The Myth of Kalvartr: Sample Edition

Noises awoke her, sounds of people and animals in the streets. Annabelle sat straighter in her chair and glanced out the window at the cobblestone road below. It was early in the morning, long past sunrise, but still hours before noon. People were out doing their daily chores, selling goods, collecting food, washing clothes. Annabelle was sitting inside on this beautiful morning, lost in a daydream. It was not often that she thought of her father’s funeral, as she tried very hard to push the sad memory from her head. Years and years had passed since that time, burying one memory under another. It was odd that it had surfaced now.

  Today was indeed a strange day.

  Annabelle rose from the chair and wandered across her small bedroom. It was located in the attic of the old house, a charming little space with many bends in the ceiling and corners to store things in. Dull-coloured rugs covered the squeaky floor and an antique wardrobe stood to one side, filled with dresses of assorted colours. Annabelle crouched down beside her small bed and reached her hand underneath to fish out something she had forgotten until now.

  Dust covered her fingertips as she withdrew the aged book from its hiding place. She blew the dark specks off the cover and opened it, the spine cracking as she did so. Inside was the familiar handwriting of the man who spoke of magick – the man who desired to save his son. Annabelle had forced herself to stay awake one night to read the book, like she imagined Thomas had done several times. She only wished to understand why her brother had been so fascinated with the passages inside, but even after reading it she was unsure of what it all meant. There were strange words in the diary … words that Annabelle had never heard of before, such as magick and Sengai.

  Magick was apparently a power that could be used to heal, and Sengai were people with the ability to use this power to save those who were cursed. Yet magick could also be used to induce the very curses spoken of inside the book. Annabelle remembered to have been frightened by these strange terms and ideas. She knew the healers of the city used different potions and tonics to heal people who were sick, but not magick. Not anything evil.

  That was how she viewed the book: evil. It plagued Thomas’s mind when he was younger and now it plagued hers.

  ‘Enough,’ she said quietly aloud, sliding the wicked diary back into the shadows under her bed. She had enough to worry about without filling her head with stories about curses and dark powers. She did not even know if it was real! The man who wrote the diary could have been mad, delusional with grief over his son. It was rubbish and she would not believe such lies.

  With a slow sigh, Annabelle rose back up onto her feet and brushed off her dress. A silly daydream would not prevent her from visiting her brother today.

  Thomas had joined the Zhan Army many summers ago now, leaving without a word in the morning and returning that same afternoon with a signed parchment of his allegiance to the crown. Their uncle had been furious. He had yelled at Thomas until nightfall and refused to speak to his nephew for several weeks. Annabelle had been angry too, but unlike her uncle, she could not bear to ignore Thomas as he did. Now her brother worked close to the castle and sparingly came home to visit. His duties kept him within the inner ward mostly, but patrols often went out of the kingdom entirely and sometimes he was chosen to go.

  The duties of a soldier were safe enough during a time of peace, but Annabelle worried over other unrelated things. Thomas was getting older. He had spent fifteen winters as a common subject of the King, and four as a soldier. Their father was much older than that when he first displayed signs of his sickness, yet Thomas already showed symptoms. Annabelle feared that her brother would fall victim to the same illness, that he would die a slow and horrible death like Terryn Roman. The thought of her brother suffering kept her up at night, plagued her dreams with horrifying images of Carnac and dark holes in the ground.

  Annabelle shivered and wrapped her mantle around her shoulders. She closed her room door and headed downstairs into the sitting room. Her uncle was standing by the hearth, pushing logs into the crackling fire. He straightened and adjusted the painting hanging on the wall above the flames, as he did several times a day, though Annabelle was certain it had not moved an inch since it was originally placed there. It was a beautiful depiction of Eldras, their home and the capital city of the Zhan Kingdom, painted by her aunt many years ago – even before her niece and nephew had come to stay at the house. The paints were said to have been expensive, but was well paid back by the beauty of the painting.

  ‘Uncle?’ Annabelle walked to the nearest chair and placed both hands upon its top.

  The elderly man turned away from the fire and regarded her slowly. ‘You look so much like your mother in that dress. Yes … so much like dear Annette.’

  Annabelle started. Her uncle never spoke of her parents. They were ghosts to him.

  Isaac waved his hand in the air, as if to say it was simply nothing. ‘Are you going to the castle to see your brother? Is it that time already?’

