A Dragon's Curse

by Lucy Fear

  I should have known you would follow me, Idris said in a resigned tone, folding back his wings so that Maeve could see.

  Fenella grinned. “Actually, I was following Maeve. The Lord and Lady had a feeling she might do something rash. But I knew you'd come after her too. I was only a backup in case you weren’t fast enough.”

  Maeve bowed her head. “I'm sorry I've worried everyone. I feel like every time I try to help I only make more trouble.”

  “We were all young once,” Fenella said, reaching out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You have a big heart, and you don't want your friends to suffer. That's nothing to be ashamed of. But Idris is right, going into the Court of Bones alone and unprepared is playing right into your father's hands. When you go, we’ll go with you, and we’ll have a few tricks up our sleeves.”

  CHAPTER 12

  They left a little over a day later, departing in the gray, silent hours just before dawn. Maeve had chafed at the delay, even as she understood the reasoning. They all needed sleep to be at their best, and there were preparations to make, since, rather than offering herself as the sacrificial lamb, she would be participating in a stealth operation. Fenella had, of course, been inside the fortress quite recently, and she had plenty of ideas how they might get in and out unseen, but she had never been in the dungeons. Now, finally, Maeve felt she could really be useful. Though she had only been in the dungeon once, the entire experience was graven upon her memory, and she was familiar with most of the rest of the castle as well, including the servants’ areas that her father and brother would not dare to enter, an unexpected bonus of her indifferent upbringing.

  Their departure was without any fanfare, which was purposeful. It was obvious now that the Court of Bones had informants inside the estate, and rather than trying to ferret them out, the decision had been made to attempt to avoid them. So Idris, Maeve, and Fenella slipped out the gates with a group of merchants headed back to Serenalis, wearing gray hooded cloaks and glamour to obscure their appearance. Maeve wasn't sure whether the merchants were an incurious lot or if they'd been paid not to ask questions, but she and Idris may as well have been invisible as they walked beside the cart hand in hand.

  It took a couple of hours to walk to Serenalis. Maeve felt strange walking into a moonlit night when she knew the sun should be rising, but the city was as beautiful as always. As they made their way to the toll-gate, she felt a pang of regret that they had never just… walked around it together as a couple. Not that there had been time for that. They were always on the verge of some catastrophe. Idris squeezed her hand as if he had read her mind. “As soon as all this is over with, we’re taking a vacation,” he said.

  “Where are we going to go?” she asked, smiling over at him.

  “Nowhere specific. We’re just going to refuse all official duties, take long walks, eat out at nice restaurants, go to the theatre, and laze around in bed. You know, pretend like we’re a normal couple for a while.”

  “That sounds lovely,” she said, as she looked up and realized they’d reached the gate. The toll-gate was a new concept that the city was trying out. The portal was available for anyone to use for a fee, which they hoped was expensive enough to keep people from using the magic frivolously, but it could be programmed to go anywhere not specifically warded against gates, and, as it was huge, could be used by groups of merchants who pooled their resources to pay the toll. All the proceeds went to the city’s infrastructure. As impressive as all of that was, it wasn’t why they had decided to use it. Only a practiced and powerful magic user could cast a gate; of their group, only Idris was capable, though Maeve had the potential to be. However, such a complex spell left traces that could be read by any practitioner of magic. If someone was watching them, Idris casting a gate would be a dead giveaway. But this gate, powered by the collective magic of Serenalis’ most powerful denizens, was anonymous, leaving no record, either physical or magical, of who had gone through it.

  After paying the fee, Idris walked up to the controls and began fiddling with levers and dials while Maeve and Fenella fidgeted in front of the empty archway. Several minutes passed, and then with a quiet hum, the portal wove itself into being. Idris walked back to them and took Maeve’s arm. “Is everyone ready?” he asked, and both women nodded. “Let’s be on our way.”

  Maeve took a deep breath. Fenella linked their arms together, and the three of them stepped through the gate.

