Cursed by Darkness (Once Upon A Curse)

28. Juniper

TWENTY-EIGHT

Juniper

Theran and Eryx fought as gods with all their might. The war of power caused great devastation throughout the realm with natural disasters, famine, and more death than the humans had ever seen. It went on and on until the slightest distraction turned the tides. In trying to help, Ronna accidentally drew Eryx’s attention just long enough for Theran to strike.

O pening the portal had been a mistake. Juniper knew that the moment she locked the door behind her. That guidance she’d felt, the warm encouragement was nowhere to be found now. She was utterly alone.

She slipped the key back into her pocket and stepped forward, her boots crunching the ashen grass that seemed to cover these lands. Her chest ached as she looked around the blackened field that stretched out before her and the forest lining either side. The back of her throat burned, and she covered her mouth in horror. This place wasn’t dangerous. It was dead.

And it came from her husband’s mind.

Shaking her head, Juniper walked farther into the world. She needed to see more. She needed to understand why he’d created a place that screamed of so much pain and misery. Needing to trap the monster was one thing, but why this?

It was daytime here, not night like in the real world she’d fled from. The sky above was as gray and gloomy as everything else though, and a slight chill in the air made her wrap her arms around herself. She was glad she’d thought to grab her cloak.

There weren’t any signs of the creature from the journal. In the other portals, they had to travel inward a bit to get to the main destination, so she headed into the woods in hopes of finding something.

Juniper’s heart broke more and more as she trekked through the gray and white trees. It was so eerie here. And she couldn’t find anything among the decaying forest. Not a single bit of color or life. It was as if it had all been burned up. Shadows covered the ground the farther she went into the forest, the trees getting closer together and blocking out what little light made it through the overcast sky.

A twig snapped, and she nearly screamed in surprise as she whirled around. But nothing was there. Telling herself it was probably just a decayed limb falling, she slowly turned back around.

Her breath caught in her lungs. Juniper squinted to try to see through the thick shadows before her. But then, they began to shift and move. She took a step back.

Two eyes appeared in the darkness, and her pulse hammered in her chest.

What she thought were simply shadows… was the monster. It was real.

Not wanting to startle the creature, she cautiously retreated without taking her eyes from it. The shadow seemed to grow as it slowly followed her. She bent forward without stopping, thankful for what training she had as she reached beneath her cloak and skirt for her dagger with trembling fingers. When the heel of her foot hit caught on a root, and she started to trip, she sucked in a breath that sounded too loud in this otherwise silent place.

She managed to catch herself on what appeared to be a fallen log, but it was too late. A strange glow emanated from the darkness, and she realized whatever the creature was had opened its mouth.

Everything suddenly clicked into place.

The burned lands. The supposed danger.

Giving up any sort of hope of fighting this thing off or sneaking away, Juniper forgot about her dagger, jumped to her feet, turned, and ran. A burst of flames exploded behind her. This time, she didn’t bother holding in her scream as she ducked on instinct. She rolled, but the fire had caught her cloak. Ripping it open, she let it fall to the ground as she scrambled back to her feet and raced through the trees again.

Juniper dove behind a wide tree trunk just as another ball of flames flew past. She bolted up and ran toward the door. If she could just make it to the palace, she would be safe from this monster and could pretend this never happened. Chancing a glance over her shoulder, her heart skidded to a stop.

It was… gone.

She whipped around, searching while continuing in the direction of safety. Except… the monster wasn’t the only thing missing.

When she reached the dried-up field she’d first come from, the door was nowhere in sight. She turned, looking from one end to the other, but she couldn’t see it. Running a hand over her hair, she tried to stay calm while thinking. Had she returned in the right direction? Or had she remembered the path wrong?

A shadow passed overhead. Juniper craned her neck and barely stifled a gasp. Time was up. She couldn’t delay any longer. Not as the shadow creature flew across the sky, its black wings spanning wider than she was tall. It almost looked like one of the dragons from her childhood stories… except much more frightening.

Juniper wasn’t going to wait for it to get close enough to see those specific differences though. It roared above her, and she dashed into the trees, hoping they’d offer coverage.

She sped through the dead forest, looking frantically around her, but couldn’t find her way to the door. The creature circled overhead, roaring and raining fire in spurts, letting its anger be known. Heat licked at her skin, but she didn’t dare stop. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she wasn’t sure if they were from crying or the smoke. It didn’t matter, she supposed.

When it turned away, no doubt to do another sweep by, she fled in a new direction. If she could just lose it…

Spotting an outcropping of large boulders that created a small shelter, she ducked beneath them to catch her breath. She knelt and covered her mouth with her hand, listening for signs of the monster. The flap of wings told her it was nearby but still in the sky. She brushed the tears from her face, wondering what to do now.

She could keep running, searching for the door, but if she didn’t find it, there was no way she could fight that thing. Her dagger couldn’t stop fire. It wouldn’t protect her here.

Juniper looked down at her hands wondering if Lumen magic could stop it. Light dissipated shadows. But she didn’t know how to call forth her power to even attempt that. It appeared with strong emotions, but it had long since stopped when she was upset or full of fear. As a child, her parents reprimanded her for it, especially her father. He scared her into hiding it, and even though she wasn’t sure how—her fear of him and determination alone, she supposed—she managed to suppress it. Now, only the faintest glow shimmered from her hands when terrified or extremely sad. It was brightest when her husband had his hands on her.

The tears continued as a silent sob wracked through her. She should have listened to Bodin, to everyone who told her to leave this place alone.

