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

a moment, the halls were silent. "We are all not laboring equally." Even when he moved his jaw to speak, the chimes persisted. "I was the general of the greatest undead army the world had ever seen. My legions swept across the land. Seven kingdoms were fed to my ghouls. Those we didn't eat were added to our numbers. We were unstoppable. I was unstoppable."
    "A plain prevarication," said Olivia. "Perfectly portrayed by your presence in this pernicious palace."
    The Vampire King's red eyes glared in his drawn, white visage. "The point is that before running across that damnable wizard I was someone important. To be reduced to this . . ." He spread his arms and filled the air with a lovely tune. "It is unthinkable."
    Morton scrunched his pink nose in disgust. "With an attitude like that, no wonder you haven't any friends."
    "I don't need friends." Stooping, the King trudged away with musical footsteps. "I need blood."
    A chill wind swept through the halls.
    "The Wailing Woman?" Morton shivered.
    "The Wailing Woman wanders the west wing when the week is waning."

    "You're right. It's too quiet to be her."
    At the far end of the hall, the torches extinguished. Though they often dimmed and brightened on their own, they had never gone out before.
    "That's odd."
    "Unexpected and unprecedented. Something slips surreptitiously." As an owl, Olivia's night vision was exceptional. She could see something in the dark, but she couldn't quite make it out. The creature seemed to wear the shadows as a cloak. "I sense a sinister spawn, a perilous presence."
    The Vampire King paused and glanced over his shoulder at the creature in the shadows. The monster stepped forward. A single massive paw was stuck into the light before being covered by the veil of shadows. The beast snorted. Flame burst from its nostrils, but failed to light the dark. Only its snapping yellow teeth were clear.
    "It can't be." The King froze in fear. "I didn't think even he'd be mad enough to have one of those in this place."
    The beast stalked forward.
    "What is it?" asked Morton.
    "Death. Death for the dead."
    "Well, I guess we've got nothing to fear then. Since we're both alive."
    Olivia nodded. "Safe and sound since we still subsist."
    Indeed, the creature obviously ignored them. As it drew closer, its yellow eyes focused unblinkingly on the Vampire King.
    "Fleeing from this fiendish fauna might be fortuitous."

    "What?"
    "She's telling you to run," translated Morton.
    As if the beast understood as well, it charged forward. Every step into the light was a blur of teeth and claws and fire. The darkness chased just behind. The Vampire King turned and dashed away in a chaos of crashing bells. The beast pursued, whipping past Olivia and Morton to chase the King.
    They gagged. It wasn't shadows that covered the beast but thick, unnatural smoke. It reeked of sulfur and brimstone.
    Olivia took the mouse in her claws and flew in pursuit. It wasn't hard to follow. The King made so much noise when he ran.
    "He'll never lose it."
    "Cursed cacophony conspires against the King."
    Distantly, the vampire yelled as the smoke beast howled. Olivia turned a corner. The monster snorted once more, spit another gout of flame, and ran off with the King clutched in its vicious jaws. The thunderous crash of ten thousand chimes drowned the vampire's screams.
    Olivia landed, and Morton sniffed at a shred of black cloth.
    "The King's cloak," she observed. "Could the King be killed?"
    "Not killed." Morton pulled away the cloth to reveal a scrap of flesh, a pointed ear. "Consumed."
    Olivia shuddered, raising her feathers.
    "Catastrophic."

FIVE

    Nessy awoke to find The Door At The End Of The Hall gone again. This annoyed her. She liked everything to be where it belonged, and The Door At The End Of The Hall had become The Door That Went Wherever It Pleased Except Its Proper Place. That was untidy and unacceptable, even for a magical castle. But a new day was upon her, and with it, a new day's