Hilda Dáíre

Prologue

The Experiments were ruthless. Every night Eion could hear the screams of the cursed. The cursed were those of legend. He had been taught well to fear them. The inhabitants of Ayrith were well used to their screams.

It didn't make them any less chilling.

Eion blew out his candle as he made his way into the caverns lining the town. He had hoped for a moon to light his way, but the clouds had disagreed. The darkness fell upon him fast.

"Hello?" he muttered as he crept into the cave he could recognize, even in the cover of darkness. "Ita? Are you there?"

Eion muttered to himself. She had to be here. It was the only way they could see each other. If she wasn't here, did it mean she had been caught? He prayed to the Saints that she hadn't been.

Eion blinked as a candle was lit. It gave light to half of the cave. The rest was still shrouded by the black cloak of night. The cavern was a beautiful thing. It was covered in soft moss and leafy plants. Grass grew in rings around the stones he and Ita had set there a long time ago, surrounded by flowers that Ita had planted.

"Ita?" Eion muttered again, this time louder. "I can't see you."

"I know," Ita's lovely voice whispered back. Eion felt a hand on his back and turned around. There she was, her bright red curls falling across her face, curtaining her blue eyes.

"How did-how did you light the candle?" Eion said, looking to the candle sitting innocently across the cave and then back at Ita.

"Oh," Ita whispered. "Like this." She twisted her hand, her pale fingers dancing delicately.

The light went out. Eion gasped.

Ita's hand moved in front of him and the candle sputtered back on.

"How?" Eion's voice was a weak whisper.

"They found me." Ita took his hand and brought him to sit down on a stone, her touch cool.

"They-they found you? Ita!" His voice found a new volume. "They could have killed you for what you'd-for what we'd done!"

She smiled in the firelight, her blue eyes flickering warmly. "But they didn't. Instead," she flicked her wrist and a flame ignited in her palm, "they gave me a gift."

Eion lept back. "They cursed you!"

"No, Eion!" Ita's voice had lost some of its calm. "They brought me this gift. I can never be sick or injured again. My illness-it's over. All that time we spent searching, stealing in hopes of saving me-we don't have to worry about it now."

"You're not sick anymore?" Eion was stunned. Nothing like this had ever happened, not once in his short life.

"No, my love," Ita muttered, closing her palm and letting the flame extinguish. "We have nothing to fear anymore."

Eion watched her face. "Saints," he muttered. "It was that easy."

"But, Eion," she leaned towards him, her face right next to his, "I need to tell you something."

"Yes?" His voice was faint as he stared into her eyes.

"I saw one."

"A what?"

She smiled. "A Cursed. It's face was so tormented, you should have seen it. It was hopeless. Completely against its will. Something with that much power, finally subdued."

"Do you believe they can do it?" Eion whispered. "Do you think they can save us? Cure us all?"

"They have. With me." Ita laughed. "Now everyone can too." Her laugh was contagious. It filled him with an undeniable relief. Everyone-his parents and brother and aunts-could be saved, just like that. It didn't matter if they were cursed, if they could be cured.

Ita collapsed in his arms.

Her screams filled the air.

The candle went out.