Cursed by Malignant Magic (Once Upon A Curse)

Chapter 22

Chapter

Twenty-Two

T he noise we had heard outside the fortress was quite possibly the first bit of good luck we'd had since Legacy and I had joined forces.

Rather than soldiers coming to find us or some other terrible series of events where someone was going to try to kill us, it was instead a small caravan of traveling merchants.

Of all the things I might have expected it to be, a traveling caravan was about the last. Still, it was good news to be sure, because at least now we had a reason to join up with them in the hopes that they would be getting closer to the advisors we needed to spy on.

If they would let us.

Legacy and I gathered up what few useful things we had managed to find inside the fortress, stuffing them into a bag that we'd found that was similar to the one Varna had given me, and then we trudged outside to meet the caravan setting up outside the walls.

The sight of the soldiers, unconscious or otherwise, we had taken down didn't seem to bother them overmuch, although they did give them a wide berth when setting up their camp for the night.

Before the travelers’ wagons arrived, Legacy and I lifted the massive bar that held the door closed. We kept our hands raised high as we went out to greet them, although I was fully aware of every weapon we had stolen from the fallen soldiers. If anything happened, magic wouldn’t be our only option to defend ourselves.

Hands still raised, we approached the wagons as they slowed into a loose circle, the tack of the horses jingling. The leader appeared to be a woman with long silver hair, and she climbed down from the seat of her wagon to meet us.

"We mean you no harm," I promised, doing my best to radiate sincerity, which wasn't difficult considering that I was the least threatening person here, at least compared to Legacy. I was far smaller and mostly not covered in blood, so that was something, at least.

"I'm glad to hear it." The woman smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, seeming wary as she watched us. She had a crossbow at her side, held casually but still very much a threat if she chose to point it at us. "What are your names?"

Even without the crossbow, I would still have been far more willing to tell her my name than I had with Legacy or anyone else who had asked me of late. This woman seemed far more trustworthy, although I would be the first to admit that I wasn't always the best at realizing who I could and couldn't trust. But I was getting better. Mostly.

"I'm Collie, and this is Legacy."

She glanced at my hair, cleaner than it had been in a very long time, and chuckled slightly. She gave a soft whistle, and a massive dog bounded toward us.

I grinned, dropping to my knees to pet her.

"Well, looks like the two of you will get along just fine. I can see why you're called Collie." She held out a hand to shake, shifting the crossbow to her free hand.

I shook it enthusiastically, and Legacy did as well, although with far less enthusiasm.

"I'm Dora. Leader of the caravan."

She seemed to be doing her very best to ignore the bodies on the ground around us. My mind surged with ideas on what I should tell her about them, but I came up with precisely nothing that would convince her we were the kind of people she wanted traveling with her caravan.

Legacy was covered with blood, and although I wasn't, I knew myself well enough to know that I didn't look like the most trustworthy person in the world. It came from growing up as a thief, I supposed, but it wouldn’t help convince Dora that we would be a welcome asset to their traveling party.

Dora held up a hand. "Whatever happened here, we don't want to know. Considering the number who were trying to take the two of you out, I would have to guess that someone wants you two dead badly."

I winced.

"But we're no friends to either side,” she said. “I get the sense that this was justified, so as long as you aren't a danger to me and mine, you can travel with us. I take it that's what you wanted, correct?"

Legacy nodded, her expression far calmer than what I supposed mine looked like. "We are no threat to your people. You have my word. We need a companion to travel with, but when we get close to our destination, we will leave you so that no one hassles you about our presence."

She carefully ignored mentioning why they wanted us dead, or who, and I had to admit that she was better at keeping secrets than I was.

"See that you do,” Dora said, “because if something happens and you put my family in danger, I will leave you for dead or hand you over to whoever wants you so badly. I have to protect my people first."

I pushed down the lump in my throat. If only someone had cared enough about me to protect me with such loyalty. The closest I had was Legacy, an enemy. How pathetic.

“Of course,” I said. “I expect nothing less.”

Legacy nodded once more. "But we don't have horses. We won't be able to keep up with you unless we can figure something out."

