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

by Jessie D. Eaker

“All right. The lives of my family and a kiss. But...” I brought my face within an inch of hers. “How about you give me my kiss now to seal our deal.”

  Lilith’s face grew red. “You would do such a thing in front of Zofie? Isn’t that referred to as cheating?”

  “I’ve always cared for you, or at least I have the Risten inside. You’re a very beautiful woman.”

  She seemed unsure.

  I reached forward and played with one of the ties on her shirt. She looked down at my hand and seemed unable to take her eyes off it.

  “Don’t believe me?” I asked. “Look into Risten’s memories of our time on Mount Eternal. We shared a blanket, didn’t we? She told me a man and a woman have to wed if they share a blanket.”

  Lilith gave a tiny shake of her head. “It was only talk. Nothing more.”

  I moved a fraction closer. Our noses were almost touching. “Really?”

  I closed the distance, slowly pressing my lips to hers. Momentarily, she froze in shock, then violently pushed me away. I fell backward, landing hard on my butt. She glared at me and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “You humans are so disgusting! It’s no wonder we had to assume control.”

  “Hey!” shouted Wort. “Where did they go?”

  Lilith leaped to her feet. As I picked myself up, I looked along with her. Cabrina still huddled in the corner, but Spraggel, Floria, and my mother were gone.

  Lilith cursed and glared at me, knowing I had provided the distraction. Her fury turned to Wort. “Go look for them!”

  Wort started for the door but drew up short as a goat kid appeared in the entrance. It gave a bleat in protest and leaned forward to nibble on his pants. Wort shoved past it and trotted out to search. The kid, undeterred, sauntered into the room. It gave another bleat and then stepped over toward us.

  Having become familiar with goats from my time on the farm, something about its walk just didn’t seem natural. Also, I would surely have noticed a kid in the goat pen, but there had been none. To me, its gait seemed more like... I grinned in understanding.

  Lilith pointed to the kid with her knife. “Do something with that.”

  I nodded and slowly bent down to pick it up. As I lifted the animal, I had my suspicion confirmed.

  “Uhh... Lilith dear. I think this is actually for you.”

  She wheeled to face me. “What?”

  But I simply threw the kid at her face. Fumiko’s illusion fell away to reveal one very pissed off cat.

  And then, my curse’s bad luck took over.

  Lilith struggled with the animal, quickly shoving it away, where Mischief deftly landed on his feet. The movement caused Lilith to stagger back, catching the bench with the back of her knees. She lost her balance, tittered, and fell backward, colliding hard with the table. The table decided to give up and collapsed, spilling its contents onto the floor—which included the two buckets of water. She tried to catch herself but stepped on a cup which rolled under her foot. She staggered again, and stepping into the pool of water, slipped with both of her feet flying out from beneath her. She landed hard on her back, with her head bouncing off the stone hearth. Momentarily stunned, she lay unmoving.

  That was interesting, I mused. My curse hadn’t caused that kind of calamity in quite some time.

  Lilith groaned and rolled her head. I grimaced in disappointment. Creator! That wasn’t going to hold her for long.

  I immediately went to Zofie and grabbed the knife she held to her throat. Glancing down at it, I briefly considered using it on Lilith. But Nadine’s plea to save her daughter sprang to my mind. That was Risten’s body. Killing one would kill the other. There was no way I could do it. I threw away the knife.

  Cabrina showed up right beside me. I didn’t hesitate to put Zofie’s hand in hers and shove both of them toward the door. “Get to the woods!” I whispered.

  Cabrina nodded once and pulled Zofie behind her.

  I looked around the interior, wondering how Fumiko had managed to get them out. But despite their head start, it would not be enough for Zofie. I needed to give them a few more seconds to get away.

  By the time I turned around, Lilith was already getting to her feet. And there was death in her eyes. She pulled her sword and charged.

  I didn’t dare engage her with a sword. I trusted Fumiko’s assessment that I couldn’t beat her. I looked around for something to use as a shield, when I spotted Lilith’s hat hanging by the door. It was the same one she had used to open the portal to escape from the castle’s crypt. I briefly considered it. Would it work for me?

