The Warrior's Curse

by Jennifer A. Nielsen

  Indeed, the Olden Blade had become the one part of my identity that I could be proud of. It was the one thing I could do for Antora, and I had done it. I was the Infidante no longer.

  Which meant I no longer had an identity.

  Rosaleen walked up to me. “I never did thank you.”

  It was difficult to look at her, to think that after every offense I had caused her and her family, she had come to thank me. I only said, “Nothing I’ve done deserves any thanks.”

  “You set me free as an Ironheart. I never expected that.”

  “I didn’t expect you would be one of the people who came when I called for help.”

  Rosaleen smiled. “I’d heard of my brother’s interest in you, so I figured I ought to see for myself the kind of person you were.”

  “I’m sorry that was our first introduction.”

  “It wasn’t.” I glanced at her again, and Rosaleen said, “Actually our first introduction was outside All Spirits Forest. I saw what it did to you when Celia died. That’s when I began to understand you.”

  I had no idea how to answer her and felt relieved when Simon joined us. He gave Rosaleen a quick hug before she made an excuse to leave us alone. When she did, he took my hand in his. “Are you ready?”

  “I doubt I’ll ever be ready,” I replied.

  “Can you do this?”

  “I must.”

  He gave my hand a squeeze. “Yes, but can you do this?”

  I wished he would stop asking and try to understand. “Simon, I must. Let that be enough.”

  “Is it so difficult? I suppose the blade has great meaning for you, because of what you accomplished with it.”

  “If it were only that, tonight would be a simple end to an object of great evil. But I’ve been thinking about who I was when I used this. I was becoming an object of great evil myself. And the more I embraced the decay inside me, the easier it became to hold this dagger. I felt nothing for Endrick when I stabbed him, nor for Joth when I attacked him. But it’s different now, because I’m different now. When this blade is destroyed, Joth will lose every power that was once Endrick’s. This is another step in Joth’s destruction.” I looked up at Simon. “I feel it this time. How awful it is what we have to do.”

  “There is courage in facing one’s enemy,” he said. “But it takes greater courage to feel for that enemy.”

  Simon put an arm around me, and I leaned on his shoulder until we were informed that the fire was as hot as it would get. It was time to act.

  A platform had been built near the fire. Simon would speak first, explaining to everyone why this destruction was necessary. Then I would throw the blade into the fire, destroying the weapon, but also destroying all of Endrick’s magic, so that no one could ever take hold of it again.

  Simon kissed the top of my head and walked onto the platform, holding up his arms for silence. Then he began, “This ceremony marks the end of one battle, and the gateway to the second. Do not deceive yourselves—this is not over, we have not yet won. But we will, and it begins here. I wish to add …”

  Simon’s voice trailed off as he looked sharply upward at the dark skies, then gestured in front of him and said, “Everyone move away, hurry!”

  I ran to my left, and others who had been near me scattered as well, in time for Simon’s dragon to swoop down to the ground. His roar sounded like an alarm and Simon instantly took a running leap off the platform, and as the dragon prepared to launch back into the air, Simon called out, “Prepare yourselves for battle!”

  Simon had no sooner taken flight before something whistled as it fell from the dark skies above, landing somewhere on the opposite side of the fire. After three seconds of absolute silence, an explosion rattled the ground beneath us. The building where Woodcourt’s gardener had once worked came down in pieces around us, followed by pleas for help and cries for the various armies to assemble. These were the Dominion fire pellets, and in this darkness it’d be nearly impossible to defend ourselves. With the Olden Blade in hand, I ran to help the injured, but Trina reached me first.

  “Kestra, we have to get you inside.”

  “I won’t hide while everyone fights!”

  Basil appeared on the other side of me. “Joth wants the Olden Blade. If he gets it, then he retains Endrick’s powers.”

  Immediately, I nodded and began to follow them, but we changed course when another whistling sound fell not far ahead, only to explode on the count of three.

  “Run to the gates!” Trina called, but we had only taken a few steps before the gates of Woodcourt burst open and oropods flooded into the courtyard.

