by Kaylin Lee
This eccentric Westerner had seen far more of Theros than I, a native citizen, had. How was that fair?
Meanwhile, I languished behind an endless series of walls, bored and useless. Waiting for my mother and father to do the important work in the Badlands while I played cards with Alba.
Nothing fair about it.
“—here!” Alba shrieked downstairs. “It’s them! I know it!”
The front door slammed.
I shoved the journal and dictionary under my pillow, threw myself off the bed, and rushed into the hallway.
The surging need to see my father—to be held in his arms, to hear his deep voice again—shocked me and scared me, but not enough to slow me down as I hurtled down the stairs.
“Dad—” I stopped short.
Alba stood in the kitchen, her arms around his waist and her face pressed against his chest. “I missed you so much, Daddy.” Her voice was muffled. “I was so worried. Please, don’t ever leave again!”
I must have made a noise. Dad glanced up and met my eyes over her head. “Briar Rose.” He smiled, deepening the creases around his eyes. “Good to see you.”
Alba didn’t budge.
My pulse thudded in my veins. A raw, exposed feeling carved through my chest. “Hi.” My voice was thick. Were those tears gathering in my eyes? I swallowed, my throat tight. I was dimly aware of my mom and Ella entering the kitchen from the front entryway, arm in arm, with broad, matching grins.
“—hungry? I can make dinner. Bri. Bri!”
I started. Ella was in front of me, and Mom had her arm around my shoulder. How had they moved so quickly?
Dad continued to embrace Alba.
“Do you want to eat?” Ella furrowed her brows.
“I’m fine,” I answered—somehow. “Just tired. And I need to study.”
I didn’t need to look at Mom. I could feel her frowning, just inches away. “You can skip class tomorrow, honey. Your father and I just got home. We can do something fun together as a family. How about that?”
“Whatever.” My flat, empty tone mockingly contrasted the storm of emotions inside me. Alba finally released our father, stepping back and beaming like she’d accomplished something amazing by hugging him.
He approached me, his brow furrowed. “Briar, are you well?”
“Of course I am.”
I ducked out of my mom’s embrace and turned away before Dad could reach me. The hug I’d been longing for the past few weeks now seemed sure to shatter me. I had to get away. “Heading to bed,” I said over my shoulder. “See you in the morning.”
My temples throbbed as I mounted the stairs. No one followed. Their voices rose, lighthearted and happy, as my parents told the story of their mission and Ella began bustling about the kitchen.
The pit of my stomach churned, vulnerable and needy and pathetic. I couldn’t believe I’d wanted my father so much, missed him so much. I didn’t need him. I never had. How had I forgotten that in just a few short, stupid months?
Back in my room, I locked the door, and then I pulled the journal from my pillow and my faded map collection from the drawer under my desk. I spread both on the floor and settled onto my knees.
Verdant and secure, an oasis built on eons of death and power. The words I’d translated settled me, channeling my chaotic pain into a plan.
The top of a dead volcano.
The perfect place for a girl who didn’t need anyone.
Chapter 4
Snow flurries whipped across the mountain face, blinding me. I paused and waited for the wind to die down, then wiped my goggles and continued walking.
I’d been skirting the top of the mountain for hours, looking for the configuration of rocks in the explorer’s sketch that marked the tunnel into the crater. With the snow covering everything, it was hard to tell.
Maybe I’d already passed it. Perhaps I should give up, go home—
I’d made my choice. I couldn’t go back now.
I’d left home four days ago, sneaking out of the city gates early in the morning the day after my parents returned from their mission to the Badlands. And once I’d made a decision, I didn’t back down. I’d face my fear, like always. Run toward it, not away from it. I’d survive on my own. Show myself I could handle whatever the Badlands threw at me.
I didn’t need him—didn’t need any of them.
My shoulders ached from the weight of my pack, full to bursting with leftover supplies I’d scavenged from my parents’ Sentinel gear. They’d tossed their uniforms, backpacks, and supplies in the closet in the back hallway that night and then had no doubt forgotten about them, just like Dad had forgotten about me.
