Too Many Curses (28 page)

"Get back where you belong," commanded Nessy.

The smoldering red flames in Tiama's eyes erupted, consuming her face. The skin melted away to reveal a shapeless
thing, a skull made of ash and smoke. She spoke and gouts of multicolored fire exploded from her maw.

"Is that all you have?"

She laughed, but this hideous chuckle possessed a quality Nessy had yet to see from the wizardess: fear. And the shadows, the many horrid facets of the castle's malign soul, all wore the same ghastly terror upon their perverted countenances.

Nessy frowned. There was a time for patience and there was a time for discipline. She'd had enough. She bared her teeth in a snarl and growled. It was the exact growl, stern yet calm, that her mother had used with her as a disobedient pup.

"Get back."

The tide of phantoms ebbed. Some were more stubborn than others, but all slunk back into the welcoming blackness behind the Door's threshold. All but Tiama, the last and most resolute portion of the castle's evil. She took a single step forward. Her veil of humanity fell away. She was nothing but red sand, black smoke and white fire. She stretched a gnarled, crimson claw against Nessy's shining light. The fingers smoldered, but she pushed forward with an agonized howl.

One touch. That was all it would take. From behind the threshold, the phantoms encouraged her with a chorus of shrieks. Her inhuman body broke apart, reformed, and broke apart again and again. But she pushed on, and when she was a mere inch from that fatal caress, a grin spread across her ashen visage.

A single demonic firefly rocketed from around the corner and hurled herself into the wizardess's hand. The claw disintegrated, and Tiama stumbled back. She clutched the burning stump. It reformed into warped talons.

Another firefly landed on Nessy's nose. "Remember your promise."

Nessy nodded, and the demon chuckled.

Her swarm poured down the corridor, hundreds of flaming insects launched into Tiama. Each blast tore away pieces of her skeletal body, but she reformed almost as quickly. Still, every blow pushed her back a little, and soon she was on the edge of the threshold. The flames in her eyes had all but died away, but she held onto the jamb with tight, knotted fingers.

The last firefly atop Nessy's nose shrugged her wings. "That's all I have."

If Tiama was to return, then all the pieces of the castle's soul must go with her. Even the good. The Blue Paladin strode forward. He paused, waved good-bye, took Tiama's wasted form in his two gauntlets and, as she wailed in protest, dragged her across the threshold.

Nessy and the others ran to the Door and tried to throw it shut. She almost succeeded, but her glow had faded. The shadows were still pushing back. The nurgax and Mister Bones added their muscle, but it still wasn't enough. The Door slid open half an inch. Slivers of shadow struggled to wedge it further.

Sir Thedeus jumped from Nessy's shoulders and braced
his tiny body against further advance. "Come on, lads. Put yer backs into it!"

Nessy's aura was nearly gone, and without that, their might wasn't up to the task.

A shaggy beast lumbered around the corner. It was ten feet of coarse, green fur with a great toothy mouth, three gray eyes, and a strange hat atop its flat head. The creature snatched up the iron bar and shoved the Door closed with one hand. Its nostrils flared in a wet snort as it dropped the bar into place.

Instantly, all was quiet. Nessy sat on the floor, finding she was too exhausted to stand. The last of her glow faded from her hands, but a hint of azure light glinted in her eyes. It would never quite go away.

She glanced up at the tall, wide beast, and she recognized his three silver eyes, and his funny hat that wasn't a hat at all. It was her cot.

"Thank you."

The monster under her bed shrugged. "No problem."

The Door At The End Of The Hall heaved a very long, very disappointed sigh.

The hard work of the next few days consumed all of Nessy's attention. There was much to be done. Added to all her normal responsibilities, which had not vanished simply because Margle had died, was the trail of chaos left in Tiama's wake. The now-inanimate armors needed to be repaired and returned to the armory, which needed to be dusted and cleaned. Gnick's devotion to his silver gnome duty had lessened, and she was only too glad to help him in that monumental task.

Gnick checked an empty helmet for any signs of lingering life. "Hello? Anyone in there?" He twice rapped his knuckles on its shiny surface before stacking it on the cart. "I don't know if we'll ever get them all back together."

