The Cursed (The Cursed Trilogy Book 1)

by Iyanna Orr

  It was later in the day when Drake and Zafrina decided they’d venture down to the beach. Chandler had known the place was there for a while but never had made time to go. It was out beyond the wall of Rockbryr, and the cliff Angel and Chandler had jumped. He offered to have their horses brushed and fed and then turned over Avan’s stallion and Leon’s mare for their trip. By Zafrina’s request, Chandler rode with them as far as the gate and watched them go until they disappeared over a hillside.

  With a curse, he turned and thundered his way back to the manor. One of the villagers, on his exiting the manor, took Chandler’s horse with a knowing nod. Chandler ran back into the grand hall, where Avan, Leon, and the newly appointed knights were waiting. Everything had been cleared away except for a lone table.

  Troy and Tyler stood side by side, clearly troubled by such a situation so early in their knighthood. Chandler wanted very badly to write off the situation and tell them to relax, but there was a certain kind of electricity in the air. The longer he stood, the tenser he became. Chandler took a seat beside Avan, who was evaluating Chandler closely, but he didn’t turn to look at Avan.

  “He’s brought soldiers with him,” Leon finally broke the silence. Chandler looked at him. “He told his men to take housing with the people. We don’t have enough rooms available to house them, and even if we did, they don’t take orders from us. There would be no guarantee they’d come inside.” Chandler groaned and leaned back in his seat. He had no doubt Drake was just taking advantage, but to keep him on Chandler’s side, he couldn’t push issues and have Drake take a second look at Chandler’s intentions. Yet, he knew the people accepted the differences that separated them, and they were strong. Chandler could only hope they could take care of themselves if the necessity arose.

  “There’s nothing we can do about that now. Leon, you and Tyler are going to be staying outside for tonight. I need eyes on Drake’s men. If you would like, I can have Avan and Troy switch off during the night.”

  “No,” Leon denied. “If anybody should be in here between you and them, it should be Avan. We can rest now and switch around dawn.” While they parted, Troy watched his brother go.

  “He’ll be okay out there?” he asked.

  “If Drake and Zafrina are only here to visit, as they say, he’ll be fine. But if you would like to join them, you are welcome to.” Troy gave a low bow and a thankful smile. He hurriedly disappeared out the door, and Chandler turned to Avan. “You and I will stay up the night in here and watch the Nephling. They’re worried about Drake being here, and if watching over them will help them sleep better, then so be it.”

  “If it’s quite all right with you, I’m going to watch them instead. Drake says he trusts you, but he’ll always be watching. If he did trust you so much, then he wouldn’t have thought it was necessary to step in when you weren’t expecting it. I believe he thought he was going to find you doing something he didn’t approve of.”

  “That’s fine.”

  When he was gone, Chandler sat in silence, unaware of the passing time. The room was slowly darkening, but whatever spells the Nephling had done over the torches made them flicker to life just as the door opened. He didn’t look up as new light spilled into the room. Small footsteps told him that it wasn’t any of the knights coming back or Drake for that matter, so when the orange beams flickered over the table, he wasn’t so surprised. His feet propped up on the table, and the chair balanced precariously on the back legs, he turned to look at her.

  Angel was looking at the table as if it was a puzzle she had yet to finish making out. Her fingers traced the shape of the wood that had been carved into the table and then stopped, eyes turning to Chandler.

  “I agree with Avan,” she finally confessed. “I don’t think he’s here just to visit. He wants something, and once he gets it, everything is going to change around here.”

  “I won’t let that happen. He made me Lord for a reason.”

  “He made you Lord because he could. He might not really trust you at all, Chandler. He could be just setting the board to make the final move to destroy your defense. And it’s not like there’s much in place.” Angel looked away, and her fingers started moving on the table again. “All this time, we’ve been building a family instead of preparing for war. We were ready for it when all of this first started, but we followed you, and we knew you didn’t want it. You wanted something like what you’d been used to on Earth, and that was family. It was fun for a while, but now, we have to face facts. If it’s an army you want, we have the numbers, and they’re within reach. We could track Drake and Zafrina down and end this.”

