No one can help me. I am alone.
“Adela?” A voice broke through her dark musings.
She looked up to see the last person she would ever expect. Damian. He ran to her side, concern written on his features.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She raised a tear-stained face. “No.” Her voice trembled as she struggled to stop new tears.
“What happened?”
“I—I can’t tell you,” she said. Marek’s threats were too easy to remember.
Damian searched her face for any kind of answer. Maksym ran to his side and pressed up against his leg. He reached down to calm the rabbit. Adela wiped her face and her wide sleeve slid up her arm, exposing the burn from the witch.
“You’re hurt!” Damian exclaimed and gently folded her sleeve back. “This is a hand mark. Adela, you have to tell me what happened to you.”
He took her hand, his touch calming her a little.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “You’d be in danger.”
“I can take care of myself.” He said the words lightly, but none of the seriousness left his expression.
She looked at him kneeling by her and the story poured out of her. As Adela finished, his grip tightened on her hand.
“I’ll kill Marek myself!” he gritted. “He has to pay for this.”
“Damian, you know faeries can’t kill humans. It’s forbidden. You know the story about Bazyl’s dark end,” Adela said, shakily wiping her eyes again.
“But Marek is making you kill that count!”
“I know.” Adela showed him the bracelet. “This is how. I tried to get it off, but I couldn’t.”
Damian tugged and twisted at the band, trying to free her wrist. The bracelet didn’t break for him either. He sat beside her with a frustrated sound.
Adela added quietly, “I can feel him, as if he’s lurking in a corner of my mind like a snake, and there’s no way to get him out.”
“Can he hear what we’re saying?” Damian asked, suddenly alarmed.
“I don’t think so. Earlier when—when he gave me the order, I could hear him speak in my mind. I’m trying to block him now, but I don’t know if it’s working. I think it is.”
“We’ll figure something out.” He rested a hand on her arm. A fluttering of warmth spread under his touch and she jerked her attention back to his words.
“We?”
“I’m not abandoning you to this fate. I’ll help you any way I can.”
“He said if he found out anyone helped me, he’d kill them. I can’t let that happen!” Adela tried to jerk away.
“Adela.” He reclaimed her hand. “You’re right. We can’t risk anyone else’s safety. And if the king were to find out, there could be war. But don’t think that one threat will prevent me from helping you.”
“Thank you.” She managed a trembling smile of relief.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Damian still holding her hand.
“Do you think I’ll become like the Nameless Ones?” she asked quietly.
“No,” Damian said with certainty. “Those faeries committed evil acts. They let the evil take root and consume them of their own will. You’re being forced to do this horrible task. You don’t have that evil in you.”
“How do you know that? You don’t even know me that well.” Adela shook her head.
“I wish I knew you better.”
“What do you mean?” Her heart fluttered as she glanced up into his hazel eyes, half afraid to make sense of his words.
“Truthfully, I’ve been trying to get my nerve up to talk to you for a long time,” Damian confessed, ducking his head. A faint red touched the tips of his brown wings.
“Me?”
“Even though we didn’t officially meet until the night of the feast, I’ve seen you a few times before. You were always smiling and laughing, and Lidia constantly talks about you. Then one day I heard you singing on that abandoned terrace. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard,” he said. This time Adela blushed. “But every time I went to tell you, I’d get terribly tongue-tied.”
“You don’t seem to have this problem with anyone else.” Adela managed a light teasing smile.
“They’re not you, are they?”
Her smile grew. “Well, thank you for the compliment.”
He smiled back, and Adela felt a spark of life return to her.
“So what will we do?” she asked, wiping away the last traces of her tears. “The curse will force me to go to Count Stefan’s castle tomorrow, and I can’t fight it. You can’t come with me or else the witch would find out. She and Marek would kill us both and try to destroy the mountain.”
“But if you go, then what do you do, Adela?” he asked, frustration edging back into his voice. “You’ll still have to kill a human.”
“I don’t know! But if I try and disobey, Marek will find me and…”
He squeezed her hand. “I know. All right. Go, but fight the curse as long as you can. Try and make Marek delay giving you the order. Maybe I can find some way to stop him.”
Adela nodded. “How would I know if you found something? What if I need help?” She fought to still the questions she knew neither had the answer to.
Damian thought for a moment. “What if we did the same thing as Marek?”
“What do you mean?” Adela swallowed hard.
Damian released her hand and picked several long blades of grass. He gave a magical command. The grass blades wove together, circling into a bracelet.
“If we each have a bracelet, you’ll be able to see me and tell me if you’re in trouble, and I’ll know where you are at all times.”
Adela looked at the bracelet of grass Damian now held, pressing a hand against her lips. Another magical bond.
“Only if you want to,” he told her.
She studied him again from the corner of her eye. He’d selflessly offered his help, even after learning the consequences. I can trust him.
Adela nodded, and he made another bracelet. Damian held them together and spoke a merry sounding spell over them. Adela’s heart lifted as she heard the words of good magic.
He handed the bracelets to her.
“I made the bracelet so that you can remove it at any time. You are not bound by this,” he said.
