Cursed by Malignant Magic (Once Upon A Curse)

Chapter 10

Chapter

Ten

" C ome on," I muttered grimly under my breath as I forced my magic into one of the chains that bound me.

Every muscle in my body strained as I tugged and pulled at the unyielding links of the chain. The metal was cold and unforgiving against my skin, causing my fingers to ache with every attempt to break free.

Hours had passed since I began this futile task, but I refused to give up. My movements were slow and deliberate while I tried desperately to avoid any noise that would betray my escape attempt. The silence was deafening as I fought against the chains, each passing minute feeling like an eternity.

But I couldn't stop now, not when freedom was within reach.

Every time I heard one of the guards go by my cell, I froze, pulling my magic back into myself and doing my best to hold the chains in place in case one of them decided to look through the bars on my door. There should have been no real reason for them to care what I was doing in my cell, considering that I was chained up and had been for days. Not to mention they had taken to beating me for fun.

Still, I wasn't about to take the chance that one of them would discover what I was doing and try to stop me. Not if Varna and I were going to get out of here alive.

Finally, hours later, with my hands shaking from exhaustion and my body coiled stiff with tension, I managed to snap a link on each chain, enough to free me from my bonds.

My limbs felt numb and weak from being chained for so long, but I forced myself to my feet, standing shakily. The chains still hung from my wrists, though. The last thing I needed was to have finally freed myself only to be caught by the guards because I jingled around like some sort of angsty ghost.

So I wrapped them around me as tightly as I could and looped the ends into a loose knot. As soon as we were out of here, I would find a way to get them off and give my poor skin a break, but for now, this would have to do.

I took slow, measured steps towards the wall that separated Varna's cell from mine. As I reached out my hand to knock on it, my fingers trembled with anticipation. The sound of my knuckles hitting the cold stone was barely audible over the hushed whispers and occasional cries from other cells.

But despite this, I could still hear her response almost immediately—a soft yet distinct rustle of movement from the other side of the wall.

“Why are you so close?” she asked.

I coughed, my throat too dry to swallow. "I snapped the chains. I'm loose. Now we have to get you out of there."

"How?" she asked.

I grimaced, immediately wishing that I had come up with some semblance of a plan before I had told her anything. Now I had to make it up on the fly because time was running out.

If one of the guards decided to pop into my cell to give me a beating, or just because they were bored, they would see that I was free. The alarm would be raised, and it would destroy any chance Varna and I had of getting out of here alive. We might be useful to them as their own personal experiments, but I had no doubt that Tannin or someone else would kill us if we proved to be a danger.

"Great question. I'm thinking."

As I focused my mind, a familiar tingling sensation overtook my fingertips. My magic, usually strong and steady, now felt sluggish and uncooperative. I took a deep breath and attempted to shape it, but it writhed beneath my skin like a trapped animal.

The days without practicing had taken their toll, leaving me struggling to maintain control as I fought to tame the wild energy within me with just this flimsy bracelet/earring I stole from Legacy that I could use as a gauntlet.

Gauntlets and sigils were passed down through generations of magic users, but I had spent most of my youth scraping a living after my parents died. The only thing I had left from either of them was the amulet tucked close to my heart, and it wasn’t magical at all.

What few magical items I had—the sigils painted in enchanted ink on my skin and my previous gauntlets—I had borrowed, bought, or stolen. Not exactly army regulation.

Varna cleared her throat, and I leaned closer to the wall to hear her better, bracing one hand against the stone for balance.

"I know you're still thinking,” she whispered, “but I suggest you do it quickly because Legacy is on her way."

"How do you know?" I asked, then immediately let my head thump against the wall with a grunt of frustration.

Fool. I knew the answer to that question, but since she couldn't see me banging my head against the wall, she answered me anyway.

"I can feel her magic. It will be a few minutes, but she's definitely coming this way. So whatever you're planning on doing, I'd get it going."

"Got it." I peeled my head off the wall and pulled my magic into my fingers.

I had two options here as far as I could tell, although neither of them were any good.

Option one—break down the wall between ourselves. I’d have plenty of magic left, and a small explosion didn't require that much control.

Unfortunately, there was also the chance that Varna, or I, or both, could be injured in the process, not to mention there would be no way to hide the noise. We would have to fight our way out of here. While I wasn't completely against the idea, it also wouldn't be my first choice.

Option two—wait for Legacy to get closer, then attack her, and hope I could manage to turn the situation to my advantage. A good chance someone would get hurt, but still quieter. We might get out of here without having to fight, even if it meant we would have to run for our lives.

That also meant I would be repaying Legacy's attention by using her to escape.

A rush of guilt swamped my stomach. That, more than anything else, solidified my decision. She was my enemy. She did not deserve my guilt.

"I have a plan," I said.

This time when I reached out with my magic, I could feel Legacy as well, nearly at the door of my cell.

Now was the time.

I lunged toward the wall next to the door and pressed myself as far back as I could to make certain she couldn't see me before I had time to strike. The cold, slimy wall dug into my back as I crammed myself into the corner of the cell and tried to make my lanky frame as inconspicuous as possible.