I stuck close to the crater’s outer wall, if it actually was a crater, and followed it as it turned away from the exposed southern face of the mountain. Finally, the wind died down. Buoyed by the sudden relief from the wind, I picked up my pace.
There it was—a strange jutting out of rocks up ahead. It looked like a giant from the Western legends had played with the stones to make a signpost. No wonder the explorer had been convinced the crater had revealed itself to him.
I waded through the knee-deep snow with new urgency. The cold air did nothing to chill the excitement that warmed me from the inside out. There would be no more safe, boring bedroom in the Mage Division. No more fighting with Alba about everything. No more disappointment. No more rejection.
I was free—alone and free. The Badlands spread around me in a wintry expanse—vast, frozen, and flawless.
The narrow crack behind the tower of rocks led to the tunnel. I ducked inside, relieved to have shelter from the snow. My gloved hands trembled as I shoved my pack into the tunnel in front of me. I crawled on my hands and knees, pushing my pack as I went. The snowy light on the other end drew closer.
First, I’d set up a simple, cozy winter camp. When spring arrived, I’d—
No! The crater wasn’t empty. It was the furthest thing from empty.
An enormous, wooden palace filled its center, clearly inhabited, its magnificent glass windows glowing with silvery light.
I gaped at the building, my brain struggling to keep up with the monstrosity filling my vision. The palace fit the exact description of the Masters’ dwelling I’d read about in the paper—simple yet elegant symmetry, adorned with perfectly spaced columns carved in the architectural style of the Kireth homeland. This enormous dwelling, so incongruous in the wild Badlands, was exactly what my parents had been searching for in the Badlands. How powerful were these mages, that they’d moved an entire palace into this hidden crater?
Fear shot through me, but it was laced with triumph. I straightened my spine and inhaled deeply, the icy air filling my lungs and numbing my panic. The Masters were here. I’d found them.
They probably thought they were safe and hidden. And they were. No one in Theros knew about this crater. The Masters wouldn’t be expecting me.
I’d dreamed of being like Dad. Well, here was my chance.
I tossed my gloves onto my pack, then whipped out my crossbow and hurried toward the grand palace entrance, the thick blanket of snow quieting my every movement.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, terror hovered like a swarm of bees, preparing to strike and sting. I moved faster through the snow, rushing to quash the sensation of fear.
Wasn’t this what I’d always wanted? A chance to make a difference—to go out and have adventures on my own, without depending on anyone else? The ultimate mission had just been dropped in my lap. There was no way I’d give it up now. I wasn’t a coward.
The hallway inside the palace’s entrance was gleaming and elegant but empty. I padded through it silently, my wet boots leaving puddles of snowmelt on the wood floor. Traces of the Masters’ evil magic tingled against my skin, making my clothes feel overly warm and scratchy.
Voices echoed down the hall—a man and a woman arguing, and in the background of their conversation, a steady whirring noise. I approached slowly, silently. The door
was open. I notched a bolt and cocked my crossbow, then swung into the room and fired.
Whoosh. A vicious force hit my body head on, sending me into the air.
“What have we here?” I caught a glimpse of a thin, blond man waving his hand before tingly wind rushed against me, whirling me around in the air before them.
Alarm curdled my stomach. The terror that had been hovering in my mind rushed through me at once, robbing me of any thought or feeling but fear.
“Zel.” Another glimpse—a beautiful woman stood beside him and eyed me hungrily. “She has been with Zel. Can you not sense it?”
The wind disappeared. I landed hard on the floor with a bruising crash, near-blind from panic.
The man said something, but I lurched to my feet, unable to focus on his words. Would they kill me right away or torture me first? My pulse throbbed in my ears. If I tried to run, would I make it any distance before their magic brought me down?
“Zel must pay,” the woman said. “You said she would pay.” She pointed her finger. Magic rushed over me, freezing my legs and arms in place.
“Yes, she will.” The man sounded annoyed. “But—”
“She will. She must.” There was a spinning wheel in front of me, I noticed numbly, a spinning wheel that held endless coils of glowing, silver thread.
