Page 15 of The Cursed and the Broken
A round sapphire lay at the centre of a gilded cage, its delicate filigree claws twisting out from the edges to spiral up a silver chain. It was beautiful … and it was Hanna’s. Eyes wide, I let go of his other hand to clasp it in my palms, turning the jewel. It was so dark it appeared almost midnight in the growing dark.
“Where did you get this?” I whispered. It was her most prized possession, one she bragged about to the other girls.
“She gave it to me.”
Alarm bells rang, and I recoiled, resting a hand against the blade strapped to my thigh. “You’re lying.I knew Hanna well. She never took that necklace off. Never. Why would she give something so precious to you?”
His eyes flashed as a sinister smile crept over his lips. “Perhaps you didn’t know her as well as you thought.”
I didn’t know why, but those words sent a pang of sadness through me. Maybe because he wasn’t far off the mark. “I did,” I whispered. “Once upon a time.”
He crossed his arms and a mocking grin spread over his face. “Poor witch. Risking your life for someone who wanted nothing to do with you.”
Tears threatened to burn my eyes, but I blinked them back, refusing to let this monster rile me. I drew my blade, showing him I meant business. “I grow tired of your company, táltos. Tell me the truth. How did you know her?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “We were seeing each other. We’d come to the woods every so often to … get to know each other better. Not that it’s any of your business.”
I narrowed my eyes. “So you were fucking. I’m not surprised. Everyone knew Hanna was …” I drifted off, not wanting to insult her memory, nor the man before me. His tongue might have loosened, but he could still be a murderer.
“I’m aware she had other lovers,” he said simply. “We made no promises to each other.”
Perhaps not, but Hanna had with another. Could a jealous bridegroom be the killer? It still didn’t explain the ritual and use of dark magic. Such things were well out of táltosok’ area of expertise, and witches too.
“When was the last time you saw her?” I bit out.
He waved a hand lazily. “We were supposed to meet this morning. When she didn’t show, I feared the worst.”
“Is that so.” I frowned, raising my blade a little higher. “For her lover, you don’t seem choked up about this.”
He shrugged. “Hanna was many things, but our interest in each other was strictly sexual.”
“You’re disgusting,” I spat. “And you’re a fool. Girls don’t give priceless treasures for a romp in the woods. This necklace was a promise. You meant more to her than sex.”
His eyes softened for the briefest moment as he glanced down at her body, but when he looked at me again, his face was a careful mask. “I guess now we’ll never know.”
Anger roiled in my stomach, blazing beneath my skin as I looked at him. Did he have no compassion? He was treating this whole situation like an inconvenience.
What was his game? I sensed there was more to his story—and perhaps his feelings, too. First, the questionable affair, and then finding him by Hanna’s body with a precious heirloom in hand? No. It was too fucking strange for my liking.
“You’re lying,” I said slowly, backing up with my weapon held high. “If you expect me to believe your little story, you’re even stupider than you look.”
A muscle throbbed in his cheek as he took a step forward, his face a mask of carefully contained anger. Only his eyes glimmered dangerously, and I had the sudden sensation to flee before I was caught within his snare. “Careful how you speak to me, witch,” he snarled, taking another step towards me. “If I really did kill Hanna, what makes you think I wouldn’t hesitate to dispose of you too?”
Fear sluiced through me as he began to circle me slowly, but I didn’t take my eyes off him for a single second. I spat at his feet. “Go to hell.”
A cruel smile carved his lips. “Make me.”
I lunged without hesitation, tossing my blade through the air so it spun in a silver blur towards his head. He moved his shoulder back smoothly, causing the blade to sail past harmlessly so it sank into a tree trunk with a dull thud.
His smug grin widened in victory and he rolled his neck, adjusting his tunic smoothly.
My cheeks heated and the breath shuddered from my lungs. Inevermissed. He was fast—too fast—and I barely had time to slide my next dagger free before he slammed me against a tree. My back barked with pain as he twisted my wrist, causing the blade to fall uselessly to the ground.
I choked back a cry as he pinned my arms above my head and squeezed my wrists. He looked at me with disdain, as if I was beneath him in every way. “What a pathetic effort. I expected better, even from a witch.”
“Let me go,” I hissed, squirming against his hold as I stared at him, willing every ounce of fury into my gaze. I couldn’t summon my magic without freedom of movement, and he knew it.
He laughed mockingly, releasing me and cocking his head. “Stupid girl. Do you honestly think a táltos is capable of the magic required to perform this spell? Look around you. We harness spiritual energy, not blood spells. And if you still don’t believe me, look at Hanna’s body. It’s been there for at least a couple days.”
