Awakened (Cursed Magic Series

  Table of Contents

  Awakened Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Website

  Awakened

  Cursed Magic Series: Book Two

  Casey Odell

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2013 Casey Odell

  Editing by Caitlin Carpenter

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  As always, to my mom and dad for their continued support and belief in me.

  I would also like to thank my friend and editor for putting up with me and for helping me out.

  And I would like to thank my fellow writer Zach for reading and suffering through such a girlie story! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

  Thanks to everybody that has helped me in this endeavor!

  “Y ou have a mother?” Claire feigned an amused shock, though a part of her really was. And slightly disappointed. Yet another tale had been debunked. Elves were the children of the forest, she’d always heard. One of and with the trees. The fact that they actually had families, who knew?

  “Yes, Claire, even I have a mother.” Farron crossed his arms as he walked. He didn’t seem as amused as she was.

  She found it hard to believe; there was no way a mother would let him leave the house with those kinds of manners. She smirked as she trailed behind Farron who was in his usual black get-up, weapons strapped to his back and all.

  The sun hung low in the sky, the result of her multiple stops to rest during the day. Her stamina still not up to par, the journey that should have only taken a day was now turning into a much longer ordeal. They’d set out early in the morning along the dirt road leading from the Haven to Dorini, a small town down in the valley. Apparently, they’d been on a mountain the whole time. She didn’t know where she was; she was just grateful that they were heading down it and not up. From there they would head north to Florin, the city of flowers and one said elf’s mother, where they would hide out for a while, at least until things settled down a little.

  Maria, the Haven’s head healer, had been sad to see him go, though the same couldn’t have been said for herself. Claire could see the flash of relief on the older woman’s face when she’d learned of their departure. Although kind and willing to help, the woman sensed danger in Claire and seemed all too eager to see her leave, with or without the elf. Though no doubt she had tried to convince him to stay, Claire was glad that he hadn’t. If Maria was that paranoid, then Claire would need him now more than ever. Yet another thing to add to his growing list. But who else did she have? Though she was still confused as to why he wanted to help her, and the lengths he was willing to go in order to do so.

  White cloth wrapped up her right arm, effectively hiding the mark and the nasty scar left behind by an even nastier man. Needless to say, it hadn’t taken much convincing for her to wear the bandage, given her current situation. And if what Farron had told her was true, about the people looking for her, then she’d wear it the rest of her life if it meant never having to face another giant feline. The beast still gave her nightmares.

  Claire rubbed her eyes, slightly sore from yet another late night crying session, and started to braid her hair. Farron wisely never spoke a word about her puffy eyes. He was quiet for most of the day and would get lost in thought for long stretches of time. He seemed a little on edge. Perhaps he was trying to find a way to explain his two-year absence from his mother. She’d be nervous too if she had to explain that to her mother. A shudder ran through her just thinking about it. Although it was nice to finally find something Farron was afraid of, she wondered what kind of woman his mom was. If she was scary, Claire didn’t know if she wanted to risk the trip, even to see a city full of flowers.

  Still not used to the whole situation with Farron, she felt awkward. Very awkward. The feeling hung in the air between them, so heavy it was like a weight dragging her down. But it was mostly her fault. She had been so embarrassed yesterday after their little tryst, she’d spent the rest of the night in her room again, going so far as to feign sick when he’d knocked and asked her to join him for dinner. Her cheeks had flushed so hot, she felt like she really was coming down with something. Even this morning, when she finally had to face him, wasn’t any better. His words were strained and she could tell he’d closed himself off again. She sighed, wanting to pull her hair out in frustration. How did he have this effect on her so suddenly?

  She missed Aeron’s presence dearly in moments like this and wondered what had happened to the elf. No doubt he was searching for them, but for how long? The thought burned at the back of her mind. He may have been silly, but Aeron wouldn’t give up on them so easily. There was a reason he was such a high ranking official.

  She looked up at Farron, taking her time as she braided her hair. It seemed like the past few days had never even happened­­— for him at least. He was the same cold, distant elf she’d grown so fond of, leading the way while barely speaking a word to her. Meanwhile, a battle still raged inside her head. Her mind still struggled to make sense of everything: his sudden compulsion to tell the truth, the fact that she had nearly died, her newfound powers, that she was wanted by several powerful forces, that elves have mothers and don’t just spawn from trees, that day at the spring. Though, she was pretty sure she understood all of those, except for the last one. Perhaps the past few days had been a figment of her imagination. She had lost a lot of blood, after all. Or, maybe there really had been something in the water.

  “Fare,” she said breaking another extended period of silence.

