The Dreamer's Curse (Book 2) (2 page)

“One year’s worth of pelts, at your discretion and
choosing,” he offered without a second of hesitation.

Ooooh, spiffy. What a good price. That would save her a lot
of money. “Alright.” She hit the armrests with both hands and levered herself
nimbly to her feet. “I’ll take the job.”

Decker’s eyes closed in relief. “Thank you,” he said
huskily.

“Don’t thank me yet,” she warned cheerfully. “I’ve never
heard of anything like this and I have no idea if I can help at all. But yours
is the first good challenge I’ve heard yet this year, so I’ll tackle it. Hmmm.
But if we’re going to Chastain, I’ll need to pack a few things and make some
preparations.” She’d have to send a note to Kip telling where she was headed
(he threw fits if she didn’t warn him), lock up her storerooms to prevent
anything from spoiling, get the skimmer out, pack enough food for two people
and a wolf to get north—wait, come to think of it…. “Did you ride here?”

“Yes.” Decker stood as well, adjusting the bow to ride over
his shoulder again. “I left Roki in the village, as I wasn’t sure if I’d be
able to see you today or not.”

“Go get him,” she ordered. “We’re not going to travel by
land, but by skimmer. Pick up any supplies you want to travel with while you’re
in the village. I have a few loose ends to tidy up and some packing to do, but
I think we can leave in about two hours.”

Decker actually smiled at her, teeth flashing white in his
tanned skin. “You’re willing to leave today?”

“Oh, on this sort of thing, I don’t give curses time to
create more havoc. Leaves more of a mess to clean up.” She shooed him out,
following as he left the room.

As she stepped into the hallway, Big whispered,
Caller.

“Caller?” Oh, right, she’d left it in the research room.
“Who is it?”

Decker and the wolf seemed unnerved by this bodiless voice
and were craning their necks around, frantically trying to identify the source.

Pierpoint
.

Oh? Pierpoint only called her with magical questions or
impossible requests. Sevana headed for the Caller, having just enough pity to
explain over her shoulder, “The voice belongs to the mountain. He’s sentient.”

Decker snapped around, eyes wide, but said, “Oh,” as if he
had expected that answer. She placed a bet with herself that she’d make him
crack before long.

By the time she reached the Caller, it had already assumed
Pierpoint’s features and was pacing agitatedly back and forth across the small
tabletop’s surface. When she stepped inside, the Caller abruptly stopped, and
Pierpoint’s tiny voice said, “
Finally! Sevana, do you know anything about
the village of Chastain’s curse?”

She froze in midstep. “I just learned of it. But how did you
hear of it?”

“Well, the thing is, there’s a little girl here in the
palace that’s from that village. She told me some fantastical tale about waking
up in the library here, of all places. She also says that you’re working on
breaking the curse.”

Sevana felt a chill go up her spine. Lockbright Palace sat a
good hundred miles away from Chastain Village. To be transported that far.…
“Wait a minute, Pierpoint.” Ducking back outside, she called, “DECKER!”

It took a few seconds, but he rounded the corner and gave
her a look askance. “Yes?”

“You’ll need to hear this,” she told him grimly, waving him
to come inside. “Pierpoint, this is Decker, a hunter from Chastain Village. He
just hired me on for the job of breaking the curse. Decker, this is Pierpoint,
the court magician at Lockbright.” Meeting Decker’s eyes, she added, “He’s
calling here because a little girl from your village was found in the palace
library today.”

“
What?!”
Decker dove for the Caller before abruptly
checking himself, apparently realizing that grabbing the Caller would do no
good. Instead he hovered, arms half-stretched toward the white figurine on the
table. “Who?”

“She said her name is Clari. Clari Hanh.”

Sevana watched with interest as the color just drained from
Decker’s face, leaving him looking a remarkable shade of pale yellow. “Someone
you know?”

“My niece,” he responded hoarsely, putting a shaking hand
over his eyes. “Sir, tell me she’s alright.”

“Oh, she’s fine. We found her an hour ago in the library,
sitting on top of a stack of books with another open in front of her.
Apparently she had every intention of finding someone and telling them what was
going on, but the pretty books distracted her.”
Pierpoint chuckled in rich
amusement.
“Quite the little girl, your niece. She’s now having a grand time
with Princess Hana, I understand, having an outdoor tea party while I figure
out the situation.”

“Sitting on top of books,” Decker repeated in a mutter. His
hand dropped, the color returning to his skin as his terror faded. “Why am I
not surprised…wait, she’s with the princess?”

