Cursed by Fate

by Renee Shearer

  Glaring at her through the pain, Ariana knew in her soul that this woman had known she was there all along and could hear her. Not one to show her anxiety, even if it was tearing through her veins, she snickered. “Wanna bet?”

  With a primal rage-filled scream, the woman lunged at her with her hands curled into claws. Before she could grab onto Ariana’s throat, the world spun and swayed drunkenly…

  Four

  Ariana

  Ariana let out a strangled gasp as she bolted upright in bed soaked in a cold sweat. Breaths heaving, her heart pounded so hard it knocked against her ribcage. She wildly looked around her room.

  “Okay, it’s okay. I’m back.” She panted the words out loud just to hear her own voice.

  She jumped up from the bed and winced when her head started to throb. As she flicked on her bedroom light, her wrists sent a jolt of pain through her. Ariana was finally able to slow her breathing once the room was bathed in a warm golden yellow. Though her heart rate continued its rapid pulsating, she started to feel better. At least, she was until she glanced down and saw that the pain in her wrist was from bruises already starting to form; bruises that matched the shackles perfectly.

  “What the fuck just happened?!” she whispered, her voice shaking uncontrollably.

  The clock caught her eye and she groaned. It was only a quarter past four in the morning. “There is not a single chance in hell I will be able to sleep again,” she muttered to herself on a sigh. “So much for me getting extra sleep. Okay, time for a shower then coffee…and why am I still talking to myself damnit?”

  As she turned to head back into her bathroom, she jumped back and fell on her ass with a small shriek.

  Standing not three feet from her was a... a ghost? It had to be! The woman was slender but still had plenty of curves and flaming red locks, the color not too different from her own. Her hair, however, was a mass of wild curls framing her heart-shaped face and hanging down to her waist. She had silver eyes just like Ariana’s, a small dainty nose, and cupid bow lips. She wore a flowing dress in a deep amethyst with the inside more of a lighter violet color. The beautiful dress tied under her breasts with ribbon that criss crossed all the way down to the top of her hips, accenting her curves. The sleeves were tight around the upper part of her arms in the amethyst color, then flowed outward in the violet shade with the opening around her hands now twice the size and coming to a point. As Ariana looked closer, she noticed that the violet parts of the dress were embroidered with flowers in that same deep amethyst color. If they still wore dresses like that now a days, Ariana would totally get one just like it.

  “My child.” The woman spoke in a perfect Scottish brogue, which instantly had a calming effect on Ariana as she rose to her feet. “I did not mean to startle you my dear, but it is time we talked. I have waited for this day for a long time, but first may I ask, what year of our lord is this?”

  “Ummm… it’s 2018… who are you and what do we have to talk about? Oh, and also how the hell did you get into my bedroom?” Ariana winced at her waspish tone, but she couldn’t help it. She had yet to have a single drop of coffee, and she was not very nice before she had her coffee.

  “I was the last All-Seeing-Eye to grace the earth…” The lady stopped and seemed to be thinking. “Five-hundred years ago, if my numbers are correct. My name is Alaina I did not get into your chambers, but rather you called me to you from the past, my dear.”

  “Okay…I had to of hit my head harder than I thought…. this can’t be real…oh, I know!” Ariana snapped her fingers. “I’m still dreaming. It’s one of those dreams where you think you wake up only to find yourself in another dream, right? Please say I’m right?? Ariana begged her, desperately trying to make sense of all of that was happening. Her brain felt like it had gone through a blender, and she just couldn’t take much more weird shit.

  “I’m afraid not child, you sent for me, or rather your magic called to my own and drew me here. You are in grave danger and we must talk!”

  “Okay, okay lady… err Alaina. I’m listening, what do we have to talk about? At… four thirty in the morning? Wait… how the hell am I able to understand you?” She was embellishing the time, but seriously she needed to get this dream lady to say whatever she had to say so she could get to her morning cup of heaven.

