The Cursekeeper

The Crow

"Well, this could've gone a lot worse," Aynaet thought to herself, trying to remain positive as she walked with her wrists bound by rope and attached to Morgan.

Arthur and the others were riding their mounts while Aynaet was forced to walk, the group dressed in winter clothing while Aynaet was dressed in her tattered and wet casuals.  They didn't trust her to even ride with any of them.  Which was fine.  After all, Aynaet chose not to tell them who she really was.  And if tying her up made them feel better, that was fine.

But she was in a lot of pain, she was cold and she was wet.

At least O'Callaghan resurrected Holly.  Aynaet had tried to approach the horse earlier but Holly was terrified of the queen, as were Doc and Tessa.  Understandable, of course, given the fear enchantment that was attached to the god awful body suit she wore.

"This staff is amazing!" O'Callaghan exclaimed happily as she studied Aynaet's smaller staff.  "Did you make this with blood magic?" she asked as she looked over her shoulder at the queen.  When Aynaet nodded, O'Callaghan turned back around with a grin.  "May I ask who taught you how to do that?"

"The Crow," the queen replied in her gritty, barely audible voice.

"Who's that?"

Suddenly an acorn with helicopter fins appeared right beside Aynaet and she jumped at little at the sight of it.  "Your Majesty," she heard Darrach say from the acorn.  "Might I be allowed to try something with your voice?"

Aynaet smiled at the acorn, poking it with a fingernail and chirping.  "Adorable," she uttered before coughing up blood.  "Yes, please," she groaned.

Everyone stopped as the acorn shot a laser from its lens at Aynaet's throat, making her shriek and hiss before covering her throat and glaring at the acorn.  "Apologies, Your Majesty.  I should've warned you that it might hurt."  Aynaet coughed a few times before collapsing to her knees and hacking blood everywhere.  "Oh dear..."

"Are you alright, Your Majesty?" O'Callaghan asked as she came running over.

"What the hell are you doin', O'Callaghan?" Arthur asked.  "Don't be givin' her special treatment."

"Why are you being so mean?!" O'Callaghan snapped before stomping her foot.  "She's been nothing but cooperative with us!"

"That don't mean shit!  For all we know, she could be springin' a trap for us!"

As Aynaet still brought up blood, O'Callaghan gave her husband a scowl.  "And if you're wrong?"

"Then I'll owe her an apology, but until then, she ain't a friend."

Aynaet managed to hack up a little bit more blood before she stood on wobbly feet and took a deep breath.  When she tried to speak, she couldn't.  With a sigh, Aynaet started signing.  [It's fine, I understand the suspicion.  Let's go, we should be coming up to Ewing Basin soon.]

"Ewing Basin?" Sir Jack asked.

"An abandoned town," Arthur replied.  "Or at least the original town was.  I don't know if this one is, though."  He eyed Aynaet with scrutiny.  "How do you know about Ewing Basin?"

Aynaet blew a raspberry before signing again.  [You think I don't know what's in my own damn kingdom?]

With a very scary look, Arthur dismounted immediately and marched up to Aynaet.  "This ain't your god damn kingdom, it's my wife's mind!" he shouted wildly, making people flinch.  "You all been runnin' rampant through this place like it's your own personal vacation spot, havin' no regard for the fact that you are inside a fuckin' person!  You got a son minin' materials, a daughter who lets monsters roam about the place, another son who is a brothel-keeper, and apparently a bunch of other kids I ain't met but I hear tell they're no better than you or Mallacht!"