  Commander Reese shouted an order for his soldiers to mount their horses and try to lead the oropods away, but the beasts had already begun to attack and were blocking the gates. We were trapped inside the walls.

  Basil and Trina attempted to steer me safely toward Woodcourt, but another explosion whistled toward us, forcing us to separate. Through the smoke and dust, I couldn’t see Trina and Basil anymore, but if the fire pellets were targeting me, it was better for them if we remained separated. I redoubled my grip on the Olden Blade and ran back toward the oropods.

  I didn’t get far before I heard Harlyn call for help. She had been cornered by five oropods and was firing off disks as quickly as she could, but I saw her reach into her now-empty satchel, then look up with panicked eyes.

  Gabe began racing toward her, but in his hurry, he tripped over one fallen oropod, who reared up and snapped its teeth at him. He rolled to the ground to fight it and shouted at me to help Harlyn.

  I ran to her and wounded the two nearest oropods before the third let out a soulful cry I’d never heard before from these creatures. It wasn’t a cry of pain, but instead seemed to be a warning. The three oropods that remained turned my way, and I raised the Olden Blade. Harlyn suddenly yelled, “Kestra, above you!”

  I squatted down low, but it wasn’t fast enough and I felt a condor’s talon wrap around me, lifting me into the air. From here, I saw the mayhem below as those in the courtyard continued battling the oropods.

  I squirmed the best I could within the condor’s clutches to get into a position to breathe, but the bird only held me tighter and carried me higher, past Woodcourt’s walls and toward the palace. That was unacceptable.

  Gripping the Olden Blade tight enough to ensure I would not drop it, I struck its leg. It cried out, widened the talon, and with a scream, I fell into the night.

  The last time I had fallen from this distance, it had almost killed me. But that was when I was nearly immortal.

  I had been pushing Rawk toward Woodcourt to defend our walls, but without warning, Rawk turned us away and aimed sharply down. I didn’t know why he’d changed course, but I trusted him by now, and almost instantly, I understood. Kestra was just ahead, struggling within the talons of a giant condor.

  Rawk angled more directly toward her, but another two condors had already targeted us. Rawk attacked the nearest bird with a flame that blew back toward me. Instinctively, I raised my right forearm, which dispelled the worst of the heat around me.

  The second condor rounded on us and this time it crashed into Rawk’s side, sending us veering sharply to the right. My body slid sideways, but I held to the curve of one wing until Rawk straightened out.

  I withdrew my sword, then crouched low on Rawk’s back, outstretching my right arm to keep my balance. This time when the condor came close, I swung hard, clipping the condor’s wing. It screeched but continued forward, careening into us. The force of the impact threw me off balance, but Rawk compensated for me in the tilt of his body. When I looked up, I saw the tail of the condor as it flew away to nurse its wound. But this was not over.

  From farther away now, Kestra screamed and began falling through the air. Rawk raced toward her so fast that even with the balance from my arm, I had to hold on or I would have fallen too.

  He veered downward, timing his approach perfectly so that Kestra fell directly above us. I reache
d up and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her safely toward me. Her eyes widened as she realized where she was; then her attention shifted to the fire we had set before the attack.

  From my thoughts to Rawk’s actions, we angled toward the fire. The worst of its heat had begun to fade.

  “It won’t be enough,” Kestra said. “Not for the Olden Blade.”

  In response, Rawk flew lower, searing the ground with flames that destroyed every oropod in his path. Once we reached the fire, his breath grew hotter, and the dwindling fire roared to life.

  “Now!” I knew Kestra had heard me, but when she did not act, I said again, “Kestra, drop the blade!”

  “I can’t do it,” she called.

  Alarmed, I ordered Rawk to circle around once more. As he made the arc, I asked her, “What’s wrong?”

  Her breaths were coming heavier, and she stared down at the blade in her hand. “All the magic in that blade, there’s great power in my hand.”

  I tilted my head. “It’s corrupted magic. If you take it up—”

  “Every bit of magic within this blade came from someone Endrick killed. This magic is their legacy. If I destroy the blade, nothing of them remains.”

  By then, we had finished the arc and the fire was beneath us again. “If you don’t destroy the blade, Joth will get it, and he will have Endrick’s powers forever.”

