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

by Jessie D. Eaker

  Docila considered me for several heartbeats. Her eyes flicked to Zofie and then finally back to me. She placed her hand on mine. “I won’t help her,” she said softly. “But I will help you... if I can.”

  I grasped her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”

  She stood up abruptly. “But it comes at a cost.” She cocked her jaw and limped back toward the fire. “Mother talks about you all the time. How you’re a knight now and doing so well. She hangs off every letter she gets, pouring over them for some tiny detail she might have missed.” Docila turned to look at me. “It gets annoying. Not that she talks about you, but you don’t even acknowledge she’s there.”

  “But she wanted me out when I was just a child.”

  She stabbed her finger in my direction. “Listen Coren. She feels deeply guilty for making you leave. I guess we all do. And Floria asks about her brother all the time, which doesn’t make it easier for her.” She shook her head. “Even though I’m not her flesh and blood, she treats me as if I’m one of her own. As I’ve grown, I’ve come to understand her a lot better.” Docila stood erect and clasped her hands in front of her. “So my price is for you to visit Mother at least once a year.”

  I shook my head. “She seemed pretty eager to get rid of me.”

  She sighed. “Coren, you have no idea what it was like living with you. I was in constant fear that I would get seriously hurt.” She took a deep breath. “Mother was afraid too. And just think, she was pregnant with Floria. What if you made her miscarry, or she died in childbirth, or even caused the new baby to be stillborn. With your curse then, it could have caused a thousand things to go wrong. Which is why she felt she had to choose between her oldest son and her unborn child. She knew her oldest could take care of himself, but her unborn...” she trailed off.

  I hadn’t thought of it that way. “How do you know this?”

  “We talk. Father means well, but he’s a man and doesn’t really understand. So she talks to me.” She looked away. “Creator knows I’ve needed to talk with her lately.”

  I shook my head. “Are you sure that’s what she wants?”

  “I’m sure, but ask her. It would go a long way to easing her guilt. Just don’t tell her I’m blackmailing you into it.”

  “And what about you, Docila? Do you want me to visit? I still have my curse.”

  She shrugged. “As long as it’s not for too long, I guess I could handle it. Besides, it would be nice to make fun of you again.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. “And what will you do if I refuse.”

  She grinned wickedly. “I’ll tell the princess about the time you wrecked the privy.”

  My eyes got big. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  She just smiled.

  I held up my hands. “I surrender. I’ve been outmaneuvered.”

  Nodding in satisfaction, she took a large spoon and stirred the pot hanging over the fire. “Now back to this thing you need to find. What exactly do you need from me?”

  “To show me the Griffin’s Key. Other than being something of legend, I have no idea what it looks like.”

  She gave me a sad look. “Coren, I don’t have anything resembling a key. For that matter, we don’t have any locks. I don’t know how I could possibly help you.”

  I sighed. “It’s likely something very old. Ancient. And it might not look like a key. I had to find something called a mirror, and it looked like a ball of glass. Have you run into anything like that? Or perhaps it might have acted strange or be protected somehow.”

  Docila gave me a funny look. “Ancient, you say? Well, there was the place I hid the goats. It had some ruins in it and sort of qualifies as strange.”

  I leaned closer. “How so?”

  She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “It was back in the spring. We’d gotten word the soldiers were coming, and they were taking everything of value. Father sent me into the woods to hide the goats. I thought I’d take them up to a small clearing about a mile from here, but the goats were being stubborn, as they frequently will, and before I knew it, I had lost my way. I thought that if I cut due north, I would cross the stream that runs close to our house. As I led the goats, I found I kept veering east while they tended to stay in the northern direction. I stopped and restarted several times but kept veering off.

  “I finally got angry and made a conscious effort to go north. It got harder and harder, like something was pushing against me. But you know how stubborn I can get. I knew I had to get the goats to safety, or we would not have enough to make it through the winter.

  “Then suddenly the resistance just stopped, and I almost fell into a break in the woods. And it had ancient ruins in it. The goats loved it because it gave them big rocks to climb on, and the grass there was wild and tender. I figured if it was hard for me to find, then it would be doubly difficult for the soldiers. So the goats and I bedded down right there and stayed overnight.” She licked her lips. “But the really strange thing was at night. There was this glow coming from some of the stones. It wasn’t scary or anything, but strange.” She sighed. “I returned to the house the next day to find the soldiers had come but had not been able to find me. They had searched the woods, and even found my trail, but couldn’t follow it.”

  I leaned forward excitedly. “Can you take me there?” I asked. “That might be it.”

  Docila opened her mouth to reply but didn’t get the chance. Just then, I heard the back door open and Floria come flying in. She came down the stairs until she could jump the rest of the way down. Her face flushed from running. “There are two people coming up the path,” she said breathlessly. “A man and a woman.”

  My heart leaped into my throat, and I prayed it wasn’t so. “Was the woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat?”

  The little girl nodded. “And they have swords too.”

  “Creator!” I ran my hand through my hair, trying to get my thoughts together. It was Lilith and Wort.

