“For the last time, Vyn,” Sabina said dryly, not looking up fromthe pages, “It is not a pun.”
There was a beat of silence, followed by, regrettably, morenonsense.
“If I were a ghost I would makepuns nonstop,” Vyn said. “There’s a lot of material to work with. I’m justvoicing an opinion! Right Abe?”
“Nah.” Abel shook hishead. “I think ghosts got better things to do than possess skinny white boysfor the sake of puns.”
“Vyn, if you’re not gonna take this seriously, I’m gonna leave.”She punctuated this with a jab of her pen in his direction. “We’re not evensure if there was a ghost. It could’ve been some form of channeling, or latent PK abilities... I have exams tostudy for you know! I don’t have to behere.”
“Right, you’re right,damn…”
Vyn grew quiet, havingbeen suitably chastised by his friends. It was easy to carry on this way,though; the slow banter broke the monotony of reviewing all the automaticwritings he had produced over the years.
It was all written ina form of old English, but that was about all they’d figured out. Hours hadpassed yet the writings remained a baffling construct of arcanegibberish.
“You’re left handed,right?” Sabina asked at length, peering at her phone, which currently displayedan online article on handwriting analysis. “But these look like you did themwith your right hand. That’s wild. How did you even get cursed? Maybe thatwould help us figure it out.”
“Beats me.”
“Any Ouija boards orséances when you were a teenager?”
“Nope. Too scary.”
“How about trespassingon sacred grounds? Hanging around graveyards or haunted houses?”
“Nope.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Basically, did youever do anything stupid and white?”
“I do stupid whitethings all the time,” Vyn admitted. “You’re going to have to be specific.”
“I dunno, guys.” Abel chose this moment to interrupt. He leaned over towardsVyn, grinning. “I do a stupid white thing all the time and I’m not cursed.”
Sabina groaned as Vyncackled and highfived Abel in the background.
“Oh, this is impossible. You twoare useless.”
“To be fair, you walked right into that one...”
“I hope you’re enjoying being uncursed, Vyn, because I am going tohex both of you at this rate!”
those are some GOOD prompts, what about #12 with whichever of your ocs you feel like
“Should we try topoison him again?”
“Stop saying thingslike that so loud! What if he’s lurking around here?”
“Then we cut him down,where he stands. What difference does it make for a man who will be dead bydawn anyway?”
Nousha kept very still as her brother spoke, kept veryquiet despite the spiny burrs that stuck to her as she crouched hidden in thetall grass. Close by, Lamb simply laughed.
“Ah! But it is a shame he had to involve his daughter inall this. It will be a senseless killing.”
“You don’t seem too bothered by it, sir…”
He shrugged. “A traitor like that would have made himselfknown eventually. It’s probably for the best that his treachery was discoveredearly. As for the girl, mother shouldn’t have to suffer a traitor’s blood lingeringin the castle.”
“Her own daughter though?”
“Only adds salt to the wound, don’t you agree?”
“It is tragic, my lord…”
He had to agree, if he didn’t wish to be lumped inas a traitor. Still, his hesitant answers gave Nousha some hope of gaining anally. Surely not everyone was of the same mind? But she couldn’t fathom whattreason she had unwittingly committed that warranted being hunted down likethis.
Lamb stilled, peering through the darkness suddenly.Nousha felt every muscle go tense as his eyes scanned in her direction; herbreathing stopped for several seconds, though it felt like longer.
“Dear sister?” Lamb called out.
Nousha kicked off from the ground, taking off in a fullsprint. Behind her she heard more laughter and the sounds of her pursuers.
Who was the other man? She tried to think back. It wasone of the castle guards, a wallflower who followed orders and looked up toLamb, who had once been a young boy joining in their childhood games. Oh, theyhad been friends.
Reza had told her not to trust anyone.
Did that have to include her friends and brothers too?Would her own mother put her to death? Nousha didn’t understand why they werefleeing; why Reza had shaken her out of her slumber and tried to smuggle herout of the palace.
No time to puzzle it out. For now she simply ran.
She ran across the plain, ducked low in the grass.
The full moon blessed her with a clear path, but far toomuch visibility; if any other guards were near she would have a hard timeshaking them. But judging from the crashing behind her it was only Lamb and hiscompanion following her.
The river was not far up ahead, and the melting snow fromthe mountain peaks meant it was particularly dangerous this time of year. But shewas taller than most, and confident she could clear it with a running start. Herlungs burned as she made her way for it. As if reading her mind, Lamb drewcloser behind her.
And there was the ravine!
Nousha put in a final burst of speed and her hoovescrashed onto the cliff’s edge, pushing hard off the ground, over the turbulentwaters below. She barely made it. It was a graceless landing, demanding amoment to recover before she continued running.
Lambrusco cleared the jump, but his guard was not sofortunate.
Nousha heard a sickening crash as the boy fell, hispleading shouts in the distance. “Lamb!! Lamb, help! My lord…!”
Hearing that feeble voice undid what remained of hercomposure, and she grit her teeth, unable to continue. By the time Lambruscocaught up to her, she was fully in the midst of her rage.
“You abandoned him!” Nousha spat. “That boy was loyal tothe crown!”
“Then his death will have far more honor than yours. Howfortunate that my quarry should come and meet me!” Lamb laughed breathlessly.
“I am not running because I am helpless, fool!” Noushalashed forward, striking him in the chest with her hooves, sending him backseveral yards. Lambrusco was caught off guard and fell heavily, head snappingagainst a rock. He lay there, dazed for a moment.
A distant sound cut through the darkness, a deep bellowinghorn.
Laying in the dirt, the prince smiled up at her,bleeding. “They’ve captured Reza,” he said. “He will hang for what he’s done.”
“No!”
“What now? Will you kill me? As your father tried to killour mother?”
Nousha crouched over him and grabbed him by the collar.He made an uncoordinated grab for his blade, but she took his arm, twisting itjust enough to loosen his grip. “You are lying!”
“You really are the same,” he hissed. “Two deviants, notfit to be in this family. Kill me already!”
“No,” she shook her head, reeling.
“You look unwell, Nousha…” Lamb whispered. “If you haveanother fit you are dead for sure. I will kill you.”
“No.”
Nousha pushed him away, but he was right. She wasexhausted and she had not slept; the thought of her unpredictable illnessmaking an appearance now filled her with dread. She picked up his sword, andnot knowing what else to do, turned and ran.
“Kill me! Come back, youcoward!”
The night was cold and sound carried far in thesemountains. The horns that sounded for her father, and her brother’s voice.
Nousha knows a lot of knife tricks, and used to perform these with Sang! Mainly knife throwing when they were young. At the time they traveled around with Sang’s grandmother, and a small group of traveling musicians, so they would perform for an audience. Times have changed but it’s still a neat party trick they like to bring up from time to time.
Nothing says romance like bittersweet pining as your crush skillfully flings knives in your direction <3
dumplingsquid replied to your post “my stomach hurts from running around the house in a panic because i...”
a couple of weeks ago after i let my dog out before bed when i called him to come in he didn't come, i got a flashlight and searched for like ten minutes all around the backyard, convinced he was lost in the swamp, or possibly running into the road. he was sitting on the porch by the other door and couldnt figure out where i was calling him from
