Until All Curses Are Lifted

by Tim Frankovich

  Master Alpin had died almost three weeks ago, but no one from Varioch had come to take his body home yet. They were probably waiting until the Passing. According to Master Hain, this was common practice. In the meantime, the body rested here, preserved by some kind of “magical embalming.” Master Hain had been reluctant to explain it, and Seri had little desire to know.

  She stood still, not yet able to force herself forward. She took three deep breaths and slowly let each one out. She closed her eyes and whispered a quick prayer. She swallowed, opened her eyes, and stepped up to the table.

  Master Alpin’s body was thoroughly wrapped in thick cloths, for which Seri was grateful. She remembered the horror of Master Simmar’s drained body.

  She blinked. Star-sight activated. A quick perusal of the body revealed nothing. A waste of time. She knew it. No matter how much magic Master Alpin had absorbed in his many years here, surely it had all dissipated at his death, or in the days following.

  Still… best to be thorough. She held her breath and leaned in close. She walked around the entire table, looking at the body from every possible angle, as close as she dared.

  One dark blue beam of light, more feeble than a candle, wavered out from the Master’s head. This one was even smaller than the one she had found on the book. She turned away and took another deep breath. She turned back, holding her breath once again, and grasped the beam between her thumb and forefinger.

  Nothing happened. Seri frowned and pulled. The beam lengthened, then rushed with abrupt movement into her palm. She gasped as a face appeared in her mind, laughing with cruel abandon. Mocking. Evil.

  Curasir.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

  TALINIR GREW MORE and more like his old self over the next several days. By the start of the next week, he appeared back to normal. But Marshal, who continued to keep a close watch, occasionally noticed a look of unsatisfied hunger in Talinir’s eye. He might never be completely free of the drug.

  Every day, Marshal worked hard on his sword training. The thought of both the assassin and a phantom of some kind stalking them motivated him. As much as he appreciated that Talinir was now able to fight, he did not want to depend solely on him. Day after day, morning and evening, he trained. His previous apathy had vanished. He had purpose now. He worked to make the stances second nature. He worked to make the sword feel as much a part of him as his arm. He worked to anticipate an opponent’s movements. For many days after Intal Eldanir, he had gone to bed sore and exhausted. Now, he could push himself further than ever, and no longer feel the soreness. He went to bed tired, but it was a good tired.

  As hard as Marshal worked, Victor worked even harder. Competition spurred both young men, but Victor felt it more. He knew Marshal had more natural skill than he did, and he didn’t like it. When they dueled together, Marshal almost always came out on top. On the rare occasion that Victor won, he celebrated with abandon. Marshal didn’t resent it; he wanted Victor to succeed. More than that, he marveled at Victor’s ability to use both sword and flail. One of Victor’s favorite activities now involved finding a large open area. He would move across it as fast as he could, spinning and striking with both sword and flail, whirling like a child’s top. The first few times he tried this, he ended up tangling the flail’s chain around his sword, or worse. But the more he practiced, the smoother his actions became.

  Talinir praised both of their progress. He expressed constant amazement at how easily Marshal adapted to the sword. He was likewise impressed with Victor’s dual-wielding. As they improved, he instructed them on more advanced techniques. Sometimes he sparred with both of them at once. Despite their gains, they never once came close to defeating him.

  Whenever he could slip off by himself, Marshal practiced with his magic. He never tried anything dramatic, or too powerful, but focused on controlling small bursts. Twice he tried to combine the bursts from each hand. Both times he fell into a seizure that left him shaking uncontrollably for several minutes. Fortunately, no one discovered him during those times. A few times, he tried to figure out how to channel the power through his sword as Talinir had mentioned. He could easily channel power into the sword, but couldn’t figure out how to release it, as he thought he had during the last fight with the assassin. Talinir checked his sword periodically, to be sure the charge wasn’t building up too much, but he never commented on it.

  In the course of a week, Marshal spotted the eidolon at least three times, and thought he might have caught a glimpse several more. None of the others seemed to have noticed. At least, no one said anything. He caught Talinir staring off into the woods several times, but couldn’t be sure which world he stared at.

