Curse and Whisper

by A J Gala

  “A lot of ugly situations have found the queen all at once, and she’s realizing that the kind of person it takes to handle them is one completely unlike who she is now. She needs all of you to keep her positive.”

  Rori shook her fingers through her curls and took a deep breath. “You said you needed a favor, Phio?”

  “Right! Actually, it isn’t for me. It’s for Titha.”

  Rori tilted her head to the side. “For Titha? What does she need?”

  “It’s for her orchard watch tonight. She said she’s feeling exhausted after today’s events. Could you make her something that would wake her up?”

  She stood up and wiped her hands on her pants. “Wait, I have the orchard watch tonight.”

  “Are you sure? Titha said she has it tonight. Is yours tomorrow?”

  She shrugged. “I guess it is. I really need to pay more attention to that schedule.” She rummaged through her desk drawers until she found a glass jar of black seeds. “Grind these up and mix them with some water. Should wake her right up. Just a little palmful, though, or she’ll be too jittery to concentrate.”

  “Thanks. I’ll give her the instructions. Try to take it easy for the rest of the night, Rori. Sitting out here in a dark, damp shed isn’t doing you any good.”

  “Have a good evening, Phio.”

  No one knew Bee Sloat very well. Most people wouldn’t speak to her. She was a mouthy thirteen-year-old taller than some grown men and just as solid. Other children would have teased her for it if they’d had the guts.

  The sky over Suradia grew dark, and the lanterns inside House Hallenar glowed bright. The silver dinner knife in the girl’s hands gleamed in the light.

  “Where are you sneaking off to?”

  The sound of Phio’s voice made her jump. She spun around and found him sporting a shy wave and a sack around his shoulder.

  “Bee, is it?”

  “Yeah. Who the hell are you?” She didn’t quite have the audacity to pull the knife on an adult, but she spun the handle slowly through her fingers.

  “Professionally, I go by Heywood. You stirring up trouble tonight?”

  “Why? You have a mind to stop me?”

  Phio smirked. “I wouldn’t dare. Curious what’s on your agenda is all.”

  Bee put a hand on her hip and scanned the halls. Empty. She grunted.

  “I wanna play a prank, but I can’t find anyone. Except you.”

  “What about the guy around the corner in front of the cells?”

  She looked up at Phio and narrowed her eyes. “The creepy one? He’s one of the queen’s brothers. And he’s on watch.”

  Phio made a little noise and nodded. “I’ve heard a lot about your pranks, Bee. Djara told me they’re legendary. I’m disappointed that something so little would stop you. Too bad.”

  “No, no. That ain’t gonna work on me. I see through you, Heywood. I’m not stupid.”

  “Clearly not.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out two gold coins. “A smart girl knows there’s gotta be more in it for her than some praise, right? Anyone with a craft—be it art or pranks—knows you can’t live off exposure.”

  “Holy shit! Gold?”

  “I’ll give you two gold coins, these right here, if you can shake Lazarus off his post.”

  “And why would you wanna do something like that, hm? Seems to me like having someone stand watch right now is good for all of us.”

  “It is. But I had to listen to him brag about how good he is at this stuff and how nothing gets past him and one thing after another.” He rolled his eyes. “I’d just like to prove him wrong and rub it in his face later is all.”

  Bee folded her arms. “Whatever. Hand it over and watch the magic.”

  She was two gold coins richer as she rounded the corner and filed into the wide space that featured the entrance to the cells. Lazarus stood in front of the short descent into the corridors that held Centa, Meeka, and now Rhett. He did so with crossed arms and a blank stare that regarded the teen curtly.

  “Bee.”

  “Buzz, buzz.” She stuck her nose in the air and turned down a hallway leading out. He’d never done anything to her, but she still couldn’t stand him. The air around him chilled her to the bone in a way that the weather never could.

  He ignored her and rolled the stiffness out of his shoulders. Within minutes, he heard a loud thump.

  “Bee? Everything okay down there?”

  Another loud crash. No other response. Lazarus took in a deep breath and didn’t move. Then, on the third loud noise, he ran down the hall from his post to investigate.

