Cursed (9 page)

Must be the night air.

Rowan rested the dagger on his opened palms and began a formal incantation. The veins in his right hand glowed red as a crimson-colored mist appeared on the ground. Rowan stood as he pushed more energy into the spell. It was an energy transfer spell, something the Casters did often.

Contain my power.

Hold my soul.

Consume my light.

One thing about Creation Caster incantations—they weren't very wordy. Rowan kept repeating the spell, but no matter how much energy he summoned, there was no flash of purple light. No wallop of magickal force. The weapon didn't react to him at all.

A weight of worry seeped into my bones. Why would I be affected by the dagger while Rowan and Jakob weren't? Had I become somehow aligned with the tsar and I didn't know it?

Rowan stopped his incantation tossed the dagger onto the sand. “Nothing.”

Firelight flickered across the weapon's blade. This was beyond strange. “Do you think it's my curse?”

“Possible.”

I'd seen bone daggers before. This one looked and felt strange. I remembered our conversation when we first met. “If that's what Viktor's doing with weapons, what's he doing to your people?”

The lines of Rowan's face became hard and firm. I had the crazy urge to reach out and brush the back of my fingers along his cheek, just like I used to do with Tristan. I picked up the dagger instead. “I know this is hard, Rowan, but for our plan to succeed, I need to understand everything I can about Viktor.”

Rowan gave me the barest of nods. “That knife was transformed with Caster and Necromancer power.” A muscle ticked along his jaw. “Viktor did the same to my people.”

“I don't understand.”

“Casters can create animals with magick. The ones we pour the most power into become our familiars.”

“Those can take your power when you die, right?”

“Yes. Mine are a pair of snow tigers, Radi and Umeme.” His features softened a little. “Viktor uses a Caster's familiars against them. Some years ago, he began kidnapping our mages and taking them away.”

“I heard about that.”
From Petra.

“Their stories all ended the same. They were brought into his study under a blinding spell. A few days later, they'd wake up changed. If the Caster's familiar was a wolf, then she might wake up to find her hand had been replaced with that animal's paws.”

How horrible.
I'd loved all the animals on Braddock Farm. It broke my heart to take any of them to market, and I hadn't even made those creatures. Even so, that was just the beginning of this horror. “I can't imagine waking up to find a body part—” I couldn't finish. It was just too awful. “The people Viktor changes—”

“The Changed Ones. That's what they call themselves.”

“So he murders their familiar and combines them. Why? Aren't they strong as Casters?”

“He uses Necromancer magick to bring them together. It makes their teeth and claws like that dagger. Hybrid magick. Nothing can stop them.”

“Wouldn't the Changed Ones just attack Viktor?”

“The magick won't let them turn on their creator. They won't fight on his command, though. Viktor tried to brainwash the Changed Ones, but my people are tough. Eventually, they'd fight back. Caster power rebels against being controlled.”

“And Necromancer energy thrives on it.” My eyes widened. “That's why he's here, isn't he? He's looking for some way to use Necromancer magick to control the Changed Ones.”

Rowan shook his head. “I wished I had you on my team months ago. You wouldn't believe how long it took us to figure that out. You got it in less than a day.”

His praise made me feel like the cleverest Necromancer in the realm, so I kept right on going. “Let me guess. Five years ago, Viktor stopped abducting Casters and running his experiments. Instead, he came here to work on the next phase of his plan… Getting the Changed Ones to do his bidding. That's when Viktor killed the old Tsar.”

Rowan nodded. “After Viktor left, we tried to move on and heal our people. Then, a few years ago, one of our seers saw that Viktor was about to return… And with a way to control all the Changed Ones. I was sent here to investigate.”

“You're an awfully high ranking man to send.”

“Viktor went after all our top mages.” A long silence passed before Rowan spoke again. “I'm one of the few who still looks like a man, Elea.”

Oh, no.
I hugged my elbows. “I'm sorry.”

