Curse Breaker: Sundered

by Melinda Kucsera

  Misriah nodded. “Now, you’re getting it.”

  “That’s why you need me. I’m the wild card. But why can’t you go against that? Is it some type of conditioning?”

  No, that didn’t seem right. everything Sovvan had heard or seen of the One True King’s handiwork was wholly good. But this just didn’t fit. What’s the difference between us?

  “No,” Misriah looked away hiding her thoughts behind her tough warrior mask. “You were transformed by black sorcery into an angel, but you started out as a human,” she said taking pity on Sovvan. “The One King gave you free will, and that hasn’t changed. You still have it.”

  “But you don’t.”

  “No, that’s why some angels rebelled in the past. Envy led to their fall from grace. Now they rule in hell while we, the faithful, serve in heaven.” Her eyes were violet stars shining in the cheerless Gray Between. “His law is love, and that love is the balance. Keeping it is not just my duty, it’s written into my blood and bones.”

  “So you’re not going to let me go.”

  “No.”

  Sovvan’s heart sank then she rallied. There’s always a loophole. I’ve gotten around this before, and I’ll find a way now. Hang on bro, and you too my dearest nephew. I’m coming—as soon as I figure out how to get past a certain angel bent on stopping me.

  Sovvan looked around for inspiration or barring that, a way out, but the Gray Between stretched on for what seemed like forever under a dense gray mist—no change there.

  “Why’s it so foggy here? I don't remember it being this pea-soupy when I passed through here earlier.” Then again, time moved strangely here if it moved at all.

  “I don’t know.” Misriah’s brow crinkled as she spun on her heel taking it all in, not that there was much to see. Her hand fell to her sheathe then she vanished.

  “Wait, Misriah! Don't just leave me here.”

  But that angel was gone. I hope she returned to my brother. His soul could use some guarding. But that left Sovvan with a problem. With her wings bound, she couldn’t travel between worlds without using the Drops of Eternity. How can I even find them in this blasted mist? I can barely see my hand in front of my face. The last time she'd used them, she'd found them purely by accident, which was the only way she'd ever found anything in this damned place.

  The fog wrapped around her as Sovvan picked a direction and set off, but it didn’t subsume her. The truce was holding for now. She dug deep seeking the link to her brother, but with his magic blocked, she had trouble finding it. Come on, I know you're still there. She felt a low-level hum coming from it letting her know he was still alive, but that was not nearly enough information to satisfy her.

  A sharp retort startled Sovvan, and she pitched forward as magic crackled around her—white-hot and well, dancing like motes caught in a sunbeam.

  “What’s happening?”

  Her hands dematerialized when Sovvan threw them out to catch herself. But there was no one around to answer her as she collapsed, and the Gray Between Life and Death melted into a spangled dark blur.

  We Need a Dirk

  Dirk struggled up a long dark slope. Voices urged him to run faster, and he tried. At the top, a light burned so bright it hurt his eyes. He must reach it. That light was everything, and he needed it to drive out the Adversary’s dark influence.

  “Come to me, and I will set you free,” said that brand burning away the darkness enshrouding him. For the Adversary had left no part of him uncorrupted by its evil.

  “Who are you?” Dirk asked as he finally summited that hill, but in his heart of hearts, he already knew the answer—the Queen of All Trees.

  “I’m a messenger from a greater Lord. He wants to set you free, but only if you want that. Do you want to be free of the darkness that confines you?”

  The answer welled up from the bottom of his soul. “Yes, oh God, yes.”

  Every moment since he’d handed that priestess that wretched stone had been one unending nightmare after another. His throat closed when he recalled the ecstatic men and women the Adversary had enthralled throwing themselves off a cliff only to vaporize in a blast of cold, clear light. That too was my fault. I was his pawn. Dirk wiped his face and was disturbed when his fingers came away wet with tears.

  “Take my branch and come into the light that redeems us all.” The Queen of All Trees extended a silver branch to him. As he stumbled toward her, she sang in a clear, strong soprano, and stars exploded in her branches lighting her crown.

