Cursed by Death

by Basia Pike

  “What’s the plan then?” I asked, in between bites of my pancakes.

  He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “This week you and Tom will settle in, and start your training,” he said, “After that you’ll meet the rest of the Verndarar.”

  I swallowed my last bite of pancake. “What kind of training?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  Helen approached us, “Andre, here are the books you asked for.” she passed him a pile of about ten books. In her other hand she had a wedge of files. “And the files you asked for.” She placed the files on a coffee table between us.

  “Thank you, Helen,” he said, and she nodded and glanced at me briefly before walking away.

  Andre placed the books on the coffee table. “These are for you. I want you to read them this week.” My eyes widened.

  All of them in one week?

  I picked up the book off the top of the pile. “That’s a lot of reading!” The title was A Roman History.

  “Yes, but if you are time traveling you need to understand the times you’re going back to,” Andre said. “I’ll have Helen take them to your room, but for today I will show you around the city.”

  That sounded better than reading history. “Who exactly runs this city?” I asked.

  Andre’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, who funds the city and the Verndarar?” I asked. It was something I had wondered ever since I stepped foot in Undir Trenu. Who paid for this beautiful building, the food, and the people who worked here.

  “I’m not at liberty to tell you that.”

  I frowned at him. It was the first time I wondered what exactly Andre was hiding. “Why not? If I’m supposed to be leading this group then I need to know who I’m working for.”

  Andre stood and coughed. “I told you I can’t tell you. All you need to know if you’re working for me. Now let’s get going,” He didn’t wait for me and marched towards the exit back out into the city.

  I had to jump to my feet and jog after him to catch up. “Where are we going?” I asked.

  He turned to face me. “I told you. I’m going to show you around the city.”

  I sighed and followed him back over the glimmering lake towards the city. We turned the same way we had the night before and walked left alongside the lake’s edge. “What currency do they use here?”

  Andre dug into his pocket and pulled something out, “Here’s your debit card. No one uses paper or coin here.” He passed me an envelope with a number of things including a little plastic card with my name on.

  “What’s it for?” I asked.

  “I’ve opened a bank account for you, Tom has one too. Every month you will be paid a salary, as will the rest of the Verndarar. You use this card to pay for anything you want to buy.”

  I gulped. Did I really want to take a salary without knowing where it was coming from? “Who’s paying me?” I asked, knowing I would probably get the same answer as earlier.

  “Again, that’s not something I can divulge at the moment.”

  I took a deep breath. “What’s this?” I pulled out a relatively flat square object and held it up.

  “That’s a mobile phone. You can use it where ever you are to call and text people.” Andre pulled a similar looking item out of his pocket, and his fingers flew across the screen which lit up.

  I jumped as the one in my hand also lit up and vibrated. The name Andre flashed across the screen. The message was a load of strange looking cartoon faces. I rubbed my forehead. “I can ring and send messages on this?”

  Andre nodded. “It will take a while for you to get used to it, but Helen will teach you.” Silence fell between us as we continued our journey alongside the lake. We walked towards the center of the city.

  Something I hadn’t noticed in the dark the night before was a harbor on the lake filled with boats. “What’s with the boats?” I asked.

  “You can sail from Undir Trenu to Vatnabyggð. It is another town and translates to Lake town.”

  I assumed this was another Icelandic word. Clearly something about whoever was behind this place had routes in Iceland, as did Andre. “Will we go there today?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Not today. Maybe another time.” I glanced into the distance trying to make out the town, but it was too far.

  We turned left into a bustling main street. There were shops, cafes, bars, and restaurant on either side. Much like the houses I’d seen on the way in they all couldn’t be given one time period.

  I came to a halt noticing a load of kids gathered outside one shop. A man was showcasing a product. He was standing on what looked like a skateboard, but with no wheels. It was hovering six foot in the air, and he was doing tricks on it.

  Andre placed a hand on my shoulder. “There are somethings here that will be shocking to you. That is a hover-board. It’s advanced technology. Follow me.”

  He didn’t wait for me and carried on walking. After one last glance at the futuristic shop I hastened to catch up with him. “What made this place?” I asked.

  Andre glanced to his right at me. “Magic. This entire place is built by magic. The alternate dimension has always existed. But, we found a way to use magic to make this place live-able.”

  The mention of ‘we’ made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Who exactly is we?

  “Is there a barber here?” I asked, running a hand through my unkempt hair.

  Andre looked at my hair. “Yes, I think you need a cut. This way.”

  We walked through the streets. Hundreds of people rushed around wearing a plethora of different clothing. There were women wearing old fashioned dresses, shockingly short dresses and everything in between.

  Andre stopped in front of a barber shop, and I followed him in. It was quiet, and I saw down in a chair almost instantly. The man who cut my hair was Japanese, but I understand every word he said and he understood me.

  He sorted my hair out, and I was pleased with the result. Shorter on the sides and longer on top, and nicely styled.

  “What now?” I asked Andre, as we walked back into the streets.

  “Let’s get a coffee.” He nodded his head towards a little parisien looking cafe opposite. I took a seat while he ordered. While waiting I studied the people in the cafe. There was a diverse mix of languages being spoken around me, but somehow I understood them all.

