by Eva Brandt
* * *
Mathias
Things had been going too well. In my heart, I’d known it, and I’d suspected it would all fall apart soon. I hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly and for such a crazy reason.
I stared at Dahud in shock, not knowing what to make of her words. “My aunt… cursed you? I don’t understand. She wouldn’t do something like that.”
“And yet, I felt her magic on the dike. My mother told me the curse was related to you. And you’ve already stated that your aunt is magical.”
Dahud’s cold, emotionless gaze seemed to slice straight into my soul. My protests died on my lips and I tried to give Dahud’s words the attention they deserved. “I don’t know what to tell you, Dahud. My aunt doesn’t like dark magic. She was against me ever coming here. She warned me that your family dealt with things best left alone.”
“But you came anyway.” Dahud frowned and narrowed her eyes at me. “Why?”
“I was having nightmares. I didn’t know what they meant, but I felt I needed to come here. I know now that it must have been because you were calling me.”
Everything else still confused me. I wasn’t anyone special and didn’t have supernatural skills like Thrandur or Halvar. I only had the visions and that instinctual knowledge that I needed to be with Dahud.
“If she’s involved in your curse, I can always ask her about it. I don’t think she’d refuse to explain.”
“Do you really think it’s that easy?” Dahud asked. “Magic users don’t give away their secrets, not even to the people they most care about. To this day, my mother hasn’t revealed the full extent of her powers to me, and I’ve been actively mind controlling her.”
“We don’t have any other choice,” I argued. “If she refuses, we can always find an alternative, but she hasn’t said—”
I didn’t get the chance to finish my sentence. The pendant around my throat grew heavier and hotter. I took it off and threw it away, suddenly wondering just how benevolent my aunt’s protection was.
As soon as the pendant hit the ground, an image manifested in front of us. I gaped at my aunt’s translucent figure, trying to figure out what in the name of the gods was going on here. “Aunt Anna?”
“Hello, Mathias,” she replied. “I’d congratulate you on your nuptials, but as you can probably guess, I’m not very happy about this outcome.”
Dahud’s eyes flashed and her magic flared, hostile, angry, and offended. The crystal started glowing brighter as if protecting itself from Dahud’s fury. Meanwhile, my aunt lifted her hands in an attempt to show she was harmless. “There’s no need to be alarmed, Princess Dahud. I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Is that a fact?” Dahud asked. “So you’re not the one who cast a curse on me, turning me into an emotionless shell when I was a baby?”
I appreciated Dahud’s attempt to give Aunt Anna the benefit of the doubt, but in the end, it was for nothing. “I’m the one who cast that enchantment, yes, but it’s not a curse,” my aunt replied. “Or it wasn’t. It’s complicated.”
Through some kind of miracle, Dahud didn’t lose her temper. “Complicated how? Explain.”
My aunt answered Dahud’s question with one of her own. “What has your mother told you?”
“That she and my father had a lot of enemies and someone who hated them had cursed me,” Dahud said, her voice perfectly level and calm. “I take it they weren’t honest.”
I wasn’t fooled by her mask of tranquility. I could already see we would be headed for more outbursts and more explosions. Unfortunately, Aunt Anna didn’t realize this or didn’t have enough sense to care. “Indeed. Their Royal Majesties were always excellent at turning falsehoods into their personal version of reality. They didn’t exactly lie, but they omitted a lot of things.
“What you said just now is true. They do have a lot of enemies. That tends to happen when you take over kingdoms and force other people into doing your bidding. I count myself as one of your parents’ foes, yes, and I hate them so much that some days, that feeling suffocates me.”
“I don’t see how that’s complicated,” Dahud said, her skin now glowing gold.
“Patience, Your Highness,” my aunt shot back. “I’m getting there.
“You see, when I was very young, I became fascinated with magic. I had a natural talent for it and I sensed it in your mother. She felt it within me in turn and agreed to teach me. As you know, the mystical arts aren’t widespread here, so she took me under her wing. After a few years, I left Ys and traveled through the world in search of more knowledge. Your parents supported my journey and I deemed myself fortunate for their benevolence.
