Blood Curse (Branded Trilogy Book 2) (17 page)

“It says in the spell book that a Chuvani’s blood is the most powerful,” Emine said.

“We mean to steal your powers,” Amara said and giggled.

“But I am not the Chuvani. I do not possess those powers.”

“You are of lineage,” said Emine.

“Yes, but the power—the magick was Vadoma’s. I do not have it.” She glanced at Sorina beside her. The woman looked confused, and guilt seeped into Pril’s pores for deceiving her friend.

“Vadoma is dead. Your blood is blessed.”

“Still you think drinking my blood is the key?”

The sisters nodded.

She sighed. “How were you going to obtain my blood after I was burned?”

Amara smiled.

“Oh, you were not to be burned until we bled you out.”

“Bled me out?”

“Yes, sliced your wrists and allowed the blood to flow freely from you.”

She shuddered.

Pias’s daughters were twelve when Pril and her brothers had left the Renoldi clan. Four years had passed, and the playful sisters had grown into their father’s image. Treason and supremacy reflected in their eyes and in their carefree statures.

“I am sorry but I cannot offer you my blood, nor am I willing to die for you,” she said.

The sisters gazed at one another, and Amara smiled.

“As you wish,” she said, tilting her head to the side.

A high-pitched shriek blew from Emine’s mouth as she threw herself at Pril, knocking her backward and onto the ground. Long fingernails swiped at her face. Not quick enough to dodge the razor sharp talons, they sliced into her neck and chin. Her flesh howled, and she ignored the pain. No time to wipe the blood trickling down her neck, she brought her elbow up and rammed it into Emine’s nose. The other woman yelped and brought her hands up to cover herself.

Pril took the opportunity and kicked Pias’s daughter from her. She planted her palms into the earth, pushed up with her arms at the same time her legs kicked out and landed on her feet. Galius had taught her the move when thrown to the ground. Hands out, legs slightly parted she waited for Emine to come at her again. She heard Amara and Sorina, but didn’t dare take her eyes from the icy sister.

Emine ran her forearm along her nose, smearing the blood across her mouth and cheeks. Her top lip curled, and she hissed, showing bloodstained teeth.

Pril waited. Every muscle in her body vibrated as she tried to anticipate the girl’s next move. Emine stepped to the right and gave Pril a cutting glare. Pointed nails slashed at the air. She hissed again, dipped her head and charged straight for Pril.

She clenched her hands into tight fists, refusing to move. She waited until Emine was a foot from her and swung. She connected with the girl’s chin but instead of being dazed she came back for more. Pril landed another blow to the girl’s nose, and more blood poured from it.

Emine shrieked. Her chin tilted and eyes squinted, showing a wicked side to the homely-faced girl. She went for Pril, grabbed her hair and tossed her to the ground. Pril brought her hands up to protect her face as the young girl scratched up her arms and neck.

She needed to finish this, to find a way out from underneath the possessed girl. Her arms stung with each swipe of Emine’s nails. Pril rolled, taking Pias’s daughter with her. The girl struggled free and leapt into the air at the same time Pril kicked her left leg out, catching the side of her face, just below the jaw. A loud crack echoed in the darkness, and Pril opened her eyes to see Emine lying a few feet from her unconscious.

She scrambled to her feet and ran toward Sorina when an arrow flew past and rooted into Amara’s chest. The young girl leaned backward. Her eyes grew wide and round, and her hands shook as she went for the arrow lodged in her breast. As she turned toward Pril, her green eyes watered, and her mouth worked. One tear slid down her pale cheek, and Pril felt remorse for the girl she’d known, but not the evil woman she’d become.

Amara reached out a trembling hand to her, and she went to take a step toward the girl when Kade touched her arm.

She stared back at him, and he shook his head.

“Let her die, Sister,” Galius said as he walked through the trees and into the small clearing. It was his arrow that had struck the girl. Not a scratch on him, Galius stood tall and wide. His black pants scuffed with dirt and his white shirt marked with blood, he was a threat most took serious and steered clear of but not her. She loved him with her whole heart.