"We will. Eventually." She studied a spear, its tip red with encrusted blood, her very own blood. She decided to keep that one for herself. As a memento. Another she handed
to a throng of dust pixies. The little sprites scrambled off to the armory, leaving tiny tracks of dirt. She ignored that. One task at a time.

The nurgax raised its head curiously. That meant Echo was here.

"The wedding's about to start."

Nessy had nearly forgotten, which was proof of just how busy she'd been. She set down a shield on a pile of them and asked Gnick if he were coming. He mumbled something about being too busy and hating weddings anyway, and she left him to his work.

The castle didn't have a proper chapel, but arrangements were made in the observatory. It was a little out of the way, but a lovely place for the ceremony. One of the few rooms with sunshine, and Ivy had managed to sprout a rainbow of colorful roses along the walls. It was positively beautiful. There weren't any chairs, so everyone sat on the floor. Only a small selection of the castle's residents were here, as the observatory wasn't very big, but the toad prince and doll princess had wanted an intimate affair.

Nessy slipped past a ghost and a snake to sit at an open spot between Yazpib the Magnificent and Fortune.

"I thought you might be late," whispered Yazpib.

"Are ye an idiot?" Sir Thedeus flew down from somewhere to land on the kobold's shoulder. "Nessy's never late."

She glanced to the bride and groom bathed in the golden light of the afternoon. The prince wore a little crown
upon his head, and the princess a veil Nessy had knitted for her.

"I love weddings," said Echo.

"Watching weddings wills me to wanton weeping," agreed Olivia the owl, who'd forsaken her day's rest to attend the event.

"This'll never work," said Yazpib. "My brother's curses won't break so easily."

The presiding fern shook his leaves, and the ceremony began.

"I wrote the ceremony," said Echo.

"Love is like a flower," started the fern. "When watered by the fountain of tenderness and sunned by the light of giving and nurtured by the dirt of an open heart . . ."

Sir Thedeus repressed a chuckle by clearing his throat. "Beautiful, lass. Just beautiful."

"Let the leaves of your love shelter you from the cold rain of discontent," continued the fern.

Sir Thedeus buried a snort, but when the priest warned of the lumberjack of jealousy, the bat only managed to hold back his fit of laughter by digging his fangs into his lip. The ceremony was short, which greatly pleased Nessy, who still had much to do. The fern pronounced the prince and princess married under the laws of heaven and earth, and they leaned in for their kiss.

"It's not going to work," said Yazpib again.

And it didn't. For one brief moment, there was a pause of disappointment from the audience, but the moment
passed. Their congratulatory cheers filled the observatory. Sir Thedeus whooped and flew somersaults in the air. The nurgax, full of the spirit of the occasion, danced about with surprising grace while gleefully whistling. Even Nessy threw back her head and unleashed a joyful howl.

The rag doll threw her small bouquet into the crowd. Olivia soared through the air to catch it in her talons. She circled the room.

Morton the mouse gazed up at her. "She'd make a beautiful bride."

Nessy smiled. Perhaps another wedding was on the way.

"I told you it wouldn't work," said Yazpib.

Sir Thedeus landed atop Nessy's shoulder. "Congratulations, laddie. Ye were finally right about something."

Nessy stood.

Fortune stretched. "Where are you going?"

"I've things to do."

"But you'll miss the reception," said Dodger from between Nessy's feet.

"I really don't have the time." She took a step but something snagged her. The nurgax held her by the sleeve.

"I shouldn't."

Sir Thedeus shook his head. "Ye should. If anyone's earned a bit o' fun, lassie, it's ye."

The crowd fell quiet again. The toad prince hopped forward. "We'd be honored by your attendance."

"Yes, Nessy," agreed the doll princess. "Please, come."

The nurgax whined playfully and slapped its wet tongue across Nessy's face.

Her mind ran through her list of chores. There was nothing terribly pressing, nothing that couldn't wait until morning. Though it was against her nature to put things off, she supposed that if the castle hadn't fallen apart after the last few days, it would stand for one more wasted night.

"Well, perhaps half an hour."

The gathering cheered.