  On one occasion, Marshal saw a curse-stalker watching him. Apparently, it was scared off by the size or composition of their group, because it didn’t come any closer and he never saw it again.

  To his surprise, Marshal discovered that once he began trying to enjoy his relationships with the rest of the party, everything improved. Talinir’s interactions during their training seemed more pleasant and encouraging. Aelia’s concern over him seemed less like an annoying fussing and more like genuine care. And Victor’s constant talking seemed less harsh and more playful, even constructive from time to time.

  Marshal found himself enjoying the journey more and more, to the point that he began to dread the end of it. The lurking threats kept him wary, but not to the point of paranoia any more. His faith in his own abilities and those of his companions grew daily. But what would happen when they reached their destination?

  CHAPTER SIXTY

  LORD SUNDINKA OF Mandiata was the next to arrive, three days later. He came simply, alone save for a handful of attendants and one scribe. Lord Enuru and Lady Lilitu arrived two days after that. Seri felt thrilled and terrified all at once. As with the previous arrivals, the acolytes waited while the Masters exchanged greetings.

  “Lord Sundinka was pleased with my progress,” Jamana said. “I’m sure Lord Enuru will be most impressed with yours.”

  “He’s not the one I’m worried about,” Seri said.

  She took a deep breath. With three Lords now present, the amount of raw power that now surged around them was immense. And three more were yet to arrive, not to mention the king. It was difficult enough now. All of the power seemed to scream at her, demanding that she pull it in, use it. But that wasn’t even possible, was it? Seri didn’t dare make the attempt.

  She had told no one yet about what she had discovered with Master Alpin’s body. She tried to tell herself that the one image meant nothing. Could Curasir actually be the murderer? She had suspected him earlier, but he had alleviated those fears. Until now, anyway. Who could she tell? Would anyone even believe her? Master Hain respected Curasir and sought his advice often. Perhaps she could broach the subject with the Lord and Lady.

  Curasir said he had come because of Seri. She was amazed at how much it hurt to know that was a lie. He clearly had other motives. Whether any of them actually included her at all remained to be seen.

  Master Hain summoned Seri to the Lord’s quarters only an hour after their arrival. She checked her hair, her robe, and most of all, whether the star in her eye was more or less visible today. It seemed to grow and shrink from time to time. Today, it looked smaller, thank Theon.

  When she entered the suite, Master Hain stood chatting with Lord Enuru. They both turned to face her. Lord Enuru did not wear a shirt, like all of the male nobility in Arazu, though his long black hair and beard covered quite a bit of his chest. He wore multiple layered skirts of various colors. Gold jewelry embedded with elaborate gems hung from his neck, ears, and wrists. A thick silver crown circled his head.

  “Here she is,” Master Hain said. Seri immediately bowed.

  “Come, come,” Lord Enuru said in a pleasant tone. “No need for all that, my dear. Let us see you.”

  Seri stood upright and tried to smile. She looked directly into Lord Enuru’s eyes and blinked. While she could sense the eno
rmous magical power within him, his eyes reflected nothing but pain and… fear? What did a Lord have to fear?

  “Seri has quickly become the most promising acolyte I have ever trained,” Master Hain said. “Her progress is nothing short of astounding.”

  “Is that so?”

  “If this continues, she will undoubtedly overtake our other mages and be eligible herself as my future replacement.”

  Lord Enuru’s eyebrows went up. “Wouldn’t that shake this place up?” He laughed. “A woman Master. My wife would certainly be pleased, though.”

  “My advancement is only to better serve you and Arazu, your Lordship,” Seri said.

  “Ah, well spoken also. It is good to meet you, young Seri. I have high hopes for your future. High hopes.” He glanced at the door to the next room. “Now I believe my wife wishes to see you also. You may proceed.”

  Seri made a small curtsy and moved past the men. Master Hain was already speaking of the other Lords who hadn’t arrived yet, but Lord Enuru’s eyes followed her until she left the room. She felt pleased but also a bit unnerved.

