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

I nodded, and she left on her mission, while I moved into the chair she had vacated. I took Zofie’s hand and leaned back.

I had gotten very little sleep the previous night and been too keyed up to rest in the carriage, so it was no wonder I began to drift. Sleep claimed me before I knew it.

Coren.

I became aware of a voice. Was it Zofie?

I suddenly realized I was dreaming. But it was fuzzy. I had to focus to see any details. I stood on a plain of all gray, which stretched for as far as I could see in all directions.

Coren.

Came the voice again. It seemed to originate behind me. I turned and saw Zofie standing there. And behind her stood Abe, with his stick-figure body and completely round head. The one eye of his curse mark was open and looking at me. I reached for them, but there was some sort of barrier preventing me. I tried to speak, but no words would come out.

Coren, she called again. Can you hear me? We’re trapped...

I jerked at a knock on the door. “Enter,” I called.

Rourke opened the door. He noticed me blinking and rubbing my eyes. I wondered how long I had been out.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t realize you were asleep. Fumiko said we were gathering here. I came early to deliver the charms we talked about.”

I blinked up at him. “You did?”

The dream echoed through my mind, and at first, I couldn’t figure out what he was talking about. Then it hit me—the control charm for Cabrina.

I nodded. We had talked about this the previous evening. If we did end up traveling to the Kuiojia Empire, Cabrina was going to have to come with us. So the problem was how to keep her under control with the few people we’d have with us. Rourke had offered to make a set of charms that would help.

He seemed especially pleased at completing his task. “I’ve already placed the controlling charm on the prisoner. I even explained to her how they work. Surprisingly, she took it without complaint, saying she didn’t want to cause any more trouble for her host. Of course, now that it’s activated, she can’t take it off. And don’t worry, I made sure it won’t interact with the other charm she’s wearing.” He grinned. “To use it, all you do is touch the master amulet and give one of four commands. Oh, and I also included a locate ability.”

I nodded. Rourke had outdone himself. It was exactly what we had talked about. “Where is the master amulet?”

Rourke grinned. “I gave it to Mistress Fumiko. I passed her in the hall a little while ago. She seemed most pleased.” He looked up. “She mentioned something about testing it and asking the prisoner some questions.”

I suddenly got a bad feeling—the conversation about interrogating Cabrina echoing through my mind. I got up and headed for the door. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

When I arrived at the dungeon entrance, the guard on duty gave me a worried look. “Sir Coren, Mistress Fumiko is with the prisoner.”

I couldn’t remember the guard’s name, but I had frequently seen him in the dungeon. Technically as the queen’s knight, all the guards in the castle were under my command. However, I had not exercised that authority since I was still new to my role.

The guard grimaced. “Sir, she asked not to be disturbed.”

I grew uneasy. “And?”

The guard looked like he had just eaten something foul. “I’m not sure sir, but...”

He paused at the sound echoing from inside the dungeon. It was a young girl’s voice, and she sounded in pain.

My eyes went wide. “Open up,” I commanded.

The guard jumped to his task, and I strode in.

As I entered the corridor to the cells, I could hear Fumiko just ahead around the corner.

“Where are the others?” she asked, not a trace of emotion in her voice. “You have to know.”

“But I don’t!” yelled Cabrina. “I told you they...”

I rounded the corner just as Fumiko gave the command, “Bind.”

Cabrina was in her cell. Her hair was in disarray, and tears were streaming down her face. Fumiko was outside of Cabrina’s cell and was touching an amulet around her neck. It flashed blue, and immediately, Cabrina’s wrists came together, and she dropped to her knees on the stone floor. Hard.

“Owwwww,” she sobbed. She bent forward and put her head on the floor. “I told you I don’t know.”

“What are you doing?” I asked, not believing what I was seeing.

Fumiko looked up in surprise. “I was just testing Rourke’s charms.”

“It looks like more than just testing. I thought we had agreed we would not torture her.”

She shook her head. “You had agreed to it. Not I.” She looked back to Cabrina. “Besides, she’s not hurting. She’s merely not happy with it.”

“Sir Coren, please,” she sobbed. “I don’t know anything.”

Fumiko touched the amulet. “Silence.”

Suddenly Cabrina sobs disappeared. Her mouth moved, but no sound reached us.

“Release her, Fumiko,”

She turned to me, her expression cold. “Coren, I’m only doing what must be done. She is one of the enemy, and all they know how to do is lie. I’ve been under one’s control and seen first-hand how they operate. She’s using you. You’re simply too trusting to see it.”

I stepped closer until she had to look up at me. I was furious. “Release her,” I repeated. “She’s admittedly been possessed by a Dark Avenyts, but she’s also a victim. You can’t separate one from the other. Torturing her is... wrong.”

Fumiko held my glare for almost a full minute. I almost didn’t think she was going to back down. She finally touched the amulet. “Release,” she