by K. M. Shea
“None so far,” Misha said. “Nor has Nadia returned with news of the wyvern.”
Odette rubbed her forehead. “When she gets back, hold her. She’s tracked that beast ever since it fled our camp. She needs to rest. We’ll dispatch Pyotr to track it in the morning.”
“As you wish, Swan Queen.”
Odette lowered her eyebrows and considered strangling Misha.
“You wouldn’t,” Misha said—guessing her thoughts. “It would leave too much work unattended.”
Odette groaned. “You’re right. And I’m going to need you to play nice with the princes and ladies.”
“You do not wish to converse with Imperial Prince Yakov?” Misha asked. The years of their friendship let Odette detect the faint mocking tone to his voice.
“I haven’t the patience for it. I’m going to make a run for it before they arrive. Tell Alexsei—”
Misha gazed past her. “You can tell him yourself.”
“What?”
“Your aspirations to leave came too late.”
Odette turned around, groaning when she saw Prince Yakov striding down the shore. Behind him, Lady Benno and Alexsei lingered with a woman wearing an iridescent dress that seemed to glow in the faint moonlight.
“Swan Queen!” Prince Yakov called—a large smile blooming across his face.
Odette winced at the volume he used. “Your Imperial Highness,” she said grudgingly.
“You are just as lovely as ever this fine evening—even the stars cannot compare to your great beauty and poise.”
Odette allowed a flat expression to spread across her face. “It seems, as fine as this evening is, it has made you ill in the head.”
Prince Yakov blustered. “I beg your pardon?”
“Great beauty and poise?” Odette quoted. “That’s laying it on quite thick, even for you.”
Prince Yakov gave Odette a flickering grin—the first real one she had ever witnessed. “I will be certain to take note of your preferences and adjust my future mulling accordingly.” He turned to the rest of the camp—his dazzling grin making some of the women and girls giggle. “And good evening to all of you Black Swan Smugglers! You all look well—is it not a most excellent of nights?”
Odette folded her arms across her chest, unimpressed with the show. He doesn’t even think his compliments need to be true, does he? What a pest—I can’t believe he and Alexsei share the same parentage. It would be more believable to claim he and I are siblings! She snorted at the thought, until it occurred to her that if Yakov were in her smuggling band, it was likely that business from the female gender would experience a significant hike.
“Odette?” Alexsei had hurried ahead of Benno and the new lady—his forehead was wrinkled with worry.
She pushed her musings behind her and smoothed her expression. “Alexsei,” she said in a voice that was significantly softer than the one she used to greet Prince Yakov. “You shouldn’t have come.”
Alexsei smiled shyly. “I missed you.” His admission made her stomach squirm.
Stop it, she told herself. She cleared her throat. “I missed you as well—though you could have left your brother behind. Is there a reason he is irritatingly cheerful tonight?” she asked as the ladies drew closer. At this short distance, Odette could see that the unknown lady was breathtaking.
Alexsei’s smile turned sweet. “Odette, please allow me to introduce you to the Lady Enchantress Angelique. Angelique, this is Odette—leader of the Black Swan Smugglers.”
Odette blinked slowly as she tried to process his words. Lady Enchantress? She did another inspection of the beautiful lady—this time seeing her with new eyes. The fabric of her dress changed colors—the mark of spelled cloth for certain—and she did seem to have an unusual, magical sense of elegance and beauty—though frankly she looked quite tired.
But the longer Odette stared at the Lady Enchantress, the more she felt—as horribly presumptuous as it was—a kinship with her. It was in the way she wore the dress. Though it was a flattering cut and was clearly made for her, Odette couldn’t help but feel that the Lady Enchantress was more of a boots-and-steel sort of girl, like her.
I’m being ridiculous. She’s an enchantress—not a farmer’s brat like me. Odette bowed. “Welcome to Swan Lake, Lady Enchantress. I hope the princes explained to you what dangers are present?” she asked as she threw a smile at Benno. I don’t think Rothbart could kill an Enchantress, but it is better to be offensive in caution than to leave things unsaid.