  ‘Yes, Uncle,’ replied Annabelle, giving a quiet sigh. She was relieved that he had not continued to speak of her mother. She would not know what to say.

  ‘Have you eaten?’ he asked.

  ‘No, but I will later, I promise you.’ Annabelle’s stomach was too much in knots to worry about food right now. She would have a late meal with some tea and perhaps a slice of the raspberry pie she had made yesterday.

  Perhaps Thomas would like some as well, she thought with a smile, and hurried through the small kitchen – grabbing a plate along the way – and down into the pantry to slice off a piece of pie. She tied a kerchief around the platter and tucked it into a little basket only large enough to fit the round dish into it. Then she returned upstairs to bid farewell to her uncle. Sometimes he went with her to visit Thomas, but usually he stayed home, still bitter at his nephew for going against his wishes.

  ‘I will be home in a few hours!’ Annabelle called, heading towards the doorway. She paused for a second, catching a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror that hung in the hall. A bronze clasp held her hair back, almost indiscernible while mixed with strands of similar colours. The tresses fell down her back and lay against the white and blue of her dress.

  Of course her uncle had mentioned her mother. Annabelle looked just like her. Of course, she had never seen her mother – having been born the day she died – but her aunt and uncle had spoken fondly of Annette, spinning stories of her beauty and kindness. By now she knew exactly what her mother had looked like.

  Tucking the handle of the basket into the curve of her elbow, as the proper ladies of the kingdom did, Annabelle left the house and hurried out onto the street. Her uncle’s house was in the upper quarter of Eldras, just near the edges of the lower quarter. There was always a great deal of traffic going to and fro from one part of the city to the next, workers heading to their trade and carts laden with goods. It was a common sight and Annabelle barely noticed them these days, dodging the crowd becoming something of a habit – like breathing.

  She usually followed the river to the castle road, as it was the quickest and less troublesome route to take. Her attention often travelled to the minnows swimming or the frogs jumping along the edge of the riverbank. When she and her brother were younger, they would come here to play. They liked to catch the tiny water creatures and splash around in the more shallow parts of the river. Some areas were much too deep to wade in and it was not proper for a girl to swim around. Yet she often did it anyway, mostly to tease the other girls, whose mothers would have scolded them severely if they caught them.

  The river curved slightly upward, becoming wider and deeper. Annabelle saw a few of the younger boys who lived on her street laughing as they tried to retrieve the biggest stone from the bottom of the river. One of them was watching on the shoreline, anxious of the water. He reminded her of the first time she had tried swimming. She was also frightened at first, until Thomas had pushed her into the water. She quickly learned that floating was simple and swimming was not as bad as it seemed
. The little boy smiled as she walked past and she gave a small wave to him.

  She did not blame him for staying out of the water today, though. It was a chilly autumn day, close now to winter. Red and gold leaves crunched under her shoes as she entered through a gap in the old stone wall, leading her out onto the castle road. Another wall stood across the road, the distance between the two great enough for a pair of carriages to ride side-by-side. The leaves continued to crunch as Annabelle followed the ancient road. Many low-hanging trees touched the edges of the stone walls – the original source of the noise beneath her feet.

  A Zhan soldier suddenly rode past on a brilliant black horse, galloping by so fast that Annabelle barely had time to catch a glimpse of the rider. She could picture the strong colours of the kingdom that decorated each warrior: red, black, and gold. They were proud colours – the colours of freedom and strength.

  The towering gates of the castle’s outer keep were wide open to the public, and to guests from faraway lands. Beyond them lay the market square, where commerce between kingdoms was usually done. Travelling merchants and traders, sometimes under the employment of rich nobles, usually did their business here, setting up their stands and carts close by the square’s circular fountain. The flagstone street covered a wide area, with pillars surrounding it in a circle – much like the odd way some royalty and wealthy nobles put candles upon cakes on their birthing day. There were walkways to the left and right and also straight ahead. Annabelle had never wandered anywhere but along the straight road to the centre of the outer ward. She feared what would happen if a guard found her snooping around where she should not be.

  The heart of the outer keep was like a small village. It contained shops for all the needs of the castle residents, royalty and servants alike. Near the entrance stood a tailor’s shop where cloth and clothes was made and a blacksmith to forge weapons for the soldiers. Across from those buildings were a bakery and a butcher’s shop. The granary and stables for the livestock and horses were to the northwest side near the farming area and bell tower. The apothecary was to the east, close to the observatory and gardens, which hid somewhat in the shadow of the looming prison tower. Annabelle hated seeing the gruesome tower to the north, as the empty windows frightened her. They seemed forlorn and cold, as though ancient souls were trapped beyond their steel bars.