“Hana’s a sensible sort,” Sevana assured him absently, as
her mind spun in a different direction entirely. “She’s from Milby, actually,
and I trust her more with a child than the rest of the palace put together.
Pierpoint, did you take any sort of magical reading on her?”

“I did, first thing. That’s what made me believe that she
wasn’t just spinning tales. The magical signature on her…I’ve never seen the
likes of this, Sevana. I’ve never even heard a legend that described something
like this. Just what is going on?”

“I don’t know, not yet. I haven’t even had a chance to get
to the village yet and do an inspection.” And why, why didn’t she have a portal
anywhere in that area? The border area to the north had a lot of poorer
villages, none of them rich enough to afford her clocks. Maybe she should cut
them a good price, just to get one or two in that area…not that it really
mattered at this particular juncture. She still had a wolf, horse, and a hunter
to transport with her. “Pierpoint, sit on the girl. I’ll be there in two days
to get her. And be a friend—take daily readings on her for me.”

“I most certainly will. You do realize that as soon as
you get here, King Aren and Prince Bellomi will want to talk about the
situation.”

“Yes, yes,” she flapped her hands at him. “Shoo. I’ll be
there as soon as I can.”

“I’ll tell them.”
He turned to Decker and said
kindly,
“Your niece will be well taken care of until you come for her, Master
Decker. I promise you. And she’s truly well—there’s not a bruise on her. In
fact, she’s having the time of her life here. Do not worry for her.”

Decker gave the man a deep bow. “I am in your debt, sir.
Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it. But do be prepared to speak to the
king and prince when you come. They will want the full tale from you.”

“I will.”

“Good. Sevana—I suggest hurrying.”

“I suggest going away so I can pack,” she responded mock-sweetly.

Pierpoint gave a snort, but the Caller fell back into its
seated position, becoming a faceless figurine again.

Sevana shortened her mental list of tasks and said to
Decker, “We leave in one hour.”

The man didn’t even attempt to argue, he just nodded, worry
and relief clashing on his face, spun, and sprinted out the door, his wolf at
his heels.

Sevana followed at a similar pace. “Big! Get the skimmer
out!”

A hundred miles.
A hundred miles
. No spell, curse or
magical artifact that Sevana knew of could do that kind of magic without some
serious repercussions. Doing such a thing would leave quite the aftermath in
its wake, showing in the land itself—or at least it should. Decker had
described it as a curse.

Sevana knew better. It was a disaster of epic proportions
waiting to happen.

Sevana sat at the front of the skimmer, guiding it along as
they travelled east over Windamere, and even though her back was to her
passengers, she could feel Decker’s eyes studying her intently. He’d likely heard
some fairly fantastic rumors about her, most of them contradictory. Kip would
sometimes regale her with the more outlandish ones that he heard while
travelling. But she wasn’t the monstrous woman that the rumors painted her to
be. She really didn’t look like some overpowering woman, just a slender blonde
with a pretty face and a no-nonsense attitude. Because she didn’t care for
frippery of any sort, she dressed like a man, with trousers, long sleeve shirt,
vest and boots. For Windamere culture, this style of hers was odd but most
didn't dare to comment on it.

Most probably didn’t care for her brisk manner of dealing
with people, but Decker hadn’t complained about it. He seemed thankful for her
quick reaction, but it clearly also worried him. She reacted to this curse as
more than a job, more than a challenge, but a real threat that she wanted to
subdue as quickly as possible. Judging from that intent stare, he likely
wondered what she knew or had guessed but hadn’t shared with him.

He didn’t try to ask questions as they had loaded on board
her ‘skimmer.’ He did pause and give it a long study before approaching it,
though. For him, it probably looked oddly familiar but strange all at once. It looked
like a barge with railing on all sides, a wall of wooden cabinets in the back,
and angled, billowing sails out at the sides. It had taken considerable coaxing
to get Roki on board and even now the stallion looked about with wide eyes,
feet braced on the decking.  She’d given them both an amused smirk at their
caution (which Decker hadn’t all appreciated).  Well, since they were high up
in the sky, with a good five or six hundred feet between them and solid ground,
he had cause for that unease. He himself sat in the middle of the skimmer, well
away from the sides, with Gid at his side. (The wolf didn’t care for this
height any more than the stallion did.)

At one point, she turned and gave them a glance, smirk
lifting the corners of her mouth. “Nervous bunch, aren’t you?”

Yes, and you’re enjoying our discomfort,
his
expression said. But the words he spoke were, “How safe is this…vessel,
Artifactor Warran?”

