Page 26 of Magic Cursed

Or I could take this one quest, hiding from the Steel Guard in plain sight. Making nice with my enemies. And once it’s over, I’ll have enough money to get my ticket to the Southern Isles and never look back. But if we do run into shadow demons, everyone will see exactly what and who I am, and it’ll be all over for me.

That is if my magic doesn’t reveal itself on its own sooner. What if I get angry again? I got lucky today when I was able to calm myself down. The darkness seems to feed off anger and my anger was directed at Kellan. What would it have done to him? Would I be able to control it next time? I squeeze my eyes shut, refusing to allow my mind to go there.

There are so many variables. I just don’t know what to do.

* * *

I wake in the middle of the night with a scream dying on my tongue. My skin is damp with sweat, my heart races, and I take labored breaths. The images of a young me being chased by the Steel Guard with blades still slick with blood slowly fade from my mind, but the fear, grief, the confusion I’d felt lingers. The nightmare comes every few weeks, a constant reminder that I’m never safe. As if I need any reminding.

I throw the covers off and stand up. Rain and cold air blows in from the opened window and the fire is almost completely dead. A storm blew in overnight. I stand in front of the window for a moment and watch the rainfall, letting its mist cool my heated skin.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve slowly worked on mending my wounds. Even though they are healing nicely, the spell always exhausts me. As a result, I sleep most of the days away. I’ve only seen Mrs. Dower, and I’m glad for it because I still don’t know what I’m going to do. Any day now, Kellan will come back and ask what my decision is, and I don’t know what to tell him.

I sigh and close the window. I’m about to crawl back under the warm covers when a strange pull tugs at me internally. I tense and look around the room, but I’m alone. I feel it again, it’s like an invisible beaconing, urging me to come to it.

I grab my robe from the end of the bed, throw it on, and follow the foreign sensation to the door. I crack it open and look to the left, spotting the ever-present guard at the end of the hall where it intersects with another. I glance to the right, but there is never anyone in that direction, only one other door inhabits this side of the hall before it dead ends. I look back to the stoic guard standing like a statue, his attention focused on the wall in front of him. What must he have done to deserve such a boring shift?

I know if I walk into the hall, he’ll bark at me to get back into my rooms. I’ve already tested him and the others whom he trades shifts with a couple of times. No amount of pleading or flirting has made a bit of difference on either. I’m sure I could take him on if I really wanted to, but again, what could I do without money and nowhere to go? At least for the time being, I have a roof over my head in a room fit for a queen, and three square meals a day. So, I stay to heal while I decide what I’ll do about Kellan’s job offer.

But that tug is ever persistent, and I know how to get past the guard without fighting my way out so that I can return after I figure out what is compelling me. I whisper the incantation to cloak myself and slip out the door. The guard looks over when the door closes with a small click. I freeze. When he sees nothing in the hallway, he returns his attention back to the spot on the wall in front of him. I let out the breath I was holding and slink forward on silent feet.

With my shadow-sight, I can see just enough that I don’t need a candle or torch. I slip past the guard and he’s none the wiser. Once I’m clear of him, I drop the cloaking spell so as not to expend any unnecessary energy. The halls are vaguely familiar from my childhood, and yet I have no idea where I’m going. I just follow the invisible pull as if a rope were tied around me and someone, or something, is pulling from the other side. I suspect magic, but why would I feel that in a castle where magic is banned? I stop. Could it be a trick, a way to lure out magic users? No, if they had a tool like that, then they would have used it to lure me out of the streets long ago.

I continue on through the maze of hallways until I stop at a section where, at first glance, the walls appear flush. But I recognize this spot and know that when you get closer, a break in the wall opens to a flight of ascending spiral stairs. Whatever is influencing me is urging me to climb up.

I stare at the stone steps worn smooth in the center. I haven’t seen them since I ran down them as a child, slipping on blood, with only the black railing holding me up. Daimis gripping my hand, pulling me along, urging me to hurry, faster. My heartbeats quicken and a part of me wants to retreat back to my room. But the sensation that lures me onward continues to call to me. I reach for the rail. My hand shakes.Get a grip, Sahra.Fear can control you or you can control it.It was a long time ago. There is no blood. There are no dead bodies waiting up there. The steel guard is not chasing you. I grip the cold rail and climb the stairs, determined not to let the fear of a child rule my actions.

The stairwell opens up to a huge room at the top of a tower surrounded entirely of windows. The rain falls with a pitter-patter rhythm against the glass. A few sconces have candles burning in them, casting an orange flickering glow on the exotic trees, plants, and flowers that are beautifully dispersed in the castle conservatory. The sweet scents of the flowers mix with the earthy tones of the soil and bark. Though the air up here is warm and humid, it does nothing for the chill running through my veins.

This is where it all happened. Where I saw my father cast the spell allowing the shadow demons into our world. Where he murdered the king, and the Steel Guard killed him, stabbing him too many times to count. Nearly every drop of blood spilled from his body, the dark red grew until it ran into my delicate shoes. His final act was to send all of his power into his only child, me. He not only betrayed a kingdom and let loose the worst monsters our world has ever seen, but he also put a target on his ten-year-old daughter.

