Weaver's Curse

Toby listened to the clack-clack-clack sounds of boots on stone, and tried not to doze off. One foot in front of the other.

“Something’s not right.” Kaedwyn said suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” Allie asked.

“Does anyone else feel exhausted?” Kaedwyn said. “Like they just spend an entire day hauling sheaves of wheat?”

Wouldn’t know what that feels like, Toby thought. Is this some kind of peasant joke I’m too rich to understand?

“Now that you mention it, I am pretty tired.” Allie said.

“Me too.” Isaan said. Toby nodded in agreement.

“Maybe we should stop for some rest?” Allie suggested.

“No.” Kaedwyn said, “For some reason, I don’t think we should.”

She cocked her head, then pulled her collar up over her nose.

“Huh… suddenly I feel a lot less tired…” Kaedwyn said.

“What if there’s some sort of magic in this tunnel too?” Allie said. “To make us sleep, for whatever reason.”

“We need to get out of here, fast.” Isaan said.

Toby and the girls nodded.

They copied Kaedwyn, covering their noses and mouths with fabric and hastened their paces.

Finally, they broke out into a wider chamber, full of that same, strange fluid that had filled the pond in the first chamber.

“What the hell?” Kaedwyn muttered.

“I don’t know, but I think we’re going to have to go through.” Isaan said. “See that shadowy spot in the far wall? I think that’s another tunnel.”

“Hey,” Allie commented. “The sleepy feeling is gone.”

“For now.” Kaedwyn said grimly.

“Let’s do this.” Toby said, adjusting his pack.

He held the lantern high, and stepped into the pool. Unlike the other one, this one was warm. Almost uncomfortably so. A faint, acrid smell rose from the goop.

Allie screamed behind him. He whirled around, ready to give whatever had provoked the sound a face full of hot oil. She was pointing at something in the lake, her doe-like eyes wide as saucers.

It was a skull, half submerged in the goop.

“Is it real?” Toby said, reaching out to grab it.

He met resistance as he tried to yank it free. When the goop did release it, he saw their was still a spinal cord attached, bits of flesh still clinging to it.

Well that’s a little gruesome.

“Toby! Put that shit back!” Kaedwyn ordered.

Toby tossed it into the goop.

“There are more bones.” Allie said soberly. “Like, a lot more.”

“Oh fuck.” Kaedwyn whispered. “I think this is some kind of digestive system.”

Everything here could be trying to knock us out and slowly kill us, Toby thought.

“If we keep moving, we should be fine.” Allie said. “I think we’re safe from digestion as long as we don’t just stay in this lake for an extended period of time.”

“You’re right.” Isaan said, sloshing forwards. “We need to get out of here.”

They’d only made it halfway through the lake of slime when the earth shuddered. Toby flailed his arms for balance, casting dizzying arcs of light with his lantern, but ultimately stayed on his feet. Allie stumbled into him, and he grabbed her with his free arm, doing his best to right her.

Instead, she ended up awkwardly hugged to his chest.

“Sorry!” Allie stuttered. “What was that?”

“I think whatever this thing is just tried to swallow us from the first chamber.” Kaedwyn said.

“Ick! Imagine if we were still up there!” Allie said, getting her footing again. Toby let her go.

“Let’s be glad we’re not.” Isaan said. “We need to keep going, just in case this pool heats up more.”

They splashed forwards through the ooze, and finally reached the far bank. Isaan had been right about there being a cave entrance. They boosted Isaan out of the ooze onto the bank, and handed him the lantern.

He placed it on the rock shelf, then helped Toby and the girls out of the sludge, one by one.

“Okay, let’s help this tunnel doesn’t lead us somewhere more horrifying.” Isaan said, picking up the lantern and heading off down the tunnel.

Luckily, it didn’t. Toby didn’t think he would have been able to handle it if it did.

Instead, it stretched on and on and on, which was almost as bad.

“Let’s rest.” Kaedwyn finally said. “I don’t think there’s any spell in this one. I’ll keep watch just in case.”

“Thanks.” Toby said. “I’m dead on my feet.”

“Poor thing.” Allie said. “I’m exhausted and I got to sleep a little bit longer than you.”

“The life of an adventurer, amiright?” Toby said, curling up on the floor.

He fell asleep almost immediately, and didn’t wake until Isaan shook him awake for the last watch.

He counted the seconds, listening to the soft breathing of his friends, waking them once he’d counted two hours.

They stretched, trying to remove a little soreness from their muscles, and kept walking through the dim tunnel.

When Toby was starting to think they’d never be free of the darkness, they turned a bend and stepped into sunlight.

“Blessed fresh air!” Toby cried, running forward.

He was met by some force in the entryway and fell backwards onto his rear.

“Toby? What just happened?” Isaan asked.

“Are you okay?” Allie said.

“Some sort of barrier.” Toby said.

“Ah, a witch with too much time on their hands has been through here.” Kaedwyn said.

She walked over to a tablet set into the wall that Toby hadn’t noticed previously, and began tracing her index finger over the letters carved into it.

“If you want out, trade a secret to pass through the barrier.” She read aloud.

“Does it really say that?” Isaan asked.

“Yeah.”

“Not very cryptic and ominous.” He commented.

“Yeah, seems way too straightforward.” Toby agreed.

“The witch is obviously not from Telare.” Kaedwyn said. “They have lessons on how to seem more mystical.”

“Do they really?” Isaan asked.

“I’m not messing with you, I swear.”

“Reveal a secret…” Kaedwyn said. “Okay, easy enough.”

She strode forward, and said, “I am from Telare and am on the run from mysterious forces.”

The barrier didn’t let her through.

“Looks like it has to be a secret from all those present.” Kaedwyn said.

Don’t panic, Toby. There are plenty of secrets you can reveal that aren’t you being a prince.

“Um. Is it okay if I go last?” Toby asked. I’m going to need plenty of time to figure out one that won’t give my identity away.

“That’s fine.” Kaedwyn said. “I’ll go first. But first…”

She turned to them, wearing a strained smile. “Promise me nothing revealed here will change anything?”

“We promise.” They chorused.

Kaedwyn took a deep breath, and spoke. “I considered turning the authorities on mother and Kaeldra just to harm them after they didn’t join me in my banishment, out of spite.”

She walked through the barrier and stood on the other side, waiting for them.

Isaan stepped forward next, thinking for a moment. “I attempted murder, which has something to do with why I’m cursed.”

Who hasn’t, Toby thought, as Isaan joined Kaedwyn outside.

“See you on the other side.” Allie said, giving him a weak smile. She stepped up to the barrier.

“My name isn’t actually Allie Reganne-ess.” She said. “It’s Allaire Crocus and I’m the daughter of a duke. I ran away to avoid getting married to some stuck-up prince.”

Toby felt like his world was crashing down around him

Did I hear her right? I couldn’t have, could I?

Judging from Kaedwyn and Isaan’s shocked expressions, he had.

Toby burst out laughing at the incredulity of it, with such force that tears came to his eyes.

The three on the outside gave him strange looks as he began snorting through his laughter. He made an effort to calm himself down, and wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes.

“Toby? Everything alright?” Isaan asked.

“I’m sorry,” he said, bursting into laughter again. “You guys are not going to believe this.”

He stepped forward. “My name is not Toby. It’s Theobald Reganne, or ‘stuck-up prince’ according to some. And I ran away from home to avoid getting married to the infamously foul-tempered Lady Allaire Crocus.”

He strode through the barrier, towards his three companions’ shocked and horrified faces.