Ariella and the Blood Curse

by Owen Crane

  you.”

  Their optimism was short lived. The nervousness may have fallen from Felix

  but he still couldn’t wield a sword. It was only desperation that fended off

  Karlov’s first few blows and he was lucky in deflecting the next. Still Karlov

  pressed his attack, raining down blow after blow until Felix was driven to his

  knees trying to defend himself. Karlov sent a massive strike and Felix’s sword

  was knocked to the floor.

  To Ariella’s horror Karlov didn’t stop, he raised his sword over the

  defenceless Felix.

  She screamed as the blade came down. “No!”

  But the blade never reached its target. A bright blue light flashed from

  Felix"s hand. The brightness caused Ariella to close her eyes. When she opened

  them again her mouth dropped open. Felix was still on his knees, but a foot from

  his head was Karlov"s sword. Stopped dead in the middle of the shimmering

  blue light.

  Chapter 10

  The Knot stood in stunned silence, eyes wide and mouths open. Karlov let

  go of the hilt of his sword and it stayed where it was, suspended in mid air,

  encased in the blue light emanating from Felix"s hands.

  Jaron looked over at Indio as he swore loudly. “That answers your

  question.” Indio’s face was blank. “About how he got here. He didn"t swing a

  sword at a dummy, he can already use his light.”

  “It shut those two up,” said Ariella looking over at Eugenie and Theia.

  “Excellent,” said Indio “that’s made my day. Top job Felix you bloody

  legend!”

  Felix was still down on his knees with a stunned look on his face. Indio’s

  shout startled him and the light faded away, the sword dropping to the stone

  courtyard with a long clang.

  “How is that possible?” Asked Ariella “It"s supposed to take at least a year of

  training before you can pull off something like that.”

  Jaron shrugged. “No idea. Maybe some people are gifted differently.”

  Meanwhile, Felix had recovered from the shock of stopping Karlov"s sword

  as it rushed towards his head. He jumped to his feet and backed away.

  Felix was sweating. “You…you…you could"ve killed me!”

  “But I didn"t.” Karlov replied, “You stopped me.”

  “But you were trying to kill me!”

  “I was trying to get a reaction”

  Indio laughed at that. “He certainly got a reaction from you Felix.” Felix

  glanced over and Indio spoke under his breath “He looks like a startled rabbit.”

  “I nearly died!” Felix shouted, “You"re a lunatic!”

  “Welcome to the Guardians. That’s not the first time that’s happened is it

  Felix?” Karlov asked

  Felix shook his head.

  “In stressful situations?”

  “Yes.” Felix responded. “I get in stressful situations quite a lot. It, sort of, just happens. I don’t make it happen, it does it by itself.”

  Karlov laughed.

  He turned to the rest of the Knot. “That"ll do for starters. Now hand in your

  weapons, get back to your rooms, change into your new gear and then meet me

  in the mess hall.”

  The Knot dispersed. Theia and Eugenie went together, whispering and

  exchanging muffled laughs. Ariella fell in next to Felix with Indio and Jaron

  close behind.

  “That was impressive, Felix.” said Ariella, smiling at the still trembling Felix.

  “I"ll say.” chipped in Indio. “The way that sword stopped dead in the air, I

  thought it was going to cave his head in. I was picturing splatters of brain and

  blood all over the stones.”

  Felix turned white as Jaron thumped Indio"s arm.

  “Don"t worry.” said Jaron. “Karlov was only trying to get something out of

  you, he must"ve known what you could do, or at least he"d heard what you

  could do.”

  Ariella nodded. “That"s right, Karlov is here to help us, not hurt us.”

  “At least not this year anyway,” answered Indio “he"ll save that for year two

  and three if we"re not making the grade.” Felix shot him a nervous look as Jaron

  thumped him again.

  They were the last to reach their tower; everyone else was already up in their

  rooms. Ariella said goodbye to the boys as she arrived at her landing. The ever-

  smiling Yvette was there to meet her.

  “Hello my dear. I hear you"ve had an eventful afternoon.” Ariella nodded

  without replying. “I never got a chance to show you around before you had to

  rush off, so let me give you the quick tour.” She turned and indicated to the

  three doors leading off the landing. „The door on the right is my room, the

  middle door is the bathroom we all share and that door on the left is your room.”

  Yvette paused, still smiling. “Like I said, it"s a quick tour.” And with that she

  walked into her own room and closed the door behind her.

  Quick tour? Who is this lady?

  Ariella walked into her room and stopped. She could feel the tension

  hanging in the air. Theia and Eugenie were each sat on a bed over to the left,

  under a large window looking out towards the outer wall of Stonegard. They

  were both smirking. Esther was sat on the middle bed, knees drawn up to her

  chest. She looked angry. Over on the right was Phoebe changing into the gear

  that the quartermaster had given her. The dark green uniform squeezed her

  tight and not in a flattering way. She seemed absent, lost in her own world,

  oblivious to the others in the room.

