Cursed, p.5
Cursed, page 5
part #3 of Haven Realm Series
Snarls filled the night. Teeth bared, ripping off fur, spittle, and a cacophony of growls. They rolled off the road, and I rounded to the front of the carriage to where the horses pulled away from the encroaching danger.
My heart would break out of my ribcage, but I couldn’t just sit back and wait to become bear food. I pulled out a pinch of herbs from my pouch and summoned the strength to hold myself still. The horses reared and nudged me aside. I stumbled into the middle of the track, right in the path of the other bear unleashing a deathly roar. It charged.
Clasping the enchanted powder, I trembled, and those few moments felt like a lifetime as I grounded myself. Magic flowed over my skin and I let it go. “Freeze.” I blew the crushed herbs into the gale, but the wind seized the ingredients from in front of me and blew them into a tree, ice crackling around its trunk in an instant.
I recoiled, my fingers deep in the pouch. The horses pulled a hard right to avoid the attack. I screamed and tossed the contents into the bear’s face as it reached me. “Freeze!”
The beast iced over mid-movement, its expression twisted into a snarl, and it fell at my feet with a dull thud.
Gulping for air, I gawked at the extended claws, teeth bared. Hell! That had been too close.
I darted to the rear of the carriage, where Raze had attacked the other bear, but the area was empty. Where was he? And it wasn’t as if I could wait and put everyone into a frozen state. The magic only worked for a short moment, and as I checked the pouch, I realized I’d lost most of the powder.
But unless I intended to die, which was a hell-no in my books, I scrambled up into the driver’s seat. The iced bear lay in the middle of the road.
I leaned forward and rubbed the horses’ backs. “We need to get out of here. Need to return home.”
They stopped pulling off the road, so that was something. I collected the reins tied to a wooden stake near my feet and scanned the woods for any sign of Raze. Nothing. And as much I hated leaving him, he was a goddamn bear in his territory. I was a shish kebab for the bears, ready for the killing. I whipped the straps into a wave across the horses’ sides.
“Home!” I called out once more.
They lurched forward, throwing me into my seat, but I held on. Damn, they moved fast.
Wind buffeted against me, my eyes tearing up from the cold, my hands frozen.
A roar echoed at my back, and I glanced over the top of the carriage.
Two bears chased the carriage. Fuck no!
Raze had said his horses knew where the castle lay, so I had to trust them. It wasn’t as if I had any other ideas. Goddess, if I ever got out of this alive, I would grill Elliana about all future jobs before I blindly accepted. Who was hiring me, what the job entailed, and most importantly, would I be at risk of dying?
We rushed forward, and my gut knotted. The gust of wind tore at me relentlessly. Darkness consumed the surrounding scenery, and I glanced back.
The animals still pursued, and urgency pressed on my chest. I nudged the horses with the reins. “Faster.”
Where the road forked, the horses careened left, the land climbing upward. Trees thinned out on either side, replaced by jagged stone rocks, towering over me. Up above, shadowy bear forms raced along the ledges.
More of the monsters! I yearned to return home, forget this assignment. But look how hard it had been getting this far, and who the hell knew how I’d get home? I prayed Raze had survived because I didn’t need to turn up to the castle and announce that the guide who’d been sent to collect me had perished. I couldn’t live with that on my conscience. But in any case, the quicker I got to safety, the sooner someone could go help Raze.
Grunts escalated behind me as I traveled farther along the narrow road, just wide enough for one carriage—if I stretched out my arms, I’d touch the rocky walls of the canyon. The bumpy passage had me jostling about.
If I had ingredients, I’d create a more elaborate spell to stop the attackers, but that took time and concentration, neither of which I had while fleeing for my life.
A sudden crash into the back of the carriage sent me reeling forward in my seat. The horses kept going, but I spun to find a bear scaling the top of the carriage.
