Page 26 of Heirs of the Cursed (A Curse for Two Souls #1)

25

Dawnfall

For Darcia, waking up next to Caeli was like a dream. Opening her eyes and admiring her girlfriend’s face provoked thousands of feelings within her; feelings she once thought were dead and buried.

Pulling the sheet away from her, she let the sunlight kiss her body and bent slightly to look out over the window.

The beauty of autumn would soon come to an end, drawing in the coldness and silvery colors of winter. The smell of snow had become more pronounced, as had the storms that swept across the city. It was a very different weather from what they had been used to in previous years, as if the goddesses were warning them of the future ahead.

Soon, the good days would be over. The circus’ profits would decrease, and she’d once again have to endure her stepbrother’s beatings.

Because, for Conrad, it was easy to blame her.

Darcia averted her boreal eyes to the bruises that graced her skin. Their purplish hue had become ghostly greenish blotches, which no longer hurt when she touched them. Not physically, at least. She walked over to the mirror to admire the huge scars that stretched across her back. The older ones were nothing more than white and red lines, while those she’d received during the last beating were adorned by scabs blackened by coagulated blood.

It was for that reason that she preferred to wear her hair down. That way, no one would notice her wounds nor see how broken she was . . . That way, no one would ask questions that led to more beatings.

Her life would be utter hell without Caeli. Unlike her fears, her girlfriend hadn’t judged her scars. She hadn’t turned away in rejection or made her feel bad about it. From that first time she’d seen her in the dressing room, preparing for her performance, she’d promised to be by her side to heal the wounds that destroyed her daily.

Caeli had always mended what others had broken, so Darcia had made a vow for herself: to protect her from everyone who dared to hurt her and to love her for eternity.

“What do you admire so shyly?” Caeli asked.

Darcia turned away with a smile. The morning breeze enveloped her as she walked to the bed and collapsed beside her.

“You, as always.”

“It’s nothing you haven’t already seen.”

“No, but it’s something I want to see for the rest of my life. Did you sleep well?”

Caeli nodded and leaned forward to kiss Darcia. The sheet covering her body slipped, revealing her breasts. Dressed or naked, she had a beauty that made Darcia want to get down on her knees for her. She brought a hand to her neck and pushed aside the brown hair that covered her shoulders to admire her at her own pleasure.

Darcia moaned as she kissed her lips. “Has anyone ever told you how good a kisser you are?”

“I like to be reminded of it.”

In that instant, they could afford to be themselves.

Nothing else mattered.

Every caress, every kiss and every smile bore the name of the other. The goddesses had united them in life, and not even fate could change that. They would follow each other even if it led to death. For when that time came, they would do it together.

The morning sun had fully risen, and the birds had begun to harmonize the awakening of the day. Darcia’s fingers caressed Caeli’s side, who kept her eyes closed, sighing with a harmonious calm.

“You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Caeli confessed in a whisper.

Darcia’s heart shrank. No matter how many times she heard those words, felt their truthfulness, she’d never believe them to be true. Not when Caeli had suffered so much to be with her.

She kissed her forehead and leaned on her elbow to look into her eyes. “There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Is something wrong?” she asked, frowning with concern.

Darcia reached a hand between the gap in the bed and the wall and pulled out the small bag of vramnias that Gion had given her. Caeli’s eyes grew wide as she held the bag in her hands.

“What is this?”

“A promise of the future, if we choose to take it.”

Caeli settled on the mattress and, after brushing aside the strands of her unruly hair that fell over her eyes, she began to count the coins. Her fingers traced the lofty details engraved on them, a dumbfounded expression paling her face. When she finished counting, she let out a sigh of disbelief.

“How is this possible? Where did you get so much money?”

“It doesn’t matter. What I wanted to tell you is—”

“Let’s do it!” Caeli said with no hesitation, and burst into euphoric laughter. “Darcia, we can go. We can leave everything behind. We have finally made it! You made it possible.”

Darcia froze, feeling the world fracture abruptly. “Caeli, we must think it over carefully,” she urged. “If my stepbrother finds out we’re running away, he’ll hunt us down and have us killed.”

“Let him rot in the Akhirat.” Caeli took Darcia’s hands with her eyes full of tears. Joy. She was crying with joy. “This is more than enough money to start a new life. We can start fresh, in a place where no one, not even Conrad, would dare hurt us.”

Darcia let out a sigh, a wail of agony that had become entrenched in her chest and stabbed at it every day. She longed to have a future with Caeli, to be happy with her, to have a place to belong, and to be the master of her own destiny . . . But deep down, she longed for something darker that threatened to stain her soul.

She wished she could have the strength to face her stepbrother. To be smart and powerful enough to destroy everything he had built over time and turn him into a ghost who would never find the realm of the goddesses. Conrad had done enough to hurt many people and, if it wasn’t Darcia who stopped him, no one else would dare to do so.

“We should be cautious . . .” she insisted.

