Curse Breaker: Sundered Read online

  CURSE BREAKER:

  SUNDERED

  MELINDA KUCSERA

  Copyright

  CURSE BREAKER: SUNDERED © 2018 Melinda Kucsera

  Cover design © 2018 Melinda Kucsera featuring 3d imagery under license from www.Daz3d.com.

  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.

  ISBN: 978-1-949145-05-2

  Table of Contents

  The Curse Breaker Series

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Get Lost with us

  Would You Leave a Review?

  The Unanswered Question

  Imperiled by Promises

  The Price of Free Will

  Call in the Guards

  Rocks and Ripples Redux

  Dangerous Talks

  The Devil’s in the Details

  This Little Light

  Shopping for Demons

  What the Bells Say

  The Trouble with Paperwork

  The Pain of Tardiness

  Queens and Bears, Oh My!

  Bad Magic

  The Only Way is Down

  Dueling Promises

  Making Monsters

  Demonic Pursuit

  Snake Attack

  Get Out

  Ran to the Rescue

  Stunning Tentacles

  Where’s Nolo

  Chasing Darkness

  A Run-in with Death

  Shut that Portal!

  The Trouble with Sisters

  We Need a Dirk

  A Deadly Encounter

  Defend the Innocent

  Who Do You Serve?

  Second Chances

  The Bells of Destruction

  A Fiendish Delight

  Battle for the Foundlings

  Death’s Marksman

  Finding Allies

  How Can You Fly Without Wings?

  Into the Ravine

  You Made Me Promise

  The Battle of the Tentacles

  Sacrifices

  The Walking Wounded

  Promise Me

  Lost and Found

  This Death is Not for You

  Good Guys Should Stick Together

  Come into the Light

  O, Guardian, Most Dear

  All Souls Fight

  Collapsing Shields

  Through the Wall

  Ladies Love a Good Swordfight

  Bad Rock

  Death’s Sword Becomes Her

  Would You Please Leave a Review?

  Memoriam

  I’d Love to Hear from You!

  Stay in Touch!

  The Curse Breaker Series

  The Curse Breaker Series

  Other books in the Curse Breaker Series:

  (Suggested Reading Order)

  CURSE BREAKER: ENCHANTED

  HIS ANGELIC KEEPER

  CURSE BREAKER: DARKENS

  CURSE BREAKER: FACETED

  CURSE BREAKER: FALLS

  CURSE BREAKER: BOOKS 1-4

  CURSE BREAKER: SUNDERED

  CURSE BREAKER: HIDDEN*

  HIS ANGELIC KEEPER: HIDDEN*

  Divergent Heroes

  (Can be read at any time. There are no spoilers.)

  RELIC HUNTER

  MAGE HUNTER*

  DEMON HUNTER*

  *Forthcoming

  Dedication

  O, Guardian, most dear

  I’m sundered and near to tears.

  My magic’s barred by fear

  and all I hold dear’s

  in peril until I clear

  this question—but I persevere.

  I climb like a mountaineer

  to you, whom I revere.

  O, Guardian, most dear.

  —Traditional Shayarin Prayer

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you, J.C. We enjoyed adventuring with you again, but could you please, please, please, leave the Adversary at home next time?

  We deserve a break from his shenanigans.

  Yours truly,

  Ran, son of Sarn, “asker of favors”

  Get Lost with us

  Hi Readers,

  Thank you for reading Curse Breaker: Sundered. This is the book our scribe wanted to deliver last time, but there was a mutiny (see the bonus story at the end of Curse Breaker: Falls for details).

  After Curse Breaker: Falls, we’re ready for sky beams and to dispatch some villains because it's getting awfully crowded on the bad guys (and gals) front. Our heroes (Papa and I) are happy for all the help we can get.

  So, um, J.C., if it’s not too much trouble, could you send us some help? Hurry because there’s a monster on our tail, and I’d like someone to take it out, now, please.

  Love and hugs,

  —Ran, Son of Sarn, writing on behalf of the cast of the Curse Breaker series and our scribe, Melinda K.

  Would You Leave a Review?

  Yes, we’re fictional characters, but we need reviews too! We exist when you read us. So, every review helps! We love feedback and reviews help other readers to decide if our adventure is right for them. (It is, but they won’t know if you don’t leave a review.) If you’re enjoying this book, please consider leaving a review.

  Thank you for reading Curse Breaker: Sundered.

  The Unanswered Question

  EARLIER

  [Under Mount Eredren]

  Something punched through the wall, sending rocks flying. Sarn extended his hand to cast a shield around them, but nothing happened. The green magic he used to make shields, was gone—drained by the black lumir crystal or forfeited when that damned ‘Question’ was interrupted.

  All he had left was a flickering flame buried deep inside him. When he reached for it, his hand passed right through that white fire—there was no power to grasp or shape. For the first time in his entire life, Sarn had no magic at his beck and call, just his wits. That emptiness was a fierce ache begging to be filled.

