Knight's Curse Read Free

I was ashamed of how different they made me look. Mildly surprised by my reaction to such dim light, Heinrich seemed satisfied with what he saw. Brother Thomas had told me many times that I had my mother’s eyes.
    I tried to back away, but he grabbed my arms to hold me still. “What’s wrong, Chalice? You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m your father.”
    I kicked at his shins with my small bare feet and my noseclip popped free. I grimaced at the unwelcome odors. “No! Not my father. I know you’re not!”
    “How do you know?”
    Thomas scurried over to try separating us, but Heinrich shoved him away. “Don’t interfere.”
    “You mustn’t be rough with her,” Thomas said, his voice rising to an anguished whine. He tottered from side to side, as if unsure what to do. “She’s a precocious child, but still only a child!”
    Heinrich ignored him. “What makes you so sure I’m not your father, Chalice?”
    I stopped struggling, but he continued to hold me by the forearms. “Your blood doesn’t smell like mine.”
    “You can smell my blood?”
    “As well as the pesto you had for lunch today. The dirt on the soles of your shoes is not from this country. Your expensive soap doesn’t hide the stink of your sweat.” But it was more than sweat that offended me. His stench made my eyes water. I turned my face away and sucked in a breath. “I smell on you the deaths of others.”
    He released me only so that he could get a better grip around my waist, but I ducked from his grasp. I whirled out of reach and lifted my dress to seize my blade. A long, slim butterfly knife glinted in the faint glow of the votive candles. Crouched with the blade poised to strike, I backed my way to the chapel door.
    Heinrich chuckled, looking relaxed with his hands in his pockets. “What a delight you are, Chalice. Such fire in your soul! You and I have a wonderful future ahead of us.”
    “I won’t go with you!” I was ashamed of how my voice cracked. My tears flowed freely now, and the hand holding the blade shook with rage. “Burn in hell.”
    His arching brows made him look clownish, but no less evil. “I probably will. But for the time being, I need you and your special…skills. You’re so much like your mother.”
    I swallowed, still wary of him, but more attentive now to his words. He’d known my mother, had spoken to her, maybe even touched her….
    His elongated shadow cast by the altar’s candles flickered on the wall behind him. “Felicia was just as special as you are, you know. Too bad I couldn’t convince her to work for me. You, however, are young and can be molded into the thief I need.”
    “I won’t steal for you or anyone else!” I shouted, my defiance and fear at war with each other.
    “Not now, but you will. And I think you’ll be very good at it.” I saw amusement in his cold eyes; he enjoyed my fear, even seemed energized by it.
    “I must ask you to leave, Mr. Heinrich,” Thomas said in a quavering voice. “You have misrepresented yourself and I’m calling the authorities.”
    Heinrich flicked his wrist, fingers splayed, and a zigzag of green lightning flew from the tips to strike Thomas in the throat. The monk grabbed his neck, eyes bulging, as he struggled to breathe.
    “What did you do?” I was paralyzed with awe at seeing what I could only describe as magic. “You’re hurting him! Stop!” I wanted to run to Thomas, shake him to make him breathe again, but my fear of Heinrich doing magic on me froze me in place.
    Bending as if to tie his shoe, Heinrich yanked a small pistol from an ankle holster and fired. Brother Thomas froze when the bullet pierced his forehead. The monk hadn’t yet fallen and I could do nothing but stare in shock as he slid bonelessly to the floor and Heinrich rushed over to grab me.
    Machine-gun fire sprayed above our heads just as Heinrich drew back his fist. Though stunned, my mind worked well enough to guess the shot from Heinrich’s pistol had been a