“I’m afraid too, Darcie. And I’m tired of being afraid,” Caeli confessed. “All my life I’ve been looking for a way to survive, with my mother and with you. I’ve seen every beating Conrad has given you to protect me and everyone in the circus. I have healed your wounds and woken you up when nightmares threatened to drag you into the abyss.” She let out a sob and Darcia’s heart broke a little more. “Please don’t ask me to endure it anymore. Don’t ask me to watch it end with you over and over again, without me being able to do anything. Let’s take this chance at a future together.”

“What about Sadira and Bassel? Your mother and my father? We can’t just walk away. We also have a life here, and we can’t afford to leave it all behind,” Darcia replied.

“We can start the process. Maybe . . . we can buy a farm. We can work in a store somewhere, in Hamleigh or Bellmare if we’re lucky.” Caeli shook her head. “People waste their money there without regard. We could get enough vramnias to bring them all with us.”

“And the people in the circus, Cally? What about our real family?”

Caeli looked down in shame. It was clear that she didn’t wish to abandon them either. Darcia knew that fear was greater than any reasoning, but she was also aware that any desperate decision could make everything fall apart.

“If we allow our hearts to remain chained, then we’ll never be able to leave this place, Darcie,” Caeli said in a serious voice. “The world shouldn’t depend on us, on you.”

Darcia knew she was right. Yet, if she left without doing something about it, the guilt would haunt her for eternity. Even if she found happiness, the thought of thousands of lives destroyed by her selfishness would drag her down into tribulation and grief.

“Give me a week,” she asked. “That’s all I need. One week to think about how I can end Conrad’s circus and free everyone. Then . . . Then we can leave without looking back.”

“All right,” Caeli agreed, nervously turning the bracelet on her wrist. “But, at the slightest sign of danger, you run in the opposite direction. As much as I love our family, your life matters more to me.”

“I promise,” she vowed, kissing her lips.

For once, Darcia Voreia would face her fears and do the right thing.

The next day, Darcia walked through the sunny streets of Dawnfall on Sadira’s arm. Due to Conrad’s absence, she’d taken another day off, so when her friend had come to find her at the cottage and asked her to take a walk together, she couldn’t refuse.

Ignoring the stares of the soldiers, Darcia and Sadira engaged in gossiping and laughed as if they were still two innocent children with a whole world to discover.

“I think my brother is in love,” Sadira confessed, after sitting down at the fountain in the square, adjusting her heavy wool coat.

Darcia dropped next to her with her mouth open. “Mister ‘I’m never going to fall in love’?”

Her friend laughed and nodded. “That’s the one.”

“Tell me everything!” she begged.

“The other day, I had to help my mother with inventory, so Bassel ran the bakery for a few hours. And since that day he has wanted to work every afternoon.”

“Well, did you see who came in?”

“I think he was a soldier in the army.” Sadira raised her hand when she saw that Darcia was about to protest. “His name is Gallen. It was he who questioned me and Caeli when he learned that Bassel was my twin. He was polite and kind at all times.”

“The soldiers will be gone soon,” Darcia stated.

“Gallen looks very comfortable in Dawnfall . . .”

“And abandon his post at Camdenn?” she asked. “I thought desertion was punishable by hanging.”

“ If he deserts. But if he asks for a transfer, maybe things will be different,” said Sadira. “I want my brother to be happy, you know? He deserves it after all.”

Darcia took her friend’s hand with understanding.

Sadira had never been interested in anyone, romantically or sexually. She’d always imagined her life having her own apothecary’s shop, far from the debts and discomfort of the big cities, but still close to her family. All she’d ever wanted was for her mother to have a good life before she was reunited with the goddesses and for her brother to be able to marry and adopt children, as he’d always dreamed.

Both Bassel and Sadira had sacrificed so much for each other’s happiness. And Darcia wanted to be able to give them the life they deserved, at her and Caeli’s side, for the four of them had formed a real family and she could never leave them to their fate.

“Your brother deserves so much more than happiness,” Darcia admitted. “And I’m glad to hear that he is accepting the feelings he has always kept bottled up. That soldier is very lucky.”

Sadira’s light brown gaze shifted to the streets. “I just hope the rest of them leave soon. The city seems to be dying by the minute. I only wish they would leave us alone.”

“With any luck, they’ll declare Dawnfall clean and go looking elsewhere.” Darcia patted her friend’s back. “You must have faith in it.”

Faith was the only thing they had left, the only thing they could cling to.

At the hollow sound of approaching armor, they looked up to find Harg Koller advancing decisively toward them. He had his hands behind his back and the most affable expression he could muster. Only when his hazel eyes landed on Darcia did a flicker of warmth soften his features.

“Miss Voreia,” the Chaser greeted.

She stood up and, with a soft glimmer in her eyes, offered a little bow. “General Koller.”

“Are you well?” he asked.

