Witchling (Curse of Kin)

by Ari Harper

  “Well, Hannah, in my opinion, you can take this young man home. Everything appears to be fine. I suggest you keep him quiet for a couple of days, if you can. Then everything can go back to normal. If you feel he has any problems, give me a call or bring him back in. I really don’t expect to see you though, Roman.”

  “Thanks, Noel. We appreciate all you have done.”

  “All we did was stabilize him. He did the rest himself. You guys take care,” he said and left the room.

  “Well, young man, give me a hug.” Mom opened her arms wide.

  “Want Nera too,” Roman insisted with a cheeky grin.

  “I want you too, buddy.” I gave him a big squeeze.

  “Let me go. That’s too tight.”

  “Never, Roman. I’ll never let you go again.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  After school, Brie, Sully, and I ventured over to Jasper’s to see what was happening in the land of the curse. I had been too scared to leave Roman for the last few days, and he’d protested that I was smothering him. I couldn’t win.

  Hugo pushed his way into the kitchen first to claim what he decided was his reward for the run over to Jasper’s. Jasper was in the kitchen having an intense conversation with Bones when we walked in.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” I looked from the frown on Jasper’s face to Bones, who was grimacing, his arms crossed as he looked at Jasper.

  “We were just discussing the week’s events, girl dear.”

  “And?”

  “I feel it is time to push your learning, Nera,” Bones said, turning toward me. “Jasper doesn’t want to rush you. I, however, disagree with him.”

  “Is this what you were arguing about the day after Roman fell in the river?” I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck prickling.

  Both men looked at me, then quickly at each other before coming back to me.

  “Well, was it?”

  “Yes, it was,” Bones replied.

  “Why? I mean, not why you were arguing, but why would you suddenly want me to learn faster? Before you wanted me to take my time and come into my powers properly.”

  Sully and Brie inched closer. I could hear Sully sucking in short, sharp breaths, and Brie was pulling at her hair, twisting it around her fingers. Their tension was on a par with mine.

  “With what is happening, Nera, I feel that we have no choice.” Bones was paying way too much attention to his fingers while he spoke. “I think Edrith is already here and is the one causing the problems. Jasper does not agree with me, hence the arguments.”

  “I do not agree because it is not certain.” Jasper shook his head. “My main concern is that if we push Nera too hard, she will burn out. We can’t afford to risk her like that. There will not be another chance if we lose her.”

  “I still don’t get it. What makes you think Edrith is here already?” I was getting nervous.

  “I think it was her that caused harm to Brie and Roman,” Bones replied. “Remember we said she could hurt those around you. She has started.”

  “Why?” I asked with alarm.

  “Probably because now they know that you are stronger than the others and won’t be so easily disposed of,” Jasper replied. “Your powers have come through very quickly. I suppose they were thinking that you would be weak like all the girls before you.”

  Bones spoke again. “What it means is that you are stronger than any of us had hoped for or expected. They were expecting a weak battle, and once again they expected us to lose. Your mother has fallen with twins by your account. You also have Roman. All these factor into your powers. You can draw off them and harness their energy if you need it. You just need to know how,” he said. “I am the only one who can help you. That is why I was chosen, because of the skills that only I have.”

  “But I thought you were a Wiccan too, Jasper,” I said.

  “I am, girl dear, but Bones is the only one who has any powers that match yours. There are things he can teach you that I know nothing about. He was your grandmother’s apprentice too, you see. There are things that he alone knows. He is your protector because at the end of the day, he is the only one who can be. You know the rules of the curse now, Nera. I will help you all I can, but it will be the two of you against them.”

  I glanced back to Bones, feeling uncertain. “Why do you think it was the other side? Couldn’t it have just been an accident?”

  “No, I don’t believe so. It’s not the first time they have tried to erase Roman,” Bones said. “Unfortunately, it’s this time that they very nearly succeeded.”

  “What are you talking about? There haven’t been any other accidents, have there?” I looked at each of them in turn.

  “Nera, remember when you found Roman that time we went camping. He got lost. He was a small boy of three. He couldn’t have gotten to that mineshaft by himself. It had to be them,” Jasper said.

  I remember that Mom had been hysterical that day. We had gone camping up in the woods by the national park. We had been setting up our tent when we noticed that Roman wasn’t with us; he had slipped away. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. Roman had been found miles away from where we were, and we couldn’t understand how he had gotten so far. He was such a little guy, and it seemed impossible. Now I could see it clearly. I can’t believe I had forgotten that incident. With a sick feeling churning in my stomach, I tried to place any other incidents that could be attributed to the Others.

  “What you have to realize, Nera, is that your circle is larger than your predecessor,” Bones said. “When you factor in your brother and the babies.”

  “That’s right,” Jasper agreed. “I did tell you that Brie and Sully would be in danger too, but it’s not just because they know about the curse now. It’s because they are more than likely connected to you through the family tree. That is something Bones is working on. Distantly as it may be, it is still a connection and that puts them in danger.”

  I looked at my two best friends. Could they both be involved in this curse as well? Things just get better or worse, whatever way you wanted to look at it.

