by Cece Rose
“I could always take it off?” he offers, the corners of his lips twisting up in amusement.
“No, don’t do that!” I cringe at the alarmed tone of my hasty response. “I mean, if you could actually remember to put more clothes on in future, that would be great,” I amend, trying and failing to sound casual in my request.
“Does my body unsettle you, Kayla?” he asks, while slowly undoing a few buttons on his shirt. He laughs at the horrified expression on my face. “You know, it’s hilarious that you’re more terrified of a little flesh than my threats to slaughter you in the most painful of ways.”
His taunting makes me snap out of my embarrassment.
“Stop fucking toying with me and tell me why you're here!” I slam my hand against the wall, the stress of the day making me quick to anger. The feeling is quick to fade, replaced by a stinging pain in my hand. Shit, that really hurt.
“If you're done needlessly injuring yourself, perhaps you could share the answer to that question with me, seeing as it's you that requested my presence, and not the other way around,” Solas replies.
I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm down a little. It’s obvious Solas hasn’t decided to kill me yet, so maybe I should just ask if my bad luck stems from a demonic curse? Worst case he refuses to answer. I frown. No, that’s wrong. The worst case is he steals my soul.
“I can practically see the gears turning in your head, what are you thinking about?” He steps closer to me as he speaks, and I shuffle back, wanting to keep some distance between us. He tuts at me as if I'm a misbehaving child. “So rude, even when coming to me for help. You should try acting more polite. Perhaps offer me a drink.”
I give him an incredulous look.
“Yeah, sure, Solas. Next time I'll make sure to lay out the milk and cookies.”
To my surprise, he laughs. The sound of a goddess-only-knows-how-old, crazy-powerful demon chuckling at my sarcastic quip at him petrifies me for some reason.
“Look, umm, I just need to know something…” I begin.
He gestures with his hand for me to continue.
“Well... It’s just… is my bad luck caused by a demon’s curse? And if it is, do you know of a way to break it? Like actually break it, rather than just warding it off with a necklace?” I ask, watching his face for any tells of deceit.
“I don't know,” he answers simply.
“You don't know?” I echo in surprise, somewhat weirded out by his admittance of ignorance.
“It’s possible a demon is responsible for your curse, and if that were the case, yes, I have a theory on how to break it. However, there’s no guarantee it will work, and if it turns out the curse is not demonic in origin…” he trails off with a slight shrug.
“How likely is it that it's a demon curse?” I inquire, deciding to push my luck while the demon feels compelled to share for whatever reason.
“Considering the power the curse must carry to pass on through generations as it has, very likely. In fact, there aren’t many other options.”
“If it's a demon curse, could you break it?” I press, unable to stop myself. I need to know.
“I could... for a price.”
“What would that price be?” I ask.
“Shouldn’t you ask more important questions first? Like how I intend to break it?” he drawls, ignoring my question.
I swallow my argument and make an attempt at diplomacy. “Fine, please tell me, how would you break this demon curse?”
“The little witch may just learn some manners yet,” he taunts, continuing on before I can snap back at him again. “It’s a quite simple ritual really. Regrettable for you I suppose, as it takes a demon to preform it, so you’ll have no choice but to come to me once you realise this is the only way out of your little predicament.”
“If it’s so simple, and I can’t do it without you, why don’t you just spit it out? What would I need to do?” I demand, crossing my arms.
“Patience, little witch. I’m getting there. No need to rush things,” he chastises. I give him an exasperated look, and he offers a wicked smile in return. “Fine, fine. It’s an ancient spell, but a simple one. It involves splitting your magic to kill the curse, so to speak. Your magic is divided and placed into four hosts, each holding a slice. The curse will die with its only fuel, your magic, inside of the host.”
“What happens when I get my magic back?” I question.
“Nothing. If it’s a demon curse, once it’s dead, it’ll be dead. When your magic is returned you, it will work as it should have had you never been cursed.”
