Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez Read Free Book Online

under it. Even with her clothes and fur, she shivered. But she wasn't giving in. She curled up on the floor and closed her eyes. The nurgax lay beside her.
    "Good night."

    The Door At The End Of The Hall rumbled and groaned loudly enough to shake the walls.
    "I said, good night."
    Everything fell quiet. The frozen fog danced away. The Door offered one last creaking sigh.

FOUR

    Night fell on the castle, although there were precious few indications of it inside the walls. The only reliable sign was the dimming of its eternal torches. As the castle was such a shadowy place even during the day, this was a subtle difference. But, in those hours surrounding midnight, the castle slept.
    Mostly.
    For Margle's castle was never completely still. Like any living thing, the castle had its dreams. And nightmares. And these nightmares roamed the halls at night, creeping from the shadows. There were certain chambers that no one went near after dark, certain places where depraved dreams waited to swallow up anything they came across. But some accursed residents were drawn out after dark, called out by the cool night air. Others walked simply because their transmogrified nature rendered them nocturnal, despite their better judgment.

    Olivia the owl flew through the hallways with a mouse clutched in her talons.
    "Faster," said Morton. He loved to fly.
    "If I fly any faster I'll fling us face-first into a most unfortunate fate. Let me land and luxuriate my limbs." She let the mouse loose to stretch his legs.
    "I don't think that's the proper use of 'luxuriate,' " he remarked.
    "Allow me a little leeway in my language. As I can't control my curse completely, I must mangle my mutterings from moment to moment."
    Morton groomed his whiskers. "I still don't understand why Margle double cursed you."
    "Why do wizards work worthless wonders?" She nibbled her wing. "I believe such befuddlement only boggles our brains. Personally, I postulate Margle was postponing pococurantism."
    "Pococurantism?"
    "A byword for boredom." Olivia sighed. While it was true her curse of endless alliteration was a minor one, it could prove annoying. Morton spent a great deal of time with her, and she still lost him on occasion.
    "Maybe now that Margle's dead, you'll be able to speak normally soon."
    "Eternally optimistic as ever, Morton. In spite of my own cynical slant, sincerely must I always admire your interminable ebullience."
    "You're too kind." His whiskers twitched with a chuckle."Although, I think if it did end, I'd miss it a little. It's rather beautiful sometimes."
    She laughed. "A perplexing paradox."
    He grinned. "Positively."
    Mouse and owl were deeply in love. Their metamorphosed forms might limit their relationship, but neither wasted time thinking about things beyond their control. They were just happy to have each other. He drew close to her down, and she covered him with a wing. They sat there contentedly for a few quiet minutes until jingling bells caught their attention.
    The Vampire King lurched from the shadows. Once he had been a powerful lord of the undead. Now, he was merely a stumbling corpse unable to procure a fresh meal. Margle's curse on the King was a simple one. First, he'd removed much of the vampire's supernatural talents. Then he'd made it so the King's slightest movement triggered the ringing of invisible bells. When he walked, he chimed. When he ran, he could be heard from a thousand yards away. It made finding a victim quite impossible.
    Olivia snatched Morton in her claws and flew to a high perch as the King trudged below.
    "Good evening," said Morton.
    The Vampire King grunted. He waved and three beautiful tones resonated.
    "Off to have a chat with Walter?"
    He grunted again. Every night, he rose from his crypt insearch of fresh blood, and every night, he had to settle for licking the bleeding wall.
    "Woefully withered wretch."
    "Could be more friendly," said Morton. "We're all laboring under curses here."
    The King stopped and for