The Assassin's Curse

  Leila sat in the center of the garden, on a stone bench in the middle of a circle carved into the wet rock of the cave. She had on this floaty white dress that made her look like one of the flowers, and when we walked up she patted the bench beside herself. I let Naji take it. She obviously meant for him to sit there anyway.

  "Everyone's gathered, I see." Like we were some big crowd, not three people who'd been living in the same house for a week. "Naji, I'll need you to look at me." That damn smile again. "I know it's hard for you–"

  I took a step toward her, my hands balled up tight into fists, and so help me, her voice kind of wavered, and for a minute she actually shut up. Then she cleared her throat and said, "Look at me, and don't move. It's important you don't move."

  Then she glanced over at me and said, "I need you over here too. Come along, yes, put your hand on Naji's hand there. No, palm down. Good."

  She pulled out a blue silk scarf and tied Naji's and my hand together.

  "Now," she said, looking up at me. "You need to stand there and not move your hand from his–"

  "I'm tied to him," I said.

  "And don't interrupt."

  Naji didn't look at either of us while she spoke. He just kept his head down, his hair pulled over his scar.

  "Don't give me a reason to interrupt," I said. "And I won't."

  That got a glare from her and nothing else. She turned her attention to Naji. Put her hands on his shoulders. Closed her eyes. Hummed. The flowers trembled and shook and danced. Naji kept his face blank, and I wondered what was going through his head. I wondered if he bought it.

  Cause I'd seen a lot of magic those last few weeks, and Leila's humming and swaying didn't fool me one bit. There was magic down here, for sure – have to be, with those creepy flowers – and Leila certainly could work a charm when she needed. But she didn't need to do anything right now. She was faking.

  She carried on like that just long enough to be a

  And then she stopped. The cave seemed to let out a sigh.

  Naji stared at her, and his eyes were so hopeful it almost broke my heart.

  "Sorry dearest," she said. "There's nothing I can do."

  "What!" Naji jumped to his feet, his whole body springing tight like a coil. The scarf fluttered to the ground.

  I felt like the earth had been pulled out from under me. Nothing she could do. I realized then that I'd been thinking she could help too. I hadn't even recognized the hope for what it was until it got dragged away from me and I felt its absence in my heart. I couldn't let go of that old vision of my future life and the thought of what it was going to be like now.

  "What do you mean? Nothing? Not even a charm against–"

  "It's an impossible curse," Leila said lightly. "What did you expect?"

  "But you said… And the Order…" Naji threw up his hands and stalked away from her. The flowers shrank away from him, curling up into themselves. "I can't believe this."

  I was numb. I figured Leila knew from the moment she opened her front door that she couldn't help Naji, but she strung him along, cause – hell, I don't know why. Cause she was beautiful and he was all in love with her and so she could. This was why I hated beautiful people. They build you up and then they destroy you. And we let 'em.

  "Naji, darling," she said. "I still might be able to help you, of course."

  Naji picked up his shoulders a little, although he didn't turn around.

  "Liar," I said. It didn't give me the satisfaction I'd hoped for.

  She glanced at me as though I were as insignificant as a piece of pressed copper. Then she stood up and glided over to Naji, her dress rippling out behind her. She set one hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. He sighed.

  "The impossible curses are all from the north," Leila said. "A northern curse needs a northern cure. Even if it's impossible." She smiled. "Especially if it's impossible."

  "What are you saying?" Naji asked.

  "I can give you a boat."

  "What'd you whisper to him?" I asked.

  "None of your business." Leila swatted at me. "Naji, I can give you and your ward a boat and a promise of protection on the river."

  "We can take care of the Hariri clan ourselves."

  "I'm not concerned about some gang of unwashed pirates."

  "What?" I asked. "Who else is after us?"

  She twisted around, her hair falling in thick silky ropes down her spine. "The Mists, of course."

  The garden suddenly seemed too cold. "What's the Mists got to do with it?" I was trying to sound brave, but my voice shook anyway, at the memory of a pair of gray eyes swallowing me whole. "Why didn't you say anything? I thought it was just the Hariri clan we had to worry about. I mean, you kept going on about us being under protection–" I was babbling. The words spilled out of my throat the way they always do whenever I let my fear get to me.

  Both of them ignored me.

  "The river will take you down to Port Iskassaya, where you can book passage to the Isles of the Sky."

  "Kaol!" I shouted. "The Isles of the Sky!"

  Naji and Leila both looked at me.

  "I ain't going there," I said. "I ran out on Tarrin cause that's where he wanted to take me."

  Leila gave me this teasing little smile, but I turned to Naji and said, "You can't really think–"

  "It's the only way," Leila said.

  "I ain't asking you."

  "I agree with her, Leila," Naji said. "You know I can't go there."

  "Thank you," I said. Finally, he had learned how to talk some sense.

  "Oh, Naji, the enchantment from that charm is so strong I could feel it when you were three days away. They'll never catch you."