Cursed Read Free Page B

inn at the center of town. The horse  nuzzled his pocket and Markus found himself unable to breathe for a moment. It had done that every night regardless of not getting the typical snack from Adrienne, but the reminder still felt like a bag of bricks had slammed him against the chest.
    She’d loved her horses as if they were her children. What Markus saw as only a mode of transportation, she considered her most valuable treasure. After himself, of course… maybe.
    He waved the horse away and it snorted in disgust, twitching its tail.
    The Inn’s stable hand took the stallion’s reins with a bow. Markus hesitated for a moment before stopping the lad. “Give him a treat or two. He’s earned it.”
    He ensured the road stayed clear before bringing out his dagger and carving a single, curved line into the threshold, nodding to himself in satisfaction. That would get the attention of the cultists or his name wasn’t Markus Giles.
    “Oh for- would ye tell me when ye people want ta meet? I just had me doorway replaced last  harvest !”
    Markus looked up to the full, ruddy face of the woman he assumed was the innkeeper. “Uh… Sorry. They told me-”
    “I dun care what they told ye! If’n they told ye ta jump from Fledgling Peak for a meet, would ye? Ach. Nevermind. Ye prolly would if’n it meant seein’ one o’ them bats up close. Idiot outsiders. Here. Git inside afore ye deface anymore o’ mine property, eh? We already have a fledge doin’ ‘nough o’ that a’ready.”
    The innkeeper yanked Markus into the building and sat him down at a table. “I’d rather have the corner…”
    “Oh ye would, would ye? Tough luck, love. Ye either deface mine property or git the table ye want. Can’t have it both ways. Sit down an’ tell me what yer wantin’ whilst ye wait. Shouldn’t be too long afore them robes git here.”
    Markus frowned. “You mentioned a fledge? You have an adolescent dragon in the flock?”
    The innkeeper sighed, looking around her dining area as if wishing there were anyone  else to talk to. “Yes. An adolescent dragon. Yes, it’s been burnin’ th’ place ta charcoal. No, it don’t happen very off’n, but it ain’t unheard of in these parts. No, I dunno why they like it here s’much. The Drake  Cult ’ll hann’le ever’thin’. We ain’t worried a mite.”
    “Thank you, Agniss. We’ll take it from here.”
    Markus blinked as the innkeeper huffed at the hooded figure behind her and marched away from the conversation. By the way the newcomer had every inch of his body covered, his face obscured by a hood, he knew he spoke to a member of the dragon cult. The robes were more ornate than he recalled, however. Perhaps this one had a higher ranking in thei r   hierarchy ?
    Markus held out a hand. “I’m-”
    “I know.”
    “I’m here to-”
    “I know.”
    “How-”
    “Follow me.”
    Markus frowned, but stood and followed the cultist through the inn and out a back door. The sun no longer held any power over the sky and the stars danced in celebration of their liberty. Crickets sang in the tall, dry grass and the smell of dust and horses permeated the cool breeze that wafted through.
    “I do not think it good that you are here, King Markus, but I understand why you came. This fledge has done great damage. Her power scares even some of our most experienced Drakes.”
    “It killed my wife. We didn’t even have a body to bury.”
    The figure paused, the inky blackness within his hood facing Markus. “... I see. So it isn’t only pest control that brings you here.”
    “I’m not seeking revenge.”
    “But you do have questions. If this were any other case, I’d send you back. But we need you, Markus. She needs you.”
    “She? The fl-”
    A black mass hurtled through the sky, so close that the updraft sent Markus staggering forward. The cultist watched him, unaffected, and shook his head.
    “Any other case.”
    They continued into the bare, spidery trees, toward  what