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

at me as we joined her. Her eyes were red and puffy. I didn’t think she had slept any at all.

As we sat at the table, Cabrina leaned in and whispered to me. “Did you hurt Fumiko? She left crying last night. My host tells me that you should be nice to them after you’ve had sex.”

“We didn’t have sex!” I said a little more loudly than I meant to. Spraggel and Fumiko’s eyes went up, and several people sitting at a nearby table glanced our way.

I leaned down to her and whispered, “Will you quit doing that! We’re not having sex.”

Cabrina shook her head. “I’m not so sure. My host is convinced you’re cheating on the princess.”

“I’m not,” I shot back. “Fumiko and I don’t have that kind of relationship.”

Cabrina shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “I’ll be watching you just in case.”

As she settled back in her seat, I had to wonder when Cabrina transitioned from being our prisoner to one of our party. Even stolid Fumiko had started to treat her differently. Something about Cabrina’s energy and naivety was endearing. She didn’t seem to be a bad person. And the two of them, human and Avenyts, made quite the team. The relationship reminded me of the one I had with Abe. I sighed. I hated to say it, but I missed the pain in the ass.

The rest of our meal was mostly uneventful. Once more, Zofie only ate a few bites before refusing to eat more. I hoped she wasn’t getting sick.

After finishing, Spraggel left to visit the privy, and Fumiko said she wanted to shop for a moment. When I offered to come with her, she glanced at Cabrina and suggested I stay behind. I was puzzled but didn’t press her on it. She assured us it wouldn’t take her long.

That only left the youth and me alone at our table. I quietly sipped my tea while she distractedly stirred her uneaten porridge.

“Can Cabrina talk to you?” she asked.

I shrugged. “She’s welcome to at any time.”

The youth looked up uncertainly. “It’s about me.”

This was a switch. Cabrina usually insisted No-name take the lead.

I grinned. “The answer’s the same.”

She nodded, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly like she was stealing herself for some unpleasant task.

The girl looked up, and her expression subtly changed. As before, the change was slight, and I only noticed it because I was looking for it.

She licked her lips. “Sir Coren, No-name is afraid.”

“Why?” I asked in surprise.

She resumed stirring her porridge. “B-b-back at the village when you and Mistress Fumiko were practicing, Kaleefah and No-name talked. And it didn’t go well. She said No-name is on the path to becoming a Dark Avenyts.” She sighed. “She said that since No-name is young and of low cothe, she will pick up the ideas of those that control her. Every time she is assigned a directive, she will move closer to becoming one of them.” She dropped her spoon in her bowl and gazed at me levelly. “But she doesn’t want to be one.”

I shrugged. “Then don’t become one. Stay true to the light.”

Cabrina shook her head. “It’s not that easy. Right now she doesn’t have a name, which means she’s an open book. Anyone can write into it. And to fix that...” She sighed. “She needs a name.”

I shrugged again. “Then name her.”

Cabrina looked out the open door. “I can’t. Only an Avenyts can give her one, and it has to be one of high cothe.”

“What about Uy? Kaleefah’s Avenyts?”

Cabrina shook her head. “No-name asked her, but Kaleefah refused, saying she was afraid I might contaminate her daughter. Even with a name, my Avenyts could still turn to dark. It’s a decision No-name has to make every time she interacts with her host. How much direction does she give? At what point does she move from advising to controlling? It’s a slippery slope, and once you go too far, it’s hard to get back.”

I put down my teacup. “But why would Kaleefah stop her? She’s not the Avenyts, Uy is.”

She leaned back in her chair. “It’s one of those things about the Avenyts I don’t understand. Since she’s of the light, she won’t do it without her host’s permission.” She gave a bark of a laugh. “Ironic, isn’t it. The one Light Avenyts in the world, and she isn’t allowed.”

“There must be a reason?”

“Oh, there is. If Uy names No-name, then she and her host sort of take responsibility for her.”

“Like an apprenticeship?”

She nodded distractedly.

I took a sip of my tea and considered the youth. “Cabrina, why are you telling me this?”

She looked up at me. “No-name is afraid she’s going to turn dark and that she’ll turn against me. She wants to know if there is any way to remove her.”

I was surprised. But based upon how protective the Avenyts was of Cabrina, I could understand it. It made clear No-name’s devotion to her host.

I smiled. “When I get Abe back, we’ll ask him. Maybe he knows how.”

This did not make her any happier. She slumped on the table and propped her head on her hand. “I’m against this, you know. I believe in No-name. She’s a good person. I’ve never had a friend like her before.” She paused and ran her finger around the top of her bowl. “It’s just not fair.”

I glanced over to Zofie, sitting beside me and staring ahead with unseeing eyes. “No, it’s not.”

We sat in silence for a moment. Each of us lost in our thoughts.

A smiling Spraggel rejoined us. He patted his belly. “I feel so much better.” But looking us over, his smile faded. “Did someone die? You two don’t seem very lively.”

Cabrina and I both looked up at