“Now, remove her curse,” demanded the roach.
I had no choice. “Abe?” I asked.
Hello Coren. It’s been a while. Wish I could say it’s good to be back. For someone with meat for brains, you certainly are a trouble magnet.
I couldn’t help but smile. “I would definitely trade my brain for a little less trouble.”
Your brain? No one would want it!
While I would never have admitted it just a short while ago, I had missed the old bastard.
I sighed. “I’m assuming you heard. I need to remove Zofie’s curse.” I stepped forward, but Zofie put a restraining hand on my chest. She looked concerned.
Well, about that. You really need to talk to the princess first.
“Why?” I asked. “Let’s just do this.” And without pause, I put a finger on her chest and said the words. “Your curse to my curse.”
Nothing happened.
Uh... Coren. I can’t remove her curse. Like I said, you really need to talk to the princess.
Zofie gave me a hesitant smile, no doubt listening in on our conversation.
I was puzzled.
“Abe, why can’t you?”
Remember back on Mount Eternal when you asked me to remove that curse from the high priest, and I couldn’t. It’s one of the few restrictions with myst. I can’t do something that creates a contradiction.
“I remember that. But what has that got to do...” I trailed off as it hit me. My mouth fell open as I looked into my beloved’s eyes.
“I had planned to tell you at the picnic.” She glanced irritated at the roach. “But things got in the way.”
Then she smiled. “We’re going to have a baby.”
My mouth fell open as my less than ideal brain tried to process her words.
A baby.
A complex set of emotions when through my head. I was going to be a father. I felt woefully inadequate for the task.
Assuming we lived that long.
“I am unable to remove her curse,” I announced.
Cabrina pressed the dagger point a little deeper into her throat—a thin trickle of blood oozed around it. “Remove it. You know I’ll kill this girl. And then if you still won’t, I’ll kill each of your party one by one. I think I’ll start with Spraggel.”
I glanced at Zofie and then back to Yonge. “It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s that I can’t. It won’t come off.”
Cabrina lowered her knife. She looked to Zofie and squatted down in front of her—the youth’s head level with Zofie’s stomach. “Oh, I see,” she said with an exasperated sigh. “And here I thought the princess wouldn’t whore herself out to the first commoner she came across.”
Cabrina stood, but it was the cricket that continued. “I will just have a healer expel the unborn one. I have no need of it.”
Zofie jerked as if punched. She placed a protective hand on her stomach. “No! You mustn’t.”
Cabrina stood and gave Zofie a puzzled expression. “Then tell me how we’re going to open the vault while you’re still cursed.”
She licked her lips. “Maybe it’s not the curse. Maybe it’s my will to open it. Since you were controlling me, my will was not being expressed. I’m sure the ancients thought of that.”
The cricket leaped toward the giant jewel. “It could be.”
Yonge himself mused. “Definitely possible.”
The guards all answered in unison. “Then let’s try it.”
At the guard’s direction, Zofie headed up the ramp to the platform. One of the guards took Yonge’s wheeled chair, and I followed, with Fumiko and her guard bringing up the rear.
Zofie stepped up to the jewel. A guard approached and handed her the long silver cylinder that was the Griffin’s Key. She looked at the darkened facet on the diamond’s surface and then back to the cylinder in her hand. Her gaze did the circuit again, then she took a step back and looked up at the entire vault. I could tell she was thinking. She finally turned toward Yonge. “Something doesn’t seem right. In the other artifacts, there was either a passphrase or multiple people were required to activate them. Is there any record of such a thing?”
Cabrina frowned. “A phrase? I am not aware of any such thing. There was no mention of it from my scholars.”
The cricket jumped up to perch on the rail around the platform. “All we know is that if the Forever Nexus Shadow had to be moved, the Xernow heir would provide the key.”
Zofie looked to me. “Was there anything in the key’s chamber that might be a clue?”
I shook my head. “The guardian only said he was sorry to see me.”