  She stopped for a brief moment near the old, stone well at the centre of the massive keep and pulled her mantle close around her shoulders. A group of Zhan soldiers were saddling up horses near the stables and she wondered for a moment if Thomas was amongst them, but it was much too far away to tell.

  He may already be in the garden.

  Thomas was usually on time for their little meetings, but sometimes he had other work that could not be put aside. Annabelle of course understood that he had important duties to undertake. Being a soldier was not always a simple job, particularly in times of war. Annabelle thanked the gods that they lived in a time of peace. She could not bear the thought of Thomas heading out to war, especially if his sickness proved to be real. Though, he had not shown signs of the illness for a long time now.

  Unless he has been hiding it from me.

  She ignored that thought and moved away from the well as two young serving girls approached with large pails. Annabelle headed across the flagstone towards the gardens, spotting a few people standing outside the apothecary’s house as she walked, slightly coughing. She hoped some kind of plague wasn’t spreading and quickly diverted her gaze away, as though simply looking at them would be contagious.

  Annabelle always entered the garden at the same spot, walking under the great drooping branches of a weeping willow tree. A hint of red within the tree caused her to raise her head and look up. A tiny bird with a black chest was hopping from one branch to another, chirping in that high-pitched noise that all birds make, like the sound of a sweetly strummed instrument. She smiled and took a few steps backwards before turning.

  Then she nearly knocked someone over.

  It took her a moment to regain her balance, grasping a lantern post that was luckily nearby, though her victim was already composed and on his way to go.

  ‘My apologies,’ said the young man, with a slight bow of his head. ‘I did not see you, my lady.’

  Before Annabelle could even open her mouth to reply, he had bolted out of the garden.

  How odd, she thought. Such a strange man. His clothes were also strange. They were not like anything Annabelle had ever seen, and she had seen quite a few different attires, including the odd clothing the southern folk wore. His colours were all wrong for that of the Zhan Kingdom, so he was not a soldier here, yet he wore clothes that were very similar to a soldier’s uniform.

  Annabelle smiled and almost laughed out loud. My lady! He thought she was a noblewoman. She glanced down at her dress. Although it was not something made for the royal court, it was in fact a beautiful dress. She highly doubted that she looked anything like a noble, though, and her hair was something to question. She checked to see if her pie had been damaged in the tussle and then continued on her way.

  She was a little disappointed when she saw that Thomas was not waiting for her. The bench where they usually sat and talked was empty. Annabelle placed her basket on the wooden seat and rested herself for a moment, looking at the yellow, blue, and red flowers that grew around her. An orange butterfly landed gently on a large, blue petal and edged its way to the centre of the flower, its wings bewitching as it took its tiny steps. Annabelle reached out a hand to touch the pretty creature when she noticed someone in the corner of her eye.

  Her tall, dark-haired brother seemed to not notice that she was sitting on the bench, even when she waved and smiled. Her hand lowered when she noticed the way he was staring at the ground – the ever common pensive look in his sea-blue eyes. She stood up and reached out to take his hand. The touch seemed to wake him from his thoughts and he smiled and kissed her cheek before they both sat down.

  ‘How are you?’ she asked, a little worried after seeing such a brooding look on his face. She hoped it was nothing, and not another reason to fret.

  ‘My health is well, if that is what you are asking.’ His voice was not angry, but there was a cool edge to it that he could not disguise.

  Annabelle lowered her head and noticed the basket. She picked it up and passed it to her brother. ‘I brought you some pie,’ she said, trying to change the subject. ‘It’s raspberry. I tried to make cherry pie, but there doesn’t seem to be a single cherry left in this whole kingdom.’

  Thomas seemed to smirk and he took a look inside the basket, as though there was something else waiting in there for him. ‘This is fine, Anna. I love this kind just as well. Thank you.’

  ‘Good, because I had quite the trouble getting it to you.’ She laughed. ‘I was nearly knocked down by a man who thought I was a noblewoman! Can you imagine, Thomas? If we were part of the royal court, think of how grand that would be! I bet none of those merchants’ daughters would turn up their noses at me then.’

