Curselock

Chapter 226: Book 4 Epilogue

A moment stretched into eternity. It wobbled and flowed, dancing like exploding fireworks under captivating pressure. It was a bit messy, but otherwise embarrassing and all too short. Still, the joy that radiated lit up the room long after Leland and Sybil separated.

Leland couldn’t see it, but his lips had brightened a tad, a slight smear of lipstick the cause. Sybil, however, could see it, although she didn’t feel like mentioning it.

It would be her mark for all other potential suitors. Leland Silver was hers.

They shared a bashful smile, each finally breaking from staring into one another’s eyes. They could continue this later, but for now, queenly duties took the forefront.

Sybil flicked her wrist, a smudge of power rippling from her finger tip. The power of the Boneforged Monarch was still a limited hole, but this much was easy enough for her. The spell was called Calcify, and was akin to Leland’s own Fracture spell. It was the bread and butter of the Bone Monarch Legacy, the spell that she had seen her mother use countless times.

Although, having the previous queen in her mind to help was a godsend, literally.

At first, Sybil didn’t know how she felt about the whole “generational wealth of knowledge” in her mind in the form “disembodied egos of the former queens.” But now? After grandmother’s long winded explanations ended, Sybil understood the advantage… although she didn’t fully understand how it happened.

Something, something, the Boneforged Monarch fractured herself to survive, something, something. It was all a bit much if Sybil was being honest. And she was especially glad when her mom told off great, great grandma for pushing too hard too fast.

Sybil had only woken up a week ago, after all. And learning more about the history of pseudo-dead monarchs didn’t seem as important as overseeing the rebuilding of the city, not that that was going poorly or anything. In fact, as the reports stated, everything was coming along swimmingly. The city’s renovations were nearly complete.

The smudge of mana slowly sailed across the room, dinging a bell. A splattering of white flakes then fell to the floor, something to be cleaned up later.

Sybil gave Leland one last smile. He did the same, before ruffling his hair with his hand.

“Can’t look like Glenny in front of her, can I?”

The queen snorted. “He’s your friend. You and Jude should be nicer to him.”

He rolled his eyes. “Nah. This is how guys express love to other guys. It’s endearing.”

Thinking of a response, and getting plenty from the moms in her head, Sybil dropped the matter altogether when the doors to her room cracked open. Her Calcify spell hardly rang the bell, but the person entering could hear all, even if the sound was hardly more than the equivalent of a mouse walking across a porcelain plate.

“No teasing this time, Aunty!” Sybil called out before the newcomer could say something snarky.

Aunty P hmphed, audibly groaning as she stepped into what was formerly her sister’s room. It was bitterly sweet for sure, but she had grieved more than anyone else already. There was a kingdom to run, and a new queen to teach and assist.

She and Leland locked eyes for a moment. After Sybil woke up from her cocoon nap, the young woman had explained everything that had happened since her abrupt kidnapping to the other side of the world. Leland had been explicitly named her savior, as well as the Huntress, Isobel, and any previous notions of “kill orders” and “grotesque bounties” were retracted immediately.

The whole Harbinger thing still made the guards and Inquisitors nervous, however. Regardless of their queen’s words on the matter, even Aunty P found herself slipping into this pit trap. Centuries of prejudice couldn’t be dissolved in a week, even if the Harbinger was the city’s protector.

Though, Leland hadn’t complained about the ill treatment once. He didn’t need to, after all, the people, the ones not fully in the know, still knelt before him on the streets. Some even tried to offer him money, flipping coins at him or thrusting purses in his face.

“No teasing, I understand,” Aunty P muttered, fumbling out a stack of papers from her frilly dress pocket.

Right now, the Spymaster General was working incognito as the Queen Chancellor, a role meant to ease Sybil into actively becoming the Queen. Nearly everything filtered through Aunty P, and only the important, but easy to digest, things would get brought to Sybil’s attention.

“First on the docket,” Aunty P began, “is the allotment of food being imported.”

Leland sighed, having heard of this problem several times before. As it turned out, Spencer’s rushed attempts to protect the castle from falling shards of bone, had some ill effects on the ecosystem. Well, that wasn’t fair. Spencer’s work saved countless lives; it was the bone splinters themselves that caused the issue.

Divine powered bones, as it happened, scared local wildlife away on an instinctual level, which caused mass migration across the city’s farmland. Legacies of the Harvest and Legacies of Nature had been working in tandem to fix the problem of trampled crops while Legacies of Beasts and Legacies of the Shepherd worked on moving the animals back to their rightful place.

