“Ooo, berries! I like berries.”
Sarn and J.C. exchanged bemused headshakes then rounded the bend. Indeed, wild blackberry canes tangled at the base of a sheer vertical cliff. Since it was only the middle of June, their berries were still bright red and quite tangy.
Though that didn’t deter Ran in the least. He combed through the canes, ignoring their thorns in search of a snack.
“They aren't ripe yet.”
Ran shot him a glare then disappeared into the thicket. A juice stained Ran reappeared a moment later frowning at the bright berries in his hand.
“I told you they aren't ripe.” Sarn accepted the unwanted berries and ate them with a shrug. Ran stared at him. “What? I like them tangy like this.”
Ran shook his head then ambled over to the edge to look down at the trail they’d just hiked then up at the distant peak six-thousand-feet above them. Of course, he couldn’t see the peak since a precipice blocked it from view. Mount Eredren didn’t seem all that tall on the inside when winding between levels, but it was more than ten times as tall as the Queen of All Trees.
“I want ripe food. I like sweet berries and sausages. Can we get some after we help J.C.?”
Sarn nodded and tapped a lump on the rock face with his boot. A pressure-sensitive mechanism slid part of the wall aside to reveal absolute darkness until Sarn crossed over its threshold. His glowing eyes washed away the shadows as he stepped onto a landing then extended a hand to J.C. who peered curiously into the hole.
“Food is that way.” Ran pointed up.
“I know but I don’t think we’re heading up.”
“No, we’re not,” J.C. said as he clasped Sarn’s hand.
Thin bars of green light streaked across the entrance, barring J.C.’s way. Sarn frowned at them. One such beam passed harmlessly through his forearm.
“It’s never done that before.”
“I’m a special case,” J.C. shook his head ruefully.
Fascinated, Ran thrust a hand toward one of those beams until Sarn blocked him.
“Ran, step away from the door. This landing isn’t that large.”
“But I want to help.”
“You’ll help plenty by moving back.”
Of course, Ran didn’t budge. Great, he needed to help J.C. cross and keep his son from harm. Why was nothing ever easy? Sarn was about to reach behind him and remove his son to a safe place when J.C. spoke.
“Give me your other hand then when I say so, pull with all your might. I’m not an expert on wards, but I think that should work.”
“All right.” Sarn did as he suggested.
“Fix in your mind an image of me crossing and pull as hard as you can. Now.”
Let him cross. At his unspoken command, the protections winked out and J.C. fell across the threshold and crashed into Sarn. They struck the wall enclosing the staircase and the mechanism slid the door closed leaving them with just the glow of Sarn’s eyes for light.
“Thank you.” J.C. shook Sarn’s hand. “Our bargain’s fulfilled, but—”
“Come to me dear sinners, come one, come all. Between us there are walls, tear them down, tear them down, let nothing stand between us at all.”
Sarn rocked on his heels as that voice and its dark command turned him toward the Lower Quarters. “I must descend into the pit, now—no.” Sarn shook his head, but that summons overrode all other thoughts. What was I just doing? I can’t remember.
You’re descending into the pit with all the other sinners, said the silky voice weaving through his mind.
“What pit? Who said that?” But he knew. That voice was calling him back to the Ægeldar. Sarn shuddered at the thought.
“And I must go with you.” J.C. clasped his shoulder and the voice faded, so did its pull. “Lead on. I fear my errand is a grim one.”
He let go and the fell voice boomed through Sarn’s head, maybe even through the stairwell. It was so hard to tell what was inside his mind and what was outside it.
“In your hearts, I dwell on high, my time’s nigh. Tear down the walls between us, break them all. Come, sinners.”
“What walls? Is he talking about the Queen of All Trees’ shield?”
“Did she leave a shield near a pit?”
“Yes, I saw it earlier.”
“Then that must be it. What's in this pit?”
“A scary monster with many arms,” Ran said, shuddering at the memory of their earlier run-in with it. “I don't want to see it again.”
“It might be a different pit he's talking about, or there might not be one at all. He does like his rhymes and his games.” J.C. shrugged then spread his hands wide.