  “Things that have happened to you both may have appeared like an accident, but that is not always the case. Sully would probably be more affected than Brie, because she has always been here. He had to be put in the position that would force him to come here because this is where it all started.”

  Bones looked at Sully. “Why did your family move to this town, Sully? Wasn’t it something to do with your mother?”

  “Don’t you dare bring my mother into this, you bastard,” Sully screamed and swung his arms at Bones while Brie and I tried to hold him back. “She is not for public display. Leave her alone. It’s none of your damned business.”

  Jasper stood rooted to the spot, looking shocked at Sully’s sudden outburst. As far as we knew, they had moved here for her health. I knew she was frail but not why. We never really discussed her. Sully made it feel like that subject was off limit’s.

  “Sully.” I grabbed hold of his shoulders. “Tell me what happened, please.”

  He hung his head and heaved a sigh; tears ran down his face. “It can’t be, Nera. Surely no one would do that just to get me here. No one would cause her that much pain for a bloody psychic battle, would they?”

  “What happened to her, Sully? You have to tell us.”

  “I couldn’t believe it happened. She was always so vibrant and full of life.” Sully paused, and I ran my hand down his arm.”She used to design the most beautiful clothes. Dad always said he had trouble keeping up with her, even though they are the same age. When I was born, Mom decided to bring her design studio to the house. We had a huge home, and Dad converted the basement into a workshop for her so that she would always be there for me. She refused to have a nanny, said she could be a full-time mother and designer. The girls who worked for her used to come to our house, and they would look after me too some of the time. It seemed like the perfect life until the accident.”

  Sully ru
bbed his eyes. Jasper came over and put his arm around Sully’s shoulders. “Keep going, Sully. You are doing fine, son.”

  “One day she had a showing in town of some of her latest designs. We usually took the car, but I had a thing about trains. I’d never been on one before, so she decided to make it a really special day for me. You can imagine an eight-year-old on a train in the city. I thought I was the best kid around that day. Mom pointed out all the exciting sights and famous buildings to me and then it was our stop.

  “She told me to hold her hand when we got off at Pearse Street station, but I didn’t listen. I was so excited, I jumped off and ran down the ramp and out of the station. I didn’t even look before I ran out into the road. I was just so excited that I didn’t think. A car was coming, and it clipped her just enough to throw her into oncoming traffic. She never saw the second car that hit her.

  “After several operations, the doctors told us they had done all they could for her. They never blamed me for it, but I blame myself every day. Dad thought that she would be better somewhere quiet, somewhere that didn’t remind her of all she had lost.”

  “Couldn’t she work after her accident?” Brie asked.

  “No. The doctors think that she blocked off what happened that day, but she lost more than that. She hasn’t worked since the accident. It’s all my fault.”

  Jasper and I wrapped our arms around Sully.

  “I don’t understand what this has to do with the curse.” Brie shrugged her shoulders. “It’s like Sully was on a totally different planet than Nera. We didn’t even know we all had a connection back then.”

  “But you all do, Brie. Even though you and Nera grew up together, everything that has happened in your life was geared for to this point in time. You were all predestined to be in this together. It is just unfortunate that they used Sully’s mother to get him here.”

  “Why do you think it was deliberate? Can’t it have been an accident, plain and simple?” I asked.

  “Because I have seen it all before,” Bones replied, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Things that you would not wish to dream about. For generations I have had to watch while Edrith manipulated the players in this game. They have perished, and once again, here we are readying ourselves for battle. My guess is that you and Brie are related distantly, as I said, and it would make sense to try to get rid of you all at once. There is a connection, Sully. I just have to find it.”

  His eyes darkened as he looked at us. “This time, there are more of us. This time we will be stronger, and this time…” He paused with his gaze on me. “This time we will not lose.”

  ***

  Later that afternoon, curled upon the bed in my room, Sully, Brie, and I brooded together.

  “Why didn’t you tell us, Sully?” Brie asked. She ran her hand up and down his arm, her gaze full of pity.

  “And just how do you think I should have done that? ‘Hello, my name is Sully, and I am the sole cause of my mother’s heartache and inability to work because of my stupidity when I was a child.’ I don’t think that would have endeared me to anyone, do you?”

  “Snap out of it.” I couldn’t believe we didn’t know this. “I thought we were a team here. I thought we didn’t have secrets from each other.”

  “It wasn’t a secret,” Sully defended himself. “I just didn’t want to advertise how dumb I was as a kid.”

  “Look. It really doesn’t matter anymore,” I said. “It’s no longer important, the whys and ifs and buts. The only thing that is important is the coming battle and our part in all of this.”

  I got up off the bed and dragged my fingers through my hair and started to pace while I thought. “I just can’t believe Bones is in this.” I looked at my friends. “Why haven’t we seen him around before now if he’s always been here?”

  “Maybe because it wasn’t important before now, Nera, and we just didn’t notice him. Getting back to the important things, what are we doing here in this whole deal? I mean, we don’t have powers, so why are we involved in this?” Sully asked.

  “It might have to do with the whole power thing,” Brie said. “Bones did say that Nera is stronger and can draw off the babes and Roman. Maybe she can tap into us as well.”