  *************************

  They arrived in the misty gray of the unclaimed lands as they had planned. Gating right into the Court of Bones might have set off some magical defenses, but no one was going to ward the whole court against people walking in and out. Still, they would have to be careful. There was a delicate balance to using enough spells to mask their presence but not so much magic that they stood out from the background. Idris wrapped them all in spells of muffling and forgettability, and they started to walk.

  Fenella led the way, taking them along barely discernible paths through the fog. No one spoke; they were all focused on their surroundings, especially as the dim blankness dissipated, giving way to the familiar craggy landscape of the Court of Bones. Even more than when she had come here with Idris, Maeve felt her father’s presence and the possibly of discovery like a physical weight on her chest. The fact that they seemed to be the only things living only made her feel more exposed.

  They stopped and ate at what was probably midday, but with the endless thunderstorm overhead, it was difficult to know for sure. Her legs were sore from walking, the balls of her feet bruised from the hard, uneven ground. But after a half an hour or so, they had to stand up and keep going. Staying the night out here was much too dangerous, which was saying something, considering that the idea of sleeping in the fortress was terrifying. They could finally see it on the horizon, black and forbidding with innumerable spiked turrets that almost appeared to merge into the darkening sky. Upon seeing it, Maeve felt a surge of relief mingled with dread. It was a place she had hoped never to return to, but if she wanted to help Rhosyn and Oisin, she would have to get inside. Idris squeezed her hand, reminding her of the most important thing. She was not alone.

  They had a brief conference about how they should enter. The castle had no drawbridge or moat, and most of its magical protections were focused on repelling large forces of invaders rather than stealthy intruders. Lord Cian depended on fear to keep himself from thieves and assassins, and furthermore, he rather prided himself on being powerful enough not to bother with the kinds of protections that other courts used around their palaces. However, now that he had valuable hostages, that might have changed.

  “I got in using the servants’ entrance, but they may have tightened up security. Both of you are rather recognizable, and obviously not servants,” Fenella said.

  Idris snorted. “I didn’t realize I would have to brush up on my acting skills, but you're right. They'd be most likely to use glamour detecting spells at the entrances. It’d be easier just to vault over a wall when nobody is looking.”

  “Maybe, if Cian hasn’t thought to protect against that sort of thing.”

  “I suppose our first order of business ought to be to probe the defenses. Seeing whether he’s added any new spells will give us some insight into his thought process.” He took a deep breath, and his eyes went far away for several minutes. Maeve anxiously twirled a lock of her own hair between her fingers, and then he laughed. “He’s added lots of new spells. To keep people in. I suppose Rhosyn has been giving him trouble. But nothing that should give us a problem. He must assume that Father and Mother will try diplomacy first.”

  “I have an idea,” Maeve spoke up, feeling a bit nervous to be inserting herself into a tactical situation. She had never been in any sort of combat before. Idris and Fenella turned to her with interest. “There’s a garden near my old bedroom, the Lady’s garden. No one goes in there, but it’s against the outermost wall. The only real problem is that that wing of the palace is qui
te far from the dungeons.”

  Idris frowned, his brow furrowing. “It’s not ideal, but it’s the best idea we have for now. If we can use the servants’ passages to move around, the distance to the dungeons shouldn’t matter all that much. So where is this garden?”

  It took her a few minutes to get her bearings together; she was used to navigating the castle from inside the walls, not outside them, but finally, they found the small section of wall that enclosed the Lady’s garden. Guards patrolled the battlements above but rarely, since that part of the castle was hardly inhabited. “No wards here either,” Idris said.

  “I can’t tell if Lord Cian is overconfident or simply foolish,” Fenella said, but her expression was as worried as Maeve felt. It seemed too easy. But no detection spell showed anything amiss.

