Final Magic

by Julie Law

  Final Magic

  Cursed Queen, Volume 2

  by

  Julie Law

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  FINAL MAGIC

  Web Edition

  Copyright ©2017 Julie Law

  All Rights Reserved

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Amelie heard the sigh of the woman pressed against her side, and tightened her arm around the witch. Madeline burrowed into her, making a smile grow on her lips. Sometimes she couldn’t believe how easily the other woman entered her heart, but that thought vanished quickly enough when her mind wandered to her previous musings.

  Tomorrow they would reach the city where she was born, where her cursed sister ruled as queen, and it scared her. She would never admit it, but she was terrified, and she wasn’t even sure what she was terrified of.

  Was it dying? Part of her was sure Elizabeth would kill her if she caught her, another still had hope her sister might be able to fight against the curse.

  She was afraid of failing and condemning her kingdom and her family name to suffer for the rest of Elizabeth’s life, and yet, there was some relief at that thought. If she failed, she could truly give up on everything and put her former life before her. It wasn’t something she liked to think about, not because the thought didn’t attract her, but because it did. She was a princess and a knight, and shouldn’t let the temptation of the easy path even enter her thoughts.

  One glance at Madeline, sleeping against her, nude, made her remember something else she feared. Absently, one of her hands started caressing the other woman’s dark hair. Could she risk the life of the woman at her side to save Liz? She loved her sister, could never forget her, but when she wondered if she should be taking Madeline to Arlean, part of her just wanted to grab the witch and run away to someplace where the two of them could live their lives in peace.

  It went against everything she supported, but…

  Amelie shook her head and tried to ignore those thoughts, tried to rid herself of these hesitations, but it wasn’t easy.

  “What’s on your mind?” Madeline’s voice was rough from sleep, but her eyes were alert, and Amelie almost lost herself in them. She leaned down and pressed her lips against her beloved’s, then pulled the woman hard against her.

  They were both nude and Madeline’s body pressed against hers, allowing her to forget about her doubts and fears and just enjoy. Their kiss deepened for a few moments, tongues being used, and then Madeline pulled back, caressing Amelie’s face at the same time, and giving her a look.

  The knight sighed and was forced to face what bothered her. “I’m afraid.” It was hard to admit, but easier with Madeline than it would have been with anyone else.

  “That’s natural.” The witch pulled her down. Amelie moaned when she felt the other woman’s breasts against her side. “We’re entering quite a risky situation, and you’ll have to face your sister. Many of the possible outcomes of that meeting aren’t to your liking.”

  Amelie shuddered. It wasn’t just the thought of failing that scared her. There were many ways in which she could fail. If they failed to lift the curse, they might be forced to kill Elizabeth, and Amelie couldn’t imagine how she would live with herself if that happened.

  Even if she could survive such a thing, she couldn’t see how she would rule her country afterwards, and she was certain the people would want her to.

  What if they did lift the curse, but the people weren’t able or ready to forgive Elizabeth for her actions while cursed? The situation wouldn’t be much better then.

  The only way she would be happy was if they lifted Elizabeth’s curse and her sister remained queen, and she in turn remained a knight, helping people hands-on. One glance at Madeline made a small smile grow in her lips. Take the witch with her and find them a home away from everything, where they could live without worries, maybe have children.

  Her thoughts must have shown in her face, because Madeline smirked, then leaned in and pressed a kiss against one of Amelie’s ribs, making her shudder. She didn’t resist the temptation and rolled atop the witch, kissing her, letting her hands wander down that delicious body.

  There were many things that could go wrong in the next days. She might lose her life or her love, her sister or her freedom, but worrying in advance wouldn’t help her in the least. The best thing to do was enjoy while she could, pay the woman at her side all the attention she deserved, show her just how much she loved her, and hope they would be there to enjoy their love years later.

  As Madeline replied to the kiss, and to the wandering hands, Amelie forgot about her future for just a little bit longer.

  Chapter 2

  She fidgeted, impatient, and Madeline grasped one of her hands, trying to make her relax. “Stay still,” The witch commanded, sharply. “We don’t have to bring any more attention to ourselves.”

  Amelie flushed a little at those words, knowing it was her fault. She was the one dressed like a knight, with a sword at her hip, but she wouldn’t leave her armor and weapons behind, even understanding the scrutiny they would bring her. She couldn’t risk it. That armor and sword had been her life since she ran away from Arlean, and she wouldn’t part from them for anything.

  And, part of her reminded her, she doubted her sister knew about her adventures as a knight. It might make it easier to get past the guards to be seen as a wandering knight, even if she was a woman. Not that the thought made it any easier to ignore the glances the guards threw at her as they waited to enter the city, but maybe they were just curious.

  Fortunately, she seemed to be right. “What is your business in the town, knight?” One of the guards asked her as they approached the gate, and she tried to smile.

  “I’m just visiting family.”

  He looked at her for a few moments, studying her, then nodded. “Then go ahead.”