He understood. Adela smiled gratefully at him. She took a bracelet from him and slid it over his wrist, using her magic to hide it from sight. She did the same with her bracelet. A comforting presence surfaced on the edge of her consciousness.
“I should get back home,” she said. “Estera will be worrying about me.”
Damian stood and helped her to her feet. “I’ll go with you.”
She shyly accepted his company and they walked back to the mountain. They paused just outside the entrance.
“Meet me tomorrow morning in the same clearing, and I’ll go with you as far as Count Stefan’s lands,” he said.
“Thank you.”
****
Adela sank onto her bed, resting her head against her hands. Even with Damian’s reassurances, she still felt alone. She had no idea how she was going to explain her sudden departure to anyone.
Estera surprised Adela in her room before dinner.
“Where have you been all afternoon? I was beginning to worry.”
“I have to leave tomorrow,” Adela blurted out.
She tugged the sleeve of her dress over the burn on her forearm, hoping Estera hadn’t noticed. The vicious red had faded since she fled Marek’s castle, but the imprint still remained.
“Why?” Estera frowned.
“Well—there’s a Count whose lands are stricken with famine. The king and queen chose me from among the plant tenders. They think I can help.”
Adela forced a smile through the lies.
“That sounds important, and—why, darling, you’re crying!” Estera exclaimed.
Adela wiped her eyes. “I know. It’s silly. I’m just going to miss you, that’s all.
”
Estera gathered her into a hug. “I’ll miss you too, but I know you’re perfect for the task.”
Adela felt Marek’s smile. “That’s what I said.” His voice invaded her mind, startling her. She tried to block him out again.
“I have something for you before you go,” Estera said. She went into her adjacent room, and Adela could hear her rustling about. A few minutes later she came back in, holding an object in her hand.
“Here.” She handed Adela a copper ring. “Your father made it. It will help to shield you from any unfriendly eyes. It might be difficult to constantly keep your true form hidden among the mortals, so use this instead.”
Adela stifled a sudden laugh. Estera had given her exactly what she needed to safeguard against Marek’s vigilance. He certainly qualified as unfriendly. She slipped the ring on her finger. Marek’s bond faded. She couldn’t use it all the time, or he would suspect that she was trying to escape the spell. He would send Malvina after her and she would be completely under their power. Damian would not be able to help her. But the ring would be perfect for moments when she didn’t want Marek eavesdropping on her.
“Thank you!” She hugged Estera again.
“Do you need help packing? How long will you be gone?” Estera asked.
“No, and I don’t know,” Adela answered truthfully, removing the ring.
“Well, you’d best get busy. I’ll go fetch you some dinner.” Estera bustled out and Adela sat on the edge of her bed, willing herself to remain composed.
An hour later, in the privacy of a small garden, she told Lidia the same lie.
“Congratulations!” Lidia flew a few feet in the air in excitement. “You’ll be marvelous for the task!”
Adela forced a smile. “I hope so.”
Lidia hugged her. “I’ll miss you. As soon as you get back I want to hear about all the wonderful things you did to help those people.”
“I’ll miss you too,” Adela said. “Sorry to be leaving you alone with Rafael like this.” She actually managed a laugh.
Lidia smiled, knowing full well that Adela saw through her façade of distaste for Rafael. “I’ll manage somehow. Good luck.”
Adela thanked her. She returned to her room to spend a sleepless night dreading the next morning and the days to come.
Chapter 4
Adela left the mountain early the next morning, well before its inhabitants began to stir. She flew to the clearing to meet Damian. It might be her last opportunity to use her wings before hiding them to walk among the humans. She landed and breathed deeply of the clean morning air. A bird began its song in the branches of a nearby tree, and a badger trundled by in the undergrowth.
A few minutes later, she sensed the magic of another faery approaching. She slid the copper ring on her finger. Damian entered the clearing. A red squirrel sat on his shoulder cracking a nut and putting the shell flakes in Damian’s hair. Adela laughed as she helped him brush them out. The squirrel’s nose twitched as he took in her scent. He solemnly offered her the nut.
“Thank you.” She chuckled as he placed the nut in her palm.
Damian laughed, taking another nut out of the pocket of his tunic and giving it to the squirrel. Then his expression sobered.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded, and he offered to take her bag. They slowly set off through the forest.
Damian broke their silence. “Did you tell anyone else?”
“No. I said that the king and queen sent me to help with a famine,” Adela said. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
“What happens if they find out?”
“I don’t know,” Adela admitted. “I don’t even know what I’m going to do once I get there. I can’t kill this count.”
“Take as long as possible. We’ll figure something out,” Damian said.
Adela tried to let that reassure her for the moment. She turned the conversation to him. “I didn’t know you had a pet squirrel.”
“Yes, his name is Annoying.” Damian smirked. “He was lost in a blizzard one winter, so I took care of him, and he never left. I’m stuck with him now.” The squirrel tapped his shoulder. Damian handed it another nut.
Adela smiled, and they began to talk more easily.
“Who’s the little fellow that follows you?” Damian asked.