  Lady Lilitu sat beside a desk in the next chamber, and did not rise when Seri entered. She wore a long, luxurious yellow gown from neck to ankles that left only her right arm and shoulder bare. Long, dark tresses of her hair, braided with gold, stretched across her forehead above an oval frontlet of thin gold plate. A single white crystal twinkled in the center of the frontlet. Like her husband, she also wore gold earrings, bracelets and a necklace, decorated somewhat simpler yet elegant.

  Seri could not help being astonished at the Lady’s beauty. She was old enough to be Seri’s mother, but appeared young enough to be one of her classmates. If not for the clothing, jewelry, and a deep wisdom that shone from Lady Lilitu’s eyes, Seri might be bowing to a twin sister. She had already punched Dravid’s shoulder for commenting on how lucky Lord Enuru must be.

  “Welcome, welcome, my dear,” the Lady said, extending a slim hand with carefully trimmed and decorated nails. “I am so pleased to see you.”

  Seri took the hand and bowed again, a little awkwardly. She had a catch in her throat. She had been looking forward to this moment for so long, and yet she didn’t know what to say.

  “Master Hain has informed me of your progress. I am delighted to hear of it. He says you’re quite remarkable.”

  “Master Hain is an excellent teacher,” Seri managed.

  “I have no doubt of it,” the Lady said. “But you and I, we both know that earning such praise from a man in such a place as this… it is a stunning achievement.”

  Seri beamed. “Praise from you makes it all worthwhile, my Lady.”

  “Oh, come now.”

  “It’s true! You are my inspiration! Without you as an example, I might never have aspired this far. I read your note to me almost every morning!” Now that Seri’s tongue was working again, she found it hard to stop it. “Your work with the education system in Arazu changed my life. I can’t imagine that I would be here, if not for you.”

  “Ah, and here I thought it was from my consultations with the Lilim, the night spirits,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

  Seri laughed with her, but almost choked when she realized: the twinkle in Lady Lilitu’s eye did not come from the light. It stayed constant regardless of how she turned her head.

  In the next room, Seri could sense Lord Enuru’s well of power leaving. He and Master Hain must be going to see someone else. But as that power left, she became aware of two other things that shocked her even further.

  First, she sensed the presence of Curasir. She turned left to see as he entered from the bedroom, a thoughtful smile on his face. She swallowed hard. Did he know? Did he suspect her? With him here, any thoughts of speaking to the Lady about him vanished.

  Second, Lady Lilitu had her own power. It was nothing like her husband’s, or even Curasir’s. It was a third type of power. If the Lord’s was a wellspring, Curasir’s a maelstrom, then the Lady’s was… a tightly-packed, smoldering ball of pure fire, vibrating within her. A third source of power. Seri’s entire world seemed upended.

  “I, I don’t understand,” Seri said.

  The Lady stood and placed both hands on Seri’s shoulders. She was a full head taller. “Fear not, my child. You and I share more than our sex. Let me see you more clearly.”

  Lady Lilitu put a hand under Seri’s chin and tilted it up. They looked directly into each other’s eyes. Seri could now see for certain that the Lady’s left eye contained a star, not unlike her own. She took a deep breath and found herself shaking.

  “I must admit that I did not tell you the exact truth on one occasion,” Curasir said. “I told you that I knew of one other case like yours, but that it had been many, many years. It actually wasn’t that long.”

  Lady Lilitu smiled and stepped back. “I am not as young as I appear, but no, it was not that long ago that the star first appeared in my eye. And now you have one as well.”

  “The odds are astounding,” Curasir said. “Two of you, from the same region, both developing the same ability during the same time. This cannot be a coincidence.”

  “Your power,” Seri managed. “It, it’s different.” She kept straining her senses toward Lady Lilitu, trying to understand it.

  “Yes.” The Lady held out her palm and a dancing flame appeared on it. Seri stared in fascination. This violated every rule she had learned so far. Vibration could not produce fire. Could it?

