A Curse So Dark and Lonely

by Brigid Kemmerer

  He stops, but his sword remains in his hand and he doesn’t take his eyes off the girl. “Do not think,” he tells her, his voice fierce, “that this means I will allow you to attack me again.”

  “Don’t worry,” she snaps. “I’m sure I’ll get another chance.”

  “She attacked you?” My eyebrows rise. “Grey. She is half your size.”

  “She makes up for it in temperament. She most assuredly was not my first choice.”

  “Where am I?” The girl’s eyes keep flicking from me to him to the sword in his hand—and then to the doorway behind us. Her knuckles are white where they grip the bar. “What did you do?”

  I glance at Grey and lower my voice. “Put up your sword. You’re frightening her.”

  The Royal Guard is trained to obey without hesitation and Grey is no exception. He slides his weapon into its sheath, but strings the sword belt around his waist.

  I cannot remember the last time he was fully armed on the first day of the season. Probably not since there were men to command and threats to deflect.

  But removing the weapon has drained some of the tension from the room. I put out a hand and keep my voice gentle, the way I speak to skittish horses in the stables. “You are safe here. May I have your weapon?”

  Her eyes slide to Grey, to where his hand remains on the hilt of his sword. “No way.”

  “You fear Grey? Easily solved.” I look at him. “Commander. You are ordered to not harm this girl.”

  He takes a step back and folds his arms.

  The girl watches this exchange and then she draws a long breath and takes a tentative step forward, the bar held in front of her.

  At least she can be tamed as easily as the others. I extend my hand and give her an encouraging look.

  She takes another step—but then her expression shifts, her eyes darken, and she swings.

  Hard steel slams into my waist, just below my rib cage. Silver hell, it hurts. I double over and barely have time to react before she’s swinging for my head.

  Luckily, my training is nearly as thorough as Grey’s. I duck and catch the bar before she makes contact.

  Now I understand why Grey grabbed his sword.

  Her eyes flare, burning with defiance. I jerk her forward, ready to wrestle the bar out of her grasp.

  Instead, she lets go, forcing me to fall back. She stumbles toward the door, limping into the hallway, her breathing ragged.

  I let her go. The iron bar drops to the carpet and I press a hand to my side.

  Grey hasn’t moved. He’s standing there, arms folded. “Do you still wish for me to leave her unharmed?”

  There was a time when he wouldn’t have dared to question me.

  There was a time when I might have cared.

  I sigh, then wince as my lungs expand into the already-forming bruise on my side. What began as a novelty now simply hurts. If she fights to run so fiercely now, there is little hope for later.

  The shadows have shifted a bit, tracing their familiar path. I’ve watched it hundreds of times.

  When this season ends in failure, I’ll watch it again.

  “She is injured,” says Grey. “She cannot get far.”

  He is right. I am wasting time.

  As if I don’t have time in spades.

  “Go,” I say. “Bring her back.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  HARPER

  I’m running down a long hallway, my breath roaring in my ears. This has to be a museum or some kind of historical building. My socks fight to grip the velvet carpeting that lines the marble floor. Wood paneling covers the walls, with stone masonry climbing to a ceiling that arches high above. Heavy wooden doors with wrought-iron handles sit at uneven intervals along the hallway, but none are open.

  I don’t stop to try any. I just run. I need to find another person or get out of here.

  As I round a curve in the hallway, I’m met by a massive, sweeping, sunlit staircase that descends into a grand entranceway. The space is the size of my high school gymnasium, with a dark slate floor, massive stained glass windows, and a pair of iron doors. Tapestries hang from the walls, threaded with purples and greens and reds, shot through with strands of gold and silver that sparkle in the light. Tables sit along the side, laid out with cakes and pastries and dozens of champagne glasses. Half a dozen gilded white chairs wait in the corner, musical instruments sitting ready.

  The place looks prepped for a wedding. Or a party. But definitely not a kidnapping.

  I’m so confused—but at least I’ve found a door.

  A sudden beeping pierces the silence.