“They did, and I must say, Odette, you are quite brave. When this incident has ended, I hope you will be honored for the great courage and persistence you have shown.” The Lady Enchantress’s eyes glowed with an inner light that told Odette this was not mindless flattery, but a sincere compliment.
Yes, there’s no way this grand lady could be anything like me. Odette dropped her gaze and bowed again. “I thank you for your kind estimation, but I could not possibly hope to claim such praise.”
“She’s right, Odette,” Alexsei insisted.
Odette raised an eyebrow at him. He only smiled and shook his head. She sighed and returned her attention to Enchantress Angelique. “I assume you are here for Rothbart. How can I help you?”
Enchantress Angelique’s eyes flickered between Odette and Alexsei, and she tilted her head, the hint of a sly smile playing at her lips. “You have guessed correctly. I am here for information about Rothbart and—first and foremost—his wyvern.”
“You mean to take the wyvern out first?” Odette asked.
“Yes. Do you disagree with the plan?” Enchantress Angelique asked.
Odette plucked at one of the daggers fastened to her belt. “No. If Rothbart has some sort of means to control the wyvern, it would be dangerous to let it live and face Rothbart when he could call it back. I don’t think he can control it based on our observations, but it may be that he can, and it has merely not suited him to take control yet.”
“Excellent, I look forward to hearing more of your insight,” the Lady Enchantress said. “However, that is only part of my purpose in coming here.”
Odette swallowed, but her mouth was strangely dry. Did Alexsei…?
“Prince Alexsei asked me to inspect your curse and see if I could help. Though I do not have much confidence in my curse-breaking abilities, I can tell you that there are many members of the Veneno Conclave who are gifted in such magic, and they surely will be able to aid you if I cannot.”
Odette had to brace her knees to keep from falling over. She grew lightheaded in her elation, and she would have tottered if Alexsei hadn’t sidled up next to her and curled a supportive arm around her shoulders.
“It’s alright, Odette,” he murmured. “You’ll soon be free.”
She could barely believe it, but she raised her chin and willed herself into control. She offered Enchantress Angelique a shaky smile. “Thank you for taking the time to see if such a thing is possible.”
Enchantress Angelique’s eyes sparkled, and for a moment Odette saw her as what she must be when she was happy—not tired and worn. “Of course, it is my duty to help those in need, but it is Prince Alexsei you must thank. It was he, as I mentioned, who told me of your plight.”
Odette didn’t have the strength to look at the prince, but it didn’t matter. He leaned close and whispered, “I promised.”
“Now then, tell me the particulars of your curse. Were all of you smugglers cursed at once or in stages? Do you know if he used the same spell?”
Odette inhaled deeply, clearing her head. She squared her shoulders and met Enchantress Angelique’s gaze. “There are twenty-three of us, and we were all cursed over the course of two years. Rothbart used the same spell, but he improved upon it each time he cast it.”
“How?” Angelique asked.
“I was among the first to be cursed, and when I turn from swan to human, I am clothed as such, but I have no boots or shoes. Those cursed later make the transformation with footwear. Before he
made adjustments, the length of time for which we were humans varied. Those of us who were first cursed were always allowed to become human as long as the sun was set. Others became human only when there was moonlight; a few could only become human if they remained here at the lake. He varied it almost every time he cast the spell. Since he was experimenting on us, there were quite a few differences, though the bones of the spell were the same every time.”
“How can that be?” Benno asked. She glanced from Misha to Odette. “You’ve all turned human every night I have visited you.”
“Yes,” Odette said. “After Rothbart observed whomever he had recently cursed for a week or two, he would alter the spell so we all shared the same timeline—we would transform every night with no physical boundaries.”
The Lady Enchantress frowned. “He reverted the spell back to the basic one cast upon you? Why would he do that?”
Odette shifted uncomfortably, but Misha had no such reservations. “Because Odette asked him to.”