  Alaina frowned at her, “Do you know nothing? Our magic allows us to understand every language, no matter the dialect, you will be able to read, write, and speak it. But more importantly it will be as if they are speaking your language to you.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry my brain is fuzzy.” Ariana mumbled, not wanting to admit to Alaina that she really didn’t know anything about her magic. She had seen a glimpse of someone after her attacks that wasn’t Alaina, that woman had told her she had passed and now had magic. That was all there was to the conversation, she didn’t get an instruction manual, or any details. That would've been helpful.

  Taking a deep breath, Alaina motioned for her to sit down on the bed. After she was seated on the edge, Alaina started pacing back and forth.

  “First things first, how many trials have you completed?”

  “Trials? What trials? I’ve never been on or in a trial…”

  Waving her hand about, Alaina said flippantly, “Never mind. We can come back to that as I can assure you, you have been through at least one trial to get your ability to see and call to the past as well as your Light magic.”

  “Whoa! Back up a step lady, Light magic? What the hell are you talking about?? Maybe you better start at the beginning because I am so freaking lost.” Ariana stood from her bed with her hands raised.

  Finally, Alaina stopped pacing and stared at her. Cocking her head to the side, Alaina closed her eyes for a couple of minutes. Just as Ariana was losing her patience, Alaina gasped loudly. “Oh dear…you... you don’t know anything about your heritage, do you? How can this be? Did anyone give you a book with a rose on it? A white rose? With a silver lock, but you couldn’t open it?”

  Thinking hard as the description of the book rang a bell, she suddenly snapped her fingers and practically dove under her bed. “Where did I put that box?” Ariana muttered.

  I really need to clean under my bed. She pushed aside clothes she had kept that were too big for Zoey to fit in yet, and others that Zoey had already outgrown. Ariana had been meaning to drop those off at the local goodwill. Instead, they got shoved under her bed and she forgot about them. Finding the small grey box she needed, she dragged it into the light.

  She spun the lock and took out a leather-bound journal. A white rose bud and a little sliver lock with a tiny hole adorned the front. “Here, it is!”

  “Is this what you mean?” Turning to Alaina, Ariana held out the book. When the woman saw it tears, sparked in her eyes and she lovingly tried to caress it, but her hands slipped right through.

  This is not real… this is not real… I can go along with this because it’s just a silly dream.

  “Yes! That’s it! But if you have it, how do you not know about your birthright?” Alaina was frowning at her like she couldn’t fathom anyone having the book and not knowing a single thing about it.

  “It belonged to my grandmother. She died when I was nine. All she left for me in her will was this book, stating I would know what to do with it when the time came. Apparently, it’s still not the right time, as I still can’t get the thing open, and have no clue what to do with it.”

  Looking even more perplexed, Alaina started to pace again. “But nine is certainly old enough to tell you of the curse and your part in everything, if it ever came to that. Which it has, as you called me here…” As Alaina trailed off, Ariana decided to set this crazy dream person straight.

  “Look. As much fun as this is I really need to wake the hell up and go about my day. It’s been crazy enough without my brain going mad as a hatter.”

  Alaina whirled around and pointed a slim finger at her. “That’s it!” she cried. “Did you or your family think your
grandmother was crazy for some of the things she may have said?”

  “Duh, of course, she was! Grams had Dementia. At the end, all she could talk about was a curse; how we were powerful beings called the All-Seeing-Eye. That our family was tasked with balancing the forces of Light and Dark. Without us, the scales would tip either way and that would be bad…blah, blah, blah.” Ariana scoffed.

  “But that’s just it my dear, she was not crazy. All that she said was true.” Alaina nodded her head toward the book still in Ariana’s hands. “That book you are holding is our family legacy. Sit and let me tell you a story.”

  When Ariana looked at her like she had suddenly sprouted wings, Alaina grimaced, “Please, my time grows short.”

  “Fine.” Huffing and folding her arms across her chest, she sat back on her bed.

  “A long time ago I was the All-Seeing-Eye. You see, there can only ever be one at a time.”