“We all have our troubles.” He poked at the fire with a stick and sent tiny embers flying up into the night sky. “I'd been hoping to find some of our Changed Ones here. Not all of my top mages are accounted for. But we haven't had any luck yet.”

“If he did have them here, then the easiest place to keep them would be at a Cloister or Monastery.”

He offered me a sad smile. “Something for you to investigate in your spare time. See if any of my Changed Ones are at the Midnight Cloister.”

“I'll try.” I picked up the dagger and flipped it from hand to hand. The thing was so light and innocent-looking to pack such a magickal wallop. This kind of power wouldn't be easy to go up against. I pictured the totem rings in my pocket and frowned. “Viktor will have weapons like this one on Sunday, won't he?”

“Yes. And there's no way to block that blade, let alone break it.”

“We need hybrid weapons, then.” And I don't feel confident that Jakob will come up with anything soon. There must be another way. “I take it you've visited the Sanctuary Fairs.”

“My agents have contacted some Necromancers who may be able to help us.”

“Who? Mother Starlight? The Monk of Longmeadow?”

“Oni and Yuri.”

I almost dropped the dagger, I was so shocked. According to the stories, Oni and Yuri were mages, a man and a woman, and they wielded unbelievable power. Hybrid spells should be no problem, assuming they actually existed. But no one thought they existed.

“That's your plan? I hate to tell you this, but those two don't exist. They're stories for children.”

“All stories start somewhere.”

“They supposedly live on a magickal plane that's gated from this reality. That's pretty outrageous stuff.”

“Oni and Yuri are real.” Rowan had his ‘no discussion' tone on again. “They made contact with Jakob two weeks ago.”

Sure, they did.
Jakob must have been pretty drunk to dream that up, but I didn't want to push the point with Rowan.

“Oni and Yuri want to help us,” Rowan went on. “But they have conditions. I expect to find out what those are any day now. Trust me, they'll make contact again, and when they do, they'll give us the hybrid magick we need to fight the Tsar.”

I scratched my head. Rowan's plan sounded like nonsense. Still, it's not as if my original plan was all that solid. I needed a new approach as well.

“How about you?” asked Rowan. “What are you thinking of doing, now that you know how the Cloister will really greet a Grand Mistress?”

“I'm still planning to pretend to be a Commoner with untested powers. Hestia, the agent from the market, will take me to the Midnight Cloister fast enough.”

“And what will you do on Sunday?”

Is he kidding?
“Kill the Tsar.”

“Assuming I can find you a weapon.”

“I understand what you said about the hybrid magick.” I pulled the totem rings out of my pocket. “But these are charged with spells and ready to go. I'll have the element of surprise on my side. With any luck, I'll kill Viktor before he has a chance to fight.”

“If anyone can do it, you can.”

“Thank you.” I hated the blush that heated my cheeks. “We'll need a means to communicate once I'm inside. What level Necromancer is Jakob?”

“Master, more or less.”

“Then, he can help us.” I pulled off my betrothal ring. “This has a joy spell on it from Tristan. You can use it to track me down and communicate.”

“Aren't the Cloisters warded to block outside magick?”

“Tristan and I communicate through our curse, and that's Viktor's own magick. It should be fine to pass by his wards. You and Jakob can join in that spell while we're talking. Just tell Jakob that we need to communicate through a dream on Wednesday at midnight. He'll know what to do.” I set my hand in my pocket and gripped my totem rings. “Is it a plan?”

Rowan nodded toward my hand. “What about those?”

I stilled. “Those what?”

“Your totem rings. There are five more of them. What are the chances they won't take them from you when you arrive at the Midnight Cloister?”

“I was planning to hide them in my hair.” This was something I'd been thinking about, but the plan didn't sound so fine when I said it aloud.

“All five?” He shook his head. “And if they find them, they'll know you for a Grand Mistress. You won't live long.”

“I'll be fine. They may not even inspect me.”

Rowan's face lit up with indignation. “I don't like this. Your plan has you acting all alone.”

