The Living Curse

Chapter Five: An Unexpected Encounter





Nameh paced the room; she already had the two daggers in her belt, along with her sword. Her hair was pulled back and twisted in a tight, white knot behind her head. She could almost feel her Shask burning in anticipation through her thick, but light boots. As Guardians, both of the girls had amulets around their necks that allowed them to remain unseen to those ignorant to the magical world. These were the last remnants of the magic that had been used by Guardians in ancient times. They were responsible for “Destroying all non-compliant Children of the Spark.”, as their text books stated. Children of the Spark were listed as “All creatures, non-human, that were created when a powerful warlock had unleashed a terrible spell upon the world, in the form of a massive, powerful spark, centuries ago.” Delightfully vague about the magic involved, she had always thought.

Finally, Mira emerged from the bathroom, clutching the clothes she had been wearing a few minutes earlier. She was also dressed in the silver ornamented black leather, but where her friend had bare arms, she had sleeves down to just above her elbow. Nameh snatched the clothes from her grasp and tossed them on the bed without a second thought.

“Let’s go.” she said impatiently. She placed the stones in her friend’s belt pouch, and saw Mira’s eyes scan the mark that was emblazoned on them.

“Marked stones?” she questioned, seeming to fear the answer.

“They’ll protect you, like my mark protects me. They’re just until we get you one of your own.” she said carefully. She saw her friend’s expression tighten at the mention of receiving her mark. She knew that her friend was still uncertain.

“Why don’t we do it tonight.” she said as a statement, not a question. These words shocked Nameh, as her friend had been doing more often than made her comfortable lately.

“Mira, are you sure you still want to? A lot comes with the Shask…” she trailed off.

“I know, I’ve read the books. They bring pain, and the oaths you must take first bind you to the Vine’s teachings forever.” she paused. “But they also protect you, they allow you to protect other people too. My parents wanted me to protect people.”

Nameh was silent for a moment; her friend’s eyes had slid to the floor, focusing on an unseen object. “Your parents wanted you to be a Guardian, and you’ve done that. You owe them nothing else; do this only if it’s what you want.”

Mira’s face was pensive for a moment, as if she were remembering her childhood and her parents. “You know I’ve always wanted magic. I’m ready.” she said sternly.

The bravery her friend possessed sometimes surprised her. Almost proudly, she placed her hand on her shoulder and said, “After the battle then” and turned to leave. Mira followed her back through the corridors. She saw her friend flinch from the corner of her eye as they entered the large room. There were hundreds of people, and she was worried that they would be questioned on why they were armed at this hour, clearly not headed for class.

“Relax,” she whispered in an amused tone, “did you think that I would just waltz through the front door without a shield?” She heard her friend make a small noise of surprise behind her.

“You mean they can’t see us? You used magic?” she seemed impressed and excited, but still unfamiliar with her friend freely using spells.

“Actually, I borrowed Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak.” she said sarcastically, “Of course I used magic.” After her flippant comment, Mira was silent as they weaved through the crowd of people to the doors. They waited for someone to exit, and tailed them closely, not wanting anyone to witness phantom doors opening by themselves.

When they stepped into the quiet street, the cold air hit her in a wave, erasing her feeling of being trapped like sand carried by the wind. The pair leaned against the brick wall that was the front of the school, lost in thought. Finally, Nameh broke the silence, “So, what’ll it be? You’re the ‘guest’, so it’s your choice. Are you in the mood for vampires? Werewolves, maybe, or faeries?” her tone was playful, but her question was serious.

“Why don’t we start off with something that doesn’t run the risk of either of us becoming cursed.” she said in an equally light tone.

“A wise choice, I suppose. In the Brooklyn area, that leaves” she ticked them off on her fingers, “faeries, pixies, dryads, and nymphs.” she paused, “But those are hardly worth a fight. Then there are harpies, hobgoblins, and blackdragons.”

“You would know every creature available to kill in Brooklyn. But I hardly thought you’d consider a hobgoblin a good fight.” she said, almost disappointed in her friend.

“One hobgoblin, no. But you never find just one hobgoblin, you get a whole drove of them.” she said, that hungry smile spreading across her usually innocent face. Mira laughed at her eagerness, and wrinkled her forehead with thought.

