Page 65 of Decoy

In my desperation to come to any answer to the question of how to break the curse other than the princess’s life, I frantically searched the vision for any discernible hint, but my efforts were like trying to hold fog. The vision slowly faded around me and I found myself kneeling on the floor and became aware of the princess’s presence beside me.

I struggled to ground myself midst the lingering memories hovering around me like wisps of smoke by focusing on the details of the room—the coldness of the flagstones against my knees and palms, the colors of the surrounding dusty volumes blurring together. I only became grounded when I fixated my attention on the princess, studying me with brows knitted in concern.

“Are you alright?” She hesitated before resting her hand gently against my back. I startled at the touch before giving in to the impulse to lean closer.

“The records—” I wasn’t sure how to explain, or if I could even confide in her as I ached to.

“What did you see?”

I shook my head, afraid of reliving what I’d seen, especially when there was so much I still didn’t understand—not about the vision itself but the startling revelations that had shattered every preconceived notion, leaving me uncertain how to move forward. I felt I’d been given a myriad of pieces without the understanding of how to fit them together; learning about my curse did very little if I still didn’t know how to break it.

A wave of despair threatened to submerge me. With a bitter curse I struck the stone floor over and over until the princess seized hold of my fist. “Stop it, Luke.”

The coolness of her touch soothed the throbbing pain. I’d scratched my skin against the stones, but before the blood could make me faint already the shadows encircled my hand to feast on it, relishing even this small amount.

Tell me how to break the curse!

Normally they did my bidding whenever they tasted my blood, but this was one order they’d never obey, no matter how much I pleaded. My suffocating helplessness trapped me with no foreseeable way out.

Desperate for a distraction, I ignored the silent questions filling the princess’s concern-filled eyes as my own gaze flickered down to the volume she clutched against her chest. “Did you find what you were looking for?” Whatever her discovery, for her sake I hoped it was better than mine.

She started to hastily hide the book behind her back, but after a moment’s deliberation she tilted the cover so I could read the title:A Royal Genealogical Record.

“This contains information about who has access to Estoria’s magic, including high members of the court and select governmental officials. There was also a genealogical record about the court’s current connections to royalty, providing interesting insights into who would most benefit from my death. One connection to the throne in particular surprised me.”

“Do they fit our suspect criteria?”

She hesitated a long moment, her brow creased. “While these findings detailing the positions of who has access to royal magic considerably narrows down the pool, I’m not yet entirely sure what to make of them. I need to dig deeper.”

I waited for her to ask for my assistance, but whether for the sake of the secrets she still kept or because she thought me unfit to provide it in my current state, she remained silent.

“Do you still not trust me?”

“It’s not that.” She gnawed her lip. “I simply need to find more information to support my current theory before I divulge their name to a known assassin; I know all too well the consequences that come from an unjust accusation.”

As deep as our conversation had been last night, it’d provided no insights into that aspect of her background, an unwanted reminder of the many mysteries I still yearned to uncover about the woman who’d so thoroughly captured me.

Perhaps her vagueness merely indicated she didn’t want my help. I couldn’t blame her when I currently appeared thoroughly incapable, a definite attack against my pride when I already felt low. I fought to push through the resentment in order to better focus on the mystery that had led the princess here, a task made more difficult due to my own recent revelations.

Her gaze flickered to the file still resting on my lap whose magic had transported me back in time, a silent invitation for me to discuss the results of my own search…one I ignored.

“I know you value your privacy,” she said gently. “But some secrets are too heavy a burden to bear alone.” She almost spoke as if she knew the details of this extra burden I now bore.

“Like you, I’m in no position to share them.” My refusal destroyed the progress we’d made in bridging our distance the night before, forcing us back almost to where we’d initially started.

Though my heart prickled with regret, it was likely for the best. The last thing I wanted was to explain about the ancestral contract binding us, one that the curse could only protect through her death. Though I would gladly give up my own life if it’d end my family’s part of the agreement, I couldn’t also sacrifice my beloved sister, even to end the curse on our family line forever.

Even as our words pulled us apart, the princess remained close. Should I summon the nerve, it’d be all too easy to claim her life now. I managed to resist the impulse, but the temptation along with the myriad of questions brought by the vision haunted me long after I’d escorted her back to her bedroom and returned to my own with a firm charge to the shadows to keep watch. They begrudgingly obeyed only after I’d pricked each of my fingers to offer the blood they required in payment for their services.

The sickening metallic scent and sticky feel of blood would have normally been enough to lure me into the usual darkness, but the riddle consuming my thoughts kept me above the waves of unconsciousness.

The night melted away as I tossed and turned for hours before finally succumbing to sleep, but it provided little relief when the shadows coiled around my subconsciousness to infiltrate my dreams riddled with death, both the princess’s as well as my own family’s. The curse was intimately acquainted with my fears and delighted in preying on them, twisting them in horrific bloody visions to impart their dire warning should I disobey.

The sudden arrival of a silent intruder was enough to finally yank me from the tendrils of sleep. The dream shrouded my senses in a delirious fog, slowing my movements as I bolted upright, my grip already clutching my dagger.

“It’s me.” Malik’s voice drifted from the darkness, clinging to my surroundings in a manner similar to the blackness that had consumed my nightmare.

The candle’s glow barely penetrated the night, its faint light just enough to illuminate his face as he stepped into view. By his grave expression, this wasn’t a social visit or one imparting yet another warning concerning my duties, but a purpose far more dire.

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