Cursed by Malignant Magic (Once Upon A Curse)

Chapter 31

Chapter

Thirty-One

A stroke of good luck prodded those footsteps right past our cells and farther down the hall. Once they faded into silence, I lunged toward my barred door.

"We need to get out of here," I whispered to Varna. "Which is stating the obvious, I know, but General Ehuna said that Tannin and some advisors have a meeting here late this afternoon. I intend to be there when it starts and end him."

"Feels like we’ve done this before," Varna said.

"Right," I muttered. “But this time, it’ll actually work.”

It had to. I wouldn’t accept any other outcome.

With a flicker of concentration, I summoned the magic within me, filling the air around me. The lock on my dungeon cell opened without a sound. After checking both directions down the long hall, I slipped out and freed Varna as well.

"Show-off," Varna teased.

She looked even thinner and frailer in her dirt-smeared smock than the last time I’d seen her. Dried blood crusted her knees and palms. The shadows under her eyes were testament to the hardship she'd faced, yet here she stood, steady as an oak.

"I’m an old pro at this, remember?" I joked, though my pulse ricocheted between my ears. "Come on. We've got a fortress to infiltrate."

We slipped out into the hallway, moving with the silence of shadows. Our steps were light, the stone corridors cold. Every so often, I'd pause, sniffing the air for the metallic tang of the guards' magic.

"Left here," I instructed, guiding us through a narrow passage.

The walls felt close enough to smother, the darkness almost tangible. My instincts were on high alert, every creak and shuffle magnified tenfold.

None of the sounds came from us, though. Varna could also be as stealthy as a wraith when she needed to be.

At the sound of a door opening in the next hall, she pressed herself flat against the wall. I mirrored her, barely daring to breathe as a pair of guards sauntered by, their conversation a low rumble.

Before the door shut, we slipped through it and continued up the stairs. Tension coiled in my stomach. Each corner turned was another chance we took, each door bypassed a potential alarm not yet sounded.

The fortress seemed to stretch onward and upward endlessly, a maze of stone designed to confuse and disorient. But I had a nose for magic and a bone to pick with the man who thought he could play puppeteer with my life.

“What’s the plan when we find their meeting?” Varna whispered.

"It's all about the element of surprise," I whispered back.

“That’s it? That’s the plan?”

“That, my magic, and a few tricks up General Ehuna’s sleeves.”

"Let's hope your magic is as good as your confidence," she said. “And how are we going to find the meeting in the first place?”

"Trust me," I replied, my smile fierce and wild. "When it comes to sniffing out trouble, I'm your girl."

Varna chuckled softly. “Oh, I believe that.”

"Wait a second," I murmured.

Hugging the cold stone wall, I took a moment to catch my breath, my heart booming against my ribs. A narrow corridor stretched out before us, dimly lit by flickering torches that cast more shadows than light.

Two guards, their voices hushed but carrying in the still air, discussed their orders with the casual disdain of men too comfortable with their power.

"That blasted meeting’s got us all on extra shifts,” one grumbled. “Commander Tannin ordered it.”

“Then why not just station us in the eastern tower for the meeting, then?” the other asked. “It’s closer to the kitchens.”

“And the ale,” the other said with a laugh.

"Eastern tower, huh?" I breathed.

Behind me, Varna raised an eyebrow, a silent question.

"Got our fox's den," I whispered. “Eastern tower.”

She poked her head out to peer at the guards and nodded slowly. "Okay, so how do you propose we get past the brigade between us and there?"

"Distraction," I said.

The distraction needed to be something loud, something chaotic. Something that would send these guards scrambling.

With a flick of my hand and a mental nudge, the air around us shimmered. I summoned my magic and sent it dancing down the corridor like a mischievous spirit.

"Oi, what's that sound?" The guard's voice sharpened with alarm as a distant clatter echoed through the halls, a symphony of crashes and bangs that I'd plucked from thin air.