She ran to her brother and was relieved when his thick arms encircled her tiny frame. He was her protector always had been and always will be. She felt safe with him.

He shifted her back so he could gaze down at her. Her face had seen better days, and after Pias and Emine, she was sure to have a few scars.

“I have taught you well,” Galius said and smiled.

“Indeed, Brother.”

Kade helped Sorina stand. Her friend had welts around her neck from Amara.

“We must go,” Galius said, “The Renoldis will gather and will want our blood.”

“The horses are beyond the trees,” whispered Sorina, and Pril figured her throat was sore from the strangling.

She went to the boy, picked him up and was surprised to see Kade when she turned around.

“I’ll take him,” he said, his lips turned upward into a half smile.

She nodded and handed the boy to him. The wanting returned inside her soul, and she yearned for Tsura. Her heart wept for her daughter, and she prayed Pias hadn’t met the Monroes yet, and her baby still lived.

The sun peeked over the mountains, throwing bright rays across the land. Pril tipped her head and felt the warmth kiss her cheeks. She was exhausted. They rode through the night, stopping only once to water the horses and then carry on.

She leaned in, laid her head on Athos neck and inhaled. She hadn’t expected Galius to have her prized horse waiting for them when they left the Renoldis. She glanced at Kade; her brother had brought his Goliath as well. She’d forgotten how kind he was, and how much she missed him since leaving her clan weeks before.

There had been no time for conversation, and she longed to have counsel with her brother. Was he healthy? How were his wounds? She watched him, hunched shoulders and taut back. He was not yet healed from the attack a few weeks before. She’d ask to have a look once they found somewhere safe to make camp.

Her own shoulders suffered from the sleepless nights and the encounter with Pias and his daughters. She’d smothered the cuts on her skin with beeswax to help heal them, but it didn’t take the sting or ache from her bones.

Her uncle had her daughter and was taking her to the Monroes. Silas had the pendant, and she couldn’t figure out how the eldest of the three brothers held the heirloom to her family. Had Vadoma given it to him? Had he stolen it? She didn’t know. She worried he knew what the pendant meant and what it could do if used by the right person.

“We will rest in the forest for a few hours,” Kade said beside her and shifted the sleeping boy in his arms.

“We will rest when I say,” Galius spoke, and she didn’t miss the challenge in her brother’s voice.

“We are all tired, Brother. An hour or two within the forest walls would be welcome,” she said.

Kade’s bruised face smirked, and Galius scowled at him.

“I can see I am no longer in charge of your well-being,” he said.

“I control myself, Brother.”

“It stands to reason to take shelter there, does it not?” Kade said with his usual arrogance.

“Reason?” Galius spoke. “What reason had you captured by Pias and the Renoldis?”

Kade’s jaw flexed, and she walked Athos in between them.

“There is no fault to be laid here, Brother.”

“I cast blame upon the man who was to be your protector,” he growled.

“Do you know your sister at all, dear Galius?” Kade asked.

“I know my sister better than anyone.” He stopped his horse a few feet before they entered the forest and turned in his saddle to face Kade. “Do not think otherwise.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

Galius’ arms tightened, and she watched as his nostrils flared.

“Do not speak as if I am not here,” she said.

“Stay out of this, Gypsy.”

“My sister has a name, and you chose to call her what she is instead? You have not been given that right.”

“I don’t give a damn about rights, is that not obvious to you?”

“How often has that landed you in trouble?”

“Not often enough,” Kade said and flashed his teeth in a wide smile.

Sorina climbed down from her horse and walked into the forest.

“Where are you going?” Galius commanded.

“To find a suitable spot to rest,” she said without turning.

“I have not commanded it.”

She turned, and Pril was taken aback when she saw the flash of fire within her friend’s blue eyes.

“I do not care.”

She kicked Athos sides and followed Sorina.

“Gypsy?”

“Yes?”

“What do you think you are doing?”

“Have you no ears?” she asked.