  Phio crept around the corner and stared down the now unguarded entrance to the cells. He didn’t know how much time he had left. Bee was ripping paintings off the walls and taunting Lazarus farther and farther away. Phio quit hesitating and raced down the stairway.

  The cells were well lit for now, but it was late, and when the lantern light burned out, they likely wouldn’t be lit again until morning. Centa and Meeka perked up right away.

  “Phio!”

  “No one has been down to see us all day!” Meeka grumbled.

  Phio shushed them. “And no one is supposed to be! Stay quiet, or you’re going to get me thrown in here with you!” He stopped at Centa’s cell door and rummaged through the bag slung across his shoulder. “Get to the kitchen. There’s two canteens and a travel sack in the pantry. Leave through the orchard and meet up at that shithole Secret Teller.” He found two thin metal rods and started picking the lock. “Understand?”

  “Wait, are you staying behind?” Centa asked him.

  “I’ll be right behind you. Almost. You two slip out first.”

  Meeka covered her mouth through happy, relieved gasps. “This is really happening?”

  Low, scratchy laughter rolled down from the end of the corridor. Scathing laughter. Condescending laughter. Rhett’s corner of the cells was dark.

  A chill ran down Meeka’s spine. “Should we kill him on our way out? Do this family one last favor?”

  “Please.” Rhett peered from behind the bars as he gripped them tightly. “I dare you. Come do this family one last favor.”

  She held the pommel of Golgotha tight, and Rhett laughed again.

  “Run all you want. You’ll never escape us. Not really. We’re a curse.” His smile showed faintly from the shadows. “One of us already haunts you, girl. I’m right, aren’t I? I can tell what you’ve seen. I didn’t think Lazarus had the nerve—I’m impressed.”

  Meeka gritted her teeth. “Shut up, or I’ll carve my name in your throat.”

  “Ooh, she’s a Hunter, an escaped criminal, and an artisan!”

  “Ignore him,” Phio said. The door to Centa’s cell swung open, and he moved to Meeka’s. “There’s a brew in the canteens to wake you up when the adrenaline wears off. We can’t risk slowing down for even a second. We have to travel through the night.”

  “Where should we go?” Centa asked. “North is the first place they’ll look. They’ll expect us to go to Kamdoria or Caequin.”

  “I know where we can go.” Meeka glared at Rhett’s corner. “I’ll tell you when we’re out.”

  Her door swung open, and Phio ushered her out. “Centa, take her. Go. I told you the plan. I’ll be right behind you, but if I’m not—”

  “I got it Phio, I got it. Come on, Meeka.”

  They were gone. Phio remained, staring down at Rhett. The Hallenar chuckled.

  “What? Is it my turn?”

  Phio sucked in a breath and approached him. “Is there a soul in there? A heart, maybe? Anything?”

  He huffed. “Of course. Everything I’ve done has had a purpose. Don’t listen to the others. They choose to be blind.”

  “If there’s anything in you besides wickedness, find it and do us a favor. Please.”

  “What fucking favor could I possibly do from here? If I even gave a shit.”

  “Tell Adeska and the children that we’re sorry. And that we love them.”


  Rhett scoffed. “If you’re down here at all, that means Lazarus must have stepped away. You’d better leave before he gets back.”

  He didn’t have to be told twice. Whatever mischief Bee was causing was more than enough to keep Lazarus busy, and Phio slipped out of the cells unnoticed. All was quiet in the kitchen too. Athen and Isa had left some time ago. With the orchard door unlatched, it seemed that Centa and Meeka had made a swift escape.

  He didn’t feel like he deserved to follow them, though. Someone should stay behind for Adeska, he thought. Someone should stay to serve out the rest of the sentence.

  “Don’t be an idiot,” he mumbled to himself. “She’ll be fine. She has her family. She has her children. Centa has no one.”

  He left. He raced through the orchard in the dead of night and was breathless through it all. This was it. It was over. Their old life was over. Relief for the escape sat on the surface, but just below it all was a roiling sea of guilt and anguish. They’d worked so hard for their life, and yet again, he would have to mourn its death and move on.