  “Son of Man, love’s pure light, help me shepherd this lost soul tonight. Lord of Hosts, to you I pray, deliver this man from evil amen.”

  The Queen of All Trees repeated that refrain three times, and her bark burned brighter with every repetition until she was a cross burning in the dark. A figure coalesced within her light and shined through her. His arms were akimbo, and His legs were pressed together. He was either floating or hanging within the intense light of that cross. He raised his shining head and a sudden and all-consuming need to kiss the feet of that Man of God overtook Dirk.

  He ran into the light. But the shining man vanished before Dirk reached him, and his hand closed on the proffered branch instead of the white-glowing feet of the Son of Man.

  A wind buffeted Dirk as he fell through that silver light. Glories streamed around and through him. Burn out the dark. Make me a child of light again.

  When the light disappeared, Dirk opened his eyes and regarded, not the long dark tunnel of his mind but the night-shrouded world careening by below. He dodged the black rays searching the indigo sky for magic and wondered how he could discern them in the gloom. Below a bright spark caught his eye, and he dove for it. Her call had brought him back to himself.

  A shadow shifted in his mind. It was a piece of the Adversary. His master had left it behind to watch him and now, it was stirring, readying itself to plunge him back into that long dark tunnel, so it could take control of his body and call its master.

  Not this time. You don’t get to win. This is my mind, and I choose to embrace the light. Dirk pulled his wings in and dropped. He willed himself to be like a stone plummeting toward the ground. Yes, the impact would hurt. Maybe it would destroy him. Would that be so bad a thing after all he’d done?

  The shadow gave up its attack on his mind and instead, assailed his nervous system. It tried to hijack control of his wings and break off the dive. I won’t let you. Dirk wished there was some way to fall faster. If he could just hit the ground, it would all be over. But he didn’t, and it wasn’t. Branches rushed toward him.

  “Bind my wings. You must immobilize them. Hurry, he’s trying to retake my body. Please, don’t let him take me again.”

  Dirk was babbling but he didn’t care. With her help, he’d finally broken through the Adversary’s control, and he refused to go back under.

  “He won’t take you,” another voice said. It was gravelly and speaking directly into his mind, but something about its tone drove the shadow into hiding.

  “Who are you?”

  “You can call me ‘Bear’ since everyone else does. I don’t believe we’ve met before, but I did run into an associate of yours. A rather hefty fellow with a bit of a potbelly. I didn’t catch his name. It wasn’t that kind of meeting if you know what I mean.”

  “You mean Villar?”

  Villar was the only one of his former friends who qualified as ‘hefty.’ His next question had to wait because at that moment, he slammed into the branches straining to catch him. They rolled him up just as he’d hoped and passed him to her, the Queen of All Trees. Her light enfolded him as she took the trussed-up package her sentries presented to her. They even bent their crowns in deference to her august presence. Then she cradled him in her shining branches, and he knew all would be well.

  “I don’t deserve your help,” he said around a sob that caught in his throat.

  “Everyone deserves help,” Bear said. Apparently, he was her spokesperson. A fuzzy bear-shaped doll wi
th an over-sized head and pot-belly hopped onto the branch above Dirk’s head. It was sewn together from soft, furry scraps of this and that with two buttons for eyes and a lovingly embroidered face.

  “Some people need more help than others. Since time is rather of the essence, I’ll come to the point. You need our help, and we need yours. Together we can set things right and free you.”

  Hope rose in Dirk at every word that Bear said. Could he really help them? I hope so. Oh, God I don’t deserve such a boon. But if he could help, he would. He was already nodding. He would do anything to get permanently free of the Adversary’s machinations. In the back of his mind, he felt that shadow stirring again. It was whispering something about his friends. They must be wraiths too.

  The Adversary had made a throwaway comment about that before, but it was hard to remember what exactly that devil had said. Everything between the people dying in the pit and now was hazy and distorted like he viewed those events from underwater. She stroked his forehead gently with the smallest of her branches, and the shadow fled deeper into his mind.

