The Queen's Curse (15 page)

Puzzled
, she stood up, not wanting to wake her, and gathered her damp clothes to put them on again over her sleeveless shirt; the only garniture which had remained dry in the protection of the saddlebag. She didn’t bring an extra uniform; therefore the wet, mud and blood stained tunic had to do for now, until she could wash it in a river or lake. She examined the mail skirt closely and came to the conclusion she could not mend it right now; she lacked the tools to repair the broken metal rings.
It didn’t do me much good anyway.
The hole was not that big; only a couple of rings were scattered, but she felt reluctant to put the heavy thing on again. Foolish or not, she put it away in her bag.

When she glimpsed at the serene face of the
queen, she felt even worse. She had to kill her own freaking uncle because I was shot down! And now … who knows what will happen when she returns to Ceartas without a counter spell for the curse for killing him. Most likely she will be punished, even if she is the Queen of Ceartas! If she is not even allowed to travel without a guard unpunished, what will the penalty be for murder, even if it was in self-defence! And she remembered that she had mentioned no one ever got a trial when breaking a law; there was always a penalty and the queen would be no exception.

Murder meant death, period.
Gods no.

Now you know what you have to do
…
a voice spoke in her head, her own or … Mabel’s? She wasn’t sure, but yes, one thing she knew: there was no turning back without a spell, or not only her brother would die but her queen as well, and with her death the hope of a decent future for Ceartas would certainly be lost.

Absentmindedly she went outside to tend to her mare Fiosa and prepare breakfast. When she stared in those big brown mirrors of eyes she saw herself reflected; her blonde hair fussed and tangled. She started to brush her hair and th
en tug it into one hightail at the back of her head. She could not get rid of the taste of blood, however, and she wondered if everything in her body was properly healed. Well, she reckoned, for she didn’t feel any pain other than morning stiffness and her rumbling stomach.

It was a clear brisk morning and dusk drew in. The first signs of the rising sun appeared; a marvellous yellow and bright pink glow illuminated the slow drifting clouds. It was almost a leftover of what she had seen. She had had spiritual moments like this before; usually sunrise or sunset does something to a person and you feel one and there is no room for thoughts.

And she remembered the feeling she had felt on the other side; it had been a similar experience. She took a deep breath; it felt exquisite.

This is life, my destiny.
And she thought about the things she had learned in the Afterworld; not so different from what she initially had known when she was a child. Before the confusion started. From now on she promised she would embrace life again. Now that she knew her father was still there, and Mabel, and not gone or lost; only clouded from her view for a little while longer, but present somewhere …

We will meet again, love
…
She looked at the fierce red sun showing itself above the treetops and the clouds.
Is that where souls live?
She regained strength and courage, if not for herself, then for her brother and the queen.
Others need my help and I won’t fail again. We cannot afford that.

The
queen noticed soon that her bodyguard had gone outside and joined her shortly after. They spoke softly and both avoided the past events’ issues. What was there to say? She surely had a lot more to tell, and Artride was curious; but remained composed.
The shock of the experience might still come.

Tirsa found it kind and began to respect the
queen more with every day for her ways, trying to forget the vague rest. She still didn’t know if she was completely honest with her, but then again why would she be? Tirsa was just her bodyguard and a queen didn’t need to explain everything to her. She had just hoped she would have told her about this uncle and his bodyguard, and well … no she should have been on her guard anyway; protecting the life of her queen, so it would not have made much difference. Maybe she had already said more than she had to anyone, and Tirsa should feel honoured for that fact alone. But still …

A bodyguard wasn’t supposed to question a
queen, but she was Tirsa Lathabris first of all, and she just had to see through her mask and look at the true person behind the queen. And what she had seen so far seemed sincere, so she did not think about it anymore, for now.

When they broke up their camp, Artride started to glance around; clearly feeling uneasy. They walked to a nearby green hill to feel the sun on their skin. She still gazed around.

‘What is it, my L … Artride?’

She turned to face her and answered quietly, ‘I was hoping to thank the White Lady who helped us… you
–’

‘Why would you want to see her? You can thank her in your heart; that’s what I did.’

‘But she was not a spirit, she was real you know,’ Artride said dubiously.

What is real?
Tirsa stared at the young queen whose hair waved in the soft breeze and shone healthily, almost had a crimson glow to it, in the rising morning sun. The sun was really bright by now and she squeezed her eyes to mere slits; emerald now like they were in the brightness of the sun, to stare at the queen. Something stirred in her, something she thought she would never feel again. It was like a reawakening all over again; it hit her, starting with a warmth around her heart, making its way down her body.
She is so real; more than flesh and blood, more than spirit, more than Mab–
Ruefully, Tirsa clenched her hands into fists and her nails dug in her palms until they bled. Artride did not realise Tirsa was staring at her, for she had her eyes fixed on something. Tirsa followed her gaze and saw a white cloud, or rather plume of smoke, change into a large transparent white- clothed woman walking towards them; smiling kindly and wise at the same time.

Artride lost her grace for a moment and ran to meet
the woman, but walked right through her. ‘Oh–’

The White Lady turned daintily and smiled. ‘It’s the thought that counts.’

‘I do not understand; yesterday I could feel your hand on my shoulder.’

‘Yesterday all things were different. Now is today.’

‘Not to me; I will never forget what you did for Tirsa, name your prize, Lady and I will see if it is in my power to give it.’

