Cursed by Death

by Basia Pike

  A howl rang out. One witch seemed to be crushing Dakota with her magic, then blood sprayed everywhere as Jamie ripped her head off. Dakota howled in agony.

  Jamie licked Dakota’s face and whimpered as Dakota returned to her human form. She was crumpled naked on the floor, bruises already covering her body. Regina cackled as she struck Jamie with a huge flash of green light, knocking him across the room and into a wall.

  “Stay back against the door. It seems I’m immune to their powers.” The other witch helped to attack Jamie, who was growling at them. I drew my sword and launched myself towards the other witch.

  She turned her attention to me and drew an archaic looking dagger out of her cloak. She seemed irritated that her powers had no effect on me. I proceeded with caution, knowing it was possible the dagger was laced with poison.

  I swung my sword toward her. She blocked the swing with her dagger, but as she couldn’t hold my force, her dagger slipped down and the sword sliced her face.

  She jumped backwards. Anger burned in her eyes, and she launched forward in a flurry of attacks. I jumped back quickly but she nicked my chest, cutting my shirt and drawing blood. I evaded each strike, until I saw an opening and brought my sword up, blocking her, and she impaled herself on the blade.

  I glanced at Regina. The look on her face was pure shock. The witch who had cast the spell to lock us in lay bloodied on the floor. I pulled my sword from her body as the rest of the team rushed out of the door.

  Regina was glowing with anger as she prepared to flee. However, her face lit up as she looked over to her left.

  I followed her gaze to see Mary wielding her stun gun and pointing it towards her. Mary had gotten close to Regina, closer than the rest of the team had managed. She pressed the trigger, but the witch deflected it with no trouble.

  The witch’s eyes connected with mine, pure evil burning in them. I knew what she was about to do.

  “Occidere,” she said, the dreaded words leaving her lips, red light streaming out of her hand toward Mary. I tried to throw myself in the way of the spell as a shield.

  But I fell short.

  23

  The stream of light hit Mary in the chest and a look of horror filled her eyes as her gun left her hands and fell to the floor. Her face imprinted in my mind. She crumpled to the floor in a heap. The witch’s eyes lit with amusement and she gave me a wave before disappearing into thin air.

  “Mary, stay with me! You’ll be okay,” I said, turning her over. I knew it wasn’t true. She was dead. It was the first time I’d ever heard a witch utter the killing curse before.

  A deep feeling of guilt overwhelmed me. If only I’d packed my father’s ring and brought it with me I could have stopped her. I would have revealed the truth to my team, but Mary would be alive. It felt like I could never do the right thing. People died because of my mistakes. It was as though I was cursed. Death seemed to follow me wherever I was.

  I saw the witch’s expression in my mind. She was happy about it. My eyes stung as the realization of what had happened hit me. I looked over to Jamie, who had returned to human form and was kneeling over Dakota.

  “Elijah, I’ll need help to move Dakota. Her ribs are shattered.”

  “Where did everyone else go? We need help,” I said through my tears.

  Tom appeared at the doorway only a moment later. “Where did the witch go?” Tom asked.

  “Tom! Help Jamie carry Dakota out of here,” I said, picking up Mary’s lifeless body.

  “What happened to Mary?” he asked, walking towards me.

  “She’s dead, but I’m not leaving her here. Now help Jamie. We need to get out of here.” Tom fell to his knees tears welling in his eyes.

  “Tom. We need get out of her quick.” He glanced between Mary and Dakota before standing and helping Jamie lift Dakota’s crumpled body. She screamed in pain.

  “I don’t know how she will cope with being carried. We need a horse and cart to get her back to the inn,” Jamie said.

  “We still have to get out of here. Let’s at least carry her outside and see if we can find one,” I suggested.

  Jamie nodded, and they carried Dakota screaming in pain out the front door. The stables were a distance away out one side of the castle. I placed Mary’s body gently on the ground and ran toward them, flinging the doors open.