I took a deep breath to prepare myself. The silver bracelet slid down my wrist, slick with sweat, but I prayed it would be enough to allow me to control my magic. I didn't want to hurt Legacy, but if I had to choose between her and myself and Varna, I would choose us. Even if my traitorous heart did pang sharply at that notion.

The door creaked open, and once again Legacy motioned for the guard to stay outside, closing the door behind her before she turned to look at the place where I should have been hanging from my chains.

That was her mistake, because the second the door was closed behind her, I lunged toward her.

My magic spiraled out of control, and I yanked it back into myself almost brutally. Legacy jerked in shock as I slammed into her, pulling the knot on my chains loose so that I could wrap one of them around her throat. It was hardly the plan I had intended to start with, but if I couldn't use my magic without hurting one, or both of us, then I had to come up with something else.

I tightened the length of chain around Legacy's throat and hauled her toward me, trying to ignore the fiery tingle of where her body pressed against mine.

"Don't move. Don't scream, or I'll kill you," I warned.

"I don't think you can," Legacy panted out, but she raised her hands slowly.

I yanked the chain tighter, and Legacy gasped.

"Are you sure about that?” I asked. “Because you're the reason I'm here in the first place. You brought me here. Not the other way around."

Legacy nodded, leaning back against me to ease the pressure on her throat, and I jerked myself away from her lithe body and the delicious heat that skipped over my skin at being near her.

Focus!

"I know you didn't mean to come here,” she said. “I thought you were a threat, and I did what I had to do. By the time I realized that I was wrong, it was too late."

I rolled my eyes. Likely story when I had a chain wrapped around her throat and could feel her pulse pounding against the side of my wrist.

"Given that you've not done anything to rectify that decision by freeing me, forgive me if I don't believe you." I loosened the chain only enough to hold one hand out. "The keys. I know you have them in your jacket pocket. I saw you carrying them the last time you came in here."

"I don't—"

"Don't lie to me. I saw you. You carry keys in here every time you come. If I hadn't been so distracted, I might have been able to steal them off you before now."

"Distracted by what?" she asked softly, and I flushed, glad that I was behind her and she couldn't see my face.

Distracted by her, of course. Her beauty and something resembling kindness, completely at odds with the fact that I was only here because of her. I couldn't figure her out, but perhaps it would be best if I didn't. She was my enemy, and I had to remind myself of that far too often for comfort.

"You," I admitted. "Now give me the keys."

"How exactly do you think this is going to play out?" Legacy asked, making no move to grab the keys.

I swore under my breath, hoping a thin tendril of magic would be enough to help me find them. I could search for them by hand, but a tiny voice at the back of my mind whispered that we might both enjoy that a little too much, so I didn't dare. That would require me letting go of the chain with one hand, and there was no way I could retain the upper hand if I did. I was shocked she had allowed this escape attempt to go on for this long, to be entirely honest.

"I don't know,” I admitted. “I'm making this up as I go."

Probably not a smart thing to say given the situation.

She tensed against me. "I need only scream, and you will never get out of here alive."

"Do it, then," I said grimly, pushing her toward the door.

My magic, overly sensitive because of the lack of use, told me that the guards sat at the small table around the corner, likely playing dice or cards. There would never be a better time for Varna and me to make our escape.

When Legacy didn't shout, the corner of my lip curled up in a smile, and my chest warmed. She cared enough not to shout and trap me in here, but she was right. One word from her, and this escape was over before it truly began.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, then smashed my elbow against her temple, stumbling with her weight as she went limp.

I lowered her gently to the ground, cradling her head so that it didn't hit the hard stone, and then snatched the keys from her pocket. Tightening my grip on them, I stepped over her prone form and reached for the door. I fumbled with the lock, trying to reach through the narrow, barred window, only to tumble forward when it gave way the second my full weight touched it.

I landed hard on my hands and knees. The rough stone bit into my palms as I pushed myself up, tilting my head in the direction I knew the guards were.

Already my magic faded, as did my awareness of their location. I would have no warning if any of the guards came to check on Legacy if she didn't come back soon, and they weren't exactly going to stand there and wait for Varna and me to escape.

Time to move.

Muffling the soft jingle of the keys with my body, I shuffled over to Varna's cell, frantically flipping through them. All of the keys looked pretty much the same, so there was no way for me to tell which one belonged to her cell and certainly no way for me to know which one would unlock Varna's chains.

My own chains still hung from my wrists and ankles, a nuisance despite the fact that they didn't make much noise when I moved because of how tightly I’d knotted them around my limbs.

One by one, I tried the keys in the cell door. Every time it didn't work, I huffed out a breath of frustration and tried another, my hands shaking and my heart pounding.

The guards could discover me at any moment, and while I didn't want to kill anyone to get out of here, I would if I had to. Varna and I were going to survive, and I had to get back to tell Ehuna about the traitor in her midst.

Finally, I managed to find the right key for the cell door, and I pumped a fist in the air in celebration and bit down on a shout.

I pushed the door open as quietly as I could, wincing when the hinges creaked. Varna's head shot up, her eyes widening when she saw me.

"Ready to get out of this place?" I asked.

A slow grin curved her lips, and she straightened up as best as she could in her chains. "It took you long enough."