“Perfectly safe unless lightning strikes us or we’re caught
up in some major storm.”

He relaxed a tad.

“Although I did crash it once,” she added, almost as an
afterthought.

He froze again. Licking dry lips, he ventured, “Do I want to
know how that happened?”

“Probably not.” Her smirk became an outright evil smile.

He gulped, lifted his eyes to the heavens, and crossed his
fingers from mouth to heart in a quick prayer.

With his prayer winging its way to heaven, he inquired, “Do
you mind if I ask some questions?”

“It’s going to be a long trip if you don’t talk.”

Encouraged, he pointed at the grandfather clock tied
securely to the very back of the deck. “Why the clock?”

“It’s a magical portal.” She turned her eyes back toward the
sky and the land, shooting off another stream of clouds. “It will connect back
to Big. I didn’t want to pack up my research room or laboratory, but I have a
feeling I’ll need access to both.”

Decker turned and gave it closer scrutiny. “The way you
reacted to my description of the curse makes me think that this is more
dangerous than we’d assumed.”

The humor on her face faded, mouth flattening into a grim
line. “Yes. It is certainly that. Decker, I’m no historian and I don’t pretend
to be, but my Master is. He told me that there’s only a handful of documented
cases where large transportation spells were used. And those were from the days
of great magic, not from recent times.”

“Then this curse….”

“Isn’t normal by any stretch. I also highly doubt it’s a
curse. I rather think that it’s a spell, or an inscribed incantation, or even
an abandoned artifact that your village has somehow activated.” She shook her
head, unhappy at her own conjectures. “The power level alone necessary to
transport anyone
a hundred miles
is mind boggling.”

“It worries you?”

“No, it scares the light right out of me,” she confessed
bluntly. “Power like that can destroy a whole landscape, a nation even.”

Swallowing hard, he repeated the prayer gesture. “Which do
you think it really is?”

“An artifact,” she responded instantly. “But I’m not jumping
to conclusions until I get there and can properly investigate. Now, let’s put
your time to proper use.” She jerked a thumb at the cabinets in the very back.
“There’s quill, ink and paper in there. Draw me a map of your village, and
include every detail. I want to know if there are any ruins nearby, where the
underground streams are, if there are any deposits of minerals, any ancient
trees,
all of it
.”

He obediently fetched everything, and although he didn’t
have the best artistic skills, he sat on the deck and drew everything out
carefully. This proved slightly tricky as the wind kept ruffling the paper, so
that he had to draw with one hand and hold it down with the other.

“Mark where everyone lives, too,” she added.

As he drew, he asked, “Can you put up some sort of magic
that will prevent people being taken away?”

“I have to figure out what’s causing it first. Magic doesn’t
just counter magic because the castor wants it to. We have to know what’s causing
something to counter it.”

He glanced up at her. “Then you have no way of knowing how
long this will take to solve, either.”

“Not the slightest clue.” She shrugged, as this didn’t
bother her. “But I can do some damage control when I arrive. I can put locating
charms on everyone so that I can easily fetch them, and even put shield charms
on them to prevent them from being hurt. If we really do have someone that
dreams of being in the ocean, the shield charm will keep them from drowning
until I can get to them.”

He let out a breath of relief, a taut line of tension
bleeding out of his shoulders. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear
that.”

“Oh, I might.” She gave him a quick look over her shoulder,
eyes trying to see everything in an instant. “Hunters are also the protectors
of a village because of their skills with weapons.”

She left unsaid, W
hich is why you look worn out
.
Truly, he was and couldn’t feign otherwise. It didn’t take a genius to guess
why, either. Aside from running all around the countryside fetching friends and
family home again, he’d been half-afraid to sleep himself for fear that he too
would fall to the curse. After all, who guards the guardians?

Over the next day and a half, she quizzed him on anything
and everything related to the village. The map that he drew for her gave her a preliminary
sense of the lay of the land, as well as the village layout, but she knew she
wouldn’t get a good grasp of everything until she stood looking at it with her
own eyes. While she thought on things, she had him write out a rough timeline
as well, listing every major event that he could think of that had happened
within the past five months. Everything from births to renovations of the
village to major weather storms that had passed through. Decker at first
couldn’t think of much, but as his mind turned to it, things occurred to him
and the timeline gradually grew from a half page to four full pages of cramped
words.

Sevana glanced over both map and timeline as she navigated
their way to Lockbright. Nothing leaped out at her—no odd events, major storms,
or anything suspicious had happened. She could see well now why the magicians
Decker had consulted with had advised hiring an Artifactor. It would take one
to see past this seemingly ordinary course of events of village life.

