Weaver's Curse

“So when you say pursuers, how many?” Toby asked Kaedwyn softly. He, Allie, Kaedwyn and Isaan sat in one of the wagons.

Everyone else was out visiting Kestrel, or resting in other wagons, so they had a little bit of privacy to plan for the moment.

“I’ve seen at least ten different men.” Kaedwyn said. “None of them are witches, thankfully.”

“None of us are either.” Toby pointed out. “So we don’t really have an advantage.”

“I am.” Isaan interjected.

“You are?” Allie asked.

“Oh. I guess that makes sense.” Toby said. No matter how excellent a swordsman Isaan was, there was no way he was good enough that he would have been able to singlehandedly defeat six bandits.

“I’m still a little shocked by all this.” Dill, who they had dragged into the planning session said, rubbing his head. “Isaan’s cursed, and Kaedwyn’s on the lam.”

Just wait until he learns I’m a runaway prince.

Allie looked down at her lap, for some reason.

“Don’t tell me you’re secretly Sedine Malachite.” Dill said sarcastically.

“You want to do a face comparison and say that again, idiot?” Kaedwyn asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Plus the timing doesn’t match up.” Allie pointed out.

“Ten men, give or take.” Toby mused. “Against five people, one of them being a witch...”

“Four people.” Dill corrected him. “I’ve got a gaggle of younger siblings to support. I can’t just quit this job.”

“Oh.” Toby said.

Those odds are not looking good.

“So our best chance is going to be to just avoid them completely?” Allie said.

“Right.” Kaedwyn said.

“Four people isn’t a very noticeable number...” Allie said.

“I think we can do it.” Toby said. “Kaedwyn might need to change her look a little.”

“Would you be willing to cut your hair?” Allie asked her.

“No.” Kaedwyn said.

“Hm.” Allie said, looking Kaedwyn over. “That’s fine. I think we can make you look like a different person without doing that. We’ll start out with washing the rest of that dye out of your hair.”

“And then what?” Kaedwyn said, shooting Allie a nervous look.

“We’ll just braid it back and tie a kerchief over it like mine.” Allie said.

“I’m not taking the beads out.” Kaedwyn said flatly.

“You won’t have too. If we just make it look a little less wild it should make you much less recognizable. No offence about that, by the way.” Allie said. “You could also draw some freckles on your face, and maybe give you bangs.”

It sounds like she knows what she’s doing...

“Also, you might want to lose that outfit. It’s a little... distinctive.” Allie continued.

“Fine.” Kaedwyn said. “I’ll just give you free reign.”

Allie giggled evilly, rubbing her hands together, and Kaedwyn started to look nervous again.

Maybe I should get a few suggestions from her, Toby thought.

Nah. Better not to say anything that makes me look like I’m also a runaway.

I wonder how they’d react if they found out? Probably be running off at the first chance so as not to be accused of kidnapping. That’s what I’d do.

Best to just not let them find out. That is a revelation for later. Or never.

“What do you think we’ll find on the mountain?” Allie asked.

“Maybe whoever keeps sending these dumbasses after me?” Kaedwyn said.

“Any ideas who that might be?” Allie said.

“Not really. Someone from Telare?” Kaedwyn suggested. “But anyone I knew from there should know I’m not a witch.”

Kaedwyn frowned, biting her lip.

“Think, Kaedwyn.” Allie ordered. “Any family with a grudge? A wealthy person you wronged?”

“My mother and sister are the only family I know,” Kaedwyn said. “They wouldn’t send someone to fetch me. Not like that. I’ve never even met my father.”

“What do you know about him?” Allie asked, looking as if she had formed some theory.

“Not much.” Kaedwyn said. “Mostly just that he and my mother lost interest in each other quickly.”

“And how reliable would you say that information is?”

“Pretty relia... oh... shit.” Kaedwyn said. “I think you might be on to something.”

“Possible suspects for pursuers include Kaedwyn’s long lost father, noted.” Toby said. “Anyone else.”

“I’ve robbed countless people, it could be any of them.” Kaedwyn said, shrugging. “But I don’t think very many of them had enough money or cared enough about a few stolen coconuts to hunt me down...”

She trailed off, her eyes widening.

“Oh. No.” she muttered.

“What is it?” Isaan asked.

“Someone might be mistaking me for my sister.” Kaedwyn said. “That would be just my luck. And it would explain why they’re so convinced I’m a witch.”

“So your sister is more likely to have someone trying to abduct her?” Toby said.

“Yeah. Kaeldra has always been deeper into the life of crime than me.” Kaedwyn said. “And she’s got a knack for making enemies.”

Her voice was bitter.

“Do the two of you look a lot alike?” Isaan asked.

“Not really. She takes more after our mother, so she’d got tanner skin and dark hair. She’s a little more petite than me, too.”

“But there’s enough of a family resemblance that someone could mistake you for each other?” Allie said.

“I guess. Especially after I dyed my hair black.”

Yikes. What a terrible stylistic mistake.

I’m one to talk, though. I’ve barely changed my look.

Honestly, it’s amazing that no one has caught me yet.

“So if it happens to be the big boss we encounter on the mountain,” Isaan said, “I’ll just have to use my powers to force him to listen when you say you’re not your sister.”

“Will you even know how to use it?” Kaedwyn asked skeptically.

“If I don’t that day, you’ll just have to tell me how.” Isaan said, giving her a reassuring smile.

“What does that mean?” Dill asked. “I thought you were just an amnesiac?”

“Oh! I guess I didn’t explain that very well,” Isaan said. “Some days, I wake up and can remember things like that I’m a witch, and that I have sisters. Other days, I can only remember my own name.”

“That’s not ideal.” Dill said.

“You’re not wrong.” Isaan sighed.

And I thought my life was rough.