“I think I’m in the mood for a dragon.” she said finally.

“If only we could pick a restaurant this quickly,” she joked, “that usually takes us at least fifteen minutes.” She led the way down into the subway tunnels, where they jumped the turnstile and boarded the nearly empty train, being careful not to bump any passengers that couldn’t see them. As they sat on the rumbling train, Nameh turned to her friend, “You’re in luck, I just happen to know where a blackdragon nest is.”

“Of course you do.” she said, trying to sound less disapproving than she was.

“I just hope no one has cleaned it out yet.” she said, “any found in the city are fair game because they’re all vicious.” she said with a smile. She saw the playfully judgmental look that her friend shot her, and retorted, “What, I can’t be happy that they’re fair game?” she said with a shrug.

“It’s just that most people don’t smile like that after they’ve said, ‘they’re all vicious’.” she said.

“I’m not most people.” she answered definitively.

“Did you think that I’ve just noticed this?” she said, raising her eyebrows. The two girls laughed, then fell silent. A few moments passed, and Mira turned to look at her, “God, I just realized how crazy this really is.” she said with a smile that told her she didn’t mind that much.

“Like I tell you all the time,” she said, “how many experiences would you not have if it weren’t for me?” she said with a grin.

“A lot, probably as many as the number of scars that I wouldn’t have.” Nameh’s eyes came to rest on an advertisement pasted on the wall of the subway. It described an upcoming movie, one that she would likely never see. Vampires and werewolves stood facing off from either corner in a standoff of sorts. She always laughed at human interpretation of what they thought to be fiction. The vampires and werewolves had stopped feuding hundreds of years ago, and now cooperated quite often. They mixed within the ranks of the Vine, the Guardians, and even the Guild.

The train screeched to a halt, and the doors slid open; they stepped off the train and onto the platform. The station was run down, like most in this neighborhood. The brick walls were crumbling, taking colorful graffiti with them, and foul smells emanated from all sides. They hurried up the steps, not wanting to waste any more time; it was already well after sunset. They walked along the sidewalk, and Nameh could feel the excitement that must have glimmered in her own eyes. She stopped in front of a condemned apartment building. The stone of the building was a dull gray, and most of the windows were boarded up. She circled it until she found a low window that had been smashed in; cobwebs were now the only barrier into the dilapidated lobby.

She leapt through the window, and landed gracefully with a soft noise on the other side. She reached through to grab Mira’s hand, and lifted her up behind her. She pressed her finger to her lips to indicate silence. They ascended the creaking stairs to the landing above. The building was poorly lit, and she drew her sword to light their way. Clearly having never seen her enchant the sword before, Mira had a look of wonder on her face. Nameh smiled at her friend’s excitement, and continued through the dark. They passed rooms with faded red paint and gray numbers on the doors, some missing. The last door on the right had been torn from its hinges, and was nowhere to be seen.

She turned to her friend, wearing a grave face, to indicate that something was wrong. The door had always been absent, as she recalled, but noises were coming from the large room ahead, which should have been silent. Blackdragons didn’t communicate with each other verbally, and were usually alone anyway. The only noises they made were their shrieks in battle. She willed magic into her sword, and it grew in length, only furthering her friend’s surprise. Mira drew her sword as well, the one she had given her, she noticed with pride.

Cautiously, she crept forward into the room, holding the shield she spun tightly around them. Her eyes focused in the dark on the biggest Blackdragon she had ever seen. Before it stood a boy with his back to them, dressed similarly to the two girls. He wore pants and a tunic of brown leather, bound by a thick belt which held a dagger and the sheath to the sword he was holding. The sword and the boy’s pale skin were smeared with the thick, black blood of magical creatures. He swung the gleaming sword, and forged a cut in the thick skin of the creature’s leg.

She dropped the shield from them, and made a move to run at the dragon. Mira caught her shoulder, and whispered harshly, “What are you doing?” She turned to see the look in her friend’s eyes, and answered her with that same hungry smile.

“We came here for a fight, didn’t we?” Her friend shot her the ‘You’re crazy’ look, and then followed her. As they ran at the dragon, she could see its pure black eyes, and talons as long as her forearm. Its lips were pulled back in anger, revealing rows of needle-like teeth, and glossy, black scales covered its entire body.