‘Dear Artride, be careful with your promises.’ She shook her head ruefully. ‘It is sad that indeed there is a prize.’ And she stared at Tirsa who didn’t know what to do, but was stepping a little closer.

‘I see you have recovered, dear.’

She recognised her voice. She noticed her hair shone so white, it was like the moon itself.

‘I have. Are you … a spirit?’

‘We are all spirit underneath our shells, you of all should know now, but do not be bothered with how I appear. That is of no importance.’

‘What’s your name?’ she asked curiously, and Artride felt stupid for not having asked the same simple question.

‘They who worship me call me Roalda, but names are irrelevant. You can consider me a guide.’

‘The queen told me. I want to thank you, Roalda.’

‘You have got yourself to thank; you wanted to come back. I merely reminded you.’ And she locked onto her pretty eyes
, shining so lively. ‘You are a brave young woman with a lot of potential. Your will and love for others is stronger than your own will to remain; that takes courage.’

Tirsa nodded gravely and touched her chest. ‘The wound
…’

‘The laws of nature are slightly different here. But magic exists everywhere, as does love and hope. That was enough for me, really. I just helped a little.’ And she winked in conspiracy with one eye.

‘Still I am grateful, what is it you want in return?’

What happened to giving without wanting something in return?

‘Your help. I know you two are here to ask the sorceress for some spell.’

‘How do you know this?’ Artride promptly asked, agape.

‘I have been watching you since you got here and overheard some conversations. I understand it is of great importance for you to find her.’

‘Everything depends upon it. Do you know where this sorceress lives?’

‘Of course. She has been ruling this country for centuries, and I am still waiting to guide her to the Other Side.’

‘You want us to kill her?’ Tirsa bluntly asked, sensing Roalda’s discomfort.

Roalda gave a hearty chuckle; a little cynical. ‘If it only could be that simple. You must never forget she is a very powerful magician, even if she doesn’t use her powers the right way; or so to speak, nature’s way. She goes in against everything nature stands for. I despise her for that. But my resentment doesn’t matter; it is for love of my country I want to guide her out of this world.’

‘But you cannot?’ Artride asked.

Her form flickered a little, from anger or sadness or perhaps both.

‘She is too strong for me. I cannot come near her.’

‘What exactly do you know about her? If she is that powerful, do you think she can make a counter spell for a curse this powerful, and do you think she would do?’ Artride asked.

‘What I know is this
: she outwits every sorcerer who has tried to bestow her or anyone asking help from her for that matter. She knows many spells and curses; but sadly enough, all for her own benefit and to torture others.’

‘Torture? What kind of sorceress is she that she doesn’t help others?’ Tirsa incredulously asked.

Roalda let go a heavy sigh. ‘There are many types of magician, my dear and she is one of the selfish type.’

Artride and Tirsa exchanged a sad look of understanding.

‘She is evil?’ Artride asked her.

‘It is not for me to judge her.’

‘Then what are our chances?’

‘I honestly cannot say, Artride. I have never met her;
I have only heard stories from the Silent Folk that are terrified of her, and I have seen the signs.’

‘
What kind of stories?’ Tirsa asked curiously.

‘But if you want us to kill her
–’ Artride interrupted.

‘Hold on, ladies. I want you to find out a way to reach her for the spell you need most of all. I know it will be very hard to take her life, but if you are able to
… do not hesitate.’

‘So it’s her life in exchange for mine?’

‘No, Tirsa, I know it must seem that way. I would have asked this from you even so. You will probably have the best chance to do so.’

‘But you said you can’t come near her; why is that?’ Artride asked.

Roalda’s white hair was caught by the wind and blew around her face and shoulders gently. ‘I shall explain.’ And she glanced around. ‘This part of Dochas is not under her spell, yet, but many parts are. Her domain is not far from here, though. We can reach the border by midday. She owns more than half of Dochas; from the first snow-capped mountain range west, all the way to the sea; but her presence can be felt in the whole country really. In her domain, however, everything is twice as dangerous, so I have heard. The border is spell-protected and for me it is not possible to penetrate. For humans it sometimes works. She must want it that way.’

‘I did not know this much
,’ Artride reflected idly.

‘I shall tell you more while we travel, come.’

‘Thank you, for we indeed have little time, lives are at stake.’

‘Well you shall need all the time you can get in there, for she will have her ways to try you out and take her time with you two.’

‘She can try!’ Tirsa hotly remarked and grabbed the pommel of the saddle, hauling herself onto the horse’s back. Artride looked proudly at her companion and when she met Roalda’s eyes she smiled thankfully at her.

The blond
e woman extended a hand at her queen and helped her up on her horse to be seated behind her.

‘I’ll lead you
,’ Roalda said, and started floating before them quite fast.

They stared
incredulously at her, and Tirsa dug her heels softly into her horse’s sides as they trotted after her.

~ ~ ~

The remainder of the morning they headed for the domain of the sorceress while Roalda told them everything they needed to know. The gentle terrain slowly gave way to sharp inclines and deep gullies with scattered trees dotting the landscape. Artride held on to Tirsa tightly by her hips to avoid falling off the horse.

‘You should be warned that there is peril and no one has ever met her and made it back alive. There are lots of stories, rumours. One of
them being she is human, but resents her own kind and so will probably do anything to keep you out of her domain.’

‘But if she’s human how can she still be alive after centuries?’ asked Tirsa.

‘One explanation is that she must have found a way to stretch her lifespan; one other spell against nature.’