Chapter One

What is a crow doing this deep in the woods? They are pretty rare around these parts. Or is that a raven? I can’t quite tell at this distance. Oh well, either way I can sell its feathers.

It would take more than an oddly located crow or raven to discourage Shuka. She knocked an arrow into her bow and pulled back the string. The young huntress aimed at the black feathered bird, held her breath for a moment, and fired. As the arrow flew through the air towards its target, Shuka had a rather ominous thought.

Is that really a normal crow?

Just for an instant Shuka felt an unnatural fear course through her body. From the moment she fired the arrow she hoped it would miss the obsidian-coloured bird for reasons she couldn’t explain. Of course, the arrow cared little for her wish’s and buried itself inside the crow with little fanfare. It let out a pained caw and fell out of the tree it was perched in and hit the ground with a dull thump.

All was quiet and for a moment Shuka allowed herself to relax. But her relief was short lived. The forest darkened as its shadows seemed to close in around the hunter in its midst. Shuka shivered in the now cold air as the crow she shot stood up from the spot it had fallen, arrow still sticking out of it. Even at a distance she knew its head turned to stare directly into her eyes. Ever so slowly, it opened its beak and let out a sharp CAW that echoed of the surrounding trees. But then the echoes grew louder and more numerous as Shuka was surrounded by numerous dark crows, creating a cacophony around her. Shuka wanted to run, but a ring of malevolent birds blocked her path and kept her trapped. It was all too much for the poor girl and she closed her eyes and covered her ears, hoping it would all go away. The sound only grew louder as it reverberated inside her head and turned into a cackling laughter. Then there was another sound, a voice from directly in front of her.

“Hark ye wretch.”

Shuka opened her eyes in shock and quickly wished she didn’t. A crow stared into her eyes, its own a deep crimson. It was perched on a branch that was not there before and was close enough for Shuka to see that it was not breathing. It didn’t take long to figure out why, there was an arrow piercing its lungs. The very same arrow that Shuka had fired into it. The dead crow opened its beak once again, and an old voice that dripped with malice came out of it.

“Ye who dares harm my familiar shall know the wrath of the wrathful. Feel fear in thy heart, for this one’s punishment shall be a curse of the highest degree. May the eyes of others ever see in ye naught but ill intentions. From now till forevermore shall this be true, for a true witch’s curse is unbreakable. Grovel and beg wretch, it shall do ye no good.”

As it spoke, Shuka felt the darkened shadows of the forest wrap around the very core of her being, grasping at her soul until she could barely breathe. And when the crows final word left its onyx beak, the grip tightened and then disappeared. The crow was gone too, along with all of its friends who were encircling her. There was no sign at all of what had just transpired, as if it was all just a dream. But Shuka knew it wasn’t a dream. It was a nightmare come to life.

*

Shuka was pacing outside of a lone tower on the outskirts of Rainsburg, her hometown. The tower was the home of one of the few spellcasters in the area and he had been teaching her magic for almost a year now. She had already knocked on the door and was now waiting for him to answer it anxiously.

What if he’s not home? Or what if he can’t help me? Ralisdor is the best mage for miles, if he can’t do anything about this curse, then who knows how far I will have to travel to find someone who can?

Shuka stopped pacing and knocked on the door again, more insistently this time. It had only been two dozen seconds since she first knocked on the door, but it had felt like much longer.

I’m going to go crazy if I keep thinking like this, I have to try to be more positive. What if I’m not cursed at all, and this is all just some silly prank? Ralisdor’s not one for pranks, but he is an illusionist so I bet he could pull it off. I bet he’s gonna burst through that door yelling ‘Gotcha!’ and then we can both have a good laugh about it.

Ralisdor, the mage living in the tower, didn’t burst through the door. Instead, he just opened it normally, like a normal person would. In fact, he opened the door so normally, that Shuka didn’t even notice that it was open. She had returned to her frantic pacing and was quite distracted.

“What are you doing here Shuka? We already finished your lessons for the day.”

Shuka looked back to the tower and saw her mentor standing in the doorway. Ralisdor was a tall, pale skinned man with swept back black hair. Shuka knew he was in his early forties, but he looked a decade younger. He was wearing deep blue clothing with purple accents making detailed designs all over his body. It was quite the flashy outfit, especially seeing as he lived on the outskirts of a small town in the middle of nowhere. Of course, the outfit was enchanted to be able to become a plain brown tunic fit for any nondescript peasant or mage looking to avoid attention. Shuka didn’t care about any of that, she already knew it all. What she cared about was getting him to help her.

“Ralisdor, you have to help me. I was hunting in the forest and I shot a crow, and I think it might have been a witch’s familiar or something because it got up and started talking to me. Well, it was really mad, and the forest got all dark and there was like, a hundred crows and then I think it cursed me.”

Shuka was talking at a mile a minute, her words all panicked and messy, but Ralisdor managed to piece together what she was saying. That didn’t mean he believed her though.