Gods above, she wished he was here.

Except, then he would be in danger too, and that was the last thing she wanted.

Juniper’s heart ached. That creature had killed her husband’s family. It had lived here in this place created from his mind. And she knew Bodin could sense these portals. Had he felt the destruction of this forest as it burned?

A new thought made her queasy. He’d known when she entered the others. Could he still sense it while he was far away? Had he known she came here against his wishes?

It was getting too quiet beyond her hiding spot, she noticed, now that her breathing wasn’t so loud. She hoped that meant the monster had given up, but she knew she wasn’t that lucky. Settling in, she decided to wait a bit longer in hopes that it would think she was gone. Then, she would sneak out and search for the door again.

The sky was starting to darken. Juniper wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting here. Every time she thought it had been long enough to sneak out from her cover, she convinced herself to hold off a little longer. In reality, she knew it wouldn’t help. She just didn’t want to face that thing yet.

If she waited much longer though, it would be too dark to see anything, and there was no way she could escape a shadow creature once night fell.

Taking a few slow, deep breaths, she tried to prepare herself. She peeked around the large boulders. Not finding any sign of it, she crept out. It was impossible to tell where the sun was in the sky to indicate the direction she was walking in, but it didn’t really make a difference. She didn’t know which way she’d come initially, she’d gotten so turned around.

Careful to watch each step, Juniper made her way through the forest as quietly as possible. However, with the light fading, she knew she couldn’t move too slowly.

Juniper’s heart raced in her chest as she neared what appeared to be another clearing. Hoping it was the same field that housed the door, she inched to the edge of the treeline.

A hulking black figure slammed into the ground, blocking her view before she could even look for her escape. The creature was even more terrifying out in the open like this, where she could see it better. Its body appeared solid but was made of shadows that writhed and twisted. Long, sharp claws extended, just as she’d seen in the sketches, but they didn’t concern her nearly as much as the mouth that could spew flames.

She slowly backed up, bending to slip her dagger out, determined to get it out of its sheath this time. Even though she knew it wouldn’t do much good. Especially if it didn’t have flesh to stab.

When it let out a roar, she turned to run, but she didn’t make it far. A claw reached out and grabbed her by the ankle, and she hit the ground hard with a scream. Rolling to her back, she sliced at the creature, refusing to go down without a fight—if she could help it, she would not make her husband a widower for the third time. Its shadows whirled above her, unaffected by her blade.

“Please,” she whimpered as it placed its very corporeal foot on her abdomen to hold her down. She tried to cut at it again, but the dagger still didn’t harm it. How was this creature both solid and only smoke?

It cocked its head to the side for only a moment before opening its large mouth once more. The air heated to an uncomfortable temperature, and it hadn’t even used its fire yet.

Juniper closed her eyes as a sob ripped through her. She didn’t want to die here, alone. Would anyone ever know the truth? Would Richard forgive her for not listening to his explanation? Would there even be remains for Bodin to find? She pictured her husband, remembering the sweet—and steamy—kiss they’d shared when he was leaving. If he put the pieces together, she feared he would blame himself. He carried so much guilt already; she didn’t want her death to weigh on him too. Or on Richard after their argument.

The monster snarled, and she prayed to the gods that it would be a quick death. She heard its deep inhale?—

And its firm hold on her disappeared as it let out a ground-shattering roar. Juniper sat up and slapped her hands over her ears, her eyes snapping open. She screamed again as hands gripped her shoulders. When she swung around on the ground with her dagger, Richard caught her wrist.

“Richard?” She let out a sob. “How—” Another growl cut her off, and she turned back toward the shadow creature.

Toward the five men in the field now standing between her and the danger.

“Get her out of here,” Bodin yelled, his hand outstretched at his side. Black smoke similar to that of the creature swirled around his fingers as he faced the demon.

“Juni.” Richard hauled her to her feet and tried to guide her away. “Come with me.”

The monster charged at her husband, and she screamed once more. Her hands raised in front of her, glowing, but it wasn’t enough to do anything. Her magic was useless!

Bodin made a circular motion with his own hand and seemed to throw his dark magic at it. Samuel joined him, his own Noxian magic swirling at his fingertips. Laurent, Rafe, and Hugo were there too, swords drawn.

“Go! Now. All of you,” Bodin shouted.

“No,” Juniper said, not wanting to leave him behind. She urged her power forward, begging it to help them, not caring who saw it. Still, it did nothing.

Hugo appeared in front of her and didn’t hesitate to sheath his sword and haul her over one shoulder. She screamed and shouted, smacking at his back as he carried her away. She couldn’t leave Bodin. Richard and Rafe followed, but Laurent and Samuel stayed with him, until the king yelled for them to go too.

“Let me down!” she cried. “Bo!”

Her brother didn’t listen. He ran across the field, and within moments, they were through the portal and in the quiet palace. Only then did he lower her. She tried to push past him, but he and the others blocked her path. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she shook her head.

“Please.” She wasn’t above pleading. “We have to go back. W-we can’t… I c-can’t lose him l-like this.”

Hugo’s gaze softened, but he still didn’t let her pass.

“Please,” she repeated as her breaths grew even more rapid. “This is a-all my f-fault.”

Laurent and Richard turned to face the door, watching the magical fight beyond. It was Rafe who stepped closer to her with open arms. She collapsed against him, nearly hyperventilating. He was whispering soothing words, but she barely heard him over the roaring monster trying to kill the man she loved.