by Belle Malory
A while later, the boat reached the shore, and Vanisher got out to push us out of the water. The sun was almost completely gone now, just a soft glow on the horizon, a smattering of stars twinkling in the orange-streaked sky.
“Meet me back here at sunset,” Van instructed. He pointed up ahead. “Folly is just past those palm trees.”
“Thanks, Van,” Jett said.
Silky sand sunk over my feet as I jumped out of the boat. Just being on land again put my stomach at ease—God, it felt good to be out of those rough waters. Grabbing my bag and the skirt of my toga, I waved bye to Van and followed Jett up the beach, Hazel lagging behind.
Music played up ahead, a cross between old-timey folk and jazz. Once we made it through the palm trees, I could see the town, a strip of brick buildings with laced balconies.
“A couple of things,” Jett said over her shoulder. “Don’t look at the harpies. They’ll try to sell you whatever they can. Once they have your attention, they sink in their claws, and they’re damn near impossible to shake.”
“Noted,” I said, thinking of the pushy one who tried to take my bag when I arrived in Mythos.
“Next, there’s a bazillion fortune-tellers, medicine men, and dark mages living here. They’ll try and entice you with little bits of psychic tell, but they really just want your coin. Also, don’t eat or drink unless you pay for it yourself. Mages will trap you into payment, the kind you’ll regret. Think first-born babies and lifetimes of servitude—that kind of crazy shit.”
From behind us, Hazel snorted. “Now she tells us.”
Jett continued on with her warnings, giving Hazel the side-eye. “Finally, be careful where you go. Certain buildings are spelled. People have been known to wander into nightclubs, and they don’t reappear for years.”
Good grief.
The island sounded like one big magical trap.
“I’m probably making it sound worse than it is,” Jett said, looking unphased. “Just stay close, and you’ll both be fine.”
Before we knew it, we were in the heart of the island’s city, entering Folly Promenade, a cobbled street full of bustling activity. Everywhere I looked, there were entertainers performing magic, psychics giving fortunes, and good, old-fashioned revelry. Pegasus descendants were led through the crowds, dressed in gems and ribbons. Banners waved above us, disappearing into colorful clouds of smoke. Tourist mages stumbled in and out of buildings, carrying oversized mugs and flasks of Twilight rum. Being there, in the middle of it all, was both exciting and intimidating.
Almost as soon as we arrived, a woman in a short lacy black dress—if it could be called that—approached. She looked straight at me, her red lips forming a knowing smile.
“I see you, girl with the rose-gold hair. I see you, standing there.”
Unsure what to do, I froze in place.
She continued, “You are one of two—both futures, bleak. She is strong, and you are weak. Like two broken halves to a whole, you must break some more, to pay the toll.”
Shivers ran down my spine. Her dark eyes seemed to penetrate me, like she knew everything, like she could literally look inside my soul.
“Would you like to hear more?” she asked, and the offer was oh so tempting.
Letting out an exasperated groan, Jett grabbed my arm and gave it a forceful tug. “I told you they would do this,” she said under her breath. “Let’s go.”
The woman in black pointed at Jett, her expression severe. “You there,” she said, her voice rising several octaves. “Your mind has changed, but your fate is sealed. Your heart is stuck, but it will soon be revealed. Two paths lie before you, both at great cost. Which one will you choose? Either way, you are lost.”
Whoa, that sounded ominous.
But Jett just rolled her eyes and shrugged the words off. “Utter nonsense. Come on, Sheridan. The Curse Breaker lives on the south end.”
I glanced back at Hazel, who had tugged her cloak farther over her head, as if by doing so, she could hide from the entire street. “Ignore the woman in black.” She linked her arm through mine. “I’ve seen her kind before. They all try to sound as fatal as possible.”
As we walked, I ground my teeth together, still thinking about her words.
I wasn’t weak, I thought to myself, determined. I was strong enough to do whatever it took.