  And we’d led them right to my family.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Hidden Ruins

  I went to Zofie and pulled her up, hurriedly jerking on her cloak.

  “What is it, Coren?” asked Docila.

  “It’s Zofie’s cousin. She’s trying to kill her.” I pulled Zofie toward the steep stairs hoping I’d be able to get her up quickly.

  Docila’s eyes went wide. “You involved us in their royalty games!”

  After a couple faltering steps, I managed to get Zofie climbing up them. I glanced at Docila and shook my head. “Not now. You can beat me up later. We have to get to the others and find somewhere to hide.”

  Docila cocked her jaw like she wanted to say more, but instead grabbed Floria and followed right behind us.

  We headed out the loft door and toward the barn. We were fortunate it was located on the back of the hill and not visible from the path leading to the house. It would give us a few more precious minutes.

  Docila and Floria trotted ahead since all that poor Zofie could manage was a fast walk. Fumiko met me at the door, and I quickly explained about our unexpected guests. She took Zofie while I went to close the barn’s double doors. They would be no barrier to what was coming—they didn’t even have a bolt. But it might buy us a few more seconds. I turned toward the group huddled in the middle of the barn. Fumiko stood with Zofie, and we exchanged a glance. This was not good. My family made excellent hostages, and all it would take would be capturing one to stop me in my tracks.

  “Should we fight them?” I asked.

  Fumiko looked pained. “I can’t beat both of them, and if you try to take one of them, you will die.”

  “But my new skills...”

  Fumiko shook her head. “It’s too soon. You need much more to be effective, especially against her.”

  I glanced at each of the ones in my group. Cabrina nearly bubbled with excitement, and Spraggel was digging in his pocket again. I prayed he didn’t find his sword. In sharp contrast, Docila and Floria clung to ea
ch other looking horrified.

  And of course, there was Mother. She pulled out her crossbow and stomped toward the door. “I’ll get rid of them.”

  I grabbed her arm. “No, you won’t. Those people won’t hesitate to kill you if they even suspect you might know where Zofie is.”

  “I’m not afraid of them.”

  “You should be,” I shot back. “Risten’s a sword-master. You’ll be dead before you can feel the cut.”

  Fumiko quickly scanned the interior. The barn was completely enclosed with the door at the front as the only exit. With the doors shut, little light reached us from outside, coming mainly from gaps around the frame and the places in the side walls where the boards didn’t completely meet. At the back of the barn was a loft used for storing hay and other items they didn’t want the goats to sample. A simple ladder was used to climb up to it. On the barn’s right side were two fenced pens, which ran the length of the barn. About a dozen goats were in the back pen staring at us hopefully. Normally, they would be out foraging, but with the cold and predators, they were being kept mostly inside. I sighed, seeing how few my family had remaining. Usually, there were several times that number, and I couldn’t help but wonder how many would survive until spring.

  Fumiko shook her head. “We’ll never get Zofie up the ladder.” Then she spied the blankets hanging on the wall just high enough not to attract the attention of the goats. She strode over to them and pulled them down. “Quickly,” she said. “Over here.” She climbed into the empty pen and moved to the side closest to the door.

  We followed.

  “Shouldn’t we go to the back?” I asked, pointing to the rear of the barn.

  “No,” she said. “They’ll be less likely to search close to the front.”

  Fumiko shook out the blankets. “Everyone get down here in the corner as close to each other as you can. And don’t say a word when the door opens—we should be in its shadow.”

  My head jerked in her direction, suddenly understanding what she intended. She was going to use her myst to hide us. This would also risk revealing her ability to others, something she had been trying to avoid. Her gaze caught mine, but she dismissed me with a simple shake of her head. I guess she deemed the risk necessary, and I couldn’t help but appreciate the gift she was giving to protect my family.

  We did as she instructed, and I took my place on one end with Zofie between Cabrina and me. Fumiko quickly covered us with the blankets and took her place on the other end. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated.

  No sooner had Fumiko started when we heard steps outside. The barn doors flew open, and Lilith strode inside with Wort just behind. She wordlessly pointed to the loft, and Wort stepped to the ladder, quickly climbing up. He was out of my line of vision, but I could hear his steps on the boards above us.

  Lilith came further into the barn and looked closely at everything. She even lifted the feed bin to make sure it was empty.

  Behind Lilith, Mischief sauntered through the door. As cats do, he walked along the wall, uncaring of human affairs.

  A moment later, Wort came down the ladder. “No one,” he said.

  Lilith shook her head. “They must be close by. There was a fire in the hearth, and it had been recently tended.”

  “Do you think she’s here?” asked Wort.

  “I’m not sure,” answered Lilith. “Our source saw her headed in this direction. Also, there were carriage tracks on the road. Someone came here not long ago.”

  Lilith turned toward the door. “Let’s go back toward the house. They likely circled back around us. Maybe we can pick up a trail.”

  Mischief strolled under the bottom board of the pen and meandered in our direction.

  Oh no.

