Page 127 of Fate's Sweetest Curse
Thiswas what Noble would become if—
Don’t go there, Hattie.
It was soclose, and I didn’t even have a weapon. I’d grabbed my satchel but had dropped my dagger in the grass as soon as I’d cut myself free. Could such a simple mistake seal my Fate?
“Nooo,” I whimpered, kicking my feet as I crab-walked backward through the tangle of ferns and moss atop the boulder. “No, no,no.”
Shouts pierced the night at my back, yet the abomination was singular in its focus. It raised a bony hand, the tendons stretching as it flexed its claw-tipped fingers. It snarled again, snapping its teeth, tongue lolling out hungrily. Then it struck, snatching at my legs. Ishrieked, my scream shredding my throat as the creature caught the side of my shoe, slicing through the leather—but thankfully not my skin.
I kicked out with my other foot, clipping it in the jaw. The creature wailed, angered, but its second strike was interrupted by a commotion to the south: my pursuers arriving on the scene.
“MORTA!!!” someone screamed.
Fates, did these Maronansrecognizethe monster? How far east had the cursed things spread?
The abomination—the Morta—was not deterred by the arrival of my pursuers, nor the ringing of their steel as they brandished their weapons. I had no time to wonder what would compel them tofightthe creature instead of running in the opposite direction, leaving me to die in its clutches, because—
Claws scraped against stone, emitting a metallic sound as the creature climbed up the boulder. Black saliva dripped from its maw andsizzledon the vegetation.It burns, Mariana had said, and I was going to take her word for it. I scrambled backward, feet kicking and slipping on the damp moss.
The Mortalunged, teeth snapping a hair’s breadth from my face. A hoarse, high-pitched squeal tore out of me as I threw my hand out, bracing a palm on the creature’s disgustingly slick face. Its breath reeked of venom and rot, a sour and sickening stench that stung the back of my throat. I shoved against its jagged cheekbone, but the abomination was strong. It leaned tauntingly into my hand, dribbling caustic drool onto my dress. I dug my nails into its cheek, pressing my thumb into the outer corner of one red eye. It pushed harder against my hand, snarling and biting the air, forcing me to inch backward on my bum,until—
The boulder was no longer underneath me, the Morta shrinking from view. I was tumbling backward,falling, the world flipping upside-down.
I landed hard on my left forearm—a sharp crack of bone with an even sharper burst of pain. White-hot shock streaked across my vision. Bile rose up my throat, but I swallowed it back down, coughing and dazed. I didn’t see any blood, but there was a distinct bend between my wrist and elbow that made my vision swim.
Hands gripped me underneath my armpits, lifting me and dragging me backward.
“Stay hidden,” Breen hissed in my ear, depositing me behind the wide trunk of a fallen tree.
Then she was racing into the melee, where her compatriots were—Fates—they were rushing toward the creature with blades engulfed in green fire.Oath magic.
The Morta leapt down from the boulder, landing on all fours and snarling at the circle of glowing swords and axes. In the ethereal light, its gray pallor took on a sickly hue, making it appear all the more grotesque.
It didn’t hesitate. It swiped wildly at the five fighters. Henren jumped out of its reach; Corla deflected it with her sword, cutting a black streak into its forearm; Sid stumbled backward, falling on his ass. Then Jord was charging at the creature, sword blazing with otherworldly flame. He managed to sever two of the many short, insect-like appendages on the Morta’s torso. It spun, snatching at him. Breen defended Jord by blocking the attack with her axe, but as she did, the creature’s claws wrenched her weapon out of her hands, flinging it into the underbrush.
I knew I should run. I knew I should use the chaos to get far away from here, to escape into the night. But I couldn’t force myself to stand—not when there could be more monsters lurking in this forest. I remained crouched behind the fallen log, frozen with shock, exhaustion, and terror. My broken arm dangled limply at my side, and I tried not to look at it, afraid it would make me woozy.
Five Maronan knights of some kind, barely keeping one cursed monster at bay. They came at it in waves, striking and evading, losing their footing or weapons only to regain them, relentless in their bravery—but ineffectual against the Morta’s viciousness.
Sid sliced the abomination’s hind leg with a spray of black blood, screaming when the poisonous ichor splattered his bare skin. Enraged, the Morta spun on him; Sid ducked, causing the monster to smack Henren with the back of its long forearm instead, flinging him into the trunk of a tree, where he landed with a hard thud and did not stir. Corla and Breen advanced—and then retreated as the Morta snapped and snarled at them.
Jord took the moment of distraction to rush the creature again, stabbing upward into the side of its body; itscreeched, wheeling on him. Jord hung onto the hilt of his weapon, moving with it, trying frantically to yank it free of the abomination’s flesh, but the blade wouldn’t budge, it wasstuck. The Morta bent, sinking its teeth into his shoulder with a wet crunch. His shout was ear-splitting, filled with so much agony and terror that I immediately knew the sound would haunt my sleep for years to come.
Sid appeared, hacking his weapon into the side of the Morta’s neck. It released its bite on Jord to open Sid’s stomach with a long claw. There was a gush of crimson, a spillage of gore, a gurgle in the back of Sid’s throat. Both men slumped, mortally wounded.
Unable to bear the sight, I forced my eyes closed, trying not to wretch. When I opened them again, I saw the Morta turn away from a half-eaten Jord—maw dripping red—and snarl in the direction of Corla and Breen.
Fuck.
The women’s weapons were still alight, glowing in the darkness. They stood shoulder to shoulder, legs braced wide, their dark clothing and leather armor encircled in a green glow.
But their weapons were no longer the only source of radiance in this clearing. Another light splashed across the underbrush—not green, butblue. It was coming from behind me, illuminating the log I hid behind and the surrounding vegetation.
I turned, and—
It couldn’t be.
Her features were unmistakable—angular face, dark hair, a white scar on her upper lip—and yet I stared at her in disbelief.Marianawas traipsing out of the trees, her sword ignited with blue Oath magic.