“If that’s the case, why doesn’t the curse die when I wear a magic restricting item then?” I check, curious to know the difference.
“Even when you’re restricted from using your magic, it still resides within you. It still strengthens your body, extends your life, and swirls around alongside your soul,” Solas explains.
“Interesting,” I mumble, my thoughts trailing off. I wonder what I’d feel like with my magic completely removed from my body?
“Now, that’s enough of a free magic lesson from me today. When would you like to perform the ritual?” he asks with confidence, as if it’s a given I’ll pay whatever his price may be.
“I never agreed to anything.”
“But you will, little witch. You want free of that bad luck; you and I both know that. Maybe you don’t want free of it bad enough just yet, but you will. When you’re pushed to the edge and you know the only other option is to fall, you will reach for my hand.”
“Why do I feel like you’re just as likely to drop me as to help me up?”
“It’s probably more likely that I’ll drop you, but the fact remains, my hand is the only one that you’ll be able to reach,” he muses. That doesn’t sound dark and foreboding at all. Right.
“That totally wasn’t just ten different levels of unsettling,” I mutter.
“Well, if that’s all for now…” Solas begins.
“Wait!”
“What now?” he huffs, giving me an irritated look.
“What do you want out of this? What’s your price?” I demand.
“We can work out the details later. Call me when you’re about to fall from that cliff’s edge, little witch,” he replies, winking at me just before he blinks out of existence.
Twenty-Two
Who Needs A Plan, Anyway?
“Absolutely not!” Kier all but shouts, rejecting my plan the second I finish explaining.
“You can't do this alone,” I say gently, trying to convince him.
“I can, and I will,” he retorts, glaring at the men standing behind me. I glance back to find Rhydian smirking, looking pleased if anything, but Darren's face remains a blank mask.
“Stop goading him,” I snap at Rhydian, before turning back to Kier. “You can't. We couldn't do it with just the two of us, let alone you by yourself. Either you need to leave this to the people actually assigned to bringing him in, or you need to agree to our help. All of us. They've both agreed to help you, why can't you accept it?”
“Well, if I’m honest, I only agreed to this because Darren here is making me,” Rhydian drawls.
“And I only agreed because you're a magnet for disaster, Kayla. Like hell am I letting you go into a situation like that without help,” Darren adds.
I turn back and give Darren a hesitant smile. Despite his words not helping me convince Kier, I appreciate the fact he was willing to show up and help me at all. After everything that happened yesterday, between me bailing on our date and how we left things, I expected some kind of resistance. Instead, he'd come with Rhydian in tow, determined to help.
“They don't want to help me, and I don't want any of your assistance. Not from any of you,” Kier insists, giving me a harsh glare to emphasize his displeasure at my persistence.
“You may not want it, but you need it. Now stop being a dick and admit when you can't do something all by yourself!” I feel my magic ripple through me, and glance down, stari
ng wide-eyed at the bracelet around my wrist in shock. Since I put it back on after Solas’ departure, I shouldn't feel my magic at all right now.
After a few moments pass, I look back up, glancing around to see if anyone noticed. Rhydian and Kier's faces show no sign of them feeling anything, and I let out a shaky breath. Rather than respond, Kier starts pacing back and forth across my living room. Rhydian sighs loudly as if bored, before taking a seat on my sofa and putting his feet up on the coffee table. His gaze doesn't leave Kier though, watching his agitated stride. His green eyes are laser focused on the man.
“You should listen to Kayla. She's right, and you know it,” Darren asserts, breaking the silence that had fallen upon us. Kier pauses in his pacing, glancing between me and Darren in contemplation. A calculating look shines in his eyes.
“Did she tell you what happened last time?” Kier demands as he steps towards Darren.
Shit.
Goddess, if you have any mercy, please don't let Kier say anything more...
