Cursed (25 page)

“This isn’t going to work,” she said. “I think I should go through the bed chamber.”

Deal shook his head again.

“Trust me,” Deal said. “This is doable.”

There was a rustling noise at the door and the sound of rattling keys. Someone was going to open the door. Deal’s glow faded and grew smaller.

“No wait, don’t leave,” she hissed. “You haven’t told me how to kill a stone ogre.”

Deal shrank to a speck of light and didn’t respond. Great. If the curse didn’t kill her surely trying to save her own life would do her in.

“Is that all?” she asked just as Deal’s light disappeared and she couldn’t see him anymore. She was pretty sure he was a guy.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The guards took her down a long stone corridor, up two flights of stairs and into a large room with drapes over the windows. The floors were white marble and the walls painted a sparkling gold. The room would probably be very bright if the floor-to-ceiling windows were exposed.

In the center of the room was a raised platform holding a large wooden throne-like chair and settee under a burgundy velvet canopy. The room was otherwise bare.

A woman who looked like an older version of Sasha’s mother sat on the throne. When she saw Sasha she rose and descended the three steps. Sasha stood and waited for the guards to drag her in front of the woman.

“Leave us,” the woman said. The guards left with no argument and Sasha wished they had stayed. Her legs felt like jelly and wobbled slightly when the men released her arms and left the room. Deep down she knew she wasn’t brave and her fear was vibrating on the surface. Her legs felt weak, sweat dotted her brow and there was a ringing in her ears distracting her from her task. She was facing death and had no clue how to save herself. The queen was the most powerful woman in the realm, maybe even in all worlds, and Sasha was going to battle her. The idea was so ridiculous Sasha almost laughed out loud. She felt a hysterical giggle rise up her throat and she swallowed desperate to smother it.

Sasha didn’t need introductions. The woman was obviously Queen Vania. Her black hair was pulled tight from her face and knotted at the nape of her neck. She wore a heavy dark green floor length velvet gown with pearls sewn into the bodice. She fit in with the medieval decor.

Sasha knew Tysseland wasn’t modern but until she saw the queen, she had no idea it dated back to the fifteenth century. The queen wore a golden crown encrusted with pearls on her head. She had heavy looking pearl earrings dangling from her earlobes and a pearl choker finished the ensemble. She was just like one of those evil Disney queens from the movies. For a second Sasha wondered if the queen was dressing up to scare her. The whole scenario seemed farfetched and out of a fairy tale. Then the queen spoke and Sasha knew she was for real.

“I never thought I’d meet you before you died,” the queen said circling around Sasha, inspecting her like she was a slave on the auction block. “How’s your mother?”

Her tone was pleasant, conversational. It was hard to see through her kind demeanor. Sasha wondered if the queen was using magic on her now.

“Are you mute?” She said this with a concerned tone. “Has something happened to your voice?”

Sasha felt compelled to answer even though in her head she was screaming to stay quiet.

“No,” she cleared her throat. “I’m not mute.”

“Well then, tell me about your mother,” the queen said, her voice now sounding a tad brittle. “Is she still married to that idiot Charles?”

Charles, who’s Charles? Deal mentioned Charles too. She frowned. Sasha’s father was Martin. She was going to have to ask her mother about this Charles guy if she ever survived.

“I don’t know a Charles,” she said, her thoughts becoming clearer as the queen’s voice turned nastier. Her grandmotherly façade was melting away and finally Sasha realized the queen couldn’t use magic on her because of the pendant. Maybe she was taken with her friendly greeting and needed her true self to come out to wake her up.

“That’s right,” she said with a sneer. “You came later.”

She was a making a point but Sasha didn’t get it.

“Did your mother tell you why I cursed you?”

Sasha shook her head.

“Have a seat,” she waved toward the settee. “It’s a long story.”

Sasha mounted the platform and gingerly sat down, staying alert.

“My husband died when Willow was a child,” the queen said. “He got sick and like that,” she snapped her fingers, “he was dead.”

A goblet full of red wine appeared in her hand as she talked. She took a sip and set it down on a small table that she conjured with a flurry of her hand.

“Willow was weak. She spent too much time with her father. His influence was too strong. I had to put a stop to it.”

What was she saying? Did she kill her husband?

“Willow was to inherit the throne but was too young so I stepped in until she was old enough,” she said taking another sip of her wine. She was portraying herself as this benevolent mother doing her daughter a favor. Sasha knew this was false. Don’t forget the curse, she reminded herself. Dominic said she was evil and not to get wrapped up in the tale she was spinning. Sasha gritted her teeth and tried to focus on her negative feelings. It was hard.

“She was still too much like her father. I had to toughen her up,” the queen leaned forward breathing into Sasha’s face. “Do you understand? She needed to be strong to have the throne. We have too many enemies. Everyone wants our wealth and power. We had to protect it at all costs.”

The queen glanced away from Sasha toward one of the windows. There was no view because the drapes shut out all light.

“She was getting too soft,” the queen’s voice dropped. Sasha had to strain to hear her. “Everything I did was for her.”

The queen shook her head, lost in her memories of her missing daughter.

“She didn’t appreciate it. Only two hours before she was to meet her match, the man who I had arranged for her to marry, she leaves. She packs her bags and leaves like as if she had free will.”

The queen’s voice rose as she stoked her anger.

“None of us have a choice. It’s duty and honor and keeping the land safe. You can’t do that if you roam the countryside seeking adventure. Life in the castle is an adventure, I assure you.”

The queen was animated, talking with force.

“I am not known for my compassion,” she said. “I take pride in that. Soft-hearted royalty aren’t royalty for long. I’ve been queen for 40 years. Nobody has held power that long.”

