Page 7 of The Bones of the Cursed

I squealed, quickly covering my mouth when a few Fae shot me dirty looks. “Sorry, sorry. Thank you so much. I would be honored to help you.” I shook her hand and practically skipped out the door, feeling lighter than I had in years.

She’s a lover of history, but also romance, and this realm has such an interesting past. A lost king who has never been found. His daughter then became queen only to give it all up anddisappear from the public eye with her husband over a century ago.

The current king and queen are beloved. From what I have read, they have been in power for at least a century. Since they have taken over, there has been nothing but peace, save for a few uprisings now and again. That’s what makes this realm even more desirable.

Peace.

The biggest issue is the ghouls. The foul creatures are monstrosities, their bodies black and slimy, and horribly tall when they stand at full height, their teeth and nails sharp enough to slice right through you. Just last month one wandered into the city, drawn there by starvation most likely, and destroyed part of the butcher shop before it was killed by the King’s Guard. They stole all of his meat the next day, too. The king and queen quickly reassured everyone that the issue would be handled swiftly. Normally, they send soldiers to eradicate them, but occasionally the ghouls manage to disappear back into the woods and can’t be found.

The king and queen have two children, a son and a daughter. Their daughter married a Fae prince from another realm a decade ago. There isn’t much information on their son, just that he is fearsome and keeps the realm safe by enforcing the laws and personally handing out punishments. I questioned Maryanna once about the heir doing such a dangerous job, but she assured me all heirs to the throne participate in the King’s Guard for a time. It just so happens that the prince quite enjoys the job and is damn good at it. Her words, not mine. I once overheard he lost a game of dice and had to give up his favorite horse, which in turn led to a bar fight after a few too many drinks.

Each day goes by fast as I lose myself in Maryanna’s stories. Today I scribed pages about her adventures in the RoraneMountains, camping and befriending Witches from the Shadow Vale Coven. She was even invited to a dinner with their matriarch. I also learned that Maryanna loves a challenge. She climbed to the tallest peak of the mountain range, fighting the lack of oxygen at such a high altitude, and gazed out over the realm. She could see everything, looking over the Alpine Forest’s snow-covered trees to the town of the Upper Shrol all the way to the shores of the Sidereal Sea.

I walk to the coffee shop after work and sit at my favorite corner table looking out at the cobblestone streets. The Fae pass by and I can’t help but admire them. Everything about them is jaw-dropping: their flawless faces and immaculate bone structure, as if hewn from marble. Even their pointed ears and sharp canines add to their appeal.

Beyond that, they are kind. There are, of course, some who don’t take kindly to strangers or humans, but the majority have been nothing but welcoming. The male who owns the flower shop is not keen on humans. Last time I went to his shop, he grumbled the entire time I was paying. I certainly caught a few murmurs that I should go back to where I came from. As if he had no idea what had forced me to leave in the first place.

But then you have the apothecary, who knows me by name. My first time in her shop, she was hesitant and guarded her children from me, like I was a threat, but I made a decision to win her over. Each day, I brought her a coffee and the children muffins. Soon I found myself coloring with them and chatting with their mother for a short while each week. I tried to win over the male at the flower shop, even going so far as to bring him his newspaper every day, but the grump just wouldn’t budge.

I wanted a new start. A place where people accepted me for who I am.

Each day Maryanna recites her adventures throughout her long life, pointing out spots in history that she witnessedfirsthand, like the crowning of the current king and queen.

She always brings maps so I can better understand the layout of the realm and the things that have changed over the years. When the shipping ports were built, many trails used for delivery of goods became overgrown. Maryanna made sure to tell me all about one trail in particular where she ran off with a lover for some alone time. I blushed during that story, giggling at the spunky older female sitting before me. Her stories make me long for the thrill of an adventure so that I have stories to tell my children someday. All I have now are heartbreaking ones.

During my walk home from work, I appreciate the infrastructure around me. It’s so different from where I’m from that I fear I won’t ever get used to it. Brick buildings line the streets, each with a cute little shop inside. A flower shop, clothing boutique, jewelry store, everything you could possibly think up is here. When I pass by the apothecary, my gaze catches on the lush green grass that surrounds the house next door. Pink and white daylilies bloom on either side of the white-wash brick house, whose white picket fence runs along the front yard and a massive willow tree with a bench underneath.

I admire this house every time I see it.

This is my dream home.

Each time I gaze upon it, I feel a pull towards it. It’s like my mind wants me to go knock on the door. One time, I even stepped inside the gate. I’ve never seen anyone outside in all the time I have been here, but it can’t be abandoned. The grass is too lush, the flowers too bright, the fence too well-maintained.

As I exit the city and travel down the dirt road for home, I spot Hannah in her backyard, her cottage opposite mine, right across the narrow path. She is about five foot tall and feisty as hell. One might think she is timid and easily overpowered by her shorter stature, but she could give a grown man a run for his money if you put a dagger in her hand.

She looks up and squints at me before flicking her blond hair from her eyes. She is harvesting the crops from her garden, and I know from experience with helping my father in the cornfield how backbreaking that work can be.

She moved in shortly after my brother and I did. I basically forced her to be my friend. After so many days stopping by her house to bring whatever food I had left over from dinner, she finally succumbed, letting me help establish her now flourishing garden.

I sidle over to help, dropping my satchel and kneeling beside her in the dirt.

“How was work, Alanis?” she asks.

I shrug, smiling at the soreness of my hands as I weed her garden. “Same as every other day you ask me. Peaceful. Maryanna’s stories never fail to make me smile and forget everything around me for a little while.”

Much better than the constant chaos I had become accustomed to back home when the bombs started to drop, but I still feel like I’m missing something from my life. I have Elion and Hannah, but there’s a void inside me that never seems to be filled. I’m not sure what it is, but it aches.

Hannah gives me a small smile.

Hannah was a hard nut to crack. She was closed-off and did not easily trust, but now she is my dearest friend and I am so thankful to have met her.

“Is Elion out of town again?”

I chuckle. “Of course he is. I swear he only stays home about two weeks at a time. Being a foot soldier for the King’s Guard doesn’t allow him much free time.”

When Hannah moved in, I told Elion that he should ask her on a date. That has yet to happen because of his work schedule—and, if I’m honest, I think Hannah scares him.

Hannah looks at me and smirks. “Well, you know where tofind me if you get bored.”

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