  Sarn hugged his son, and Ran returned the embrace.

  “It’s happening again—the m-monster is free,” Ran clung to him as another tentacle broke through.

  “I won't let it get you.”

  Sarn dodged the falling debris, jinking to evade two more tentacles. Can they sense me or something? Why are they all breaking through right here? There are other tunnels in the Lower Quarters.

  Thank Fate, none of the tentacles had eyes. They were stuck feeling about for prey. Hopefully, they didn’t have ears either.

  Sarn halted just beyond the grasping tentacle’s reach. “J.C.! Where are you?”

  When the air cleared, a mountain of rubble blocked the tunnel, but there was no sign of J.C. just six tentacles feeling along those broken stones.

  “J.C.?” Sarn set his son down and started climbing, but Ran wrapped his arms around his leg.

  When he glanced back, Ran just shook his head. Tears tracked down his dusty little face. They leaked out of a pair of wide, scared eyes. Sarn rubbed his son’s back.

  “I’ll just see if he’s ok. You stay here out of the monster’s reach, okay?”

  Ran shook his head, and his little shoulders shook with silent sobs. Torn between staying and going, Sarn shouted for J.C. one last time.

  “I’m here. We’ve been cut off. Perhaps that’s for the best. Find your brother and help your Queen. Leave the Adversary to me.”

  “I can make a hole. We can still accompany you.”

  “No, I couldn
’t in good conscience expose you or your son to the Adversary.”

  “Because my magic is gone?”

  J.C. didn't answer.

  “I can still help.”

  I can still be a hero. Sarn shifted one of the rocks aside but stopped when the ones above it rocked. I never guess wrong. I always know which rock to move.

  Because his magic had always shown him which stones would bring the whole thing crumbling down, but that power was gone. Eyes burning with unshed tears, Sarn punched the wall but remembered in time to pull the blow. Without magic, those rocks could break his hand.

  In his mind’s eye, a sun-drenched field of valor stretched to the horizon. The shining warrior he’d wanted to be since childhood turned his steed and rode away, taking his dream with him. The image crumpled and faded into the white glow of his pendant.

  J.C. sighed instead of answering.

  Yes, Sarn was being excluded because he had no magic. Without it, he was useless in this fight. The realization hit Sarn harder than anything he’d seen during that trip through his memories in that ‘Question’ thing.

  “It is because my magic is gone. You need the kind of help I can no longer give.”

  “It can’t be gone.” Ran stared at him in shock. “It’ll come back. Last time you just needed to—what did Bear say? —recuperate.”

  Sarn shook his head. This time was different. He felt empty and dark as if all his light was extinguished. This time his magic was gone for good. “I didn’t choose in time. The black lumir crystal hit me when I was still wavering. It took everything but a small ember, and I can’t touch that.”

  “Don’t touch it. That ember’s keeping you alive. You were made to store and shape magic. Without it, your body doesn’t know how to function.”

  “So, there’s a chance I can get it back?” Sarn wished he could see J.C.’s face.

  Do I want it back? Right now, yes, he did. Magic was useful in a crisis, and he felt naked without it. But once the crisis passed, what then? Did he want to be tied to power and a life of constant danger?

  “Papa, I want to go, now. I don’t want to stay here. I don’t want to fight m-monsters. I want to go home.” Tears washed the dust from Ran’s cheeks.

  “Whether you want it back or not, finish the trial. It’s called the ‘Question’ for a reason. You must answer it. It’ll hang over your head until you do, putting pressure on the world’s balance.”

  “You mean the cross you bear.”

  “Yes, for my sake, please finish the trial.”

  “How do I answer it?”

  “Do you want it back?”

  That gave Sarn pause. All the arguments for and against clamored for his attention until he silenced them.

  “Jerlo, my master, can he bind me to something I don’t want?”

  His gut said no because then he would be bound to a lie. And I can’t lie.

  “You already know the answer to that.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Sarn ground his teeth.

  Then at some point in my screwed-up teen years, I wanted normalcy. I wanted a life without magic. Do I still? Sarn started as an unexpected answer welled up from the bottom of his soul.

  “Until you know what you want, you’ll stay as you are. I’d like to help, but this is a decision only you can make. Thank you for all your help. Be safe my friends. Whatever you decide, you have my support.”

  “Thank you.” Sarn pushed off the mountain of rubble and knew what he had to do.

  “What about the many-armed m-monster?” Ran’s grip loosened just a hair, but it was enough to free Sarn’s leg. He scooped up his son and hugged him.

  J.C. didn’t answer. Maybe he’d already left on his mission.

  “I think we’re taking it on again.”

  “But we can’t, not without Bear or the Queen Tree. Or we’ll lose.”

  Because you have no magic, rasped Sarn’s conscience.