“What is your name?”
Even in the haze of my terror, I managed to press my lips together. I wasn’t giving these monsters anything they wanted, no matter how small.
She took a crystal vial from the pocket of her violet robe and tossed the contents over me. “Tell me. Now.”
An ugly, stinging sensation slithered across my face, into my mouth, and down my throat. I gagged. “Briar Rose.” My mouth uttered the words involuntarily, my throat jerking like I’d vomited them up.
She held up a silvery spool of thread, her eyes bright and excited. “You belong to us now, Briar Rose.”
“The creature is ours, of course, but won’t you slow down a moment?” The man glided out of his chair and joined her in front of me, his lips pursed. “You must not use your own thread on such a thing, Elektra. It’s beneath you. Find a grubby Badlander to use up if you want to make a new curse.”
“Did you learn nothing from that mess with Drusilla?” Elektra pulled a loop of silver thread from the spool, licked her fingers, and rubbed the end. “You just told me the sorbus needs five more years to grow, which means her curse will be a long one. And a good, lengthy curse needs a true Master’s will to fuel it, or it will grow dull and clumsy at the end, right when it is most needed.” She lifted one eyebrow at him, then returned her attention to the thread. “Honestly, Piers, it’s like you don’t want to sacrifice anything for the mission these days.”
“Not sacrifice anything!” The man scowled. “You know full well what I intend to sacrifice. I simply don’t want to see you debase yourself. If you insist on using one of us, let me call one of the younger ones to give up a bit of will for your curse. It’s only proper.”
“Debase myself? I’d happily exploit every last bit of my own will in order to complete the Master’s plans. It is a high honor, old man.” She winked at me. If I could have moved, I would have shivered at the ugly delight in her eyes. “And it will be amusing to control this angry little thing. Truly amusing.” She threaded the needle, then shut her eyes and released a long, slow breath. A cloud of silver hovered around the threaded needle. “How old are you, Briar Rose?”
Bile filled my mouth as the magic choked the answer from me. “Thirteen last month.”
Elektra pouted but kept her eyes shut. “Too bad. I thought an eighteenth birthday would be nice for this one’s ending, but you want five years, right, Brother?”
“Five years, yes.” Piers sounded bored.
The silver cloud around Elektra’s needle grew, making the air in the room sizzle.
I absorbed its trace instinctively, every nerve in my body bristling at the hateful feel of her magic.
“I’d hate to rush needlessly and cut things short simply for the poetry of the moment,” she murmured.
The man yawned. “You are the only one thinking of poetry right now.” He regarded me with a curled lip and hooded eyes. “Death, I suppose? Back here in our palace, so that Zel follows? I imagine you want Zel to witness things firsthand, or you would have just killed her by now.”
“Yes, yes. But not death. Eternal sleep.” Elektra furrowed her brow in concentration. “It will be more fun that way. And live bait will be more effective, especially when Zel arrives for the end.”
Piers grimaced. “Knew you’d say that. You’re predictable.”
Her lips twitched, and she turned away from him slightly, as though hiding her amusement. “Predictably brilliant.” Her voice was deadpan, but still, that secretive twist of humor remained on her lips.
“Are you going to curse it or not?”
“Curse.” The silvery cloud intensified, growing completely opaque. There was a crack, and the shiny mist disappeared. What was left of the color in Elektra’s visage faded visibly, and her rigid posture softened. Her eyes fluttered open, her expression tired but satisfied. The huge spool of glowing thread was gone, replaced by a single, finger’s length of thread that glowed so brightly, it hurt my eyes. “Definitely curse.”
“You used quite a bit of that thread, you know. It does seem wasteful.” Piers crossed his arms. “And if you want to make a truly perfect curse, you need its will, too. Or have you forgotten the curse that made us?”
“I want the fulfillment to be pretty,” Elektra said testily. “Is that so wrong? And no, I haven’t forgotten about the creature’s will. Just because the rest of you are too stingy with your will to make a good curse doesn’t mean we’ve all given up on the Master’s ancient methods.”
