Cursed Bones

chapter 4



Trajan and his twenty men moved through the jungle with the same kind of ease that Isabel could travel through the Great Forest. They picked their path intuitively, selecting a course that meandered through the dense underbrush to make the trek easier while diminishing any sign of their passage.

Two men escorted Isabel at all times, always careful to guide her safely through the jungle, often correcting her course and pointing out potential dangers. Of course, their true purpose was to prevent her from escaping, but she didn’t care since she had no such intention. She had nowhere to go and no idea how to get there. Her course was set. She would speak with the King of Karth. Things would become clearer after that.

During the journey, she peppered her escorts with questions, trying to learn all she could about the jungle, its many plants, both dangerous and medicinal, and its animals, both the ones she was familiar with and the more exotic creatures that roamed the dense wilds.

Each day, Trajan made her drink a cup of tea laced with a drop of malaise-weed nectar to inhibit her emotional intensity and render her connection to the firmament too dangerous to access. She accepted without protest, although she did complain about the bitter taste.

On the third day of travel, Trajan dropped back from the front of the group, dismissing Isabel’s escorts with a gesture. They faded into the jungle, while remaining close enough to come to his aid should the need arise.

“My men tell me you’re full of questions,” Trajan said.

“I grew up in a forest,” Isabel said. “I can tell you a thousand things about that forest that a casual observer would never know. Your jungle has sparked my curiosity, so I ask a lot of questions.”

He chuckled. “One could spend his whole life walking the jungle and learn something new each day. We have shamans who study their whole lives, passing their lore to the next shaman-in-waiting, and yet there are always things they do not know.”

“Earlier this morning your men prevented me from walking beneath a particularly beautiful tree,” Isabel said, “instead, steering me in a wide path around it, but they wouldn’t tell me why.”

Trajan nodded. “I instructed them to avoid revealing anything that you could use as a weapon. In this case, I believe they were taking that instruction a bit too seriously. That kind of tree is favored by yellow-spotted frogs.”

“You’ve lost me,” Isabel said. “What’s dangerous about frogs?”

“These frogs in particular secrete a potent toxin on their backs and bellies,” Trajan said. “One touch and you would die within minutes unless the antidote was administered quickly.”

“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.

Several minutes, and a confusing maze of turns later, they arrived at a nondescript door. The two guards standing to either side opened it without a word and Trajan strode inside, inviting Isabel to follow him.

Isabel stopped a few steps inside and surveyed her surroundings, nodding her approval. The room was well appointed but not lavish, more serviceable and comfortable than ostentatious. She believed one could learn a lot about a person by how they lived. Trajan didn’t seem interested in impressing people with possessions.

“Please, sit,” he said, motioning to a comfortable set of chairs separated by a small table. “Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, thank you,” Isabel said, easing into the chair. It had been a long journey and she was tired and sore. It felt good to simply relax in a well-padded chair.

Trajan prepared the tea himself, another promising sign as far as Isabel was concerned, but as he was bringing the tray to her, the door burst open and a dozen men filed in with weapons drawn.

Trajan stopped, facing the door calmly as his father entered behind his royal guard. The King of Karth was an older man, his jet black hair salted with grey and his paunch a little too big for his slim frame. His eyes were intelligent and inquisitive, yet ever-so-slightly furtive, as if he was always hiding something. Isabel decided she didn’t trust him and again wished she had Alexander’s sight.

“What is the meaning of this, Trajan?”

“Hello, Father,” Trajan said with a genuine smile. “It’s good to see you.”

The King of Karth stopped abruptly and took a deep breath as Isabel stood up.

“Lady Reishi, may I present Severine Karth, my father and the rightful King of Karth. Father, this is Isabel Reishi, wife of Alexander Reishi, Phane’s sworn enemy.”

Severine frowned while he scrutinized Isabel.

“They told me you were a witch,” he said gruffly, yet with an air of relief. “I’m glad to see they were mistaken.” He gestured to his royal guard and all but one filed out into the hall, closing the door behind them.

“Had you ever met a witch, Trajan, you would understand why I entered as I did,” Severine said. “It’s not safe to be alone with a witch that you are not allied with.”

Isabel’s mind raced. She was missing something, some vital piece of information, but she didn’t understand her situation well enough to even ask the right questions, so she decided to wait in the hope that things would become clearer with time.

“I believe you’re mistaken, Father,” Trajan said. “I witnessed Lady Reishi charm a jaguar and command the beast to range out ahead of our party, clearing the path of any predators.”

Alarm returned to Severine’s visage. “Did you give her the malaise weed as I commanded?”

“Every morning,” Trajan said. “I prepared the tea myself, measured the malaise-weed nectar and watched her drink every drop.”

“They told me it would inhibit her magic,” Severine muttered, as if to himself, doubt creeping across his face.

“There are many forms of magic, Lord Severine,” Isabel said. “Some of the magic at my disposal is limited by the malaise weed while other magic is not. I tell you this in good faith because I believe we have a common enemy and my hope is to forge an alliance with your house so that we might stand together against Phane.”

Severine scrutinized her for a moment before nodding to Trajan to bring the tea as he took the chair next to Isabel’s, motioning for her to sit.

“Why should I believe you?”

“My husband sent the warning that saved your life,” Isabel said. “He sent word in your dreams that the Regency would attack on the new moon.”

Severine stared at her intently before swallowing hard.

“I did not heed that warning,” Severine said. “Were it not for an abundance of caution on the part of Erastus here,” he nodded to the man by the door, “we would have all died that day.

“Very few people knew the content of that message. Your knowledge of it lends some credibility to your claim of friendship, yet there is much more I must know before committing to an alliance.”

“I understand completely,” Isabel said. She proceeded to recount many of her experiences from the past year, leaving out key details that might be used against her or Alexander, but presenting a true and mostly complete account of their fight against Phane. Severine and Trajan listened attentively until she was finished.

“I hate Phane,” she said. “I came here to kill him myself, but I would welcome any help I can get.”

“You weave a most compelling tale,” Severine said. “I will take steps to verify some parts of your story but I’m inclined to agree that an alliance would be in both of our interests.

“On another matter, tell me more about your magic. I take counsel from a coven of witches and they are very different than you. So much so, that it’s hard for me to believe that you are indeed a witch.”

“I underwent the mana fast with the Reishi Coven last summer,” Isabel said. “Since then, I’ve been learning about my power, refining my connection to the firmament and honing my skills of visualization and emotional control.”

He sighed and then frowned. “I don’t mean to be indelicate, but how is it that you’re so plain-looking. Please understand, for a normal woman you’re quite beautiful, but for a witch you are, well, homely.”

Isabel was dumbfounded. She’d been called many things in her life but ‘homely’ was not one of them. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, at a loss for words.

“Please forgive me, I don’t mean to give offense,” Severine said when it was clear that Isabel didn’t have an answer. “I have much to consider, Lady Reishi,” he said as he stood. “Trajan will attend to your quarters. For the time being, your movement will be restricted, I hope you understand.”

After Severine left, Trajan sighed deeply, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “I apologize for my father’s bluntness,” he said. “He’s accustomed to speaking his mind.”

“I’m more puzzled than offended,” Isabel said.

“I’m sure it has something to do with the Sin’Rath,” Trajan said. “Hopefully, things will become clearer after I meet with them. For now, I’ll take you to your quarters. I’m sure you’re tired.”