We found the Curse Breaker’s house on the south end of Folly, above a bookstore. There was a sign on his door that read “Out for supplies. Come back at noon.”
“Well, that sucks,” Jett huffed, kicking the door.
After coming all this way, I was disappointed to have to wait too. We were on a time crunch, after all. “What should we do until then?” I said, looking between the two of them.
“Breakfast?” Hazel suggested.
A few blocks down, we’d passed a little café that smelled like fried potatoes and maple syrup. My stomach growled, thinking about it. “Food sounds great.”
We killed the next few hours at the café, watched street performers, and did some window shopping. When noon finally hit, it seemed strange that the island still looked as if the sun were setting instead of being high in the sky. That constant, on the brink of night, only added to its appeal. There was something freeing about nightfall; anything was possible.
At noon, Jett banged loudly on the Curse Breaker’s door, getting even louder when no one answered right away. Then, just as she raised her hand to bang once more, it finally cracked open, stopped by a chain at the top.
“Eh, what do ye want?” said a rough, scratchy voice.
Jett lowered her hand and cleared her throat. “We came to see the Curse Breaker.”
“Who’s looking?”
The chain rattled, and the man stuck his head out, his shifty gaze drifting past us. Dreads covered in a black bandana, dark eyes smudged with black liner, and a billowy white shirt, the guy reminded me of a sketchy pirate. This couldn’t be the Curse Breaker.
Jett introduced us. “We’re students at Arcadia. I’m Jett, the faun is Hazelwood, and the blonde behind her is Sheridan.”
His dark eyes lit on me, nodding. “I see why ye’ve come.” He crinkled his nose. “Whoever cursed her, did a good job. Come inside, all of ye.”
The door opened the rest of the way, and the three of us filed inside, one by one, the wooden floor creaking beneath our feet. The apartment was made up of a small living room, kitchen, nook, and a curtain that led to the back rooms. Dozens of books lined the walls, pots hung from the rafters, and almost every available surface was covered with teacups and herbs. The Curse Breaker led us to the table, sliding the potted plants aside to give us room to sit.
“Thank you, ah…what do we call you?” I said, scooting into one of the wooden chairs.
“Breaker will do.” He peeked through the blinds, looking up and down the street, before shutting them again, tightly. I was starting to understand how the dude got his reputation.
“Tea,” he offered.
I shook my head. “No, thanks. We just had breakfast.”
“Not an option.” He stared at me. “Ye will take the tea, drink the tea, and the leaves will tell us what is going on with yer, ahem, situation.”
I smiled awkwardly. “In that case, sure. I’d love some tea.”
He set about the task of preparing the kettle and starting the stove. “Now then, while I’m brewing, tell me about yer curse.”
“Well…” I said, unsure where to begin.
The tablet.
I quickly reached for my bag, fumbling with the leather straps. “This was given to my father shortly after my sister and I were born.” I handed him the heavy square of stone. “Here, have a look.”
Breaker examined it, tracing the carved words with his fingers. “Will not rest until one destroys the other…” He looked up at me. “So yer bound to yer sister?”
I nodded. “Recently, I,” I lowered my voice, “stabbed her with a pair of scissors.”
“Thorny,” Jett said
appreciatively. “When you told us the story, you forgot to mention you went batshit crazy too.”
I sighed, wishing she wouldn’t make it sound like a funny or lighthearted situation. I had lost all rational thinking that night, and I wasn’t proud of it.
“Tricky, tricky stuff,” Breaker said, clicking his tongue. I watched him, wondering what he thought so far, but it was hard to gauge his reaction.
A few seconds later, the kettle began to whistle. Breaker poured a cup, stirred the leaves about, then pushed it toward me. “Drink first—small sips.”
I did as he asked, noting an earthy, bitter taste. It wasn’t bad, but unlike any tea I’d had before.
After a few sips, Breaker took my cup and held it between his palms. He stared long and hard into the leaves, nodding every now and then. “Oh,” he said, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Oh my.”
