Brutal Curse

by Casey Bond

  “His heart chose me? Who is he?”

  She motioned to one of her guards. “Bring in the human prince.”

  Prince? I turned to the massive doors through which I’d entered the room and watched them part. Two guards dragged in a man whose feet limply pushed at the ground as he tried to work them. His head hung down, but I knew those clothes. I knew his shape and knew that when he raised his head, his obsidian and gold eyes would be looking at me. Glenlyn O’Hare had pretended to be him. I should’ve known it wasn’t.

  I did know it wasn’t. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t him.

  “Why did you hurt him?” I whispered.

  “Do you even know his name?” the Queen asked.

  “No,” I breathed, but my heart ached to see him like this, broken. When he managed to raise his head, one eye was swollen shut and his cheek had been sliced open. Bruises marred every inch of exposed skin. Even on his hands and feet.

  “Hearts are beastly things,” the Queen inserted. “Fae and human alike are capable of feeling love, and every heart is tethered to a select few others. There are tethers that bind parents to children, and the hearts of siblings and friends. But one tether is stronger than the rest. Humans speak of soul mates, and so the strongest tether would be exactly that. He and you share this strongest of tethers. Your hearts are bound. It’s why you feel something for him, though you know very little about him.”

  There was truth in her words. I didn’t know why or what was happening, but the wind was knocked out of me when I saw him being dragged into the room. And it wasn’t just because of the shape he was in; it was because it was him in that shape.

  “What if I don’t want to play your game?” I questioned.

  “You will be executed,” she announced with no emotion, gesturing toward O’Hare’s head. “You are guilty of tardiness and have wasted enough of my time. Besides, our prince needs to be taught an important lesson.”

  “And what lesson is that?” I asked.

  The Queen locked eyes with me. “You will see soon enough.”

  “And you’ll provide me with riches if we manage to win?” My stomach churned. This could change everything. Father would stop obsessing with finding Mother. He could move on and stop drinking, and Oryn and I could stop hating him and move on. This could fix everything. This could mend us all.

  “I will give you what your heart desires above all things,” she replied mystically.

  “And you’ll let us both go if we survive five days?”

  She smiled. “Of course.”

  The young man shook his head, speaking for the first time since he was dragged in. “Tell her you won’t play.”

  “I can’t do that.” My head would roll and bounce against O’Hare’s if I didn’t. Besides that, I couldn’t watch him die. I’d never be able to live with myself if I let that happen.

  “Just let me play alone, Coeur. Please, let her go.” The young man struggled against his captors, panting. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. I knew the Queen had no intention of letting me out of the castle alive. If I declined her invitation, she would kill me. My only option was to play her game. To play, I had to survive.

  I’d never seen a faery before, even though Oryn told stories to warn me out of the woods. But I remember what he told me: don’t trust them, be careful how you word things, never eat their food or drink their wine, and never, ever play games with them. The Fae were legendary tricksters.

  “You promise to let us go and not kill us if we win your game?” I asked her again to be sure.

  She rolled her eyes. “That’s what I said, human. If you win and survive together until sunset on the fifth human day, you will be set free and I will reward you with the thing your heart most desires.”

  I looked at my partner. “What’s your name?”

  “Carden,” he rasped, his voice quivering uncontrollably. “And I’m telling you to run, Arabella.”

  My name on his lips was like a plea and a prayer all at once. I knew playing was our only way out of here, if it was even possible in the first place. But if I was doomed to die, I’d proudly die at his side fighting for a better life.

  He groaned as an invisible force tightened around his ribs. I heard the cracks, one by one, as they strained beneath the pressure. The sound was like the snapping of dry twigs.

  I reached out to him, only to be held back by a similar force. “Your answer,” the Queen demanded.

  “I’ll play! Just stop hurting him!” I yelled angrily, desperate to stop his pain.

  The force, controlled by the Queen, released Carden and he collapsed bonelessly to the ground.