  Thomas smiled. ‘I think they are just jealous of you, Anna.’ He set the basket aside and turned his attention back to her. ‘And how is Uncle Isaac doing?’

  ‘The same.’ Annabelle thought back to this morning. ‘He seems to be more reminiscent of late. He talks about mother.’

  Thomas grew silent for a few moments. ‘We are the only family he has left. Surely he must feel threatened that he will end up alone, especially after I joined the army. I bet he fears that you will leave too.’

  ‘I doubt that will happen anytime soon,’ murmured Annabelle. She looked down at her shoes, at how small her feet still were. ‘I have no reason to leave, unless he marries me off.’

  They both laughed then, amused with such a notion. They knew their uncle would never intentionally want them gone, not even if they were the most troublesome relatives he had ever set his eyes upon.

  ‘Is there something bothering you, Thomas?’ Annabelle noticed that look s
lowly creeping across his face again, that gloomy look that revealed that he was secretly fretting about something or another.

  ‘I shouldn’t bother you with it also,’ was all he said.

  Annabelle raised an eyebrow. ‘Who says it would bother me?’

  He pressed his hands together on his lap. ‘I would not want to ruin your visit. I hardly get to see you these days and to say anything upsetting would only make you anxious.’ He gave her a sour look. ‘I know whenever I tell you anything bad you go home and worry about it for days upon end.’

  Annabelle flushed. ‘I do not!’ she argued. But it was true. She hated grim news, thoughts that were so horrid that they clawed at her heart like icy talons. ‘Please, Thomas. I wish to know what is troubling you. Is it…?’

  ‘I already told you that I was well,’ snapped her brother. He glared at his folded hands. ‘It isn’t like that. It … it has to do with Lucius.’

  ‘Lucius?’ Annabelle was confused for a moment. ‘The General?’ He was a friend of their uncle’s and had also been to their house a few times in the past. ‘Has something happened to him?’

  ‘He … he went missing.’ Thomas had a bemused look on his face. ‘I don’t understand it at all. He went out of the kingdom for a few days, to visit Merriesdale. I think he has family there. He never came back.’

  ‘Maybe he stayed longer than expected?’

  ‘No.’ It was a quick reply. ‘Merriesdale is only a day’s journey from here. He was only to stay a night. This was five nights ago now.’

  ‘That is a two day absence.’ Annabelle still did not see what the problem was. Surely Thomas was overreacting. ‘Is there something else to this story?’

  Thomas nodded grimly. ‘I heard a rumour this morning. They say a new general arrived last night … a replacement. I … I did not think much of it at first, but then I started to put the facts together …’ His folded hands slowly curled into fists. ‘What if Lucius … what if he was killed on his way back to the kingdom?’

  Annabelle felt a slight shiver run down her spine, and not from the cold air. ‘Thomas, I’m sure it is nothing like that. Perhaps Lucius has retired …?’

  ‘Without speaking a word of it to any of his soldiers?’ Thomas shook his head. ‘I don’t think so, Anna. I fear he was murdered and only the royal court has any real knowledge of what happened out there.’

  Annabelle felt a chill about her shoulders again and she drew her mantle more tightly around herself. She did not like all this talk of murder. ‘You worry so much, brother. You think too much about things, until everything is gone completely out of hand and you have only yourself to blame for assuming it.’

  ‘You think me a fool then for suspecting such things.’ It was not a question, but a statement. Her brother loved to assume his sister’s final opinion.

  She simply frowned. ‘No, I do not think you are a fool. I do however think you are jumping to the wrong conclusion much too quickly.’

  ‘What if he knew something? Something dark and secret about the royal family …’ Thomas was lost in thought again. ‘If he knew something there would have been a reason to kill him …’

  ‘Thomas!’ Annabelle jumped to her feet. She brought her voice to a dangerous whisper. ‘Are you saying what I think you are saying? For your sake, I hope you are not! Men have been hung for treason for saying less!’ She sat back down, her anger cooling. ‘You mustn’t say such things about the royal family. It isn’t right.’

  Thomas looked aggrieved for a moment. He took his sister’s hand. ‘I am sorry, Anna. Please forgive your foolish brother’s tongue.’

  ‘I wonder why it has not been cut out by now,’ murmured Annabelle, fear rising in her voice. ‘Who knows what else you have said.’

  ‘Now look who is jumping to the wrong conclusion.’ Thomas stood up and took the basket with him. ‘Come, walk me to the fountain.’