“Regardless, I must find out what he's up to and put a stop to it. I can't ask you to endanger your son. If you're still willing to accompany me, your help would be invaluable. But I understand if we must part ways.”
“I want to go with him, Papa. I want to help.” Ran was already nodding, but Sarn glanced at the stairs.
“What about that voice? If we head toward it, will it overtake me?”
“Not for long. From what I can hear, he’s professing lies, and lies are anathema to you.”
“He’s calling everyone, isn’t he, this ‘Adversary?’”
“Yes, if you’re worried, stay close to me. I can lower his voice.”
“What about my brother?
“His summons is gaining in strength. If your brother hasn’t heard it yet, he will.”
“And it’ll compel him to go down.” Sarn nodded, grimly, which was another argument in favor of accompanying J.C. Hell, who am I kidding? I want to help J.C. “How do we stop this ‘Adversary?’”
“We go down. Hold tight to your father, Ran. That’s a good boy.”
“You’ll jump us like Bear did.”
“How did you guess?”
J.C.’s eyes twinkled as the stairwell vanished. It was replaced by a nondescript tunnel. It could be any of them, but this one Sarn knew well since it led to the cavern with the pink lumir island and beyond it, to a place he didn’t want to go.
J.C. cocked a brow in inquiry. Sarn pointed.
“That way until we reach a junction.”
J.C. nodded, and the tunnel vanished.
Queen’s Gambit
Inari halted before the boulder at the foot of the mountain trail. Feeling eyes on her, she pivoted expecting to see Ranispara heading her way. Instead, her breath caught, and her eyes bulged. A tree standing at least a thousand-feet tall waited just beyond the ring of menhirs. Silver light suffused her bark and sparkled in her crown.
As Inari stared, dumbfounded at the Queen of All Trees, the edges of her being flickered. A shining branch beckoned to her, and she approached, unable to tear her eyes away from Shayari’s fabled Queen. Never had she thought to see her up close and in person.
What did the Queen of All Trees want with her? Inari strode toward that numinous being uncertain what to expect until an invisible wall stopped her. White light filled her, and the seed of magic planted a month ago when Sarn had lost control of his magic blossomed. Inari gasped, and her basket fell from her nerveless fingers spilling tarot cards on the ground.
Her smallest branches twisted in a mesmeric pattern as the cards rose and shuffled themselves. The Queen of All Trees flicked a root and a card escaped the deck and floated face up to Inari. With shaking hands, she took it. It was the star. The Queen of All Trees had given her hope’s card. What did that mean?
“Be my eyes, Inari. You’ve traveled much of my land and you can freely come and go into the mountain. You can see things happening in there that I can’t.”
The wind shuffled the deck again and a new card floated out—the ace of swords. On the card, a white hand held a sword aloft with a crown balanced on its tip. The card returned to the deck and they, in turn, settled into her basket.
Inari opened her mouth to accept this honor, but the ground shifted, and the distance mounted as the Queen sent her away—still holding hope’s car
d. Had something pulled the Queen away? Was some serious business afoot in the enchanted forest involving her missing sister? Inari blinked, and her eyes focused on her friend’s worried face. Ranispara gave her shoulder one last shake.
“Inari, are you, all right?”
Inari nodded and noticed she still held the star card in her hand. She stowed it in her basket with the rest of the deck and covered the top with a fold of her shawl. Best if she didn’t advertise her gypsy ways. Only Ranispara knew she was an expert card reader. She’d passed many pleasant evenings doing readings for her friend.
“You’re sure? You were standing there gawking for a good five minutes before I reached you.”
Shouts drew Ranispara’s attention to the other side of the meadow and beyond it to the enchanted forest on the west side. She shaded her eyes and squinted at a group of men shaking their heads in utter perplexity. “How’d the reckoning go? Give me the highlights for now, but I want the whole story as soon as I’m off work. If I get off tonight.”
“What reckoning? What are you talking about?”
“Your meeting with Sister Psychopath. Don’t play coy with me. I want all the gory details.”
