Cursed

by Monica Wolfson

  He glanced over his shoulder to tell her what he’d done and froze when he saw her prone body on the ground. Evan darted over to Sasha’s crumpled body on the stone floor. He crashed to the ground, knocking the air of out of his lungs as he gripped her upper arms and pulled her limp body into a hug. He shook her gently growing, his heart beating double time, when she didn’t respond. His heart raced so fast he felt it in his throat and found it hard to swallow.

  “Wake up,” he murmured. “I did it. I burned the talisman. You’re free from the curse.”

  Sasha was warm but Evan noticed a blue tinge on her lips. Alarmed, he shook her more vigorously.

  “Wake up,” he yelled. “Don’t die on me.”

  He felt her neck for a pulse and couldn’t detect one. He put his head on her chest and when it didn’t rise or fall he realized she wasn’t breathing. Evan laid her on her back, placed clasped hands on her upper left breast and heaved downward. He pumped vigorously and counted aloud.

  “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,” he chanted as he did chest compressions. “C’mon I know I wasn’t too late.”

  He shifted his weight so that he was directly overtop and pumped harder.

  “Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty.”

  He tilted her head back, plugged her nose, blew air into her mouth and then continued with chest compressions. “Sasha I did this all for you. Now wake up dammit.”

  He continued to perform CPR although Sasha didn’t wake up.

  “Twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, twenty four, twenty five, twenty six, twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty,” Evan stopped. He tilted back Sasha’s head, pulled open her mouth and plugged her nose. He breathed into her slightly less blue lips. He gave her two breaths and then went back to pumping her heart.

  “Thirty one, thirty two, thirty three, thirty four,” Evan quit counting out loud but continued pushing down on her heart to get it started.

  After five minutes, Evan checked for signs of recovery and saw none. “Nooooooooooo,” he screamed as he collapsed over her body, tears streaming down his face. He listened for a breath, heard none. He put his hand over her heart and felt no movement. He couldn’t believe she was dead.

  He gathered her in his arms. He tenderly traced the curve of her cheek and gently brushed hair behind her ear. She was so beautiful. He’d never kiss those rosy lips again. He wouldn’t see her bright brown eyes twinkle with mischief. He’d never feel the warmth of her smile.

  Tears ran down his face like a stream. One forearm wiped away the mess as he clutched Sasha to him, afraid to let go.

  This was why he didn’t want to get close to her or anyone. Never getting to know her would have hurt less than losing her after knowing how special she was. Everyone left him. He was always alone.

  Evan heard a caustic laugh behind him. He didn’t turn around because he knew who it was. The queen walked in front of him. She gloated at the very act that was causing him so much grief. Evan vowed he wouldn’t talk to her but couldn’t resist.

  “Only an evil toad would be happy with her granddaughter’s death,” he said hoping it was insulting. “Only a soulless woman would kill her granddaughter.”

  Vania stopped laughing, but had a smirk on her lips.

  “I don’t take pleasure in Sasha’s death,” she said. “I actually liked the girl. She had spunk. It’s her mother’s pain that I’m after.”

  Vania turned, her long skirts flowed behind her like a red puddle.

  “It’s a long story-.” Evan cut her off.

  “That I don’t want to hear because I’m going to kill you for what you did to Sasha,” he said charging the queen. Before he could get near her she put up a hand and a blue ball of energy grew in her palm. She launched it at Evan and the energy formed a barrier around him. He was stopped in his tracks and locked in a blue energy cage. Evan couldn’t move, turn or sit.

  “I’m going to finish my story and then you’ll go home and tell Willow what happened,” the queen said. “It wasn’t just that Willow left me alone. Abandoned our plans for building our empire. She worked against me.

  “She went off and led a band of thieves and robbed all of the prominent households in the realm. It wasn’t just that she defied me,” the queen said stroking her neck. “She humiliated me and that I could not tolerate.”