  “I know. I just …” Tears welled in her eyes. “When I do this, I really will be the last of my people.”

  She dropped the sword, which fell blade-first toward the earth. I breathed again only when it disappeared into the smoke, but my relief had come too soon. A condor swooped up through the thick gray smoke with the blade in its talon. With a caw at the others, it flew away, headed directly to the palace.

  In concert with my thoughts, Rawk began to follow the condor, but Kestra grabbed my arm, drawing my attention to Gabe, who was caught up in the claw of a condor, as she had been.

  “We have to get the Olden Blade!” I said to her. “If Joth gets it, we’re all dead!”

  “That’s your friend over there!”

  I looked over at Gabe, struggling the best he could, but losing the fight. Then I said to Kestra, “Rawk is barely managing the two of us. He can’t take three.”

  “I know.” She nodded, almost to herself. Whatever she was planning, it made me nervous. Especially when she added, “Get us closer and we’ll figure out some way to help.”

  I ordered Rawk in that direction. My plan was to force the condor closer to the ground, but I still didn’t know how to make it release Gabe without seriously injuring or burning him.

  While I attempted to get Rawk at a better angle, Kestra suddenly crouched on Rawk’s back.

  “No!” I reached for her, but before I could, she lunged toward the condor. She seemed to have been aiming for its body but instead grabbed on to its leg, with Gabe in the talons below.

  With the sudden added weight, the condor’s flight became erratic. It must have been gripping Gabe tighter than before, for Gabe was shouting out and trying to force the talons apart. Kestra was working her way down the condor’s leg, obviously to pry Gabe loose, but with the condor tilting so wildly, she was having trouble.

  Finally, the condor crashed into a copse of trees. I heard the crack of heavy branches and their thuds as they fell to the earth, then one louder thump that must have been the condor itself.

  “Let us down!” I ordered Rawk. Exhausted, Rawk’s landing was nearly a crash as well. I jumped off his back, then raced into the trees. It wasn’t only me. Basil had also seen what was happening and had entered the copse with a few of his soldiers.

  I saw the felled bird from a distance, and a large branch that had fallen on top of it, likely what had killed the condor. But my horror grew for what might have happened to Kestra and Gabe.

  The condor’s wing was stretched out, and beneath it I saw the hem of Kestra’s cloak and Gabe’s boot. Basil knelt and lifted the wing, then frowned at me, far too solemn.

  Cautiously, I stepped around the bird, holding my breath for what I might find. There in the snow was Kestra with her arms wrapped protectively around Gabe.

  I barely dared to ask Basil, “Are they—”

  Gabe moved first, and his movement brought signs of life from Kestra, though her eyes were slower to open. Once they did, she released Gabe, and her eyes darted about as if embarrassed.

  Gabe only smiled. “I knew we needed to become closer friends, but this goes too far, Kestra. Simon is watching.”

  Her smile at him was forced, and when I helped her to her feet, without looking directly at me, she said, “Rawk is injured. Tend to him. I’m all right.”

  Something was bothering Kestra, but she didn’t appear to be in any danger, so I ran back to Rawk and found him licking one wing. I inspected it and saw what appeared to be a break in the bone.

  “We can fix this,” I said. “But you’ll have to be nicer to our healer.”

  Harlyn ran to me, having seen what had happened. “I’ll get Rawk to Woodcourt. He knows me. Maybe Loelle can help him.”

  I nodded and patted Rawk’s neck affectionately before Harlyn began leading him away.

  When I found Kestra again in the trees, she was on her knees in the snow, one hand over her mouth and head slumped downward.

  “We failed,” she said. “No, I failed. I should have dropped the blade when I had the chance.”

  “Then the condor would have grabbed it a second or two earlier, that’s all.”

  She shook her head. “I could sense the echoes of all those people Endrick killed for their powers. Destroying the sword would be their final destruction.” Now she looked up at me. “But how many more people will die to retrieve the Olden Blade?”

  That worried me too. So far, Joth hadn’t seemed to explore most of Lord Endrick’s powers. But he must have begun to access them, for he understood the importance of preserving the Olden Blade. And now that he had it, he would explore his powers further. We were all in terrible trouble.