  ‘You are leaving already?’ asked Annabelle disappointedly.

  ‘I must.’ Thomas helped her up. ‘I have guard duty in a short while.’

  Annabelle took his arm as they walked out of the gardens and back into the courtyard of the outer ward. It was much busier now, as noon was fast approaching. Annabelle watched the people with mixed curiosity. She wondered why anyone would want to spend each day rushing about in such a panic, worrying if the King’s breakfast would be satisfying enough or if his sword was polished the acceptable amount to be on display. She guessed most were not there by their own free will. Some people were raised into being servants, while others gave their life to the services of the King because they could not pay their taxes. As she held her brother’s arm, Annabelle was grateful that their uncle was wealthy enough to support them through all these years.

  ‘Ah, so there you are …’

  Annabelle followed her brother’s gaze towards the western side of the fountain square. She could not mistake the strangely coloured clothes upon the man that stood in the shadows there.

  ‘Oh! That’s him, Thomas! That’s the one who mistook me for a noble! I wonder where he’s from …’

  ‘I’m more curious to find out who he is talking with – the new general,’ said Thomas grimly.

  There was indeed another man standing with the oddly dressed one. The second was much older, with a black beard that was starting to grey and hair to match. He was plated with various pieces of armour: greaves, pauldrons, and gauntlets, with a brigandine shirt and a long sword in a midnight-blue case. He had a terrifying look on his face, like a man who would find difficulty trying to smile. It was part of the reason why Annabelle was reluctant to move when Thomas started towards the soldier.

  ‘I want to ask him about Lucius,’ whispered her brother, and her eyes widened in fright.

  Why would anyone want to ask such a stern-looking man anything? She did not ask this however; they were close enough to the strange pair for them to hear her.

  They saw the siblings approach and the older man frowned at them, his thick eyebrows emphasizing the severe look in his eyes. Why would he not be angry? We are interrupting them. Annabelle clung more tightly to her brother’s arm and swallowed.

  ‘I have heard that you are to be our new general, Sir,’ said Thomas reverently. ‘It is but a rumour though I hoped to hear it clarified better.’

  The man grunted. ‘Aye, I am to take over the old general’s post.’ His voice was a deep rumble, further adding to his stony appearance. ‘You may call me David.’

  ‘It is an honour, Sir. I was also wondering if you knew the old general well.’

  The general looked slightly irritated but did not snap, as Annabelle expected. Thomas was pushing this man and would not stop until he found some answers. Her brother was the most stubborn person she had ever known.

  ‘I knew him well enough,’ said David. ‘Why the sudden inquiring, boy?’

  ‘My uncle was a good friend of General Lucius. He was much aggrieved when he heard his friend had not returned from his travels.’ Annabelle was unsure if she was more horrified at the lie her brother had just told, or at the way he had lied so easily. ‘Perhaps you have a suitable answer I can give my poor uncle to ease his worries.’

  Annabelle noticed the man with the strange clothes flash a stern look at his companion, but a moment later his face was blank again, revealing no secrets as to who he was.

  ‘Lucius had an accident when crossing the river. I am afraid he will not be returning to work again.’ David’s face was set, like the face of a man who would not be – in any way – questioned about the decisions he made.

  ‘Well, I am sure Uncle Isaac will be satisfied with this news,’ said Annabelle to her brother, tugging at his arm to leave, but it was not Thomas who spoke this time.

  ‘Isaac? That is your uncle’s name?’ questioned David.

  ‘Yes, Sir,’ answered Thomas. ‘He lives near the river in the upper quarter. Do you perhaps know him?’

  ‘No … I know not many from these parts.’ He exchanged a glance with his compani
on. ‘I must be leaving now. I have many things to do. What did you say your name was, soldier?’

  ‘Thomas Roman, Sir.’

  ‘And your sister?’

  Annabelle was surprised that the General asked about her. She curtsied and replied, ‘Annabelle Roman, Sir.’

  She looked up just in time to see the other man with his gaze upon her, but he diverted it away just as quickly, turning his attention to the sleeve of his dark-blue gambeson.

  ‘Well met, both of you.’ David clapped a hand on the unnamed man’s shoulder, and Annabelle honestly believed that he would collapse to the ground from the impact, but he stood as still and straight as a lamppost. ‘My travelling companion, Charlie, will keep you company for a while. I must leave.’

