Cursed Read Free Page A

no, no!
    The mattress burned bright as coals while Tristan writhed under the covers in agony. Great shafts of fire licked around him and speared into the ceiling. Black smoke and flame billowed into my face. His pale skin puckered over in angry red boils. I gasped.
    â€œTristan!” I picked up the washbasin and tossed water into the flames. It had no effect. Gods-damned magick.
    Tristan’s flesh now darkened and curled. I leapt forward, slapping at the fire with my bare hands. Agony burned into my palms while the flames leaped higher. Tristan screamed, a sound that pierced my ears and shattered my heart. Edges of bone jutted out from the burn holes in his flesh.
    Not my Tristan. Not like this.
    The fire stopped as quickly as it had started. I panted, scanning the room for another onslaught.
    Nothing happened.
    The room showed no sign of flame or smoke. The charge of magick drained from the air. The spell was finished.
    I knelt next to Tristan again. His body carried no mark of fire. My hands were free from burns and pain as well.
    Tristan lay on his side, his body frozen in his last thrash of agony. His brown, bloodshot eyes stared emptily into mine. I sobbed so hard, I couldn’t pull enough air into my lungs. I fell into a heap on the floor, gasping, weeping, and hopeless.
    The room seemed to spin beneath me. My vision collapsed until I could only see Tristan. His lifeless face stared at me with horror and pity. My insides twisted with grief. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed locked in his dead gaze. At some point, Quinn appeared at my side. He gently touched my shoulder.
    â€œI’m sorry.” Quinn stood tall and silent in his black Necromancer robes. He was more of a walking corpse than a man—rail-thin and bald, with a face that was crisscrossed with scars. His voice was deep and almost without inflection. “I was surprised when Tristan told me the curse struck you. I thought his feelings for you were more infatuation than love. It’s unfortunate that you were drawn into this mess.”
    I slowed my breathing and wiped my face with my sleeve. “What does the curse do?”
    â€œOur friend still burns.”
    My skin chilled over with shock. “So the fire followed Tristan into his next life?” Where he’ll burn for eternity … As I will, too. “We need to stop this curse. Will you help me?”
    Quinn stayed still as a statue. If the curse bothered him, he didn’t show it. I know that’s Necromancer training, but it still seemed cruel. “There is nothing to be done… For him, or for you.”
    I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Nothing? We can get rid of the new Tsar, that’s what we can do. Kill the mage, kill the spell.”
    â€œViktor’s a Grand Master. There are few at that level of power, and even those won’t come to your aid. Word of the curse had spread. So many of my Brothers have died already. All the Cloisters and Monasteries are pledging fealty to the Tsar. Anyone with power and training is being asked to join him. I’m getting the mark, too.”
    Rage spiraled through my limbs. How could Quinn be so resigned? I hopped to my feet. “Viktor killed Tristan. You’re going to leave your dyad to suffer in fire?”
    â€œAnd protect the one I love most from this curse? Yes.” Quinn sighed. It was the first time he’d showed any real emotion. “Plus, it’s not so terrible. Tristan was—” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “ Unwise to deny the new Tsar. When you pledge fealty, Viktor merely gives you a mark on your left shoulder.”
    I opened my mouth, ready to argue the point. That mark was undoubtedly laced with evil magick. But the steely look on Quinn’s face made me stop. There was no way I’d change his mind. And there was still a curse to end.
    I laced my fingers behind my neck and tried to think. My limbs shook with shock. If I