  She took my hands in hers. “We must end this fighting, Simon. No more death, no more destruction.”

  “Then let’s end it. You’ve had a plan all the way along. Please tell me you have a plan now.”

  Kestra sighed, then said, “I do. But no one is going to like it.”

  Another meeting was held that night, this time in the Woodcourt ballroom. Nearly everyone within the Alliance who was still on their feet attended. Even Loelle came this time, though she stood in the back, clearly uncomfortable and no doubt keenly aware that the conversation was entirely focused on our single goal: removing her son from the Scarlet Throne at all costs.

  Every leader stood to account for their group’s condition and needs. Thus far, the Brill had fared the worst, and my cavalry had the fewest losses, though we still had too many names listed among the dead. While most of them had been caused by the half-lives, there were also reports of Dallisors attacking Alliance soldiers from behind. I couldn’t understand that. If anything, Joth would be even crueler to former Dominion members, to those who had helped trap the Navan in the forest before they were cursed. But they had chosen sides again and would have to pay the price for it.

  Once all our leaders had spoken, it was my turn. I stood before the group, feeling all eyes on me. Kestra came to my side, and I took her hand in mine.

  “We have had far too many losses,” I said. “But we cannot think of them as Reddengrad losses or Corack losses. Every fallen soldier is a loss to the Alliance, to all of us who remain. You and I, we are the Brill, we are Reddengrad and the Coracks, we are the Halderians, and”—I lifted Kestra’s arm in the air—“every one of us is the Infidante! We fight as one people, with one mind and one goal. Though it may seem like victory is far from our reach, if we stop now, we may never get this chance again. Every moment we wait is the chance for Joth to entrench in Endrick’s powers. We must attack tonight, while Joth sits on the throne. His defense is thin, only a small band of half
-lives and a few Dominion cowards on his side. We will attack, and we will win!”

  A cheer thundered through the room, though when it fell silent, a Brillian near the front frowned at me. “It’s a good speech, but how is this to be done?” He waited for an answer, and when I did not provide it, he pointed to Kestra. “At least when she had magic, she could restore those half-lives so that we could fight them, one mortal to another.”

  “We all know she still has magic,” a man next to him said. “There is no way to rid a person of magic!”

  Kestra sighed, then reached into her satchel and withdrew the black disk blade. “This disk will do to Joth Tarquin what the Olden Blade did to Endrick. But it requires an Infidante to use it. The purpose of this meeting is to identify the new Infidante.”

  “That must be you,” Trina said. “If it’s like the Olden Blade, then only the Infidante can touch it, just as you are touching the disk right now.”

  I hadn’t considered that. I walked over to Kestra and held out my hand for the disk. Kestra offered it to me, but I hadn’t yet wrapped my fingers around it before I felt the heat coming from it, hot enough that I knew it would burn me if I attempted to touch it.

  I pulled my hand away and frowned at Kestra. “Trina is right. You are still the Infidante.”

  Kestra shook her head. “No, it can’t be me.” Her eyes widened. “It’s not me, Simon. I completed my task.”

  Trina stepped forward to test her hand against the blade and withdrew it as fast as I had done. She said to Kestra, “Not so long ago, the only thing I wanted was to be the Infidante. How foolish that was. I understand better now what it means to carry such a burden. I’m sorry, Kestra. I know you don’t want this.”

  Kestra looked over at me with tears welling in her eyes. “I can’t do it. I can’t go through that again.”

  “We made mistakes before,” I said. “We fought magic with magic, corruption with corruption. But we know how to fight Joth now, as we are.” Then louder, to be certain everyone heard me, I added, “We were a divided people, and no one was truly on the side of the Infidante. But that will not happen this time. So listen carefully. When we attack, it will be with one purpose only, and that is to remove Joth Tarquin from the Scarlet Throne. There will be one strategy alone, and that is to follow the lead of the Infidante. You will accept these conditions without contest or you will withdraw now. There is no other way for us to succeed. As king of the Halderians and leader of the Alliance, these are my orders.”