  I quickly grabbed it and stepped out the door. Lilith was right behind me, raising her sword to strike. I tossed the hat on the ground just in front of her. As soon as it hit the floor, a person-sized portal opened on the floor...

  And a very surprised Lilith stepped into it. She landed hard against the lip closest to me but was unable to find anything to hold on to. She slipped inside. I could hear her cursing as the portal closed after her.

  I immediately turned to run after the others. Zofie had said that it was only a short-range portal, so Lilith was likely still nearby. We weren’t out of danger yet.

  As I ran, I had to admit that having one’s luck bent for you certainly did have its advantages. I just prayed that there wasn’t something horrible coming to balance things out.

  It didn’t take long to catch up with Cabrina and Zofie. Fumiko had joined them and was trying to urge them faster. Only, she wasn’t doing so well herself. She grimaced with every step and was favoring her right side.

  “What happened to you?” I asked.

  “Later.” Fumiko pointed toward the pasture. “I sent Docila and the others on ahead. She said you’d know where to meet her.”

  And indeed, I did. The ruins. With its protection, it would be difficult for them to find us.

  Assuming we reached it in time.

  Unfortunately, Wort was still out there somewhere looking for us. And Creator knew where Lilith was right now. My bracelet was warming on my wrist again, which meant trouble wasn’t far away.

  Fumiko echoed my thoughts. “We need to move faster.”

  I did the only thing I could think of. I stopped and pulled Zofie toward me. “Forgive me, Princess.” I then bent and put her over my shoulder. She was heavy, feeling more like a sack of potatoes than a person, but I thought I could manage.

  We then resumed at a fast trot and quickly made it to the forest. I thought we were in the clear, when the bracelet on my wrist blazed red hot.

  I immediately grabbed Cabrina and ducked behind a tree. Fumiko didn’t hesitate and followed my lead. Only a heartbeat later, I heard a thunk as an arrow shaft embedded itself in the tree where I had just been standing. If Abe hadn’t warned me, that very well could have been in my back.

  “Thank you, Abe,” I muttered.

  “You’re welcome,” whispered Zofie.

  My eyes went wide. I looked to Cabrina and Fumiko to make sure it hadn’t been them, but they appeared as shocked as I was. Was Zofie back? No, I didn’t think so. She still hung loosely over my shoulder. I heard the crunch of leaves and knew I didn’t have time to figure this out. Fumiko looked exhausted and had a hand on her ribs. But she pulled her sword anyway, ready to take him on. I caught her eye and signaled her to wait. Wort had surely reloaded by now, so he would shoot her as soon as she emerged.

  “We need a distraction,” I mumbled as I resettled Zofie’s weight on my shoulder.

  “We’re working on it,” Zofie whispered.

  The bracelet flashed blazingly hot, and I almost cried out. It hurt. Which meant there was likely some weird luck thing going to happen.

  And it did. I heard a loud growl come from my right. I looked up to see a rather large black bear ambling in our direction. I shook my head in disbelief. Shouldn’t bears be hibernating now? For the Creator’s sake, it was the middle of winter! This was fringing on the impossible.

  The bear stopped and sniffed the air, rising up on its
hind legs. Its head swiveled in our direction, and it gave a low growl. I think if it could have smiled, it would have.

  I couldn’t help but wonder if I had overdrawn on my good luck. That there was no more to give, and it had chosen this moment to balance things out. I prayed it wasn’t so. I grabbed Cabrina’s hand and prepared to make a run for it.

  Just as the bear dropped down onto all fours, a bolt grazed its side. It growled in anger, then wheeled toward the new threat. I glanced around the tree to see Wort desperately trying to reload my mother’s crossbow, but it was being finicky. The bear must not have liked the looks of the man and charged. Wort dropped the weapon and pulled his sword.

  I did the only logical thing. I took off into the woods, pulling Cabrina along with me. Fumiko came along behind. In my hurry, I lost the faint trail Docila had used, so I turned in the direction I thought the ruins would lie.