I sat on the edge of my seat.
“This isn’t looking good, deary.”
I swallowed. “Can the curse be removed?”
“Of course,” he said, like it was a dumb question. “All curses can be removed, one way or another. The question is in the how.”
I smiled, relieved to hear that. “I’ll pay you whatever—”
“I’m not referring to payment. I speak of sacrifice. Ye must give up something in exchange for yer freedom.”
Right. Jett had mentioned that, too.
“What kind of sacrifice?”
He rubbed his jaw, thinking. “Must be bodily sacrifice, yes…”
Oh God. I was afraid to ask.
After several long moments, Breaker let out a breath. “Your womb.”
“My womb?” I gasped.
He nodded. “Giving up your ability to have your own descendants will break the chains that bind ye and yer sister.”
My jaw dropped. Both Jett and Hazel looked just as stunned. “But…I would never be able to have children?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, deary. Should ye decide yer willing, I can perform the procedure today. Be wary, it is a long, painful one that requires many potions and surgery. Ye will hallucinate, face yer demons, and the pain will be terrible. Ye must be ready for this. I only ask for two wots as payment. I’ll leave ye to think it over.”
Breaker disappeared into the other room, leaving us all in stunned silence.
When Jett warned me about this, I never imagined the cost would be so high. I couldn’t help thinking of my childhood baby dolls and stuffed animals, remembering the way I would cradle them, pretending to be their mother—the one I’d never had. I never knew what having a mother was like, and if I did this, I’d never get to be one, either. Well, that wasn’t true. There was always adoption. At least, there was in the human world. I wasn’t sure about Mythos, a place where bloodlines mattered more than anything else.
Hazel was the first to find her voice. “No, this is too much,” she said, sounding worried. “You can’t do this, Sheridan. There has to be another way.”
Jett didn’t say a word. Her sharp black eyes were full of quiet understanding. She knew as well as I did, that no price was too high.
“If there was another way, my dad or my grandfather would have found it by now.”
Their gazes twisted around me painfully. Hazel shook her head and got up. Her hooves thudded across the wooden floor, and she left, slamming the door behind her.
Jett took my hand. “Don’t worry about her. Creatures are primal things. She can’t understand this.”
I closed my eyes to shut them both out. I couldn’t worry about their thoughts. Their emotions. I needed to clear my head. I needed to figure out if I wanted to do this.
The first image that filled my head was of Riley. The two of us, happy and carefree as children, playing with our unicorns and dolls. Could it ever be like that again?
“I’m going to do it,” I said, without opening my eyes. I held onto the image of my sister instead. Who cared if I never created life—at least I could give Riley back hers. I could take back my own. It was enough. It would have to be enough.
25
After Jett left to follow Hazel, the Curse Breaker led me into the back room and gave me a vial of potion. I laid on the wooden floor, and he surrounded me with candles, herbs, and rock salt. Then, he started to chant. The chanting seemed to last for hours. After a while, time didn’t make sense. The potion he’d given me had kicked in, and the hallucinations were starting.
Shadows from the candlelight moved at sharp, irregular patterns. There were also voices. At first, unrecognizable, but they slowly became clearer. Riley’s, my dad’s, and Connor’s were all there in the background of my mind. Whispering, and later, other sounds. Like the sound of fire when it roars to life.
Behind the Curse Breaker, his curtains began to burn, just like they had in Riley’s bedroom. “Fire,” I gasped, widening my eyes.
“Hush,” he whispered, continuing on with his chanting in his rough, scratchy voice.
Beads of sweat filmed against my skin. I knew the fire wasn’t there, but the heat felt real. I could feel the flames as they blazed around the room, sparking and lashing. Soon, I was drenched in sweat, my skin hot to the touch.
Riley suddenly appeared, standing at my feet in her favorite lacy sundress, her strawberry blonde hair left down in loose waves. “You always thought you were better than me,” she said, just like she had only moments before I stabbed her.
