X; Free of the Curse

  At first, I felt the cool wind on my face. Then came the scent of the wild, the wafts of wildflowers, the sounds of streams and rivers, the rustling of trees and grass. For the first time in my life, I felt everything—and yet, even now, in this half-awake state, I felt nothing at all. Nothing inside.

  I didn’t feel whole—I didn’t feel like me. It was such an… odd feeling. It was like something was suppressed inside me. Gone. Never to bother me again.

  Slowly opening my eyes, I saw rolling hills as far as the eye could see, dotted about small brooks, ponds, clusters of woodland magnificence, and even a mountain far, far away.

  Above the mountain was an orange sun, slowly falling as the clouds around it glowed a magnificent pinkish-gold.

  “Good, you’re awake,” a voice beside me said.

  I slowly turned my head to see Professor Riscard, sitting at the front of a carriage—but he wasn’t holding any reins. I turned my head to the left and saw an old man, smiling as he looked at me.

  “Where am I?”

  “A couple hours out from Sigel,” Professor Riscard told me as I turned back to him. “You’ll be happy to know it was a success. You shouldn’t be plagued by that evil any longer.”

  “And you didn’t think to let me sleep in the carriage?” I asked, cracking my neck with my right hand—speaking of which: there was a ring on it. My father’s ring.

  “I’ve seen what happens when you sleep around boys,” Professor Riscard laughed. “You’ve noticed the ring, I take it?”

  I tried to take it off, but I couldn’t. It was glued to my finger. “Who put it on me? And why can’t I take it off?”

  “Headmaster Sig,” he told me. “The five Arcani sealed the daemon inside you—and for added measures, the headmaster sealed their magic with his own, using your ring. To make sure nothing happens, he bound it to your skin.”

  Well that was rather rude. “Why’d they have to use this ring?”

  “It works better if you have some attachment to it… good or bad.”

  Huh. Stretching my arms and eyeing the setting sun, I smiled. “So… what’d they see? In my mind?”

  Professor Riscard sighed, patting my shoulder. “Nothing good. But don’t worry about that now. Thankfully, it wasn’t too much of a delay—so we should reach Talbot on track.”

  “That’s nice…” I said.

  Holding my hand up, I gazed at the ring. I swore I’d never wear you once… funny how life works, isn’t it? I wonder if we’ll see any of the old boys in the Estain Woods? They’re more fond of night-time ambushes, but maybe they’ll make an exception.

  “When we go through the woods, let me ride above, will you?”

  “How come?” he asked.

  “If bandits attack us there—and they’re still the ones I know, I’ll be able to get us through without a fight.”

  Professor Riscard scoffed, then chuckled. “The son of a witch. Comrade of bandits. What else is there, dare I ask?”

  “That’s it really,” I answered, but then a cunt’s visage flashed through my mind. “Oh, and Duke Giscon’s son isn’t a big fan of me—tried to have me executed, actually.”

  The professor rubbed his brow. “Why?”

  “You know, I never actually found out why.” I always thought it was because his betrothed obviously liked me more than him, but surely that isn’t enough to kill little old me?

  “When we’re there, you’ll be a representative of Sigel—a magi in training. Thus, I expect no foul business on your part.”

  I waved him away. “When are we setting up camp, then?”

  “We’ll ride further into the night,” he told me. “There’s a good sight near the base of that mountain over there.”

  Thus we journeyed for another hour or two, crossing paltry wooden crossings and large swaths of grass-infested roads, before finally stopping at a small clearing on the side of the road, nestled below the backdrop of the staggering mountain.

  It’s much bigger up close.

  By now, the sun had completely fled behind the shield of the mountain, basking our world in a slight darkness.

  Hopping off the carriage, I walked over to the clearing and crouched, gasping a handful of dirt in my hand. Fertile…

  “Once again, glad to see you’re awake, Gram.”

  I turned back to see Gett, Fedwin and Ran exiting the carriage that had rode behind me. Grinning, I looked at Fedwin. “Glad to see you’re alive, Feddy. I’d thought the girl’s beating would’ve taken you in the night.”

  “You’re not seriously going to call me Feddy, are you?” he asked, walking over to me.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “Are the girls asleep or something?”

  “No.” The door of the girl’s carriage opened as out came Medlyn, stretching her legs as she squatted on the ground. “Gods, what a boring day!”

  Following her was Alice, slightly smiling as she saw me.

  Finally, Isla scooted out of the carriage and sneezed. “I hate travelling. Truly.”

  “Odd,” Medlyn stated, rising. “Considering you and Gett are the only ones here that have done much travelling.”

  “You’d think you would grow accustomed to it,” Alice added, stretching her left arm across her breasts and bending it with her right. “But you never do. It didn’t help that we weren’t able to sleep during the whole ordeal due to a certain resident above our carriage.”