“Is this some sort of joke? I don’t have time for this Shuka.”

He closed the door and left Shuka shocked at the result. She didn’t understand why he did that until she remembered the words left by the crow in the forest.

May the eyes of others ever see in ye naught but ill intentions.

Shit, the curse is already in effect! How am I going to convince him to help me when it’s making him not believe me?

She didn’t have a good answer to that question, so she just tried knocking on the door again.

“Please, you have to help me, this isn’t a prank. If you don’t trust me then check with magic, but you have to believe me.”

Ralisdor opened the door again, looking a bit more disgruntled than before.

“Fine, I will check for this so called ‘curse’ if it will stop you from making such a racket. But I swear, if you are lying, I will be very displeased.”

It was good enough for Shuka, so she stopped what she was doing and stayed still while Ralisdor started casting his spell. It was a quick process, only requiring a second or two of concentration before his eyes were glowing blue with magic. Once he was done, Ralisdor looked over Shuka with his new magic detecting eyes. The look he got on his face was not an encouraging one to say the least.

“Well, it seems as if I was wrong, you really are cursed. And by a rather complex one too.”

“Can you remove it?”

“Sadly no, this is a bit out of my area of expertise. Perhaps if I knew more on the inner workings of curses I could be of more assistance, but as of right now there is nothing I can do.”

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Where the hell am I going to find a book on curses out here in the middle of nowhere!? Oh right, the Rainsburg library. I barely ever go there so I almost forgot it existed, but they have all sorts of obscure magical tomes there don’t they?

“Do you think you could find what you need in the library?”

“Hmm… perhaps. It is possible one of my predecessors was proficient in that area and left his notes in what became the library. I haven’t seen anything of that sort there before, but I do know they have a section that is blocked off from the public. It is worth a try at least.”

Predecessors? Oh right, there used to be a lot more mages around here. They all came to research the ruins in the forest, but they left after they uncovered everything. Now all that’s left is their spare books and copies of their notes that were donated to the library for those who come after them. Well, some of the books are just the personal collections of mages who didn’t come back, but the end result is the same. I wish I could understand what was written in those notes, but it’s all a little bit too advanced for me right now.

“Now why don’t you explain what happened in a bit more detail on the way there. Your first explanation was a bit… incoherent.”

*

Rainsburg was not a big town. It had less than a thousand people living there and only the occasional tourist or researcher coming through to look at the nearby ruins. That was why very few people are surprised to learn that it is, generally speaking, quite poor. The exception to that was its library. What was originally created as a communal study hall for inquisitive wizards, soon became a gathering place for books, notes, and references of the magical nature. Of course, centuries have passed since it’s founding and the Rainsburg library now contained all manner of books. The building itself was made of stone, and although it was only one story tall, it was still the largest structure in Rainsburg by far. Many powerful mages had donated large sums of money to the library over the years and some had even contributed to its construction themselves. All of that added together to make the Rainsburg Library a grand sight indeed. Shuka was used to it though, having lived in Rainsburg her entire life.

“You should see if that Quanso friend of yours is working at the library today when we enter.” Ralisdor said as they walked up to the library door. “I can find my way easily enough, but it can be quite hard to find what you are looking for if you don’t visit frequently.”

That makes sense. I don’t even know where to start looking for a book on curses. And besides, I need to tell Xorvos about this at some point, might as well be now.

Xorvos had been Shuka’s friend since she was a kid. They were around the same age and had always got along pretty well but, he wasn’t exactly… magically inclined.

Even if he can’t help me with the curse, I would at least like someone to talk to about this. And he does work at the library, even if he only reshelves the books.

It didn’t take long to find him when Shuka finally entered the library. After all, he was the only person in the library who was seven feet tall and perpetually wore armour. Well gauntlets at least. The grey skin and long tail didn’t exactly help either. Rainsburg was hardly a human only town, it had a handful of elves, dwarves, and halfling among its population, but even then Xorvos stood out. Even not counting his inhuman height and unnatural skin colour he still looked far different than anyone else in the town. His head was animalistic in shape, almost reminiscent of a rhino but without the horns and instead of hair he had a multitude of leathery flaps of skin on the ends of thick, hair like strands. He was wearing a simple shirt and pants that were specifically tailored for his size and tail. But what really stood out about his clothing was the two gauntlets made out of black metal that he always wore. It didn’t matter if he was organizing books or buying groceries, he only took them off when he absolutely needed to. This might have all been a bit much for someone who had never met a Quanso before, but to Shuka he was just her friend.

“Hey Xorvos, I need your help.”

He looked up from the pile of books he was looking through.

“Oh, uh… is it important? I mean I am working right now so uh, can it wait?”

“No, it can’t wait, this is serious.”

Shuka was a bit hurt he didn’t think it was important, but she got over it fast.

“I need to find a book on curses, do you know where I can find one? Or even where to look?”

Xorvos frowned, obviously not happy with the request.