“But it cost me much too dearly. Shortly after I came back to Ys, you were born. The pregnancy was difficult and when you were only one month old, you became very ill. You were going to die. There wasn’t anything we could do to help you. Your mother’s arts failed her as did my… more wholesome spells.”
I didn’t like the sound of that at all. “What did you do, Aunt Anna? Why were you so worried about me leaving the village?”
A dark shadow swept over my aunt’s face. “There was an enchantment. It takes advantage of the natural connection between soulmates to grant power to one of the people involved. But the cost is dire. The soulmate of the spell’s target is sacrificed, in every way—body, soul, and magic. It’s not just death. It’s the complete destruction of a person, an obliteration of an immortal soul.”
My stomach turned as I processed what my aunt was saying. When I’d been younger, the connection between soulmates was one of the lessons she’d insisted on. I hadn’t given it any thought in years, but now, everything she’d taught me was coming back. “But you said soulmates are so important. How could you possibly…?”
I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. My aunt sighed. “I had no choice. Or at least, I felt I didn’t.” She turned away from me and met my wife’s gaze with a steely one of her own. “I didn’t want to cast the spell. I warned your parents about the consequences it might have. But they didn’t listen, and they forced my hand, threatening to kill every single person in my village if I didn’t comply with their demands.
“And so, I destroyed your soulmate. I never knew who he was, but he must’ve been powerful and possibly had magic. You recovered, gained all the skills you have now, but also lost the ability to feel.”
“I would apologize, but I know it won’t make a difference. All I ask is that you don’t take it out on Mathias. My actions were my own. If you consider me a threat, I’ll happily come to Ys and submit to any punishment you deem appropriate. But don’t harm my nephew any longer.”
The request gave Dahud pause. “Why do you think I’d hurt him? I was upset that he was related to my enemy, yes, but you can’t choose your family. And I do love him.”
I didn’t know who was more shocked by her sudden statement—Anna, me, or our other two companions. We’d all acknowledged the strength of the connection between us, but there hadn’t been any real words of love. I certainly hadn’t expected it from Dahud, who had such trouble managing her emotions.
Anna’s surprise came from a different source. “Love?” she repeated. “Your Highness, you’re confused. What you’re experiencing is lust. That’s—”
“Don’t insult me,” Dahud cut her off. “I know the difference between an emotion and a sensation. Let me make it clear, in case you’ve yet to understand. Your spell was broken. I’m free.”
“Impossible. It was permanent. There was no way to undo it, nothing that I could find at least.”
“And yet, here I am. I have my powers and my ability to feel.”
Aunt Anna was not reassured. “This isn’t right,” she started to mumble. “But magic… Magic like this is said to be alive. It might have changed. Your Highness, do you have any idea what could’ve affected you in this way?”
“We believe it was me,” Thrandur replied, finally joining the conversation. “I’m no mage, but I come from a v
ery powerful bloodline.”
Anna fell silent, as if considering his words. After a few moments of pause, she said, “Your Highness, try to limit the use of your powers in the following days. If you can, don’t overexert yourself physically either. I will come at once and see what’s going on.”
“We’d appreciate it,” Dahud answered. “And don’t worry. As long as you aren’t hostile to me and my family, I’ll make sure you are kept safe.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about, Your Highness.” Aunt Anna smiled bitterly. “As I said, some powers are meant to stay hidden. Yours is one of them. So far, the enchantment on you seems stable, but if we don’t make sure, you could endanger far more than my life and yours.”
I thought about the ruined dike and wondered to what extent Dahud had been involved in that. Until now, she’d seemed to believe Anna was to blame, but she had not mentioned it during this conversation. Did she know something else she hadn’t said?
“I’ll remember,” Dahud promised. “I’ll be waiting.”