  “Hello.” said Ariella

  She was greeted by silence. Theia and Eugenie stood up and started to

  change, ignoring the other three. Ariella tried to catch Esther"s gaze to see if she

  could get any sign of what had just happened. Their eyes met momentarily and

  Ariella tried to convey a silent question “What"s going on?” but Esther gave a

  quick shake of her head and busied herself with her gear.

  The only remaining bed was between Esther and Phoebe so Ariella dumped

  her bag on it and started pulling out the clothes.

  “Hey” Theia nudged Eugenie “I don"t think making her sleep over there has

  helped. I can still smell her.”

  “Well there"s not much more we can do” Eugenie replied

  “She could sleep on the landing.” Theia suggested with a shrug of her

  shoulders.

  Phoebe didn"t say anything. Ariella wasn"t even sure she had heard them.

  She was in her own world. Esther was ignoring them as well, changing quickly

  into her Guardian uniform. Ariella guessed what had caused the tension in the

  room when she came in a moment ago.

  “If you"ve got a problem Theia, why don"t you find somewhere else to stay?

  I think we passed a pig farm on the outskirts of the city, you should feel right at

  home there,” said Ariella, seething.

  Theia and Eugenie turned towards Ariella and took a step forward, both

  bristling. Esther darted between them and ran from the room, slamming the

  door behind her.

  “Who"s going to make me? You?” Theia sneered. “I saw you out there

  today, all pretty and fancy with your tiny sword.”

  “At least I didn"t squeal in fright as soon as a rock touched my shoulder.”

  Theia"s jaw tightened. “Bet you"ve never even been a real fight.”

  Ariella looked uncertai
n.

  Crap, she’s right. Pillow fights with Osias and Calixto doesn’t really count. What am I doing here?

  Eugenie spotted the look on her face and pointed. “You"re right Theia! She"s

  a polished little princess with no idea about the real world. What a joke! I think

  that you and the freak here” she nodded towards Phoebe “should both go and

  sleep outside, the stench is unbearable.”

  “Don"t call her that.” The word „freak" had set something off in Ariella, she

  wasn"t sure what it was, but she knew that she could let anyone call one of her

  Knot a „freak"

  Eugenie laughed, “She is a freak!”

  Ariella lost control. She was never quite sure what happened next but she

  would always remember the feel of the bone of Eugenie"s nose breaking as she

  slammed her fist into it. A thin arc of blood sprayed out from either side, some

  of it finding Theia"s cheek.

  Eugenie screamed. Theia stepped back, her hands raised, as Ariella turned

  on her.

  “I said „don"t call her that"” her fists were still clenched.

  Eugenie was down on her knees sobbing loudly and trying to stem the flow

  of blood. Ariella raised her fists again looking to take down Theia when her

  arms were pinned to her sides and she was lifted from the floor. Phoebe carried

  Ariella gently away from Theia and back to her own bed. She stood her down

  but kept her arms pinned down, waiting for Ariella"s breathing to relax, all the

  while saying nothing.

  Just as Ariella had calmed down Yvette hurried into the room with a look of

  concern of her face and Esther at her heels. She quickly assessed the situation.

  “Esther, you and Phoebe are already changed, go downstairs and wait for

  Karlov.” Phoebe hesitated looking between Yvette and Ariella. “It"s alright

  dear,” said Yvette taking Phoebe’s hand and moving her from the room “I"ll take

  care of everything.” She turned to the three remaining girls. “Theia, take your

  clothes and get changed in the bathroom.” Theia went without arguing, giving

  Ariella a nervous look.

  When Theia had left, Yvette closed the door and knelt down besides

  Eugenie.

  “It"s broken!” she wailed, her voice nasal from the injury.

  “Yes dear.” agreed Yvette without any emotion in her voice. As she

  stretched out her hand a faint green glow spread from her fingers, barely

  touching Eugenie"s face.

  Ariella gasped. “You"re a Guardian.”

  Yvette looked up and smiled “Why yes dear, who did you think I was?”

  How do I say this without sounding like an idiot?

  “You thought I was the housekeeper, a maid, someone to look after you?”

  “Well, er, not exactly.” Ariella was embarrassed. “Actually, yes, that"s

  exactly what I thought. It"s just that you don"t exactly fit the mould. I

  mean… you don"t look like Karlov or Lalea or Elsa.”

  “No dear, I don"t.” She smiled and returned her attention to Eugenie who

  had stopped her sobbing. The green light faded away and Yvette stood up,

  drawing up Eugenie with her.

  “Let"s take a look at you” she smiled. “Perfect. You have such a pretty nose

  my dear it would help you a lot to stop sticking it up in the air. I may not be

  around next time to mend it.”

  Eugenie"s eyes widened and she glanced at Ariella, backing away.

  “Theia is changing in the bathroom, why don"t you join her?” Yvette picked

  up Eugenie"s clothes and handed them to her, guiding her to the door, closing it

  behind her.

  The two were left alone in the room. Yvette was silently studying Ariella as

  if deciding what to do.

  Well that was a smart move Ari, really well done, you should be proud of yourself. I wonder if anyone has been kicked off The Journey on the first day? I bet that’s some kind of record.

  Ariella shifted uneasily, desperate for the silence to be broken but not

  wanting to say anything else dumb.

