Assassin of Curses: (The Coren Hart Chronicles Book 3) Page 10

  The dream echoed through my mind, and at first, I couldn’t figure out what he was talking about. Then it hit me—the control charm for Cabrina.

  I nodded. We had talked about this the previous evening. If we did end up traveling to the Kuiojia Empire, Cabrina was going to have to come with us. So the problem was how to keep her under control with the few people we’d have with us. Rourke had offered to make a set of charms that would help.

  He seemed especially pleased at completing his task. “I’ve already placed the controlling charm on the prisoner. I even explained to her how they work. Surprisingly, she took it without complaint, saying she didn’t want to cause any more trouble for her host. Of course, now that it’s activated, she can’t take it off. And don’t worry, I made sure it won’t interact with the other charm she’s wearing.” He grinned. “To use it, all you do is touch the master amulet and give one of four commands. Oh, and I also included a locate ability.”

  I nodded. Rourke had outdone himself. It was exactly what we had talked about. “Where is the master amulet?”

  Rourke grinned. “I gave it to Mistress Fumiko. I passed her in the hall a little while ago. She seemed most pleased.” He looked up. “She mentioned something about testing it and asking the prisoner some questions.”

  I suddenly got a bad feeling—the conversation about interrogating Cabrina echoing through my mind. I got up and headed for the door. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  When I arrived at the dungeon entrance, the guard on duty gave me a worried look. “Sir Coren, Mistress Fumiko is with the prisoner.”

  I couldn’t remember the guard’s name, but I had frequently seen him in the dungeon. Technically as the queen’s knight, all the guards in the castle were under my command. However, I had not exercised that authority since I was still new to my role.

  The guard grimaced. “Sir, she asked not to be disturbed.”

  I grew uneasy. “And?”

  The guard looked like he had just eaten something foul. “I’m not sure sir, but...”

  He paused at the sound echoing from inside the dungeon. It was a young girl’s voice, and she sounded in pain.

  My eyes went wide. “Open up,” I commanded.

  The guard jumped to his task, and I strode in.

  As I entered the corridor to the cells, I could hear Fumiko just ahead around the corner.

  “Where are the others?” she asked, not a trace of emotion in her voice. “You have to know.”

  “But I don’t!” yelled Cabrina. “I told you they...”

  I rounded the corner just as Fumiko gave the command, “Bind.”

  Cabrina was in her cell. Her hair was in disarray, and tears were streaming down her face. Fumiko was outside of Cabrina’s cell and was touching an amulet around her neck. It flashed blue, and immediately, Cabrina’s wrists came together, and she dropped to her knees on the stone floor. Hard.

  “Owwwww,” she sobbed. She bent forward and put her head on the floor. “I told you I don’t know.”

  “What are you doing?” I asked, not believing what I was seeing.

  Fumiko looked up in surprise. “I was just testing Rourke’s charms.”

  “It looks like more than just testing. I thought we had agreed we would not torture her.”

  She shook her head. “You had agreed to it. Not I.” She looked back to Cabrina. “Besides, she’s not hurting. She’s merely not happy with it.”

  “Sir Coren, please,” she sobbed. “I don’t know anything.”

  Fumiko touched the amulet. “Silence.”

  Suddenly Cabrina sobs disappeared. Her mouth moved, but no sound reached us.

  “Release her, Fumiko,”

  She turned to me, her expression cold. “Coren, I’m only doing what must be done. She is one of the enemy, and all they know how to do is lie. I’ve been under one’s control and seen first-hand how they operate. She’s using you. You’re simply too trusting to see it.”

  I stepped closer until she had to look up at me. I was furious. “Release her,” I repeated. “She’s admittedly been possessed by a Dark Avenyts, but she’s also a victim. You can’t separate one from the other. Torturing her is... wrong.”

  Fumiko held my glare for almost a full minute. I almost didn’t think she was going to back down. She finally touched the amulet. “Release,” she said.