  “What about my friends? I’m pretty sure he has them too. Can you call them as you called me?” He looked at the Queen of All Trees.

  Bear responded first. “Are you connected to them?”

  “How would I know if I was?”

  “Good point. I can check if you’ll permit it.”

  “Yes, please, do.”

  “Okay, hold still and think of your friends. You might feel a little weird, but I don’t think this’ll hurt much. Mind you, I’ve never done this before to a wraith, so I apologize in advance if I’m wrong about that. Still game?”

  Dirk just nodded. He didn’t care what this cost him. No price was too high, not after the damage and death his greed had inadvertently wrought.

  “I hope it does hurt. I deserve no less,” he said finally when he realized Bear was waiting for a response. He gave the stuffed animal a grim smile. “Do it before the Adversary realizes I slipped his leash.”

  “A good point, but keep in mind he’s not omnipotent or omniscient or omni-anything. Hell, he doesn’t even have access to most of his powers, but he is insanely resourceful. So, we’d better make this quick.”

  “Just do it.”

  “Think of your friends.”

  Dirk did. He pictured the wily Gore and the ragged Ragnes who couldn’t seem to get through a single day without ruining some article of clothing either his or someone else’s. Their faces rose out of the morass of memory as they were in life then darkened and twisted into nightmare versions of the men they were, distorted by the same greed the Adversary had used to get to him.

  “Gore, Ragnes,” he shouted, and their names reverberated in his mind. He repeated their names until he felt something vibrate in the back of his mind. Was that the link Bear had mentioned?

  “Gore, Ragnes, come to me, my friends. I’m so sorry about what happened. It’s my fault, but I found a way out. We can be free.” Tears ran down his face as he sent that long overdue apology out to his friends. “We can be free.”

  “Now, my Queen, I have the link. Dirk, keep talking to them. We’re getting through.”

  The Queen of All Trees inclined her crown and the branch caressing Dirk’s face glowed brighter. He imagined that light passing into and through him, down that link he could just barely feel into his friends. I hope it will have the same effect on them as it had on me.

  “You’re doing well, Dirk. Keep thinking of them.”

  Dirk felt his thoughts pulled toward Villar and Cris—the two he should have left out of this mess. Villar had a good heart, and Cris was loyal beyond reason. I’m so sorry I dragged you into this, Cris. You were trying to turn your life around and be there for your daughter. I should have left you out of it. And you too, Vill.

  More tears fell at the thought of Cris’ unborn daughter. She would never know her father thanks to him. My greed led to this. Now it was time for the better angels of his nature to lead him to salvation and his friends too.

  Dirk called to his friends with his whole heart, mind and soul. Every iota of his corrupted being he fashioned into a mirror reflecting her glory. Because only she could save them all.

  A Deadly Encounter

  “You have to hide,” Papa said. His green eyes, which didn’t glow anymore, looked scared.

  Only monsters scared Papa. Ran nibbled the sausage in his hand. But there weren’t any monsters up here. They were all downstairs with J.C. And Papa wants to go back down there to fight them.

  Ran took another bite. Fighting monsters was hungry work, and Papa looked ready to move on again. Ran shoved the rest of the sausage into his mouth and reached for another. Who knew when he’d eat again?

  Papa whispered something else, but a low growl cut him off mid-sentence as Ran’s tummy demanded more food. But Papa had a firm grip on him, preventing him from reaching that half-eaten orangey roll. It was nutty and sweet like a carrot bread should be.

  “Did you hear me?”

  Papa raked him with anxious eyes. Since he did that a lot lately, Ran nodded. He’d caught the gist—something about ‘hiding,’ and hiding happened to be one of his skills.

  “I know what to do.” Ran patted Papa on the shoulder and relief brightened his green eyes—not enough to glow though. Ran missed their radiance.

  The crystal pendant lit Papa’s face from below, casting odd shadows. They didn’t belong, but they’d remain until Papa got his magic back.

  Papa’s eyes might not glow anymore, but their hue and saturation still varied with his moods—the dominant ones anyway. And they were darkening as those footfalls grew nearer. Papa shoved Ran behind a tall, spear-toting statue with angry crystal eyes before he could grab that carrot roll.

