Eric Linnaeus | Book 3 | Chapter 8 - Being Cursed Isn’t So Bad, Most of the Time (Patreon)

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𝔹𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℂ𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕀𝕤𝕟’𝕥 𝕊𝕠 𝔹𝕒𝕕, 𝕄𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕋𝕚𝕞𝕖ᴄʜᴀʀʟᴇs ᴡᴀʟsʜ: ᴍᴀʀᴄʜ, 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟶.

─── .✦········· ───

The crack of a twig underfoot woke me, and my eyes snapped open. It was bitterly cold, my teeth chattered, and my breath steamed in the air as I slowly came to understand what was happening. I was standing barefoot, wearing only a set of boxers, in the middle of the forest. It was deathly silent; blaring sunlight shone between the sparse branches, and it took me a moment to piece together how I had gotten there.

“Ron, we’ve talked about this,” I muttered bitterly. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have minded an early morning stroll—if I had my hiking boots on, and was, at the very least, wearing pants. But that wasn’t the case, and I had no idea where I was. I continued up the nearest hill to get my bearings and determine which way was which. The ground was hard and cold, so walking over it without the appropriate footwear was a challenge.

I picked my way through the forest carefully and tread on soft patches of moss or grass where I could. Unfortunately, gaining the higher ground proved no help. I was greeted with an endless expanse of trees in a forest that all looked the same, and I couldn’t see the fairy castle. Had I been back in Maine, I would have been able to find my way out blindfolded; I know those woods like the back of my hand. But here? I don’t even recognize the state we’re in. We could’ve been in Canada, for all I knew.

We had traveled from Leúchtend to Dunkel once Nathaniel was well enough to do so, and we’d been here for a while. Eric was eager to leave for Maine, but Claire wanted to stay with the Fae longer. And, in being the supportive older brother I try to be, I had told him I wanted to stay as well. So here we all were. I felt a little bad about it. Eric wouldn’t leave without me, and I couldn’t leave without my sister.

With a small sigh of exasperation, I picked a direction and hoped I was walking toward the castle. I was sure someone would come looking for me if I wasn’t back by midday, but I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Especially since it would probably be Eric who came to find me, and I would then have to explain how I got out here.

So far, I’ve avoided letting him know all that much about my situation with Ronové. Eric knows the witch talks to me, although I’ve neglected to tell him that it has also been taking control sometimes while I sleep. Most days, I hold out on sleeping as long as I can. But I had evidently failed last night as exhaustion got the better of me.

Usually I train daily with Calla and Eric, not that I’ll ever catch up, then I spend time with Claire. After that, if I’m lucky, I can hide in the library for a bit; no one ever comes in there, and then it’s dinner time. I learned pretty quickly not to miss the morning or evening mealtimes.

The downside is that I’m always tired and irritable. I snapped at Claire yesterday. She was tapping her foot against the chair, and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I’m not usually like that. Maybe I’m becoming more of a monster than I want to admit. Also, everyone looks anxious when I talk aloud to Ron. The problem is that I can’t really tell the difference between him and others talking. Sometimes, it sounds like he’s outside of my mind, and I answer without thinking.

Additionally, I didn’t like that Ronové could take over when I wasn’t there, and I had no way of stopping it. Now and then, I wonder what’s going to happen when he takes over completely. Will I hurt someone I care about? Is Eric going to have to kill me? I’m not sure I want the answer to those questions.

Ahead of me, something light moving through the trees caught my attention, pulling me from my thoughts, and I stopped. I couldn’t feel my feet anymore, thanks to the cold, and I found myself staring after the shimmering movement passing through the forest.

“Hello?” I called reluctantly. I was certain it was something, but ahh, maybe I shouldn’t have been calling out to it like a horror movie cliché.

The creature faded in and out between the trees. Golden light reflected off its fur, and I recognized the shape: a tall, angled creature with a thick mane and hooved feet. I had seen it once before in the woods back in Vermont, and it approached without fear while I stood perfectly still. Its teeth were easily as long as any one of my fingers, and the creature towered over me. Its warm breath ruffled my hair as it sniffed me, and its flat black eyes regarded me with wary caution as I held my breath.