Enchantress Angelique blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“Odette convinced him to give us all the same curse—I believe she told him if we were a matched set, we would be much more impressive and boast-worthy. It was also how she got him to cast an experimental vigor spell—it’s a strengthening spell that makes us a little tougher than average—upon all of us.”
“You persuaded an evil sorcerer to change his mind?” Enchantress Angelique asked.
Odette sighed. “It wasn’t hard to convince him as I am well acquainted with his vanity. The only thing he is unmoving on is his refusal to release us from the curse.”
“I see. That makes me wonder, though, if he tied each individual spell together.” Unmindful of her beautiful dress, Angelique sat on the rocky shore and motioned for Misha and Odette to join her. “If you would sit still for a moment, I’ll inspect the curse,” she said.
Odette stepped away from Alexsei’s arm—though she offered him a grateful smile as she sank to her knees next to Misha. She was barely able to contain the hope that fluttered in her heart.
Perhaps, soon, we might be free!
Chapter 9
Modifying the Curse
Enchantress Angelique inspected Odette, Misha, Zina, Iosif—whom, as Odette predicted, Gala punched when the young man paid too much attention to the beautiful Angelique—Pyotr, Gleb, and several other smugglers. The time was painful for Odette and her crew. They were afraid to hope, and everyone was a storm of emotions as the beautiful enchantress flitted from smuggler to smuggler.
“It is as I thought,” Enchantress Angelique announced after two or three hours of inspecting. “Rothbart tied your spells together. It is like a braid in a horse’s mane—the braid moves down its neck as new hair is added to it.”
“Do you know this for certain? Not all of the smugglers are present,” Odette said.
“I don’t need to see them all. I can see the spell woven among you—I can even see which directions it trails off towards what I assume is the rest of your band. Rothbart intertwined the curse—and he did an unfortunately diligent job of it. If he were sloppy and there were loops that I could pick loose, I could have possibly dismantled it.”
Odette brushed her thigh bandolier. “So, it was a poor thing to ask for?”
Enchantress Angelique shook her head. “No, not at all. As it stands, I can quite easily add a modifier to the spell, giving you a way to break it.”
Anna whooped and embraced Zina; Misha wore an absolutely radiant grin; Pyotr picked Dima up and whirled him around; Gleb clapped; Gala whistled, and soon all the Black Swan Smugglers were raising a racket in their celebration. Only Odette—who forced herself to remain calm in spite of the swelling of her heart—was quiet.
Enchantress Angelique waited until everyone had quieted down before she spoke again. “There will be a few conditions to this modifier. Unfortunately, I’m rather limited in my options. For your particular spell, I think it would work best to use the same modifier I used on Prince Severin of Loire for his transformation curse: to break the spell, you must fall in love with someone, and they must fall in love with you in return. Let me be clear: love from both sides is required to break the curse. Prince Severin had a great misunderstanding about that, and it caused him much pain. Moving on! I can only cast it on one individual. The way your spells are interwoven makes it operate like one big curse, so individual modifiers are impossible.”
“Can it be cast on anyone?” Iosif asked. He clasped Gala’s hand and smiled at her—making her turn berry red.
“Unfortunately, no,” Enchantress Angelique said. “As Rothbart has intertwined your curse, I need to cast it where it begins: on Odette or Zina. That’s the only way I’ll be able to break the curse for everyone. If I place it on someone who was spelled halfway through, it will only break the weave of the spell for everyone who was cursed after them.”
I suppose that makes sense—she did say it was like a braid. Odette opened her mouth, intending to ask Enchantress Angelique to place the spell on Zina. Zina was beautiful and sweet-tempered, and if they planted her in a village several nights a week, surely someone would fall for her—
“I believe you should place the modifier on Odette,” Zina said.
Odette squawked. “What?”
Enchantress Angelique—her sly smile playing on her lips again—looked from Zina, to Odette, then to the princes. “That is precisely what I was going to recommend.”
“No,” Odette said. “It’s not wise.”
“It will be that much faster to break the curse if you have the modifier,” Zina argued.
Odette scowled. “What are you talking about?”
Her friend frowned. “Do you really not know?”