  “I plan to use a natural augmentation to jump over the wall,” Idris said. That was a type of spell that Fenella had discussed with Maeve, but they hadn't yet practiced in which the caster used magic to enhance their physical abilities. The Aos Si didn’t commonly utilize such spells; most preferred flashier magic, but in this case, augmentation was perfect because it was subtle. He held his arm out to her. “If you’ll allow me, my Lady,” he said with a lopsided smile. It took her a moment to understand his intent, but then she went to him, and he scooped her into his arms. In the safety of his embrace, she could almost forget that they were about to sneak into her father’s fortress. He leaned in to kiss her forehead.

  “Focus, children. Now is not the time for courting,” Fenella said, rolling her eyes, but Maeve thought she actually seemed pleased.

  “Are you ready?” Idris asked, and Maeve nodded, swallowing hard. She felt his arms tighten around her as he bent his knees. Then, they flew over the wall, the crest of their leap barely clearing the battlements. The wind whipped over her face as they started to fall, and she screwed her eyes shut. They hit the ground with a jarring thump. Idris grunted and fell to his knees.

  “Are you all right?” she whispered in concern as he released her to the ground. Meanwhile, Fenella soared over the wall and landed lightly on the ground nearby.

  Idris nodded. “I should’ve thought to slow our fall, but I’ll be fine in a minute,” he said, sitting back and putting a hand to his ankle. Maeve took the opportunity to glance around the garden. She hadn’t been inside the Lady’s garden since she was a child; no one had. Her father had forbidden it. He’d had the servants whipped when he found they’d let her play in here, and now, looking around, she realized why. This was a real garden. Even after years, probably centuries, of being allowed to grow wild, it was full of flowers. She recognized the roses climbing everywhere, but there were many other blooms, tall spires of blue and yellow bells, fragrant shrubs, and riotous beds of color abounded. It had a wild beauty, somewhat overshadowed by an aura of gloomy neglect. A chipped fountain stood in the center, long run dry, and the paving stones were cracked and worn. Maeve couldn’t help but imagine what it had looked like when it was cared for, probably when Conall’s mother had been alive. It must have been a wonderful place. She could hardly imagine her father having allowed it.

  “More proof that this court was not always gloomy and depraved,” Fenella said, almost voicing what Maeve had been thinking.

  “Do you think, if we ever manage to break the curse, it can be that way again?” As much horror as she had gone through, Maeve couldn’t help but remember the good moments of her childhood, before Conall had become so cold and grim. She remembered him swinging her in his arms under the sunlight. Maybe her father was beyond help, but that didn’t mean everyone else was. Seeing the garden reminded her that it had not been that long, at least not the way the fae counted time, since the curse had taken effect.

  “All we can do is try,” Idris said, taking her hand and squeezing it. It had become such a common gesture between them, part of a personal code. I love you, it said. Everything is going to work out. “But first, let’s try to find a safe place to rest. Fenella, if you would scout ahead for us?”

  “You could check my room,” Maeve chimed in. “It’s just down the hall, and not anywhere near the rest of the family, but I don’t know whether they would have warded it since I left.”

  “I’ll see what I can find,” Fenella said, and then she seemed to melt into the shadows. Part of what made her such a good spy was the fact that the abilities native to her particular species of nature spirit were much harder to detect than any other type of stealth magic. And most Aos Si never thought to check, long millennia of bigotry leading them to underestimate their fellow fae. A few long, silent minutes passed, and then she reappeared. “The corridor is empty. This whole wing seems deserted, and there doesn’t appear to be any active magic anywhere. I would find that suspicious, except the dungeon and the throne room are practically glowing with power.”

  Idris nodded. “It’s almost too good to be true, but Maeve’s bedroom does seem like the best bet. All we can do is take precautions.” They opened the door of the garden and peered down the hall. It was empty and dark, the torches unlit and the air thick with dust. Quickly and silently, they moved down the corridor until they reached a door that, to Maeve, was almost painfully familiar. It was locked.

