by Cait Marie
When the cursed become mere legend and a true believer found, the key to their freedom will be presented by the descendant. Only when forgiveness is fully given and the other half found will an act of true love set their souls free. The curse shall be paid for and lifted where it all began.
They had arrived in Rayerna a couple weeks earlier, sure that the place where it all began was there. Lee was born there, he was sent to fight there in the war as part of the curse, and the map in Ada’s book hinted that they’d find the golden healing flower—the Heulwen—somewhere in the kingdom. But they still hadn’t found any key to breaking the curse or their only hope for curing the Kald. Frustration had grown among the crew, though in Ada more than anyone. She knew the flower had to exist somewhere. People throughout her kingdom and the southern islands were dying from the altered sickness, and they couldn’t stop it from spreading through available remedies. Nothing seemed to work.
Ada leaned back, tired of feeling angry and desperate for answers. She smiled up at Lee. There was one thing she could do that always made it better. Standing on her toes, she brushed his lips with her own. He didn’t need more of an invitation. His hands tightened on her sides as he deepened the kiss. Her fingers threaded through the soft hair at the nape of his neck, and he moaned into her mouth. He turned and walked her back to the bed. When the backs of her thighs bumped the mattress, she fell back, pulling Lee down with her.
They laughed as they collapsed, and Lee held himself up on his elbows above her. Their eyes met, and the laughter died out quickly. He leaned down, softly kissing her once, twice.
“Ada,” he whispered, lifting himself enough to look at her. One hand was firmly planted on the bed beside her head while the other held her waist. His thumb brushed circles along the exposed skin beneath the hem of her shirt. He cleared his throat, then started again, “Adalina, I—”
She raised a hand to cover his mouth, cutting off his words. “Don’t.”
He pulled her hand away and held it between them. “I know you’re scared, but not saying it doesn’t make it any less true.”
Ada’s eyes stung. She looked away, trying to ignore the hurt flashing across his face. “I know,” she whispered. “But it feels like it solidifies the prophecy. If that part is true…”
“Then, the rest must be,” Lee finished.
He sat up, pulling her beside him. With an arm wrapped around her, she leaned against his shoulder. Their room was the only place she allowed herself to break down. No one outside the door knew how terrified she was about ending the curse.
Lee echoed her thoughts, “I know you’re scared… You don’t have to do this. We can stop this right now, and I’ll take you home.”
She shook her head, wiping at her face as she sat upright.
“Ada—”
“No, Loxley, I’m doing this,” she insisted.
They’d had the argument before, and she wouldn’t give in. He brushed away a tear and kissed her brow. “So stubborn,” he repeated for what felt like the thousandth time since they met three months earlier.
“You know you love it,” she whispered, using his earlier words. He chuckled softly before kissing her again.
Someone knocked on the door, causing Lee to groan. Against Ada’s lips, he said, “I’m going to kill her.”
Ada pulled away chuckling and called out that the door was open. It wasn’t a surprise when Brienne walked in.
“Brienne,” Lee said through clenched teeth, “this better be important.”
She shrugged one shoulder and leaned against the doorframe. “Ren is back.”
“And?”
“He thinks he found it.”
Ada stood abruptly, tugging Lee up with her. They moved back to the open room beyond where Ren sat at one of the tables surrounded by their crew.
“Captain,” he said as they joined. He nodded his head toward Ada. “Princess.”
She smiled, but Lee held up a hand. “Wait, he’s allowed to call you that without getting yelled at?”
“Seriously? That’s what you’re concerned about right now?” she snapped.
“All right,” Brienne cut Lee off as he opened his mouth, no doubt to argue back. “Stars, shouldn’t you two be getting along by now?” She didn’t let them reply. “Ren, tell them.”
“I was talking with a maid from the castle. She told me that the gardens there are unlike any other. Apparently, the royal family takes great pride in their rare plants.”
Ada had spent every summer at that castle since she was six. For countless days, she’d played among those plants with her brother and Prince Michel. Even Phillip tagged along a few of those years—more so when they were older, and he became a guard. As they grew up, Ada had stopped chasing after the boys, and instead, she began wandering the paths with Michel at her side.
She knew those gardens well, but that didn’t stop the nervous, excited fluttering that filled her stomach at Ren’s next words.
“There’s a rumor that the Heulwen is hidden there among the other flowers.”
Ledgers, books, and piles of papers flooded the large oak desk. For days, Shane and Gwyn had combed through every word in the king’s study and the hidden laboratory beneath the castle. There was nothing about a cure for the Kald anywhere. Frustrated, Shane slammed the last book shut and threw it aside. It’s thud startled Gwyn, but she was used to his outbursts at that point. She needed the cure for her father just as much.
“We’ll figure it out.” She stood to move beside him.
Shane turned in his seat and looked up, shaking his head slowly. “Gwyn, there’s nothing here. We’ve looked through everything.”
She motioned for him to scoot back, and he obliged. Once there was room between him and the desk, she stood fully in front of him. She put a finger under his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.
“We are going to figure it out,” she told him again. Her fierce tone matched the look she gave him. “Viktor is down in the dungeons now. We’ll get him to work on it.”