  He slowed his pace and glanced back at her, but he remained quiet, waiting for her to continue.

  “Did…” She took a deep breath, wondering why she was even bothering. Did she really need to figure this one problem out? Some things were best left to be swept up under the rug. “Did you really tell me the truth?”

  He just raised an eyebrow, giving her a skeptical look.

  “So the past few days really did happen?” She could feel her cheeks grow hot.

  “Did you not want them to?” he asked carefully.

  “Then all those things you said, they were all true? You didn’t just say it to trick me into going with you, did you?” It wouldn’t have been the first time a man had lied and manipulated her feelings to get her to go with him. It hadn’t seemed like he did, but still…

  “No Claire, unless that’s what you hope happened.”

  “I—” She stopped to reconsider, but found she really didn’t know how to answer that one. Surely he must kn
ow what she was referring to. Did she have to say it out loud? “Then why haven’t you tried to kiss me yet?”

  He stalked over to her and leaned in close as if he were about to do just that, but before his lips could touch hers, he stopped. “Because you don’t want me to.” He pulled back to look at her. “None of that was a lie. I know the look of regret when I see it, Claire. I just hope I was able to take your mind off him for a little bit.”

  “It’s… it’s not like that,” she muttered, guilt settling in nice and heavy, twisting her stomach into a knot. Well, maybe it wasn’t entirely like that. Perhaps that was the reason why she gave in to him, why she kissed him back. But then why did it hurt to hear him say it? She felt terrible for using someone like that, even him— no, especially him— after all he’d done for her, but she couldn’t help feeling that that wasn’t entirely the case. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.

  “I’m not.” He gave her a sad, almost longing smile before he straightened up again and continued down the road.

  Claire stood motionless for a few moments, her breath catching in her chest, before following after the elf. Truth be told, kissing him scared her. But why was she scared? Because. Because he still had too many damn secrets, and because she might actually have feelings for somebody like him, bad manners and all.

  She let her breath out slowly, feeling exhausted all over again. Her questions hadn’t solved anything in the end. They had only made her feel worse. He’d laid his feelings bare and she’d run and hid hers away. What incentive did he have to help her then? She wouldn’t blame him if he just left her in the village, never to see her again. A burden. That was what she felt like to him. Unless there were other reasons he was keeping her around. Her gut clenched at the thought. It didn’t seem that he was after her powers, but she couldn’t be absolutely sure about that either. There was still too much she didn’t know about him.

  Her feet stopped on the path and she stood staring for a few moments, lost in thought.

  “Claire, we really can’t afford any more delays,” Farron called from ahead. When she didn’t move, he sighed and started walking back towards her. “It would be best not to spend too many nights outdoors. The village may be small, but even they would be foolish to attack it. They don’t like to attract too much attention to themselves…”

  “They,” Claire snapped. “You speak as if you know exactly who is coming for me.”

  He stopped in front of her and rubbed the back of his neck, hesitant to answer. “That’s because they’ve been following us for a while now.”

  “What?” Claire gasped, shocked. She could feel the panic start to rise. Just when was he going to tell her this? Had Aeron known as well? “H-how long?” she asked and took a step back. “How long have they been following us? How long have you known?”

  “I suspected they’d come for you since you’d entered the forest and I found out what you are,” he said quietly. “It wasn’t until the thieves attacked us that I knew for sure. I’m sorry, Claire. I didn’t tell you before because I didn’t want you to worry.”

  Her breath came faster. She would have been angrier with him, but she knew he was right. If she would have known all along that people were coming after her, she would have been much less willing to go on this little adventure from the beginning.

  “These people, are they the ones you told me of? The ones who would kill you to get to me?”

  “Yes,” he replied, somber.

  Claire took a long steadying breath. Even though he had told her, she hadn’t thought it would actually happen, that those sort of people would actually find them. It was a grim, sobering dose of reality, one that was not entirely welcome, but was nevertheless needed.

  He touched her chin. “That’s why I am here. I won’t let them get their hands on you.”

  “Why?” she asked. “Why are you helping me like this?”

  He dropped his hand back down to his side and shrugged. “Because I want to.”

  “I’m not your responsibility, you know. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to leave.” She looked up at him and tried to hide the terror in her eyes. “I-I’m sure I can handle them myself.” She knew that was a lie, but she felt guilty that he was putting his life on the line for her.

  A smile grew on his lips.

  “Why are you smiling? I could if I wanted to!” His smile only grew wider, though. Her hands formed fists at her sides. “I’m being serious!”

  “No doubt that you are, but good intentions never win fights, Claire. And I hardly think your intimidating demeanor will be scaring away anyone anytime soon.”