  Tilting my head, I looked to Gett—probably the most knowledgeable one of us. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “It meant you were snoring—”

  “No it doesn’t,” Medlyn cut him off. “You were practically singing.”

  Smirking, I held up my right hand. “I would put the ring up for offers, but alas…” I’m a suave guy, I know—I picked that up from my…

  It seems the seal didn’t fix that, did it?

  Due to my wallowing self-pity, I didn’t get to see Alice’s reaction to my little joke. Shame.

  But I did notice her walk up to my hand and inspect the ring. “Why can I sense magic from it?”

  “Because there’s magic carved onto it,” Professor Riscard coldly told her, finally done with his conversation with the carriage driver. “And that’s all you need to know.”

  It took about thirty minutes before the campsite was set up. There were four light green tents surrounding a makeshift campfire: the boys, the girls, Professor Riscard’s, and the driver and his daughter’s. I assume it’s his daughter, at least.

  “Any of you know how to hunt or fish?” Professor Riscard asked as he wiggled his fingers and fanned the burgeoning fire.

  “Have we not got food?” Isla worryingly questioned. Why she was worrying, I couldn’t say. We don’t have to eat?

  “We have,” he replied. “But it’s not very good. Now answer the question.”

  “I do,” Gett replied.

  Of course he does. What noble doesn’t hunt?

  “So do I,” Fedwin said.

  All of them looked my way. Fuck me. “I can fish.”

  Professor Riscard clapped. “Excellent. Off you go, then. We need, at a minimum, enough for two. But try to bring back a feast.”

  Two… oh. The driver. Fucking bludgers, huh?

  With heavy hearts, the three of us set off around the base of the mountain. We’d seen a slope earlier, and a pretty big river. The best bet, it seemed to us, was to either scale the mountain and steal some eggs—or, by some miracle, strike a perched bird with Gett’s spear—and, if we failed at that, go craft a net and fish.

  Neither was an option I particularly enjoyed. I like red meat. Not poultry or fish. Red is king.

  “So…” Fedwin began as he hopped a stone up the slope. “What did they do to you earlier?”

  “I wish I could tell you.”

  “What, did they wipe your brain or something?” Gett laughed. “I think they’re wiping Ran’s… for some reason.”

  Fedwin was aghast at that. “Why would you think that?

  I was curious too.

  “He was all freaked out for some reason. They took him away and we haven’t seen him since.”

  Not good. What did they do to me, I wonder? Why do I feel so… normal?

  “It was pretty…” Fedwin paused, slouched and pointed. Then he made a sound like a shocked monkey.

  Following his line of sight, I saw atop a ledge of stone a large bird sat in its nest. Gett immediately crouched too—and made the same fucking sound.

  It was only fair that I began to beat my chest and joined in.

  “Kill!” Fedwin growled.

  As Gett took aim with his spear, I drew my… pick, and Fedwin his sword.

  “Tough shot,” Gett whispered.

  “Aim for the nest,” Fedwin flashed a wicked, depraved smile. “Make it angry.”

  “No, aim higher,” I said. “We want its eggs.”

  Fedwin, with an eyebrow raised, turned back to me. “That’s fucked up.”

  Oh fuck off. “It won’t fly away. It won’t leave its eggs. So if you miss, Fedwin and I rush it.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Fedwin slurred.

  With a great heave, Gett hurled his spear towards the avian beast. But it caught on as he threw, and with a grand screech, narrowly dodged as it took to the skies and began to circle us.

  “It flew away!” Fedwin cried to me.

  “Why the fuck would you listen to me?”

  “Solid ground!” Gett ordered, drawing his sword. “Back to back! Only forward attacks!”

  We pressed further up the mountain, where the slope became a plateau of sorts, and formed a circle facing outwards. In a thunderous dive, the bird bore its claws at Gett. But it flapped and steadied itself when he raised his sword, returning to its circling flight.

  “Who’s going to get tired first?” Fedwin yelled.

  “Probably us,” I declared. “But I’ve got a plan.” And it’s a good one.

  “What?” Gett questioned.

  I broke out of the circle and sprinted towards the eggs. “Run!”

  “Leave the fucking eggs!” Fedwin cried as I saw him trip and tumble down the slope.

  The screeching behind me was getting louder. The bird was closing in. Five. Four. Three. Two. One! I leapt and twisted, cleaving the pick behind me. It hit the beast straight in its wing, sending it flying to the dirt with a squirt of blood trailing behind. It whimpered and tried to take flight again, but it couldn’t. Now all it could do was scream at me and scurry left to right.

  “Chop its fucking head off!” Fedwin screamed as I eyed his figure rise again.

  Gett started beating his chest and chanting.

  I drew my sword from its scabbard. Sorry about this, my flightful friend. With a dozen pokes, a few of them finally hit the beast’s head, quickening its death.

  Raising the bloodied sword into the sky, I praised the Gods and thanked them for my victory.