  Andre approached with a tray. With two cups of coffee and two odd looking pastries. “I got you a pain au chocolat,” he said, placing a cup and a plate in front of me.

  I observed the pastry, it smelt and looked delicious. “How do I understand all these languages?” I asked.

  A smile crept onto Andre’s face. “It’s the magic of Undir Trenu. You can speak in every language here.” My eyes widened. I’d never heard of anything like that before. Magic was powerful, but the magic here was different. “Do you have any other questions for me?”

  I took a bite of the delicious pastry. “Who’s casting these spells exactly?” I asked in between bites.

  Andre crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not a spell. The magic here is drawn from witches all around the universe.” It was unlike anything I’d ever heard of. “It’s harnessed by my superiors.”

  Not that again! The same nauseating feeling in my stomach came over me. It was bugging me that it was a secret whoever Andre’s superiors were. I wanted to know who I was working for. “You can’t tell me who they are?” I asked. I took a sip of the creamy coffee.

  Andre glared at me. “No. I’m your superior so you will have to trust me.” I exhaled and continued to pick at the tasty chocolate pastry despite the churning sensation in my stomach. One thing that had been on my mind was what exactly Andre was. He had already established he wasn’t a witch.

  “What are you exactly?” I asked. No other creature other than on rare occasions vampires that I knew of could perform magic.

  “What do you mean what am I?”

  I rol
led my eyes. “You said you’re not a witch, but you can perform magic. So what are you?” I asked.

  Andre sighed. “Again, that’s not something I can divulge.”

  Are you serious? This was becoming a joke.

  “What about my magic? I hate not having it.” Andre’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

  “Do you intend to tell the rest of the members that you’re a witch?” Andre asked. My heart thudded in my ears. Ever since I was little the one unbreakable rule as a witch was to never reveal to humans your power. It was something I could never break.

  I shook my head. “It’s against my rules.”

  Andre tutted. “Those witches rules don’t apply to you here. But, if you don’t intend to tell them then I can’t return the power.” I sighed. It was so ingrained in me that thought of telling humans made me tremble. I shook my head as my mind went to my wife.

  “You mentioned that I would be able to get the revenge for–”

  Andre held up a hand. “All in good time. That’ll have to wait for now, stopping the Kugarar must be your number one priority.” I gritted my teeth together. At that moment, It felt like he’d only made those claims to get me to join. If that was the case I’d be royally pissed off.

  Andre took the last bite of his pastry and stood. “Let’s get going. There is more for me to show you.” I stood reluctantly and followed him around the awe inspiring city. He took me on a tour for the rest of the day.

  The coliseum-like building was my favorite of all. The stone work was stunning and, it turned out that it would be the training arena for the Verndarar. He showed me the gym which was similar to gyms back in my time.

  There was a lab which apparently we would also use for training which I couldn’t understand. After a busy day we returned to the city hall. I was exhausted and headed up to my room.

  14

  I rushed down bourbon street. Alexandra Tully was standing on top of the witches Mardi Gras float an evil grin plastered on her face.

  I was trying to get to her. A rage inside of me bubbling like nothing I’d ever known. She cackled as I struggled to make my way through the crowd.

  I chanted ‘Restringere.’ but nothing happened. I felt powerless. “You’ll never get me,” she taunted. Her eyes turned red, and fangs protruded from her mouth. Suddenly my whole body went up in flames…I bolted upright in bed.

  I hit the alarm clock which was blaring on the side table. A cool sweat coated my body. There weren’t many nights that I didn’t dream about my wife’s killers and trying to end their lives.

  Revenge was had a firm place in my mind, but lately the dreams had changed. Every dream ended with me dying rather than the witches.

  It was seven o’clock! I stretched my arms above my head and quickly jumped out of bed. Training was at seven-thirty, and I couldn’t be late again.

  A week had passed since Tom and I had arrived in Undir Trenu. It was clear I’d made a good choice. Andre was training and teaching both of us new skills.

  In the hall, there were croissants and paninis waiting on the desk. Every morning breakfast was left out for us. I grabbed one of each, stuffing the panini in my bag and tucking into the croissant. Then jogged out of the entrance towards the training arena.

  “Late again, Elijah?” Andre said, looking rather irritated, as I walked through the entrance of the arena a few minutes late. “Follow me.”

  He walked into a side room. Tom watched on with a confused look. “Have a seat.” I took a seat in front of the desk.

  “Do you think the leader of the Verndarar is someone who is late?” Andre asked, his voice sterner than I had ever heard it.

  “No, but I—”

  “No buts. I feel like you’re not taking this seriously. Do you understand the enormity of the task at hand?”

  “Of course, it’s just…”

  “What is it? Spit it out,” Andre said.

  “Are you sure I’m the right person to lead? Maybe Tom would be better? He is better than me in all aspects of training.”

  “Elijah, leadership isn’t about how good you are. You were chosen for this role. It’s your destiny. The sooner you embrace that, the better it’ll be for all of us.” I nodded half-heartedly. “Now … please try and be more punctual in future.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said with a hint of sarcasm.