When she stared back blankly, Zina glanced pointedly at the princes.
Odette pursed her lips. She wished Alexsei was a possibility, but while he said he liked her, he was a prince, and she was an uneducated farmer’s daughter who had spent the past four years perfecting an illegal trade. Empress Sonya had made it obvious that while she appreciated Odette’s bravery, she did not approve of the smuggling. Moreover, Odette couldn’t bring herself to regret their work. In fact, she was quite proud of it.
Unfortunately, that took Alexsei out of the running. He, unlike his volatile brother, was too kind and too smart to long for what he couldn’t have, and Odette was not keen on inflicting herself with a star-crossed love that could never be realized. Wait…No—she cannot mean…not Yakov! She almost shivered in horror. I thought it was obvious he’s not even fractionally serious about me.
“I believe there might be a misunderstanding,” Odette began.
“I agree with Zina and the Lady Enchantress,” Misha said.
“You would,” Odette growled.
“It is only right that the modifier be placed on our Swan Queen,” Pyotr rumbled.
“Hear, hear!” Yakov declared. “Worry not, fair Odette. We can break the curse together.” He slung an arm over her shoulders, which Odette shrugged off.
“No, thank you,” she said.
“Then it’s settled,” Enchantress Angelique said. “I need a little room to work the spell, if you please.”
Odette spun, searching for someone who could talk some sense into the situation. “Nadia,” she said when she spotted her second-in-command’s tired but cheerful face. “Please, explain to them!”
Nadia stepped through the gap between them and set her hands on Odette’s shoulders. “It has to be you, Swan Queen.”
Odette glanced at Zina. “We would be freed faster if it was Zina.”
“Speed is not the only factor we are counting on. We respect Zina, but you have always been our leader. Please, lead us out of this spell.” Nadia smiled wanly and squeezed her shoulders.
Wonderful. Another way I can fail them. Odette sighed. No, I’m being negative. I can break our curse; it will just take some time—and it certainly won’t be with Yakov. She glanced at the royal brothers and felt a stab of
sadness. It won’t be with Alexsei, either. I owe it to everyone to break the curse, and mooning over him won’t help me reach that goal.
Hopeful, she turned to Angelique. “Is there any other modifier you can use?”
Angelique’s face froze in an uncomfortable smile. Though the expression should have been one of happiness, Odette could feel fury pour off the enchantress. “Would you rather have true love’s first kiss?” Angelique asked, her voice dark as one of her eyebrows twitched in irritation. “Because that’s your only other choice.”
“No, no. Falling in love is fine.” Odette uncomfortably cleared her throat, sorry she had asked. Obviously her limited spell modification powers are a sore spot. She squared her shoulders. “What must I do?”
Nadia backed off as Enchantress Angelique moved in. “Just stand there. This won’t take any effort on your part. I do apologize in advance, however; it might sting a little.”
Odette stood awkwardly for a moment—her arms hanging at her sides—until she caught sight of some of her people wearing worried expressions as Enchantress Angelique walked a circle around her with narrowed eyes. Odette made the effort to stand straight and raised her chin with confidence, offering some of her fellow smugglers a wink—which drew smiles.
“Hold still,” Enchantress Angelique said. She reached out with one hand as if she intended to poke Odette, but paused about a hand’s width away from her shoulder and pinched her pointer finger and thumb together. She pulled them back a few inches with narrowed eyes, said something under her breath, and blew on her fingers.
Odette blinked with surprise when angry red fibers—like strands of thread—flared, pinched between the enchantress’s fingers. The fibers ran in circles around Odette—crisscrossing in a precise pattern, creating a loosely woven rope of sorts.
Around them, the smugglers spoke in hushed whispers, and Yakov and Benno linked arms. Alexsei took a step towards her and Enchantress Angelique, but he stopped and curled his hands into fists as he stared at the visible representation of the swan spell.
Enchantress Angelique—her face stony with concentration—slipped a finger in one of the rope’s loops and tugged, pulling it loose. She glanced up and smiled at Odette.