Fear drenched my skin with perspiration, the internal screams rattling in my ears. Tendrils of energy zipped up my arms, and I retrieved the pouch from my pocket. I didn’t have much of the powder left. Last time the wind stole the herbs, so I moved so fast. I poured the rest of the contents onto my palm and found maybe enough for one spell. I glanced at the beast crawling closer, teeth exposed, sharp, white daggers ready to slice my body.
His paws rooted to the roof of the carriage. His fur fluttered left and right from the wind.
The animal swiped a claw outward, inches from my face. I swerved sideways, holding on to the stake that held the reins to stop myself from falling. I ducked down. Terror was a knife twisting in my gut, and it took every inch of strength to not scream and jump off the carriage and run.
I clenched the herbs in my fists, waiting for the animal to get closer. My hands sweated despite the icy winds. But if I moved too soon, I might not get another chance. My heart stuck to my throat. What if I missed?
When a shadow fell over me, I tossed the ingredients into the animal’s face. “Freeze.”
He halted at first, staring, waiting. Please, please let it work. I slid back down into my seat.
Something shifted behind his black eyes: terror. Then in a sudden swerve of the carriage, I lurched sideways, about to get tossed to the rocky ground. I screamed and pawed the air for something to hold. My fingers grasped the back of the seat, and I hauled myself back up. Shit!
The bear flew backward and out of sight, collected by the night.
Pulling myself upright, I gulped for air and fought the impulse to turn the carriage around and go back for Raze. But I had no freezing herbs left. I picked up the reins again. I had to move—and fast—and get out of here.
Bears continued to follow me along the overhead cliffs that now sloped downward. They’d catch me in no time, and I’d die out here and no one would know what had happened. My throat thickened.
“Come on.” I drove quicker, the horses’ flaming exhales ripped from their nostrils by the wind.
Around the next bend, the cliff flanked outward in opposite directions but dipped fast. The bears wouldn’t be far behind.
But when I focused on the path ahead, my gaze landed on an enormous castle atop a mountain, grand and majestic just as I’d imagined in my wildest dreams. Torches lit a windy path from an open gate toward the building. More dotted the structure, lighting up the place as if it were a birthday cake. Weren’t they bothered they’d attract these angry bears to their doorstep? I didn’t even know if these attackers were shifters or wild animals.
We thundered onward. Behind me, bears closed in from both sides. I tensed and whipped the reins. “Faster. Faster.”
They were so close, I could make out their warped glares, their wild eyes.
We raced forward, the carriage jostling and jumping about. I held my breath as I burst through the iron gates. In that exact moment, a snap of energy rocked through me, lifting every hair on my body on end.
Magic!
The horses never stopped but galloped toward the castle, climbing a dark, windy road.
I twisted around but found the bears hovering near the gate, which slowly closed on its own.
The earlier energy still lingered on my skin, its sharpness biting into my flesh. This was no ordinary power… not at all, but something dark and using death magic.
I regretted everything about this assignment because I felt without a shadow of a doubt that the battle I’d just endured with the bears was child’s play compared to the storm brewing in the air around the castle.
Chapter 6
The horses galloped for the last leg of the curved road leading up to the castle. A rock face filled on the left-hand side, and a sharp descent into the abyss on the right. With the reins tied up, I curled up in the front seat, pulling my jacket tight around my chest as the cold wind slapped me in the face and stole my breath. These horses were resistant and incredible. They looked like normal creatures, except they snorted fire. Something glinted across their backs, and I squinted for a better look. Translucent scales ran the length of their spines.
Veering left, the horses pulled the carriage down a cobblestone road, their heads high, as if proud to return home—and they ought to have been after escaping a near-death encounter.
Ahead, the castle appeared to reach the clouds. Moonlight shone against the ancient castle drenched in snow. Walls stood silent, gray stone towers with cone-shaped turrets flanked the building, unapologetically reminding me of protectors of the realm. Flags fluttered from the roof. Mullioned windows reflected darkness, as if no one was home.
The place had to be larger than the entire town of Terra, and how many hundreds of people did it take to maintain such a place and the grounds? Imagine coming home to this every day? It was like a fairy tale!