  “Right, let’s get to work,” he said. I followed him into the hallway to meet Tom, who gave me a confused look.

  “Today we train in the art of parkour,” Andre said, looking at both of us expectantly. I’d never heard of it. “Don’t tell me neither of you read the training pack I gave you last week?”

  After a moment of silence, he sighed. “I’ll demonstrate.” He walked out into the center of the arena and then ran at the wall, pulling himself up in one swift move and carrying on running and jumping up the arena to the top, sometimes even doing flips.

  I glanced at Tom, whose mouth had dropped open. There was silence as we watched Andre make his way back down, leaping huge gaps and finally landing in front of us. I’d never thought Andre looked strong, but he had just proven me wrong.

  “Who wants to go first?” Andre said, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

  “I’ll go first,” I said. I knew I had to step up if I was going to lead the Verndarar. No time like the present, right?

  “Good. First off, run at the wall and pull yourself up. It takes a lot of core strength.”

  I nodded and readied myself, taking a deep breath and then running towards the wall. I had my arms up high, ready, and placed my hands on the top, using all my strength to pull myself up. I wasn’t swift or quick, and floundered a bit, but I managed.

  “That’s a good first attempt,” Andre said, following me.

  “Tom, now you.” He signaled to Tom below. I watched as he ran towards the wall and pulled himself up in one swift motion.

  Shit … how am I supposed to compete with that?

  “Hmm … very good first attempt,” Andre said, clapping him on the back.

  “Now imagine there’s someone chasing you. You need to find the quickest but hardest way for someone to follow you to reach the top. On three, both of you will make your way to the top of the arena.” I looked around, knowing that he didn’t intend for us to run up the steps. We had to take a path that would elude people following.

  “Three, two, one, go!”

  I sprinted towards the center pillar, which had stones sticking out all the way to the top. I jumped, and pulled myself up.

  Once I reached the top, I jumped over to a platform about four feet away. I hit the ground awkwardly but got up and broke into a sprint. As I reached the end of the platform, there was a large gap, at least seven feet. I gulped as I looked down at the drop.

  I moved back as far as I could, readied myself, then sprinted and jumped at the last minute, making it over to the other side, rolling clumsily.

  I could see Tom had already made it to the top on the other side of the arena. He was quick.

  “Well done, that was good,” Andre said from behind, making me jump.

  “How did you get up here?” I asked.

  “The same way you did, but I’m quicker.” Tom started to make his way around to us. “Now, then, see that building?” Andre asked, pointing at a building about nine feet from where we stood. I nodded.

  “The next part of your training is to make that jump.”

  “Are you serious? That’s far for our first day, isn’t it?”

  “Elijah, do you think the Kugarar are sitting around waiting for you to get trained up? This training is intense, and you need to learn quickly if you will stop them. We have a maximum of four weeks to get you ready.”

  “Four weeks!” I said. “That’s not long enough!”

  “If you don’t get the Verndarar ready to combat their attempts and find the Creaturae first, it’ll be too late.”

  “That was easier than I thought,” Tom said, a little breathless from the run over.

&n
bsp; “Elijah will do the next jump first.”

  I looked at Andre, anger welling up inside of me. Is he trying to kill me? I sighed and took as many steps as I could from the edge. I sprinted and leapt into the air at the edge of the arena.

  My jump was short and my stomach thumped into the wall, knocking the wind out of me, but I caught the edge with my fingertips. I didn’t dare look down as I pulled myself up with all my strength. I got away from the edge and glared at Andre.

  “That was okay, but you need to improve on the distance!” Andre shouted over to me. “Don’t give me that look. If you had fallen, you would have been fine! Just a fall into the lake.” I looked over the edge and sighed as I saw the blue opaque water about twenty meters below me.

  I shook my head in irritation. “It would have been nice to know before the jump!” I shouted back. Tom readied himself the same as I had and began his sprint. He leapt into the air at the right point and made it over onto the edge, but almost toppled backwards. I grabbed his hand and steadied him.

  “Thank you,” he said. Andre followed us over, rolling as he hit the ground and ending up on his feet.

  “You need more practice,” Andre said. “You need to work on your core strength. Follow me and do what I do.” He set into a run across the building and jumped off the edge. I looked at Tom before setting into a run after him.

  The next three weeks were tough. We started training at seven-thirty every morning and often didn’t finish until nine in the evening, having only half an hour break for lunch. I was feeling the adverse effects of not keeping fit since I left high-school. It had only been four years, but ever since I left I hadn’t done any fitness.

  Tom, however, seemed as fit as ever. Every morning he was raring to go, whereas I was dragging myself out of bed. This morning would be no different, as my fourth alarm went off signaling if I didn’t get up I would definitely be late. I only had half an hour to get over to the training arena.

  I sat up in bed wincing at the pain in my muscles. Everywhere hurt. My legs, arms, stomach, back, and even feet. I massaged my aching muscles before dragging myself out of bed. I groaned as I pulled my shirt over my head and then pulled my pants on. As I left the room I was surprised to see that Tom was also leaving at the exact same time.