  The amulet flashed blue again. Cabrina’s wrists separated, and the sound of her sobs returned. “...don’t hurt Cabrina anymore. I’ve told you all I know.”

  Fumiko looked me squarely in the eye. “Sometimes, you have to do the hard things. You’ll never be able to protect Zofie like this.”

  I couldn’t remember when I had been so angry. I held out my hand. “The amulet.”

  She looked up at me a moment more before lifting it over her head and placing it on my palm. We held each other’s gaze a moment longer, and then she stepped away, quickly moving toward the exit. But she paused at the door and turned. “Remember this conversation when she’s got a knife at your throat.” Fumiko left the dungeon.

  I unlocked the cell door and knelt beside Cabrina. “She’s gone.”

  Cabrina leaped into my arms and cried into my shoulder. “I told her I didn’t know anything,” she babbled. “I really don’t.” She swallowed. “We were so scared.”

  I hesitated. Was she using me? Was she manipulating me to her designs? Maybe I was too trusting. Then again, was that a bad thing? I put my arms around her and let her sob into my shoulder.

  After her tears had died down, I helped her stand. That’s when I noticed the small rips on her dress around her knees. They were bloody. I couldn’t help but wonder how many times Fumiko had made her slam down on the rough stone floor. I helped her sit on her bed and then went out into the small area outside the dungeon proper and asked the guard if he had anything for cuts. He gave me a small clay jar of some kind of healing salve.

  Cabrina watched me warily as I reentered her cell.

  I held out the jar. “I brought something for your knees.”

  She hesitated but took it. She hiked up her dress to just above her knees. They were bloody and bruised, confirming my fears. She winced as she gingerly applied the salve.

  As I watched her, I couldn’t decide if she was putting on an act, trying to gain my sympathy, or was really hurt. I just wasn’t sure.

  “I begged Mistress Fumiko to stop,” she said as she dabbed on the medicine. “Cabrina’s body was being damaged, and the one inside could feel everything. And neither of us understands why Mistress Fumiko would hurt her. I’ve already told her everything I know.”

  “She considers you an enemy and believes you’ve not been completely honest. You did attack someone close to her.”

  She looked up. “Then why are you helping me? You are even closer to the princess. She’s your future mate. Am I not an enemy to you too?”

  I sighed. “To be honest. I would like to see you punished for what you did. But there is a difference between being punished for a crime and hurting someone who is innocent. The Cabrina inside you did nothing to deserve a punishment.”

  The youth finished with the ointment and held it out to me.

  “I was just following my directives. While I knew how the charms were made and who was supposed to get them, I did not know what they did.”

  I took the salve from her. “Directives. Are they like orders?”

  She nodded. “Only stronger. It’s impossible for me to go against them.”

  “What are your directives now?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t have any. I’m not sure why they didn’t give me more. All I have is just the basic one all of my kind has.”

  “Which is?”

  She gazed up at me a moment before answering. She finally said, “Serve.”

  I gave her a puzzled look. “Serve who?”

  She shrugged again. “Basically, anyone with a higher cothe than me. But for now, without a higher directive, I serve Cabrina.”

  I looked
at her doubtfully. “And what does Cabrina want?”

  She sat up and smiled brightly, seemingly quite pleased with herself. “She wants to mate with Master Rourke,” the youth said matter of factly. “She thinks he is quite handsome...”

  The youth broke off and winced. She looked up as if talking to someone else. “What do you mean I wasn’t supposed to tell? It’s true!” She looked back to me. “I think I embarrassed her.”

  I blinked at her in confusion.

  Cabrina cocked her head to the side. “But in my opinion, you are much more worthy of mating with...”

  She winced again and looked to the side as if listening to someone else. She finally looked back to me and blushed. “I apologize. I apparently have said something inappropriate. Cabrina inside is yelling at me, but I’m not sure why.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “That was just a little inappropriate, especially for a young maiden. But I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  She sighed. “Human courting rituals are so hard to understand. I’m surprised you manage to reproduce.” She winced. “Cabrina yelled at me again.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “Anyway, I had best be getting back. I’m supposed to be meeting with the other advisers.”