The divine bones, meanwhile, had been taken care of by Legacies of the Earthshaper and people like Spencer. The shards were now under lock and key, promptly promised to any smith or crafter who could prove they could use such a material.

“Granted,” Sybil idly said. “However much they need. The reserves can handle a few months of extra taxing.” She looked at Leland. “My meeting with the Master of Grain proved as much.”

Leland slyly smirked at her, mouthing, “Boring!”

Sybil’s eyes darted to her aunt, who was marking the paper deciding the fate of many hungry citizens. Then, in her mind, great grandma yelled at her to take this more seriously.

“Play later! Work now!” the disembodied ego shouted.

Letting out a long sigh, Sybil knew she was right. She gave Leland a small smile before nodding toward the door with her head.

He got the message and moved to leave—

“Hold it, Mr City Protector.”

Both Sybil and Leland froze at the name. Aunty P calling him that only meant one thing: he had a task.

Aunty P continued, “This was fifth on the list, but since you are keen on abandoning your girlfriend to deal with all the boring slow work, I’ll shift things around.”

If it was anyone else, Leland would have guessed she was being facetious or sarcastic, but now that he knew Aunty P was a world renowned spy, he couldn’t tell. What was a game? What was said in such a way to manipulate a desired reaction? Leland didn’t know, so he didn’t play. He stood there and patiently waited.

Aunty P didn’t let anything slip, and said, “Your presence has been requested by the Gru Triumvirate via the Gru Ambassador under advice from the Lord of the Lexicon.”

Leland blinked, finding Sybil staring at him. She, of course, knew of his contracts and how he could speak with any Lord at any time, although she still thought it was unbelievable. Just like everyone else.

“Okay?” he said. “Why’s the Lord of the Lexicon talking about me? I only spoke to him for a few minutes— Oh. This is about combining worlds, isn’t it?”

Aunty P nodded, which prompted Sybil to ask, “Why is this about combining worlds?”

Answering, Leland said, “Remember the Archon Sapphire? Well, she must have made it home and reported her findings back to the Archon hivemind. As I understand it, new languages started showing up on our world, which means new races, species, or monsters. Well, intelligent life in general.”

Sybil slowly looked at her aunt. “He’s serious?”

“Unfortunately.” Aunty P flipped through her papers, finding a specific report. “This came weeks ago. It states new monster sightings in the area, as well as oddities with the mana in the air.”

“What kind of oddities?” Leland asked.

“The kind that I would have sent your father to investigate.”

“So spatial.” He thought for a moment. “Ah. The space between worlds is weakening.”

“If the space hasn’t already ripped open.” Aunty P pulled another page from the stack, holding it up for the others to see. “They are being called ‘tears,’ and are quite deadly, as I understand them. Monsters are usually the first things out of them, then, if you are lucky, intelligent life. Ambassadors, if you will, from other worlds.”

“And if you are unlucky?” Sybil asked.

“Intelligent hostile life,” Aunty P answered, her face stone. “Reports from a few places far from here speak of raiding parties and or fortress building.”

A thought connected for Leland. “And the Gru Triumvirate is one of these hostile places?”

“Not quite, although they do have a particularly deadly tear near them. It wasn’t the monsters that made it hostile, rather a race of… ‘turtle people’ asking for asylum from the ongoing war between the two other races of their world.”

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“Turtle people?” Leland asked at the same time Sybil asked, “War?”

Aunty P gave them both uneasy looks. “And while the Triumvirate was looking for a solution in order to communicate with these turtle people, they contacted the Champion of the Lexicon who told them to contact you, and thus the Palemarrow Kingdom.”

The conversation hung for a moment as both looked at Leland. Eventually, he gave a shrug. “I don’t know what good I’d be—”

Aunty P interrupted, saying, “It doesn’t matter. You’re not going.”

This made his eyebrows lean inward. “Well now I kind of want to go.”

“Well, you’re not.”

“I don’t think you get to make that decision.”

“When it comes to the Triumvirate, I do. They are not good people.” Aunty P eyed her niece. Maybe it wasn’t her choice. But she wasn’t going to say anything. She understood the history between the Palemarrow Kingdom and the Triumvirate better than—

“It’s not your decision, Aunty.”

The sentence was spoken by Sybil, but the words were most definitely not hers. One of the previous queen’s, likely Aunty P’s own sister. And judging by Sybil’s thinly veiled hesitance and improper posture, Aunty P inferred that it was taking the girl a lot to say such words to her.

“I see.”

Aunty P didn’t miss Leland giving his girlfriend a devilish smirk. There still was, and most likely always would be, static between the Spymaster General and Curse Harbinger. Small digs, underhanded comments, flagrant disrespect. Child stuff, albeit child stuff Aunty P found herself resorting to as well.

