The Assassin's Curse

Chapter Six

JESSE

"Wagh!" I struggled to get my bearings as Lluna ran faster and faster through the forest. When I finally managed to sit up, Lluna came to a stop in front of  a modest wooden cabin. I slid off Lluna's back and heard Petra come up behind me. I noticed a sign on the door.

"Benedict's House of Safety?" I read.

"Think this is legit, Jesse?" Petra asked.

I opened the door and peeked in. It seemed like a normal house. "I hope so," I said. "I wouldn't mind a break from dingy caves."

We walked in, and Lluna ran into a room with many llama blankets. She plopped down and immediately fell asleep.

Laughing, Petra and I walked through the halls and found a bedroom. "You sit down," Petra said, turning back to the hallway, "and I'll look for some food or something."

"Okay," I said, sitting on the bed. Whoever "Benedict" is, I'm sure he won't begrudge us a little rest. I stretched out my stone leg and listened to Lluna's soft snores in the other room. "Gah!"

I winced as a searing pain began to spread on my back. As the pit in my stomach dropped, I craned my neck behind me and confirmed my fear- the curse was spreading to my back. As the stone cooled, I felt the now-familiar numbness and weight.

When will that ghast tear appear? I heaved a sigh. Would it ever?

I leaned back against the pillow and took in my surroundings a bit more. It was a modest wooden hut, not unlike my old treehouse, I realized with a jolt. With Lluna snoring in the other room and the humble furnishings around me, I could almost pretend- if I closed my eyes- that we could go back to how life was before. Before the Witherstorm. Before the Portal Hallway. Before the Admin.

As tears began to brim, I silently recounted all of the destruction that's happened since Endercon, where it all began.

Beacontown. Magnus. Boom Town. Sky City. TorqueDawg. CaptainSparklez. DanTDM. Crown Mesa. Sunshine Institute. The Oasis. Fred's Keep. Romeoburg. Xara. Champion City. Reuben...

Sweet, loyal, innocent Reuben...

The tears fell freely now. It just never ends. There's always some new threat that has to be dealt with. The Assassin is right- I'm never able to let my guard down or I'll fail even more.

"Hey Jesse, I found some food-" Petra walked in holding cake and a carrot. Seeing the carrot just made me cry harder. Petra ran to the bed and sat with me, rubbing my trembling back. "What's wrong, is the curse getting worse?"

"Kind of," my voice cracked. "It's just... what if the golden ghast tear never appears? We've been through so much, and- and a lot of it has been pretty perilous. What if 'utmost peril' has already happened?"

"Don't think like that-"

"I have to!" I sat up and turned around. "Look."

Petra gasped when she saw my stone back.

"Think of the Witherstorm," I sniffed. "That was crazy. So many people nearly died." I glanced over at the carrot Petra had set on the dresser. "And Reuben..." Silent tears streamed down my face. "Think of the Hallway. Of Sky City. The White Pumpkin. PAMA. You almost died in Crown Mesa!"

Petra's hand stilled, and I noticed her unconsciously finger the scar on the back of her skull where she'd been chipped.

"The situation was pretty dire with the Old Builder's games. And the whole mess with the Admin..." I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'll be dead before the ghast tear appears!"