“She said you went after your father, but that you had to portal out of there when you realised the odds were stacked against just the two of you alone,” Darren answers. Rhydian chokes on a laugh from his perch the sofa. I flip him off behind my back, before turning pleading eyes on Kier. He shakes his head, a determined look crossing his face.
“She almost died. Her bad luck curse interfered with her magic, and it blew up in our faces, quite literally. Her burns were terrible. If I wasn't such a gifted healer, there’s no question she would have died before I could have gotten her to one. She's not coming with me again; I can't guarantee her safety if she does, and I won't be responsible for her death,” Kier states, giving Darren all of the information I'd deliberately left out.
“So Kayla won't come. She'll stay here, out of the way and safe,” Darren replies, sounding a lot calmer than I'd anticipated given the information Kier just dropped on him. Reading the shock on my face, he shrugs. “I knew you were hiding something. I never planned to let you go anyway.”
“Let me? You can't make me stay here!” I snap back at him.
“Oh, but I can. We won't help him unless you remain here. I'm sure Detective Huxley here will agree, he stands a much better chance with the two of us at his side than with you.”
“I won't dispute that, but unfortunately I don't trust you, either of you.” Kier gestures between Darren and Rhydian. “I will be going alone once Kayla tells me where in the hell I can find him, seeing as she seems to have turned herself into a tracker somehow.”
“I don't know what—”
“Don't try to deny it. I don't know what kind of spell you used, but I could feel the magic coming off you whenever you closed your eyes on our way to his hideout,” he says, cutting me off. A heavy feeling settles in my stomach, as pressure seems to slam into my chest. “Relax, Harlow. I won't ask you to spill your secret,” he adds gently, somehow realising the source of my distress.
I breathe a little easier and flash him a smile. “I won't let you go alone. All of us are going together. Safety in numbers and all that.”
“Not a chance,” Kier dismisses me.
“I mean, if we're cutting people out of this reckless mission of yours, I'd like to opt out myself,” Rhydian calls from the sofa, unhelpful as usual.
“Shut up, Rhydian,” I bark back, rolling my eyes.
“I agree with his choice to bow out,” Kier declares. “You can all consider yourselves opted out, because nobody is coming with me.”
“Kayla stays here, and we will join you,” Darren counters, as if this is some kind of negotiation.
“Look, we can't just keep going around in circles. It's smarter to take backup with you, so they’re coming, and you can't find him without me, so I'm going too. That's final,” I snap, glaring at all of them.
“I don't need you to find him,” Kier mutters.
“Are you so sure about that? I guess you can go try and find him by yourself, and I can go try to find him by myself. Which of us do you think will catch up with him first?” I ask him, barely able to curb my temper from the annoyance at his insistence at leaving me behind.
Kier stares at me, and I wonder if he can tell how determined I am. I'm not letting him do this alone. This is my mess, and I need to fix it. After a few moments of silence, he sighs and closes his eyes for a moment.
“If you tell me where to find him, I'll take those two with me,” Kier offers.
“Fine,” I pretend to relent. “Better they go with you than you go off alone.”
“Great. Kayla, you do your special little witchy magic spell, or whatever, and locate Elias, and I'll work on giving a fuck,” Rhydian announces, giving me a firm look when he says the piece about the witchy magic.
“Shut up, Rhydian,” Darren practically growls.
“It's fine,” I mutter. I understand Rhydian's message loud and clear. I can write my tracking of Elias off as a special spell.
Maybe as something an ancestor came up with, but kept quiet about?
“It's not fine,” Darren responds softer this time.
“It is,” I brush his concern off before continuing, “Okay, I'm going to need some space to do my family's location spell. I'm going upstairs, don't disturb me.” I'm already heading for the stairs the second I finish speaking. Don’t leave time for questions or arguments… or for anyone to figure out my plan.
“How long will it take?” Kier calls after me.
How long will it take to close my eyes, follow the route from myself to Kier's father in my mind, and then try and retrace the route on google maps afterwards to find out the location so I can tell the others?
