THE CURSE BETWEEN US

Chapter One The river gave back Elias Vale at dawn. Amara knew something was wrong before she saw his face. It was the silence. House Vale was never silent. Even in the early hours, servants moved through the halls, guards changed positions at the gates, and nobles whispered behind closed doors about politics, magic, and the Bloodstone Tournament that would begin in two days. But that morning, nobody spoke. Nobody dared. Amara followed the sound of hurried footsteps through the rain until she reached the riverbank behind the eastern gardens. Three servants stood frozen near the water. And between them lay her brother. “Elias.” The name barely escaped her lips. Nobody answered. She moved forward. A servant reached for her arm. “My lady, please.” Amara ignored him. She had spent years being told that Elias was everything she was not. The heir. The future lord of House Vale. The son their father proudly displayed while she remained hidden in a forgotten wing of the estate. But he was still her brother. She dropped beside him. Elias was facedown in the mud, his dark hair soaked, his expensive clothes ruined by the river. “Turn him over.” The servants hesitated. “Now.” They obeyed. Amara’s breath caught. His face was pale. Too pale. Elias had always looked like someone who belonged in grand halls, someone born for power. Even when he was afraid, he carried himself with the arrogance expected of a Vale heir. Now he looked small. Human. Dead. She touched his cheek. Cold. A horrible emptiness settled in her chest. No. She refused to accept it. Elias had been frightened of the tournament. Everyone knew that. For the last month, he had barely slept. He had stopped eating. He had spent hours staring at old records about previous winners and losers. But fear was not the same as wanting to die. Something had happened. Amara reached for his hand. Then she stopped. Dark stains covered his fingers. Not dirt. Not ordinary blood. Black liquid sat beneath his nails like he had scratched at something impossible before he died. Her heartbeat quickened. “What is that?” The servants looked away. Nobody answered. Amara leaned closer. She knew wounds. Garrick had made sure of that. For years, Sir Garrick Thorne had trained her in secret, teaching her how to fight, how to survive, and how to recognize danger before it reached her. This was danger. This was not drowning. A voice behind her spoke. “Do not touch him.” Amara turned. Lord Alistair Vale stood at the edge of the riverbank. Her father. He looked older than he had yesterday. His normally perfect appearance was ruined by the rain. His expression remained controlled, but his eyes gave him away. Fear. Real fear. Amara slowly stood. “You know what happened.” It was not a question. Alistair looked at Elias. Then at her. “Everyone leave.” The servants immediately obeyed. Within moments, the riverbank held only three people. A dead heir. A hidden daughter. And a father who had spent twenty-six years pretending she did not exist. “What happened to him?” Amara asked. Alistair said nothing. “Father.” His jaw tightened. “Get dressed.” She stared. “What?” “Pack your belongings.” “I asked what happened to Elias.” “The answer will not change what must happen next.” Amara laughed once, without humor. “Of course.” She stepped closer. “Your son dies and your first thought is duty.” “House Vale cannot afford grief.” “There it is.” His expression hardened. “Do not do this now.” “Do what? Remind you that he was a person before he was your heir?” For a moment, something painful crossed his face. Then it disappeared. “The tournament begins tomorrow.” Amara went still. “No.” “Listen to me.” “No.” “You do not understand.” “I understand perfectly.” She looked toward Elias. “You lost your heir.” Silence. Then Alistair said the words that changed everything. “You will take his place.” The rain seemed to stop. Amara stared at him. “What?” “You will enter the Bloodstone Tournament as Elias Vale.” She almost smiled because the idea was too ridiculous. “You have hidden me from the world since birth.” “Yes.” “You refused to acknowledge me.” “Yes.” “And now you want me to pretend to be the son you lost?” “Yes.” The honesty shocked her. “You cannot be serious.” Alistair reached inside his coat and removed a sealed document. He held it out. Elias’s tournament acceptance papers. Amara recognized his signature immediately. Her stomach twisted. “You prepared this?” “No.” “Then why does he have a place?” “Because he was meant to enter.” “And I am meant to replace him?” “You are meant to survive.” Those words unsettled her more than anything else. Not win. Not compete. Survive. “Why me?” For the first time, Alistair looked directly at her. “Because Elias was not the only person the arena was waiting for.” Before Amara could respond, the river behind them moved. Not flowed. Moved. The water rose against gravity. The servants screamed from a distance. Elias’s body jerked. Amara froze. His eyes opened. They were completely black. “Amara.” Her blood turned cold. Elias had never called her name like that. Not with fear. Not with warning. With recognition. Alistair stepped backward. “No.” Elias’s lips moved. A voice that was not his came through. “Do not let her enter.” Amara could not breathe. “Who are you?” Elias smiled. A strange, unnatural smile. Then the voice whispered: “The arena already knows her.” The river exploded. And when the water fell, Elias Vale was silent again. Amara remained frozen beside the river, unable to look away. For years, she had believed the greatest secret in House Vale was the fact that she existed. Now she wondered if she had been wrong. If Elias had known something about her. If her father had hidden her for a reason. And if the Bloodstone Tournament was not waiting for the heir of House Vale at all. Maybe it was waiting for her. The thought should have terrified her. Instead, for the first time in her life, Amara felt something worse than fear. She felt curiosity.