Curselock

Chapter 176: Contracts

After a quick dinner and a pantomime conversation with an innkeeper, Leland and Isobel had rooms for the night. They were far from the main square where they saw the Inquisitors, taking up residence at the edge of the town. Isobel had disappeared for a few minutes at one point, stating that she was going “check on things.” She returned with confirmation that only two Inquisitors were in the town.

“They are far from home, meaning they do not have any real jurisdiction. But since this town doesn’t have a guard force, we can’t get caught.”

Leland nodded solemnly to that. What Isobel wasn’t telling him was that if they got caught, there would be a battle. A battle the Huntress would win.

And not wanting to kill innocents, Leland didn’t take any unnecessary risks or draw too much attention to himself. Luckily for him, he was a mage and fit in quite well with the town’s population. But failing that, he also had Sybil’s mask bound to his belt. If the need arose, he could slip into obscuration and run. But if everything went to plan, he wouldn’t need to do that.

Reading over the short list of Lords he and Isobel had thought might help, Leland lay down in his room and got to work. Starting from the top, he whispered, “Lord of Crows I humbly wish to create a contract with you.”

The world flashed white and suddenly Leland was floating. He cruised through the Void with a new appreciation for the endlessness. He was under no threat here, not when he had already proven he could escape whenever he needed. That reminded him of the Gateway Witch and what was waiting for him back home.

If they ever met again, he would kill her.

The issue with that statement was the Undying Harbinger that traveled with her. He was the true powerhouse of their terror, but Leland supposed he had a way to bring his own terror too. Soul Fire. As much as it disgusted him to use, the sheer lack of humanity of the Undying Harbinger was more disgusting. Killing any and everyone indiscriminately while trying to kidnap a princess? Despicable.

Taking a deep breath, Leland knew he had a long way to go. Hopefully after tonight, he would take another step forward.

The white of the Void ended, transitioning abruptly into pure darkness. Then Leland’s weight came back and he no longer floated. He fell, blind yet knowing there was only open skies around him.

From the tattoo on the back of his hand, Leland pulled out his grimoire, the book open already to the page he sought. Slamming his palm into the page, the contract with the Chameleon Lord activated and the darkness turned incandescent.

Lord of Chameleon: For the duration of the contract, gain adaptive mage perception (sight, smell, or instinct). Contract is usable once per hour.

Leland’s eyes instantly changed, overcoming the black and honing in like a predator’s. He flinched at the movement all around him, the wind rushing past him all but blotting out his hearing. Birds, crows to be specific, moved in waves, circling around him like a school of fish around a shark. They cawed as one, each screeching like guard dogs alerting their master.

Leland glanced below, finding no ground. At least, no ground he could see. Breathing a sigh of relief, he yelled over the wind, “Lord of Crows! It is an honor to meet you! I am Leland Silver, Legacy of the Curse Lord! May we speak on a mutual contract?”

Still unable to hear the crows’ song, Leland watched them go silent, their beaks snapping closed. Then, like a lighthouse in the dead of night, a flash of color expunged the black. Radiant violet, the same color as the ethereal crows Leland summoned, eclipsed the murder, guiding their flight. The light source moved, and the others followed.

Then Leland was left alone. He made a face, the wind blowing back his hair. He needed a haircut, it was getting a bit long—

“On whose orders did you come here?” a voice called, causing Leland to flinch.

The radiant crow circled once around him, wrapping around him so that they were face to face. It flapped its wings once every few seconds, somehow able to float at the same speed of Leland falling… or, maybe they weren’t falling.

Leland silently hummed, trying to orient himself like he was traveling in the Void. His body agreed, and he “stood.”

“Ah, that’s better,” he said smiling. “And no one. I came here for myself.”

The Crow Lord eyed him, its eyes like black marbles. “I do not believe you. Your master killed mine, and now she sends you to kill me. A classical story, master versus master, apprentice versus apprentice.”

Leland wanted to sigh, and he almost did out of irritation. Despite being a “Lord,” most Lords he had spoken to were far from the paragons of virtue he had come to expect. Countless bedtime stories had been read to him by his parents, and he felt they were all exaggerated at this point. Lords were too egotistical to be as selfless as he was led to believe.