Inari rubbed the heel of her hand over a spot just below her collarbone where something warm pulsed in sync with her heart. It was a gift from the Queen of All Trees, but Ranispara was talking about a different meeting. One she had forgotten. Why had she come down to the meadow?
“Oh, come on, you did talk to Aralore didn’t you?”
Inari shook her head then looked for her sister. “She’s here? Where? I don’t see her.”
“Are you sure she didn’t bash your head in? You’re acting funny.” Ranispara, pivoted, turning concerned eyes on Inari and her fraying braid flopped over her shoulder.
Ranispara froze as her gaze found the Queen of All Trees. Her radiant presence stretched across the half mile of grass and wildflowers separating them. It wrapped around them both whispering something too soft for their conscious minds to parse. Then the Queen of All Trees retreated into the forest.
“Did you just see—” Ranispara’s voice trailed off when the younger woman found no words worthy of describing Shayari’s legendary Queen.
Inari grasped her best friend’s arm and turned her. “I saw her too. I guess she’s not a myth after all.” She offered her friend a bemused smile, and Ranispara accepted it with a head shake.
“I guess not.” Ranispara’s face clouded, and she toyed with the end of her waist-length braid. “What were we talking about before she showed up? It was important.”
Inari spread her hands in defeat. She’d forgotten why she’d ventured out of the mountain in the first place. There had been a reason, but what was it? “I don’t know, but I should go. I left my son at a party.”
“Yeah, and I have a crisis to get back to.”
“Oh? Care to share?”
“Not unless you can produce Sarn. We need him, but God only knows where he goes during the day.”
“Maybe I can. You see the young man down by the river?”
“The one walking up the gangplank to the ferry or the one writing on a clipboard?”
“The latter one with the clipboard, he’s the friend you told me about. He knows Sarn.”
“So that's him. Thank you. I’ll go make my acquaintance then.” Ranispara broke into a run but slowed when Inari called out to her.
“Are we still on for later? Assuming this situation is cleared up and Jerlo lets you off tonight? You owe me details. I expect payment in full for my tip.”
“Of course, I’ll bring the wine. You bake something gooey. With luck, I’ll have good news.” Ranispara finger-waved then ran toward the Ranger charging toward the mountain.
Inari turned and struck out for the trailhead and the winding path up Mount Eredren’s south face to her gleaming doors and her son, who was likely waiting for her return. But in her belly, unease twisted, and every step only magnified it. As she walked, she slipped a hand into her basket and withdrew a card. She took a breath then flipped it over revealing the Empress. The cards were telling her to listen to her intuition and it was presaging trouble. Ice skittered up her back.
Hearing voices behind her, Inari shoved the card back into her basket just in case the men following her were Rangers. Nolo would be scandalized if he ever found out about her tarot deck. She quickened her pace. If trouble was brewing, she’d best fetch Nerule and prepare to meet it, preferably while armed for bear. If she couldn’t have her best friend at her back, she could at least have a blade at the ready. Inari palmed a dagger and hiked up her skirt with her free hand.
J.C. staggered under the weight of his cross. It had swelled up until it barely fit inside the tunnel. He shook his head regretfully.
“I can’t jump us any further. We must walk the rest of the way.”
Sarn didn’t need to check his map. He recognized this tunnel from earlier. “It’s not far. Can you manage? I can help if you can’t. I’m stronger than I look.”
J.C. nodded. “I can manage. After all, this is my burden. You have yours.” He gestured to the marks on Sarn’s hand.
“I never had a chance to ask her about these.” Sarn fisted his marked hand. It felt strange—like it belonged to someone else. He relaxed his hand then held it up to J.C. “Do you know how I can get rid of this?”
“Yes, the Adversary’s mark is rooted in sin. Repent those sins and do penance for them, and he’ll have no hold over you.”
Sarn regarded his son, whom he loved more than his own life and shook his head. “How can I repent something I’m not sorry for? It brought someone I love very much into the world.”
“Who?” Ran tugged Sarn’s pant leg.