  Amidst the insects, he could hear the hurried crunch of leaves ahead of him. And then it stopped, and he heard a voice.

  “Meeka? Centa?”

  He recognized it and froze.

  “What the hell are you two doing out here? Who let you go?”

  Just beyond the two silhouettes, he saw Allanis sitting by Genesis. Phio swallowed hard as he watched her rise.

  “I did.” He joined them and watched wrath spread across the queen’s features.

  “To think if I hadn’t come out here tonight, you three would have slipped out of here clean and free.” Akasha glowed blue at her necklace. “I trusted you, Phio. I knew I shouldn’t have, but once again, I was stupid.”

  Centa put his arms out. “Allanis, please! I don’t want to hurt anyone else—”

  “Then get back in your cell.” She clenched her fists. “That’s the only way to keep the rest of the world safe from you.”

  “No!” Phio ran in front of them. “He is not going back there, neither is Meeka. The three of us are getting the hell out of here at any cost, Allanis! Do not put this to the test!”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “Alli?”

  Lazarus’s voice made bile crawl up Meeka’s throat. She gripped Golgotha’s hilt tight and slid it out of its sheath. Allanis’s eyes went wide as she saw the glint of the silver blade.

  “Alli, are you still out here? They’re gone!”

  They heard him trek through the trees and brush. Allanis’s fists shook, but her magic died. The sweat of fear was cold on her body.

  “Go,” she spat. “Get the hell out of Suradia and never come back. If I see any of you ever again, so help me gods, I’ll swing the axe over your necks myself.”

  They didn’t waste a second and ran, their steps a flurry of crunching leaves.

  When Lazarus found Allanis by Genesis, she was staring out toward the town. Alone. Three figures could just barely be seen in the darkness.

  “Rhett’s still secured, but the other two… are you hurt?” he asked.

  “My pride. Otherwise, no.”

  “You let them go?”

  She folded her arms, and her shoulders fell. A drop of rain landed on her forehead. More followed.

  “It was either that, or I kill them where they stood. Adeska would’ve never forgiven me.” And it would’ve only taken Meeka one good opportunity with Golgotha to kill Lazarus. “Two out of three of my prisoners escaped, but everyone’s still alive. I’ll take it.”

  She turned and headed back inside.

  Vayven 17, 1144

  “Thank you for your stay! You two were excellent guests!” Naia said. “You’re welcome back any time.” She collected a small tip from a couple of dragonkind before seeing them out of the front door of Sheerspine Spire.

  She waved goodbye as they ventured off into the sunrise.

  “How’s it look out there?” Aleth asked, brushing crumbs off countertops in the common room.

  “Rain let up, for now. Looks like a nice, calm, sunny morning!” She shut the door and wiped her hands on her thighs. “That means it’ll be a slow day unless the rain comes back. It’ll be nice to get a minute to mess with the Arcane Bindings of this place again. I never know when having you around is going to screw me over.”

  He rolled his eyes but stayed quiet.

  Tizzy came leaping down the stairs with Maran carefully following.

  “Alright! Naia, laundry is done, folded, and ready to go!” Tizzy pumped her fist in the air. “What’s next? I’m ready. Give me something big, I can handle it.” She wiped the tiniest little speck of red from the corner of her mouth.

  Naia shrugged. “I’ve got nothin’. Private paths have been serviced, May and Vel are finishing up public baths, Yasuo and Doddie just finished the kitchen, and Kenway is about done changing out the spell stones. You guys are free to do whatever strange, disturbing things you want.” She jabbed her finger in Aleth’s direction. “But you’re cut off from the booze till you replace everything you’ve polished off!”

  He mumbled something under his breath that no one heard and kept cleaning. A quiet but tense moment filled the common room. But it wasn’t tense with emotion. It was something else. They could all feel it building in the air with each passing second, growing electric. Tizzy looked around for a source as the hair on the back of her neck stood but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Her skin crawled even more.

  “Naia, what’s happening?” she asked.

  Naia’s eyes were locked onto the door. “Dammit. I waited too long to fix the Arcane Bindings after the first time you and Aleth showed up…”

  “Arcane Bindings?” Tizzy asked.