  “You’re taking us somewhere, aren’t you?”

  I couldn’t see a reason to hide it. “To the Kuiojia Empire, assuming we can find an ancient artifact he wants.” I had a sudden thought. “Did your people mention anything about the Griffin’s Key?”

  She shook her head. “No. I was told only the bare minimum.”

  “Nothing about any of the ancient artifacts?”

  She shook her head again. “Sorry. The only thing I’ve heard came from your ballad, The Cursed Knight.”

  I cringed. “That account is not exactly correct.”

  “But you did find the Mirror of Bygone Tears. Can’t you do the same thing you did before to find it?”

  I considered her. I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to reveal. But I gambled. “We’ve tried the finder, but it didn’t work.”

  “Then what about the mirror itself. Didn’t you use it to prove the princess was innocent?”

  “We did, but it only shows a myst user’s memories. It doesn’t show how to find an inanimate object.”

  She shrugged. “Then why don’t you ask it to show you the memories of the last person to visit the key’s location.”

  I stared at her. “That’s actually a good suggestion. However, I have to use Abe to unlock it, and your charm has made him stop working.”

  She looked puzzled. “Can I see your curse mark?”

  I thought it an odd request, but I pulled up my jacket and shirt sleeve so she could see it. She examined it intently. “Your curse is very different from us, similar but different. But one thing I can say for sure is that it still operates.”

  I looked at the curse mark myself. “How... how do you know?”

  She shrugged. “Because I can smell him. The closest analogy I can think of is feeling a person’s breath, or maybe the scent of their body. But I can definitely say he’s alive, and at least on some level, is working.”

  My eyes went wide. Then I might be able to start the mirror.

  I took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you. I’m not sure why you’re helping me, but I appreciate it.”

  She blushed. Deeply.

  I turned to leave. “I have to try this out.”

  As I was leaving, I heard Cabrina talking to herself. I guess it was actually to the girl inside of her.

  “I told you he would make the better mate.”

  I strode into Zofie’s study, brimming with an exuberance I hadn’t felt since she had been attacked.

  Rourke was in his usual spot by the window while Captain Milner and Spraggel sat in chairs closer to the fire. Fumiko stood before them and seemed to have just finished explaining about our attempt with the finder. She regarded me coolly.

  Spraggel brightened when he saw me. “There you are. I was wondering if you were going to join us.”

  The princess sat to one side with that same blank expression I hated. I went to Zofie and knelt before her. I took her hand and gave it a kiss before turning to the others.

  Spraggel rubbed his chin. “So the finder didn’t work. I’m not surprised. Otherwise, it would have been found by now. And our research came up empty.”

  Captain Milner cocked his jaw to one side in irritation. “So what do we do now?”

  I smiled. “I want to try using the Mirror of Bygone Tears.”

  Rourke frowned. “But doesn’t that just show a myst user’s memories? We’ve tried it on other things, and you have to have the context for the memories to make sense.”

  “True, but it might give us a clue.”

  Captain Milner shrugged. “What have we got to lose?”

  Rourke likewise agreed while Fumiko remained silent.

  I held out my hand. “Spraggel, the mirror please.”

  Spraggel frowned. “I hope I can remember where I put it.” He reached into his strange pocket up to his elbow and began to search around.

  Rourke looked at me in disbelief. “You gave one of the most important ancient artifacts to Spraggel?”

  I shrugged. “What else could I do? I thought it was a better hiding place than the bottom of my linen drawer.”

  Rourke shook his head but said nothing more.