"An intruder?" The other guard unsheathed his sword, the rasp of metal on leather underscoring the raucous noise.

We slipped into the resulting bedlam, shadows amongst shadows, as the guards abandoned their post. The fortress erupted into pandemonium, voices shouting orders, the clamor of feet thundering toward my phantom noise.

"Very nice," Varna said.

"Thanks."

We crept onward, the tension coiling tighter within me, toward the eastern tower. It wasn't just the threat of discovery that sent shivers skittering down my spine—it was the thrill of the hunt, the allure of Tannin being so close.

Tonight would be his undoing. I could feel it.

Loud voices came from ahead and around a corner. I shot out my hand and latched onto Varna's arm to halt her advance.

"Into the alcove," I hissed, yanking Varna along by the elbow.

We squeezed ourselves into the small recess in the wall and stilled, as motionless as statues.

Two guards rushed around the corner toward us, their footsteps bouncing off the stone and into our cramped hideaway. My pulse beat against my throat. Our survival hinged on the sweep of a guard's gaze. If they chanced to look left, we'd be spotted, as obvious as a bonfire.

I fixed my gaze on the worn leather of the guards’ boots as they entered my line of sight. Each of their steps thudded into my chest, a countdown to discovery or escape.

The guards passed by without a glance our way, their hurried footsteps dwindling. In the stillness that followed, I dared to breathe again.

Varna puffed air from her cheeks that blew her greasy hair back from her face. We slinked out of the alcove, and after one glance behind us, we continued onward.

To get to the eastern tower, we would need to cut across the training yard, so we made our way there. A light wind blew across it, carrying the scent of freshly turned earth and steel. We hunkered close to the wall behind the straw dummies and targets, and I kept my steps light, my senses on high alert, while Varna's shadow flitted beside me.

"Watch your—"

Varna's warning came a heartbeat too late.

My foot snagged on something beneath the grass, an invisible snare camouflaged by the shadows. I lurched forward with an inelegant yelp, my arms wheeling for balance. The ground gave way beneath us, and we tumbled into the dark abyss below.

Thankfully, we didn’t drop far.

Varna released an “oomph,” catching the brunt of our fall.

"Thanks for the soft landing," I muttered into the gloom.

Varna grunted. "Anytime."

Quickly, I scooted myself off of her and lifted my arms, my fingers scraping earth…and a metal handle in the ceiling. We’d fallen into our unintended sanctuary through a trapdoor built with springs, it seemed, since it had closed behind us.

The sound of boots reached us from above, growing louder. We held perfectly still and quiet until the sound faded as the guards passed unknowingly by us.

I couldn’t tell for sure, but was this one of the Montrose secret tunnels Legacy and Ehuna had told me about? Something to explore another day.

For now, I tilted my head and pressed my ear to the trapdoor. Nothing but silence, so I slowly pushed it open and peered out. Once I was satisfied, I scrambled out and held the door for Varna.

We dashed across the training yard without unintentionally finding more secret tunnels. As we burst through another door, a voice drifted from around the corner. It cut through the stone walls, sharp as a blade and twice as commanding.

"Let me into the meeting. I demand to see Commander Tannin. This is madness, and you know it!"

I stopped as though I’d hit a wall. My breaths snagged in my lungs. My mind reeled, unable to comprehend what was happening. The fortress around me blurred as a rush of conflicting emotions threatened to overwhelm me.

"Varna, wait," I choked out, tugging at her sleeve as she kept skulking along the corridor.

I was caught in a dream, a surreal moment where the boundaries between reality and fantasy blurred into indiscernible lines. Every fiber of my being yearned to believe, to confirm that this was not some cruel trick of fate playing with my heart. My ears burned, begging to hear that voice once more, the owner a mirage in the desert of my sorrow.

"Collie?" Varna's whisper snapped me back, just as I realized I had started to cry.

I wiped my wet cheeks with the back of my hand. "That's Legacy’s voice."