Weaver's Curse

The marks on Isaan’s neck burned.

He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the tall girl. Her face was eerily similar to his, not to mention how tall she was for a woman… This. This was the person he was meant to find. He knew it instinctively, and from her face, she was coming to the same conclusion.

“My other two companions are… Toby and Allie.” Kaedwyn said. “You know our names, can we get yours?”

“I’m Vassa.” The shorter black-haired girl said. “She’s Indeara.”

Indeara. Indeara. Indeara.

The name brushed some distant memory in Isaan’s head.

“I’m Pinky.” The enormous hog said.

“It… it spoke…” Toby muttered.

“Excuse me, I am a ’she’ not an ’it’.” The pig sniffed.

“Yes ma’am sorry ma’am.” Toby said, clapping his mouth shut.

“You look a little familiar,” Isaan said to the other dark-haired girl. Up close, he noticed that the roots of her hair looked…blonde?

“Sedine.” She said.

“That’s why they were here.” Kaedwyn said. “Mind giving me a few tips on how to disappear without a trace for over a year? I could use them.”

Sedine smiled. “Have powerful allies, wear whatever disguise you must, and move to the worst place you can find.”

“Hey! I resent you referring to my hometown like that!” Vassa said.

“Vassa your mother was devoured by hogs.” Sedine said. “It’s not the most wholesome place.”

“Hey, she wasn’t from Yester, she didn’t know any better.” Vassa said. “People usually just get trampled by hogs.”

Hogs? Is there something I’m missing?

“I’d love to hear the story behind your disappearance.” Allie said.

“I’ll tell it later.” Sedine said. “I think this is the right place…”

She slipped out from under Indeara’s shoulder, and stepped forward, suddenly disappearing.

“At least we don’t have to reveal our darkest secrets to get through this barrier,” Allie muttered behind him.

Indeara and Vassa disappeared through it next, followed by Allie and Kaedwyn. He and Toby stepped through the barrier last.

He was shocked by the sight of five looms, each one standing at least 6 feet tall arranged in a circle. Even more were the four skeletons lying scattered at all but four of the looms.

At the last loom a hunched old woman with masses of matted grey hair sat chained to the loom, her withered hands busily weaving threads.

“I’ve finally arrived,” Sedine said, crouching beside the woman.

Fire surged through Isaan’s mark, hotter than he’d felt. Indeara’s hand clapped over her own markings.

The old woman looked away from the tapestry spread out on her loom, squinting at them.

Her eyes fell on Indeara and Isaan, and a wide smile broke out across her face.

“Come quickly.” She said, ushering them forward.

They stepped forward, the heat peaking as they laid their hands on the wrinkled one she held out to them. Then it disappeared, and the memories came flooding back.

Of the childhood he’d only been able to remember snatches of. Of the woman who sat before them.

Uvear Vef, his beloved sister. The woman who’d raised them in place of their parents. The woman who’d sacrificed her life for them. The woman they’d sacrificed their lives for.

Tears streamed down Indeara’s face, and he wasn’t surprised to find his own cheeks wet.

“I’ve missed you both so much.” Uvear whispered.

Isaan wrapped his arms around both of them, hugging his two sisters as tightly as he could. He never wanted to let go again.

“What’s happened to you?” Indeara murmured, burying her head in their sister’s shoulder.

“Do you remember everything?” Uvear asked. “Everything that happened with that snake, Deled?”

“Yes.” Isaan said.

“I failed you, I’m so sorry.” Uvear said. She cleared her throat several times, and Vassa hurriedly passed her a waterskin.

“It’s been years since I last had water.” Uvear said gratefully.

“Deled, he threatened me to my face. Threatened to have you kidnapped, Indeara.” Uvear said. “I lost it for a moment, and next think I knew I had my hands around his throat. I was surrounded by his witches in seconds, and then I was in prison.”

Isaan knew the next part. From his and Indeara’s perspective at least. He hadn’t known what Uvear had done to be sentenced to death.

“You’ll have to fill me in on what happened on your end,” Uvear said. “I only know snatches.”

Indeara cleared her throat. “We got word that you were to be executed.” She whispered.

Isaan remembered that terrible night, when one of the king’s servants had come banging on the door of their mansion to gloat. He and Indeara had stayed up the rest of the night, trying to think up a way to save Uvear. Uvear had always been the clever, quick thinker, not them.

“We came to the palace first thing the next morning to bargain for your life, and he said... He said he’d spare your life if we killed the witch of the tower for him.” Indeara said shakily.

Isaan remembered staring up at the mist-shrouded tower with Indeara, and exchanging one last determined look. Then they’d kicked the door in, and headed up the staircase that spiraled on and on into eternity, to kill a woman who they’d assumed to be blissfully unaware.

He’d seen Indeara’s white-fisted grip on her short sword, and felt his own dry throat.

The witch of the tower hadn’t been unaware of their presence.

“So it’s finally happening,” she’d said, looking disdainfully down at them.

Indeara had moved first, collapsing a shelf onto the elegant witch. The woman had recovered, firing a paralysis spell back at Indeara. It had hit her in her sword-hand, her weapon falling to the floor. Isaan had tried, and failed to put her to sleep.

The next paralysis spell hit him square in the chest, and he’d fallen uselessly to the ground, unable to move, speak, or use his power. Indeara had leapt forward, exploding sections of the ceiling in an attempt to kill the other witch.

But the witch of the tower had had decades to hone her skills, and was far more powerful than either of them. The fight was over in a few minutes, Indeara felled by a paralysis spell to the head.

The witch had knelt beside Isaan, and freed his tongue briefly. “Did the king send you?” she’d asked.

“Yes.” Isaan had replied.

She’d sighed, brushing a stray lock of silver hair out of her face. “Of course he did. I have information that can dethrone him. How did he convince you to do it?”

“He has our sister.” Isaan had answered.

“He’s good at making threats.” The witch had said. “For that, I won’t kill you, but, I can’t let you go unpunished.”

Isaan had watched helplessly as the witch had crouched by Indeara, cupping her hands around her temples until Indeara fell unconscious. Then she had vanished. In that short moment before he’d received the same treatment, Isaan had despaired.

“It failed, and the tower witch cursed us by removing our memories.” Isaan said. “I woke up in The Great Swamps of Loann, and remembered vague snatches of both of you. And I heard your voice telling me to come find you.”

“I didn’t remember anything at all.” Indeara said. “I just had a note in my pocket that said to find the Weavers.”

“But Uvear,” Isaan asked. “Why do you look so old? It can’t have been more than twenty years, right?”

In his heart, he knew that was wrong. Kaedwyn had never even heard of King Deled. It must have been longer than that.

“It’s been over four-hundred years.” Uvear said tiredly.

Indeara looked horrified, an expression Isaan was sure was mirrored on his own face.

“How have you stayed alive all this time?” Indeara asked, her voice small.