  “Head more south,” Zofie whispered.

  How were they doing this? But I didn’t hesitate to follow the instructions. I changed my course, pushing aside small trees and brush to make a trail.

  When I didn’t think I could carry Zofie any longer, I called for a break. I stopped and set Zofie down to stand in front of me. Then with trembling legs and aching back, I collapsed and sprawled against a tree. My two companions were relieved to have a short respite and sat beside me. I noticed that Fumiko was favoring her side.

  I leaned my head back and shut my eyes, trying to get my heart and breathing to slow down. I knew we couldn’t stop for long. My bracelet was still warm on my wrist, which meant trouble had to be close by.

  I looked up at my beloved standing before me. I had to ask the question. “Princess, can you hear me? Is it you that has been speaking to me?”

  Zofie’s face kept its blank expression, but her mouth began to move. “Unfortunately, no. Rather, it is I, your devoted curse, that is actually sending the words. Although I wouldn’t be able to do it without help from the princess. So I guess you could call it a combined effort.”

  Hearing those words lifted a huge burden from my heart. I had been so worried that perhaps the charms had left her body intact only to kill her mind. “So, she is all right?”

  “Well, considering she’s been kicked out of her body, she’s doing pretty good. In fact, she’s been trying to find a reliable way to communicate with you since this whole mess started. The attempt to get into your dreams didn’t work, and the working she used back in the queen’s chamber can't be used again. She broke it getting to you.”

  “Can I speak with her?” I asked.

  “No, she can’t,” he said disgustedly. “This damn charm has that wrapped up tightly. In fact, the only way Zofie and I are communicating with you is because the charm maker didn’t anticipate a few things. Quite sloppy really.”

  “What things?”

  “Well, I don’t want to get too technical—because your slightly smarter than a monkey brain wouldn’t be able to understand—but let’s just say he didn’t anticipate my myst connections to Zofie. Remember, I control her curse, and you asked to share the pain of her transformations. And on top of that, you had me make it so Zofie could listen in on our conversations. Because of those connections, the damned charm got confused and did some weird stuff. We’re still trying to figure it all out. She thinks she might be able to fix things from this end.”

  “Fix things? How?”

  “Your damn woman is a Creator forsaken myst seer. She thinks she can rearrange my workings from the inside! It took her a bit to figure it out, but she was able to fix things so I could use her mouth. Oh, and by the way, don’t blame me for all the weird stuff that’s been happening. She’s figured out how to use my ability to change luck and has been using it a lot. I’ve warned her that things have to balance, but she’s pretty much ignoring me... Ouch! That hurt.” There was a pause. “What do you mean I deserved it? I’ll be so glad to get you out of my workings.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. Zofie was so determined. I think I just fell in love with her again. I shook my head. But now was not the time. “Can I transform Zofie?”

  “No,” she said softly. “Those skills are still sealed because your woman... Ouch! Will you stop that?” There was a pause. “Really? You’re kidding me. All right, if you say so. Anyway, those skills are sealed. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  Something was being concealed from me, but I didn’t have time to worry about it.

  “What about my curse ability?”

  “The same. The princess says these charms are different from anything she’s encountered. Quite sophisticated, in fact. Curses and charms are not compatible, which is why the Dark Avenyts don’t normally use them. I can’t imagine where they got these from.”

  I glanced at Cabrina, who was intently inspecting the underside of a rock. If the Dark Avenyts didn’t typically use charms, then why did she? I shook my head. Another mystery, but for another time.

  I stood. “We need to be moving. I’m sure Wort is out there somewhere looking for us.” I went to put Zofie over my shoulder again.

  “Oh, one last thing. I can only talk to you while you’re in danger, so I’ll lose the ability when you get closer to the ruins. The princess says it has to do with how everything is connected up.”

  I sighed and touched her face. “At least, I know she’s still around somewhere. Would you tell Zofie, I love her.”

  “She heard you. What...? Now don’t start crying. Tears aren’t good for my insides... I’m a what...? OUCH!”

  I couldn’t help but smile as I picked Zofie up and put her back across my shoulder.