Still, they were Lords, and that title demanded respect. So Leland didn’t take the bait. Instead he did as the Void Lord had taught him: to be confident in his dealings.

“I understand there is bad history with the previous Crow Lord. But I am not my Lord and she does not control me. In fact, I wish to create a workable relationship with you. A mutual one.”

The Crow Lord flapped its wings, taking off and reappearing like whiplash. Leland didn’t know what that was about, but he didn’t question it. Another thing he had learned, Lords were eccentric and straight up weird sometimes.

“If I make a contract with you, will she leave me alone?” the crow asked.

Leland blinked a few times. “I don’t not speak for my Lord, as she doesn’t me. I can say, though, that as far as I know, she has no problems with you.”

The radiant crow’s beak opened and closed rapidly, like a spring pulled to one side and let go. “What is it you wish?”

“A spell for flight.”

“Impossible!”

“Is it? I was told nearly all teleportation spells were impossible, yet I forged a contract for one.” Leland deliberated for just a heartbeat, then decided to add, “The ability to fly is held by many more Lords than the ability to teleport. While I’m not saying it is a lesser ability, I am saying that it sure feels like it in terms of bargain.”

The Crow Lord quirked its head to the side and cawed. It scanned the darkness for… something, then shivered. “Fine! Fine! Flight! Just leave already!”

Leland’s jaw went a bit slack. “W-what do you want for—”

The white of the Void consumed him. Floating completely stupefied, Leland didn’t wait to exit the Void before summoning his grimoire and reading the newest page.

Cursed contract of the Lord of Crows:

Use: Gain access to the spell Crow Wings. Only usable once per hour.

Crow Wings : Summon ethereal crow wings from your back, granting the ability for flight. Speed, moveability, and many other secrets come with practice.

Return: To be left alone.

Leland sat back, the Void doing very little to support him. “Well okay then,” he muttered to himself. “One down, two more to go…”

He arrived back in his inn room a few minutes later, the bizarreness of the situation having faded. Internally he hoped that all of the night’s contracts would go that well, but somehow he knew that wouldn’t happen.

Crossing out the first name on his list, Leland lay back and spoke the second, “Lord of the Seraph, I humbly wish to create a contract with you.”

Isobel watched Leland slowly move through the inn’s common room. Hehad woken up late, thick bags under his eyes. He plopped down beside her and instantly devoured the bowl of slope that was breakfast.

“Rough night?” Isobel asked, knowing that when Leland contracted with Lords, the whole process only took a few moments. To him, it was much longer, however. “Did you not sleep well?”

He shook his head, sprinkling sugar on his porridge. “I… don’t know. I got plenty of sleep, but I’m just exhausted.”

She sipped her tea and made a face. “Then the spell has some negative effects so you can’t continuously use it.” She poured some milk into her drink. “Happens with powerful spells. Can’t shoot lightning too many times before your fingers go numb, sort of thing.”

Leland let out a sigh. “Well, good to know at least.”

“Did you get them?”

“Only three.”

“Three works.”

“Yeah. Do you want to know which ones?”

Leland slid over the list of names. “Burn that when you are finished…”

Isobel looked over the page then glanced at Leland. “I’m not going to burn this. Not here, at least.”

He saw what she meant, even though he felt she should anyways. The inn, while not particularly crowded, still had a few dozen searching eyes. Most were looking elsewhere or were focused on something, but all had looked at Leland when he walked in from upstairs. They were the new inhabitants of the inn, in a town where most everyone knew each other.

To Leland, having Isobel burn the list would only make the people around them think the paper held some secret research or something. Definitely not a list of Lords.

“Fine. When we get on the road.”

Isobel nodded, folding the list and pocketing it. “Then we are ready.”

Spooning food into his mouth, Leland stopped. “Can I finish first?”

“No. You woke up late but it is still morning. You’ve got to start sprinting.”

Isobel was referring to Leland’s contract with the Lord of Endurance. For the small price of running every morning till he puked, then running some more, his stamina would increase. He had missed a few mornings, but the contract allowed that unless he was ditching just because of laziness.

So, in the end, Leland didn’t take another bite of food, knowing that it most likely was going to end up in the dirt. Sprinting was not easy for him.