“I do, but I have not said it’s so.”

She smiled and fixed her gaze on her brother and Kade.

“I take orders from no one. So you two may stay here as long as you see fit. However, Sorina and I have grown tired of your bickering and seek rest.”

She clicked her tongue, and Athos followed Sorina into the forest, leaving Kade and Galius behind.

Pril leaned into the fire and yawned. She welcomed the heat to chase the tiredness from her bones. She glanced at Kade laying to her left, eyes closed and curled up tight into a blanket. He’d kept watch earlier while Pril and the others had slept. He’d been exhausted, eyelids half closed, dark circles shadowed his skin, and his sentences had become incoherent. He didn’t argue when she’d told him to rest while she and the others kept watch. She figured he was asleep before his head hit his saddle.

A lock of blond hair lay clumsily across his forehead and cheek, stopping at the crease where his lips met. She thumbed the hem of her skirt to keep from tucking the errant hair back with the others and touching his bruised skin.

She was grateful for all of his help in searching for Tsura. She was sure he’d rather be on his vessel sailing far away from her. Instead he’d stuck by her side, through wolves, peculiar villagers and the Renoldis. He’d proven his loyalty, and other than her brother, he was the only man she’d ever trusted.

She hadn’t known Pias would be involved with the Monroes, or in the search for her daughter. She sighed. She’d been naive to think Milosh and the Monroes were their only threat. Galius had warned her about the Renoldis. She’d ignored him and the danger they held. She’d been a fool, and the error could cost her Tsura’s life.

Sorina sat across from her and rocked the boy in her arms. Her friend was growing fond of the child. It’d taken most of the day for the Witch’s berry to wear off, and she wondered what kind of dose Pias had given him.

If she had the spell book she’d be able to create a tonic to counteract with the plant and flush it from his body, but lack of skills and knowledge forced her to wait for the berry to fade from him.

Galius had gone deep into the forest to hunt their dinner, and she was on watch until he returned. She placed her hand on top of the quiver and bow lying next to her. Three arrows were left. Galius had pulled the spears from their victims, the blood and flesh still stuck to the wood.

She stole another glance at Kade. She should release him of his obligations. With Galius here there was no need for his presence, and she was sure he’d be much happier back on his ship. Her belly tightened, and she tucked her bottom lip in between her teeth. Sadness wrapped around her like a warm blanket. She brought her knees to her chest and hugged them. She would miss Kade Walker, and that was unsettling.

Pril used Galius’ knife to carve out an arrow. She’d been working for hours to sculpt the long piece of poplar and create a smooth exterior. She ran the blade along the wood, shaving off small bits until she was satisfied with the result. She didn’t have the time, or the tools, to fashion the ends with metal and flint. So she shaped the wood into pointed spikes instead.

Galius turned the hare roasting over the fire. Her stomach rumbled as the meat sizzled. He had remained to himself after their confrontation earlier, and she worried about how she’d tell him Milosh was gone. Would he blame her for their brother’s death? She dipped her head to hide the remorse swimming within her eyes. She didn’t know if she could face his disappointment.

She glanced at Sorina. Her friend hadn’t spoke more than a few words to her since escaping the Renoldis. Unease settled in her stomach. She leaned forward to relieve the pressure and the anxiety building within her.

“He is so small,” Sorina said as she motioned toward the boy drawing in the dirt with Kade. “What is his name?”

“I do not know. He does not speak our tongue.” She didn’t think it was necessary to tell Sorina of her suspicions about the boy and his understanding of their language until she knew for sure.

“I see. What will you do with him once we find Tsura?”

“I have grown fond of him. I would hope he’d want to stay with us.”

Galius stopped turning the spit to gape at her.

“He is without family, Brother. I see no reason why he cannot join our clan,” she said.

“What is his background? Where did you find him?”

Galius’ questions infuriated her. The boy was just a child, an innocent like Tsura, and yet his motives were still questioned.

“He was beaten bloody in one of the villages west of here. They locked him in a closet in their brothel,” Kade answered.

