The Unseen Curse

Chapter 4

Toby shivered in the cold of the night, his eyes barely staying closed with the rough wind whipping at his eyelids. Somehow his fire was still lit, and more importantly, his fire pit was protective enough to stop the fire from jumping out of bounds.

His mind was weary of every sound in these woods, with no shelter to protect him from the wildlife around him, he was eaten alive by his paranoia. However, the loud moaning of the wind blowing wildly between the treetrunks made it impossible to hear anything that could move quietly.

He felt like he was prey, being stalked by a carnivorous beast just beyond his line of vision. The night went by in the most uncomfortable way, he tossed and turned and churned. If he wasn't woken up by the loud wind it was the cold of the night or a movement of his that caused him pain.

After many hours of torture, dusk fell upon the sky and he could open his eyes to greet the world with confidence again. He was not going to be stuck in these woods one more second, he decided. His eyes traveled from the sky to his fire, hanging on by a spark next to him. Beyond the fire, a pair of golden eyes met his.

He shot up, startled by the blonde girl lying on a bed of leaves, leaning on her elbow and staring straight at him.

"You snore, do you know that?" She asked casually. If there was ever a time that Toby wanted to laugh out of relief, this was it.

He scratched shyly at his neck, keeping his eyes locked on the girl in case she tried something. He wasn't sure what he expected her to do, but he knew he had to watch her.

"I brought your horse back, so I believe thanks are in order," she spoke again. Her voice was gentle and it almost sounded like there was a sprinkling of guilt hidden in her words.

"I don't understand," he frowned. He never would have thought that she would return to him when he clearly intended to harm her. This girl was an anomaly. She was so unpredictable and exciting to him. He wished he had killed her before he was able to get to know how interesting she was.

"You don't understand? It's simple, you just say- thank you. Now, you try it, repeat after me: thank you!" She said while doing a bad job of hiding a sneaky grin.

"I know how to say thank you," he started, "but I'm trying to understand why you're here right now. Aren't you scared that I'm going to hurt you?"

"Well," she said, looking upward, she seemed unsure, "I wouldn't say I'm scared, I'm cautious of course, but I'm definitely curious."

"I wouldn't call this being cautious," he warned.

"I don't see how that affects you, afterall, I have come back," she pointed out. Toby gritted his teeth, this girl was being terribly stupid. He wanted her to get away, so that she could live and so that he could remember her fondly from time to time. But now, she returned to him, and he would have to kill her soon enough. If he didn't, there would be hell to pay.

For a fleeting moment Toby wished he could live in his invisible armour and hide from Queen Kara. He could easily get away from her, under the radar. But she had powerful friends and even more powerful magic. And the price she had promised to pay him for this girl, was something that meant more to him than anything else.

"So," the girl said slowly, studying Toby carefully, "which handsome King are you stealing me for?"

"King?" He asked, baffled by her question. He understood now why she didn't fear for her life, she was under the impression she was being kidnapped. Perhaps he could keep it that way for a while, it would help him to have her cooperation. A little voice in the back of his head wondered if many men tried to kidnap her. He wouldn't be surprised if she was sought after by all the kings in the land.

"You're not working for a king?" She asked, suddenly less chirpy. "Who do you work for then? I saw your letter!" She shouted, her voice was desperate.

"Did you read that letter?" He asked, stepping closer to her, his tone stained with concern. He was worried that she had read about the details of this deal that he made. His cheeks flushed red, she couldn't know, if she knew what he was working for she would surely laugh. His ego was already bruised enough with her being able to escape from him.

"No, I figured I could get more information from the source," she stated, obviously.

"Well I know as little as you," he lied and watched as her face fell disappointedly. She looked so upset that he almost regretted his lie.

She looked down, her face scrambled with confusion, determination and sadness. Toby could not help but admire her beauty in this light. The fire threw blotches of orange and yellow on her blushed cheeks and made her eyes twinkle. Her hair glittered like strands of golden fire. She was like a majestic being sitting right before him, and he was planning to kill her. He started feeling anxious with every silent moment that was shared between them. He knew the queen offered him something priceless, but he was starting to wonder if he had it in him to kill someone like her. He also realized earlier the previous day that it would not be an easy job since she was quick and quiet and easy to lose.

After a few moments, he could see her determination growing stronger. She shot up to her feet as quick as a stroke of lightning. She gave two big strides and landed just below his line of vision and a few inches away from his face.

"Take me to them" she said, not in a demanding manner, but as a challenge to him. He smiled, knowing that she couldn't see it. At least this girl was as brave as she was stupid. The only thing he had to ask himself was, would he risk everything to help her, or would he play it safe and stick to his orders?