Home > The Cup and the Prince (Kingdom of Curses and Shadows #1)(3)

The Cup and the Prince (Kingdom of Curses and Shadows #1)(3)
Author: Day Leitao

No, not stupid. Zora taught her students hope and bravery. To cower and cry, that wasn’t what people in the Dark Valley did.

This was the moment for a quick decision. Zora went back to her house. Her parents were still busy in the treatment room. Did they know Seth was leaving for good? Did they have any idea what Zora had almost done with him tonight? It didn’t matter. This wasn’t about her parents but about herself.

The right thing to do would be to confront Seth. Right, but pathetic.

Another right thing to do would be to let him spend his last night alone. Another right choice.

But it wasn’t what she decided.

 

 

2

 

 

An Unforgettable Night

 

 

Seth had a big smile when he opened the door. “For a moment, I thought you had given up. I was almost going to your house to drag you here. I’m not leaving without my gift.”

His gift. Oh, dear. How could she have missed these signs?

He looked at her. “You’ve been crying?”

Zora was annoyed that he could notice it, but she just shrugged, not trying to hide her sadness. “Well, a girl got hurt.” Then she showed a wine bottle she had in her hand. “But we also have amazing things to celebrate.”

Seth bit his lip. “You know I can’t.” He didn’t seem to have noticed the bag on her shoulder.

Alcohol was forbidden in the Dark Valley, and for good reasons. But her parents had worse potions than that, and wine for medicinal use. At least that was what they claimed.

Zora gave him a sweet, teasing, hopefully seductive smile. “Just a little. You don’t need to drink the whole bottle, silly.”

Seth took two of the glasses lined up on his counter.

Zora filled her glass, then his, which he tugged down in one sip, never getting his eyes off her. Quite quick for someone who had said he couldn’t drink. And predictable.

Her cup was still in her hand. “Seth, once you win, what are you looking for?”

“Glory. Having my value recognized.”

“What about the Dark Valley?” She wondered if he even cared about them, about children getting hurt, about a life in which all they did was get ready to fight and make sure there was light everywhere.

Seth took a deep breath. “I was born for more, Zora, and I’m going to conquer it.” He ran his hand over her face. “You’ll be my sweet memory. My inspiration. When people sing my name, you’ll know you were part of it.”

Memory. Were part of it. Zora really hadn’t paid attention. “So you’re not coming back?” There. She asked.

He paused. “Of course I’m coming back for you.” It sounded so fake. Perhaps only now she could see it. Then he smiled. “But you need to encourage me, right? Give me a reason not to forget you.”

Zora tried to sound playful, as she put her full glass on the counter. “You’re saying that if I didn’t come tonight you would ditch me?”

“No. I’m saying that I’m going to find glory and I want you to know that a bit of that glory is yours. You’re a girl and all, so you can’t do things yourself, but you can be my inspiration. Let’s make this night unforgettable.”

She considered herself the queen of self-control for not punching him, then looked at him in the eye. “I promise you, Seth. Whatever happens, wherever life takes you, no matter how many years pass, I guarantee you’ll never forget this night.”

His eyes had that look that she’d always thought was love. Now she wasn’t so sure. He cupped her chin. “You’re so perfect.”

Before he tried to kiss her, she took his hand and pulled him to the bedroom. “Come. You’ll want to lie down.”

Seth let her pull him, then push him on the bed, where he sat. Predictable. He smiled at her, the smile she used to think was so sweet, then it was a lazy smile, then his eyes closed and he fell back.

Zora checked his pulse. For a second she feared she’d given him too much sleep grass. But she had counted it right, assuming he’d drink a cup. This wouldn’t kill him. She checked his pulse again. Still alive. Yeah, she hadn’t given him too much. She exhaled.

Then she checked the lamps in the house to make sure they had enough oil for the night. If a shadow creature spawned inside his house and killed him, what was the point of all that? You can’t humiliate dead people.

But everything was fine. Only then she smiled and went back to the kitchen. His bag was ready, everything packed tight so as not to create any shadow. Zora took the letter from the king and a golden rod. They were their champion’s trophies, the signs that he’d been chosen to represent the Dark Valley. Except he wasn’t going anywhere.

Stupid Seth hadn’t even filled his name in the letter. That made things too easy. A good thing she’d packed paper and ink. Zora smiled as she wrote her own name. She then took another piece of paper. Her idea was to write, “Dear Seth, when I find glory, please know that none of it is yours.” But then she remembered he couldn’t read. She’d wanted to teach him, but he always said reading was useless against shadow creatures and potion ingredients could be memorized. Oh, well.

Few people in the Dark Valley knew how to read. The older people. Zora made her students recite letters and syllables while doing their training routines. Life was about multitasking. And that memory caused a knot in her heart. Her students. But then, she knew she was doing it for her valley, to try to bring help to it. She wasn’t like Seth, who was selfish and would forget them. This was her chance to do something for the children. Hopefully. At least she’d come back.

Her parents and her sister needed to know that she was alive and well, but she wasn’t going to apologize to anyone. After taking a deep breath, she wrote, “Since Seth was incapacitated to fulfill his duties, I had to step in. I’ll be back once I win the competition. As a daughter of the Dark Valley, I have fought since I was a child. I know I can make you all proud.”

At least that was what Seth always said, that they were much tougher and stronger and better prepared than anyone else in the kingdom. Zora had faced shadow wolves and even shadow balls. She taught children how to face them. A competition against normal people would be a joke. Regardless, the most prominent image in her head was Seth’s face waking up and realizing he’d lost his chance at greatness. Zora chuckled. Greatness. For someone illiterate and stupid? Ridiculous.

She left the village then walked through the fields towards the inner gate, paying attention that nobody saw her, and also watching in case there was any shadow creature. There were two walls surrounding the Dark Valley, with Gravel soldiers outside. They never opened the gates at night, probably in the mistaken belief that sunlight killed the creatures, so it was unlikely that they would open the gate now. Seth was supposed to leave only in the morning, way past sunrise. His tainted wine should keep him asleep until then. But if it didn’t… Stupid note. If he took it to her parents or someone who could read, they’d be after her in no time. If he noticed that the letter and rod were missing… Why was it that ideas were so much more logical in her head?

She hadn’t even stepped outside and her plan was falling apart. Her petty, revengeful plan. But it felt so good to be petty and revengeful. She looked at the wall, wondering if she could climb it. Right. As if a bunch of people wouldn’t have escaped the Dark Valley by now if they could.

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