“Kayla?” he prompts when I pause but don't answer.
“It may take a while,” I answer honestly, before continuing to the stairs.
What I'm not being honest about is the fact I also need to figure out a plan for how I'm going to follow the others there without them noticing me. Chaotic magic or not, I can't just let them walk into a mess I'm responsible for creating. I have to help fix this. Even if it means walking into a dangerous situation with my magic cut off, so I can avoid my curse hindering them in my attempt I make to help.
“Be as quick as you can. Every second he's out there he's a danger to everyone around him. He’s a threat to innocent bystanders.”
I bite my lip to stop myself from responding and hustle up the stairs, not slowing until I shut my bedroom door behind me.
Fuck it. Who needs a plan anyway?
Twenty-Three
The Witch With No Master
The second I'm through the portal I check over myself, ensuring that I'm intact from my travel. I breathe a sigh of relief once I've reassured myself that all my limbs are still in place, and that I'm not about to spontaneously combust. Before going any further or getting closer to the warehouse, I slide the bracelet onto my wrist. Cutting off my bad luck is worth losing my magic for a while, considering that I'm not planning on using it anyway.
A weird feeling rushes through me as I let go of the bracelet on my wrist, making chills run down my back from the sensation. Curious, I reach down and try to pull the jewellery off so I can inspect it, but it won't budge off my hand.
“What the hell?” I mutter, trying harder to yank the damn thing off. After spending a few too many minutes battling with a piece of jewellery, I give up. Rhydian must have done something to it to stop me from taking it back off. Whatever. I swallow thickly, wishing I'd done something to dull my nerves before putting it on.
I mean, I was going to wear the bracelet anyway... wasn't I?
I’d already decided that with the chance my bad luck could affect the guys, that wearing the bracelet had to happen. I’d debated using my connection with Elias to keep an eye on them all, but with my bracelet off, there’s no telling what could have happened. I just have to get in there quietly, and make sure everything is going to plan for the guys. If they're in danger and need help, I'll call the officials and report Elias' location.
A team would be here in less than a minute, I bet… and hope. Desperately. Kier wouldn't be happy if it comes to that, but he'd be alive, and his father would likely be back in custody where he belongs. Or dead. Dead works too.
It's a last resort, and I'm not thrilled by the idea of upsetting Kier by doing it, but I'm not trained for this. I'm under no illusions that I would be able to save the day myself, but I can't let them go into this without anyone watching their backs. If they failed, I'd call for actual help, no matter the consequences. I can't let any of them get hurt.
I feel a shudder run down my back, and decide that repeating my rushed and thrown together plan over and over in my head isn't going to help. I have to go in there and actually do it. Thinking about it isn't going to have someone watching their backs.
After ensuring my phone is easily reachable, but discreet, by tucking it into the back of my jeans, I move closer to the building where the guys should be inside by now. The last I looked using the connection between me and Elias, they were just about to enter the building through a quiet-looking side entrance. I make my way around, following the path I'd watched them use to approach the door. While taking care to step around the remains of a shattered glass bottle, I creep closer slowly until I get to it.
The graffiti-covered door has been left just slightly ajar, so I lean forward to peek through the crack, looking for any signs of Elias and his men or the guys. With nothing in sight but mouldy walls and spray paint, I pull open the door, licking my lips nervously as I enter the building. Tasting a weird staleness in the air as I breathe in, I grimace before I leaving the door as I found it.
I glance in both directions again, trying to remember which way they were planning to go. Sure they went right, I turn left, quietly moving through the hallway like a ghost. A panicked, paranoid ghost.
When I reach the stairs leading up and hear my own soft footsteps creeping up them, I realise just how quiet this place is. No sound gives away the chaos that is lying waiting within the walls of this place. It’s disturbingly eerie, and I can’t help but wonder why Elias has gone from countryside manor, to grungy abandoned warehouse so quickly.