  He then sauntered off so abruptly that his companion was left to stare after him, like a boy who had been separated from his father in the forest and forced to find his way back home alone. If he had not already spoken to her once this day, Annabelle would have thought him mute.

  ‘Are you to become a soldier of Zhan?’ asked Thomas suddenly.

  The question seemed to take Charlie off guard. ‘No. No … I came from the south.’ It took him a moment to find his voice again and realize what was being asked of him. ‘I am General David’s travelling companion. That is all.’

  ‘The south!’ exclaimed Annabelle. ‘That is where the sea is, or so I’ve heard.’

  ‘You have heard right, my lady,’ said the young man, still not looking at her even when she spoke to him. Though, he could look easily enough at her brother, which made her cheeks grow hot with anger.

  Does he purposely ignore me then? Does he find that speaking directly to a woman is a chore or something not worth his time? She wasn’t sure why it bothered her so. People rarely gave her a second glance, especially men of the upper quarter. Perhaps he still thinks I am of noble blood, and cannot look at me in fear that I may smite him.

  ‘I apologize, but I must be going. I have a long road ahead.’ The young man was picking at the end of his left cuff again when Annabelle noticed something she had not seen before. He is wearing a bracer! He is an archer! There was something else too, something silvery that hung around his wrist and looped tightly around the bracer, but the sleeve of his long coat hid it.

  ‘Have a safe journey,’ Thomas bid.

  The two siblings were then left alone and Annabelle was beginning to feel very puzzled over the entire conversation. ‘They both left in such a hurry, do you not agree?’

  Thomas nodded. ‘Did you notice anything strange about the colour of the General’s sheath?’

  Annabelle thought on it and then realized something she had overlooked before, though she originally was not hunting for clues like her brother had been. ‘It is the same colour as Charlie’s shirt.’

  Again Thomas nodded. ‘Do you not find that strange?’

  ‘I got the impression that they were both from the same place. It would not be strange for them to wear similar clothing or armour.’

  ‘It isn’t strange for common people to wear similar clothes,’ agreed Thomas, ‘but David is a general and he claimed his friend was just a traveller. I think he was lying.’

  Annabelle took these things into account and placed the pieces together herself. The conclusion she arrived at was not a very pleasant one. ‘Thomas … are you suggesting that David and Charlie are part of another army … that they are spies?’

  Thomas smiled and draped his arm around his sister’s shoulders. ‘I could not have said that any finer.’ His face suddenly turned deathly serious. ‘But yes, that is what I believe. Maybe I am being a fool again. Maybe Lucius did die in an accident, but this new general could also be lying. Time will soon tell. I will just have to keep an eye on him.’

  And I shall have to keep an eye on you. Annabelle did not like what her brother was getting into. Doubting the words of a general was a dangerous game to play.

  ‘I should take my leave now,’ said Thomas. ‘New recruits will be arriving from the west in a week or two. I don’t want to seem like I am taking my duties lightly, or else I’ll be getting replaced by some blockheaded farm boy who has never held a sword before in his life.’ He laughed at the notion and shook his head. ‘Oh well. Visit me again tomorrow?’

  ‘Tomorrow?’ Annabelle raised her eyebrows in surprise. She could not remember the last time she had visited her brother two days in a row. ‘Of course I will.’

  ‘I will let you get on with your day, then,’ said Thomas. ‘Let Uncle know I am well … and enjoying my time, despite what he thinks.’

  Annabelle laughed. ‘I will tell him that.’ As her brother started walking back towards the central part of the keep, she quickly called out, ‘And don’t forget the pie!’ He lifted the basket high and smiled over his shoulder before disappearing beyond a wall.

  Annabelle shook her head with amusement and started back towards the castle road. Her brother seemed to be extremely well today. Perhaps the sickness was just a worry in her mind, and he was really in good health.

  She shivered as she remembered the night her father had died, the night Thomas had come upstairs to assumingly apologize to her for yelling. Yet what he said was not even remotely similar to an apology.

  I am cursed, Anna. The gods hate me. I will die, just like father, for we are both cursed … and you know it too.

  Even after all these years Annabelle still remembered what Thomas had said. She heard it as plainly as she had heard it then. It was the most frightening thing she had ever been told. The gods hate me.

  Again, Annabelle trembled. She stopped at the gap in the stone wall, a curious feeling sweeping over her. She glanced over her shoulder and looked down the castle road, suspicion lingering in her mind.

  Someone had been watching her.