Chapter 16
Eris
“This isn’t the first time someone has disappeared leaving only one person who could remember them.” Darren rubbed his face with both hands.
“That’s the same thing Master Garren said.” Eris tilted her head. “Was he talking about you? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Darren nodded. “No one remembered her. Not even her parents. I’ve looked everywhere, but I haven’t been able to find any trace of her.”
Eris examined Darren in a new light. He was like her. He had lost someone he loved. Someone that no one else could remember. She felt both relieved to not be alone in this, and sad that he had struggled so long, alone with his loss. He had suffered through it for five years. Now they could work together and find the people they had lost.
“We can find them together as soon as we find the map.” Eris smiled. “Let’s hurry to the castle. Once we get inside—”
“He asked me to bring you to the castle.”
“Who?”
“The Prince.” Darren lowered his eyes.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. The last thing I remember was working in my garden, and the next thing I know, I’m standing in front of the Prince of Erila. He said I got lost in the woods, but I don’t believe it. Eris, he was asking me to bring you to him. Why?”
“Magic?” Eris guessed.
“If so, it’s Dark magic, I’d guess. And not the friendly kind. How does the Prince know who you are? What could he want from you?”
Eris chewed on her lip. “Maybe he needs someone with Light magic to help him do something.”
Why the Prince would ask Darren to bring her, and how he had magically transported Darren from miles away, she didn’t know. Only the most powerful magic users could do something like that, and if he was that powerful, what could he possibly need her for? She wasn’t a novice, but she still had difficulty controlling her magic when she attempted anything large-scale. Even though she had come a long way in the last year studying with Master Garren, the question remained: how did he know her name?
“We both know that if he can summon someone from Uwen to Jara, then you can’t help him do much.”
She knew Darren wasn’t trying to insult her, but his words stung nonetheless. “Thanks for that.”
“That’s not what I meant. I meant—”
“I know.” She held her hands up, motioning for him to stop. “This makes things better for us. If he’s expecting me, then I won’t have to lie to get inside the castle. I can waltz through the front door, and while I help him, I can look for the map. Perfect plan.”
“You know this is a terrible plan, right?” Darren asked.
“I’ll admit there are some holes in it, but it’s not the worst plan I’ve ever had.”
“Don’t remind me.” Darren moaned, but he was smiling.
“How was I supposed to know that donkeys don’t like flying?” Eris asked.
“Because it should be obvious.”
Eris laughed. “It was fun. I wanted Myrtle to have fun, too. She was my best friend at the time.”
“If donkeys were supposed to levitate, they would have been given wings. Or magic,” Darren argued.
“It took me a whole month to master that technique. All the while Master Garren tinkered in his garden, mumbling to himself rather than properly showing me how to do it. He did have some lovely tomatoes by the end of that month, and he sent me home with a whole basketful.”
Soraya had turned her nose up in disgust at the sack of tomatoes Eris brought home. Eris smiled at the memory. Soraya had never liked tomatoes. She said anything that juicy should be sweet.
“Still, you should have known that donkeys are not made for levitating. Rocks, sticks, baskets, sure, but donkeys? No.” Darren laughed.
“I was seven, you know. I still had a few things to learn.” Eris paused, then said, “It’s time to go to the castle now.”
“I know.” Darren sighed.
“Are you coming with me?” She hoped he would say yes. Somehow it seemed less daunting if she had Darren with her.
“Try to stop me,” he said.
Chapter 17
Knox
“How do you know about Eris?” Knox asked, though he immediately regretted it. He’d shown part of his hand to the odd man currently bound by the cords of his Dark magic.
Nolan smirked as if he knew he had struck gold. “I met her in the woods, Highness.”
Knox didn’t like the way he said “highness.” It sounded like an insult rather than his title. For a moment Knox almost expected the man to flick his tongue like a snake.
“Then why did you come alone?” Knox adjusted his expression to look bored, though he felt more like prey cornered by a large predator.
“To see what kind of deal we could strike before I bring the girl to you.”
“Did you hurt her?”
“Of course not. After all, she’s the key to all of this.” Nolan smiled.
“Where is she?” Knox asked.
Nolan shrugged. “What do you say, sire? Do we have an agreement?”
Knox shook his head. He wasn’t about to make a deal with such a man. No matter how much he smiled, Knox was sure Nolan was not on his side. He couldn’t pinpoint it, but something about Nolan caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. He wouldn’t trust him, and he hoped Eris hadn’t either.
“That’s too bad, though I’d be a fool if I had expected you to agree so easily.” Nolan closed his eyes and rolled his neck from side to side before using his arms to break Knox’s magical bands. “Ah, that’s better.”
“Who are you really?” Knox asked. Nolan shouldn’t have been able to break through his magic so easily. Every muscle in Knox’s body went taunt, ready to spring to action should Nolan attack him.
“Someone who wants what you have. You’ll give it to me one way or another. It’s up to you whether this is mutually beneficial or not.” Nolan snapped his fingers and a solid black throne appeared, hovering in the air. The throne lowered to the ground, and the man sat down across from Knox and crossed his legs. “I do hope we can be friends.”
“I’m still not convinced there’s anything you can do for me.” Knox reminded himself to breathe. There was more to this man than Knox had recognized at first. He would have to use his best negotiation tactics to navigate this conversation if he wanted to escape unscathed.
“Dear Prince, there is still so much you don’t understand about your curse. How could you? It comes from a land you’ve never visited, though I imagine you will soon.” Nolan chuckled.
“What land does it come from if not Erila?” Not that Erila was the only land, but they had been at peace with the other lands for well over a century. The only recent conflicts were between species, like the Sligo. Still, the idea of the curse coming from another land had never crossed his mind.
“I see you’ll need a little more motivation to trust me. Very well. Your curse comes from the Underworld.”
Nolan released the words like they were nothing more than feathers, but each of those words landed a hit in Knox’s stomach. If his curse had been spawned from the Underworld, was there anything powerful enough in his world to counteract it? Death was universal. Everything that lived also died. So if the curse itself was fueled by the powers of death, how could he possibly overcome it?