  The queen walked to the curtained area in the corner.

  “I will let you leave this realm unharmed so that you can report to Willow. I warn you do not return because you are not welcome.”

  When the queen left the room, the energy cage dissipated although a few twinkles of blue energy cells clung to his hand. Evan fell to his knees and clutched the energy cells in the palm of his hand. He felt like a failure. He’d come so far only to lose in the end.

  Sasha appeared peaceful but Evan decided not to give up. Sasha wouldn’t give up on him. He looked at his hands and stared at the few blue sparks clinging to him from the energy cage the queen had created and an idea formulated in his mind.

  He leaned over her body and slammed a fist against her chest bone, pushing the blue sparks forcefully into Sasha’s chest. He did this again and again until the sparks were gone and began compressions again. He hoped he’d jolted her heart into waking with the help of magic.

  He continued chest compressions until Sasha’s face flushed with color and she took a deep breath and started coughing. She turned on her side and retched.

  Overjoyed Evan fell back and cried in earnest, tears streamed down his face in a vast waterfall. He didn’t care if Sasha saw him crying, he was so relieved that she was alive.

  He gathered her into his arms and squeezed her tightly. She was alive. She was alive. He let out a huge sigh and let her go slumping against the wall, exhausted from the physical effort and emotional drain of thinking he’d lost her. His eyes drooped and he felt like curling up in a ball and going to sleep.

  “Evan, I’m ok,” she sputtered.

  “Only after you died,” he sighed.

  “I did?”

  “Don’t do it again. I don’t think I could handle it again.”

  Sasha sat up gingerly and crawled to where he was sitting, curled up under his arm and hugged his chest. “Did it hurt losing me?”

  “Like I lost a piece of my heart,” he said thickly.

  “I’m here now,” she whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Evan kissed her forehead and pulled her to him tightly. He didn’t have energy for anything more.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Sasha knocked on Glenbury’s front door not sure what she’d find in the shack. The queen might have destroyed the portal and Glenbury with it.

  She let out a sigh of relief when the wrinkled old man opened the door. He seemed surprised to see them. That worried Sasha.

  “Thought we’d be dead?” she said pushing into his hovel. The floor was still dirt. There were big cracks in the walls exposing the inside to the outdoors that she hadn’t noticed before.

  “Did something happen here?” she said moving around. The rocking chair was overturned and a lit candle was on its side. Evan followed her into the house quietly closing the door.

  Glenbury ran around the room looking flustered.

  “My child it’s not safe,” he said righting the lit candle. “The queen is coming.”

  Sasha glanced at Evan. He frowned but didn’t say anything. She sighed and reached out to the boy who had saved her life. She clutched his hand afraid to let go. Was she ever going to get away from that wretched woman?

  Now that the curse was broken, she guessed the queen would have to kill her the old fashioned way. At home that would be a gun. Here she assumed the queen would have to resort to a knife or maybe get one of her lackeys to shoot her.

  Now that the spell has been disarmed Sasha could use magic to save herself. She worried she might become overwhelmed if the militia men shot at her from multi
ple directions. She could put up a shield she supposed. She was theorizing when Glenbury broke through her thoughts.

  “We must hurry,” he said struggling to push furniture into the same triangle shape that Dominic used. Evan dropped her hand and stepped forward to help the old man. Glenbury was panting from exertion. Sasha reached out and touched his arm.

  “Shouldn’t we do this outside?” she asked.

  Glenbury shook his head. “We can’t risk it. The queen isn’t coming to kill you. She knows you are alive. She thinks you tricked her.”

  “How do you know?” she said.

  “Don’t ask stupid questions girl,” Glenbury barked. “Just help me.”

  Sasha scrambled around the room aiding Glenbury in setting up the triangle and the candles.

  “Will Queen Vania find out you helped us?” Sasha said.

  “Maybe,” he replied without elaborating.

  “Queen Vania will be angry. Maybe she’ll hurt you.”