Snow claimed everything in sight. The only time I hadn’t seen snow caps on the White Peak Mountains from back home had been during summer. I supposed one had to wear a thick fur coat permanently to live this high up in the realm.
The horses came to an abrupt halt in front of half a dozen steps. At the top waited double doors black as the night. A contrast to the pale walls.
Jumping down, I rubbed my hands together for warmth and hurried to the rear of the carriage to collect my bag, but the horses galloped onward, my bag in tow.
“Hey, wait up. I need my belongings.” I waved to no avail and felt stupid standing there as they careened around the side of the castle. This was their home, so they had to know where they were going, right?
I spun on the spot, taking in the enormous terrain, snow sparkling beneath the moonlight. The edges of the land vanished into the dark, as if the castle floated in the sky. Aside from the whistling wind, everything else remained silent. Too quiet perhaps. No sounds of bear shifters grunting and pounding the ground to reach me, and that alone had me breathing easier for a change.
I imagined the place as manicured in the summer months, with animal-shaped shrubs, and riddled with fountains while pompous bear shifters strutted around in frilly outfits. I laughed to myself. Sure, they might not have worn those clothes, but I preferred to picture them that way.
I hightailed it up the front steps and used the bronze door-knocker shaped like a bear’s claw.
Thump. Thump. The sound rang loud, and when no response came, I tried again.
Behind me, the gale swirled, pulling me backward by my clothes. Night swallowed everything else.
With no one answering my knocks, I pushed open the door. My plan was simple: get the job done quickly and by morning they’d escort me back to the tavern. Then I’d never return to White Peak Mountains—ever! No matter how many gold coins Elliana promised.
“Hello?” I stuck my head inside and entered a dimly-lit hall, shutting the door from the cold outside. Uneasiness flooded me, making me feel like an intruder.
Okay, hall was an understatement because this chamber was a mansion and larger than my whole house. A golden marble floor rushed toward wide stairs that swept upward, splitting in two directions to an upper landing. Ornate handrails, the color of cherry wood, were carved with roses and thorns along the beams. At the base of the steps were two statues of a young maiden in a flowing gown holding a candelabra with lit candles. Opulent bronze chandeliers in the shape of flowers hung overhead, dotted with a handful more candles, yet cobwebs also dangled from the arms.
“Anyone home?” Where was everyone? I approached the stairs, glancing up, and grasped the railing. Going upstairs didn’t feel right, so I pulled my hand back, noting it was covered in dust. I wiped it down my pants.
“Hello!” I called out, my voice echoing. “I’m your hired help. Raze picked me up at the tavern.” Well, technically, he’d kidnapped me. Goddess, please let him be safe.
I waited, expecting a thundering of footfalls to answer my call. Except there was nothing. Was this place empty?
I whirled, my boots tapping the marble floor. If anyone was upstairs, they wouldn’t hear me, considering the size of this place.
Paintings littered the pale blue walls. In one, an older man embraced a beautiful woman. They carried warmth in their gazes, and both stood in a rose garden. The lady wore a golden gown, blonde hair falling over her shoulders, while the man had silver streaking the hair above his temples.
I rubbed the chill from my arms and studied the five young children in the next painting, four boys and a girl, dressed in white frilly shirts and black pants in the next painting.
More family portraits of the kiddies with their parents, posing in gardens. What they all had in common were those contagious smiles. A joyous family. No paintings of the children grown up, though.
Added to that, all the boys had the greenest eyes, bright like freshly-cut lawn, identical to their mother’s.
“This place sure could do with a dusting,” said a male’s light voice from behind me, and I spun around.
A man in his early twenties leaned an arm against the railing, studying me as a smirk pulled his lips upward. Dressed in black pants covered in dust, no shoes, and a midnight-blue top with sleeves pushed up to his elbows, he must have been used to the cold. Yet my gaze fell to the rose ink stretching out from under his sleeves, crawling around his forearms.