  “Ariella, that was foolish.” Her voice was kind but intense. “If you cannot

  control your emotions you will not survive The Journey. The people that die

  here are not the worst Sojourners, the least skilled or the least able. The ones that

  die are the ones that make poor decisions in dangerous situations, like you did

  today. If you do that out in the field you are a danger to yourself and to your

  Knot.” She leaned in and gripped Ariella"s shoulders. “Do not let that happen,

  Ariella. Learn to control your emotions, whatever it takes.” Yvette squeezed her

  and let her go, her face relaxing. “Now, get changed, you"ve got to meet

  Karlov.”

  Yvette left the room, leaving Ariella alone.

  Smart Ari, real smart. You can’t spend the next five years punching everyone who

  hacks you off.

  She sighed and began stripping off her clothes. Habitually she checked her

  pockets, finding the Echo Orbs. She paused. An idea began to form.

  Well, it’s not spying on your mother. I promised Hakeem I wouldn’t spy on her; he

  didn’t say anything about spying on other people. Besides if I leave one of them with my gear and take one with me then technically it won’t be spying it would be an accident.

  She quickly gathered the clothes the quartermaster had given her and got

  dressed. The soft green leather felt comfortable and allowed her to move freely

  without it getting in the way. She packed her old clothes in her pack and placed

  one of the Echo Orbs on the top, pulling down the straps securely and stowing it

  under her bed.

  That should do it.

  She closed the door behind her and went down the stairs into the mess hall.

  She was the last to arrive, the others were seated around the table and Karlov

  was no where to be seen. She sat in a spare chair beside Indio and Jaron.

  “What"s been going on?” whispered Jaron. “The girls looked freaked out.”

  Ariella looked around the room. Esther was sitting across from them

  chewing nervously on the tips of her hair. Phoebe was next to her and had the

  faraway look in her eyes again. Theia and Eugenie were sat close together at the

  far end of the table, not talking, but looking uncomfortable. Every few minutes

  Eugenie would check her nose, nudging it back and forth with her fingertips and

  trying to avoid looking at Ariella.

  “I got a bit carried away,” said Ariella

  Indio joined in the conversation. “Carried away how?”

  “I sort of hit Eugenie,”

  “Excellent!” said Indio, too loudly.

  Everyone in the room froze and looked at Indio. Before anyone could say

  anything Karlov marched into the room and at his heels was Malum Asinum.

  That got everyone"s attention. They sat bolt upright, every eye focused on the

  Guardian"s Master of the Prism.

  “What"s the hell is he doing here?” Indio whispered

  Malum walked to the end of the table with Karlov.

  “In case any of you don"t know, this is Malum Asinum. He has kindly

  agreed to spend some time with us this afternoon to explain to you how the

  Light will feature in your first year of The Journey.

  Malum nodded to Karlov as he idly traced one of his facial tattoos with his

  index finger. He focused on Indio.

  “And that, young Indio, is ‘what the hell’ I am doing here.” H
e smiled at

  Indio"s startled look. “Yes. My ears are that good.”

  Malum began pacing around the table, swinging his wooden staff, the glass

  prism catching the light and casting rainbows across the walls.

  “The Light has always existed. As far back as the songs and legends of

  Dawnhaven go there have always been tales of the Light. It was centred in the

  Blazing Sceptre carried by the Kings and Queens of this Island. They used it to

  battle great foes, to heal vast wounds. It was the symbol of all that was good

  about our land. That was before Prince Diatus led the rebellion against his twin

  brother, King Haldor. Diatus landed his armies on the coast of Trevena and

  marched on Stonegard. His troops were a mix of Ghost Raiders and Faron

  mercenaries from the Eastern Islands. They were ferocious and bloodthirsty,

  burning and destroying everything in their path. But they were ill disciplined.

  They were no match for our armies. We met them head on, broke their advance

  and began driving them back to the sea. Then, at the moment of his defeat,

  Diatus showed the extent of his power and his hatred. He unleashed the

  Shadows.

  He paused to watch the Sojourners, to study their faces.

  “Where the beasts came from or how he controlled them we have no idea,

  we only know that our blades had no effect on them. The Shadows took the

  form of great lions, falling upon our warriors and engulfing them. In one move

  Diatus had turned the tide of battle and hope seemed lost. Our armies were

  driven back, unable to resist the Shadows as they began to surround us. They

  came on relentlessly, seeking King Haldor, driven on by Diatus’ hatred of his

  twin. In the final stand, when the Shadows threatened to overwhelm us, Queen

  Lucia ran to the point of fiercest fighting and shattered the Blazing Sceptre. She

  knew the power contained in the Sceptre would engulf the shadows. She also

  knew it would cost her own life. She was the bravest person I ever knew.”

  Ariella"s eyes widened.

  He was there…he was actually there.

  She had never heard anyone who was at the battle tell the story of her

  grandmother.

  Malum continued. “The breaking of the Sceptre unleashed a torrent of

  blinding Light that overwhelmed every Shadow on the battle field. Diatus’

  armies, knowing they were defeated, fled to their ships, leaving their beaten