The secret curse, p.10
The Secret Curse, page 10
I itched to step forward and reveal myself to them, to yell, “Take me home!” But I didn’t want to ruin the negotiations by causing a fight to break out—Koda would drag me back through the daleth in a heartbeat and the Jinn were more outmatched by these Vaade below than they realized.
I forced myself to wait until they asked for me.
Though I tried not to get my hopes up, I couldn’t quite help myself. I’m going home!
Up until now, the royal family had refused to meet with the Vaade, so Shem had likely had to fight for this meeting.
I wished there was a way to let them know I was here without alerting the warriors.
Maybe they’d attempt to bargain first, or maybe they’d decide to fight...
Either way, I’d be ready.
From the front line of the Vaade, an older man with long white hair and a wrinkled face took a few menacing steps toward them.
“The leader of the Vaade, the Dragon,” Koda murmured in my ear, and after a slight hesitation, he added, “My father.”
I bit my lip.
Something about him set me on edge.
Milcah lifted her chin at his approach, making those ridiculous feathers flare, but she didn’t flinch.
The Jinni guards, on the other hand, quickly raised their weapons higher.
A tense silence filled the woods.
The whistling of the wind through the trees was the only sound that reached us. Not even the crickets were chirping now.
Beside me, Koda leaned forward, as if he was preparing to forget about hiding and leap into the clearing.
But the Dragon surprised me—and the council as well, judging by their startled expressions—by smiling and spreading his hands wide. “We welcome you to this meeting of good faith,” he finally replied. “Despite your prince not bothering to show.”
My eyes narrowed.
Was he mocking the council? Were they about to die? Though I couldn’t think of anyone I liked less in the castle, without them I’d remain a hostage. I desperately hoped they’d ignore the slight.
Milcah’s lips curved in a matching smile, and though I couldn’t tell for sure from the distance, I could almost guarantee it didn’t reach her eyes. “We should be the ones welcoming you, since you’re on our land.”
I nearly groaned, running a hand across my brow.
Koda snorted softly beside me.
His fingers had noticeably loosened on my arm. I was tempted to try pulling away again. Unconsciously, I tensed, which immediately made him tighten his grip.
I sighed softly. Patience.
Milcah continued before the Dragon could react, voice laced with thinly-veiled annoyance. “We understand you’ve taken a hostage. We would like to negotiate her return along with a truce to cease all future attacks.”
Finally.
The first thing I’d do when I got home was take a long, hot bath, followed by a proper meal at a table with silverware and napkins. Nothing like the messy meals over a tiny fire with Koda. My mouth watered.
“You understand correctly,” the Dragon replied, managing to sound like he was speaking to a child. It made me wish I could see Milcah’s face more clearly. I allowed myself a tiny smile. “Tell your prince that in exchange for the female, I would like to use a Jinni enchantment to form a binding covenant between our people.”
My ears caught on the word covenant and the fact that he’d said it was a Jinni enchantment. It seemed significant.
Even from here, I caught the way Milcah shifted to glance at the others, but she spoke calmly. “This is a term we are unfamiliar with. Before we bring this message to him, would you care to elaborate?”
Though her tone would’ve raised the hair on my neck, the Dragon merely laughed. “I wouldn’t expect you to know it.”
I shook my head, holding in a soft laugh of my own. Milcah had met her match!
Turning, the Dragon waved a young Vaade woman in the group forward.
Koda tensed.
“What?” I hissed. “What is it? Are they going to attack?”
“No,” Koda snapped, forgetting to be quiet, though the murmurs below hid his voice. His orange and yellow eyes glowed with fury.
The Dragon placed his hands on the woman’s shoulders, drawing her forward, toward the Jinn. From here, I couldn’t see the details in her face, but she looked young and pretty, with long dark hair split into two thick braids and a colorful patterned shawl over her shoulders. She stared at the ground between the Vaade and the Jinn.
