Page 31 of Of Curses and Beauty

Chapter 26

Daric

IttookDaricamoment to recognize where he was. One minute, he’d finally had his lips pressed to Alaine’s, her soft, warm body in his arms. The next, he stood in the center of a cavernous room. The cold hit him like plunging into a frozen river. No glass remained in any of the windows, the shattered remains scattered about like glitter. The setting sun illuminated a crumbling fresco adorning the wall across from him, and the once-polished stone floor lay beneath several layers of grime. A maze of cracks wound toward the towering throne in the center of it all.

Histhrone.

Hishome.

His knees buckled beneath the weight of recognition and he sank to the floor. He was home. He wasfree.

Tears welled at the corner of his eyes, blurring the sight before him into something that more closely resembled the castle of his memories. He felt a sob rising in his chest and pressed a fist to his mouth to contain it. His heart raced as he considered what it meant that he was no longer trapped in that cottage. Not only was he free of the curse and the witch, but Alainelovedhim, and that fact meant more to him than all the rest.

Her love filled him with renewed purpose, but he’d been spirited away before he could tell her how he felt. Rising, he turned in place, searching the room for her though he already knew in his bones she was not there. He felt her absence as surely as if he’d lost a limb. Like the disappearing sun, the warmth of her embrace had all but left him. He’d feared this chill from the moment he began to love her and now it crept in on a phantom wind, an echo of the cold and distant person he’d been before her. He shivered at the reminder and made a conscious effort to cling to the joy Alaine had shown him.

He longed for her comforting touch as a thorough scan of his surroundings confirmed the remnants of a pilfered castle were all the company he kept. Luckily, whoever now ruled this area had chosen somewhere else to reside.

It was unclear how long the castle had been vacant. Daric had no idea if his family line had ended with him. He’d been unwilling to question Alaine about it, certain his inquiries would only rouse her suspicions. In time, perhaps he’d research the history, learn if his father had chosen another successor or if the crown had been decided by war.

Little remained of the home he’d known beyond the carved wood throne, which was likely too heavy to be plucked up by someone hoping to earn some easy coin. Long shadows spilled over the room, the darkness engulfing him as he sat on the throne. He braced his forearms along the armrests and leaned back, mimicking the position his father had taken many times. As he gazed out at his empty court, Daric felt nothing. Not regret for the king he’d never be; nor sadness for the family he’d mourned centuries before. The castle was a relic, a thing of the past, and his future lay somewhere beyond its walls.

With sudden urgency, he jumped to his feet. “Witch!” he bellowed, feet already moving as he recognized it for the futile pursuit that it was. He knew she would never appear to him in defeat. If he was truly free, then he was rid of her forever. He smiled as he left the throne room behind, hoping she spent the rest of her days miserable and alone as he had done for so long.

If he’d been returned to his home, perhaps Alaine had been returned to hers. He knew the land had changed since he’d been poised to rule over it, but Alaine had spoken of her village, a larger town in the shadow of the forest. He hoped it was the same one he was thinking of, but it was a better start than nothing.

Rushing down a spiraling staircase, he didn’t bother to search any more of the crumbling castle, knowing there was nothing more for him here. He hoped he could find a horse or cart nearby willing to take him where he needed to go. With any luck, he’d see Alaine again before the week’s end. He didn’t care if he had to search the world, he would find her and he would tell her he loved her.

Chapter 27

Alaine

Alaineblinkedandhewas gone. Like a figment of her imagination, he vanished without a trace before her very eyes. The only hint that he’d been there at all was the faint tingling sensation in her swollen lips. She waited, expecting to disappear herself, finding only disappointment as her feet remained firmly planted on the cottage floor. It was possible that Daric’s curse hadn’t been broken. Perhaps the witch had seen their kiss and sought to punish him. She didn’t trust the witch to fulfill her end of the bargain when it was clear she’d been toying with them all along.

Frustrations mounting, she kicked out a chair, sending it careening onto its side. She grabbed a plate off the table and threw it against the wall where it shattered on impact. The crash unleashed something inside of her and she swiped the remaining dishes onto the floor. Turning in place, she ripped down curtains, smashed vases, and toppled a small table, demolishing everything in reach. She plucked the gift box off the table and froze with it poised over her head. As much as she wanted to resent the item that led her to this point, she couldn’t bring herself to destroy the last thing he’d given her. A sob wracked her body as she clutched it to her chest, trying and failing to fill the hole where Daric had been only minutes earlier.

Though her eyes ached with unshed tears, they refused to fall, building a lump in her throat that she struggled to breathe around. She felt the absence of the words she’d spoken—knew she’d opened herself to this hurt in offering her truth, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret any of it. The ghost of Daric’s answering smile lingered on the back of her eyelids, the promise of something good if ever she could free herself. A keening wail ripped free from her, taking with it the last reserves of her energy as she collapsed the wreckage.

“Pathetic.”

Alaine knew without looking that the witch had appeared. Of course she was there to witness her sundering. She probably savored the taste of her misery like one would a fine wine.

“What have you done?” asked Alaine, piercing the witch with the best glare she could muster through the blur of tears. It was the maiden form that stood before her again, hair gleaming in the firelight as she picked her way through the destruction.

“Me?” The witch placed a hand on her chest, feigning innocence. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She picked a piece of lint from her shoulder, the picture of apathy as Alaine’s world crumbled around her.

“Liar! What have you done to Daric? Where did you take him?”

The witch glared at her outburst, her anger finally piercing through the calm facade. “Ididn’t do anything to him.Youbroke the curse. He’s free. He’s been returned home.” She said this with a mix of disgust and regret, but Alaine had no pity for her.

“And what about me?” Alaine cringed at the pleading tone of her voice, but she would throw herself prostrate before her if it meant being freed, if it gave her a chance to find Daric.

The witch’s eyes narrowed. “What about you?Youhaven’t fulfilled the terms of your curse. As it stands, you’re still mine.” She smiled and Alaine’s gut twisted.

“This curse is absurd. How can I ever hope to win when you can change the rules anytime you want?”

“It was not I who meddled with the powers at play.” The witch’s fists clenched at her sides, but her eyes lit with cruel cunning. “Do you want to know what he bargained? Do you want to know what was so important that he practically handed himself over to me?”

Alaine was positive she would rather not know, but the witch didn’t wait for an answer.

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