The fact that interested her greatly was that the hunters
didn’t all live outside of the village’s boundaries. She’d assumed they must,
simply because they were the only ones unaffected. But two of them lived in the
village itself and two of them lived well outside of it.

Curioser and curioser.

She could hardly dwell on the mystery and safely navigate at
the same time. (A fact she had learned painfully well the first and only time
she had crashed the skimmer.) So she set the papers aside with only an errant
glance here and there until they settled on a clear patch of lawn in the palace
courtyard.

The skimmer moved slow enough, and attracted enough
attention, that they had a greeting party outside one of the side doors by the
time they landed with a solid
thump
. Sevana had a bet going on with
herself on who would manage to escape the confines of the skimmer
first—stallion aside, Decker and Gid could easily jump the railing and abandon
ship. She put her mental money down on the wolf getting out first.

They’d no sooner touched earth when Gid hopped to his feet,
and with a quick lunge, cleared the railing, landing lightly on the manicured
lawn. Decker looked after the wolf with longing eyes, clearly wanting to do the
same thing, but he restrained himself and dutifully led his stallion clear
first.

Sevana chuckled under her breath. Yes, good, she knew Decker
wouldn’t abandon his poor horse on the skimmer. So now that she’d won that bet,
what would she do? Hmmm, perhaps buy that rather expensive book she’d had her
eye on? Yes, that sounded like a fine plan.

As she skipped off the deck, a little girl of about ten flew
out of the palace, black hair trailing along in the air, arms outstretched. She
didn’t look a thing like her uncle, with that slightly upturned nose and clear
blue eyes, and Sevana knew very well that the pink ruffled dress she had on
must have been a gift from Hana. No way a village girl could afford to wear
something like
that
.  

“Uncle Deck!”

Decker took two long strides to her, before catching her
with a grunt. “Clari,” he said with a long sigh of relief.

She hugged him around the neck for a brief second before
drawing back and saying with animated excitement, “Uncle Deck, I’ve had
so
much fun
! Princess Hana and Prince Bel let me read whatever book I wanted
to, and I’ve had tea parties with them, and I even danced with the king last
night, and they let me play Captured Princess in the tower and sleep in a
biiiig—” her arms stretched out to either side as far as she could reach
“—princess bed with a canopy and everything.”

He gave her a wry smile. “Well, I’m glad you had fun,
sweets. How many books did you end up reading?”

“I lost count,” she confided in a loud whisper.

Shaking her head, Sevana walked past the reunion, heading up
the small staircase where Bel, Hana, Aren and Pierpoint stood waiting. Bel
surprised her by walking down the three steps and meeting her partway. Then he
surprised her again when he wrapped both arms around her waist and lifted her
off her feet in a strong, affectionate hug.

“Sevana,” his deep voice said against her ear. “I missed
you.”

Beyond flustered at this totally bizarre greeting, she put
both hands against his shoulders and tried to push him away. “Bel! Sweet mercy,
put me down.”

Laughing, he did just that, eyes crinkled at the corners.
He’d grown another inch since she’d seen him last, and filled out a tad more,
looking more adult than teenager. With enough application of some hot irons and
thumb screws, she might be willing to admit aloud that she enjoyed seeing him,
too, especially so hale and hearty. But for now, she gave him a suspicious look
and edged away.

Her expression didn’t deter anyone, as Hana followed her
husband’s example and also swooped down the stairs and gave her a warm hug.
“Despite what you might think, Sevana,” the princess pulled back enough to give
her a smile, “we
do
miss you. We even like being around you.”

Sevana fended her off. “What is this? Some sort of hugging
disease going around the capital?”

“Nothing of the sort,” King Aren assured her, stepping around
his son. He extended a hand, smile warm but also wry. “Sevana.”

Grateful for a more normal greeting, she clasped his arm in
turn with a firm grip. “Aren,” she said with a nod. The arm under hers was firm
and steady, nothing like the shakiness or thinness he’d had after his curse
broke. He didn’t look like an animated skeleton anymore either. He had flesh in
his cheeks, a hint of sun on his skin, and the clothes he wore fit right
instead of hanging off of him. Seeing him steadily recuperate from ten years of
being a somewhat invalid relieved her.

There was a distinct silence behind her. She reclaimed her
hand and turned, gesturing Decker forward. “Well come on, man, you can
introduce yourself.”

Decker shot her an anxious look, head shaking minutely. He
obviously did
not
want to speak directly with royalty if he could help
it.