You’re not real.
I closed my eyes, trying to ignore her. Breaker warned me this would be hard. No matter what happened, I had to get through it.
“Even now, you think you deserve him more than I do.” She kicked my foot, and I swear I felt it. “And why, Sher Bear? Because you behave? Because you listen to Dad, don’t go to parties, do drugs, or get into trouble? Because you’re good?”
I opened my eyes.
She was still there. Except now, the top right side of her dress was pooling with blood. I blinked, wishing she would disappear, but she stayed at my feet, smirking.
“Or maybe…” She tilted her head to the side. “Maybe you think you’re better because your mother is the woman Dad chose.”
What the crap.
Riley never said that the night I attacked her. She shouldn’t even know. Then again, she wasn’t supposed to know about magic either, and somehow, she did.
“Well, how’s this for irony. I’m the sister Connor loves. You may think I’m undeserving, but I will always be the one he chose over you.”
God, I wanted to stab her all over again.
I hated that I wanted to do it, hated knowing that part of me still existed. But even now, I felt the rage building inside of me, centering in my chest. Those demons were still there.
So I screamed.
My chest propelled me forward, all of that energy lifting me from the floor. Upright, I faced Riley and screamed as loud as I could, directing all of that rage at her. The sound was high pitched, wild, and full of fury.
Riley smiled.
An empty, soulless smile.
I screamed louder, and she never even flinched.
The fire was depleting my energy, making me dizzy and burning me up. Then, there was nothing but darkness.
26
The sound of banging woke me. The Curse Breaker hissed, which meant it probably wasn’t another hallucination.
I slit my eyes open, noticing the strange metal device in his hands, made of two large prongs meant to pry—oh God—pry something from inside of me. Breaker was preparing for surgery.
Right then and there, I changed my mind. What the hell was I thinking? This wasn’t what I really wanted. This was just an act borne of desperation, and I didn’t want to do it anymore. I just wanted to get out of there, go back to my dorm room, and forget the whole thing ever happened.
But when I tried to move, I couldn’t. My arms and legs—they were bound with leather straps. I looked down, seeing I was tied to a gurney.
Not a small hiccup.
Not a small hicc
up.
“No,” I moaned, my voice not fully working.
“Shh,” Breaker said, his scratchy voice impatient. “It will be over soon.”
That woman on the street was right. I was too weak to fight, too weak to talk or do anything. I had this feeling. I knew if he kept going, I would die here on this table.
Behind us, the banging became louder and more persistent. Fed up, Breaker disappeared into the other room. “Go away, ye hear!” he yelled to whoever was at the door.
A muffled voice yelled back. “Open up!”
As the two of them argued, I went in and out of consciousness until a splitting crash made me come to, and the door suddenly burst open.
“Where is she?—Sheridan!”
At the sound of Xander’s voice, I became more alert. Another hallucination or the real thing?
The curtain peeled back, and there he was, in a fit of rage, looking every bit the intimidating gladiator.
He’s real.
“We’re not done,” Breaker rushed to explain. “If she doesn’t complete the sacrifice, her curse will remain intact.”
“Get out of the way—before I move you myself.”
The leather straps quickly fell open and strong arms lifted me up. I still couldn’t believe Xander was here. I told him to mind his own business, and he came anyway. Thank God he didn’t listen.
Xander carried me out of that room, out of the apartment, then outside into the island’s subdued sun. Closing my eyes, I curled my head into his chest because even the faintest amount of light was enough to shake me to my core after being in that dark room for so long…after being with my demons for so long.
“Dammit, Sheridan.” His voice trembled. “What were you thinking?”
“I don’t know…” I hadn’t expected him to get this upset. I knew he would be mad that I’d disobeyed my grandfather, but I never thought he would be this worried.
I’ll admit, it wasn’t my best moment. But my worst one led me here. I didn’t want to become that person again. I didn’t want to destroy Riley. That had to count for something.