I squeeze my hands into fists, refusing to let myself grieve the man I called Daddy. If he went mad, it wasn’t entirely his fault. His magic might have been too much for him. It happens. Magic is a heavy burden on the body and mind, and if you’re not strong enough to bear it, you go insane. Or perhaps he knew exactly what he was doing. Perhaps the magic turned him evil. One thing is certain, he knew exactly what he was doing when he transferred his dark magic to me. I saw his eyes when it happened. Although he was in pain, in his eyes, I saw that his mind was clear. And he’d have to have known the Steel Guard would come after me. I would’ve been killed that day with almost every other magic user in the castle if Daimis hadn’t saved me.

Voices echo from across the room. Who else would be up here at this hour? Whoever is here, they’re obviously being clandestine, or they wouldn’t be meeting while the rest of the castle is sleeping. Which naturally makes me want to know exactly who’s up here and what they’re discussing.

I gather my long nightgown and creep toward the sound of whispering. I can’t discern the words, only a low rumbling, which grows in volume the closer I get. For a moment, I wonder if I’m about to come across two lovers, it’s definitely a male and female voice. But then I don’t hear whispered sweet words, but more of a hushed argument. There’s a sense of urgency in the conversation. And I only catch single words here and there, “. . .No. . .Do nothing. . . patience. . .only. . .power. . .this.” They suddenly stop, and a rush of air sways all the vegetation in the conservatory.

I hide behind a tree and listen, but only silence follows. They must have heard me approach and fled. Which is surprising because I’m actually very good at spying. I slowly back away, keeping my eyes glued to where the voices had come from when a large hand wraps around my shoulder.Shit. I should’ve put my cloaking spell back on.

I act on instinct, grab the hand and twist it back on itself. I spin around, throwing a jab to my attacker’s throat. He blocks me with his free hand. I can’t make out who my attacker is, but he’s tall and probably has a hundred pounds on me. I’ll just have to use that weight against him.

I twist his hand more fiercely, forcing his body to move with me or risk a break, and trip him with my leg. Just before he falls to the ground, he pulls me down so that I land next to my attacker. The impact sends sharp pain to my not-quite-healed wounds. With adrenaline coursing through me, I recover quickly and throw my elbow at the man lying next to me. He’s surprisingly fast, rolling out of the way just in time. I jump onto his exposed back and wrap my arm around his neck, using my one as an anchor. The motion burns my wounds, but I only need to hold on a little longer to choke him out of consciousness. He ducks forward and flips me over his head, slamming me hard onto my back and knocking the wind out of me. Before I get a chance to recover, the man jumps on top of me, straddling my hips, and pins my hands down at the sides of my head. I try to wiggle free, to buck him off, but spirits be damned he’s strong.

“You’re good,” he says, between heavy breathing. “I’ll give you that. Yield. You’re defeated.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, I know who’s on top of me and I stop struggling.

I focus on the gorgeous face hovering over me. I see the change in Daimis’s eyes the moment recognition hits him. His features soften and he loosens his grip, though he doesn’t let me up. His brows crease like he’s trying to decipher a mystery.

That’s when the memories come flooding in, choking me with raw emotion. Memories of us like this, in this very place. We had a secret hideout we’d built in a denser portion of the bushes. We’d play wrestle, rolling around, getting our fine clothes all dirty. Daimis always ended up on top of me, just like this. His face hovering over mine, with a spark of humor in his eyes. Only now, there’s no humor, only haunted loneliness. I recognize my own loneliness mirrored in them. It ignites a connection to this new Daimis that I’m not sure I want. And yet, I don’t move in fear of breaking it. I can’t, not when my very soul calls to him. I just want my best friend back.

He releases one hand and cups my face. “Sahra,” he breathes out, so reverently, so tenderly. My name on his lips is everything, it speaks to a longing that has sat in me for twelve long years. I lean my face into his touch, like an addict needing just a little more. His thumb brushes my cheekbone, just a whisper of skin against skin, and it’s so right. Our labored breathing mingles, and I feel something that I’ve never felt with Daimis before, desire. It heats me from within, my body alighting as if awakened by his touch. His eyes darken and there is no doubt in my mind that he feels it too. His eyes drop to my lips, and there is one fleeting moment that I wish he would close the distance and that we could get lost in passion right here and now. My stomach curls with lust at the thought. Then I come crashing back to reality. I’m confused and unnerved by this strange connection between us. What the hell am I thinking?He knows who I am.

Chapter9

Bargain with the Prince

Without meaning to, I’m certain I somehow brought Daimis into my memories with me. Memories we both share. But how? Is it another strange side effect of my father’s magic? I only hope that Daimis doesn’t realize that I pushed those memories into his mind.

Daimis’s brows crease. “I don’t want to remember.” The exposed vulnerability behind his words carves out my heart, leaving it hollow because I’m responsible for his pain.