A long moment passed before it must have decided I didn’t look tasty, and it turned away with a gentle snort. It walked a few steps before stopping. Its tails swished back and forth impatiently as it turned back to me as if expecting me to follow. I can’t explain it; I don’t know how I understood. I just knew I was supposed to go with it.

We walked together for hours. It stayed just within sight ahead of me while I tiptoed awkwardly along behind, and after some time, the collapsed castle came into view. The ruins of Dunkel were, of course, an illusion. The real thing is a spectacular, dark structure that towers over the landscape. It can easily take forty minutes just to walk from the entry gates to the main keep, and I was dreading having to explain to the guards why I wasn’t wearing anything. Maybe I could get back in through the side tunnel Eric showed me instead?

As I considered how best to get back in with minimal embarrassment, the creature leading me began to leave, and I scrambled to remember my manners. “Ahh, wait, thank you!” I called after it. I couldn’t even see it when I said that; the thing vanished like a ghost, so I just hoped it heard me.

By the time I crossed the barrier and reached the castle, it was midday. The guards let me back in mercifully without any questions, and the fae in the streets cast curious glances as I made the walk of shame back to my room to get dressed. I suppose no one was going to ask the human why he wasn’t wearing any clothes.

It was with considerable bitterness that I realized I would have to talk to Eric about this. It was just a matter of gathering the courage to do it; I couldn’t be wandering about at night without any idea of it. Still, I was reluctant as I made my way down the hall to his room. I was hoping he wouldn’t be there at this time of the day.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door lightly with the back of my knuckles and opened it cautiously when there was no answer. “Eric?” I called anxiously. The muted fizzle of magics disengaging accompanied my entry.

I had never seen his room before; not even at home, and I was astounded to see how cluttered it was. Sparkling ornaments and decorative items covered every surface and hung from the walls. The window to the balcony was open, though the curtains were closed, causing them to balloon out gently in the breeze and allowing intermittent, opaque light into the space. It glistened off every shiny surface, sending a cascade of small rainbow spots in all directions, and I stood awestruck by the beauty of it.

For some reason, I had imagined that Eric wouldn’t be the kind of person to have any decorations at all, and I took it all in with stunned silence as I processed. Who knew he was such a hoarder? Eventually, my attention drifted to the bed. The sheets were in a disorderly, tangled pile, and to my surprise, tufts of white hair stuck out the top.

The figure bundled under the blankets stirred, sensing someone else in the room. It was all I could do to stifle a startled gasp of shock as Nathaniel rolled over. He laid an arm over his face to shield his eyes from the light, and his voice was thick with sleep as he spoke. “What are you doing in here?” he mumbled.

My mind went blank with abstract horror as I struggled to come up with some kind of excuse while simultaneously trying to think why Nathaniel would be in Eric’s bed, and why Eric himself didn’t seem to be. “Why are you in here?” I countered, unable to come up with a single better thing to ask.

“This is my room, Charles.”

I floundered as my soul drained from my body, and I turned beet red from the neck up; I had the wrong room. But I had been so sure that this was Eric’s room, and I would have sworn on anything that I had seen him go into this one every night. How could I have mixed them up this badly? Idiot. “Right- S-sorry. I thought this was Eric’s room.”

“His room is down the hall, but he won’t be there.”

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t use his room; he sleeps in here.”

“With you..?” I asked dumbly; at least I wasn’t wrong about Eric going in here.

Nathaniel tilted his head to stare at me blankly; he looked tired and irritated. “It’s not as if I will abandon my own room for him. So yes, he sleeps with me. Obviously.”

It’s hard to be sure about what the fae mean sometimes when they talk, and I wasn’t going to spend a lot of time deciphering that. “Why?” I queried instead.

“He doesn’t like to sleep alone.”

“Do you know where he is then?”

“No. He left some time ago; he wanted to go on an early morning run with Calla or something… What time is it?”

“It’s midday,” I answered, and Nathaniel sighed deeply as he began to sit up—it looked like he was summoning the will to live for the remainder of the day. As he pushed the sheets away, I realized he was shirtless and noticed his porcelain skin was marked with pale scars. As far as I had known before, the fae didn’t scar, just like Eric didn’t, and the intrigue consumed my thoughts so that I hardly heard him when he spoke.

“I’ve missed breakfast then. Have you eaten yet?”