Anna nodded and shot me one last, inscrutable look. “Keep the pendant on you. It’s supposed to help. Don’t forget your promise.”
She didn’t wait for me to answer. Her translucent figure dissipated into glowing dust motes and returned to the crystal. I picked the necklace back up and put it on.
“Well, what do we do now?” I asked.
“I’m going to have another conversation with my family,” Dahud replied. “I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of all the games they’re playing. And once I clarify everything, I’ll start doing some research of my own.”
“We’ll help,” Thrandur offered. “Just tell us what to do and we’re at your disposal.”
For the first time since Gwenol had given us the news of the damaged dike, Dahud smiled, a genuine expression that loosened the fist now squeezing my heart. “Thanks. I might just do that. After all, if Mathias’s aunt is to be believed, you might be more magical than I am.”
I doubted that very much. Thrandur might be Odin’s grandson, but his power couldn’t compare to Dahud’s. I’d seen the extent of Dahud’s magic and if I’d called her a goddess, it wasn’t just because she was beautiful.
Still, if it made her feel better to have our support, I’d learn anything she needed me to. I only hoped it would be enough. I suspected that our problems were just getting started.
Bloody Kisses
Halvar
The day after our conversation with Mathias’s aunt, Dahud managed to arrange a meeting with her father. After the scare with the damaged dike, the celebration for our wedding had continued in Ys. Nobles and peasantry alike were still partying, supposedly in honor of the marriage. This meant that stealing a moment alone with the king and queen was almost impossible. Dahud performed this miracle, and she didn’t even have to use her magic to do it.
We met in the king’s private office, and the only ones present were the four of us—Dahud, me, Thrand and Mathias—plus the two royals of Kerys. There were guards at the door, but they were told to stay out of the office.
As soon as we were behind closed doors, Dahud stalked to her father’s side and slapped him. She held most of her strength back, but the blow still made him lose his balance and fall to the floor. “You took my soulmate and my emotions from me!” she shouted. “How dare you? And how dare you lie about it on top of that?”
King Gradlon didn’t answer. He stared at nothing, as if the hit had destroyed his ability to speak. The queen dropped to her knees next to her husband and pressed her hand to his forehead. Just like that, he snapped out of his trance. Blinking owlishly, he stood up, leaning against his wife.
“We were only trying to protect you, Dahud,” he replied. “I regret everything you’ve had to suffer since then. I’m sorry I couldn’t find a better solution. But I can’t apologize for going through with that ritual. You deserved to live, to be the queen you were meant to be.”
Her mother wasn’t all that apologetic either. She clenched her jaw, her eyes glittering with a mix of defiance and grief. “I wanted a daughter for so long. I couldn’t let fate snatch you away from my grasp. I couldn’t lose you.”
The mind control spell on them had snapped again. It was very inconsistent as of late. I wondered why. The two royals had been far more cooperative before the wedding.
Dahud didn’t appreciate her parents’ words. “And because of your actions, you’ve damned me for all eternity,” Dahud replied. “Mother, you’re a powerful mage. How can you not understand what you’ve done?”
“I understand!” Malgven shouted. “I’ve been doing my best to find an alternative, something that would remove the curse. I’ve actually heard rumors that claimed childbirth can be helpful. The pure energies that appear whenever a baby is born tend to cleanse the spirit of the mother.”
“Is that why you insisted on this wedding?” Dahud asked. “I knew it was a little too sudden for you to not have had an ulterior motive.”
“The only motive we have is your protection, Dahud,” her father insisted. “The years might have passed, but that’s always stayed the same. Even if you don’t believe anything else, believe that.”
A part of me couldn’t help but understand the king. If Dahud had been dying in my arms, I’d have wanted to protect her too, no matter what it cost. And if dark magic had bought us a little time, I’d have used it too. Half of Dahud was better than nothing at all.
Maybe Dahud understood that too, at least up to a point. Even so, she wasn’t inclined to let the issue go. “If I’d found this out a few months ago, I’d have killed you,” she said coldly. “You destroyed my soulmate and that is a crime you can never atone for.