“Maksym? I don’t know that he has much attachment to me. More to the young shoots he can find around me.” Adela laughed lightly as Damian chuckled.
“He was very concerned about you yesterday. He found me this morning to make sure I’d look after you.”
“I don’t know if I should be worried or flattered a rabbit is that concerned for me.” Adela raised an eyebrow.
“They’re a very noble breed.” Damian replied mock-seriously, prompting another giggle from her.
The squirrel shelled another nut and handed it down to her. She nibbled on the offering.
“What’s it like around the Nameless Ones’ territory?” she blurted. He cared for animals near the darkest forest territory. Perhaps that’s why he’d been so sure she wouldn’t become like Nameless Ones.
Hesitation filled his glanced down to her. But he answered the question. “Restless. The animals that wander too close often fall sick. I rarely see any of the Nameless Ones. And if I do, I’m well protected. My brother forged my sword to repel dark magic.”
“How?” She glanced at the weapon in curiosity.
Damian shrugged with a laugh. “Felix wouldn’t tell even me. And even if he did, I don’t think I’d understand it.”
Adela smiled. She’d met the reclusive blacksmith once in the woods when he was collecting wood for arrow shafts. He’d barely even told her what he was working on so she could help him find the best trees for the task.
The squirrel edged down Damian’s arm, stretching one forepaw out to try and snag a stray bit of her hair. Damian jerked him away with a chiding word that Adela couldn’t quite understand.
“What did you say?”
“A warning to mind his paws.” Damian frowned as the squirrel chattered back and scampered to his other shoulder to sulk. “Their language is a bit difficult to understand if you’re not used to it. I imagine it’s the same with you and plants.”
Adela greeted an aged oak that bowed its branches as they passed. Damian tilted his head with a slight puzzled smile.
“I think I know what you said.”
“I never realized our magic worked that differently.” Adela shook her head. Lidia didn’t speak her magic, preferring to let it swirl around her fingers as she crafted. She had tried to teach Adela, but the actions were too unfamiliar.
“Me either,” Damian replied. He whistled a reply to a bright jay perched in the oak and she caught a few words.
“You’ll have to teach me sometime.”
He smiled down at her. “I’d be happy to. Of course I expect some lessons in return.”
Her heart fluttered, and she couldn’t suppress her own smile.
All too soon they reached the edge of the forest. A word from Damian sent the squirrel scampering back into the trees. Both faeries hid their wings, altered their height to closer to a human’s, and smoothed out their more refined features.
Adela took one last longing look at the forest, then Damian led her on.
Count Stefan’s lands began nearly seven miles from the forest’s northern edge. Rich grassland and scattered copses of trees spread across the horizon. The road ran straight north, occasionally detouring around low hills. After two hours’ walk, they reached the border.
“This is it,” Adela said.
Damian scuffed his boot against the road. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“You have to. Marek will be trying to find me. I can’t let him know that you’re here with me.”
“I know what the law says, but surely—”
“No. Faeries don’t kill humans. And I know that’s what Marek is making me do, but I don’t want more death on my ha
nds,” Adela firmly said. “You know the story about Bazyl, and what could happen.”
“But what if that’s just a story?” Damian protested.
“Estera believes it’s true,” Adela persisted. “Bazyl was bound by a sorcerer. His brother started a war in retribution and killed humans and faeries before going over to the Nameless Ones. What if that happens to me—or you?”
“What if I tell the king what’s happening?”
“And what would the king do? A confrontation would not end well for either side. If more faeries got involved, the witch could find out and come for me. I can’t escape this bond. Marek said he’d force the way to the mountain from me and—who knows how many faeries would die?” Her hands fisted against the fear of the threatened consequences.
Damian’s jaw clenched in frustration. “I just wish there was something—anything—that I could do.”
“Like you said, we’ll have to find a way.” She squeezed his hand. Already she grown used to the contact.
He looked down at her, frowning in concern. “Be careful.”
“Good bye.”
Adela turned quickly and walked away, afraid that if she lingered, her heart would break at the thought of everyone she was leaving behind.
*
Damian watched her go, fighting back new frustration. He shifted into the form of a barn owl and flew northwest toward Marek’s lands. The ground there was fertile but despite the life of the soil, there was a darkness over the lands. The people lived in misery and fear. He perceived a looming presence further north and flew until he saw a mighty grey castle that ruled over the cowering land.
Damian hovered over the castle. It was filled with soldiers and he sensed a great power. The witch Malvina lurked within the walls. He wished he could do something, but he was not strong enough by himself.
Angrily, he turned back to the forest, returning to his own faery form once he was inside the tree line. He reached out to Adela through their bond. She was traveling down the long dusty road.
Alone.
****
Adela shifted her bag over her shoulder. She removed the copper ring and slipped it into the pocket of her dress. She had worn her simplest gown of dusky red fabric with tiny vines embroidered around the waist and hem in copper colored thread. Two more gowns were packed in her bag, and she had left behind all but some of the simplest of jewelry. Estera had made sure she was well stocked with traveling provisions, but her appetite had been absent since the day before.
Adela's Curse Page 3