Nameh lunged first, and caught the creature, which hadn’t yet seen her, across its chest, but not deep enough to reach its heart. Blood spilled from the cut, and ran down the monster’s body, creating a stain even darker than the dragon itself. Its eyes erupted with rage, and it let out a horrific cry. It lunged at her with speed that was uncommon for a being of its size, but Nameh was faster. She darted to the left of its claws, but was left with a long cut down her upper arm. The blood dripped down her fair skin, humanly red, not the black of monsters. She smirked as her Shask burned to begin healing the cut.

As the dragon had attacked her, both Mira and the boy had flown at the beast. The boy’s sword traced down the dragon’s back, drawing blood that ran to the floor like a ghastly, black river. Mira’s blade had come down on the monster where its shoulder met its neck, delivering a crushing blow. Pride welled inside of Nameh at her friend’s expert swing, and her excitement grew as she remembered how hard blackdragons were to kill with their leathery skin.

She drew the first of her daggers, it’s hilt laced with silver and black, and threw it at the dragon, it swung around in time to dodge the knife, and ran at her a second time. The dagger hit the wall behind it, and clattered to the floor. As it charged, she leapt into the air, brandishing her glowing sword. Just as the creature’s fearsome teeth came within striking distance, she plunged the sword into its neck, the teeth only grazing her leg. She landed behind the monster just in time to see Mira’s dagger sink into its heart. Its claws swung, as if desperately trying to hold on to life as it fell to the ground, the life leaving its dark, beady eyes.

All three of the warriors stood, chests heaving and blood flowing, watching the last breath of the monster. Nameh had only the cut on her arm, and the few, small cuts on her leg from its teeth. Mira, she could see, had a bad cut across her collar bone, and a shallow cut just below her eye, which was dripping crimson. She looked as though she were crying blood. The boy, standing on the other side of the fallen dragon, was covered mostly in its blood, but had three parallel, deep gashes down the back of his arm. The talons were hell, she thought.

It wasn’t until then that she realized how badly her mark was burning. It hadn’t subsided, as usual, when the dragon died. It was a different burning, though, not like the pain she felt when magical creatures were near; it was almost a longing. The boy spoke first, running his fingertips through his short, golden hair.

“That was a good one. It’s so hard to find decent dragons, these days. They just don’t make them like they used to.” he said, with lightness in his voice that comforted the other two. As she turned to face him, she saw how his striking blue eyes sparkled against his pale skin at his joking comment. There was something familiar about his face; she had seen him before, but she couldn’t remember where. She had excellent memory, and it frustrated her that she couldn’t remember. As his eyes met hers for the first time, his face betrayed a flicker of surprise: he had recognized her.

“That’s the biggest blackdragon that I’ve ever seen.” she admitted, studying his face for hints to why he knew her. Cautiously, she disguised her recognition of his slip. She glanced at Mira’s face, but it showed no sign that she had any idea who the boy was. Her friend cut in, breaking the short silence that had elapsed while Nameh and the boy studied each other.

“Nice sword work.” she said, with a small nervous laugh. The boy turned toward her and laughed.

“Yeah, thanks. That was a good dagger throw.” he responded. No formalities could be heard in his voice, only genuine feeling. Another silence floated among them uncomfortably, like a thick fog. Finally, Nameh decided that it was time to have her question answered.

“Do I…do I know you?” she asked, not regretting how forward her question must have sounded to him. A boyish smirk passed over his features, and the twinkle came, again, to his eyes.

“Well, neither of us is supposed to be here.” he said, plainly trying to confuse her. “Actually, none of us are supposed to be here. But somehow, I’m not surprised.” he said matter-of-factly, tilting his chin slightly upward.

Nameh blinked at him, not sure what his vague statements meant. He began to walk toward them; with each step, her mark burned hotter. Suddenly, when he was just a few feet away, the burning ceased altogether, and turned into a warming sensation that spread through her whole body. As she glanced at the boy, he caught her eye with a knowing look. This sense of knowing, of being inside her head, was both intriguing and incredibly frustrating. She wondered if he had this effect on all people. It was Mira, first, who questioned his previous words.