  Ariana interrupted. “So, we’re like that show, the Highlander? But without the killing part.”

  Glaring at her, Alaina continued. “We can see the Past, Present, and Future of anyone except ourselves. That is our All-Seeing-Eye power. We also have other abilities, such as Light magic. This magic does not harm anyone. Shifting allows us to change into anything that is living with a mere thought. Including other people, if we wish. With Traveling, we can instantly be any place in time or space at the drop of a pin. With Channeling, we can hear and speak into anyone’s mind if we wish; sometimes we even see what they are thinking. Lastly, we have the power of Dark magic. This magic can harm and can even kill others.” Alaina paused and took a breath, looking at Ariana to make sure she was comprehending.

  Nodding, even though her head was starting to spin, she urged Alaina to continue.

  “We are tasked with keeping the balance between the forces. No side can ever win; no side can ever gain the upper hand, or else the world will fall in to chaos.”

  “Okay, then what happened? Why were you the last?”

  “I was living in my village of Kingussie in northern Scotland, when I received a vision I did not ask for. I saw a very handsome man riding horseback towards my village. When he was in the fields just south of them, he suddenly slumped over and fell off his horse, dead. I did not know who he was, but I knew deep in my bones he was important. I had to save him.”

  Barely breathing, Ariana didn’t dare speak for fear of something breaking the moment and not getting to hear the rest.

  “I did not know the exact date he would be there, but I knew it would be fall. I waited in the field every day when the leaves started to turn. Soon enough, right before Samhain, he appeared. Just like in my vision, he was riding towards my village. I started running and shouting, telling him to move. He didn’t. In a fit of desperation, I picked up a rock, and using my shifter strength, threw it at his horse. The horse reared up and threw him off, but not before he got shot with an arrow in the side. It was meant for his heart. I raced to him and healed his wound as he watched. He was in awe of what I had done, and we fell madly in love. Even after I told him who and what I was, my Samuel still loved me.”

  Alaina smiled sadly and took a fortifying breath. “We were wed that Samhain, after procuring special permission. But when my Samuel took me home to his family, they were beside themselves. Not with joy, however, except for his mother. You must understand he was betrothed to another before he was born.”

  Catching Ariana’s look of disbelief, Alaina shook her head and continued in a rush. “He didn’t even know. His father had died when he was young, and his mother never liked the betrothal. Unfortunately for us, Samuel’s betrothed was awaiting his arrival. When Rowena found out about our marriage, she flew into a fit of rage and attacked me. I had no choice but to defend myself, so I used my powers and shifted into a dragon. After blasting fire at her, I told Rowena she could not harm me as I was the All-Seeing-Eye. She left the castle, never to be seen again.”

  Here she paused for a bit, so Ariana nudged her along, hoping she would get to the point of the story and what the hell it had to do with her now. “So, that’s a good story…but what does it have to do with me and these trials you mentioned?”

  “Oh right! Blinded by my love for Samuel, I did not realize, she was a Dark witch. A very powerful one.”

  A chill swept down Ariana’s spine and she whispered, “Did she have smooth raven hair that curled at the ends? With jade green eyes?”

  Looking at her sharply, Alaina asked, “Yes, how did you…”

  “That’s why I called you! Or at least my magic did. I was just dreaming of the past with her as the main star. She was casting something about the All-Seeing-Eye. Then she spoke to me.”

  Her face filling with dread as her skin paled even further, Alaina said, “You were not dreaming child. You transported yourself to the past. You saw her cast the curse on our family line. The one that you are fighting now.”

  “Okay? Get to that point please! My girls are going to be waking up soon, and I need to get them breakfast.”

  “A year after we last saw her, I got another vision. I saw her gathering the ingredients for a curse spell. They are very unique and only used for that type of spell. No matter how hard I tried to see who she was casting it on, I couldn’t. For that reason, I knew she meant to cast it on me. I was pregnant at the time with our first child. I quickly cast a spell of protection over myself and the baby. But a curse is powerful Dark magic. It will find ways to change the Light to suit its needs. So, when Rowena cast her curse, it warped. Instead of there never being any All-Seeing-Eyes, there was a…loophole if you will. Any female of our line has to complete three trials before she is twenty-two years, or she dies.”

