The Cursebreaker

“Young lady, what are you looking to do with this information anyway?” a gruff voice belonging to a man looking to be in his mid-thirties asked. His height towered over mine, quite obvious even standing across the counter from him. I had waited multiple hours in front of the Guild office in order to get this information. But it would all be worth it. This would save me countless hours.

“I’d tell you but you’d probably sell the information right afterwards”, I teased, pushing my hair behind my ear and smiling.

“You’re not wrong”, he grinned, “I could give you this information for 10 copper. No more, no less.”

“And you’re sure it's 100 percent correct?”

“I wouldn’t sell you incomplete information, Ms. Evans. One of them even gave their information to us directly”, he replied, “Guild’s member guarantee.” A Guild member doesn’t give their guarantee lightly. It damages the reputation of the organization if they’re wrong or break a promise. It would be the end of one’s career if they were to do so.

“Alrighty, then,” I respond, slipping 10 coins into his hand. In return, he slipped me a small sheet of paper, folded in half. I slid it into my skirt pocket and waved him goodbye. I was glad to have a good relationship with the Guild. If you weren’t liked or mistreated by the members who worked for the organization, you could easily be blacklisted. But my line of work relied heavily on the information I could gather. As soon as I stepped outside the office, I reached for the slip of paper with two lines of information written on it. The handwriting was choppy as if speedily written.

Nox - 204 Rosewater Way, Cursed, Mid 20’s 
Ira Howell - Waitress at the Copper Pot, Missing, Rumored Cursed, Early 20’s

A sigh of relief escaped my mouth as I realized I already knew exactly where one of these was located. I had just entered Tidewick a few days ago and had no idea where most things were located. But thankfully, I wouldn’t be aimlessly wandering around for long. Quickly, I turned around in the opposite direction, feeling a grin eat away at my face at such good luck. I might even be able to finish all of my work in this town tonight.

Within thirty minutes, I had arrived in front of the Copper Pot. A crooked sign hung from above the oak entrance. While it was early in the afternoon, many customers had already filled the tavern bar seats, but none of them resembled the young woman I was looking for. I pulled open the front entrance and glanced across the entire establishment to double-check, but with no luck. Lunch was being delivered by a young waiter to an older couple looking eager to dig in. Besides them sat a lone man in the corner, looking gloomy. No one who resembled Ira Howell.

“Table for one?” The waiter’s voice rang out so loud, I jumped.

“Oh, I won’t be eating here today. I was just wondering if you knew Ira Howell? I’ve heard that she worked here and was wondering if you had any information as to where she could’ve gone.” At my question, his face tensed, and an emotion I couldn’t quite identify flickered across his face.

“She hasn’t shown up to work in a week. I have no idea where she is, and honestly, I don’t care where that girl has gone. Ira was nothing but trouble while working here. There hasn’t been a worse waitress in our history of being open.”

Appalled, I blurted out, “She’s reported missing, is she not? You don’t care at all?”

“Lady, are you a relative of hers? What do you care?” The waiter was growing ever impatient, and I could tell that I had angered him. Just as I was about to respond, a young woman with short bright red hair appeared from behind the bar. I swing my head in her direction, and our eyes instantly meet. Her mouth gapes open, and her eyes widen. “You can see me?” Ah, curses are a wicked thing indeed. I turned back to the waiter and plastered my best smile across my face.

“You know what, sir, never mind. I’m sorry to have wasted your time, but actually, I would like to eat here if I still can,” I request. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the fiery-haired woman quickly dash in my direction. Although confused at the sudden turn in the conversation, the waiter reluctantly sat me down alone at a table near the back corner of the tavern. Before I could even sit down, the woman had sat down across from me, arms crossed. She wore a white chemise with a worn brown gown over the top. Very little color in comparison to the contrast of her hair.

After the waiter had walked far enough of a distance away, I said, “Ira Howell?” At the mention of her name, she stiffened and froze. Her mouth opened again and then closed as if she were debating what to say.

