Master Garren nodded. “Yes, yes. You do have Light magic, but you are not yet a master of that magic. It is possible that he serves the Underworld and the curse is nothing more than a lie. Perhaps those missing girls are a sacrifice to gain more power. There is no way of knowing for sure, in which case—”
“—in which case, I could be walking into my own death,” Eris said.
Chapter 7
Knox
Knox’s stomach dropped as he watched the familiar swirly purple portal open up.
A servant dressed all in leather popped out and sighed. “Another one? Don’t you know how many we already have down there?” She snapped her fingers and Soraya’s stiff body followed her back through the portal before disappearing entirely.
He looked at Darren and Toran, frozen. They wouldn’t remember the disaster. No one would, except him.
Knox stared at the spot where Soraya had stood and his heart sank. He didn’t know why exactly, but something about his curse made the people who touched his skin disappear, and no one was able to remember them after that. Except him. He could still see every one of their faces. Some of them had had the same look of determination in their eyes as Soraya. Others had looked afraid, almost as if they knew where they were going next.
The first time it had happened, the servant who’d popped through the portal had looked as confused as he did. Shrugging, the servant had taken the newly made corpse, a palace maid, back with her. After several more corpses, Knox finally got the servant to tell him where she was taking them all — the Underworld — and only one thing could save them. If Knox could break his cruse, he could reclaim all the people he had sent to the Underworld.
Now another girl had gone missing because of him and his wretched curse. If only he had moved out of the way or grabbed her hands rather than trying to block his face, she might still be there with them. None of it would have happened. He lifted his fist and brought it down hard against the wooden armrest of his chair. He needed the pain to focus his mind. More than ever, he had to find that girl’s sister, Eris. Once he found her, he could break his curse, find all the missing girls, and return them to their families.
“Sire?” Toran sidled towards him, brows scrunched in concern, but Knox waved him off. The old man had been through enough because of the curse. Part of Knox was grateful that he was the only one required to carry the guilt. It reminded him that he wasn’t a monster yet. He hoped if he still felt guilt over separating families, then he wasn’t too far gone to be saved from all of it. If he could get them all back, then maybe he could be redeemed.
Knox looked at the confused Darren, standing on the other side of the fabric screen. Darren was studying the room as if he’d never seen it before. Another side effect of the curse. The people who were around Knox when someone disappeared lost their most recent memories. Even Toran had stopped asking him where the time had gone, assuming his forgetfulness was nothing more than old age.
Darren stared at him, though there was no way he could see much of anything through the fabric screen, and then at Toran. Toran smiled back, though he also looked a bit confused to find himself with a man in the main parlor rather than a female magic user. Knox sighed. He’d have to lie again. Another sin to add to his already long list of misdeeds.
“I’m sorry, but where am I? And why am I here?” Darren directed his question to Toran rather than Knox.
Toran looked at Knox and shrugged, as if to say, I don’t know why you’re here either, young man. Then he placed a hand on Darren’s massive shoulder. “You are at his Majesty’s castle in Jara City.”
Darren’s eyes grew wide and he looked at Knox again. Then he hastily bowed. When he stood back up, he brushed brown hair from his eyes. He wrung his hands before shoving them in his pockets.
Knox allowed the silence to stretch on, sorting through his own thoughts for a believable cover story.
But Darren spoke again. “My apologies, your Majesty. How did I come to be here?” Darren looked at the ground.
Knox noticed the young man’s ears had turned red. “I sent for you.” He hoped he sounded more relaxed than he felt. “My servants found you unconscious in the woods and brought you here. Once you were finally awake, I called for you. What you were doing in the woods, I know not.” It was a believable lie. Many new travelers lost their way in the expansive woods outside Jara City. He hoped Darren would buy into that reasoning for now.
“I’m not sure why I would be in the woods.” Darren placed both of his hands on the sides of his head. “I don’t even remember leaving home.”
“Which city are you from?”
“Uwen.”
“And your name?”
“Darren Dewberry, your Majesty.”
“Darren, as fate would have it, there is a girl from your town I must meet. Are you acquainted with a girl named Eris?”
“Sure, everyone knows everyone in Uwen, sire. It’s not a big village.”
“What can you tell me about her?” Knox needed to understand her better so he could motivate her to help him break the curse once and for all. The gods, wherever they might be, had truly smiled upon him when they’d sent Soraya to him. He hoped to one day be able to pay that favor forward, but to do that, he first had to be free.
“She’s a Light magic user, and the only child of a scholar and seamstress.” Darren looked uncomfortable, as if he were spilling secrets that weren’t his.
Knox’s stomach lurched to hear something that he knew wasn’t true only moments ago. He vowed silently to himself that either way, he would find Eris’ sister for her, the one she wouldn’t be able to remember now. Even if Eris wasn’t the curse breaker, he would find Soraya and reunite them. “Darren Dewberry, I have an errand for you.”
Darren’s eyes widened in surprise. “What can I do for you, sire?”
“I need you to deliver my royal summons and escort Eris safely here. I will see that you are paid accordingly.”
“Why do you need Eris, your Majesty?” Darren asked.
“That’s none of your concern.” Knox wasn’t about to tell the man how important she potentially was to him. Especially not after he’d seen how protective Darren had been of Soraya.
Darren nodded, then bowed.
Toran ushered him out of the parlor. “Shall I show the next girl in, sire?”
“You can send all the others home. I won’t be needing them.” Knox rose. “I think we’ve found the key to my curse, Toran. I think we’ve finally found her.”
“Sire, how did you come to know of the young miss Eris?” Toran asked.
“It’s of no matter. Make preparations for her stay. Also, send someone to find out everything you can about her before she arrives.”
Toran nodded once before leaving Knox alone. Knox sent another prayer up to the gods for forgiveness.
Chapter 8
Eris
“Are you sure about this, Eris?” Master Garren asked her for the third time, as she pushed a few more jars out of her way while trying to find the dried meats. She was standing inside Master Garren’s small pantry, and wondered what her instructor managed to feed himself with, considering the sad state of his food storage.