  “I think you could be onto something, girlfriend. It could be positive energy that I can draw on. Surely that would be worth checking out,” I said. “We will have to run it past Jasper.”

  I heaved a great sigh. There was too much happening, and I was torn between wanting to do the right thing and turning my back on it all and pretending it wasn’t there. I knew that I couldn’t after what had happened to Roman but still, the thought of brushing this off was rather appealing.

  “Well, I should practice if we have any hope of winning this deal. How about you go outside, Sully, and sit with Mom, and I will work on you?” He held his hands out and I locked fingers with him and pulled him to his feet. “You need to let me in, Sully. You can’t close me off any longer, so stop trying, okay.”

  “There better be cake downstairs, Nera,” he said, walking out of my room.

  “What can I do?” Brie asked.

  “Just sit with me, Brie. I feel more me when you are around.”

  I worked for ages on Sully; getting in his mind, changing his thoughts, and blocking them until he came upstairs and told me to stop.

  “I can’t think straight any more, Nera. My head is pounding, and my brain feels like marshmallows. I’m not sure I like the idea of you in my head all the time, though. Talk about an invasion of privacy.”

  Brie laughed as we walked down to the kitchen.

  “All for the greater good Sully—toughen up,” I said.

  Mom and Dad were on the back deck; Roman was curled on Mom’s lap, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open in that cute way that it was when he slept.

  “Bye, Mr. and Mrs. O’Reilly”, Sully said. “Time I left and spent some time at my own house.”

  “Walk me home first. It’s getting dark.” Brie threaded her arm through Sully’s.

  “I’ll walk you both home.” Dad got up. “Won’t be long.”

  “Thanks, Mr. O’Reilly. See you tomorrow, Nera.” Brie wiggled her fingers in farewell.

  I waved my friends off and sat down beside my mother.

  “I’m glad we have a moment together, Nera,” Mom said. “I have something I want to share with you.”

  Oh God, I know what it is, Mom. I tried to look like I was interested.

  “What is it, Mother dear?”

  “I thought it was time I told you that your father and I are expecting another baby. I realize that this might be a shock for you,” she said rushing on, “but it will work out, honey. We can all do with some good news just now, after the shock with poor Roman, and I hope you feel this is it. You know how much I have been wanting another child and…”

  “Slow down, Mom,” I said, laughing. “Don’t get so flustered. Of course I’m happy for you, for all of us, and yes, I know you wanted more babies. “

  “Are you sure you don’t mind, honey?”

  “Mom, why would I mind? You and Dad have enough love for all of us. I’m a big girl. I can deal with you having more children. I was never the possessive type, and I think it’s great news for all of us.”

  We sat together in comfortable silence. I could see that Mom dreamed of her new baby while I tried not to let the thoughts of the babies being hurt show on my face and upset her. I must try to act normal. I can’t let Mom catch on that anything is wrong. I gave my mother a big hug when Dad walked up the back path.

  “What’s this, girl bonding time?” he asked.

  “Mom just told me the news, Dad. It will be good to have another baby in the house again,” I looked up at him. “Brie will be beside herself. You know how she carries on with babies. I can’t wait to tell her.”

  “It is good news. Mom and I are blessed with our children, very blessed indeed.” He smiled at Mom and me and brushed his hand over Roman’
s head. “I think this young man should be in bed. He has had a busy week. Come on, little man,” he said and picked the sleeping child up. “Let’s get you to bed.”

  “I think I’ll go to bed too, Mom, an early night with a book for a change.” I stood and stretched.

  “Okay, love. See you in the morning,” Mom said. “Love you.”

  “Love you too,” I replied as I climbed the stairs to my room. Love you too. If only you knew how much.

  The frustration of the last couple of weeks felt like a heavy weight on my shoulders. I slumped down on the edge of the bed. My head throbbed with all the thoughts of what could happen, what might not happen, the what-ifs, the how-to’s, the why-not’s, and the how-comes.

  There was a light tap on my door, and Dad poked his head into the room. “Honey, what’s wrong?” he asked walking toward me.

  “I don’t know, Dad. Maybe the last couple of weeks are catching up with me.” Even without telling him about Jasper’s curse, there had been enough happening to throw the sanest person out of whack.

  “Just as well the holidays are here, Nera. I think it will be good for you to have a break,” Dad said. “Please just make sure that you take care when you are out running and with your friends. I really don’t trust that boy not to try to hurt you again.”

  “Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll be fine.”

  Mom popped her head in the room and stood watching us for a moment, her eyes shining. “Is everything all right here?”

  “Just talking about Nera making sure Hugo is with her whenever she goes running. There is too much riffraff out there these days, and I don’t want her going alone anymore.”

  “I agree with you, Jack. You can never be too careful, and it won’t hurt him to get the exercise, either,” Mom said. “I’m off to bed too. See you in the morning.”

  Dad looked at me and smiled. “You can do anything you put your mind to, Nera. You know that don’t you.”

  “You probably say that to all the girls, Dad.” I laughed, the tension gone now as quickly as it had come. “Off to bed with you, Father. We have work to do tomorrow. We never did get into the attic with, Jasper.”