  I think Abe had finally met his match.

  It was only a short while later that we began to feel the effects of the ruin’s area of misdirection. For me, it seemed easier the second time, and I followed Docila’s advice to focus on the landmarks. It worked fairly well to keep me on course. However, Cabrina and Fumiko were more affected and kept drifting off. I finally had to take Cabrina’s hand and make Fumiko hold my cloak.

  Fumiko continued to favor her right side as we walked. I finally asked her about it.

  “You’re injured, aren’t you? And don’t tell me nothing because I can see that it’s not.”

  She stepped around a bush. “I was careless. Wort gave me a good hit and with a shovel, no less. I might have a broken rib. I’m lucky he wasn’t using his sword.”

  I stopped, bringing both of them up short. I sighed. “You should have said something. Do you need to rest? Is there something I can do for you?”

  She glanced behind us and shook her head. “No, we don’t have time. Maybe later, I’ll get you to help me bind it.”

  Cabrina piped up. “She was so brave.” The youth was nearly bouncing with excitement. “While we were hiding, your mother decided we should make a run for the forest. We couldn’t stop her, and as we were leaving, Wort surprised us. Fumiko fought him, and she even managed to knock his sword away.” Cabrina got a little dreamy-eyed. “She was just like the heroes in the books my host was telling me about.”

  I glanced to Fumiko. She just shrugged and looked away.

  Cabrina frowned and continued. “But while she was distracted, Wort picked up a shovel and managed to get a hit in. It knocked her back at least ten feet. Then Lilith showed up and threatened to kill us all if we didn’t go in the house. Only Fumiko managed to escape. I tried to fight too...” she looked down. “Only, Wort punched me, and I fell down.” She unconsciously rubbed her face. “He hits pretty hard.”

  I touched Fumiko’s arm, and she looked up in surprise. “You protected my family. I can’t thank you enough.”

  She blushed and opened her mouth to say more, but paused and slowly shook her head, clearly deciding against it. Instead, she pointed up at the clouds starting to obscure the late afternoon sun. “We better get going,” she said. “I think the weather is going to change.”

  A chill wind slipped around us to emphasize the point. I nodded and forged ahead.

&nbs
p; The pull of the ruin’s misdirection got worse, and I had to correct myself a few times, but we somehow managed to make it through. Like before, the pressure to turn away suddenly stopped, and we stepped out into the clearing...

  And I nearly tripped over a goat.

  I glared at it in surprise as it gave me a curious stare and chewed on some dried grass. They brought the goats?

  Spraggel, my sisters, and my mother rushed over to us.

  “You made it,” my old master sounded surprised.

  I set Zofie down and collapsed to all fours. My legs felt like water.

  “What about Lilith and Wort?” asked Spraggel.

  “I helped Lilith fall into her own portal, and thankfully, Wort caught the wrong end of a bear.”

  I tried to rise to my feet, but my legs were none too happy at the prospect. I staggered, and they trembled but held. I looked to Zofie. We had Oddfrid’s orb portal, so now that we had the key, we could leave at any time. I shook my head. But while it would be nice to rest and leisurely return, we didn’t have that luxury. If we stayed here, or they even thought we were, they would keep trying until they figured out my family’s hiding place. I’m sure we left lots of clues for a determined someone to find. No, we had to lead them away. And in such a way that they didn’t come back.

  I looked to Mother. “Would it be safe for you to stay here for a while? We need to deal with those following us.”

  She nodded. “We’ll be fine. A little cold maybe, but there are plenty of places to shelter.”

  Docila nodded. “After I found this place, I stashed some supplies here in case the soldiers came back. There’s also plenty of dried grass for the goats. We can last a couple of days, maybe even a week if we stretch it.”

  I nodded. “Hopefully, you won’t have to wait that long.”

  I sighed. “We’ll do our best to get them to follow us away.”

  She gave me a worried look as only a mother could. “You’re not going to face that woman again, are you?”

  I shrugged. “I certainly hope not. But there’s no other way.”

  She shook her head. “You could stay here with us until she gets tired and leaves.”