  They waved them forward and Amelie released a smile, glancing at her companion, and Madeline rolled her eyes, but smiled back at her lover. Everything was going perfectly alright until then, and so obviously their fate had to change. The moment they passed through the city’s gate, a gong echoed through the area, loudly, almost deafening, and all of them winced.

  Amelie opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, trying to get rid of the sensation that sound provoked, of the pain, and she looked around. She wasn’t the only one bothered by the sound that rang out, and the guards were starting to come to themselves. And then they started turning her way.

  She swallowed. That sound mustn’t have been a good thing, she could see the guards fingering their weapons, looking at her. Madeline grabbed unto her arm, looking hesitant at the men that slowly approached. “That was an alarm spell of some kind, probably keyed to you in some way.”

  “Elizabeth.” Amelie whispered under her breath, realizing her sister had gone to great lengths to be certain she couldn’t sneak into the city.

  “Princess Amelie,” One of the guards started, hesitant, looking at her hand on her sword and then her face. “Please, let us escort you to the palace. The queen would like to have a word with you.”

  She scoffed. Elizabeth would more than have a word with her. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that to happen.” She pulled her sword out of its scabbard. They eyed her wearily, afraid of fighting against her and hurting her. She had no doubts Elizabeth wanted to deal with her herself. “Let me pass, please. I’m going to do what needs to be done, you all are aware of the curse that inhabits my sister.”

  It wasn’t a secret, not for long. Eventually, the news of what
happened to both of them had spread over the kingdom like a flame, and she was certain these guards were aware of it.

  The one in front of her closed his eyes, just for a moment, and she knew she had gotten to him, at least slightly, but then he opened his dark eyes, looked at her and shook his head. “We know perfectly well what ails our queen, but we are only humble servants. It is not in our hands to decide such a thing. Capture them, but don’t harm, the queen will want them alive.”

  Amelie released a breath.

  That was it.

  A fight was no place for indecision or fear, or any emotion. Clear thought kept you alive more often than not, and it wasn’t the fact she was surrounded, with her lover helpless at her side, that would stop her from thinking clearly. Perhaps not helpless, Amelie realized as Madeline raised her hands and fire grew from within them.

  She was really lucky she had gotten the other woman by surprise when she captured her.

  Without hesitation, she used the fear that appeared in the guards’ faces at the magic displayed by Madeline and advanced, sword held high as she attacked the first guard. His eyes widened when he saw her upon him, and only then did he react. It was too late though, and her sword impacted against his helm, forcing it into his head, the sound of steel hitting against steel echoing loudly.

  Deep down, she hoped she hadn’t killed him. A hard knock on the head could easily kill a grown man, and she hoped she didn’t have to kill anyone to escape. The guards were only doing their duty, and didn’t deserve to die over it.

  The second guard was ready for her, and he was the one that advanced, almost rushed at her really. Unfortunately for him, she had been trained by some of the best sword masters their kingdom possessed, and he wasn’t well trained. She moved to the side and parried his blow, and then tripped him, and when he fell she kicked him in the head. It didn’t put him down, but it broke his nose, and he rolled away from her, obviously pained.

  While he struggled to get to his feet, another guard took his place, and then other guards advanced as well, and Amelie realized it was helpless. They had more than enough bodies to throw at them, and sooner or later reinforcements would arrive. That spell had made itself heard quite far, she was sure.

  Fortunately, that was when Madeline acted. The men had held back from attacking the witch, weary of the fire in her hands, and gave her the time she needed to weave another spell. The guards took a step towards them and sank into the earth, slowly, but steadily, as if they were standing on quicksand. They released alarmed cries, and even Amelie paused for a moment, fearing her lover would kill the men, but Madeline was better than that.

  The witch waited until each of the guards was imprisoned to their necks, and then stopped the spell. It didn’t stop them from throwing fearful looks at the witch, aware she could easily kill them, but the woman didn’t seem bothered about it. Amelie looked at her lover and raised an eyebrow, and the other woman simply shrugged.

  She wanted to smile in joy, but there was no time. Reaching out, she grabbed Madeline’s hand and pulled her along. “Come, we’ll need to hide.”

  Thoughts ran through her head, and she bit her lip. She hadn’t expected to be forced to hide, not so quickly. They had enough money they could have set themselves up in an inn somewhere and then hope for a chance to enact their plans. She had hoped to study the security on the castle and maybe infiltrate it with Madeline’s help, catch her sister unaware and defeat her, and then do whatever was needed to break the curse.

  Now she had to run and hide, and escape the full scope of her sister’s power at the same time. The slums and the poorer parts of the capital might be the places to do such a thing, but she was almost certain those were the first ones the guards would investigate. Trying to find refuge on an inn would be a mistake, some innkeepers might try to help her, but others would easily sell her out, and she couldn’t be sure of which ones to trust.

  Deep down, she knew what she needed to do, who could help her, but she loathed to put anyone else at risk. It was bad enough that Madeline had been dragged into this, the woman at least knew how to defend herself, as she easily proved while they faced the guards.

