Weaver's Curse

“It is quite the story,” Uvear said.

In her peripheral vision, Indeara saw the others sit down in the grass.

“Tales of the legendary Weavers had just begun to spread when I lost the two of you,” Uvear said. “Many believed them to be a way to right wrongs they’d committed, but I saw them as a way to achieve temporary immortality.”

“After I escaped Deled’s dungeon, and interrogated someone about the two of your whereabouts, I went straight to the tower. She told me a rough estimate of when you’d both wake.” Uvear explained. “And what kind of sister would I be if I weren’t alive to greet you then?”

She’s always been like this, Indeara thought. She wanted to do all she could to make sure we didn’t feel the absence of our parents.

Indeara had been young when they’d died, maybe five or six. Uvear had been seventeen, still a child herself, but still hadn’t hesitated to step up and fill a parental role for her little siblings.

“I and four other women set out to pursue the legend of the weavers, and finally, our search led us here, where two weavers still lived. Two of my companions took their places, and the rest of us chose a loom. If only they’d known they could never leave this place.”

“Why not?” Sedine asked.

“The looms are bespelled, as you might have guessed.” Uvear said. “Part of that spell, the part I sought was the immortality spell. For as long as evil remains in your heart, you must live, weaving until is gone. Once it has vanished, so does your immortality. But…”

A deep sorrow filled that pause.

“The chain does not release you until a replacement appears.” Uvear said. “No one appeared, and my companions slowly rotted, still chained to their looms.”

She nodded to the skeletons scattered in the hollow, not taking her hands from the threads.

“Someone is going to have to replace you.” Kaedwyn said suddenly.

“One of us?” Toby, the blond boy that had been travelling with Isaan said, looking alarmed.

“No, not necessarily…” Sedine said, a slow smile creeping onto her face.

“Ohhhh!” Indeara said, smiling back.

“What is it?” Uvear asked.

“A few enemies followed us here.” Indeara said.

“Excellent.” Her sister said, also smiling.

“But… Uvear…” Isaan said. “You said it lasted until evil was gone from your heart… but you’re the least evil person I’ve ever met…”

“To the two of you, maybe, but there are unspeakable things I wanted to do to Deled, to the Witch of the Tower, to those harlots that ran Telare that caused our mother’s death, and so many others…” Uvear said. “It wasn’t hard to hold onto those feelings until I could see your faces again.”

Isaan nodded slowly.

“We need a plan to get one of them on Uvear’s loom.” Sedine said, nodding towards the general direction they’d left Ryle, Salazar, and Fayen.

“Our best bet will be Fayen.” Vassa said, surprising the others. “His legs are broken. All we have to do is restrain him and bring him to Uvear’s loom.”

“I could break the other two’s legs.” Pinky offered.

“Might be a good idea.” Sedine said. “We just need to get them closer. Our numbers have doubled, so we can probably beat them without too many dramatic displays from Indeara.”

“Good.” Indeara said. “Because I don’t think I can do much more tonight.”

“Sorry for overexerting you.” Sedine said. “I might can help with that…”

“I’m not drinking your blood.” Indeara said grimacing.

“Drinking your… what…?” Allie said, looking between them.

“A blood witch?” Kaedwyn said, looking at Sedine with renewed interest.

“Not as interesting as what you’re probably thinking.” Sedine said. “I can’t curse anyone that touches my blood, though it would be amazing if I could.”

“Your problems would probably already be solved if that were the case, I’m guessing.” Uvear said.

“Yeah.” Sedine said. She didn’t elaborate on what her blood actually did, Indeara noticed.

I don’t blame her. These are strangers, who knows how she might be used if it was widely known that her blood had healing powers.

The others sat down to make their plan, and Indeara half-listened, her head resting against her sister’s shoulder.