  “Don’t use magic, you dolt,” Fenella hissed, shoving Idris aside. She pulled a few pins from her hair and inserted them into the lock, and, after a few seconds, there was a quiet click. She turned the doorknob and the door swung open. Idris raised his eyebrows, obviously impressed enough not to mind that he’d been insulted, and they walked into the room. He shut the door behind them, locking it again, and Maeve took a candlestick from the dresser and lit it with a small fire spell, happy to be able to do at least that on her own. She held the light high over her head to illuminate as much of the room as possible.

  “It looks like no one’s been in here since I left,” she said, looking over the dainty, white furniture with a mixture of nostalgia and unease.

  “This looks like the bedroom of a little girl,” Fenella said in a disdainful tone, picking up a porcelain doll from the dresser and looking at it with pursed lips. Maeve gazed at the room again, the pink bed-linens, the bookshelf full of fairy tales, the paintings of puppies and kittens, and laughed.

  “I guess it does. My brother brought me all of these things. I suppose he never noticed that I grew up. By the time I left, we didn’t spend much time together.”

  “He must’ve really cared for you once,” Idris said. “Maybe he’s not a totally lost cause.” Maeve took his hand, grateful for that small bit of encouragement.

  “You two get some rest,” Fenella said, gesturing to the bed.

  “And what are you going to do?” Idris asked. “I’d rather you wait for us before starting any trouble.”

  “I’m going to have a look around. Don’t worry about me, young man,” she said, straightening her spine and arching her brow. “I was doing this before your mother was a sparkle in her father’s eye.” She disappeared again, and Idris sighed.

  “She takes every opportunity to remind me that she’s seen me in diapers,” he said frowning as he sat down on the bed. They both sneezed at the cloud of dust that rose up. “Come on. Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a rough day,” he said, rubbing his eyes. Maeve sat down next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

  “I know we should rest, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep here,” she said. He wrapped his arm around her back and kissed her cheek.

  “I’m sure this is hard for you. I put an alarm spell on the door, and I’ll be right here. I’ll do whatever I can to protect you, and you have your own magic too. You aren’t a helpless victim anymore.” Warmth swelled in her chest. Somehow, the idea that she could defend herself, however meager her abilities currently were, made her feel safer than anything else. She snuffed the candle and lay down next to Idris. The bed was small and smelled slightly musty, but he pulled her into the curve of his body and she sighed. She wasn't exactly relaxed, but she did feel l
ess like danger was lurking around every corner.

  “I’m sorry I got you wrapped up in this,” Maeve said into the darkness. Idris kissed her hair.

  “You’re worth all of it and more. But even if I wasn’t madly in love with you, intervening in this court is the right thing to do. We wouldn’t have even been aware of how bad things were if you hadn’t showed up. All of the people here, including you, deserve to be free of the shadow of the curse.” She couldn’t think of anything to say, so she simply twined her fingers through his. She could just barely feel the rhythm of his heartbeat against his back, but it was enough to lull her into sleep.

  The room was still dark when they were shaken roughly awake. Fenella’s voice was unusually sharp. “Something big is happening. We’ve got to move.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Maeve was still blinking in confusion when Idris sat up and started asking questions. “What’s going on? Have you seen Rhosyn and Oisin?”

  “I’m not sure. I didn’t get too close to their cell because I didn’t want to disturb the wards, but I was checking out the layout of the rest of the dungeons when I heard a whole troop of guards coming through. I hid just in time, and heard them tell the man at the door that they’d been ordered to bring their ‘special prisoners’ to the throne room. If that’s your siblings, it can’t be good, and if it isn’t, any prisoners Cian considers special have to be worth seeing,” Fenella said, wringing her hands. Seeing her anxious for the first time made Maeve feel slightly ill. But Idris’s expression was calm, if somewhat grim.

  “So we need to get in that throne room. What are our options? Have you examined the wards?” Fenella took a deep breath. Maeve could almost see the years of training falling over her, like a mask. This was her job, and she would do it to the best of her ability no matter the circumstances.