“Then what?” I asked louder when Koda didn’t answer.
Lips pressed together in a silent snarl, he didn’t take his eyes off the clearing, but finally he muttered, “That’s my sister.”
That didn’t clear anything up for me.
“A covenant between our people would mean an end to the fighting between us,” the Dragon declared, cutting off my questions. His word choice made me want to scoff. The only ones attacking were the Vaade. “We would not only agree to terms of peace, but if this covenant is put into place, both our people would be magically bound by it.” His words struck me as funny as I remembered Koda’s words the day I’d met him. We don’t want peace.
“For this to be possible,” the Dragon was saying, “the covenant will be completed in physical form through the unity of my daughter, Tehya, and your prince.” He paused, and enunciated clearly as he clarified, “In marriage.”
Cold shock flushed through my whole body.
The council members gaped at him.
His daughter’s arms were crossed tight as she glared at the Jinn, and her sleeveless deerskin dress revealed tensed muscles almost as large as Koda’s.
The Dragon raised a hand to grip his daughter’s shoulder, holding it for a long moment until she dropped her gaze. Her chest rose and fell rapidly in heavy breaths.
Tell them, I mentally urged Milcah, the council, or even the Jinni guards—someone—to speak up. She can’t marry him because the prince is already engaged.
But they didn’t.
“This is your bargain?” Laban spoke up for the first time instead, studying the tall girl standing beside the Vaade leader. “Would you perhaps consider—”
“I will consider nothing else,” the Dragon said with a note of finality.
Laban drew a long breath, looking to the women. When they nodded, he turned back. “We will bring your request to the royal family. Wait here.”
He, Milcah, and Jerusha disappeared.
How far they had to travel to reach the prince, I didn’t know, but a long minute passed, then another, and the Vaade stood tense and silent across from the Jinni Guard. Both groups glared at each other. Tehya yanked her multi-colored shawl back over her shoulders. The Dragon gave her a quelling look.
I barely noticed any of it.
My heart pounded so loudly in my ears, I doubted I would’ve heard them if they had spoken. Slowly, I registered the fact that Koda was speaking. It seemed almost under his breath.
“What?” I tried to snap, but it came out as a whisper. I couldn’t focus on him. My eyes drifted back to the clearing, waiting for the council to return and say, Absolutely not. The prince refuses your request.
Shem would refuse.
But if he did, the Vaade would have no more reason to keep me alive...
I shivered, blinking rapidly, trying to clear my head.
“Breathe.” Koda’s voice finally reached me.
I sucked in a deep breath. Then another. My hands trembled. Wrapping my free arm around my ribs, I gripped the layers of my ragged dress hard to hide the weakness. But with Koda holding my other arm, he no doubt felt it.
I slowly became aware of the way his other fist clenched and unclenched, as if around someone’s throat.
“It won’t happen,” he assured me without sparing a glance in my direction. Louder, he added, “My father is a fool.”
The Dragon’s head slowly swiveled to face us.
I paled.
Koda didn’t flinch under his father’s stern gaze, but he also didn’t say anything further.
When Milcah, Jerusha, and Laban reappeared, the Dragon turned back to face them as if no time had passed. He waited patiently.
“We will need to see the hostage to verify her safety before we can give you our answer,” Milcah said.
The Dragon didn’t hesitate. “Not possible.”
I whipped my gaze to Koda’s. He knew we were here! He’d seen us.
Koda never took his eyes off the group below.
“Well then, perhaps we can meet again tomorrow, and you can bring her—”
“No.”
Milcah paused, speechless for once, then tried again. “I’m afraid that—”
“You brought someone with the Gift of truth, did you not?” the Dragon interrupted in a bored tone.
My eyes widened. How did he know the Jinni Guard always used a Jinni with that Gift in negotiations? He seemed to have quite a bit more information on the Jinn than King Jubal realized.
“We happen to have someone here with that Gift,” Milcah gritted out the words.