  The illusion of shadow surrounding us might have fooled Lilith and Wort, but Mischief had no problem with it. He walked over to the hidden blanket and began to rub on it. I didn’t dare try to shoo him away. That would out us sure as anything. I could only imagine what it looked like with him sliding against something that couldn’t be seen. I could even hear him purring.

  Lilith gave one last look around the interior. My heart leaped in my chest as she glanced at the cat. But to my great surprise, her gaze moved on. After a moment, she simply walked outside, and I heard her steps recede into the distance.

  I quickly yanked Mischief under the blanket. He seemed most pleased with himself as I stroked his fur.

  We waited for a few minutes, and then I slipped out from under the blanket. Motioning for the others to remain where they were, I shoved Mischief at Cabrina. She stared at the cat as if it was some strange beast, but steeled herself and began to carefully stroke his fur. Mischief didn’t care whether she be human or Dark Avenyts. He just welcomed the petting and purred loudly.

  I crept to the door and checked outside—no sign of them. I went back to the others and knelt close.

  I turned to my mother. “Is there anywhere you can go to hide. Maybe old Fendrason’s place?”

  She shook her head. “Fendrason’s burned down last summer, and there’s been some unsavory fellows hanging out in what’s left. The forest would be the best bet.”

  I glanced to Zofie. Going anywhere quickly with her was going to be a problem. I sighed. “I’ll check to see if we can sneak out and hide....”

  Mother cut me off. “I’m not leaving the goats. We’ve worked too hard to keep what’s left.”

  I shook my head. “But there’s no way we can get all of them out, plus all of us, without attracting her attention.”

  Mother folded her arms across her chest, looking quite determined. “I’m not leaving them. I’ll fight first.”

  Fumiko and I exchanged a glance. I knew from experience that when my mother dug in her heels, she could be very stubborn.

  “Mother, you’re...”

  Fumiko abruptly stood and brushed off her pants. “Hiding here is our best option. Besides, moving the princess is slow. We’d never outrun her if she started chasing us. I’ll stay behind and keep everyone concealed.”

  “Behind?” I asked.

  She nodded. “While you sneak out and try to find the key.”

  I frowned. “Are you sure?” She was running the risk of revealing her illusion ability.

  She gazed at me levelly. “No one notices the shadows.”

  I took a deep breath considering the options. None were great. “All right,” I finally said. “Just be careful. I doubt Lilith is going to give up easily.” I turned to Docila. “Can you show me where you hid the goats? I think it might hold what we’re looking for.”

  Unfortunately, Docila was not taking this well. I could see fear on her face. “But what about those people?” she asked apprehensively. “My limp will slow us down, and they might see us.” I could hear her voice shaking. She was just a fingerbreadth away from balking. I had to do something.

  I raised my eyebrows in mock surprise. “That shouldn’t be a problem. Unless that is, you’ve forgotten how to make yourself vanish?”

  She cocked her head to one side in puzzlement. “Vanish?”

  I nodded. “When I came to live here, I was certain you could. Because when it came time for chores, you were never around.”

  A faint smile spread across her lips. “Only because you would disappear as soon as the topic of work came up. Wouldn’t show back up until dinnertime.”

  I smiled and held out my hand. “Then it sounds like we won’t have a problem. With you vanishing and me disappearing, we will be just fine.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, she took it. “I guess you’re right.”

  While everyone else huddled quietly in the corner of the pen, Docila and I slipped out the door.

  Moving as fast as she could with her limp, she led the way across the pasture and into the forest bordering it. During my short time living on the farm, I had frequently played and watched over the goats in the open field, but I had been forbidden to enter the woods. Of course, I had—but only the fringes. Even then,
I could see how easy it would be to lose one’s way. For me, there had always been something unnerving about the tall trees.

  But not so for my older sister. She fearlessly entered them to rescue some wayward goat, gather firewood, or forage for tasty mushrooms.

  So it was with a bit of envy that Docila led us into the forest along a faint trail. We followed this until we reached a huge pine tree and then turned onto an even less distinct path. We made good progress, but I could tell this was costing her. Even though her limp was gradually becoming more pronounced, she didn’t complain. As I walked with her, I couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps she had never been the villain I had imagined as a child. Maybe, she had just needed to grow up too.

  After what seemed like half an hour, Docila stopped and pointed up the trail. “Just a little further in, you’re going to start to feel like I’m heading in the wrong direction. Just ignore it and follow behind me.”

  I nodded. “I’ve encountered something like it before back when we climbed Mount Eternal.”

  Her eyebrows went up in surprise. “You mean that’s true? I thought it was just a made up part of the song.”

  There was that ballad again. I shook my head. “No, it really happened. Only it wasn’t quite as dramatic as they portrayed it.”

  “What about the other parts?”

  I sighed. “Some of them are sort of true, but blown way out of proportion.”

  She smiled wistfully. “I can’t believe my little brother has a ballad written about his adventures.” She patted me on the shoulder. “Maybe one day you’ll tell me what really happened.”