The Living Curse: Book One of The Living Curse series by J.D. Swinn Page B
Authors: J.D. Swinn
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in danger?” he asked, still looking entertained. “First off, he’s a member of the Vine, so killing him could start a war. Second, anyone that tried to touch him, that didn’t take him off guard with hand to hand combat, would immediately be very sorry. He’s not really a fighter, that’s why he hangs out with us, but he’s a hell of a warlock.” he finished his explanation with a final smirk. He clearly had a lot of kinship and respect for his friend.
“So, will we get to meet this ‘wonderful warlock’ when we go to the Vine? And your oath brother?” she asked with a smile.
“Yeah, we all room together…” he said, and trailed off. The conversation took a slightly awkward pause, something that had always entertained Nameh. She enjoyed seeing people socially uncomfortable, and she never understood why. It wasn’t as if she enjoyed seeing people in pain, perhaps she just enjoyed having a reminder that even the most eloquent and quick-witted people are still human. She broke the pause with an extremely blunt question that would have likely shocked the words from many.
“So, besides the warlock, are the other two of you human?” she asked casually. She saw Mira hide a smile as best she could, she was clearly used to her lack of care at offending people. Race was a sensitive issue in the Upperworld, much as it was in the human world. The problem was not simply color of skin in the Upperworld, though. The tension came from the core group of people within the Vine, the Guild, and even the Guardians, who thought that only pure humans should be protectors. Most people, though, were quite tolerant. She had heard of many instances when vampires and werewolves could get along with half-harpies and humans. She herself didn’t care in the least what race the person was, but had always been fascinated by the many groups of people that made up the world. She thought that half-harpies were beautiful, although they have terrible tempers, and werewolves were fierce and powerful, while vampires had power with more grace. She had also always had great respect for warlocks, though she had met few, growing up as a Guardian child.
“I am 100% human,” he began with a playful look of arrogance on his face, “but my oath brother is a werewolf.” he finished. For a moment, Nameh was surprised. In the Guardians, werewolves were accepted, though slightly looked down upon. She had known several at the school, but most went to great lengths to keep it a secret. The fact that he had casually dropped this into a conversation had at first been confusing, but as she thought about it, she saw no reason for a member of the Vine to be ashamed of it. If anything, she realized, it was an advantage. Werewolves had superior strength, even in human form, and were more resistant to offensive magic than humans. She nearly laughed as she thought of the time she had nearly sought out a werewolf in order to become one. She finally decided that she would wait until she was older, in case she changed her mind, an uncharacteristically reasonable choice.
“Awesome.” said Mira simply in a soft voice. Having finished eating, they began to crinkle up the paper left behind from the food. They tossed it into the large metal can by the side of the building, and headed for the subway station down the street. Now, Max walked next to the girls, feeling more comfortable. Suddenly, he stopped walking. The girls turned to face him with questioning looks.
“Before we go back,” he started, “let’s get her marked.”
Chapter Eight: The Great Mark
The light in the room was dark and the feeling dismal. The four stone walls surrounding them were a dull gray only broken up by the pale
“So, will we get to meet this ‘wonderful warlock’ when we go to the Vine? And your oath brother?” she asked with a smile.
“Yeah, we all room together…” he said, and trailed off. The conversation took a slightly awkward pause, something that had always entertained Nameh. She enjoyed seeing people socially uncomfortable, and she never understood why. It wasn’t as if she enjoyed seeing people in pain, perhaps she just enjoyed having a reminder that even the most eloquent and quick-witted people are still human. She broke the pause with an extremely blunt question that would have likely shocked the words from many.
“So, besides the warlock, are the other two of you human?” she asked casually. She saw Mira hide a smile as best she could, she was clearly used to her lack of care at offending people. Race was a sensitive issue in the Upperworld, much as it was in the human world. The problem was not simply color of skin in the Upperworld, though. The tension came from the core group of people within the Vine, the Guild, and even the Guardians, who thought that only pure humans should be protectors. Most people, though, were quite tolerant. She had heard of many instances when vampires and werewolves could get along with half-harpies and humans. She herself didn’t care in the least what race the person was, but had always been fascinated by the many groups of people that made up the world. She thought that half-harpies were beautiful, although they have terrible tempers, and werewolves were fierce and powerful, while vampires had power with more grace. She had also always had great respect for warlocks, though she had met few, growing up as a Guardian child.
“I am 100% human,” he began with a playful look of arrogance on his face, “but my oath brother is a werewolf.” he finished. For a moment, Nameh was surprised. In the Guardians, werewolves were accepted, though slightly looked down upon. She had known several at the school, but most went to great lengths to keep it a secret. The fact that he had casually dropped this into a conversation had at first been confusing, but as she thought about it, she saw no reason for a member of the Vine to be ashamed of it. If anything, she realized, it was an advantage. Werewolves had superior strength, even in human form, and were more resistant to offensive magic than humans. She nearly laughed as she thought of the time she had nearly sought out a werewolf in order to become one. She finally decided that she would wait until she was older, in case she changed her mind, an uncharacteristically reasonable choice.
“Awesome.” said Mira simply in a soft voice. Having finished eating, they began to crinkle up the paper left behind from the food. They tossed it into the large metal can by the side of the building, and headed for the subway station down the street. Now, Max walked next to the girls, feeling more comfortable. Suddenly, he stopped walking. The girls turned to face him with questioning looks.
“Before we go back,” he started, “let’s get her marked.”
Chapter Eight: The Great Mark
The light in the room was dark and the feeling dismal. The four stone walls surrounding them were a dull gray only broken up by the pale
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