her. “I’ll explain if you come outside.”

  I sighed, turned, and followed Livia out of the room. There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked like she had lost a few pounds.

  “Ayden is not in good shape. Thaddeus saved him, but the curse already had complete control over him. I don’t know if curses work the same on your world, but they can be especially dangerous for magic users here. This one is rooted very deep in his magic and trying to break it could kill him. Please tell me you have found some sort of cure.”

  I nodded and tried to think of a way to tell her I needed to take him with me. I needed to wake Ayden and tell him so he could use the mirror to find the mountains.

  “Is it a potion?” Livia asked.

  I shook my head.

  “Is it something only a special person can do?”

  Sort of. I nodded.

  “There are a lot of special people on Caldaca— a lot of heroes who are destined for something great. It’s a side effect of having a world full of magic.”

  Mason came down the hall with a bowl of water, which he set in front of me. “She’s right. It’s normal to be special these days. We Sjau are actually the exceptions. They’ll accept Ayden being the one and only, great and powerful curse breaker, but they won’t accept him as both a wizard and sorcerer. I could be the most powerful wizard in the world, but if anyone knew I was also a healer, I would be hunted down and killed for the good of the people.”

  Livia frowned apologetically. “People don’t like to have their beliefs shaken.” Out of one of the pockets in her robe, she retrieved the small magic mirror. “Maybe we can use this to communicate.” She held it out to me and I put my right forepaw on it. “Merlin knows how to save Ayden from the curse. Show me.”

  I felt her magic flow into me from the mirror and back into it. As soon as it did, the mirror surface became black. After a moment, when I thought it was useless, something in the mirror moved. Then I saw that it was the inside of a dark cave and only the barest outline of a dragon was visible.

  “Dragons? Dragons can save him?” Livia asked. I nodded. “Where can we find them?”

  I focused very hard on the name of the mountain, since I didn’t know where it was. When magic flowed into and out of me again, I expected the mirror to show her the name. Instead, it displayed the mountain itself.

  “We can transport ourselves there,” Mason said.

  “I can’t go; Ilvera would find me in a heartbeat,” Livia said.

  “Then it’ll be Gideon, Thaddeus, Merlin, and me who will go with Ayden.”

  I put my paw down and gave him my best protesting grumble. After Sven’s betrayal, I didn’t trust anyone else with Ayden’s safety. Besides, Ayden couldn’t be transported with magic, because according to Livia, Ilvera could capture him.

  Misinterpreting my dispute, Mason said, “You can’t go alone. You don’t have the magic to protect him if Ilvera attacks.”

  “You also can’t stop Ayden alone if he tries to go after her,” Livia added.

  I growled.

  “If you are worried about Ilvera capturing him, we think we have an idea for that,” Mason said. “Thaddeus has a lot of protection charms that can hide Ayden from her presence, at least for a moment or two. We’re also going to have Evelyn, who is a magician, make an illusion of Ayden and send it outside into the gardens to confuse Ilvera’s ravens.”

  Livia held out her hand and a pendant appeared. The pendant basically looked like a heart made out of crystal, except it was glowing white. “We’ve been working on this since we figured out he was cursed. It contains some light magic from Mason, his family, Gideon, Evelyn, Magnus, and me. It cannot break the curse, but just as the curse poisons him with darkness, this will engulf him in light. It might last a day, or it may not work at all. It depends on how much power the curse has over him. If he fights the light magic, it doesn’t stand a chance, but if he uses it to fight the dark magic, you’ll have some time. You have to break the curse before the curse takes over again. It’s also an indicator; as long as the crystal is light, he’ll be him. The darker it becomes, the more the curse is in control. Try to keep him calm and positive. Nothing fuels dark magic more than fear.”

  I nodded.

  “We’ll get everything ready before we put it on him so that we have as much time as possible,” Mason said. “And I guess we’ll have to hope it works.”

  * * *

  Mason and Livia set up their transportation spell using Livia’s table mirror. Gideon didn’t know how to do that kind of magic, but being both a mage and a warrior apparently made him extremely domineering. Although he was pleasant about it, he naturally tried to direct everything. While Mason didn’t mind at all, I was expecting to see Livia’s dark side at any moment.

  Soon, they were ready, so we gathered in Ayden’s room. I didn’t trust Thaddeus, but there wasn’t anyone who could hear my concerns besides Ayden. Thaddeus used a quill and ink to draw symbols on Ayden’s arms and chest to protect him against Ilvera. Even though I didn’t recognize any of the sigils myself, I had seen magic like it. I wasn’t expecting what he did next.

  Thaddeus put his hand over the center of Ayden’s chest, on top of one particular symbol, and a moment later, all the symbols glowed red. I growled. “You’ve never seen a tattoo before?” he asked, not stopping. About half a minut
e later, the glowing faded, leaving only the sigils.

  Livia slipped the thin chain around Ayden’s neck and settled the crystal against his heart. After a moment, the glow in the crystal flickered a little. Before anyone could voice their doubt, the young sorcerer’s hair changed back to blond and he stirred. “Merlin?” he asked.

  “I haven’t removed the sleeping spell yet,” Livia said, confused.

  He wasn’t awake, though; he was sleep-talking. I put my paw on his hand. As soon as I did, he settled down. “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” he said, not opening his eyes.

  “I’m going to try to wake him now,” Livia said. “If the crystal gets dark, I’ll put him back under.” She put her hand on his forehead.

  After a minute or so, Ayden opened his eyes, which instantly narrowed in confusion. “What are you doing?” Instead of answering, Livia removed her hand and stepped back. Ayden sat up and glanced at everyone before his eyes settled on me. In that moment, there was only relief and regret in his eyes. “You came back.”

  “I only left to find a cure for the curse.”

  He pulled his knees up to his chest. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. Did I hurt you?”

  “No, you did not even touch me.”

  “That’s not the kind of hurt I meant. Is it over now? You broke the curse?”

  “No. We have to go to the dragons.” His eyes widened a little with enthusiasm. “Right now, that crystal on your chest is protecting you from the curse, but you must allow it to guide you over the darkness.”

  He studied the crystal for a moment. “I’ll try.”

  “We need to go. We will go through Livia’s magic mirror like the Minof family went through theirs. Mason, Gideon, and Thaddeus will go with us to help.”

  “I still can’t use my magic?”

  “Not yet. As soon as the dragons break this curse, you can use all the magic you want.”

  “Well, I do want to meet more dragons, so let’s go.” He grabbed his shirt and put it on over the bandage.