Dora motioned for us to follow her. Some time during our conversation, with no signal that I had seen, the rest of the caravan had begun to drag the bodies inside the fortress. By now, I had come to acknowledge that I had done more than knock them out with my magic, and I forced myself not to vomit at the thought of how many people I had killed.

I hadn't meant to kill anyone, but I hadn't had a choice. I was only trying to protect myself and Legacy, and yet that burst of magic had taken out a lot of people. I had killed before, but never so many at once.

"Why are you taking them inside the fortress?” Legacy asked. “You and yours could sleep inside. Under a roof for once. It's not as if there's anyone to stop you."

Almost immediately, her cheeks flushed, and I cringed at the phrasing.

Dora's smile didn't fade. In fact, it suddenly seemed a bit more genuine. "I meant it when I said that we don't choose sides. We sell our wares and wander, but we don't choose sides. Sleeping inside a conquered fortress might be considered choosing a side, might it not?"

She glanced down at the remaining bodies lying outside the fortress. "Besides, there may be spirits at play here, and night is the worst time to deal with those who might mean us harm. Better for us to take what we can inside and sleep out here, safe in our circle."

Again without any signal that I could see, those driving the wagons—long wooden boxes that looked more like a small building than a farming wagon—had begun to move them. Where before it had only been a loose circle, now it was more of a half circle, the shape closed by the wall of the fortress.

They were much quieter than I would have expected, and the wall provided a bit of protection from the danger of whatever spirits might still lie with the bodies.

At just the thought, I took a single step back, again forcing myself not to vomit, but Legacy touched her hand to my arm. She tightened her grip on my elbow, not forcefully. More like support.

"I assume you have somewhere for us to sleep?” she asked Dora. “It seems like you might have something in mind since you still haven't told us how you expect us to keep up with you without horses."

Dora nodded. "We have a spare wagon we use for storage. You can sleep there and use it to travel while you're with us. But we expect your help in return."

"Help with what?" I asked.

I wasn't sure how much use I would be, considering how I felt right now. My magic seemed to sense my feelings on what had happened earlier and curled beneath my skin. Once I calmed down, I could use it comfortably again, but for now, I still resisted the urge to cry or scream every time I looked at the bodies on the ground.

Dora seemed to understand that. "We'll take care of the bodies. While we travel, we expect protection with magic, as clearly you have some measure of it. For now, we want your help gathering anything we can use or sell from inside the fortress."

I cocked an eyebrow, my curiosity finally tearing me from my funk. "So sleeping inside the fortress is choosing a side, but stealing from it isn't?"

Dora's grin widened. "We aren't ones to turn up our noses at a space left empty for us. Thanks to you, I should think. Now let's get to work."

True to her word, Dora's people took care of the bodies. I wasn't entirely sure where they were placed inside the fortress, and I didn't ask. Since I didn’t have to see them all laid out in front of me, it was much easier to convince myself that I had only done what I had to in order to protect Legacy and myself.

It wasn't a lie, but it still felt like it wasn't the whole truth.

Legacy and I had an unspoken agreement to stick together, so we did. We searched every room of the fortress individually, from the kitchens to the armory, and placed anything we thought might be useful to the merchants, whether it be weapons or food, outside the door. Once we were finished with each room, we picked up the piles and placed them in the middle of the wagon half circle. From there, Dora gave orders to everyone about where each thing should go.

It took hours for us to finish, and by the time we did, I was more than happy to flop down in the wagon we had been given to use. A small bed sat in the center of the floor. The area was tiny and cramped, with almost no light other than from a lantern hanging on the wall over our heads.

I sank onto the bed and rolled over, almost too tired to think about the fact that Legacy and I were going to be sharing a bed once again.

Almost.

"Get some rest," Legacy said softly.

She blew out the lantern, and the bed shifted as she curled up next to me. Her body heat melted more of my doubts about her.

We had a plan for what to do now, and this was the safest we had been in the entirety of our short acquaintance. Still, with Legacy next to me, I wasn't sure how much sleep I would get. I had to at least try since this safety likely wouldn't last long.

I could only hope, but hope wouldn’t protect us. We had to protect one another, and I couldn't shake the feeling we might succeed in that.