  Jake’s timer.

  I dig the phone out of my pocket, staring at the flashing zeroes. My throat closes up. I don’t know if he made it out.

  I need to get myself together. I’m standing in the open and tears won’t give me anything but a wet face. Once I find somewhere safe, I can call 911.

  I grip the banister and rush down the steps. My left leg is clumsy and about to give way, but I mentally threaten to cut it off if it doesn’t get me out of here. It listens.

  As I pass the corner, the instruments lift from the chairs in unison.

  I startle and duck right, ready for one to come flying at me—but then, without warning, the instruments begin to play. Symphonic music fills the hall, a rich song filled with flutes and trumpets and violins.

  This has to be a trick. An optical illusion. Like at a theme park, somehow triggered by my motion.

  I reach out and grab a flute, expecting it to be fixed in place with thin wires or subtle plastic.

  But it’s not. My hand closes on the metal like I’m picking it up from a shelf. The steel is vibrating as if someone is playing. There’s no weight to it—no batteries. No speaker. Nothing.

  When I move it close to my ear, the sound is coming from inside the tube.

  I take a step back and fling it away from me.

  The flute snaps right back into place, levitating above the chair as though an invisible musician stood there holding it. The keys depress and release.

  I swallow hard. This is a dream. I’m drugged. Something.

  I’m wasting time. I need to get out of here.

  I hurry for the door, prepared for it to be locked—but it’s not. I stumble out onto a marble platform, and warm air swirls around me. Stone walls stretch to either side, and steps lead down to a cobblestone path. Acres of trimmed grass stretch as far as I can see, dappled by randomly spaced trees. Flower beds. A massive fountain spraying water into the air. In the distance is a dense forest, thick with vibrant greenery.

  No paved road that I can see.

  The door swings closed behind me, clanking into place, choking the music into silence. There’s no railing here, so I ease down the steps and onto the cobblestones. The building towers over me, large cream-colored bricks spaced by blocks of marble and stone.

  This isn’t a museum. It’s a castle. A big one.

  And still, no people. No one anywhere—and I can see for acres. The silence is all-consuming. No cars. No buzzing power lines. No airplanes.

  I jerk the phone out of my pocket and start punching in the numbers 911.

  The phone beeps at me in protest. No service.

  I shake it, like that’s somehow going to help. Everything across the top is grayed out.

  No cell towers. No Wi-Fi. No Bluetooth.

  A whimper escapes my chest.

  Those instruments were playing themselves.

  I can’t reason that out. It’s too tangled up with my very real worry for my brother.

  A new thought hits me, piling more worry on top. If something happened to Jake, no one is there to help Mom. I imagine her lying in bed, coughing wetly from the cancer that crowds her lungs. Needing food. Medicine. Needing someone to bring her to the bathroom.

  Without warning, my eyes blur. I swipe at my cheeks and force my legs to run. Sweat collects inside my sweatshirt.

  Wait. Sweat. It’s warm.

  It was free
zing in DC.

  All that sweat goes cold.

  Panic later. I need to move.

  A large outbuilding sits directly behind the castle, just beyond a sprawling courtyard lined with more cobblestones. Flowers bloom everywhere, spilling down wooden trellises, bursting from massive planters, blooming along hedges and in gardens. Still no people.

  My muscles are tight and fatigued, and sweat runs a line down the side of my face. I pray for this to be some kind of garage, because I’m going to need an alternate form of transportation soon. I can’t keep running forever. I flatten against the far wall of the castle, breathing hard, waiting. Listening.

  When I hear nothing, I head for the building across the courtyard, my left foot dragging and begging for a break. I stumble through the doorway, slipping a little in my damp socks.

  Three horses throw up their heads and snort.

  Oh wow. Not a garage. A stable.

  This is almost better. I don’t know how to hot-wire a car, but I do know how to ride.