  Steam rose in front of her eyes. Even now he teased her. “I’m only trying to—”

  “I know,” he said, his expression falling a little. “But my lady is sorely mistaken if she thinks I’m going to give up that easily.” He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her forehead, then turned and continued back down the road. “Now we really must be going,” he said, his arrogance in full swing. “I don’t want to sleep on the ground any more than you do.”

  Quickly, Claire glanced around and hurried after him. Paranoia was sure to keep her on her toes from now on— and from sleeping. At least she would have Farron there, and she was grateful once again he hadn’t taken her up on her offer. Whatever his true reasons were for protecting her, she was glad that he was, no matter how maddening he could be.

  They walked in silence for a while longer, the sun growing ever lower on the horizon. Claire thought back on her journey so far, back to the days of blissful ignorance. Were there any clues that she had missed along the way? Just who were these men Farron was talking about? She’d be sure to ask him later. He would give her the answer then; she’d make sure of it.

  He caught her by the wrist, suddenly pulling her to a stop. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed that he was the one that’d stopped walking this time. She looked at him as he tugged her backward, his eyes searching the road in front of them, his body growing tense. The knot in her stomach twisted further. What was it now?

  “This way, my lady,” he said in a low voice as he turned to the forest on the left and took her hand. “It looks like we won’t be sleeping indoors after all.”

  Claire’s pulse quickened. “What is it?” Or should that be who? Those men hadn’t found them already, had they? Perhaps it was just some thieves waiting for an unlucky passerby. She shook her head at the startling revelation: she knew she’d hit a new low when she had actually hoped for thieves. And here she thought her day was looking up.

  Farron remained quiet as they plunged into the trees. He pulled her along at such a quick pace her legs could barely keep up. The foliage was light, making it a little easier as they wound their way through the forest. And for that, Claire was grateful. Fatigue started to set in on already sore muscles.

  “Fare, wait!” she shouted, but he didn’t seem to hear her. It was becoming harder to breathe. She wouldn’t be able to keep up such a furious pace for much longer.

  Movement caught her eye to their left, and she glanced over to find a dark figure running parallel to them. A snapping noise drew her attention to the right to find a similar figure running at the same pace. Farron stopped suddenly and Claire slammed into the back of him. His right hand shot up to the dagger handle over his shoulder while the other kept its tight grip on her hand. Claire spun around to face a rustling noise behind them and her eyes grew wide as a man stepped out from behind a tree. And then another. And another. All dressed head-to-toe in black, with half their faces covered by scarves. They were surrounded.

  Her free hand found the handle of the new dagger at her waist as she looked back and forth between the men, her chest heaving. None of them looked happy and neither was she. Were these the men Farron spoke of? In any case, she was sure she wasn’t going to like what they wanted.

  “We can end this peacefully if you want.” The voice was low and authoritative as it suddenly filled the small clearing they’d stopped in.

&n
bsp; Claire peered around Farron to the owner of the voice. A middle-aged man stood before them, his head shaved and brown eyes glaring. He was dressed all in black to match his comrades and, for some reason, looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.

  “How long have you dogs been sniffing on our heels?” Farron growled.

  “We caught your scent all the way back in Lendon,” the man sneered. “But I suppose ya already knew that, didn’t ya?”

  Claire’s eyes widened, the shock hitting her like a wall of bricks. That’s it! He looked different, with a shaved head and more meat on his bones, but there was no mistaking it. She had met this man before in a back alley in Lendon, only now he didn’t look as crazy or ragged. A slight shiver ran through her. To think that she’d been so close to such a man and not even know it, even threatened him if she recalled right. She glanced up at Farron and her stomach sank as a slight grin spread across his face. She could feel the water on her neck, that’s how deep she was in.

  “I shoulda’ known back then, who ya were, but the mind gets rusty, ya know? But who could forget a fey bastard like you, eh? The Silver Dog, isn’t that what they used to call ya?” It was the man’s turn to grin. “I heard rumors that you disappeared.”

  The smile faded from Farron’s face.

  “Are ya finally crawling back to your king?” the man asked. His eyes found Claire. “Or are ya bringing him a present?”

  Her stomach dropped even further. A present? Was she wrong to trust Farron after all?

  “He is not my king,” Farron growled.

  “Your actions speak different than your words, lad.”

  “Something your kind is quite familiar with, I hear.”

  The man shot him a glare.

  “I’m surprised you scum didn’t break the code,” Farron sneered.

  “Not even we would attack a Haven,” the man said. “You’d have been better off stayin’ there, if ya ask me.”