“The Sisters at my old Cloister were elderly. They trained me as best they could, but they couldn't offer any help. I am alone.”

“That's not what I meant.” Our gazes locked. “I'm here now.”

“But… I barely know you.”

“You can trust me. I proved it to you at the marketplace.”

“That was one time, Rowan.”

“Let me put it to you another way.” He leaned in closer. “When you first looked at me, I could have sworn you recognized me.”

That's because I did. The dream.
Damn, I didn't think he noticed that.

I cleared my throat and stalled for time. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Don't lie, Elea.” He gave me a lopsided grin that warmed me to my toes. “You're terrible at it, you know.”

I couldn't help but chuckle. “Fine. Yes, I did recognize you.”

“The Sire of Souls showed me to you, didn't he?”

I nodded.

“So I'll ask you again. What's really holding you back?” Rowan set his hand on my shoulder and I didn't pull away. “Take my help. The Sire and Lady want us to work together, and I want it, too. I believe this to the marrow of my bones… I can't defeat Viktor without you. And it won't work if you're an aloof mage who keeps running her own plans. I want you as a true partner.”

The words affected me like magick. My pulse sped at the thought of having someone who really was at my back.

Yes, I wanted that, too.

Bit by bit, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my totem rings. The skull patterns were familiar as friends—protection from harm, magick blocker, strength of stone, skeleton sword, and cluster of fireballs. The last one was empty since I'd used them up on Rowan, so I quickly loaded it up with a spell to break any enchanted bindings. If Rowan was right, I was certain to be bound with manacles.

A long silence followed. Rowan watched me with intense interest. I clenched my hand into a fist around my rings. Was I really going to give these to an almost-stranger? My hand didn't want to open.

“If I give these to you, how will you get them back to me?”

“My agents have infiltrated the traders who bring deliveries to the back gate. We'll hide them in one of the packages.”

“You might try a shipment of Grand Mistress robes. The Midnight won't use them, but they can't refuse them either. And in my Cloister, we all had access to the cloak room.”

“Consider it done.”

My hand still wouldn't move. Why did this have to be so hard? Finally, I forced my arm forward and gently set the rings onto Rowan's outstretched palm. My hand felt so empty without them. “I worked five years on those rings.”

Rowan held them against his chest. “I'll guard them with my life.”

“All right.”
Hopefully.

“Do you need some time now?” asked Rowan. “Take a break? There's more to eat, if you like.”

“No. We should get back to planning.” I straightened my shoulders. “Now, how will you get inside the Cloister on Sunday?”

I can't believe I said that out loud.
Rowan and I really attacking the Tsar on Sunday. Together.

“The Vicomte is already visiting the Midnight Cloister along with the Tsar. The two of them are—”

“Allies, I know.”

“Genesis Rex asked for a formal meeting with them both. The reply is due back any day now.”

“And if they say no?”

“We'll storm the delivery gate.” His gaze met mine, and all the determination in the world was set into his eyes. “Either way, this will be over in on week.”

“Yes, it will.” I hopped to my feet, my limbs buzzing with nervous energy. “Unless there's anything else you can think of, I want to find Hestia and get myself abducted. Tomorrow is Tuesday, after all. I need time to look around.”

Rowan looked up at me. “That's all I can think of for now. Good luck, Elea.” The lines of his face grew hard. I'd seen that look before—he was worried about me. I wanted to shake his hand or even worse, share an embrace.

Don't Elea. Now most of all, you need to stay in control.

I forced my face into a mask of calm. “And good luck to you as well.” With that, I turned on my heel and stepped off into the darkness. I wasn't fifty paces from the campsite when a heavy set of arms wrapped around me from behind, holding me in place. The rough touch made me freeze with surprise.

And so it begins.

Chapter Six

The man's paunchy belly pressed into my back as his thick fingers dug into my stomach. How I itched to cast a bone melter spell. This fiend could be a pile of gelatinous goo in seconds.

Don't fight it, Elea. You knew that they'd do this. It's your best way into the Midnight Cloister.