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

Father had gone to try to sell one of our precious goats to purchase more flour, but I had my doubts there was any to buy. Rumors were that even the princess couldn’t afford to have any.

I guess we were lucky to have any goats at all. The soldiers had come over the summer and confiscated everything. The only reason we had what we did was because Father had hidden some in the nearby forest.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t hidden me. And when they hadn’t been able to find goats, they turned toward something else—

I jerked my thoughts away from that dark path.

Finishing with the dough, I put the tiny loaf into the oven. I took care to place it in just the right position—I couldn’t afford to burn our last loaf of bread. I then went to see if our supply of cheese had miraculously grown overnight.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see my little sister enter. She carefully shut the door behind her. She was only seven and bundled from head to toe in a thick coat, with a rough wool scarf covering her face. “I think Rotha might be getting upset with me. She keeps expecting me to give her more feed.”

I looked back down to the cheese. Unfortunately, it was the same size as yesterday. “Is Mother all right?” I asked.

“Yes, she’s got her bow and is watching the goats like a mother bear watches her cubs.”

I smiled. “I feel sorry for whatever tries to steal one of her animals, be they beast or human. They will surely suffer a fate worse than hell.”

She giggled at the remark. She was an ordinary girl with plain brown hair and a slim build. Unremarkable in every way, except for her smile. It lifted my heart every time I saw it. However, her dirt was another matter.

“Floria!” I yelled at her. “Clean your boots off. Don’t dirty my floors.”

Floria looked down at her boots and lifted one up to inspect it. “But I did Docila. I did!”

And then I smelled it—something burning. “I gasped and turned back to the small oven. The bread was just starting to burn....”

I blinked as the vision cleared, as did the others in the room.

Master Rourke shook his head. “It’s hopeless. Those people could be anywhere in the world! That’s worse of a problem than we had before.”

Spraggel shook his head. “Perhaps we should try again. Be a little more specific to get it to show us a location.”

I, on the other hand, started laughing. I couldn’t help myself. After days of not knowing, of worrying over what to do, the laughter just rolled out of me.

They all looked at me like I had finally lost it. And maybe I had.

Spraggel leaned forward. “Are you all right, my boy?”

I nodded, wiping a tear from my eye. “I couldn’t be better.”

“Then could you share the joke with us?” he asked. “I could certainly use a good one right now.”

I nodded. “I think Abe has somehow been influencing my luck again because this is unbelievable.”

Spraggel looked at me warily. “And how so?”

I shrugged. “I know those people. In fact, I know exactly where they are.”

Captain Milner asked, “And?”

“That’s my stepfather’s house. Those were my sisters.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Homeward

Bound

The next morning, as the sun rose a finger’s breadth above the horizon, we gathered in Zofie’s study where we would begin our trip. Of the five who were traveling, all save one was present. And we expected her shortly.

I fidgeted next to Zofie’s desk resisting the urge to go through the small pack resting on it one last time. I had double-checked it three times, so I doubted a fourth was going to make a difference. I wore my regular clothes but had added a hooded cloak, which was slightly too warm even in the chill room.

Spraggel, one of those traveling with us, sat in a chair against the wall and was hunched over a binder with ink and quill in hand. He claimed to be making an official royal record of our trip. After all, how often did someone from our kingdom visit the Kuiojia Empire? I had told him that it sounded like an excellent idea. But when he turned away, he mumbled something about the minstrels needing new material. I began to suspect I knew where the accursed performers had been getting their information.

Like me, Spraggel had also been given a pack, but he had merely stuffed it in his bottomless pocket. I really needed to see about getting one of those.

On the other side of the room, perched on the edge of a chair, sat Fumiko. I was afraid that she would try to wear her simple dress, but she surprised me by choosing close-fitting pants, a warm shirt, and a hooded cloak. The young woman stared silently ahead with hands clasped between her knees. She had been making a point of not looking my way. I think she was still miffed at me over Cabrina’s interrogation.

Rourke again stood by the window and gazed out across the castle grounds. He had released the myst barrier keeping out the frigid air and basked in the cold sunshine. From the way the young man gripped the window’s ledge, I think he was nervous. He was going to give our journey a head start by opening a portal. He claimed it would be the farthest he had ever attempted. I just hoped he didn’t run out of myst as one of us was passing through it.

And finally, Zofie sat in her chair. Vidonia had dressed her simply, but warmly in a shirt, vest and pants, along with her long cloak. She sat there