“Perfectly,” Darcia assured. She stepped aside and pointed to her friend. “Sadira, this is Harg Koller, general of the Royal Army.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, General.”

“You, too Sadira.” Harg bowed his head politely before shifting his gaze back to Darcia. “I wondered if you could spare me a minute of your time.”

This time, she didn’t hesitate.

He had looked after the women of the city and had made sure not to make any of them uncomfortable. For nearly three months, Harg had shown her that she need not fear him, for he didn’t plan to do her or her people any harm. He only wished to find the princesses, and since there was no trace of them in Dawnfall, her city was safe.

“Of course.”

“I’ll let you two talk.” Sadira grabbed Darcia’s hand and squeezed it lightly. “I’ll see you at the bakery.”

“Stay safe, Sadie.”

When Sadira left, Darcia sat back down, the cool drops of water from the fountain splashing her hair and cheeks. She made room for Harg to sit beside her, and once he did, something stirred inside her.

“I’d rather have come to talk to you for other circumstances, though they’re certainly good news for you.”

Darcia wrinkled her brow. “What do you mean by that?”

Harg let out a heavy sigh. In the depths of his hazel gaze, she recognized the weariness that weighed on him. She’d grown used to the scars marking his face and his gentle expression. Still, this shadow was new.

Pain, perhaps?

“We have declared Dawnfall a clean city,” he explained to her. “The king has commanded us to return to Camdenn to prepare our troops and expand the search into Avaglade and the Desertic Lands. From there, we will close in until the princesses have nowhere left to escape and capture them.”

“So, you’re leaving. . .”

“In two days, at first light,” Harg said and shrugged. “Go ahead, you can be glad to get rid of me.”

Darcia opened her mouth to protest, but gave him a gentle nudge with her shoulder, making him laugh—a warm, friendly laugh that made her smile too.

“It’s not that. Things would have been different if we’d met under other circumstances.”

If the world weren’t crumbling, if it hadn’t been such a dark mission that had brought the general to Dawnfall, Darcia could imagine a life in which they would have been good friends. A life in which Bassel, Sadira, and Caeli would also have accepted him and perhaps softened his heart.

The Chaser wouldn’t have been a monster.

He would have been just Harg.

Yet the man in front of her had no free will, not really. He followed the orders of a king who cared little for his kingdom, and that would always get in the way.

“I guess this is goodbye,” Darcia decreed, with a strange ache in her stomach.

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“Unless you’re planning a vacation here, I can’t think of any other way we’ll meet again,” she said, her confusion evident.

“You could come with me,” he muttered.

The world came to a screeching halt.

“What?”

Harg looked into her eyes with a serene expression. “Come with me to Camdenn.”

“You must be joking,” she scoffed.

“Why? It’s a nice place to live. I could find you and your girlfriend a home, decent jobs, and even help your friends join you in the capital. . . Your father could teach at the Royal Academy. It’s brimming with libraries and knowledge few have access to. I’m sure the king would be delighted to meet him.”

“I’m just a circus performer, Harg. Camdenn is no place for me.”

“But it’s an opportunity for change.”

Darcia was instantly overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness. The world was laughing at her, there was no doubt about it. Opportunities, ways to escape . . . Everything was colliding inside her like a swarm of angry wasps. Suddenly, she became short of breath.

“I . . . I don’t think that . . .” she stammered.

“You don’t have to give me an answer now. We’re leaving in a couple of days. I can wait. But, if you accept my offer, I don’t want you to worry about Conrad. I’ll personally see to it that he doesn’t intervene in your choices regarding your future.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and the pain that had once twisted in her stomach now tightened into a lump in her throat. Was this really happening? She couldn’t believe it—if it was true, it would mean that, after all this time, the goddesses had finally heard her prayers. That her suffering hadn’t been in vain.

Darcia’s hand instinctively moved to the moon pendant hanging between her breasts, seeking comfort from the gem that had chased away the demons and nightmares tormenting her each night.

“I’ll think about it,” she promised.

Harg Koller frowned as he noticed the jewel.

“I’ve never taken a good look at your necklace before. It’s magnificent.”

She smiled. “It’s my lucky charm. I’ve had it since I was a child.”

“Your whole life?” he inquired. “May I?”

Darcia nodded, holding out the pendant to him. As Harg traced his fingers over it, a pained expression flickered across his face and made him curse under his breath.

“Are you all right?” Darcia asked, worried.

He shook his clenched hand, before opening it and revealing a large burn marking his scarred skin.

The mark of a key—the one her stepbrother had given him, claiming it was used to open the temples of the twin goddesses.

“Let’s go to my cabin. I have ointments there that heal burns in no time . . .”

“No.”

Harg Koller’s voice grew sepulchral, so dark that even the gem in Darcia’s pendant burned in response. She recoiled slightly as Harg stood abruptly.

“Have a good day, Miss Voreia.”

As the Chaser vanished into the alleys of the city, Darcia couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that she had just sentenced her soul forever.