  People gawked at them while they passed through the streets, rushing, and Amelie cursed under her breath. “Can you hide us?” She paused for a moment to take a breath and letting Madeline take a breath in turn. “Or do something to make us less noticeable?”

  The witch took a few moments to answer her. “We could simply not rush through the streets like a couple of criminals.” There was a good deal of sarcasm in her voice, and Amelie raised an eyebrow, saying more with the motion than if she had spoken. Madeline rolled her eyes. She supposed the knight was right, they were criminals, at least here. “I might try something, but I don’t know how strong your sister is, and if she’ll be able to detect my magic. I’ll try to keep it simple.”

  She spent the next minute muttering under her breath, and Amelie had to resist the urge to fidget, aware guards could find them at any time. Eventually, Madeline finished and said a louder word, releasing the spell, and Amelie felt something settle over her, almost like a very thin piece of cloth, but there was nothing to be seen. When they started to move once more, the people in the streets didn’t pay them any attention, and she turned and smiled at her lover, letting that smile die off when she noticed the pain in Madeline’s features. “Are you ok?”

  The witch tried to smile. “This isn’t the kind of magic I use normally, and it’s pretty exhausting. I should be able to keep it going for a little while longer, but we need to hurry.”

  Amelie nodded. “Then follow me.”

  She didn’t want to, but the only way she could see herself lasting long in the city was by using her contacts, her friends. As she led Madeline through the streets, her thoughts flashed back to Katherine, the woman she was leading them to. She was a noble, the daughter of a duke, and not someone that could be underestimated. Best of all, she was Amelie’s friend, and cared about Elizabeth.

  Katherine was one of the few people that had done everything she could to stop Elizabeth’s curse, one of those that helped Amelie flee the city when it became obvious how deranged her sister had become. Amelie didn’t like the thought of putting her at risk, but she knew the other woman would prefer it that way if it meant they would have a chance at healing Elizabeth.

  There was a guard outside of Katherine’s house, dressed different from the city guards, but Amelie didn’t risk bringing his attention to her. She got past him and kept moving, careful not to alert him as she opened the gate and slipped in. He almost looked at them at that, but whatever Madeline’s spell was doing stopped him from noticing the open gate for the few moments it took her to close it.

  She breathed deeply and smiled at her lover, noticed how strained she seemed, and rushed slightly ahead. The door to the home opened easily, and she grabbed Madeline’s hand and pulled her along, through the halls of the house, deeper and deeper into the building. She figured that, if she was home, Katherine would be either in her study or her room, and she tried the first one.

  Thankfully, she wasn’t wrong. She sighed when she saw the figure of her friend, poring over some documents in her desk, and then gestured for Madeline. Her lover questioned her with a glance, making sure she was certain she wanted her to drop the spell, and when Amelie nodded did as asked.

  Katherine almost jumped. “What the hell?” She gazed at the intruders and blinked when she saw Amelie’s face. “Amelie?”

  “Hey there, kitty cat.” The princess used the name she and her sister had used so many times to tease the other girl during their youths, and Katherine opened her mouth, intending to curse at her, like she had done many times before when they called her that, before she caught herself and simply shook her head.

  “What are you doing here?” Her green eyes sharpened and she moved closer to the princess. “You have it? A cure?”

  Amelie licked her lips before answering, glancing at Madeline for a moment. “Mayb
e.”

  Joy shone in Katherine’s face, making her seem more beautiful than usual. She was never considered a great beauty, not like Amelie and her sister, but she never let it bother her. Her hair was a common brown that could be seen in any country of the world, though it was pretty shiny and descended down her back in an elaborate braid. Her face was a little cheeky and, though Katherine hated it, it didn’t look that bad. A small mouth and nose didn’t exactly enhance her beauty, but her eyes were something else. Big and green, they had always made Amelie think of forests and flowers, and they were certainly Katherine’s best feature.

  Before Amelie could do anything, the other woman stepped forward and hugged her. She was surprised, then hugged back her friend. Her life hadn’t been one that led to many hugs, not since she fled from home to go on the run. Only lately had she found someone to comfort her, someone to love her and to love back, and as Katherine hugged her she couldn’t help herself and glanced at Madeline.

  The witch raised an eyebrow at them, then winked, and Amelie smiled.

  After a few moments they parted, and Katherine looked at the woman at her side. Madeline looked back, studying the brunette as she was studied. “Who’s your friend?” Both of them asked at once, before blinking at one another.

  Amelie laughed, she couldn’t help herself. It released some of the tension that had laid over her shoulders, allowed her to breathe more easily. “Madeline, this is Katherine,” She answered her lover first. “One of my childhood friends.”

  Katherine nodded at the witch, and Madeline replied in kind.

  “And this is Madeline.” Amelie grabbed her hand, caressing it softly at the same time. Katherine didn’t miss the gesture, she rarely missed anything, and her eyebrows raised high as she looked at Amelie, who flushed in turn, but didn’t try to release her lover’s hand. She breathed deeply for a few moments, hesitating before continuing, knowing it would be better to tell the truth before Katherine found it in any other way. “And she’s a witch.”