“Then you’ll know I tell the truth when I say our hostage is alive and unharmed. And I will give you no opportunity to steal our bargaining piece.” The Dragon crossed his arms, face unchanging as he added, “Either the prince accepts the covenant, or the Jinni girl dies.”
Though it was hard to judge Milcah’s expression from here, she seemed to pale. Subtly she glanced at Laban, who hid his responding nod by stepping forward to speak, placing his hands on Milcah and Jerusha’s arms. “We’ll confer with the prince.”
They vanished again without another word.
It was time to make a move.
As soon as they returned, I’d travel directly behind Milcah and yell, “Run!” It’d have to be timed perfectly.
I drew a deep breath, tensing.
Koda responded immediately, shifting on his feet, almost as if planting himself.
He’s worried I’m going to travel with him again. I held back a snort. As if I’d take him with me.
Taking slow, steady breaths, I did my best to seem calm as I prepared for the Jinn to return.
The second Milcah’s face appeared, I tried to travel.
Nothing happened.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
Tugging on my arm, I strained my Gift to its limits, struggling to get away from Koda both physically and magically.
He wrapped his arms around me, holding me firmly in place.
I opened my mouth to scream.
Heavy fingers clamped down over my mouth and nose, muffling my shrieks. Multiple Vaade from the group glanced toward us, all quickly returning their gaze to the Jinn as soon as they saw me and Koda.
The Jinn, thanks to their pathetic, normal hearing, were too far away to hear a thing.
“Be still,” Koda snarled in my ear. “My father would happily kill you in an instant along with all your friends. You’ll only give him the opportunity.”
I slowly lost the fight in me as I absorbed his words. But it was the way the Dragon tilted his head in our direction, while at the same time letting his hand casually land on the wicked long sword at his waist, that finally stopped me.
I sagged back against Koda.
He didn’t remove his hand.
In a strange way, I was thankful he took away my choice, since part of me still wanted to risk it.
“The prince...” Jerusha was saying below, pausing to clear her throat, “has decided to consider your request. He asks for a fortnight to negotiate the details of this covenant with you and gain a better understanding of the full enchantment. If all is as it appears—and as long as your hostage remains unharmed—he will accept your offer. We’ll meet again tomorrow to begin discussions.”
Without another word, the entire Jinni party vanished.
I barely noticed the way Tehya cried out in frustration or Koda’s hiss of breath beside me.
Instead, I replayed Jerusha’s words over and over, piecing them together, searching for a hidden meaning. Shem had decided to consider their request.
Shem couldn’t possibly want this.
He was equally trapped.
Wasn’t he?
If he said no, he couldn’t guarantee my safety. So he’d made my wellbeing a requirement for his participation. Logically it made sense, but... he’d still agreed.
I mentally curled inward, allowing Koda to pull me along by the elbow back toward the daleth, stumbling frequently, uncaring.
Focusing on my breathing, I tried to make it even out.
Hurt weighed down my bones, making me sluggish.
Shem didn’t have a choice.
I imagined him struggling with this decision—how he’d pace the length of his council room, staring at the bookshelves, as if they held answers to yet another impossible dilemma. His options were to let me go—which he’d never do—or refuse, knowing the Vaade would go on attacking our people, after killing me. But maybe he’d seen a third option...
He asks for a fortnight to negotiate the details, Jerusha had said.
Two weeks was a long time. Negotiations could easily go sideways. I read between the lines, hope rising. Shem had said they must gain a better understanding of the full enchantment. I sucked in my first deep breath since the meeting took place. He was going to look beneath the surface of the enchantment for a loophole. That’s his plan.
Drawing a deep breath, I nodded to myself. He’d find a reason to back out, but he’d had to say yes for now to keep me safe. His agreement was only a way to stall and search for a weakness while he came up with a plan. He always put his people first. He was doing this for them.
He didn’t want to abandon me. He just couldn’t help it.