She looked back at the crystal. She stepped forward and placed her palm against the darkened facet. “I am Princess Zophia Olwenna Xernow, the current Xernow heir. I command you to open.”
The crystal seemed to shudder and then gave out five beautiful, musical tones. I could feel the platform vibrate with each one. The sequence was strangely familiar. Where had I heard it before?
The cricket jumped up and down excitedly. “It didn’t do that last time.”
Cabrina looked at us in surprise. “But what do the tones mean?”
Then I knew where I had heard it. It was from Zofie. She would sometimes hum it to herself when she was stressed or anxious.
I noticed Zofie was tearing up. She glanced my way and gave me a half-smile. “It’s the lullaby Father used to sing to me all the time when I was a young girl. He told me it had been in our family for generations.” She put a hand on her middle. “And when I got older, I was to sing it to my child.” She looked back to the crystal. “Now I know why.”
She placed her hand on the facet again. The tones sounded once more, but this time she was ready and started to sing. The jewel took up the song with her, and together they sang.
I had never heard her sing before, and I was struck by its beauty. As I listened to her, I couldn’t help but wonder how many more times I was going to fall in love with this woman.
As they sang, a line appeared on the huge jewel running from top to bottom. And when they finished the song, the gray facet turned a pale blue, and a small round slot appeared in it. Zofie took the Griffin’s Key and inserted it in the hole, which fit the key perfectly. She then pushed it home.
A loud gong sounded three times, like a warning bell. Then the jewel slowly parted along the vertical line, and a puff of chill fog rose from it, carrying the scent of times long past. As the vault continued to open, it exposed a small chamber inside, brightly lit from the glow of its crystal walls. A round marble pedestal, identical to those we had encountered with the other ancient artifacts, rose from the floor. There was only enough space in the chamber to barely walk around the pedestal. On the stand rested a perfectly shaped pyramid about as big as my fist and made of some type of metal that was a deep cerulean blue. If you held it up to a clear sky, the color would have matched perfectly. As I gazed at it, I thought I saw patterns flowing across its surface, like ripples over a pond. It hurt my eyes to look at it.
The guards pulled Zofie, Fumiko, and me away from the jewel, while a third reached in to take it.
As soon as the guard touched it, there was a thunderous crackle, and the guard instantly turned to dust.
Zofie gasped, and I flinched away. Fumiko just stared at it in stoic silence, a hand on her injured ribs.
Yonge himself cackled. “Ho, Ho! I wasn’t expecting that. The ancients certainly meant business.”
I looked down at the small pile of gray dust on the floor of the chamber. What power the ancients must have had to reduce someone instantly to ashes. How much had we forgotten? And then I had an odd thought. What if we hadn’t forgotten so much as been forced to forget.
Zofie looked over to Yonge. “We’ve done what you’ve wanted. The vault is open. Now let us go.”
The cricket, Cabrina, and the other guards all laughed. “I disagree Princess. While the vault is indeed open, I’m not able to touch what I need.” The cricket suddenly jumped—
arching through the air to land on the Forever Nexus Shadow. It too was instantly turned to ash.
Cabrina spoke up. “So even a bug can’t get past the defense. What to do, what to do?”
Immediately, another guard stepped forward, drew his sword, and gently touched it with the tip. That guard was also instantly turned to ash.
I was struck by how closely this pedestal resembled the others we had encountered. And each one had followed a pattern. I couldn’t tell from this angle, but could that be a small square at the back?
One of the guards roughly shoved Zofie forward. “Let’s see if a Xernow heir can remove it.”
“Wait!” I shouted.
All the guards looked at me.
“Let me try.” I moved to enter the jewel.
“Coren, no!” Zofie yelled.
I looked back at her just before the chamber’s threshold and smiled. “I think this one is for me.”
I carefully stepped around the pedestal until I came to the side facing away from the others. As I thought, there was a small square of marble with the impression of a hand in it. I took a deep breath and gave a reassuring smile to Zofie. Then I pressed my own left one into it.