“You have a lot of scars,” I blurted out; I did not mean to say that. It was not even remotely related to what he was asking me, and he paused—I’m sure he was deciding how best to end my life.

“…You’re lucky you’re Eric’s friend,” he muttered at last.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. I was just surprised; I didn’t think your kind scarred.”

“We don’t scar easily. If that’s what you’re saying.”

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what I was trying to say. “Right, yeah, sorry.”

“Have you eaten?” Nathaniel repeated, and I found the words to answer him this time.

“No, I was-” it probably wasn’t the best idea to tell him, “-busy doing something else.”

“Would you care to join me for breakfast then?”

The invitation caught me off guard, “I thought you could only eat at certain times of the day?”

“In the castle, yes. We will have to travel into town. It’s not far.”

─── .✦········· ───

I don’t know why I agreed or how Nathaniel thought the journey into town wasn’t far. He sat in the passenger seat of my truck leaning against the window on his elbow, quietly watching the world pass as the car lightly jolted him. I had once thought Eric seemed out of place on the worn leather seats, but Nathaniel looked outright unnatural.

“Sorry about the mess; I don’t usually have other people in the car with me.”

“It’s fine,” he said, dismissing my worries with a lackluster tone.

It felt like I had pulled up at Buckingham Palace and offered the Queen a ride on a moped, so it surprised me how little Nathaniel seemed to care. He was the powerful ruler of the Fae—I expected him to be more prim and proper. I hadn’t even thought he would let me drive him anywhere in the first place. Now, he was a mythological creature sitting in my junker of a car. The aura surrounding him was a faint, translucent blue, and the daylight reflecting off his hair gave him a soft, ethereal glow. If anyone saw him, they might mistake him for an angelic being.

“So, ahhh, do you go into human towns often or..?” I asked awkwardly to make polite conversation.

“Not often. My brother doesn’t like it when I leave the castle, and he’s been especially annoying about it of late.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because our father is missing, and Achaicus is convinced he’ll come to kill me.”

“…Will he? I mean, how likely is it that we’ll run into him?” I didn’t want to meet any more murderous Fae.

“It’s unlikely,” he assured, and we fell back into an uncomfortable silence.

Their father still hadn’t been located, and it made everyone tense. I’m sure I didn’t fully understand the situation, but even I knew it was bad that he couldn’t be found and wondered what would happen when he did show up. I was about to ask Nathaniel about it when he spoke without looking over.

“…I never had the chance before to thank you, for what happened at Leúchtend. There was nothing I could have done if you hadn’t taken me back when I asked.”

The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard, and I faltered, “…It’s—don’t even worry about it,” I assured with a nervous smile. It was surprising that he would say anything. I got the impression he wasn’t the kind to thank people often.

He didn’t answer, and we fell back into silence for the remainder of the trip.

By the time we arrived at a sleepy country town, it was well past midday. Traffic moved slowly, and few people were in the streets. It must have taken us at least an hour to get there, although that was partly because I wasn’t familiar with the roads, and because Nathaniel gave directions so infrequently that I had to guess which way to turn most of the time. I think he might have forgotten I didn’t know where I was going.

Eventually, Nathaniel instructed me to stop in front of a neat restaurant. From the outside, it looked like any other establishment might; potted plants decorated the outdoor dining area, and guests sat chatting among themselves. However, as we stepped inside, Nathaniel waved a hand, and the air shimmered momentarily as the illusionary barrier dissipated.

The interior resembled a nightclub. It was dim with colorful lighting and less formal dining areas. Rows of glistening crystals hung from the ceiling, refracting light throughout the establishment as they swayed and twisted gently. Off to one side, a band played soft classical music on an elevated stage, and I realized the clientele were all fae with only a few humans intermixed among them.

A waiter approached and gave us a slight bow before directing us to a table. I had expected to get some kind of menu. But Nathaniel and the waiter spoke in a language I didn’t know, nor could I even guess at, while I sat awkwardly waiting. The place was uncharacteristically lavish for the country town it was in, and I was underdressed.

“Do you have any allergies?” Nathaniel asked abruptly.

“What-? Oh, no,” it took me a second to realize he was speaking to me in English.