  “I know what you all want, Angel,” Chandler replied. “I know you want revenge for what you lost, but I can’t let you get involved. I will not, under any circumstances, allow you to die in a war that’s mine.” Chandler let his chair fall back onto all the legs and ran a hand through his hair. “I never intended to make you fight.”

  “With all due respect, I don’t think it’s your decision to make. It’s coming, and we’re fighting whether you like it or not.” Angel went silent, and he let it stretch. Angel’s small features were set stubbornly. Slowly, in the glow of the torches, Chandler saw them soften. “But there’s something I want to do first.”

  The water cascaded over rock and met the river at the bottom with a spray of foam. Chandler hovered at the top with Angel, looking down, seeing the river getting smaller as the distance stretched. The sight had become familiar with him, as he’d often visited after discovering birds living in the trees bordering the water. Chandler hadn’t been familiar with the birds himself, but Avan had later identified them as Ocrum, a species native to the dwarven planets before their destruction. Every one of them had vast wingspans and strong, clawed legs. Their wide tails provided an impeccable balance that Chandler and the Nephling couldn’t even begin to match. Short, sharp beaks, paired with four eyes set low in the sockets gave them a cautious yet arrogant appearance. Their feathers were golden brown and the younger the bird, Chandler had noticed, the more vibrant the color appeared.

  A flash of gold pulled Chandler’s eyes to the trees, and he ducked lower to see them. Abruptly, he became aware that he wasn’t the only one watching. The sharp eyes of the largest of the birds were focused on him. Chandler and Angel were flying together, ducking lower onto the banks of the river, just inches from where the water rushed. Angel settled on the ground and absently stared into the gray tinted water. Glancing over at her, Chandler landed quietly, moving as quickly as he could until he stood behind her. Then he pushed his power as hard as he could, and it was immediately answered by the ocrum. The silent call he’d given them caught their attention, and they took off only to land in the trees closest to Angel and Chandler. Angel, catching the sound, abruptly stood, swinging around and taking a step back. Unbalanced, Angel’s eyes widened, arms wheeling, before she fell back into the water.

  With that, the strain that had been on Chandler since Drake arrived was gone, and he couldn’t help laughing as the ocrum watched with rapt attention. Angel came up spluttering, her hair sticking to her head and her eyes already narrowed to slits.

  “Chandler!” she screamed, and she started to charge at him. Chandler jumped back against the tree, feeling the rough bark against his fingers.

  “You got what you wanted,” he laughed, gesturing to the birds still waiting above his head. As she noticed them, Angel stopped moving in the water, turning her eyes up to look. Both girl and birds had studied each other before one of them gave a high screech that sent the others out over the water. It stayed there, though, turning to stare back at Angel.

  Keeping her eyes on it, Angel drifted until she could pull herself from the water. Chandler watched, intrigued. With so many Nephling here the first time he’d come across the birds, nothing like this had happened. The ocrum had been scared off by the noise the Nephling made. Now, though, Angel stood below the tree, wings dripping as she watched the bird raise its wings. Crouched on the
edge of the river, balanced on her knee and fingertips, Angel looked back, but he waved her forward as the ocrum took off.

  It didn’t go far. It glided over the river and the waterfall, leaving Angel to follow and attempt to keep her wings still enough to consider it gliding. Chandler knew that her flying still wasn’t that good, but she was making progress, and it was all he could ask for.

  Chandler joined them sometime later after more ocrum came, turning the sky into a golden tunnel of feathers and beaks. They spent the rest of the afternoon copying every move the birds made, and Chandler learned something new. Soon, it wasn’t just the birds darkening the sky but the lack of sun to light their way back to the manor. When he noticed this, Chandler called to Angel, and she came immediately. Sensing the change, the ocrum all flew in different directions, parting for the first time since the sun was up.

  “I never realized I could do any of that,” Angel told Chandler as they flew for the manor.

  “Nobody ever realizes their full potential until they’re faced with it,” he replied.