  Then it’s time I find out how resourceful I can be. I’m not endangering my son. Sarn tightened his grip and turned to assess his options by crystal light. Not having glowing eyes would take some getting used to—if this state is permanent. I’m not convinced it is. Nothing in my life has been set in stone, so why should this be?

  Another tear rolled down Ran’s cheek. “I want Bear. Why isn’t he here?”

  “I know. I wish that sarcastic ghost was here too, but he’s not—” Sarn stopped as a familiar fuzzy head reared up. A tentacle had wrapped around Ran’s favorite toy, and it receded, taking Bear with it.

  “Rat Woman brought him to me,” Ran said with a shrug while Sarn stared at the surreal tableau.

  “Rocks and ripples,” Nolo murmured in the back of his mind presaging a familiar lecture about the ‘little things' in life, and why Sarn shouldn't neglect them.

  I'll bet he never envisioned this scenario. Sarn shook his head and refocused on the equally bizarre conversation.

  “Rat Woman was here? When did you see her?”

  How long was I trapped in that 'Question?' Evidently, long enough for allies to come and go and someone to release not one but two deadly threats. And I no longer have the power to stop them. But Bear was another story.

  “Insect Man was here too. They tried to save us from the shadow-creature and the staring people, but the black mist made them fall apart. I hope they're okay.”

  “I hope so too.” But Sarn couldn't worry about them right now.

  He set Ran down out of the tentacles’ reach. “Stay here while I rescue Bear.”

  “Be careful.”

  Sarn nodded.

  Without magic, ‘careful’ was his new watchword, and it lasted all of five seconds. Five tentacles, each about as wide as a tree trunk slithered over rocks and twisted banners. The third one from the left dragged Bear closer to the hole it had entered through. Sarn patted his pockets, searching for anything that might hold an edge then remembered his pendant. When he tried to lift its leather thong over his head, it choked him until he let go. Damn, there went plan A.

  Plan B was more dangerous, but he was out of options. So Sarn went into a slide and stabbed the tentacle with his pendant when he passed by. It dropped Bear and patted the ichor-spewing hole he’d drilled in it, bumping two other tentacles while he scooped up Bear. Three tentacles whipped around as Sarn rushed back to his son. He dodged the first two and leaped over the third.

  “You did it! You saved Bear.” Ran’s eyes shone with joy as he hugged his only toy.

  The stuffed thing looked less ratty, and its fur seemed fuller and softer than before. In fact, Bear wasn’t even dirty from rolling in the dust, and he’d acquired a silver ribbon that shimmered in the crystal light. Did that spirit guide's body receive an upgrade when I wasn't looking? Sarn shelved that question for later when six tentacles weren't searching for him and his son.

  “Yes, Bear’s safe now.”

  “Sometimes the smallest actions make the biggest difference,” Nolo said and in Sarn’s mind’s eye, his other master tossed a rock into a calm pool, rippling its surface to make his point.

  It was time to test that theory because, without magic, ‘small things’ were all he could manage. But according to Nolo, if he did enough ‘small things,' they'd pile up into something big. Perhaps their cumulative effect would be enough to shift the course of the future.

  “Come on. Let's go see what else we can do.”

  “But the m-monster—"

  That was a concern, but a grim determination fired Sarn, leaving no room for doubt. “I’ll think of something.”

  ‘Rocks and ripples’—those two words echoed in Sarn’s mind as he scooped up his son and ducked under tentacle number four, which had decided to probe the ceiling. Through a square-cut hole, it explored an air duct. Tentacle number five snaked over the ground investigating rocks, so he stepped over it then turned sideways as tentacle number three shot past him. It struck the wall showering them with pebbles as Sarn hurried around the next bend.

  [For a look
further back see Curse Breaker: Books 1-4. For what happened immediately before this book, just grab book 4, Curse Breaker: Falls]

  Imperiled by Promises

  Be careful what you promise.

  Even the best intentions can demand more than you can give.

  ----<--@

  Magic might be stronger when it's broken, but the promises Sarn forged with them are even stronger.

  In the fifth book of the Curse Breaker series, all his promises come due, and Sarn must satisfy them all.

  Serving more than one master is not only damned near impossible without magic, it’s also deadly.

  But Sarn doesn’t have a choice. He must keep them all despite the monsters chasing him. The promises won’t let him break them, not even to save those he loves.

  Clean fantasy goes epic in this action-packed thrill ride.

  ----<--@

  For Carolyn K., keeper of the only promise that matters. RIP sis. Sorry this book is more than two months late. Life got in the way.

  The Price of Free Will

  NOW

  Farewell for now, my friends. J.C. touched the pile of broken stones separating him from Sarn and his son. They were good people who’d done more than enough. I won't imperil them any further.

  “J.C.?” Ran called. The tyke wasn’t ready to give up just yet. Neither was his father.