The marble felt warm and smooth. For a moment, nothing happened, and I wondered if perhaps I had been wrong. Then suddenly, I was sucked into the world of curses.
The world all around me was the gray on gray I had come to associate with the realm. It was like all color had been filtered out.
Before me stood a stick-figure person with the characteristic large round head. Only inside this one was the image of a pedestal. It seemed to be considering me. “What do you want?” it spat. “You’re never supposed to bother my slumber.”
I felt a presence at my back. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Abe stood with me, also in his stick figure form. He put a thin hand on my shoulder.
I turned back to the pedestal figure. “I am here to take the Forever Nexus Shadow.”
“You can’t have it!” it snapped.
“Why not? Have we not done everything we were supposed to in order to remove it.”
“It’s never supposed to be removed. Never!”
“Then why was a way built into it for the Thief of Curses to remove it?”
It shook its head in agitation. “I do not know.” It looked up at me in worry. “But I do know that if you take it, all the defenses against the dark enemy will collapse. The world will be at their mercy. And just because you have Abhulengulus behind you doesn’t mean it’s right.”
Abe surprised me by speaking. “Be it right or wrong, it is their decision. If you deny them, then aren’t you doing exactly like the dark ones and making the decision for them. Our role is to help them, advise them, but never, ever decide for them.”
The pedestal figure seemed to consider Abe. It then turned away and flicked a stick hand in dismissal. “Take it then. I am not responsible for what happens next. My watch is done.”
And with that, I found myself back in front of the pedestal. A moment later, the illumination coming from inside the crystal went out, leaving the jewel dull and dark. I reached forward and plucked the Forever Nexus Shadow from its cradle.
And outside the vault, I heard Zofie gasp in alarm. “It’s gone,” she looked at me in horror. “I can’t feel it anymore. The Grand Tapestry is just... gone.”
And Yonge started laughing. I stared at him in shock. He’d known the barrier would come down once the nexus was removed. Yet he did it anyway. He just didn’t care.
The guards took the nexus from me and indicated we should head down the ramp off the platform. Cabrina extracted the key from the now-dead crystal and followed just behind. Just as we were about to reach the bottom, several panicked officials ran into the room.
“Advisor!” their leader yelled. “The Grand Tapestry has disappeared! We’re completely unprotected. What should we do?” They tried to come closer, but the guards held them back.
“Fools!” he shouted. “Prepare the troops. We’ve plans to handle this. Now don’t bother me again.”
They cringed at his anger, bowed, and immediately left.
As we reached the floor, I glanced toward the room’s exit. We needed to get out of not just this room but the entire palace. Maybe even the whole empire. I had a feeling things were about to get really crazy.
The empire had been protected by The Grand Tapestry for a thousand years. And in that time, had built up quite a few grudges in the surrounding kingdoms. But now with the shield gone, those grudges were likely going to come home. And the empire had no idea how to protect themselves.
Zofie must have been thinking likewise. She turned to Yonge. “We’ve done as you asked. Now let us go.”
Cabrina stepped forward. “I will free you,” Yonge said through her. “But there is someone who requested you stay until he retrieves the nexus. He’ll be here shortly.”
“Who?” Zofie asked.
Suddenly, a long-range portal appeared in the chamber. I would have thought that the palace would have been protected against such intrusions. But they likely lost that protection with the removal of the nexus.
As it slowly materialized, the guards moved toward it, forming a line and saluting.
Even though I had no way to protect her, I moved closer to Zofie, placing myself between her and the portal. Fumiko must have felt the same and moved to stand with me. Something bad was going to happen. I could feel it.
A cold breeze drifted out of the portal, and a moment later, a lone man stepped through. He was young, still in his teens, with dark red hair the same shade as Zofie’s.
My princess gasped, and I clenched my fists. I think Fumiko growled.
The young man—conniver, murderer, and destroyer of Brethnach’s defenses—came to stand before us.
“Hello, sister,” he said with a cruel smile on his face.