“You.”
“Me?” Ran pointed to his chest and Sarn nodded. His son’s face crinkled with confusion. “I’m a sin?”
“Not you personally, just your begetting.”
“What’s ‘begetting’ mean?”
“I’ll tell you when you’re older—a lot older.”
And Sarn would too so Ran didn’t make the same mistake he had. At fifteen, when Ran was conceived, he hadn’t known where babies came from. Nine months later, a red-faced healer had explained the facts of life while he stared in utter shock at the green-eyed infant in his arms. Sarn pushed that embarrassing memory away. Maybe he’d leave that out of any future conversations about babies and their begetting.
Ran scowled. “But sins are bad, and I’m not a bad boy. Uncle Miren is.”
Sarn stared at his son. “When this is over, you’ll explain what you mean by that.”
Ran mumbled something about ‘Uncle Miren’ and kicked a pebble. It ricocheted off the wall and the darkened lumir stones screamed.
Enchanter! Light us! Kindle us!
Sarn backed away from the voices and the spent stones. They ran in ribbons paralleling their track. Thanks to his son, they’d just noticed he was there.
Kindle us! Give us your light, light-bringer! Kindle us, shouted the stones. Their voices caromed around inside Sarn’s mind, staggering him, but he caught his son’s hand and pushed on.
Yes, kindle those greedy stones. Send your power into them. That’s what he wants, said a new mind-voice.
Unnatural, screamed Sarn’s magic, momentarily drowning out the spent stones’ pleas.
“Why does every bloody thing have to talk in my head?” Sarn pressed the heel of his hand to his aching head.
J.C. swayed as a crown of thorns pierced his brow again. Blood wept from the wounds and ran down his cheek. “So many cry out for aid.”
“Then we must go to them before these stones drive me crazy with their requests. You’re sure I can’t help you?”
“You’re helping by leading the way.”
“You can help me.” Ran held his arms out to Sarn and followed up his silent request with a pleading look.
Sarn shook his head and picked his son up. Ran’s nearness quieted those voices, but not the summons. “I wi
sh someone would carry me around.”
Ran laughed at the image his silly statement conjured. “You’re too big to carry like this, but Bear and J.C. can jump you around. That’s like being carried, but magically.”
“True.”
A green glow proceeded Sarn as he led the way, but the shadows resisted his eyes’ attempts to banish them. In response to this, more magic welled up behind his eyes making them itch and burn until he shut them.
Let us out! Screamed his magic as it banged molten fists against his closed lids.
Not until you back off. Sarn turned a bend and crushed his map every time it spawned. I can do this myself. Leave me alone.
In his arms, Ran shivered and felt for the pendant under Sarn’s tunic. “Make light Papa, please?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Sarn relented and let some green light spill down the tunnel and over a sea of heads. People filled the tunnel perpendicular to this one. The glow of his eyes reflected off their staring eyes. They shuffled en masse to the Ægeldar, for now. How long before they noticed him?
Had that man with the red felt hat glanced his way? Was the woman three rows back wheeling to face him? Heart pounding in fear, Sarn backed away clutching his son.
“The magic bothers you?” Ran asked, but his voice seemed to come from far away.
“Sometimes,” Sarn mumbled.
He couldn’t stop staring at the unending crowd. Where did they come from? Don’t see me. I’m not here. As those panicked thoughts circled his mind, magic slipped from its cage and roared through his veins, making his hands glow green. Stop that, he commanded his magic. They’ll see. They’ll know. Sarn took another step away from the ranks ten deep marching past.
Magic was illegal. Using it in so public away would damn him and his son to death when that crowd stopped staring and turned on him. Any minute now, they’d notice him. I must hide. But there was nowhere to hide. Broken stones littered the ground, but none were big enough to duck behind. If they see me, my life is forfeit by law.
Sarn closed his eyes, but it was too late to hide. Thousands, according to the counter on the map flickering in and out of view in his mind, filed past them before he shut it off. Were they as blind to their surroundings as they seemed?
Curse Breaker: Books 1-4 Page 100