Sasha swore she saw the queen’s chest puff out with pride. Suddenly the queen seemed to remember Sasha was in the room.

“I was really hoping we’d do this in your world,” the queen said. “I had them video tape every attack. I was planning to send your mother the video every year on your birthday. Unfortunately, I’m sure you’ve noticed we don’t have a lot of modern technology here.”

Sasha laughed and couldn’t control her temper. “Did you keep copies of all your failures?

The queen showed no emotion. The woman was as tough as granite.

“It’s hard to get good help these days,” she said. “Hiring quality people from such a long distance is challenging. It’s not like I can supervise directly. I have a kingdom to run.”

“Ruin you mean, don’t you?”

Vania’s face froze. Sasha could tell she had scored some pain.

“I think I’m going to enjoy seeing you die.”

“You’re sick,” Sasha snapped.

“No, no. I assure you. I’m 100 per cent healthy.”

Sasha rolled her eyes. This woman was dense. Maybe she could work that to her advantage.

“This isn’t exactly a fair fight,” she said. “I can’t use my magic.”

Vania smiled.

“It’s my castle.”

She gave a big sigh, frustrated. They were just talking in circles and she hadn’t learned a thing.

“I can’t believe you are this petty,” Sasha said going on the offensive. Why not tell the truth? Maybe it would rattle the old bag of bones. “So my mother doesn’t show up to a party and you have a hissy fit? Is that the kind of parent you are?”

Sasha stood from the settee and took a step toward the seated queen hoping it would intimidate her.

“My mother would never force an unwanted marriage on me,” she said in an even tone. “My mother is strong. My mother is a lovely person who loves her family and doesn’t demand anything in return. You could learn a lot from her.”

The queen’s smile faltered slightly and then her expression hardened. She didn’t comment on Sasha’s speech.

“What do you want from me?” Sasha said frustrated. She wanted to find the talisman and get out of this hell hole.

The queen smiled widely.

“Take off the pendant,” she said.

The queen was crazy if she thought Sasha was going to kill herself.

“No.”

“You’re too much like your mother,” she snarled. “I can take it from you. I just thought we’d do it the easy way.”

Sasha shrugged as if she were bored with the insults and lame threats. She felt fear grip her belly but she knew she had to act tough. “Go ahead.”

Vania rose from throne, smoothed out the skirt of her ball gown and seemed to float over to Sasha.

The queen really was beautiful. It was a shame she was so evil.

Sasha stayed where she was standing. She wasn’t going to fight the queen over the pendant. The queen had guards all over the palace. It was silly to put up a physical fight. She was just hoping her mother had added an extra layer of protection.

The queen leaned over and touched the skin around Sasha’s neck. She seemed to be testing how close she could get to the pendant. When she felt comfortable, she gently touched the leather cord. When nothing happened, she got bolder and let her fingers skim the necklace until her fingers came into contact with the pendant.

Flames ignited and engulfed her hand. The queen screamed, tore her hand away and stumbled backward. She fell off the dais and landed on her rump on the cold marble floor. The flames looked hot and Sasha got a little bit of pleasure watching the skin on the queen’s hand bubble into blisters.

The queen moaned in agony. She conjured up a gust of cool blue air that enveloped her hand and smothered the fire. She froze the wind until her hand was encased in ice.

Sasha felt some glee and relief that her assumption about her mother was correct and that her pendant kicked ass. She felt so proud of her mother’s magic. She felt like gloating but judged it wasn’t the right time. She still wasn’t safe. The queen could throw her back in the dungeons until she figured out a way to get the pendant off her neck. Then she was a goner.

The queen got to her feet as she muttered a spell under her breath and the ice melted and the blistered red skin of her hand started healing. It took a while. Eventually the red skin faded to a pink and the blisters melted away. The queen protected her injured hand by tucking against her chest as if it were in a sling.

The door at the back of the room creaked open drawing the queen’s attention.

“I said I want no interruptions,” she screamed.

The queen swallowed the rest of her words as Evan walked into the room carrying a flaming red sword. Where did he get that?

Sasha was so relieved to see him, she gave a tiny wave. Evan nodded at her. He had bruising on his left cheek that appeared fresh. She made a run to him when she felt an arm slide around her neck. The queen hugged her close careful to avoid touching the pendant.

“We haven’t finished our visit dear granddaughter,” she said, not quite as confident as she was earlier. She dragged Sasha away from Evan. Sasha tried to break free but was unsuccessful. The queen was surprisingly strong for an older woman.

“I have to take care of this boy before we continue,” she growled.

Evan walked confidently toward them, swinging the sword casually as if it were part of his arm.

“I have some surprises for you,” he said with a broad smile.

The queen lifted her hand, murmured a spell and a green ball of energy materialized in her palm. She gave it directions and it zipped off at a fast clip. The ball flew toward Evan’s head and then darted away when he swung at it with his sword. Evan spun around, keeping an eye on the energy ball.

The energy ball wasn’t like the ones Nefar threw. This one was intelligent and had strategy and tactics. It was teasing Evan while also trying to strike him.

When it dove toward him, Evan hit it with the sword like it was ball pitched to a baseball batter. He swung hard connecting with the energy ball and directed back toward the queen. Surprised, the queen ducked to avoid the ball and lost her grip on Sasha. After tumbling to the floor, Sasha broke free and ran toward Evan. He was advancing on the queen and the energy ball.

“You people sure like magic,” he said with gusto as he approached the queen and stopped a few feet from Sasha. Where did he get all this fighting spirit? Last time Sasha saw him he was running for his life with guards in pursuit. The energy ball flew back at Evan much like a heat seeking missile trying to find its target. Evan ducked, spun around and then hit the energy ball again, directing it toward the queen.