“Curses? Is that the kind of magic you are learning now? I will tell you right now nothing good will come from that kind of magic.”

“No, you don’t understand.” Shuka spoke, slightly frustrated. “I don’t want to learn how to cast curses, I want to learn how to get rid of them. I was hunting in the forest when I accidentally hurt a witch’s familiar, and she cursed me for it. Ralisdor is trying to help me, but he says he doesn’t know enough about curses yet.”

Xorvos looked at her with suspicion, but he eventually relented.

“All of the dangerous magic is kept in the restricted section, but I don’t have access to it. I would have to talk to head librarian Sophia to get permission.”

“Well then let’s go and talk to her. The sooner I can get rid of this curse the better.”

“Now? I still have so many books to reorganize. Can’t we do this after work?”

Shuka gave him a look that said they absolutely could not. With a sigh, the big Quanso placed the book he was holding back onto the pile he got it from.

“All right then, lets go.”

Why isn’t he taking this seriously? Does he not believe me, or does he just think the curse isn’t that big of a deal? The Xorvos I know wouldn’t hesitate to do everything in his power to help me out.

Xorvos led Shuka over to the head librarian’s office and knocked on the door with his metal gauntlets. The loud sound of metal on wood echoed throughout the library and made Shuka wince. Several people were looking their way and she did not want all of the extra attention. From inside the office and old voice called out, muffled by the door.

“Come in Xorvos, and for Margaret’s sake, knock a little quitter next time.”

Xorvos opened the door, slightly embarrassed, and entered the office. It was a simple space, small too, with barely enough room for a desk and a small bookcase to one side. Behind the desk was Sophia, the head librarian. She was and old human lady with white hair streaked with brown tied into a bun.

“What do you want Xorvos? There is no way you finished reshelving all of those books already. And who is that you are bringing into my office?”

“This is Shuka, my friend. She has recently been cursed and I would like to request permission to go into the restricted section to look for a book that can help her.”

The librarian looked Shuka up and down, staring into her as if she could see into her very soul. She couldn’t, but she didn’t like what she saw anyway.

“No. The restricted section is restricted for a reason, and that reason is preventing people like her getting their hands on the information inside.”

The librarian was pointing at Shuka accusatorily, obviously not thinking very highly of her. Xorvos however, was quite shocked by her response.

“What do you mean? Shuka isn’t a bad person, she just needs some help.”

“Oh, please, do you really believe she was actually cursed. It’s obvious that was just a lie so she could get her hands on my books. You may be naive enough to fall for her deception, but I am not.”

“I’m not lying!” Shuka shouted in frustration. “Why won’t you believe me? Is it really that unbelievable?”

The scowl Shuka received in response told her all she needed to know, but she got a verbal answer anyway.

“It is when spoken from lips as untrustworthy as yours.”

Shuka had heard enough. Talking more wasn’t going to get her anywhere and she wasn’t all that interested in continuing the conversation anyway. Instead, she stormed out of the room without saying a word.

I’ve lived in Rainsburg my entire life and she thinks I’m some sort of villain? We may not be friends, or even acquaintances, but I am sure she has seen me around town before. And yet the moment she thinks I might be up to something I’m suddenly up to no good? That’s bullshit!

Shuka was fuming outside the library when Xorvos found her. He had just finished apologising to the head librarian and came out to talk to her. Shuka didn’t have much to say though. She was sitting on the steps leading up to the library, curled up like a small ball of anger. Xorvos recoiled slightly when he saw her, sensing an unnatural feeling of danger from her. It was as if she was one wrong word away from going on a rage fueled murder spree. But Xorvos knew his friend better than that, so he ignored those intrusive thoughts and sat down next to her.

“Hey, you alright?”

“What do you think?”

Shuka was mad. Maybe not as mad as she looked, but mad nonetheless.

“I feel betrayed. I never liked her, but I’ve known Sophia since I was still in the orphanage. I guess I just thought she wouldn’t assume the worst of me, but apparently I was wrong.”

“You’ve known her for that long? I had no idea.”

“It’s nothing special, she would just go to the orphanage to pray to Margaret sometimes. I never talked to her, but she would stick around and chat with the caretakers, so I feel like I know her by proximity at least. She probably didn’t even notice me. If she didn’t let me see the book I would understand, but for her to reject me so aggressively? She must hate me.”

It was the weakest of bonds, but it still hurt. Xorvos didn’t know what to say, but luckily, he didn’t have to. The large double doors to the library flew open and a cloaked figure wearing a blank white mask and wielding a bow ran down the stairs. They were running so fast that by the time Shuka got up they had already gone around a corner out of sight. Shuka didn’t know what to make of the situation so she was about to sit back down when she heard a voice from behind her.

“You! You thought you could trick me with some illusion? Well it’s not going to work you little thief.”

Sophia was there at the top of the stairs, looking down on her with a nasty scowl. Shuka knew what she was going to say next and did not like it one bit.

“Guards, arrest her!”