“But now… Now, it’s not so simple. I have my husbands and I can’t imagine I’d feel a more powerful connection to anyone.”
Dahud’s parents relaxed. I suspected that, if Dahud had wished it, they would’ve surrendered to whatever punishment she decided on, simply out of guilt.
A few moments later, their relief melted away and the scent of anxiety filled the room. “Wait… You can feel?” the king asked.
“Yes,” Dahud said. “The spell is broken. We’re not sure how it happened, but we’re investigating now. I expect your full support, just in case there are complications.”
Her mother ignored most of Dahud’s words. She extended her hand toward Dahud, and I noticed that it was trembling. “Does that mean… Do you…?”
Dahud stared at the limb and took a step back, avoiding Queen Malgven’s touch. “I don’t hate you, if that’s what you’re asking. I need some time. And right now, we have other priorities than me sorting out my confusion.”
“Yes, of course.” Her father cleared his throat awkwardly. “Whatever you need, Dahud.”
“Good.” Dahud nodded, straightening her back. “If you don’t obey, there will be consequences.”
Gradlon and Malgven both paled at the threat. As much as they loved Dahud, they were very aware of her power and had no desire to succumb to it again.
“There’ll be no need to resort to that, Dahud. You have our word.”
Dahud didn’t acknowledge her mother’s reply. She pivoted on her heel and stalked out of the office. We followed her in silence, wishing we could help more.
“I think I need a little time to think, to clear my head,” she told us. “Would you mind finding something else to do for a few hours?”
Everything inside me protested the idea of leaving her alone. I wanted to cradle her in my arms and soothe her, to protect her from the world and heal all the wounds life had cruelly inflicted upon her.
But Dahud was still getting accustomed to her new ability to feel. She’d been doing much better, but these new revelations had thrown her off again. Of course she needed some space.
“If that’s what you want, Dahud, we’ll respect your wishes,” I said, “but please remember we’re still here for you. No matter what.”
Dahud shot me a weak smile and cupped my cheek w
ith a gentle hand. “I know, Halvar,” she whispered. “You all mean so much to me. I just need to get my thoughts in order.”
“Take all the time you need, Dahud,” Mathias answered. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. It’s not your fault. I should’ve never gotten angry with you in the first place. I just…” Her chest heaved and she suddenly seemed to have trouble breathing. “I need to go.”
She pulled away from me so abruptly that her absence felt like a physical blow. Without another word, she ran, so desperate to get away she didn’t bother hiding her supernatural abilities.
“This isn’t right,” Mathias said once she was gone. “There has to be something else we can do.”
“Not right now,” Thrand replied. “For the moment, we have to believe in her. She’s strong. She’s held her own against this magic for almost two decades. She won’t let it overpower her.”
Mathias frowned, but the argument seemed to make sense to him. “Let’s head to the library,” Thrand suggested. “We did promise to help her look into this. We might be able to find some clues on the spell there.”
Out of all of us, Thrand had the most experience with actual magic. I’d learned a few bits and pieces—it came with being a wolf warrior of Odin. Meanwhile, Mathias had witnessed his aunt perform her workings. Between the three of us, we might be able to figure out a few hints on what our wife was dealing with.
Half an hour later, I set aside a scroll on the legend of soulmates and rubbed my eyes tiredly. “We might be wasting our time. There’s nothing here.”
Thrand nodded. “If there’s information on magic in Ys, the queen likely keeps everything under lock and key.”
He was right. Dahud probably had access to all the scrolls and codices, but she hadn’t mentioned where they could be found, and it was too late to ask her now. We couldn’t bother her, not when she’d told us to give her some space.
“Look, we’re not going to solve this mystery in a day when my aunt has been trying for over a decade,” Mathias reasoned. “And without a real guide, we’re stumbling around like blind men in the dark. Let’s take a break.”