“How would you know what we are and are not supposed to do?” she said defensively, telling Nameh that she was at least a fraction as frustrated with him as she was. With this, Mira sheathed her sword, now dripping with dragon blood. It was times like this when she admired Mira’s forward attitude and sarcastic defenses against those who had no authority over her, something they had in common.

The boy’s face was not well masked; in fact, it seemed to radiate emotion, something she had stripped from her expression many years ago. However, the openness and truth which were held inside this emotion were almost comforting to her. The expression now on his face was a clear declaration of the enjoyment he wrought out of keeping the girls in suspense. Eventually, he appeared to tire of his game, and spoke again.

“Oh, come on. Put two and two together. Obviously, all of us enjoy killing monsters, and all of us are bending rules to do it.” he said slyly, his eyes narrowing. Thoughts flickered through Nameh’s head: clearly, the boy was human, and clearly, he had knowledge of the magical world. Finally, Nameh decided to take the bait he had so carefully laid.

“You are either a very clever warlock,” she paused, carefully speaking while watching his reactions, “or you are a Guardian.” she finished. “Your subtleties point away from the eccentricities of one born into magic, so I would have to say Guardian.” she said, her words slightly twisted with a hint of sarcasm. The boy was clearly pleased; the charming smirk returned to his face and caused soft lines to appear around his lips. He seemed to enjoy these innocent mind games, and she had played along, for the moment. Finally, she realized that the halls of the school were where she recognized the boy from. There were hundreds of students, but he had a memorable face, even if she hadn’t remembered right away. Now, she scoured her mind to recall the name that accompanied his face.

There was something about him that was, in the same moment, irritating and likeable. She didn’t like it when people encroached so quickly upon her carefully guarded trust. Mira interrupted her troubled thoughts with further questions.

“So, then you must go to the Academy.” she said, “Or are you a freelance Guardian?” she said sarcastically, with a wide smile. He seemed to appreciate her joke, knowing that no Guardians could be permitted to exist outside of the elder’s protection. One could, of course, leave the Guardians, still retaining the skills they obtained, but could never again call themselves one.

“Unfortunately, they shot down my proposal to allow vigilantes at the last council meeting.” he paused to appreciate his own wit, “But I’ve seen you two around, and you don’t seem like the sort to go against the elders…or do you?” he said playfully, giving them a sidelong look, raising his eyebrows. Mira was quick to respond, as she usually was about her what her friend dragged her into.

“Sometimes I feel that I didn’t think through the whole blood oath thing well enough. I eternally bonded myself together with a crazy woman.” she said jokingly, shooting Nameh a lighthearted look.

“Ah, so here lies the mastermind.” said the boy pensively.

“Hardly.” she retorted. “We’re here to get some…extra practice that we don’t get at school. You still haven’t explained yourself, though. Just a guy on a macho trip, or what?” she said, clearly expecting a contradiction. The boy only stared for a moment, searching for an answer.

“You’re not here to become better Guardians,” he said with a small, amused laugh, “but that’s not important now. Come with me.” he finished. He turned on his heel and walked out of the room without a backward glance to see if they followed. Nameh stood for a moment longer, slightly taken aback at the boy’s aloof attitude. Despite his playful words, she couldn’t help but notice that there was something behind them. Something dark lay behind the smile, she thought, but she had no way of knowing what.





He led the two girls to his room in the East wing of the academy, a part of the school neither of them had seen. He told the girl to re-spin the shield she had dropped just before the battle, so that no one would see them in the boys’ wings, where they were not permitted to be.

He pulled the heavy door open, and strolled inside. They slowly entered the apartment-like room behind him, as if they were entering an entirely new domain, and were not completely sure what would be found there. The early, golden light of dawn filtered in through the large window. The black blanket and sheets on the small bed were pulled tightly around the corners and tucked neatly into the mattress. There were only a few of his personal items about the room, resting easily on a desk or shelves: a clock, a picture of his family, a sword, and a few other things. He liked the comfort of being able to leave at a moment’s notice, a habit he’d picked up over the years. The order of the room brought him comfort, easing his nerves. He sat in the chair next to the desk, the taller of the girls leaning against the opposite wall, and the shorter taking a place seated on the bed.

He breathed deeply, his eyes focused on the wall above the girl’s face, searching for the words. Personal encounters were not his strongest suit. Finally, he sighed and said, “I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”