“And how do you plan to obtain its will? You’ve frozen the thing.”
Motion flashed. Something tore. Elektra loomed over me, gripping my torn jacket in her claw-like fingers. She uttered a strange word.
The immobilizing magic fled, leaving me shaking like a dry branch in the winter wind, paralyzed by fear now, instead of magic.
“I know exactly where your mother and father are right now,” she hissed, her previously playful tone now icy and dark. “And that foolish, chubby sister of yours, too. I know everything.” She yanked down my jacket, exposing my bare shoulder and upper chest. With her other hand, she held the threaded, glowing needle over my heart. “Accept my curse, or I’ll toss my plans for Zel and simply kill them now.” She leaned closer, meeting my eyes with a cold, unwavering stare. “One curse, and I’ll be in their sitting room. Another, and I’ll break their necks. What’s it going to be? Your family, or your will?”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. “M-my family,” I whispered. “Please.”
Her nostrils flared. “Say the words. Say you accept.”
“I accept.”
She jabbed the needle into my heart.
Chapter 5
Asylia was dark, rainy, and cold, its narrow streets ugly and dirty compared to the pristine, snow-covered peak where I’d left Elektra and Piers.
Where I’d left my new Masters.
It was the dinner hour when I reached home. The downstairs windows in our narrow, three-story villa lit up the rainy night like beacons.
I plodded down the street toward windows at a steady cadence, heedless of puddles and the bone-deep ache in my feet after three days at a bruising pace through the Badlands. Every time I slowed, the curse shot a warning spike of sizzling pain into my heart, snarling in my mind with orders to keep walking. At times, it had even wrested control of my body, forcing my feet forward with its own, controlling magic.
I was just steps from our front door when it crashed open.
“Bri! Oh, honey!” Mom shot out and raced down the steps, her blonde hair wild and loose. She wrapped me in an embrace that smelled like coffee and honey.
I wanted to cling to her, to sob, to beg her to save me. A searing p
ain shot into my heart, making me see stars. The threat was obvious enough. I kept my arms at my sides, too terrified to cry.
The curse allowed her to hug me, but it growled inside me at her nearness, making my chest ache. Hate you, hate you, Zel, the curse hissed at her, its raspy, animalistic voice a warped echo of Elektra’s. You will pay. Traitor! You will come to us. You will see the end firsthand, and you will know we have won.
“Where have you been? We were so worried! We’ve been searching the city for you for days! We were just about to lead a team out to the Badlands.” Mom loosened her grip slightly and leaned back to study my face. “What happened? Did you leave the city?”
“Just wanted to get away for a while. I’m back now.”
The curse growled.
I pulled out of Mom’s grip and walked toward the house, my movements jerky.
Dad and Alba emerged from the door, wearing matching expressions of bewilderment. Even in the dark, wet night, I could see how much they truly looked like father and daughter, the observation still painful when I would have thought my heart would be fully numb by now.
“What— Well—” Mom sputtered, then rushed to stand between me and the door. “You can’t just leave whenever you want! There will be consequences. You aren’t going anywhere for a long, long time, Bri.”
The curse seemed to give a satisfied stretch, then relaxed like a well-fed cat. That’s right. I could almost envision it smiling with Elektra’s pleased smirk. Long, long time.
“Fine with me,” I managed as I avoided Mom’s gaze and dodged past her, ignoring Dad and Alba as I entered the villa and hauled myself upstairs. “I honestly don’t care.”
My bedroom was unchanged. Bare, oppressive walls. A narrow bed. A neat, boring desk.
The curse directed me to the crack in the floor beneath the wardrobe, where I’d hidden the adventurer’s journal and the maps I’d used to find the crater in the Gold Hills.
Working quickly, I stuffed them into a small, empty trunk, then opened my luminous lamp and poured the glowing, golden liquid into the trunk. Dad’s footsteps sounded on the stairs as I topped the concoction off with a near-dead suffio ember from my room’s hearth, then latched the trunk and gave it a firm shake.