  CHAPTER SIX

  CARDEN

  I could barely breathe. How was I supposed to play a game that gambled Arabella’s life when I was in this shape? My bones were on fire. “Promise to play fairly, Coeur,” I bit out. “No invisible fae beating us half to death before we play. No binding our thoughts or tongues.”

  “I would never influence the game itself,” she sniffed. “I want you to feel every experience, including all the joy and pain that comes with triumph and defeat. And I want you to know they are real. That’s part of the fun.” She turned to Arabella. “The two of you will dine with us tonight as my personal guests. Tomorrow at dawn, the game begins.”

  Coeur leaned in close to whisper in Arabella’s ear. “A word of advice: Men have fickle hearts and lying tongues. Don’t let your heart make decisions your mind tells you are foolish.” She turned to me. “As for you, Prince, I can’t wait to see the beast she awakens in you.” Turning to face us both, she added, “The game is in play from dawn to dusk each day, after which time you will celebrate with us—assuming you’re still alive.” With those ominous parting words, she turned and walked away, vanishing into thin air.

  Arabella sucked in a breath. Fear shone in her eyes, and it was rightfully placed. I’d never been so scared in all my life; not for me, but for her. For us. She brushed dark strands of hair out of her face and then suddenly, the pale green irises of her eyes changed. Peeking through the unusual hue were the numerals of a clock, with two hands swirling in impossibly fast circles.

  Her mouth parted. “Your eyes,” she gasped.

  I pressed them closed. “Yours are the same.”

  Guards approached and began to pull her away from me. Not one to go willingly, she struggled until they removed their hands, and walked proudly out the door by herself. I still couldn’t hold up my own weight and was dragged back to my room, body screaming, bones on fire, but all I could worry about was where she was and if she was safe for now.

  The guards carelessly tossed me onto the floor. I tried to raise up, panting through the pain, but my legs were too weak. I heard the creak of the door behind me open and a small, emerald-colored glass bottle floated through the air. Someone I couldn’t see took my hand and opened my palm, placing the bottle into it. My fingers tightened around the cool surface.

  “Drink, drink, you see. It heals,” a weak, male voice ordered.

  “Who are you?”

  “I am here to aid you. Drink the tonic,” the disembodied voice insisted. “You must dress for dinner, which is in twenty minutes.”

  “Are you fae?”

  “Not fae, but cursed. Cursed and Unseen, that’s all. Now drink.”

  I swirled the liquid around in the bottle. “How do I know it’s not poison?”

  “The Cursed cannot lie.”

  Unless that’s a lie, too… But I had to risk it. If I started the game in this shape, I was as good as dead already. And if Arabella was forced to go to this horrid dinner, I was going with her. Resolved to whatever elixir awaited me, I worked the cork out of the bottle neck with a pop and sniffed the contents. The magic inside stung my nose and a cloying odor filled the room. Placing the bottle to my lips, I gulped it down and waited.

  For a
few seconds, nothing happened. I looked from the bottle to the spot I thought the Cursed man occupied. “It will work,” he reassured me.

  Taking this opportunity to survey the room around me, I saw that it was far grander than the dank cell I’d been locked in for the past few days. Teal and turquoise vines crept up the walls, coiling and crawling and so vivid they looked real... right down to the little creeping hairs that held the vine to the tree trunk and wall. The bed was enormous, covered in the striped fabric that matched the walls.

  The more time passed, the better I felt. Breathing became easier. The pain in my ribs ebbed and then faded entirely. I held up my arm to the light and watched as the patchwork of blue, purple, and yellow bruises faded before my eyes.

  “See? It works,” the invisible man crooned.

  “How long have you been Cursed and Unseen?” I asked.

  Footsteps trailed toward a large, gilded wardrobe and the doors parted, revealing an array of clothing in every color. “Tonight, the color is teal. You must dress quickly.”