  “When did you get so wise?” she joked. “Last time I checked, you were only a kid yourself.”

  “Seventeen isn’t a kid!” Chandler stated indignantly, but Angel laughed. Chandler forced back the smile that tried to come to his face, but his attention was still turned forward, where a familiar head of red hair was flying toward them. Chandler sped up, leaving Angel behind, to meet him. Ian was the oldest of the Nephling, fourteen, so it was natural for him to be the messenger. But knowing that Drake had come to Rockbryr made everything more urgent. Ian had been flying so fast that Chandler almost collided with him but grabbed Ian’s shoulders in time to stop his progress. Chandler let Ian catch his breath as Angel caught up with them. Like she usually did, she climbed onto Chandler’s back and wrapped her arms around him. She claimed her wings got tired, but Chandler thought she was still just a little afraid of being up so high.

  “What is it?” Chandler asked once he was sure he’s caught his breath.

  “Drake came back to the manor and sent everyone out. He said for them to get in contact with you and tell you that he’s waiting in the grand hall.”

  “Where did everyone go?” Chandler asked, surprised.

  “Avan says he saw a place a few miles away from here. He and the other knights are on their way there with the others. I’m supposed to go meet them.”

  “All right.” Chandler nodded to Ian but gestured for him to wait. Chandler unlocked Angel’s arms from around him and tugged her away. Immediately, she started flapping again to stay high. “Go with Ian and meet with the others. I’ll come find everyone after I’ve finished with him.”

  “But—”

  “Not this time, Angel. Go.”

  Chandler landed softly on the marble railing of his balcony. After looking around to make sure Drake hadn’t decided to leave the grand hall, Chandler entered quickly, closing the doors. He pulled off the clothes he’d worn with the ocrum and walked into his closet, pulling down a new outfit a girl in the village had sewn from a tanned cowhide. Chandler wasn’t sure about wearing them, but the snug fit was comfortable enough to relax him before he left the room. The grand hall drew closer as Chandler descended the stairs. The door was standing open, and he slipped inside, where Drake and Zafrina were still waiting.

  “Chandler,” Zafrina greeted, somewhat warmly. Her arms were open to him, and he moved toward her, putting a smile on his face. Her arms were familiar in a way that Chandler had wanted to forget, but there was no way the memories of the last seventeen years were going away.

  “Zafrina,” he replied as she pulled her arms away. An emotion he couldn’t pin down ran over her face and then was gone as quickly as it’d come. Chandler turned away from her to face Drake, who was studying him silently. “How was the beach?” he asked into the stretching silence. Drake didn’t reply but seated himself on the table. He was dressed in Earth clothes, exactly how Chandler remembered him. Chandler wasn’t sure where Drake had gotten them from, but he had a feeling that bringing back memories of what he had as a child was no accident.

  Chandler moved close to the table. His eyes flickered over, but Zafrina wasn’t watching him. She’d back had been turned to them, and her shoulders were hunched. Chandler’s eyes turned to Drake, but the man was glaring at Zafrina. An uncomfortable shiver made its way down Chandler’s spine, and he edged away from them both. Maybe it was just that automatic fight-or-flight response, but he somehow knew that he wouldn’t get far.

  Chandler ran.

  A force knocked him backward, slamming him into the wall next to the fireplace on the far side of the room. Drake’s hand was raised toward him, a sick look covering his features as another force started crushing his throat, leaving him without air. Chandler struggled to breathe, grasping at hands that weren’t there. A siren shriek filled the room, and through his darkening vision, he could see Zafrina kneeling next to Drake, clutching his arm as she tried to make him stop. Yet, he knew it wasn’t Zafrina that made Drake drop Chandler to the floor. His body was yanked across the room, and then he was sitting in a chair with ropes wrapping themselves around him. Chandler didn’t fight it, though, because he wasn’t sure what had happened to bring this. What had he done?