“Would you prefer-” he began, then stopped himself and turned back to the waiter, giving crisp instructions instead. I supposed that meant I wasn’t getting a say in what I got after all.

“I guess I don’t get the choice then?” I commented, half-joking.

“No. I forgot who you were; you won’t complain about what I ordered for you,” he mused.

When the food arrived, it came on flat wooden boards and was an assortment of fruits, nuts, meat, and cheese piled so high that as the waiter set them down, I worried it would spill over the table. “Is every fairy meal like this?” I queried, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ll forgive you for that because you’re untrained. But yes, all Fae meals are banquets.”

“Is there anything that I, ahhh, shouldn’t…?” I asked, vaguely gesturing to the meats.

“There’s no humayne,” he assured, bemused. “You may eat what you choose.”

That was at least somewhat reassuring, and I was grateful to eat. Spending however long roaming the forest had left me worn out and hungry. But lunch with Nathaniel wasn’t how I had expected the day to go.

“Hey, ahh, thanks, for this.”

“There’s no need for that. I wanted the opportunity to speak with you regardless,” he stated, then asked more curiously, “Why did you need to speak with Eric?”

“…I’ve been having some issues,” I answered, being purposefully vague.

“With your curse seal?”

Was it even safe to tell him? Would he be able to tell if I lied? “A little bit,” I admitted, erring on the side of caution.

Nathaniel hesitated before lifting his gaze to look over at me, and his eyes lit up blue momentarily before dimming. “The seal is loosening faster than it should. But you don’t need to talk to Eric about that.”

He had once said that the seal would loosen if I was weak, and I didn’t much like the implication, but it was probably correct. “Because I’m too weak…” I grumbled, and Nathaniel considered.

“…Not exactly. When I said it had loosened faster, I meant that it has been damaged. It’s largely just your own will holding it in place.”

“What does that mean?”

“The seal has loosened because someone has intentionally loosened it. From the look of the damage, I would say the signature is that of my nephew.”

“Your nephew?”

“Radomir. Tell me, when you fought him, did he hit you directly in the chest with any magic?”

Thinking back on it, he had, and that was right before Ron offered to help me. “That’s what damaged it?”

“Yes. I would assume he targeted the seal in an attempt to release the witch.”

“Can you fix it then…?”

“I can,” he answered easily, “Although I see no point in doing so.”

“What do you mean you see no point in doing so?! Aren’t you the one who threatened to kill me if I didn’t keep the seal in check or whatever?” An unnatural anger surged from within, and I knew it was in part Ron’s influence.

But Nathaniel seemed unfazed, if not mildly amused, “You’re not the kind of man I thought you were, Charles. You have kept it in check, and I’m no longer concerned about your abilities.”

Of all the things he had said, that surprised me the most; he continued when I hesitated.

“Eric was correct in his evaluation. You’re quite strong for a human. Few others have ever willingly entered a Fae castle, faced what you did, and survived. I won’t apologize for threatening you; it still stands that if you ever hurt him, I will kill you. But I don’t believe you will.”

“Okay, look, no. I can’t sleep, and when I do, Ronové takes over, and I wake up lost in the middle of the forest. I’m tired and angry all the time, and when he lends me his powers, I don’t know how to use them.”

“Relax. The witch isn’t lending you anything. You’re taking it. Although I’m sure it wishes to pretend it is offering. As for the rest, I will teach you how to control it while you sleep. Is that acceptable to you?”

I needed a moment to fully process what he was suggesting, “You’re going to help me?”

“Yes. But I would prefer if you didn’t mention as much to Eric.”

“Why?”

“…Because he wouldn’t approve of me teaching you, and I would prefer he not yell at me.”

“Right, he does like to yell at you,” I joked lightly, and to my surprise, Nathaniel looked mildly amused. I think I almost saw him smile, “Hey, can I ask you something about him?” I continued cautiously.

“You may ask,” he agreed, but regarded me with mild suspicion.

“Well… You two seem pretty close, so I was just wondering if you and he… were ah, you know?” I trailed off suggestively.

“I’m too tired to decipher codes. What is it that you’re asking?”

“Are you and Eric..? I mean-” I couldn’t figure out how to word it, and Nathaniel didn’t seem to understand, so I let it go, “Ahh, never mind…”

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