Either way, though, he wasn’t here. Even as his betrothed, I was powerless.
Alone.
When I pulled my attention back to the present, the Dragon, Tehya, and his warriors, all holding torches high, were approaching fast.
Up close, rage contorted the girl’s face, but even then, I could tell she was gorgeous. Glossy brown hair framed her perfect, heart-shaped face with honey-colored skin, full lips, and thick brows. Her cheeks were flushed dark red. Shem would probably think she was beautiful.
Her feelings clearly didn’t matter. If the Dragon continued to lead the negotiations, then this covenant—this marriage—would happen.
I winced.
There were still Jerusha’s final words to consider: if all is as it appears—meaning if Shem couldn’t prove the Vaade had some ulterior motives for this truce—he will accept your condition.
“The filthy Jinn aren’t worthy of marriage!” Tehya protested as we approached.
No answer.
“I want to marry Akeena!” she yelled next, though it continued to land on deaf ears.
The Dragon’s voice interrupted my examination of her. “What is it doing here?”
My eyes snapped back to him and widened.
In our last encounter, I’d been unable to see him through the blindfold. Now I took in his long white hair and wrinkled face in the torchlight—the way his mouth turned down made him almost seem to have jowls. His fierce, dark eyes with flecks of fire reminded me of his son’s. Unlike Koda, though, his eyes were deeper set, almost buried in the folds that came with age, but if possible, they were even more piercing. Though he wasn’t taller than the other Vaade, he somehow loomed over us. His glare made me shiver.
“You were supposed to leave it in the smokehouse.”
I tensed.
“No time,” Koda lied. “And good thing, too, since you were able to use it against their truthsayer. If we hadn’t been here, negotiations would’ve failed.”
He was a quick thinker.
The Dragon’s face didn’t change. I couldn’t tell if he was pleased with Koda or furious. Without a single glance in my direction or his daughter’s, he waved everyone toward the glowing daleth a short distance ahead.
In my anguish, I hadn’t been thinking logically. I should’ve shifted and fought Koda one-on-one while I had the chance.
Now, not only did Koda’s firm grip somehow anchor me, but we were also surrounded by over two-dozen burly Vaade warriors. Beneath the white paint streaked across their faces, they were all scowling, itching for a fight. If I became a Lacklore, two dozen swords would run me through. If I became a tiny flea, they’d smell me out and crush me. No matter how many possibilities I considered, there wasn’t a single scenario where I could win.
I glanced longingly over my shoulder for any Jinn who might’ve remained behind on Shem’s orders, but the forest around us was empty.
Of course it was. I sighed. They hadn’t known I was here.
When we reached the daleth, I reluctantly allowed Koda to lead me through.
11
“HOW DARE YOU GIVE me away like a prize horse?” Tehya’s voice rang out through the otherwise quiet forest as she and her father stepped through the portal a minute later, followed by the remaining Vaade warriors.
Her father’s only response was to turn to the last two coming through the daleth. “Close and seal it.” With a dark look in Koda’s direction, he added to them, “Wait until we’re gone. I don’t want it”—he gestured in my direction—“to see.”
They nodded.
The Dragon then extinguished his torch and gestured for the others to do the same. He probably didn’t want me to see the way back to camp either. As if I cared.
I could easily shift my vision back to spite him, if I was willing to waste the energy.
Licking my lips, I imagined shifting into an actual dragon and attacking him from behind. He was the reason all of this was happening.
As my muscles tensed, Koda’s fingers tightened on my arm in response.
I tried to think, but I was distracted by the way the Dragon’s daughter continued to berate her father so freely in front of his men. And also by the warm, muscled arm that brushed against mine as Koda led me through the forest.
When Tehya ran out of steam, the Dragon finally replied in a calm but firm tone, “We’ll speak later.” She took another breath, and he spoke over whatever she planned to say, adding sharply, “In private.”