  “There are more sources of power than you have been taught,” Lady Lilitu said. She closed her hand and the flame vanished. “Once you have learned all you can from Master Hain, you must come to me. I will be your next teacher.”

  “Yes, my Lady.”

  “Do not speak of this to anyone else. In time, I or Curasir will tell you more. For now, be content with your current training, but never forget that there are greater things awaiting you.”

  Lady Lilitu took Seri’s head in her hands and kissed her forehead. “I have spectacular plans for you, child. You will not simply be a Master on the Conclave of Mages. You will be something far greater.”

  She stepped back. “Return to your duties, acolyte. Work hard. You are destined for greatness.”

  •••••

  Seri’s head swam as she walked the citadel’s halls. Everything seemed upside-down. The world had shifted. It was almost as if she had just been told that water was not, in fact, actually wet. How could this be? What did it all mean?

  Curasir knew Lady Lilitu. The Lady also had a star in her eye. Curasir said this was not a coincidence. The Lady possessed a third source of power. Seri was destined to be something greater than a Master.

  Greater than a Master? What was greater than a Master?

  Dravid worked his way down the hall toward her. Over the past week, he had gotten skilled enough to only use one crutch now. “How was your meeting?” he called.

  Seri looked up. “It was… enlightening,” she said. “I, I was really, really… impressed by the Lady.”

  “What about the Lord?”

  “He was there too.” Seri moved past Dravid, her eyes distant.

  “Um, all right…” Dravid pivoted awkwardly to follow her. “Are you all right? You seem a bit, ah, confused or something.”

  “I just have a lot to think about,” Seri answered. “I really can’t talk about it, but it was big. Really big.”

  “Now I’m going to have to go spy on them to figure this out.”

  Seri’s head shot up. “That’s not a good idea.”

  “Why not? We agreed it might be neat to look in on the Lords from the crawl tunnels, didn’t we?”

  “Yes, but not them. Trust me, Dravid.” Seri glanced around. “I think they would detect you.”

  Dravid’s face scrunched in perplexity. “I don’t get it. I’m always quiet. Even quieter now that I have one less leg, right?” He tried to smile.

  “They… their power is different. I seriously think it would be dangerous to tr
y to spy on them.”

  “Well, now you absolutely have to tell me more.”

  “I can’t!”

  Dravid looked at her with a frown, then finally nodded. “All right, I’ll take your word for it now. But you have to tell me more when you can.”

  “As soon as I can, Dravid, I promise.”

  “You’d better. You persuade me to keep going, and then keep secrets from me. Not entirely encouraging, you know.” Dravid started down the hall again.

  Seri caught up to him and took his arm. “I’m sorry. I would tell you, if I could.” She glanced around. “I hear Lord Meluhha is arriving in two days. Will you be meeting with him about your status?”

  “I doubt it. Master Hain has said he’ll try speaking with him, but I don’t expect anything. Lord Meluhha personally chose Master Ganak.”

  “You don’t need either of them,” Seri said. “You’re going to be a Master without their help. Or something even better.”

  Dravid shot her a look. “What could be better than a Master of the Conclave?”

  “I don’t know. But everything’s changing. Who knows what could happen next?”

  CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

  AS THEY APPROACHED more populated areas, Aelia and Talinir frequently discussed their path. At some point, they would have to join the main roads. Otherwise, they’d be cutting through farms and estates.

  “Maybe Talinir should wear a hood,” Victor suggested one evening. “I mean, he can’t hide his face completely, but that might help a little.”

  “I could cover every inch of my body, and it wouldn’t matter,” Talinir said. “I would still stand out.”

  “He’s right,” Aelia said. “We’ve grown somewhat accustomed to it over the last few weeks, but no one can ignore one of the Eldanim.”

  Marshal looked at Talinir. It was true he’d gotten used to the warden’s unusual appearance, not just his angular features, but the odd sense that he was taller. He could sense it, of course, but it no longer bothered him as much.