“Are you the one who cursed me?” She asked, clearly holding back her tone and volume. For a woman sitting in front of someone she suspected of being the one who cursed her, Ira held remarkable poise and confidence. The kind of energy that drew everyone’s eyes to her. Even as someone completely innocent of what she was accusing, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

“Absolutely not! My name is Nia Evans, and I currently hold the title of Cursebreaker. I have come to help relieve you of this condition.”

“I’ve never heard of you.” At this, I nearly choked and began to cough. I thought I had begun to build up a reputation since beginning my journey nearly a year ago, removing curses from all those I could find, but I guess some places still hadn’t heard of my services. My identity was a secret, but I had thought for sure most people had heard of the Cursebreaker before.

My pride in shambles, I replied, “That’s okay, you can learn as we go. Let’s start with what curse you have. I’m assuming it's more than just people being unable to see you.”

“Yes, no matter what I do, I can’t interact with anyone in any way. No one can see, hear, or touch me. It’s been like this for a week, and not once has there been an exception. Except for you.” Ira still eyed me suspiciously, and it's not like I couldn’t tell where she was coming from.

I grin and lace my fingers together, placing my hands in front of me on the table, “As Cursebreaker, curses don’t affect me. Meaning the effects of your curse don’t matter to me.”

“So how can you break my curse?” she asked, her voice rushed. As opposed to the earlier alertness, she wore a desperate expression. It seems her composed appearance was an expertly crafted shield.

“Meet me tonight at two in the morning in the Tidewick Gardens and I will break it”, I explain, “I won’t be able to tell you exactly how as it’s a secret, but know it's completely harmless and instant. I won’t be taking or expecting anything from you in exchange. Except I would appreciate it if you could tell me any information on the Cursebearer if you have it- Oh, that's the person who cursed you, but it sounds like you don’t know what he looks like since you thought I had done it.”

“I didn’t even know he was a man until you said something. I only saw a person in blue robes with their hood pulled up. The only thing I can say is that their height is similar to yours”, she responded. So, no new information then. I had been tracking the Cursebearer for so long, but the only information I had was his build and that he wore dark clothing. I didn’t even know his hair color. That’s how well hidden he’s kept himself all this time. But I would find out one day. After all, it was my job to stop his horrible antics.

“Thank you for your information. I appreciate it. If you think of anything else, let me know tonight. I will see you then, Ira. It was nice meeting you,” I slinked out of my chair and waved goodbye to her. I glanced around to make sure the waiter who had seated me wasn’t in sight and slipped out the door. I didn’t have time to eat now, I needed to find the other person who was cursed before nightfall. If Ira had been cursed a week ago, most likely the Cursebearer had already left Tidewick. I needed to get a move on to the next town.

I began to walk down the stony path into the heart of the town, not far from the tavern, my boots clicking as I went. The fresh ocean breeze filled the air, and I found myself staring off towards the ocean that stretched across town. Tidewick was a port town that hugged the ocean tighter than any I had seen before. Part of me wanted to stop and enjoy the ocean as I’d never been there. A few minutes of looking couldn’t hurt. I staggered past barrels as I walked onto one of the many docks. Nearly every pole had a rope attached, anchoring small boats in place. I reached the end and stood watching the water shimmer in the afternoon sun. It hurt to look too long, and I found my eyes falling upon a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. He stood on the dock directly to my right, many feet away. While most of the other people I saw found their eyes drawn to the white gulls floating above the water, hunting for their prey beneath the ripples, his gaze was fixed solely upon a bright blue butterfly struggling in the wind above the waves. I found my eyes following it as well until it landed on the man’s outstretched hand. The butterfly appeared even brighter in comparison to the man’s pale skin and even paler hair. Even though he was young in appearance, his hair was stark white. Even more so than Grandfather back home. He wore embroidered dark blue robes with silver stitching. Loose but tight enough to see his build underneath. A flash of blue comparable to the butterfly drew my attention, and our eyes met. My breath hitched as I took in the sheer beauty of his appearance. But for all his beauty, he gave off a lonely expression. I smiled widely, and just as I was about to stretch my arm out to wave, I felt a hand grab my shoulder.