  Naia rubbed her hands together and exhaled. “A very potent magical language. Every syllable is its own spell. For years, I’ve been linking them together to make a magic barrier that keeps your lilitu friend away,” she said bitterly.

  Tizzy balled up her fists. “What? Do you think it’s her? Is it Lilu?”

  A high-pitched buzz went off, and bright light crackled in front of the door. The acrid scent of metal filled the room.

  “Shit!” Naia hissed. “We’re about to find out.”

  Tizzy backpedaled as energy arced in the air in front of her. Then, the energy around the door fizzled and gave way in a shower of short-lived trails of lightning. The door swung open, and Lilu stepped inside. Immediately, Naia’s third eye glowed white.

  “I’ve told you a hundred times, daemon! Stay out of my—”

  “I’m not here for trouble.” Lilu folded her arms. The black Nuntius on her shoulder regarded Naia with a one-eyed blink.

  “Look, everyone, an emotionally defunct lilitu has learned how to lie!” Naia huffed. “Great!”

  “Naia.” Aleth sighed and threw the rag on the table he had been cleaning. “It’s okay. She means it.”

  Tizzy and Naia both looked at him, wide-eyed with confusion and, in Naia’s case, a bit of anger.

  The glow did not leave her third eye. “Something you’d like to share, Aleth?”

  Lilu tapped her foot. “I’m here for him, Tizzy, and the bloodslave. He was told to come back to the Convent, yet he seems to be taking his time.”

  “There was a lot going on in Tal’s message,” Aleth said. “So excuse me if I forgot a couple of details.”

  Tizzy held up her hands. “Hold on, when did you talk to Tal? What message? Why didn’t you say anything? If she wants us back that badly, I think we should get this over with and go.”

  He wasn’t willing to tell her about his dream with Talora. And Adeska. Not now, and maybe not ever. He took one look at Maran and the way she hid behind Tizzy and gestured to the door.

  “Then let’s get our shit and get this over with.”

  Tizzy whispered to Maran, and they went back upstairs to pack.

  Naia finally slammed the front door shut behind Lilu. “Really? You’re leaving? Af
ter how you ran away in the middle of the gods damned storm of the century just to get here?”

  He rubbed his forehead. “Yes. One of these days, Naia, I have to stop running. I run from everything. I’m tired. For once, I think it’s time I just face what’s been chasing me down.”

  “Bullshit. I know you. I know exactly how you operate. You think you’re all steel now, but as soon as that heat comes, you’re gonna wither up and look for a place to hide, and you’ll be right back here!”

  “What the hell, calm down—”

  “What about Doddie, huh? What are you going to tell her? You’re a coward, Aleth!” She stiffened her arms at her sides. “You’re a coward, and you know what? You’re an asshole too! Every time you’re here, you act like you’re gonna be here and things will be normal and—”

  Lilu started to laugh. “Even I can see where this is going.”

  Naia couldn’t even finish her thought and slapped her thighs with a growl. “Doddie!” she yelled. “Doddie, get out here! Your best friend needs to tell you something!”

  Troll Daughter poked her head out of the kitchen and asked if everyone was fighting again. Aleth sat on a tabletop.

  “Not exactly. She’s right, though. I gotta tell you something.”

  The greenkind’s lips pursed into a pout, and her beady eyes looked away. She shuffled out into the common room and asked what was going on.

  “We’re leaving.”

  She reared back and shook her head. “A’gen?”

  “Yes. I’m leaving. Again. I’m sorry, Doddie. Right now, this could never be permanent. But I’ll come back someday. I promise.”

  But his words were not good enough. She growled. One of these days, she proclaimed, it would be her dropping by unannounced and staying for who knows how long before abruptly leaving without a proper goodbye. They were supposed to have a feast. They had even talked about it. Even greenkind didn’t treat their friends so poorly.

  “I’m sorry. Someday things will be normal.”

  She scoffed. Maybe someday he would be normal.

  “Can’t you stick around for Kenway?” Naia asked. “This is ridiculous! And what the hell is with you?” She gestured to Lilu. “I don’t buy that you’re not here to cause trouble. This reeks of trouble.”