  There were lots of horses, but I couldn’t see a cart. Then an ancient and rickety thing caught my eye. It would do the job. It was the best option we had.

  I pulled it with all my force out of the corner it was pushed into and then got one horse out of the stables. I had no idea how to connect it to the horse. I ran towards the door.

  “Tom, there’s a cart, but I’ve no idea how to set it up!”

  “Come and hold Dakota!” he shouted back. I ran back and took Tom’s side, supporting her the best I could as she whimpered in pain.

  “Be quick,” Jamie said. Tom rushed off towards the stable. It was less than a minute until Tom appeared leading the horse. In the meantime, Jamie had wrapped Dakota in blankets.

  “Take my blanket and place it down on the base of the cart.”

  Tom looked hesitant as he knew Jamie was naked, but did as he was told. He then undid his pants. He was wearing old-fashioned undergarments. Once me and Jamie had gently placed her down in the cart, Tom passed his trousers to him.

  “Thanks.” Jamie grabbed them, pulled them on, and jumped onto the front of the cart. I lifted Mary and placed her inside, away from Dakota, and then jumped on.

  “Where’s everyone else?” I asked, looking at Tom.

  “I told them to get back to the inn and wait for us there.”

  “What the hell happened to Mary?” he asked.

  “The witch hit her with a killing curse.”

  Tom’s eyes were filled with tears. “You were worried all along that she wasn’t fit for our group, and you were right,” Tom said, his voice cracking.

  “Andre insisted she was. She was so brave and had gotten closer than anyone to the witch, but it was no use. They were too powerful.” I clenched my jaw as I thought back to the moment I was too late to intercept the spell. If I’d had my magic, I could have saved her.

  “How do you know she used a killing curse?” Tom asked. My body froze at the question. I realized I couldn’t possibly know that. The best option I had was to play dumb.

  “Well, she’s dead, isn’t she?” I said.

  Tom sniffed as a tear rolled down his face. “What about Dakota? Is she going to be okay?” he asked, turning to Jamie, who was driving the cart. I glanced back at her. She was looked feverish, and was in and out of consciousness.

  “She’ll be alright. We heal quicker than humans, but she needs medication and rest.” It was something I’d worried about. We couldn’t leave her now we knew the Kugarar was after her, but she wouldn’t be able to travel until she healed.

  “I think we’ll have to head back to Undir Trenu,” I said.

  Tom’s brow furrowed. “What about Dakota?”

  I glanced at Jamie. “She’ll have to come with us.”

  “There’s no way she’s going without me,” Jamie said, his grip tightening on the horse’s reins.

  I knew there was no use arguing with him. “You can come with us, but we need to work out who those witches were and why they were keeping Dakota there.”

  “They’re the witches of Canterbury castle. They’re known to be brutal and ruthless, but I never knew they had anything to do with the Kugarar.”

  Witches had, in general, protected humans. If any supernatural beings were involved with the Kugarar, I had expected it to be vampires.

  Jamie seemed to be thinking as his brow furrowed. “Is there any reason they would want the Creaturae?”

  I shrugged. “Who knows? No one really knows what this Creaturae can do.”

  “If we can travel in time, why don’t we go back to the time it was created?” Tom asked. “We can’t.” I had wished it were possible ever since And
re told me of our mammoth task. “It was created the same time the human race was created. Therefore it’s before our time. There’s no history to travel. I asked Andre that exact question.”

  Tom’s shoulders slumped. “Dakota said she knows nothing about it. Do you think she’s the only reason the Kugarar are here?”

  Jamie ran a hand through his hair. “Don’t believe everything she said. If she knew something, do you think she would tell a stranger?”

  We fell into silence as I glanced back towards Dakota, who was still whimpering. I turned to Jamie. “How long will it take her to heal?”

  “At least two days.”

  Looking at her now, I couldn’t believe it would be that fast.

  “What about the witch?” Tom asked.

  “We will be safe at Wolfrik Castle. They can’t come onto our territory.”

  “Do ya think they’ll care after ya came onto theirs?” Tom asked.