Centered amidst his trimmed hair and short, dark beard, his stunning green eyes called to me. Scorching hot, and definitely a warrior by his size alone. Flawless from his high-bridged nose to his captivating sharp lips. And the three distinct healed gashes down the side of his neck had me cringing that these poor bear shifters faced off with a wild animal at the age of ten. Talk about barbaric practices.
Now, place him and me in a different situation with no creepy castle or blood-starved bears, and I’d be all over those muscles. Scarlet’s words played in my head, calling me a horny hound dog. Ha. I loved it, I embraced it, but I had too many questions and staying alive was a priority. I lowered my gaze, distracted by his strength. Was it a bear attribute to resemble a god? While I could gawk at this man for an eternity and never get bored, now wasn’t the time or place to focus on him, so I tucked away my melting libido.
“I’m here for a job. If you can please advise the owners I’m here?”
He nodded. “You must be the witch, arriving days after the booked appointment.” The way he pronounced “witch” carried a mocking tone.
I stared at his ghost of a smile. Was he being an ass on purpose? Swallowing, I lifted my chin. “Sorry I’m late, but I came as soon as I could. And actually, I prefer ‘magic caster.’ ‘Witch’ is like me calling you a beast ’cause you live in the White Peak, when I’m sure you’d prefer ‘bear shifter’ instead of ‘bloodthirsty animal’—or maybe you’d prefer ‘sugarplum.’” I dipped my voice with sarcasm and smirked to myself.
A small laughter rolled over his throat, and his eyes locked with mine. “‘Beast’ will be just fine.” His voice deepened and that earlier grin widened.
Butterflies swarmed in my gut and did my legs just wobble? I mean, that right there was grounds for me to back away, yet something inside me coiled tight.
“Well, anyway,” I said. “Nice of you to share your fetishes, but we can get this started. As much as I love White Peak Mountains with all its snow and ferocious bears, I’ve had enough fun for today.”
Shrugging, he didn’t say a word, but his eyes didn’t hesitate to slip down over my buttoned black coat, dark pants, and worn leather boots. I glanced at the family paintings, into the same green eyes I’d also seen on Raze.
My breath caught in my throat. With his attire and lack of servants, I’d assumed he was a helper. “Is that you in the portrait? A prince?”
“Yes.” His faced beamed with pleasure, as if my discomfort brought him joy.
My jaw dropped open as I intended to apologize, but no words came to mind. Honestly, could I be any dumber? And if I could, I’d roll my eyes at myself. I’d never been this close to royalty— what did one say to a prince? Well, so far, I’d insulted him.
Hopefully, the apologetic expression I plastered on my face looked real. Should I offer him a curtsy? With those chiseled cheeks and suave intensity, he probably had a dozen royal families throwing their daughters at him, women who I was sure behaved perfectly. I shouldn’t have been surprised, and I refused to give his expectations any more thought.
Reversing the curse, receiving payment, and getting back home alive were all that mattered.
“Where’s my brother Raze?” He glanced toward the front door.
Okay, so I’d gotten that part wrong too. Raze wasn’t a guide, but a royal. “Why would you send a prince to collect me? Don’t you have someone to run your errands?” I scanned the room to avoid his peering stare. Dust coated the frames on the wall, and cobwebs suspended from the corners. “And not to judge or anything, but whoever you’ve hired to clean this place is doing a terrible job.”
“Listen, sugarplum,” he said, tossing back my insult wrapped in an endearment with just as much tart as I had. He closed the distance between us in three long strides. “Focus and tell me where Raze is.”
I arched a brow and didn’t even flinch. “Well, Beast, your brother is one interesting character. Not only did he toss me into his carriage near the Golden Lock tavern as if I were a criminal, but then he leaped out to fight freaking bears attacking us. Because this place is insane. Why would others attack him if they knew he was of royal blood? And why would he risk his life for me? Again, don’t you have guards to do this job? He jumped into the woods, leaving me to face off monsters alone.” I swallowed hard and held myself strong, but on the inside, I crumbled. What if Raze lay somewhere in the woods dying? He’d saved me, in his own way, twice. Once at the tavern and again on the way here. Panic now brushed aside my calm and throttled me.