“And you’d trust anything he made?” Shane asked with a raised brow. Only a few weeks ago, she’d tortured and stabbed the man, demanding information. He’d told them there wasn’t a cure to the new strain of the Kald infecting their kingdom, and Shane had started to believe him.
“Of course not. That’s why we test it on him first,” she said.
“Gwyn—”
“Shane.”
He sighed. “We’re not infecting him.”
“Ada is still out there too,” she continued as if he hadn’t said anything. “She will find the flower, and I’m sure it will work.”
“If it even exists.”
“Like the Nihryst?” She leaned back against the desk. “Stop being so negative. It’s bad for your health.”
He laughed quietly and took both of her hands in his, lacing their fingers together. They’d grown close the past few months, and he hated the distance between them since he was injected. He thought back to those stolen kisses before trying to sneak Michel out of the castle. Before her friend Marley was killed in front of them. There was comfort in having her there with him, but he wanted more. “Do you have any idea how much I wish kissing you wouldn’t infect you?”
She let out a breath. “Shane, you can’t say things like that. You’re betrothed.”
“To a woman who doesn’t love me and lives across the sea.”
“Lady Saundra will be good for you,” Gwyn said. “She will make an excellent queen.”
“If I live long enough to be king,” he muttered.
Before she could respond, the door banged open.
“Shane, do you…” Phillip froze in the middle of the room. “I’m sorry. I should have knocked.”
Gwyn straightened, pulling her hands from Shane as Phillip started to back away. “No, no,” she said, rounding the desk. She walked across the ornate rug, grabbed him by the sleeve, and dragged him to one of the chairs facing Shane. “You stay. I need to go check on my father anyway.
”
She sent a wink toward Shane and quickly left, shutting the door behind her. Shane waited for his friend to continue with whatever he’d come in to say, but Phillip just stared at the floor. He toed the carpet with his boot.
“Phillip, is everything all right?”
His friend sat down and finally looked up. “I’m really sorry about that. I’m so used to it just being us, I didn’t think.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Shane began closing books and placing them in neat stacks. “What did you need to ask me?”
“Oh,” Phillip started, “I was going to ask if you want to do the induction at the end of the week.”
While Shane and Gwyn searched high and low for a cure, Phillip had been charged to weed through the guards in the castle. They would move on to the rest of the soldiers next, but it was vital to secure the new king first. Anyone loyal to his father was given the option of leaving the military completely or moving to a position outside the palace walls. With either choice, they would not be on the premises. Most chose to join the navy crews. Detmarya had limited jobs for a royal guard relieved of their duties.
Phillip stepped up to do the work, and Shane couldn’t help but be proud of his friend. “Yes, but I want to hold a ceremony.”
“Good. We’ll get that arranged.” Phillip nodded. “It would provide a way for those remaining to pledge their loyalty to you and the kingdom as well.”
“Agreed. Showing the people we are still a united front is important.” Shane stood and moved around the desk. He leaned back against it, crossing his ankles. “There’s also another reason we need a ceremony.”
“Why?” Phillip’s brow creased. “We cannot have your coronation until the council and heads of the noble families have signed the agreement.”
“I wasn’t talking about for me.” Shane smiled down at his confused friend. “I need a new captain.”
Phillip stared a second longer before his eyes widened. He stood suddenly, his chair almost toppling over behind him. “But I’m not even in the running. I’m not old enough, experienced enough. It should go to—”
“It should go to someone I trust,” Shane interrupted. “Someone I know will do the job well.”
“Shane,” Phillip said. “The older guards are not going to like it. They’re not going to listen to me.”
“They will,” Shane said with confidence. He uncrossed his feet and took a step forward. “You have gone above and beyond for this kingdom. For me. There is no one I trust more.”
Phillip swallowed and pushed a hand through his blond hair. It had grown in the past weeks, and it curled around his ears.
Shane laughed and tugged on a lock. “You need a haircut.”
He walked around Phillip toward the door. Phillip called out for him to stop, and Shane turned, waiting.
“You’re sure about this?”
Shane moved back across the room to put a hand on his oldest friend’s shoulder. “I trust you with my life. I trusted you to find and protect Ada.”
“And I betrayed you both by working with your father,” Phillip whispered, looking down at the carpet.
Shane gripped his chin and tilted his face up. The irony of his earlier position with Gwyn was not lost on him. Phillip was just as stubborn. “He had your family. You know neither of us hold that against you. I know you would never hurt Ada or me. You do whatever it takes to protect the people you love.”
Phillip seemed speechless—something Shane had rarely seen in their two decades of friendship.
“And now, I’m asking you to do that for Detmarya. Be that loyal protector for my people.”
With a deep breath, Phillip stood taller and nodded. “Of course.”
Shane patted his shoulder and then turned once more. At the door, he looked over his shoulder. “Come on. I need a drink after all this.”
He didn’t wait for a response. He knew Phillip would follow, just as he had their whole lives.