“Do we know why I was recommended to the Triumvirate?” Leland then asked.

Aunty P flipped a piece of paper over, reading the ambassador’s words aloud, “’Leland Silver’s unique understanding of powerful beings and the beings they report to would be advantageous in dealing with our newfound worldly residents. As per the Lord of the Lexicon, Leland Silver could help in many ways, most of which the Lord was unwilling or unable to explain properly, stating issue with secrets that could bring about calamity.’”

Leland slowly blinked, his lips pressed into a fine line. “That sounds about right.”

Leland strolled into the adventurer haven that was the Guild’s bar. Being within the capital, the Guild itself was nothing less than an institution. With branches all across the kingdom, every trail led back here, to the heart of monster bounties and powerful independents. To the average citizen, however, it smelled like body odor and had a reputation for drunken brawls.

For some it was home, to others it was just a broker for murdering things that could render a village desolate. But for a special few, the older clientele especially, it was a place to relax and have a drink with old friends and allies.

And this day was no different. Leland found his family and friends sitting around an oblong table, listening to the Legacy of the Minstrel all the while attempting to figure out each other’s poker faces. With a deck of cards at the table’s center and a hundred or so chips in the pot, the tension was rising.

Spencer, who had folded early in the round, quietly waved his son over. “You’ll want to watch this hand.”

That was a given. Leland didn’t know Ray Brown all that well, but given that he was related to Jude and held a stable “office” job, the man must be doing something right. And since he was the Guild Master himself, gambling came with the territory. In the end, however, Leland couldn’t bet on Ray. Not with who else was still in the game.

Glenny tossed in a handful of chips. Did he count them? No. But Ray didn’t need to know that.

Together as a table, everyone watched Ray fold up the corner of his cards, checking to make sure nothing had tampered with his pair. Ray’s eyes darted from the boy swindling him out of all his money to the boy’s father. Carmon Red wasn’t much of a gambler, a fact that Ray remembered from Roy’s wedding all those years ago. It seemed Glenny received all his skill from his mother’s side… orhe received all of his luck from his mother’s side.

“Call.”

Glenny flipped his cards, showing off a pair of nines. Ray did the same, but his cards revealed a two and seven.

Glenny blinked a few times, then silently, he scooped up his winnings. Ray cursed, hopping up from his chair and stomping over to the bar where he promptly demanded a drink.

The table laughed at him as he went, especially his brother and his brother’s wife.

Leland took a seat beside his father and Jude. “Hey everyone—”

“Look who finally deciDed to show uP!” Jude screeched, his words slurred with spittle and alcohol. “Man geeets a girlfrieeeend and decides his ffriends aren’t worth it.”

“Now just a minute Jude Brown!” Diana Brown shouted, her tone like lava. “What do I say about jealousy?”

In that brief moment upon hearing his full name and his mom demanding an answer, Jude instantly sobered up. “Uh! Uh! That ‘jealousy is lame!’”

“Correct! And how do you combat jealousy?”

“By ‘one-upping’ the person who made me feel jealousy!”

Diana nodded smugly, her arms crossed. “Exactly. So go on, go get a girlfriend. One up Leland by being the first of you three boys to have kids.”

Roy, who was sipping his drink, spat into the mug. “Love, that is terrible advice! Jude is much too young to have children. He can be the first to get married, though. Not too young for that!”

Glenny snickered at that. All eyes fell to him.

Jude eyed his friend suspiciously. “Go on, Sir Snow-locks, what’s so funny?”

The last few days, the name calling had gone to new heights. Mocking was low hanging fruit to Jude and Leland, and sadly Glenny’s hair was a fallen tree. In spring. After a swarm of bees came through the orchard. With plenty of rain and sunlight.

Although, this only made Glenny hone his own insults and ribbings. This time was no different. He cleared his throat and said, “The closest girl Jude has ever gotten to wasn’t even human, but a bear!”

The table did not laugh. They did not smirk. They did not roll their eyes as if his words were the worst pun ever made. No, they just stared at him, some slowly blinking, others squinting like Glenny had suddenly turned blurry.

Eventually Jude said, “Not cool dude. There’s no reason to bring Gelo into this.”

At that, Leland felt a welling in his chest. He tried to hold it in, but as he watched how defeated Glenny became, he couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing, causing the table to do the same.

As the laughter died down, Leland couldn’t help but ask, “Anyone see Isobel today?”

It was a question he had asked dozens of times already, but each time the answer had been a stiff “no.” The Huntress had disappeared after the battle, leaving without so much as a word. Spencer had checked with the people overseeing the dead, but Isobel wasn’t a corpse. The Inquisitors didn’t know either, not even Aunty P’s spy ring.

