David Wells: Cursed Bones

“What’s the antidote?”

“Oddly enough, it’s the milk from vines of that very tree,” Trajan said.

“See,” Isabel said, “that’s why I ask so many questions.”

Trajan chuckled again.

“I have a friend who would love this place,” Isabel said. “He’s an alchemist, and if you think I ask a lot of questions, he would hound you day and night … unless you made him something to eat, then he’d only ask questions between mouthfuls.”

“I’m not familiar with that word, alchemist,” Trajan said.

“An alchemist mixes potions,” Isabel said. “He’s a type of wizard. His magic allows him to make powerful concoctions, provided he has the right ingredients.”

Trajan frowned and fell silent. Isabel waited for him to speak again, simply keeping pace as they wended their way through the jungle.

“Magic is forbidden on Karth.”

“Why is that?”

“It has always been forbidden, ever since the Reishi War.”

“So you’ve said. But why?” Isabel asked. “The Sin’Rath use magic. Why are they allowed to when no one else is?”

Trajan frowned again but said nothing. Isabel let him brood over his answer. He was silent for a long time before he spoke again.

“I don’t know,” he said quietly enough that only Isabel could hear him. “I have often wondered about that very question.”

Isabel nodded to herself, pieces of the puzzle falling into place. She only had a rough outline, but it was slowly filling in.

“Have you asked your father?”

“No.”

She sensed tension building within the young crown prince of Karth, so she let the line of questioning go for the time being and simply enjoyed the beauty and novelty of the jungle.

“I’m surprised you’ve kept up with our pace,” Trajan said some time later.

Isabel shrugged. “This last year has been … arduous,” she said. “I’ve traveled a lot-fought a lot. I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been.”

Trajan stopped dead in his tracks and whistled a birdcall. His men fell silent, frozen in place, blending in with the jungle in an instant. Isabel stopped as well, tipping her head back and linking with Slyder.

He’d been flying through the canopy, keeping a careful watch over Isabel while remaining undetected. She saw the threat in an instant. A jaguar was stalking them, crouching in the jungle brush and creeping toward one of the men on the outside of the group. She brought her mind back from Slyder, debating with herself about the best course of action. She could leave the big cat to the soldiers or take control of it. If she controlled it, she could keep it a secret or she could reveal the power she retained in spite of the malaise-weed nectar.

She decided to be bold.

With a thought, she linked her mind with the cat’s and imposed her will on the powerful jungle predator.

“It’s just a cat,” she said to Trajan as she began strolling toward it. “Here kitty, kitty.”

The jaguar was a full-grown male, easily eight feet from nose to tail and more than two hundred pounds of graceful power. The men cautiously formed a circle around Isabel and the cat, poised to strike. She stilled them with a gesture as the black cat strode up to her and nuzzled her belly. She returned his affections by scratching him behind the ears. After a moment, he rolled over onto his back, exposing his belly for her to rub.

She smiled, kneeling next to him to oblige, eliciting a deep, rumbling purr from the cat that filled the stunned silence. She looked up and smiled at Trajan, holding his dark eyes purposefully, as if to say “I know something you don’t know.” She stood and the cat rolled to his feet, rubbing against her side.

“I think I’ll call you Shadowfang,” Isabel said.

“How?” Trajan said. “How is this possible? I was assured that the malaise-weed nectar would prevent you from using magic.”

“And where do you suppose those assurances came from?” Isabel asked pointedly. “The Sin’Rath, maybe? Looks like they were wrong.”

She looked around at the mixture of fear and awe on the faces of the men surrounding her, weapons still at the ready.

“He won’t hurt you, any of you,” she said. “In fact, he’ll ensure that other predators remain at a distance while we travel.”

“You expect us to travel with a jaguar?” one of the men asked.

“I do,” Isabel said.

“No,” Trajan said.

“Would you try to kill him?” Isabel asked, facing Trajan.

“No,” he said. “The jaguar is our family crest. The House of Karth holds them sacred.”

“Well then, I don’t see the problem,” Isabel said as if they were discussing what to have for breakfast.

He stared at the cat for a moment before nodding slowly. “I do not like magic,” he said, “and I’m coming to understand why it has been forbidden-this is not natural.”

From that point on, the men looked at Isabel differently, almost as if they were wondering if they had somehow become her prisoner and not the other way around. Shadowfang ranged out around the group, chasing off any other predators that were lying in wait. The days ran together until Isabel wasn’t sure how many had passed when they finally arrived at their destination.

Trajan led them into a crack in a large stone that in turn led into a narrow ravine completely covered over by the jungle. Isabel commanded Shadowfang to remain in the area but to fend for himself, avoiding humans, until she returned. The ravine went deeper and deeper until Trajan stopped and unlatched a secret door fashioned to look like part of the rock face of the ravine wall. The door opened into a passage.

From there, the journey took another two days. Isabel used Slyder to keep track of which way they were traveling so she could keep both the hawk and the jaguar moving in the right direction. The passages were dark and dank, sometimes natural stone, other times cut from bedrock. When they finally came to a well-fortified stone door, Isabel instructed Shadowfang and Slyder to take up residence in one of the larger trees nearby.

The door opened to a roomful of soldiers all arrayed before it, shielded by fortifications and armed with all manner of heavy weapons, crossbows, and ballistae.

“Prince Trajan, you are a welcome sight,” said a man wearing a uniform with emblems of rank.

“Thank you, General Rashford,” Trajan said. “It’s been an arduous yet relatively safe journey.”

“Your father will be greatly relieved to hear you’ve arrived,” Rashford said. “He’d never admit it, but he’s been worried about you since he sent you to apprehend the witch.”

Isabel cleared her throat and fixed the general with a glare.

“General Rashford, this is Isabel Reishi,” Trajan said, letting the import of her name sink in. “She claims to be at war with Phane.”

“Is that so?” Rashford said. “We’ll see about that. Your father wishes to speak to her. I’ll send word of your arrival at once.”

“Thank you, General,” Trajan said.

He led Isabel through the fortifications that defended the cavernous entrance to the House of Karth’s secret base of operations. Many of the soldiers guarding the room glared at her with open hatred. Isabel ignored them.

Once through the cavern, Trajan dismissed all of his men save four. Two led the way while the remaining two brought up the rear. Isabel focused on the layout of the underground complex, trying to remember as much of her route as possible.

Trajan remained silent while they walked, until the men leading the group began to turn down a narrow corridor.

“No, we’ll go to my quarters,” he said.

“As you wish, My Prince,” they said in unison, turning instead down a wider, better-lit corridor.