  Jamie said nothing and focused on the path ahead. We got back to the inn quickly, the rest of the group weren’t there. They would have taken a cross-country route rather than the roads, but something felt off.

  “Elijah, we don’t have time to wait here. The cart won’t be as quick as horses,” Jamie said.

  “You and Tom go on ahead. I’ll wait for everyone else.”

  Jamie nodded. I jumped down off the cart and headed into the inn. There was no sign of the team or the elderly lady. I turned back around to leave and almost leapt out of my skin, as the lady stood behind me, arms crossed.

  “You scared me,” I said.

  She had an evil look in her eye. “Where have you been?”

  “Excuse me…” She didn’t budge and stood there with her arms crossed. “Is there something I can help you with?” I asked.

  “I can’t let you leave.”

  I stepped to one side, trying to pass her, but she moved in front of me. “I don’t want to hurt you,” I said.

  She laughed. “You can’t hurt me.”

  I grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her out the way, walking towards the door of the inn. She followed me, chanting something.

  I ran out of the door to hear shouting coming from the forest. I sprinted towards the commotion. Flashes of green and blue light were illuminating the forest.

  Oh God, this isn’t good! I can’t lose anyone else today.

  The forest opened and the rest of the Verndarar were standing to one side. Witches’ cackles could be heard a short distance away.

  “Guys, we’ve got to get out of here. We don’t stand a chance against the witches without Jamie and Dakota.” Casey had a huge gash in her arm, blood running everywhere.

  “Casey, what happened?” I asked.

  She turned. “The witches … we’ve been trying to get away. It’s no use.”

  “How are we going to escape?” Deon asked.

  “I’ll hold them off. They can’t hurt me. The rest of you head for the stables and get your horses. Ride as hard as you can back to Wolfrik Castle. I’ll be close behind you.”

  I drew my sword. Luciana and Julius exchanged concerned glances. “Now!” I ordered, and they ran towards the inn.

  It wasn’t a moment too soon. Isobel, Regina, and another six witches advanced into the clearing.

  “Where’s the rest of your sorry little group?” Regina asked, a vindictive smirk on her face. I glared at her and said nothing.

  “I suppose you think because you are immune to our powers we can not hurt you?” Isobel asked.

  I remained calm, my sword readied.

  The witch at the front clicked her fingers. The ground began to tremble, and the sound of something unbelievably large pushing through the trees followed.

  What the hell? I had no idea what to expect.

  The witches’ eyes were glinting with malice. A creature appeared in between two trees. A dragon, at least twenty feet tall and covered in beautiful gleaming red scales, it’s teeth protruded from its mouth like swords and it’s claws were double the length.

  I had no power against a dragon, so I did the only thing I could. I sprinted back toward the inn.

  “Polzren, kill,” Isobel ordered. The ground shook behind me; I heard the dragon growl. I could feel a searing heat as everything behind me caught on fire and scorched my back.

  I cried out in pain but didn’t slow down. Thankfully, at the stables there was no sign of the rest of the group or their horses. The ground trembled underfoot as the dragon neared.

  I jumped on my horse quicker than ever before and spurred him into a gallop as the dragon broke out of the forest and set the closest trees on fire, and the inn.

  I’d never ridden so hard in my life. My heart was pounding in my ears in time with my horse’s hooves thumping the ground. I heard something like wings and glanced behind me. The dragon was readying himself to fly.

  I watched in awe as the dragon launched into the sky. I steered my horse off the road and rode alongside it under the cover of the trees. I could hear the dragon swooping and soaring above, seeking me.

  There was a clearing in the trees ahead. I pulled the horse to an abrupt stop. I was stuck. If I rode through the clearing, there was no doubt he’d see me.

  I heard the beating of its wings overhead, and then a loud roar. The dragon set an area of the forest alight behind me, just missing where I was.

  If I waited any longer I would be burnt alive. I lightly coaxed my horse, but the fire and flames were spooking him, and suddenly he bolted, straight through the clearing. As expected, the dragon saw us and released a volley of fire our way.