Shoulders slumped, Leland muttered, “She’ll be back. I know it.”

Gently his dad patted him on the back. “How was Sybil?” he asked, the change in subject well warranted to the rest of the table.

“She’s good. Tired. Restless, however.” Leland shook his head. “She will sometimes trail off mid-sentence or stare at empty space. She says it's because the former queens are in her head, but I don’t know. I find it worrisome.”

Glenny cleared his throat again. “As someone who had voices in my head, I can empathize.”

“Exactly. That’s what I’m worried about. What if these ‘former queens’ are actually something like the Sightless King and are malicious in nature.”

The table bristled at the name drop, each remembering the battle. “What does Aunty P say?” Lucia asked.

Leland took a second to answer. “That Sybil’s not lying or being misled.”

“Well then, there’s that.”

“I don’t know if I can trust her.”

Lucia firmly nodded. “You can’t. But when it comes to Sybil, Aunty P will always do what is best for her. And if she says these former queens aren’t evil, then they are not.”

He sighed. “Speaking of what is best, she doesn’t want me to go help the Gru Triumvirate despite them specifically asking for my help.”

Leland then went into the specifics, outlying everything Aunty P had said.

“You’re not going,” Lucia said flatly.

He rolled his eyes. “That makes me want to go even more.”

Clicking his tongue, Spencer leaned in. “Let me handle this, honey.” He looked his son in the eyes. “You’re not going.”

Glenny chuckled at that. Leland shot him a glare. “Why not?”

“Because the Triumvirate has a history of making people disappear.”

“Because they have greedy leaders who don’t care for the laws they created.”

“Because the Guild branch there doesn’t pay foreigners, and they don’t tell you that until after you turn in the bounty.”

Everyone looked to Ray, who was just sitting down. He had missed the first part of the conversation, but that never stopped him from joining one. “What?” he asked. “They are scummy people.”

“Generally,” Carmon muttered.

“Generally,” echoed Ray.

Leland made a show of sighing. “Still. I’ve been referred by a Lord. I can’t just not go.”

Slowly Ray blinked. “You’ve been what now?”

His nephew jumped in. “If you’re going, Leals, then I’m going.”

“Same,” Glenny quickly said.

Before any of the parents could add how the Triumvirate was a horrible place, Leland said, “Thanks guys, but I don’t see this working out. Aunty P already turned it down, and not to mention, I promised to help Floe figure a way out of the dungeon.”

“Who is Floe and why are they trapped in a dungeon?” Ray asked.

“That’s Jude’s girlfriend’s mom,” Glenny said, bursting to get a chance at redemption. “She’s a Guardian Spirit Beast. A bear, to be specific.”

Jude pushed himself back from the table, shouting, “That’s it! I told you to leave them out of it!”

And just like that, the Legacy of the Berserker leaped onto the table, lunging to put his best friend in a headlock.

Isobel slowly trudged up the hill, the process taking a toll on her body far more than it should have. The hill wasn’t even steep, but the trek made her stomach churn like she had run a lap around the kingdom without stopping to eat or drink.

She was back, which wasn’t something to celebrate as far as she was concerned.

No one recognized her, no one had seen her in… how long had it been? Half a century at least, right? More?

Sighing, she knew she was only stalling. She quickly crossed the graveyard, finding two familiar but hazy headstones. They were well kept, someone had done a good job at removing the moss and overgrowth. That was good. That was good.

Standing there with her neck craned down, she stared at the blocks of concrete. They were gone, her family, and all that remained were these two plots. Two faded names chiseled into stone, two buried memories of those she loved more than life itself.

She cried.

“I’m sorry it took so long to come back.”

The words came from her raw throat, they hurt more than anything right now. The failure she was, the guilt she harbored. She’d gotten her revenge, but that hardly mattered now. That hardly mattered at all, really.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid—”

She felt like bashing her head into one of the many nearby trees, she could almost hear his voice mocking her. He’d call her a “whiny baby,” and tell her to “get over herself” with enough snark to light a fire. But somehow, even though Leland was hallway across the kingdom, she still wished he’d stand there with her. He’d have done it as well, which was the worst part of it.

If she’d have asked him to come, he would have. Everything they had been through together. The pain, the heartbreak, the worry, the sorrow. He would have come if she asked. That’s what family was for, after all.

Next time. Yeah, next time.

“When I come back,” she said to the graves, “I’ll bring someone I now consider a little brother.” She smiled a little at that. “Abby, my little girl, I’ll introduce you to Uncle Leland. I know you’d like him.”

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