The reception was a gala affair. Everyone who could show up did, and there was much rejoicing and celebration. There was dancing and food, and Nessy had had absolutely nothing to do with any of it. For once, she was allowed to simply enjoy herself without worrying about keeping things in order. The experience was strange, but not in an unpleasant way. She even shared a dance with Sir Thedeus, although he did complain that she led. There wasn't much he could do about it though, considering his feet didn't even reach the floor.

It went late into the night, but Nessy decided to retire early from the celebration. She excused herself from the party, and she, the nurgax, and Sir Thedeus headed for her bedroom. They stopped only briefly at the kitchen to bid its residents good night.

Mister Bones had willingly shackled himself back where he belonged, and Decapitated Dan had a new place by the sink. The mad skull rested comfortably on a cushion Nessy had supplied him. He'd almost destroyed the world, true,
but in the end he'd proven helpful. He'd earned a comfortable pillow at the very least. On the table, in a small glass jar, a demon firefly buzzed. She was just one of many such fireflies scattered throughout the castle. The demon wasn't free, but at least she wasn't alone anymore.

"Pleasant dreams," she said.

"Yes, yes," agreed Dan. "Only the sweetest dreams for the sweetest girl."

The demon and the skull shared a wicked chuckle.

"I dunna know if'tis such a good idea to leave those two together," observed Sir Thedeus.

Good sense told Nessy much the same, but she'd given her word, which was very important to her. If her castle was to become something worthwhile, she had to set a good example.

Her castle.

The thought made her smile every time. The blue light twinkled in her eyes. Of course, it wasn't only her castle anymore. It belonged to everyone who called it home. In that way at least, their curses were a little lessened.

The castle had already changed in many small ways. Its torches burned brighter, its air was fresher, and its rumblings and creakings less ominous. Even The Door At The End Of The Hall remained in its place.

"Nessy, lass, I've been thinking," said Sir Thedeus. "I canna help but wonder about Margle. Are ye sure he's well and truly dead?"

"I don't really know."

"And the castle's soul. How can we be certain some of it dinna slip out when we were closing the Door? I'm almost positive I saw something creeping away into the darkness after. And even if I only imagined it, I dunna think it farfetched that there are still other evil magics creeping about these halls."

"It's possible," she agreed.

"And our curses. We've yet to break a single one."

"We will."

Nessy pushed open the guest room door. It'd taken some time, but she'd finally made the room livable. Specks of jabberwock paste remained here and there, and an odor lingered, but that could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, she was finally going to sleep in her new room. The gray-eyed monster had already moved in. His shaggy, green bulk hid beneath the darkness under the bed. It was an impossible fit, but no less so than his previous home.

Nessy leaned the spear that had killed her in a corner and plumped up a thick pillow beside the fireplace for the nurgax. It sat without being told. She petted it for a while until its purring stopped and it fell asleep.

The monster under the bed fidgeted and shifted, grumbled and grunted.

"Comfortable yet?" she asked.

His three eyes glared from the shadows. "It took me years to get settled in properly under that cot."

"At least this bed is bigger."

"Too big. The cot was cozy. A nice, snug fit."

"You're welcome to go back there."

He snorted. "I'll get used to it."

A clatter arose from the hallway. A gray fog floated through the door, dropping stones and pebbles onto the floor.

"The gorgon haze," said Sir Thedeus. "Curse me for a fool, I'd forgotten about that."

She hadn't. She plucked a pouch from her belt, poured the powder into her hand, and blew. The white frost enveloped and devoured the haze within moments. It even turned the stones back into air.

She muttered softly and levitated herself onto the bed. She could've just hopped up, but she liked to practice whenever she could. Magic seemed a little easier every day.

"So many problems." Sir Thedeus asked, "How can ye not be worried, lass?"

She placed him on the pillow beside her. "Get some sleep. We've a busy day tomorrow."

He laid down his head, and soon he, too, was fast asleep. He'd been more tired than he'd wanted to admit. As for herself, she wasn't quite as tired as she'd first thought.

"Nessy?" asked the monster under her bed.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to do some reading tonight?"

"Not tonight."

He sighed.

She said, "But I do know a story. I'll tell it to you tomorrow, if you like."