It was Wynn.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Unlocking
The Forbidden
Zofie’s brother, and murderer of their father, stood before us with his lips twisted into a half-smirk. Zofie was white with rage—her fists balled up tight. She visibly shook. A guard extended his sword in front of her to make sure she didn’t do anything rash.
Wynn briefly glanced our way but otherwise ignored us and went to Yonge. He bowed. “I have come as we agreed, your excellency. Is everything ready?”
Cabrina clapped her hands. “The Forever Nexus Shadow is ready for you, and the Griffin’s Key is right here.” She waved it back and forth for emphasis. “And the last component is on his way here.”
“Excellent!” said Wynn smiling. He rocked on his heels. “Let’s do this quickly, so I don’t hold you up. I believe you have an empire to save.”
Zofie couldn’t hold back her rage any longer. “You murderer!” she shouted.
He turned his smile in our direction. “Well, sister. I must say you’re looking well. Especially for someone who continually eludes death. You have to be the luckiest person on the planet.”
She spoke through clenched teeth. “I happen to have one excellent knight.”
“Evidently.” His lips pulled back into the perfect smile. But his eyes were dead cold. “But they do say that the third time’s the charm.”
Zofie wasn’t fazed. “Just what evil are you up to now?”
He chuckled. “You’ll see. After all, this is Advisor Yonge’s show.” He turned to me. “And hello to you, Sir Coren. Too bad you didn’t join me when you had the chance. That offer is long past now but just think. You could be on the winning side now.” He grinned.
I frowned, reminding myself that despite his youthful looks, he was evil.
“You’re the last person I wanted to see.”
Wynn’s eyebrows went up. “Charming as always. You never know, I might be able to arrange it so that I am the last person you see.”
He turned to Fumiko. “My dear, you no doubt remember me, but I don’t believe we’ve formally met. Last we spoke, an
Avenyts in my service was perfecting you. A pity Coren destroyed her. She was one of my favorites. I thought she made you kind of cute.”
Fumiko’s eyes were on fire, but she said nothing.
Wynn looked up. “Where’s Master Spraggel? Coren never goes more than a few feet without him.”
Yonge himself chuckled. “The old man is trying to get in to see the emperor. He doesn’t realize that I’ve been controlling his excellency for years. Apparently, they worked together in their younger days.”
I shook my head in disbelief. Is there anyone Spraggel didn’t know?
Cabrina moved to Yonge’s chair and pushed him forward. “Our agreement, Lord Wynn,” he said. “I would have it now. Then you can do with the Forever Nexus Shadow as you see fit.”
With his back to Yonge, Wynn frowned at the interruption and rolled his eyes. Then immediately pasted on a huge grin and turned to his host. “Why of course, your excellency.” He moved to stand beside him.
Just then, a young man was escorted into the chamber. He wore loose-fitting pants and fine slippers, but no shirt. My eyes went large. He was a perfect specimen of manhood—tall, dark eyes, black hair, with arms and chest practically rippling with muscle. My tastes definitely ran toward the female gender, but I could see where this man might tempt some to change their preference.
Wynn smiled, his eyes going up in surprise. “I’m impressed Advisor Yonge. That is quite a nice body.”
“Isn’t it?” Cabrina smiled broadly. “I’ve been preparing for this for years. Carefully selecting candidates to pick just the right one.”
I heard a whisper beside me. “Hao?”
I turned to Fumiko. Her eyes were wide, an expression of utter shock on her face.
Cabrina nodded. “I see you recognize your fellow butterfly.”
“Why?” she whispered.
“Surely, you’ve not grown that stupid. This body of mine is dying, giving me no choice but to obtain a new one. So why not choose the best?”
Fumiko shook her head in denial. “It can’t be.”
Cabrina nodded emphatically. “I only wanted the best for my new body—a truly superb one. I didn’t care if they were male or female. My only requirement was that they have some sort of royal lineage.” She frowned. “But then number one messed herself up, and I had to settle for number two.”
Assassin of Curses: (The Coren Hart Chronicles Book 3) Page 34
