Page 55 of Of Curses and Courtship

I’m a terrible person after all. My stepmother was right about me.

I lean in closer. “Is there news of him? Of his wedding?”

“No, no… it was his pet. His dear friend.”

My lips part. “Spark? Did he…?”

I’ve never had a pet, not in the traditional sense, but I enjoyed the chickens back home. It’s not the same, but I know what loss is. The loss of my father cannot be compared to a pet, and is perhaps greater—it’s the most tremendous loss I know.

“Worse. It is the curse, Ophelia. I know it is.”

I’ve heard whispers of a curse, and one look around the palace lets me know there is an arcane influence, but no one will tell me what the so-called cursedoes. Each time someone mentions it, my curiosity grows.

Now, my interest is accompanied by concern.

“What has the curse done to his poor friend?” I murmur.

“The same thing it always does.” She shakes her head and looks away. “It corrupts. It turns common fae into evil, twisted creatures. Each day, I wake up and fear for the friendly fae in my garden. The corruption could take them, and they would eat me whole.”

“Oh…” My head swims. “That… that is terrible.”

“We must speak no more of it.” She presses her lips together. “That will only strengthen the magic.”

“But the prince?—”

“It is a sorrowful day for him indeed. He will be in my prayers. That’s all we can do.”

That’s the last she’ll say on the matter. I’ve always assumed this maid to be younger, but when we part ways, she seems ancient.

Nothing in this darkened palace is as it appears.

I’m ravenous. I must know more. Thinking of the gentle beast who follows the prince around the castle halls, always looming close to his feet, in such a corrupt state…

My heart sinks. Poor Emyr. We’re friends, and I suppose I’m allowed to see if he is all right. But first, I’ll gather information from the others. This maid may not be willing to tellme, but I know one fae who will always share more than she should.

I corner Helena in the kitchen as she washes dishes. “You must tell me about the corruption.”

She turns to me with a look of shock. “Hush! Someone may hear you.”

“And what if they do?”

“We don’t talk about the curse, and for good reason. If you don’t trust me about anything else, you have to trust me about this.”

This curse may be serious if the one willing to speak oneverythingis unwilling to tell me about it, even for a moment. The heavy feeling in my body grows heavier, another stone added to press me into the floor.

“What good will it do to pretend it doesn’t exist? The prince’s companion is ill now, and the others say it’s the curse.”

Helena grabs my elbow with a wet, soapy hand and pulls me to the hallway. “Words are magic. Attention and intention are magic. Why should we draw attention to such a… such a vile thing?”

A chill runs up my spine. “Because the prince’s companion is ill, as I said, and I must know what that means.”

“You truly know nothing of this palace, do you?” She chokes out a laugh. “The Sun Palace has been living in the dark for centuries.”

She gives me answers, and I grip onto them, desperate to understand Emyr’s pain—and Helena’s, too. “In the dark? What does that mean?”

I suppose I know what it means—the shadows that linger in the corner of this room, even now. But there must be more to it than that.

“There’s something in this land that grips the fae andturns ‘em into blood-hungry beings. There’s nothing like this among any other palace—it’s only ours.”