Page 21 of The Cursed and the Broken
“Ow,” I grumbled, swiping a stinging cut trickling fresh blood.
She winced, but we tightened our lips at the sound of approaching footfalls. I looked up through the maze of leaves, spotting a stern nose, a hard slash for a mouth and narrowed grey eyes glaring out the window. Caitlin Vargo. Chief elder and my worst enemy.
The woman despised me?intolerable crone. She was the oldest in our village—far too ancient to suffer my innumerable crimes against her withered old heart. These being stubbornness and brashness unbecoming of a maiden, a disregard for rules and common courtesies, and having an opinion on anything.
Right. Because that was going to change. Truly, I think she hated me because I had let Sami loose once when she came to call on Mama. A girl must draw the line somewhere and that day she’d been awful to my mother.
I’d never seen her withered bones move quicker. Her panicked shouts still made me chuckle to this day. I had pleaded innocence, of course, but she knew. Battle lines were drawn that day.
“If the cultists have returned, we must assume the worst,” a low voice carried out the window. “They may have discovered how to revive the Dark Queen.”
My ears pricked at the mention of the Dark Queen.Sylvie Morici. Eszter and I looked between each other, and hope blossomed in my chest.Did the elders believe me?
“We cannot jump to conclusions,” Caitlin snapped, turning to storm towards the speaker. “That girl has a knack for causing trouble. It wouldn’t surprise me if she made the whole thing up.”
I sighed.Apparently not.I shuffled closer to the window, ignoring the barb of branches and the old wretch’s words. We raised our heads, peeking over the edge of the windowsill.
Mama’s voice broke the awkward silence that followed. “That girlwas the only one brave enough to look for Hanna. My daughter may follow the call of the wilds, but do not mistake her wanderer’s heart for one filled with treachery. There is no reason for her to lie and no way for her to have known about the cultists. Our history and those despicable spells are under lock and key. Only this council and Lord Sándor have access.”
Eszter frowned and I knew we were thinking the same thing. Those despicable spells could only be what Mama had referred to as Sylvie’s records. But she’d said they no longer existed.
Mama had never lied to us before. Never. It frightened me she should start now, when things would surely worsen.
“It would be unwise to ignore this information, Caitlin,” Erika said.
My muscles relaxed slightly upon hearing her voice. Erika was my magic tutor, who also taught me how to throw blades. Albeit secretly, lest Caitlin discover another reason to despise me. She was a practical, no-nonsense woman, who kept her heart guarded behind high walls. But I’d been whittling her down ever so slowly and her honesty was one thing I liked most about her. I could have kissed her now, for hers was a voice of reason I was most happy to hear.
“As your commander,” she continued, “I advise we listen to Nora. Even if nothing comes of this news, we need to prepare for the worst. It is my duty to protect this village and, if the cultists’ numbers are increasing, they may launch an attack. It wasn’t so long ago Mistvellen experienced a similar assault.”
“I remember,” Mama said, her eyes glimmering. “Many died that day. Lord Sándor’s wife among them.”
Erika sighed. “We will not suffer the same fate. Winter is nearly over, and longer days and warmer temperatures may encourage the snakes to leave their nest. I’d rather be as lively as possible for the upcoming festival.”
Caitlin sighed a rattling breath. “What do you propose?”
“Guards placed around the village perimeter, double posted during the spring equinox. We cannot risk more girls being taken.”
“Hanna was a fool to leave the safety of the village,” Caitlin muttered. “A lamb led to slaughter.” For once it wasn’t admonition in her tone, but pity. She paused, and a long-suffering sigh followed after. “A fool, but a good girl. One who minded her elders and kept to her duties. She was not the type to go venturing in dark places. So what lured her out?”
“Notwhat,” Mama said, her head cocked in thought. “Who. Gods forgive me for speaking ill of the dead, but Hanna was no maiden. Girls gossip, Caitlin, and I’m sure you’ve heard the rumours.”
Caitlin’s lips twisted as if sucking on a lemon. “Unfortunately, yes.” She smoothed her hands over her skirts before steepling her fingers. “May the Gods guide her path and protect the children of our flock.”
Her steel eyes darted to a beautiful woman in her late thirties, with blonde hair cut in a sharp bob. Her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires, but there was a hardness to them I’d rarely seen. I’d always thought her a strange creature, like a spider, weaving her webs and collecting information like insects. I preferred to keep my distance. Beneath Iren’s subtle curves and careful countenance was something unforgiving. I knew nothing about her, save that she acted as an emissary and gathered intelligence for the elders. That’s all Mama had said despite my prying, but I had the feeling the knowledge she gathered were things kings killed for and soldiers died to protect.
As chieftain of the elder council, I wondered how much Caitlin knew about Iren. Or whether the high elder pulled more strings than I yet knew. Perhaps the weight of those duties led to the harsh decline of her sagging muscles and weary bones.
Iren glanced at the chieftain with a stony expression. “I will contact the network leaders and alert them to what’s happened. See if similar attacks have taken place around Transylvania. I can even contact some witches in Wallachia, though I doubt they’d care about what’s happening here.”
“And the banya?” my mother asked, her voice casual, body relaxed. I saw the tension behind her eyes, though. The slight curl of her fist. “What of the witch of the woods? Surely she would know cultists sweep the floors of her domain.”
“You presume much for your station, Nora,” Caitlin said venomously. “The banya will contact us if she deems it necessary. It is not our place to question her rule.”
Mama’s lips pursed. “The council governs our village, not Baba Yana. I will not bow to stories and subterfuge. Should she wish to work with us, I welcome the fact, but a proud witch does not allow vermin to scurry through her house unchecked. We must find these rats, lest our village becomes the cheese from which they gnaw.”
“You blaspheme. Ever the wolf in sheep’s clothing, playing at our faith. If you don’t believe in her might, you’re welcome to crawl back to Mistvellen.” Caitlin sneered. “I suspect it’s not so lovely without Adrian.”
Eszter gripped my arm, her nails digging into my skin. I didn’t notice the pain, concentrating wholly on that horrible woman’s choice of words. Why the hostility towards my father? And was Caitlin suggesting Mama could live there without him?