  A moment later, Spraggel reached further down into his pocket. “Ah-ha!” he exclaimed. He pulled out a shiny black orb just slightly smaller than my fist. It was totally black—its darkness seeming to almost eat any light touching it. The mirror was considered one of the most powerful of the ancient artifacts. It could show any event from a living myst user’s life, whether the person granted permission or not. But it had serious limitations. Plus, there must be some way to block its effects since we had not been able to use it on Wynn or Risten.

  I took it from him and then touched it to the curse anchor on my wrist. We all held our breath as we waited for it to start. But nothing happened. Disappointment flooded me as the mirror remained its lifeless black. I shoved it against my wrist harder. “Abe, you foul-mouthed, good for nothing curse. If you can hear me, please make this thing work.”

  To all of our surprise, Zofie gave a soft groan. We all looked to her in surprise.

  Suddenly, I felt it move of its own accord. I released the mirror, and it remained floating in the air. As we watched, it unfolded like a flower into a larger, bowl-shaped object of the same deep black.

  I nearly danced. “Show me the last person to visit where the Griffin’s Key is kept,” I asked it.

  It hesitated, but then I felt a rush of excitement as a pull of myst went through me. The world began to fade away, and I felt myself heading toward a dream. It was a shared memory. I had done this before with Zofie, but I don’t think I would ever get used to looking out through someone else’s eyes—

  With the back of my wrist, I pushed a strand of hair out of my face being careful not to let the flour on my hands touch anything. That included my dress, which loved to become dusted in the stuff.

  I added a few more drops of goat milk to the bowl and mixed it together with my hands. This was the last of the flour. After this, I wasn’t sure what we would do. I guess eat what was left of the cheese and drink goats milk until that too ran out. Poor old Nibbles had already been giving less milk.

  I carefully mixed everything and then scraped every last morsel on to a mixing board and began to form it up into a loaf. I almost cried. It was so small, especially for four people. I sighed and pushed the annoying strand of hair behind my ear again.

  Father had gone to try to sell one of our precious goats to purchase more flour, but I had my doubts there was any to buy. Rumors were that even the princess couldn’t afford to have any.

  I guess we were lucky to have any goats at all. The soldiers had come over the summer and confiscated everything. The only reason we had what we did was because Father h
ad hidden some in the nearby forest.

  Unfortunately, he hadn’t hidden me. And when they hadn’t been able to find goats, they turned toward something else—

  I jerked my thoughts away from that dark path.

  Finishing with the dough, I put the tiny loaf into the oven. I took care to place it in just the right position—I couldn’t afford to burn our last loaf of bread. I then went to see if our supply of cheese had miraculously grown overnight.

  I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see my little sister enter. She carefully shut the door behind her. She was only seven and bundled from head to toe in a thick coat, with a rough wool scarf covering her face. “I think Rotha might be getting upset with me. She keeps expecting me to give her more feed.”

  I looked back down to the cheese. Unfortunately, it was the same size as yesterday. “Is Mother all right?” I asked.

  “Yes, she’s got her bow and is watching the goats like a mother bear watches her cubs.”

  I smiled. “I feel sorry for whatever tries to steal one of her animals, be they beast or human. They will surely suffer a fate worse than hell.”

  She giggled at the remark. She was an ordinary girl with plain brown hair and a slim build. Unremarkable in every way, except for her smile. It lifted my heart every time I saw it. However, her dirt was another matter.

  “Floria!” I yelled at her. “Clean your boots off. Don’t dirty my floors.”

  Floria looked down at her boots and lifted one up to inspect it. “But I did Docila. I did!”

  And then I smelled it—something burning. “I gasped and turned back to the small oven. The bread was just starting to burn....”

  I blinked as the vision cleared, as did the others in the room.

  Master Rourke shook his head. “It’s hopeless. Those people could be anywhere in the world! That’s worse of a problem than we had before.”

  Spraggel shook his head. “Perhaps we should try again. Be a little more specific to get it to show us a location.”

  I, on the other hand, started laughing. I couldn’t help myself. After days of not knowing, of worrying over what to do, the laughter just rolled out of me.