  Teal, like everything in this room.

  I stayed on the floor. Nothing hurt or prevented me from rising and walking over to the man or taking the clothes he held out, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Did she have someone Cursed and Unseen assisting her? We needed answers, and there was only one way I knew to get them. No one wanted to disappoint the Queen. No one wanted to be tardy for her events, either.

  “Come along now. We must be quick,” he insisted.

  “How. Long?” I insisted stubbornly.

  “One hundred eighteen years, six months, two days, and fourteen hours,” he gritted. “Now, get dressed, or you’ll be preparing yourself alone. I know better than to be late. I will not die for you.”

  “Wouldn’t dying be easier than living this way?”

  “No, it would not,” he countered simply. The clothes floated across the room and landed gently on the bed. His footsteps strode across the room, where he poured water from a carafe into a basin. “Use the cloth to clean your skin. Then I will assist you in dressing.”

  “Why does the Queen insist on these color themes?”

  “Queen Coeur prefers color to gray,” he answered, not elaborating further.

  I washed quickly and let him help me dress, wondering what I’d gotten me and Arabella into, and whether I could get her out of this mess alive. Arabella. The Queen gave me her name before she arrived at the castle. Since the day outside the tavern, I’d wondered what name could possibly match her beauty. Arabella suited her perfectly.

  “The guards will take you now,” the man spoke quietly.

  My stomach fluttered with anticipation and dread. “What is your name?”

  “I cannot speak it. It is forbidden,” he responded sullenly.

  “Can I speak it? If I knew it?”

  My unseen assistant paused, thinking. “That is not forbidden.”

  I nodded. “Are you fae or human?”

  “I was human, sire. Now, I’m Cursed. Now, I’m Unseen.” He opened the doors and the guards, now dressed in suits that matched my own with thick, teal goop slicking their hair back so their pointed ears showed, leveled glares at me. Spears in hand, one led me out of my room while the other followed closely behind.

  ARABELLA

  The guards left me in a bedroom four times the size of my father’s shack. It was even larger than the room I used to have in our manor house, before we became destitute. The walls were painted a pale blue green, and each boasted a mural that depicted the four seasons. There was a tree with plump branches laden with Springtime blossoms; followed by a tree whose leaves reached out for the sunlight above them and whose branches were so full, not a branch could be seen; and on the third wall, there was a tree whose branches were nearly bare, its leaves raining to the ground below. But it was the Winter tree that broke my heart. Cold and alone, it stood bereft and solitary, withering in despair.

  Breaking me out of my quiet inspection, the door unlocked by itself and footsteps trailed across the floor, stopping directly in front of me. I expected someone to materialize, but nearly jumped out of my skin when a disembodied voice came from less than a foot away. “I’m here to serve you, Miss Arabella,” she greeted in a sweet, almost child-like voice. From the angle of her voice, I deduced she must be taller than I was.

  “Who are you?” I scanned the air to see if I could catch even a glimpse of her in front of me, but only found the four walls with their trees, the door, and the furniture that was made to fit such an expansive room. The bed could easily hold twelve adults.

  My invisible helpmate answered, “I am Cursed and Unseen, my lady.”

  Cursed and Unseen?

  “What’s your name?” I tried again.

  “I no longer have a name, but I’m here to help you prepare for your test. I promise that while I’m around, you’ll not be harmed. While we get you ready for dinner, I’ll answer any questions I can for you, dear.”

  “Am I going to die in this game?” I asked tremulously.

  The Cursed woman hesitated. “Queen Coeur is a very skilled opponent.”

  I sighed. “So that’s a yes.”

  “It’s not a yes,” she responded quickly. “There is always hope that someone will defeat her. Without that hope, there is no life.”

  Intrigued by her elusive answers, I queried, “What do we have to do to win?”

