Assassin of Curses: (The Coren Hart Chronicles Book 3) Jessie Eaker (best reads txt) 📖

and her cheek seemed to be swelling. There must have been some disagreement between them.

Wort, the small room making him seem unnaturally large, held the door while gripping Mother’s crossbow in his other hand. I knew there was no point in running. I wouldn’t make it two steps down the hill.

But the worst, and no doubt staged for effect, was Zofie. She sat beside Lilith with a totally blank expression and held the kitchen knife pointed to her own throat.

The odd thing was that Fumiko wasn’t among them. Either Lilith had already killed her, or she had managed to slip away. The latter more likely, I decided. If Lilith had killed her, she would be proudly displaying the body. Fumiko might be hiding somewhere nearby using her shadow ability.

Those in the room watched in horror as Lilith calmly finished braiding Floria’s hair and tied it off with a pink ribbon. Her motions were slow and deliberate, calculated to instill maximum fear. The only sounds were the crackling of the fire and the rustling of Lilith’s clothes as she worked. In the distance, I could hear the goats bleating.

Lilith patted the girl’s shoulder. “There now, that will hold better. You can’t go around with a loose braid.” She looked over to me and pulled the girl higher into her lap. She put her arms possessively around her. “You know Coren, the Risten inside is loving this. She’s always wanted a little girl. Someone she could teach all the things that her master taught her. Likely something to do with not knowing her own mother.” She shrugged. “Why you humans want to populate the world with little versions of yourself is a complete mystery to me. Perhaps if I perfect enough of you, I’ll figure it out one day.”

“Let them go, Lilith,” I said. “It’s Zofie and me that you want.”

She shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense Coren. Why would I let my leverage go? If I kill one or two of them, then it will ensure you assist me in order to save the others.” She put a finger to her lips. “I can’t kill Zofie since I might need her to unlock some of the artifacts, plus she’d be useful in getting to those troublesome Keepers. And you, of course, I can’t kill. We need to examine the curse you carry. It has some attributes that we might be able to incorporate into ourselves. Especially that ability to change luck.” She gently stroked Floria’s hair. “And this one is also off-limits. The Risten inside would become most troublesome should I attempt to hurt her.” She looked up at the others in the room and smiled. “But that still leaves me with at least three to use, not counting the eastern bitch.” Her mouth drew into a frown. “She dies regardless.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. Dreadful silence hung heavy in the room. Cabrina shifting her position sounded painfully loud.

Lilith glanced in her direction. “But one thing I don’t understand is why you have that unnamed one with you. She is of no value that I can see.”

At the mention of her name, Cabrina shuffled nervously and continued to stare at the floor.

Interesting. As Cabrina had suggested, Lilith doesn’t know about the charms linking us three.

Despite the situation, I couldn’t resist digging for more information. This could be important. I held up my arm and pulled back the sleeve to reveal the bracelet charm. “It’s because of this,” I said. “Cabrina tricked us into putting these on, and it made Zofie as you see her.” I decided not to mention Abe’s silence.

Lilith nodded in understanding. “That explains a lot. It smells of something Wynn would do. You’re no doubt trading the key to get the charm off.” She laughed. “I have to admit Wynn is a wily one.”

I tried to keep my face impassive, but she picked up on some subtle hint.

Her smile slowly faded. “It’s not Wynn, is it?”

I just stared at her.

Lilith gave me a smug smile and moved Floria to sit beside her. She gave the girl’s hair one more loving stroke and then slowly stood, leisurely stepping over to Cabrina.

The older woman looked down at the youth for a moment before violently grabbing Cabrina by the hair and jerking her head back painfully. She howled in pain.

I took a step forward but was instantly blocked by Wort with the crossbow pointed point-blank at my chest.

Cabrina tried to pull herself free. “You can’t hurt me!” She blurted out. “If this body dies, so does Sir Coren and the princess.” She held out her own bracelet as proof.

“It’s true Lilith!” I shouted. “Don’t hurt her.”

Lilith turned her head in my direction and grinned evilly. “I don’t need to kill her. Isn’t that right, no name?” She gave the girl a shake to emphasize the point. “I’ll just root around in your host’s memories until I find the answer. And believe me, I will find it, even if I have to turn her brain to mush to do it.”

“Please,” Cabrina moaned. “This girl has done nothing to deserve that.”

Lilith’s eyes went up in shock. “Don’t tell me you’re empathizing with your host? I can’t believe you’re so foolish. It’s like these farmers empathizing with their goats.” She smiled evilly. “Just remember that sometimes, their goats become their next meal.”

I got the impression she was saying that for the benefit of the person inside Cabrina. No doubt trying to stoke her fear.

“Stop it Lilith!” I shouted. “I’ll tell you.”

A confident smile spread across her face. “You’re so weak Coren. I knew it wouldn’t take much to persuade you.”

She roughly released Cabrina and wandered back to the bench beside Floria.

I was unsure how much Lilith knew, so I didn’t dare lie to her. “We made a deal with the Kuiojia Empire. We