Assassin of Curses: (The Coren Hart Chronicles Book 3) by Jessie Eaker (best novels in english TXT) 📕

I glanced toward where the cricket sat. “It does. But what choice do we have?” I nodded toward Zofie sitting silently in her chair. “I can’t turn down even the slightest chance of bringing her back.”

Fumiko sighed, her shoulders dropping in acquiescence.

I went to stand before the cricket again. The others flanked me. “We will have to find the key first. This may take us a bit since we have no idea where it is.”

The cricket gave a little hop. “For one of your abilities, I’m sure it will be a simple matter.”

I was not so sure. Simple matters sometimes turned out to be quite complicated.

The cricket gave another little hop. “I hope you will excuse me. I must leave now. This avatar is at its limit. Use Fumiko to contact me once you have the key. I look forward to seeing something other than a messy toilet closet.”

And with that, the cricket stopped moving.

“Is he gone?” I asked.

Rourke nodded. “The connection to the cricket is no longer there.”

Fumiko turned toward us. “Be careful dealing with him. His offers always have a catch.”

Spraggel nodded. “I agree. We do need to be careful. There is something about him that disturbs me.”

I went and looked down at the deceased cricket. “Why does he pick insects for this?” I asked. “Especially ones out of season?”

Fumiko looked at us sadly. “Because he loves to torture bugs.”

CHAPTER SIX

A Hidden

Talent

I hovered in that strange place half-way to dreams. I was exhausted. But in spite of that, I had positioned a padded chair beside Zofie’s bed and diligently taken my post within easy reach of her sleeping form.

While I had fought it, my eyelids had begun to drift and my body to relax. But my mind was active. And in my half-consciousness, I could hear a whispered conversation, only it was an improbable discussion between Zofie and Abhulengulus. But I couldn’t make out the words.

Then suddenly, I heard Zofie’s voice softly call me. “Coren?”

I struggled to answer.

“Coren?” she called again, a little louder.

I tried to get my mouth to move, to make a reply.

“Coren!”

I desperately wanted to answer her. The words of her name were on my lips—

Fumiko’s hand came down on my shoulder, startling me. “You should get some rest,” she said. She had come up to stand by my chair.

I blinked as the vestiges of the dream left me. Had it been real? I glanced at Zofie’s sleeping form and was struck by a wave of sadness. It had almost been like she was talking to me.

I looked up at Fumiko. “You should take your own advice.”

She shrugged and turned her gaze toward the slumbering princess. Fumiko’s expression was hard to read. The room’s only light came from a dimmed myst lantern across on her other side, and it cast her in a dark silhouette. “I’m used to long nights,” she said. “Sleep and I are not friends. Haven’t been for many years.”

We both watched quietly as Zofie slept. The only sound was her soft breathing and the occasional crackle from the smoldering coals in the fireplace. The castle’s silence was deep and pulled me further into the depths of loneliness and despair.

After our guest had left his avatar, Zofie’s small staff had pulled together a rough plan on how to proceed. The first step was to begin making preparations to visit the Kuiojia Empire. We couldn’t afford the attention, nor the cost to properly outfit a full escort, so we decided to travel incognito, fast and light. Captain Milner had volunteered to oversee the travel preparations. He said he would have everything ready to leave on a moment’s notice.

The second step was to locate the Griffin’s Key, and I prayed we could get to it quickly. Spraggel and Rourke were going to individually consult whatever sources they had to see if there was any hint of its location. Unfortunately, Spraggel didn’t have much hope of this working.

Which meant our best bet of locating it was to use the most powerful finder in the kingdom—the Wayward’s Finder. This happened to belong to Lord Dewi Merrick. Neither Merrick nor Zofie were on the best of terms. Mainly because he had been running brothels—recruiting his workers through questionable means and not entirely with their permission. If it hadn’t been for his son Galvyn and the way we borrowed the finder, which involved breaking a lot of things and putting giant holes in his manor’s wall, Lord Merrick might be in prison right now. That, plus he had quickly agreed to correct the error of his ways and compensate those involved. Zofie made sure that he did.

Which made answering the next question even more important. How did we get him to let us borrow it? That problem was assigned to Fumiko and me. And while we had discussed it, we had not come up with a solution.

I glanced up at Fumiko. She was deep in thought. Not for the first time, I wondered how much I could trust her. And if one of her secrets was going to bite us.

“Lord Merrick won’t let us use the finder without Zofie’s royal authority,” she said. “He’s as slippery as an eel. He’ll come up with some kind of excuse unless Zofie goes to him and demands it directly.”

I snorted. “I agree, but Zofie can’t do that right now. And he of all people, can’t let know about her condition.”

Fumiko looked off into the distance, seemingly conflicted. But she took a deep breath, and her expression hardened as she came to some sort of decision.

She turned to face me. “I know of a way.”

“How?”

She motioned me to stand and led me over to the fireplace. She glanced over to Zofie before turning her gaze