  “Every game is different,” she began, “but she hasn’t played in quite a while, so I expect it to be quite extravagant. She loves to boast her power. But don’t worry; the Queen likes to make examples out of her opponents. You won’t die immediately, or else her fun will end.”

  Great, so she won’t kill us tonight at dinner because she wants to use us to impress her subjects. But before long, we’ll be fighting for our lives... and we will probably lose.

  “Bets will be taken, my lady. I hope I can place my wager on you,” my unseen visitor prompted.

  Curious, I asked, “Have you bet on others in the past?”

  “I have,” she drawled.

  “Did you lose?”

  “Yes, but this is a new game with new players. You seem different than the others,” my veiled guest declared.

  “How so?”

  “You know pain. I see it in your eyes. Maybe you can find a way to channel that pain and use it to your advantage.” Pausing for a beat too long, she spoke again, musing, “I’ve never seen Queen Coeur experience pain. She is a cruel, spoiled ruler.”

  A piece of my hair floated in front of me as she lifted it. I could almost see the curve of her fingers beneath the strands.

  “We should get you cleaned and dressed. The Queen is not a patient woman.”

  “Thank you. I need all the help I can get,” I admitted, looking down at my filthy skirts. My legs were itchy from all the scratches and scrapes, not to mention the mud and specks of golden fae blood. A large washtub appeared, filled with steaming water. I undressed and sank into it, trying to commit the feel of it to memory in case this was the last time I’d get to enjoy such an extravagance.

  I scoured my skin until the grime and blood were gone, and the Cursed woman brought a folding screen for me to change behind. “I’ll get your gown,” she insisted, her footsteps trailing across the enormous space. My eyes focused on the ornamental screen, which featured creamy fabric that was almost see-through, accented by the golden head of a lion.

  “Is the lion image important to the Queen?” I asked curiously. I’d noticed the door knocker was a golden lion, and I’d also seen it on a few things scattered throughout the castle as I chased O’Hare down the halls. Door handles. Carved into the bottoms of sconces along the walls. In the fine stitching on O’Hare’s jacket.

  My helper responded, “It is the Royal crest; a lion holding a human heart between its teeth.”

  A shiver worked up my
spine as I contemplated its meaning. “Why does she hate humans so much?” Wrapping a dry cloth around me, I stepped out from behind the screen.

  “I don’t have an answer for that, my dear. However, I believe if you can find the answer you can win the game.” A gown floated from the wardrobe to me. “The color for tonight is teal,” she said.

  Color for tonight? A confused look crossed my face. “You mean everyone will match? Even the guards?”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  “Why does everyone have to match?”

  “It’s the Queen’s way.”

  “She changes the color every day?”

  “Sometimes once each day, sometimes several times a day. It varies according to her wishes,” she explained. Apparently, the Queen liked to control everyone, and was moody. I’d seen Glenlyn in purple, then red, and finally blue before he…

  “Are you wearing teal?”

  “I am Unseen,” she answered simply, handing me a dress that looked like it was wrapped in layers of thin, gauzy material. Upon closer inspection, I realized the fabric was silky and fine, like the delicate wings of insects and the palest color of blue-green, or teal, as she called it, that I’d ever seen.

  Motivated by a feeling I couldn’t quite name, I blurted, “Can I give you a name? Just for me to use while you’re helping me? You’ll be helping me throughout this week, right?”

  “I will be your chambermaid throughout the game, my dear, and I suppose you can give me a name if you wish. As long as I do not speak my given name, no rule is broken.”

  “And you still can’t tell me your given name?”

  I heard her sigh, and she paused a moment before speaking, as if the admission was painful. “I am forbidden from speaking it, but truthfully, cannot remember what it was. I’ve been here for a very long time. Hundreds of years.”

  Hundreds of years? “Are you fae?”

  “I am not.”

  “Are you human?” I asked, hoping her answer wasn’t yes.

  “Yes. Or at least, I was...”

  Seized by a sudden premonition, I queried, “Were you once a player in this game?”