  Back before our lives fell apart, when Dad had a job and a reputation, I rode horses. It had started as a therapeutic activity after all the cerebral palsy–related surgeries—but it turned into a passion. A freedom, as equine legs lent me strength and power. I worked at the stables in exchange for riding time for years, until we needed to move to the city.

  Of everything we’ve had to give up, I miss the horses the most.

  Thirty stalls flank each side of the aisle, made of richly stained boards leading halfway to the ceiling, topped with iron bars. Well-kept horses gleam in the sunlight that creeps through the skylights. Bridles hang at regular intervals along the wall, their bits and buckles sparkling, the leather carrying a rich shine. No wisps of hay lie in the aisle, no swarming flies collect on spilled grain. Every inch of these stables is perfection.

  A buckskin stretches out his nose to blow puffs at my hand. He’s tied to a ring inside his stall, and he’s already saddled. He didn’t jump when I came sliding into the aisle, and even now regards me calmly. He’s big and solid, with a tan-colored coat and a black mane and tail. A hammered gold sign on the front of his stall reads Ironwill.

  I run a hand down the buckskin’s face. “I’ll just call you Will.”

  A small closet beside his stall door houses boots and cloaks—and a dagger strung along a belt.

  A real weapon. Yes.

  I loop it around my waist and cinch it tight. The boots are too big, but they lace up my calves almost to my knees, giving my ankles some extra support.

  I ease into the stall and bolt the door closed behind me. Will accepts a bridle readily, despite my shaking hands jerking at his mouth when I have to tighten the buckles.

  “Sorry,” I whisper, stroking him on the cheek. “Out of practice.”

  Then I hear the footstep, the rough rasp of a boot on stone.

  I freeze—then duck to the far side of the horse, dragging him into a shadowed corner of the stall. His reins have gone slick in my palm, but I keep a tight hold so he blocks me here.

  Someone clucks to each horse, making his way through the stables. A soft word, a pat on the neck. Another pause, then more footsteps.

  Whoever it is, he’s checking the stalls.

  A wooden shelf runs along the side of the stall, probably for hay or feed. I fold my body onto it, then shimmy up and get to my hands and knees. It’s an awkward position for mounting, but there’s no way I can do it from the ground. I have to concentrate to maneuver my foot into the stirrup. Sweat courses down my back now, but I grab hold of the saddle.

  It takes everything I have not to whimper. This is the world’s most patient animal, because he stands absolutely still as I haul myself onto his back.

  But I’m up here. I’m on.

  I’m so exhausted I’m ready to cry. No, I am crying. Silent tears roll down my cheeks. I have to get out of here. I have to.

  Footsteps, then a soft gasp of surprise. The bolt is thrown. I catch a glimpse of dark hair and see a flash of steel as the man draws a sword. The stall door begins to swing open.

  I slam my heels into Will’s flanks, screaming in rage for good measure. The horse is terrified—with reason. I’m terrifying myself. But he springs forward, slamming the door wide, knocking the armed man out of the way.

  “Go!” I cry. “Please, Will! Go!” I dig my heels into his sides.

  Will leaps across the aisle, finds purchase, and bolts.

  Tears blur my vision, but sight won’t help me stay on. I’ve lost both stirrups already, and we’re careening over cobblestones. The fingers of my left hand tangle in Will’s mane, and my other hand has wrapped around his neck. When we hit the grass, the horse is like a pumping oil rig, slamming me up and down with each stride.

  A sharp whistle cuts the air behind me, three short chirps of sound.

  Will digs in his hooves, skids to a stop, and whirls. I don’t have a chance. I go flying over his shoulder and crash into the turf.

  For a moment, I don’t know which way is up. My head spins.

  So close. So close.

  Those men are coming after me. They’re a blur in the sunlight, whether from tears or a head injury. I need to get to my feet. I need to run.

  I manage to get myself upright, but my legs don’t want to work quickly. The blond man is already there, reaching to grab me. The dark-haired swordsman is just behind him.

  “No!” A small sound squeaks free of my chest. I stagger away from him and draw the dagger.

  The swordsman begins to pull his weapon.