  The horse cried out and reared up as the flames engulfed his tail. I was thrown off onto the ground. Luckily the dragon’s last breath had finished otherwise I would have been incinerated. My entire body was in agony as I pulled myself up and sprinted.

  My horse had bolted and left me for dead. I sprinted through the trees, trying to keep under cover as more and more areas of the forest were set alight.

  The sound of a horse neighing up ahead made me freeze. I heard the dragon almost laugh as another stream of fire fell into the forest ahead. I caught a glimpse of my brown horse through the trees suddenly lit up in flames. He cried in fear.

  I ran as quickly as I could, taking a winding path through the densest trees, avoiding the flames. It was getting increasingly difficult to find my way through.

  “There’s no use running,” said a booming voice above me. Could dragons speak? I didn’t even know they existed. Suddenly my only path forward was set alight. I glanced back at the one path remaining. The smoke around me made it difficult to breathe. The first light of day was beginning to creep over the trees, and I heard the dragon growl in frustration.

  To my relief, the beating of his wings grew distant. But I still couldn’t see a way out of the forest. I was surrounded by burning trees; the fire was spreading. I coughed, feeling the smoke fill my lungs.

  My eyes began to water from the smoke. I could feel the heat on my skin and the sweat dripping down my back. Everything blurred as I tried to keep myself standing.

  24

  I bolted upright. Where am I? I glanced around a lavishly-decorated room. The last thing I could remember was being trapped in the forest, surrounded by fire.

  “Oh good, you’re awake,” Jamie said. I hadn’t even noticed him sitting on the sofa.

  “W-what happened?” I asked, bewildered that I was safely back at Wolfrik Castle.

  “When the rest of the group caught up with me and you weren’t there, I realized something was wrong. I headed back to help. I found you unconscious, surrounded by fire. What caused the fire?” he asked.

  “A dragon.” I wasn’t sure whether he would think I was crazy.

  Jamie’s eyes widened. “The dragons are all dead!”

  I clenched my fists. What does he think, I’m making it up?

  “I saw it with my own eyes. They sent it after me because I’m immune to their powers.”

  He shook his head. “That seems un
likely.”

  The door clicked open and his mother, who obviously had been listening, approached us, placing a skinny hand on her son’s shoulder. “A dragon you say?” She had an inquisitive look in her eyes.

  “Yes, they sent it after me. I tried to evade it, hiding in the forest, but it decided to set the entire forest on fire.”

  “This is a bad omen. Those witches you angered are evil, but witches stick together. Bleddyn sent us word to say they have declared war on our pack,” she said.

  “We were rescuing one of our own from their capture!” Jamie exclaimed. “How can they class that as an attack?”

  That wasn’t strictly true. We’d broken into their home and coaxed Dakota away from them…

  “The rest of the pack is on the way here. We are stronger if we stick together,” she said.

  Jamie paced up and down the room, his muscles flexing as he swung his arms across his body. He looked like he was psyching himself up for a battle.

  “Is there anything we can do?” I asked.

  Jamie paused a moment; a conflicted look flashed across his face. Without saying a word he walked on.

  “It’s too late. We will fight until we can come to a resolution,” Mrs. Wolfrik said, who was giving her son a disapproving look.

  Jamie continued pacing up and down like a madman.

  “Does this mean the witches are supporters of the Kugarar?” I asked.

  “I can’t say why they were after Dakota or the Creaturae. The Kugarar go against what most witches value,” she said, digging into her pocket for something. She pulled out an ancient pocketbook and passed it to me.

  “Please keep this. It will help you understand more about our time.”

  I took the book, which had a cracked leather cover and elaborate golden words in Latin on the front, and placed the book in my pocket. “The witches we came across won’t see reason, but others might. They will see reason if we can just ex—”

  “Possibly, but at the moment tensions are high. No one is interested in talking this out,” Mrs. Wolfrik said. She placed a gentle grip on my shoulder.