A Turn of Curses by Melanie Nilles Page B

her throat, her eyes burning with the betrayal. How could he do this now, when they were so close to her completing her purpose...when she cared for him?
    "It's the truth. Why do you think Dewel and Bastien refused to let you heal them? Feyquin do not kill. Taking a part of your life is as good as killing you."
    Emotions tangled inside her. "You'd lie and speak blasphemies—anything—to get your way."
    "I'm not lying...and you know it."
    "Then why tell me now, after we've come this far?"
    He turned to the others, who watched their argument, and back to her. "You deserve to know the truth. I thought you'd be ready to listen."
    "I know the truth. You refuse to let me have anything to do with Sorvin!" She turned to leave, afraid he might be right and unwilling to hear any more blasphemy. Most painful, she didn't want to hear it from him. She would heal Antorin and help Faldon find a way out of this stupid curse of his. Then she would prove him wrong.
    "Selina."
    A strong grip on her shoulders stopped her. When she halted, his fingers softened into something that made her want to believe he cared. He had never touched her in any gentle manner, except for holding her hand to lead her through the Land of Shadows, the realm of the night mares. His hands were gentle now, like they were then, tempting her to believe him. She longed for his touch after all this time.
    "Listen to me." His warm breath blew across her ear with his whisper. "It's not about Sorvin. If you do this, you will die. I can't let that happen."
    "I've been prepared for my death for almost five years." Despite her words, doubts crept up with her tears. Why did he have to do this now, so near the end of her journey? She came with the conviction that she would cure the king. This journey was an adventure to live before she died. She would see it to the end, before he could change her mind. This was another of his tricks. He played on her emotions, and she let herself believe he might care for her.
    Selina pulled away, prepared for him to hold her back and hoping he would, but he didn't. "Farewell, Faldon." Before she could change her mind, she ran down the hill for the plains and the city below. Tears threatened her vision. With luck, she would reach it before midnight and before she could change her mind.
    * * *
    Faldon stared after the woman, feeling a part of himself ripped away. None of this would have happened if not for Sorvin's curse.
    "Won't you go after her?" Dewel said.
    He turned to his friend. "Why? She won't listen to me."
    "You care about her, and I think she cares about you."
    "Does she? She cares about nothing but her mission to save Antorin. She doesn't care about the truth but will needlessly throw her life away. She's human."
    "Yes, she is."
    Faldon glared at his friend, wishing he wore his regular form. Dewel knew he posed no threat as a man, or he wouldn't dare to mock him.
    The chestnut stallion walked away.
    Faldon crossed his arms and gazed out on the shadow moving across the land, away from him. Why should he stop her? He tried to hold her and she didn't stay.
    It meant he was human, more than he wanted to be. He wanted to end the curse and return to being feyquin. At least, he had wanted that. Now he wasn't so certain.
    In his short time with the Na'Y'dom , the cursed of Y'dom—though the title had been perverted over generations in Hallor—he learned more about being human than the last year living with the curse. Had Selina been feyquin, she would have been the lead mare with her strong spirit. He would be proud to have her.
    He was proud to have her with him for a short time. That much he wouldn't deny. She stood up to him from the first time they met. That fire intrigued him.
    Yet she was determined to give her life away for a sense of duty. A duty caused by a curse she saw as a blessing.
    Perhaps she was right. He could turn around his and use it for something positive. He could learn to understand humans and become the peacemaker