  I backpedal farther, trip over my own feet, and sit down hard in the grass.

  “Commander. Stop,” the blond man says. He puts his hands up. “Be at ease. I will not harm you.”

  “You chased me.”

  “It’s what we do to horse thieves,” the swordsman says.

  “Grey.” The blond man cuts a sharp look his way, then extends a hand to me. “Please. You have nothing to fear.”

  He must be kidding.

  I didn’t get a good look at him before, but I do now. His profile is striking, with high cheekbones and an angular jaw. Rich brown eyes. No freckles, but enough time in the sun to stop anyone from describing him as pale. He wears a white shirt under a high-collared blue jacket accented with leather trim and detailed gold stitching. Gold buckles cross his chest and a dagger is belted to his hip.

  He’s staring down at me as if he faces half-crazed girls all the time.

  I keep my dagger brandished in front of me. “Tell me where I am.”

  “You are on the grounds of Ironrose Castle, in the heart of Emberfall.”

  I rack my brain, trying to think of any attractions with those names that could be reasonably close to DC. This castle is huge. I would have heard of it. And Jake’s ticking timer is the one puzzle piece that refuses to fit. There is literally nowhere the swordsman could have taken me so quickly. I wet my lips. “What’s the closest city?”

  “Silvermoon Harbor.” He hesitates, then steps closer. “You’re confused. Please—allow me to help you.”

  “No.” I thrust the dagger up at him and he stops. “I’m getting out of here. I’m going home.”

  “You cannot find your way home from here.”

  I glare at the armed man behind him. “He got me here. There has to be a way back.”

  The swordsman’s expression is inscrutable, lacking any of the charm of the man in front of me. “There is not.”

  I glare up at him. “There has to be.”

  His face does not change. “There. Is. Not.”

  “Enough.” The blond man extends a hand again. “We will not argue this point in the courtyard. Come. I will show you to a room. Are you hungry?”

  I can’t decide if they’re crazy—or if I am. I adjust my grip on the dagger. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “I understand your reluctance, but I cannot allow you to leave the castle grounds. It is unsafe. I have no soldiers to patrol the King’s Highway.”

&n
bsp; “The King’s Highway,” I repeat numbly. Everything he says sounds so logical. Not like he’s trying to cajole me into following him. More like he’s surprised I would consider anything else.

  I can’t make sense of any of this.

  “Please,” he says more gently. “Surely you know we could take you by force.”

  My heart skips a beat in my chest. I do know that. I don’t know what’s worse—being taken by force, or going willingly. “Don’t you threaten me.”

  “Threaten you?” His eyebrows go up. “You think I intend to threaten you by offering safety and comfort and food?”

  He sounds offended. I know men who take what they want. They don’t act like this.

  I don’t know where I am, but my body already hurts. I’m not entirely sure I can get off the ground unaided. I definitely can’t run again.

  He’s right: they could take me by force. I should conserve my energy.

  I can rest. I can eat. I’ll find a way out.

  I hold my breath and slide the dagger into its sheath. I expect the men to protest my keeping the weapon, but they don’t.

  Despite my determination, this feels like giving up. I wonder what Jake would say.

  Oh, Jake. I don’t know if he’s okay. I don’t know what to do.

  I can survive this. I have to.

  So I grit my teeth, lock down my emotions, and reach up to take his hand.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  RHEN

  After we return Ironwill to the stables, the girl walks quietly beside me, her gait uneven enough to tell me she’s truly injured. She’s keeping her distance from both me and Grey, her arms wrapped tightly around her abdomen, one hand resting on the hilt of her dagger.

  I’m impressed that she found a weapon—and more so that she went for the stables as a means of escape. Most of the girls Grey drags from her world won’t touch a blade or a bridle, and instead gravitate to the finery found within the lushly outfitted wardrobes inside Ironrose Castle. This early in the season, the other girls would sit by the hearth and gaze at me over crystal goblets, while I’d pour wine and tell stories with just enough devilishness to make them blush.