Ada and Lee’s steps echoed off the marble floor as an elderly man guided them through the large entrance hall. The familiar castle brought forth happy memories and a warmth that never failed to fill Ada. Her father had sent her and Shane to their allies the summer after their mother’s death with the hope of getting them out of the sadness plaguing their home. When it became a tradition, she’d dealt with her fear of the sea to spend the few months each year with the family that had welcomed them as their own.
“Adalina?” a woman called as they made their way down a smaller corridor. The midday sun gleamed through the tall windows, brightening the rich oak paneling along the opposite walls.
Ada turned to see the queen striding toward her and smiled. Before she could curtsy or offer a formal greeting, the woman enveloped her in a hug. Sighing, Ada relaxed into the embrace and wrapped her own arms around the queen. After her mother passed away, Queen Célest became a mother figure of sorts. The queen had always been there for her, even from afar. Just a few months earlier, Ada was excited to have her in her life more permanently after marrying Prince Michel.
Queen Célest leaned back and gently placed a hand on Ada’s cheek. “I am so sorry to hear about your father’s illness.”
Ada nodded but couldn’t speak. They’d spread the rumor that the Kald had infected him to keep the people from knowing they stood on the brink of war. Her father had planned to poison everyone in attendance of Shane’s betrothal celebration. When Shane couldn’t stall anymore, he decided to get Michel out not only to protect their friend but the treaty between the two kingdoms as well. Michel was caught though and locked in his rooms within the castle. He hadn’t been present when Ada and the others took down her father, but they’d filled him in enough to know the former king was no longer a threat. Michel had agreed to keep the truth a secret—that her father wasn’t ill but imprisoned in his own home—and she was relieved that he had kept that promise.
“Am I to presume this is the captain you traveled with to look for a cure?” the queen asked, stepping to the side.
“Your Majesty.” Lee bowed. When he rose, he introduced himself as “Captain Lee.”
The queen smiled, but Ada saw a flash of sadness in her eyes.
“He is the reason you are no longer marrying my son,” Queen Célest said in a quiet voice.
Guilt gnawed at Ada. “Célest, I’m—”
Queen Célest turned, shaking her head. “No, my dear. It is all right. I was merely inquiring.”
Ada bit the corner of her lip. The queen kissed her brow and looped Ada’s arm through hers. She nodded toward the silent guide still standing a few feet away, and he began walking again.
Leading them through the halls, the queen said, “You may not be becoming my daughter legally anymore, but I am still here for you. You know that, right?”
That made Ada freeze with her breath caught in her throat. “Thank you.”
The queen smiled, and they continued to a small parlor. A fire crackled to life inside, bringing warmth to the cozy area. Bookshelves lined the wall on either side of the fireplace. The long burgundy curtains were drawn, letting sunlight stream in through the large bay window. Hunched over a desk before the fire sat the King of Rayerna, and on a nearby sofa sat Prince Michel.
Michel stood as soon as they entered, placing a stack of papers aside. He smiled and asked the footman to call for some tea. The man bowed his head and left, shutting the door behind him. Ada approached the desk, but the king didn’t look up.
“Father,” Michel said, walking over to put a hand on the king’s shoulder.
King Samson startled and looked around the room in confusion before his eyes landed on Ada. Something seemed off about him—his pale skin and the shadows under his eyes a clear indication of exhaustion, but it was something more than that. He looked ill. Her stomach plummeted, and she prayed to the stars she was wrong. Lee bowed beside her. Realizing she was staring, she curtsied deeply.
“Princess Adalina, my child,” the king started.
She rose with a smile. Maybe it wasn’t as she thought. “Your Majesty.”
“I am sorry to hear about your father’s ill health,” he told her.
Ada glanced at the prince, grateful. Looking back to the king, she said, “Thank you, your Majesty. That is why we are here…”
She trailed off, unsure of where to start.
“The Kald has returned.” Lee stepped up beside her and placed a hand on her back. “I have seen it on a small island in the south, and it appears to be spreading in the streets of Ferda. Though, it is different from before.”
“I’m sorry, who are you?” The king leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms.
“This is Captain Lee,” Ada said. “He and his crew are helping us search for a cure.”
The king stared at him for a long moment before nodding. “You said the Kald is different from before. How so?”
“It’s stronger, and the same medicines are only slowing the symptoms, not curing those afflicted,” Lee explained.
Small blue eyes surrounded by blond hair flashed through Ada’s mind—an orphanage sitting on a desolate island too far from immediate help. Her eyes burned at the thought.
“We believe the Heulwen is the cure,” Ada said quietly. “There are rumors that the last of the flowers live in your gardens.”
“The Heulwen?” Queen Célest asked as she walked to stand beside her husband. “Those are only fairy tales, dear.”
Lee chuckled beside Ada. She elbowed him then caught Michel trying to hide a scowl. He met her gaze. “We know you love your stories, Adalina, but the Heulwen doesn’t exist.”
“Perhaps it is hidden somewhere?” Ada twisted her fingers together. “Maybe no one has recognized it for what it truly is?”
“Then, how are you to find it?” the king asked, not unkindly.
Ada didn’t know how to answer. She couldn’t tell them the truth about all that had happened or how the symbols in her storybook shifted and started making sense to her. They wouldn’t believe her. Instead, she looked to Lee, hoping he could make something up.