  Jumping up to her feet and starting to pace, Ariana nearly screamed, but remembered her sleeping daughters down the hall. She quieted her voice to an angry whisper at the last second. “What in all that is holy, do you mean three trials before I’m twenty-two or I DIE?” Ariana’s voice raised slightly. “You have got to be kidding me! I just turned twenty-one a month ago! I can’t die! I have two little girls! I’m all they have.” Ariana started to spiral, flailing her arms around as she whisper-shouted.

  Alaina stiffened her spine, stepped close to Ariana, and spoke in a stern tone. “Calm down! You still have time, and you are well on your way. The first trial, or test if you will, is meant to break your spirit. Afterwards, you gain your Light magic and can see the past. And you must have passed this one, as I am here speaking to you! The second is meant to break your body. Have you had anything in your life where you had multiple bones broken?”

  Nodding her head numbly, Ariana couldn’t say anything as she fought off the memory of those days.

  “You had to have passed that one as well, as you are still here! Now you have the shifter and travel abilities, you are a channeler, and you can see the present of anyone you wish as long as they are not of your blood,” Alaina said happily.

  Holding up her hand, Ariana stopped Alaina once again. “Back the fuck up… now what do you mean by I’m still here?”

  “If you fail a test, you will die instantly. And I really do wish you would stop cursing at me.”

  “Crap on a cracker! Are you shitting me?”

  “I do not know what...,” Alaina curled her lip in disgust, “shitting you means, or why you would want crap on a cracker. But if it means am I fooling you? Then no. If you fail, you die. Either by your twenty-second birthday or during a trial.”

  “What is the third trial?” Ariana growled at Alaina. She was vastly losing her patience with this woman. And she needed coffee…lots and lots of coffee.

  Alaina spoke calmly as if she weren’t blowing Ariana’s life to pieces. “The third test is meant to break the mind. You must face your biggest fear and conquer it. Then you will gain your full abilities of Dark magic and see the future.”

  “Awesome,” Ariana snarked. “Anything else, oh great one?” She knew she was being bitchy but couldn’t help it.

  “J
ust to find your fated mates and bond. Easy. You are strong. I know you will be able to break this curse once and for all.”

  Ariana rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, so ea… hold the phone… Did you say mates? As in more than one?”

  “Yes. You need them to complete and complement your skills; to balance you. It’s all about balance after all. So at least one Shifter, one Light Mage, one Dark Mage, and one Fae. Is this going to be a problem? Have you not found them yet?”

  “FOUR?!? I have to have four men?” she squeaked.

  “Well no, it could be more.” Alaina frowned slightly, watching Ariana pale very quickly and start to sway on her feet. “You really should sit dow...”

  It was too late.

  The floor rushed up to greet Ariana like an old friend as she collapsed in a dead faint.

  Five

  Ariana

  Ariana came to about five minutes later and she was alone. She was almost able to convince herself that it was all a dream, until she spotted the note that was written on her bedspread in what looked to be gold glitter…

  My child, if you should ever have need of me, use your powers to visit.

  Always, Alaina.

  She snorted. Yeah, I’ll just get right on that, oh great one. Ariana went to touch the glitter but as she did the whole thing disappeared. Shaking her head and forcing the whole thing to the back of her mind, she dressed and headed to the kitchen. Since it looked like she was getting an early start, she might as well make breakfast. And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

  Turning on music softly in the background, she started to make the kids’ favorite breakfast: strawberry pancakes with eggs. Ariana loved to cook. She could just let her mind drift as she mixed, chopped, and flipped. Relaxing further and forgetting everything, Ariana danced around the kitchen. She was so engrossed in the music and cooking, she didn’t hear Avery come into the room.