The Phantom's Curse by Shelley Wilson

Author:Shelley Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: young adult fiction, teen fiction, fantasy, adventure, strong female heroine, magic, magical creatures, archery
Publisher: BHC Press
Published: 2020-02-19T00:00:00+00:00

Footsteps moving around the room pulled me from my nightmares, but it took me a moment to remember where I was. The sun was high in the sky, and the grumble in my stomach confirmed that it was well past lunch.

I blinked against the brightness of the day and then saw to my horror that I was no longer alone.

A hooded man slithered across my room causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand to attention as I watched his every movement. How did he get here? Who was he? The cloak he wore skimmed the floor and rustled like old paper when he walked. Once upon a time, I’m sure the material was rich in texture and colour, but now it was old and worn, very much in keeping with the wearer’s hands, which hung from the large sleeves.

‘Who are you?’ My voice gave away the trepidation I felt.

The newcomer raised his hands and dropped the hood of his cloak revealing a wrinkled face and bald head. His eyes were black, like Crawford’s, but unlike the lack of emotion in the lord’s eyes, these had the flicker of hellfire.

I’d heard the stories around the campfires at night. I’d listened to the tales of a young soldier and his sorcerer friend who defeated the phantom’s curse that kept Lady Lindley a prisoner in her own skin. I knew who it was that stood before me, but I dared not speak his name out loud. He’d vanished into the bowels of the castle before I was born and it was rumoured that he had died there. If I was right and the great sorcerer Cassias stood before me, it meant all of Theo’s suspicions were correct, and the realm was in great peril.

‘You are the girl Our Lord has chosen?’

I bristled at his words.

‘I’m Marianne, a healer from the Link. I am not the girl you think I am.’

The sorcerer chuckled, but the sound held no humour.

‘You are exactly who I think you are, Marianne.’

He moved closer, and I couldn’t stop myself flinching away from his closeness. He wasn’t affected by my reaction as he circled me sniffing the air around me and touching my red hair.

‘Our Lord has chosen well. You are indeed powerful enough to withstand your role, but there’s something else underneath.’

He scratched at his chin and studied me like a mage studies the herbs and moon cycles. My pulse raced under his unrelenting stare until he snapped his fingers and broke the uncomfortable spell.

‘Guidance, Marianne. That’s what you need. Our Lord will guide you along your rightful path.’

‘What path?’ Panic rose in my chest as I wondered what this evil man was referring to.

His smile looked more like a grimace as he grabbed my chin in his withered hands and pulled me close to him. His breath was rotten, and I tried to pull away, but for such an old and feeble-looking man he was strong.

‘You’re Cassias,’ I said, unable to hold the terror in much longer.

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