Galius went back to turning the spit. She watched as his shoulders flexed, and his chest heaved. She wondered how Sorina convinced her brother to take her with him. He was not one who could easily be swayed.

“How did you come to be with Galius on this journey?”

“I followed.” She shrugged. “He wasn’t yet healed, but he was determined to find you. I refused him when he asked me to go.”

“Thank you for not allowing him to go alone.”

“I did not find him until two nights ago outside of the Renoldi camp.”

“You are resilient, and I am indebted to you for your kindness.”

She’d always known her friend had eyes for her brother and was delighted to see her take charge of the situation.

Silence settled over their meager camp, and she waited sensing Sorina had something else to say.

“You are of Vadoma the great enchantress.”

She couldn’t lie to her friend any longer. She’d been the only person who hadn’t judged her or questioned Tsura’s lineage.

“I am.”

“And Tsura is her daughter.”

“Yes.”

Galius coughed, Sorina faced him, and Pril was shocked to see the glare he cast upon the woman.

Sorina held her lips shut and stared at the ground. All gypsies knew of the mighty Vadoma. She’d cast herself in such bad light that news of her evil doings spread like wildfire to each gypsy clan. When the Monroes set out to hunt and kill any gypsy girl after Vadoma’s death they didn’t factor in age, slaying any child under three.

“My sister was killed. My mother died saving her,” she murmured, and Pril had to lean in to hear her. “I watched them. I saw it. I…I could do nothing.” She wiped a tear from her cheek. “I still have nightmares.”

“My dear friend, please know how very sorry I am for your loss.”

Sorina watched her from across the fire. The blue in her eyes darkened.

“Apologies will not bring them back.”

Pril hung her head. “No, they will not.”

Kade stopped playing with the boy to listen.

“My sister, Sabella, has remained silent. She has not spoken a single word since the deaths of our family.”

She wished there was something she could say or do to ease the pain she heard in Sorina’s voice. She went to her and sat down beside her.

“If I could take your agony please know that I would.” She touched her hand.

“All this time I’ve lived with the very child they hunted. The cursed one.”

Pril stiffened.

Galius paused rotating the hare.

“Tsura is not cursed,” she said.

Sorina pulled her hand from Pril’s and stood.

“What would you call it then?”

“I would not call it cursed.”

Sorina’s eyes went flat all emotion gone within them.

“She is what they say. Cursed, spawn, evil.”

“Sorina,” Galius warned.

“My daughter is none of those things.”

“She is not your daughter. She is Vadoma’s spawn.” The words spewed from Sorina’s mouth like poison, and Pril felt the insult splash onto her soul.

“Tsura is just as much my daughter as if I’d bore her myself.”

The woman she’d known, the friend she loved as a sister had betrayed her, and she understood why. She wanted to weep for the loss, beg Sorina to rethink her position, but knew she never would. How could she? If it were Pril she’d behave the same way.

Sorina had lost her family to the Monroes and their hate—to the damn blood curse Vadoma had placed. She was like so many who’d been destroyed by her sister’s evil doings, and there wasn’t a thing Pril could do to fix it. She couldn’t change the past and make them see Tsura held no malice within her tiny body. She was a little girl who did not choose this life. She did not pick Vadoma as her mother, and she sure as hell didn’t want people to die because of it.

“You should’ve let them kill her,” Sorina hissed.

Pril’s heart slammed into her rib cage, not prepared for Sorina’s cold words. Fury flooded her senses, and her face heated.

“Those are cruel accusations,” Kade said.

“Cruel is the truth I’ve faced. The death I’ve seen. It is the betrayal from the very people I loved,” Sorina said.

“We did not betray you to hurt you, Sorina,” Galius said as he removed the hare from the fire to lie on a nearby rock.

“No, you did it to save the devil’s brood.”

“That is enough!” Pril shouted.

“If I had a child with evil in her heart, one that caused so many deaths, I’d not think twice before ending her life.”

“Then you are not who I thought you to be.”

Sorina snapped her head up to glare at Pril.