Waiting in the Dark

𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃

       I had heard whispers of the curse on Cirillo and I was tired of being in the dark. I asked Lola but she said she was forbidden from telling me. Abel also refused. So I went to the one person I knew would tell me the truth. 

         Madame Currade's hut was more dingy than I remembered. She opened the creaky door and hobbled out. "What do you want, girl?"

         "I want you to tell me about the curse." 

         She gave me a sly smile. I wondered when you would ask." She motioned for me to follow her inside. 

        She moved around her tiny kitchen, preparing some tea for us. Once it was finished she set down a chipped cup and a plate of jerky in front of me. "Eat up. You need the nutrients." I took a piece but it was too dry and salty. I set it down on my saucer and hoped she didn't make me finish it. 

       She settled down into her rickety rocking chair across from me. "What do you want to know?"

        "What are the terms of the curse and how do you break it?"

        "When Cirillo wiped the memories and created the barrier, he tipped the scales of fate. It required balancing. So the curse was born. The curse is dark and terrible, but necessary. Every year, he must marry a girl from Keir. The dark forces of fate always manage to kill her. An accident, a sickness, suicide. Every year. Some people blame Cirillo for their deaths. But I practically raised the boy. They don't see how much those girls' death eats at him.  He blames himself." She took a bite of her biscuit. It crumbled and fell onto her stained skirt. 

       "How do you break the curse?" 

       Madame Currade stared at me. "I can't break the curse. Only you can.

        Cirillo must make a girl fall in love with him. No magic, no potions, only himself. Then she must kill the king."

         "Kill him? I have to kill Cirillo?"I stood quickly. The teacup fell from my hand a shattered into tiny little peices, just like my heart. "I can't kill him! There has to be some other way!" 

       Madame Currade shook her head. "I'm sorry, child, but there is no other way. If it doesn't happen by the end of the year, in six months, Cirillo and his entire kingdom will disappear into nothingness, just like he wanted when he erased the minds of the humans."

       When I got back to the castle, Abel rushed over to me. "Where have you been? The humans have amassed an army. They've allied themselves with more human kingdoms. The size of their army rivals ours! They've attacked Aquara."

        No, no, no, no. "Cirillo is there." I whispered.