  “Maybe,” he said simply.

  When it seemed Glenbury was ready, Sasha stepped into the void between the chairs tugging Evan with her. Glenbury sprinkled the stinky ashes around the perimeter. When he passed in front of Sasha she reached out and touched the rough sleeve of his burlap shirt.

  “Thank you,” she said in such a small voice it sounded like a whisper. She clutched the inscribed stone in her left hand as Dominic had instructed. She slipped her free hand into Evan’s. She needed his strength. She wondered if she’d ever to get to a point where she wouldn’t.

  Glenbury nodded curtly. Sasha heard horse hooves on the road. She felt panic tingling in her stomach and hoped Glenbury could get the spell done in time.

  Glenbury walked around them mumbling the spell and Sasha caressed the stone thinking of her time and place. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Dominic’s yard and stones. Images of the ceremony Dominic used to send them to Tysseland flashed.

  Sasha could hear yelling outside the shack. She feared it was too late and they would have to stay in Tysseland forever. She turned to Evan one last time. What if they got lost in the portal? She had to tell him how she felt but she didn’t know what to say.

  “I don’t want to lose you,” she said softly gazing into the bright blue pools of his eyes. “You mean too much to me. I just want you to know,” words stuck in her throat. The air in the shack swirled with dust and the candle’s flame grew to a ridiculous height.

  The front door of the shack blew open and crashed against the wall. Glenbury stumbled but didn’t fall.

  Evan squeezed her hand and she stared into his eyes brimming with tears. He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm softly like the touch of a feather.

  “I’m your--,” he said and she couldn’t hear the rest They were sucked into the portal just as Queen Vania stepped into the shack a blue energy ball in her hand. She threw it at them but it harmlessly hit the wall behind them because they were already gone.

  Dominic was sitting on a lawn chair peeling an orange when Sasha stumbled out of the portal. She fell to her knees feeling nauseous. She was exhausted. She bent her head into her lap and covered her face with her hands. She should probably shed tears of joy but she was too tired.

  Evan fell into the grass beside her. He lay on his side, eyes closed.

  Dominic didn’t react to their return. He continued to munch on his orange as he watched them.

  No one said anything for the longest time. Sasha finally broke the silence.

  “How long have we been gone?” She asked.

  Dominic glanced at his watch and shrugged. “An hour maybe,” he said nonchalantly.

  Sasha nudged Evan with her foot.

  “How long were we there? Eight? Nine hours?”

  “At least,” he moaned lying on his back with his arm thrown across his eyes.

  Sasha crawled to Evan and put her face close to his. He seemed ok but she knew portal travel was hard on him.

  “You ok?” She asked her hand on his.

  He nodded his response but didn’t lift his arm.

  “Can we get some water over here?” she growled.

  Dominic disappeared into the house and returned with two glasses. Evan drank his greedily while she sipped. The water was cold and refreshing.

  “So?” Dominic said casually returning to his seat.

  Sasha turned her attention to Dominic and smiled. She knew what he wanted to know. She wanted to make him ask for it but that seemed petty.

  “Evan was successful,” she said.

  Dominic raised an eyebrow and looked between Evan and Sasha.

  “Yes, Evan,” she said. “He destroyed the talisman. I was too dead to help him.”

  Dominic didn’t react and popped an orange slice in his mouth.

  “I expected as much,” he said.

  “You thought I’d die?” She said incredulously. She couldn’t believe he’d allow her to go to Tysseland if he realistically thought she’d die. That seemed too cruel. “There was a high probability. I warned you that you probably wouldn’t live out the day.”

  Dominic continued eating in a calm manner while Sasha seethed inside.

  “I thought you were being sarcastic,” she spat. “Being your usual negative self. Here I thought I’d thank you for your help but it turned out you knowingly sent me to my death and didn’t even bother to come with us to improve our odds.”

  Dominic sniffed unaffected by her anger.