  Now that Chandler was tied to the chair and assumedly out of immediate danger, Zafrina backed off, turning away to wipe away the tears that had managed to escape. Chandler stayed limp and still in his bindings. Already, he’d acknowledged the moment. Once again, Drake was going to win and whoever Chandler was born as next would have to suffer this entire dilemma over again.

  “You brought all of this on yourself,” Drake muttered. “I gave you a chance to make it right, and you chose to go against me once again. How many times do I have to give you another chance?”

  “What are you talking about?” Chandler asked. “I haven’t done anything.”

  “It’s not your fault you don’t remember who you were before this, just like it’s not mine that I did what had to be done. You needed to be stopped before you destroyed anything else.”

  “Like the hold you have over Legacy? Or maybe the other planets, where their leaders do anything you want because they’re afraid of you?” Chandler spat. “If killing you would release them, then I will gladly die trying to make this right.”

  “No, no, no. Killing you don’t do me any good. It took me far too long to realize it. No, you’re going to live, and you’re going to be mine, just like you’re supposed to be.” Drake kneeled down in front of Chandler, and the look in his eyes was glazed and wild. Chandler scowled and leaned away as far as he could, but Drake’s hands came down on his shoulder, anyway. Chandler clenched his teeth, but then his eyes widened, and he screamed as pain ripped through his ears. Chandler’s head was pounding as he thrashed in the bindings.

  Chandler didn’t realize his eyes had closed until they snapped open. He let out a ragged breath, disturbing noises rattling from his chest and up his throat. His entire body felt heavy, and he remained where he was, eyes staring forward into an uncertain future. Nothing about the future was as solid as Chandler’s past, where he’d believed Zafrina and Drake were his parents; how he endured being a monster so he wouldn’t disappoint them. Back to when he had Rory by his side at every turn; forcing him to acknowledge that his mother was a problem; that Rory was his best friend.

  Chandler felt crippled, terrified, and empty.

  Wherever he was, it was a place that wasn’t really a place. There was a sky, and there was withered grass beneath him. All around, the world extended for what seemed like forever in a never-ending storm of cold drops that left Chandler shivering. The pain overtook him, and he threw his head back, screaming to the darkening sky. It seemed intent on answering back as a bolt of lightning ripped through the parting black clouds. They poured their frustrations down, beating him into the earth. Chandler dropped to his knees and let the rain soak him. His wings sagged to the ground, dragging in the mud as he tried to crawl some
where; anywhere.

  It didn’t take him long to realize he was crying, tears fusing with the rain and running to the ground. When he did, Chandler stopped trying; stopped trying to escape the storm coming his way because he knew this wasn’t the end, not even close.

  Chapter 17 – Memories

  It had always only ever been he and his mom. His dad was never around. When he did happen to show up at home, he left soon after, claiming business trips and clients. If anyone had asked him, Chandler couldn’t have told anyone whether his dad loved him. He couldn’t say whether his dad liked his coffee with cream and sugar or if he preferred black. Even with his mom around, Chandler couldn’t tell anyone how his parents had met or when they got married or whether they loved each other. With his dad, his entire existence had been put in the hands of his mom, and she’d given him all the things a kid could wish for, for a little while at least. She let him experience the world to understand it and held him when he cried; took him shopping when his childish impulses wanted the toy they advertised on the television. They spend every waking moment beside one another, whether it was watching cartoons or take a spur of the moment trips to Florida to visit the amusement parks.

  Chandler had been so young then; young enough that that moment didn’t leave lasting impressions. Young enough that all of those memories were easy to forget once everything went bad.

  His childhood and his relationship with his mom had ended before he turned four. He had never been certain whether he sensed it or whether it was the looks she would give him. As disgusted as she’d looked whenever she lay eyes on Chandler, he knew that she saw him as unsavory; an obstacle holding her back. She treated him like the dirt beneath her feet, and nothing was ever going to go back to the way it had been. Chandler had never known what it was that he’d done to make her upset with him. Suddenly, there had just been no more trips or parties with homemade cakes for his birthday. His mom didn’t even want to walk with him to visit the park in town as they’d done nearly every weekend for as long as he could remember.