  “Stay here.”

  “But—”

  Papa motioned for silence. That was so not fair. The cart and all its goodies were out of reach, and Ran’s tummy complained about that as Papa covered the food. It wanted the meals he’d skipped, and so did Ran.

  An idea struck Ran while he was fuming. Before he could consider its merits, Ran crawled under the cart. After all, Papa owed him several meals. He could have them while hiding.

  Ran reached up, taking care not to disturb the cloth, and felt around for something edible and portable because Papa would move on soon. He had that cornered look in his eyes that always preceded an extended period of running. If only Papa wasn’t so shy. Ran shook his head. He didn’t understand that shyness. Uncle Miren and Auntie Sovvan weren’t like that. So why was Papa?

  There were a lot of good people who lived inside the Mountain. Even Papa had admitted that a time or two. So why does he always assume everyone we meet is bad?

  Ran had just grazed something flaky with his questing fingers when Papa finally stopped whispering and raised his voice to something akin to normal-people speech. That was as close to shouting as Papa ever got, and Ran listened hard. He was determined to figure out what had spooked Papa. Because something had.

  “I don’t need a healer,” Papa said.

  What’s a healer? Ran filed that question away for later because it might be just what Papa needed.

  Something jostled the cart. Was it Papa’s invisible twin, Auntie Sovvan? He had called her, and she did tend to appear in odd places. Ran probed the cloth with his free hand and touched a rock-hard calf. It must be Papa’s. And he’d resumed whispering, but he sounded angry. Who’d made Papa mad and why?

  Ran rucked up the cloth draped over his hiding spot, and a white feather landed nearby. A spark danced across its edge, and he snatched it up for safe keeping. Auntie Sovvan might need it back. Ran tucked that sparkly feather into his pocket then tapped the back of Papa’s leg, but Papa didn’t dial up the volume. That was one of his more annoying habits. The madder Papa got, the quieter he tended to speak. That habit drove Uncle Miren crazy. Ran tapped his calf again.

  Maybe Papa hadn’t noticed his first tap. Sometimes he got carried away like right now, and h
is interlocuter was following his lead. Damn, and Papa’s legs blocked all sight of the man talking to him.

  This sucks. I don’t know who I’m hiding from or why. Because Papa hadn’t said. Ran let go of the cloth and snaked his arm up and around several dishes on the shelf above his head in search of food. He might as well eat while he waited for Papa to either speak louder or finish his conversation.

  After meeting Auntie Sovvan, Ran now understood why Papa was so soft spoken. Between his loudmouth half-brother and his outspoken twin, he’d never had any real need to speak for himself.

  Until I came along. Ran smiled at the thought remembering many, many arguments Papa had had with Mama over swim lessons and other activities she’d disproved of. He remembered that warm pool illuminated by a rainbow of lumir crystals, Papa’s strong arms holding him up while he splashed and kicked, and the thick, fuzzy blanket he’d snuggled into when Papa carried him home. We should go swimming in that pool after we defeat the monsters.

  Ran retracted his hand and sniffed the triangular item he’d fetched. It smelled like a sweet bread with berries. Before he could take a bite, the cloth flipped back to reveal a frozen tableau.

  Papa stood nearby, no surprise there. But a look of horror was frozen on his face. That couldn’t be good. Ran shrank back.

  “Is there a m-monster here?”

  “Hello, Little One.”

  “Papa didn’t tell me not to have two, and I was hungry, but there's still a few sausages left. They’re the cheese-and-spinach ones, not the tomatoey ones I like. Papa usually lets me have two because spinach is good for me. And they’re really good.”

  Ran pointed to the shelf an inch above his head, hoping the newcomer just wanted a snack. Those sausages smelled as good as they’d tasted, and there were six left—plenty for even the hungriest person. He threw in an encouraging smile and tried to stay quiet, but words kept bubbling up until he was brimming with questions. Unlike Papa, he was a talker just like his uncle and aunt.