  “I couldn’t join you,” he said. “I created the portal.”

  Dominic offered his peeled orange to Sasha. She grabbed it roughly, pissed that he didn’t seem to care about whether she lived or died.

  Sasha bit down on a piece of orange, the juice bursting in her mouth. She took her time slurping and chewing. She offered some to Evan but he still had a hand over his eyes.

  “Are you going to give me the details?” Dominic said finally showing some impatience.

  “I haven’t decided,” she said still feeling ornery. Although they had broken the curse she didn’t feel entirely safe. The queen had still tried to kill her as she was leaving. She feared she was always going to be a target.

  “Perhaps we should keep the dead part from your mother,” he said suddenly nervous.

  It was Sasha’s turn to laugh.

  “Afraid of my mother?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  Sasha laid in the grass and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. She smelled fresh cut grass, roses and the sweet scent of some blossoms from a bush growing in Dominic’s backyard.

  She wasn’t sure she’d get back home and she wanted to appreciate every moment of her return.

  “How did you destroy the talisman?” Dominic asked eager for details although trying to restrain himself.

  “I didn’t,” Sasha said not turning her gaze from staring at the clouds in the sky. “Evan saved me.”

  She described what happened in the queen’s tomb and motioned for Evan to supply the details about the talisman destruction.

  Evan rolled onto his side still recuperating from the portal travel. He picked up a slice of orange and nibbled gently. He took a sip of water and swallowed slowly. Sasha suspected he was drawing out his motions to make Dominic antsy and she loved it.

  Evan explained how he found a lock of brown hair in a delicate box that could only belong to a member of the royal family. It was lined with purple velvet and had a crown carved onto the outside. He destroyed the hair with fire and then decided to burn all the talismans just in case he’d made a mistake.

  Dominic leaned forward, on the edge of his seat. “You destroyed everything?”

  Evan nodded and flopped back in the grass exhausted.

  “That might have repercussions,” Dominic said leaning back in his seat deep in thought. “She’ll be fabulously furious. That might even be why she chased you to Glenbury’s house.”

  Even shook his head. “She wouldn’t have known that quickly. I put all the boxes back.”

  Dominic burst
out laughing. “That’s beautiful. She might not know for months, years even.”

  Dominic chuckled heartily and nearly fell off his chair. Sasha smiled at his enjoyment and tried to share in his glee.

  “Why did she chase us?” She asked Dominic after giving him a few moments to regain his composure.

  His shoulders rose in an exaggerated shrug. “Maybe she knew you were alive,” he said. “We’ll never know unless we see her again.”

  Sasha shuddered at the thought and rolled onto her knees. “No thanks,” she said. “I guess it’ll have to stay a mystery.”

  Sasha didn’t keep anything from her mother. Since she understood so little about what was going on she figured she’d provide her mother with information overload so she could sort it all out.

  “Sasha, is that you?” her mother yelled from another room. Sasha stood in the foyer, clothing torn and dirt smudging her face. She dropped her knapsack with a clunk. She’d thrown out the burlap dress at Dominic’s house.

  Willow Bean swept into the room and halted seeing a disheveled Sasha. She rushed over to her daughter and tried to give her a hug.

  “Sasha, what’s happened?” She pulled Sasha into her arms. She slackened the embrace when Sasha moaned in pain. “Tell me what’s wrong? Where have you been? I’ve been searching for you.”

  Sasha pulled away from her mother and dragged herself to the family room. She flopped down on a leather sofa and asked for a drink.

  “Mother you lied to me,” Sasha said leaning back into the sofa cushions. “You’ve been lying to me my whole life.”

  Her voice was surprisingly calm. She thought she’d be hysterical when she confronted her mother about not adequately protecting her. She thought she’d never be able to forgive her for the danger she had to face. A danger her mother should have defused years ago.

  Willow Bean was stunned. “What are you talking about Sasha?” she came into the family room carrying a glass of water.