Page 5 of Heirs of the Cursed

Darcia sighed with mixed emotions. It was a lot of money, but it was still not enough to feed all the families in the circus. She knew she had been wrong to become fond of them, but she had been a circus performer since she was four years old and couldn’t help but worry about them.

Tocare.

Caring had become a part of her since finding her new home, her family. She loved her adoptive father, Gion Voreia, and for his devotion and protection, Darcia had never pondered about the years before he brought her home, now erased from her mind forever.

Yet her life wasn’t a fairytale with only heroes and saviors. She had to face demons, too. And her stepbrother Conrad, who owned the Blood Moon Circus, was one of them.

Because of his blackened heart and his thirst for riches that knew no bounds, Darcia feared for the lives of those she worked with at the circus. She’d do anything to keep them safe. Because they were just like her—outcasts, abandoned children, people who had had nothing left to survive on their own. . .

No, forty vramnias weren’t enough.

“I’m glad to hear that, Bassel,” Darcia said in a low voice. She ignored the pressure in her chest and grabbed a cloak from the costume room, draping it around her shoulders to shield herself against the autumnal winds and the cold that had settled over Dawnfall in the evenings.

“You look droopy, Darcie,” her friend worried. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just tired. We’ve been putting on the same show all week, and you know how hard it is for my head to recover.”

“Did you drink the herbs that I gave you?”

“Yes, and I appreciate it as always, Bas.” Her friend always provided her with herbal tea after every show to soothe her headaches. Darcia flashed a sincere smile at him. “I’m going to take a walk around the city and see if I can clear my mind.”

“Did Conrad give you permission?” he asked, surprise tinting his words.

She didn’t answer.

Conrad was the nightmare that she had to face every day. He was always there to ruin everything for her, even the smallest things. Except the love Gion had for her.

In search of comfort, she brought a hand to the necklace she’d had since she was a child. The pendant that hung from the silver chain was crafted in the shape of a full moon, with a tiny gem that sparkled in the same colors of her eyes.

A strange composition of green, yellow, purple and blue.

The shades of theaurora borealis.

Bassel hesitated, and his brown eyes glanced at her with suspicion. Darcia remained silent, unwilling to ask her friend to cover for her. She knew all too well what Conrad did to liars, and if any member of the circus tried to help her, her stepbrother would draw blood. She expected Bassel to reprimand her for her audacity to defy him, but instead, he reached into the pocket of his trousers and handed her five silver vramnias and a flask of whiskey.

“Here, for your enjoyment tonight. But go home soon. I don’t want you to have to face Conrad’s wrath again.”

Darcia smiled and kissed his cheek. “You’re the best, Bas.”

“Are you protected?” he asked her.

She showed him the short silver dagger hidden in the black corset that joined her loose-fitting white shirt and moss green skirt. Gion had suggested she learnt the bare minimum to escape in case of an emergency and, though she didn’t know much about fighting, she carried the weapon with her as a precaution.

“If anyone asks about you, I’ll tell them you went home early.”

“I owe you one,” Darcia bid farewell, securing the vramnias in her skirt’s hidden pocket and hanging the flask around her neck.

“Stay safe!”

Darcia pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and stepped out into the starry night. She quickened her pace to avoid running into people, needing to be alone.

As soon as she slipped through the tall oaks and the night breeze brushed against her face, the weight in her chest eased and the pressure in her temples became an almost forgotten whisper. Still, fear embraced her, and Darcia couldn’t shake the feeling that Conrad would emerge from the shadows and punish her for her disobedience.

She always tried to be on her best behavior, not wanting her father to find out about her stepbrother’s mistreatment. However, she needed to breathe. She needed to feel free for a few moments and allow peace and clarity to return to her mind. She was smart enough to take advantage of Conrad’s absences and hang out with her best friends, Bassel and Sadira, or spend the evenings with her girlfriend, Caeli.

Darcia hadn’t let anyone else get too close for fear of what her stepbrother might do to them.

She wandered off the path to the right, where the scent of ale and herbs of wooden pipes mingled in the wind. She walked among the thick trunks and autumn-leaved bushes to stumble, minutes later, into the main streets of the City of the Plain.

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