Curses and Ash

by Tiffany Daune

  Halen shook her head. She could fry all the potatoes in Idaho and happy would still be a long way away.

  Dax’s cell phone rang again and he answered it before the next beat. He nodded, mumbled, and then shook his head.

  “What is it?” Halen asked, though judging from his frown, it wasn’t good.

  “They’re on foot. My dad had to ditch the car. The police barricaded the city due to the fires in the Bay. No one’s getting in; it’s almost as if the entire city is under a restriction spell.” His gaze slid toward Tage.

  “What’s a restriction spell?” Halen asked.

  “Nothing that concerns us.” Tage stuffed more bagel in her mouth, preventing her from saying more.

  Halen turned back to Dax. “So where are they now?”

  “Well, that’s the interesting part.” He went to the window, turned the latch and pushed it open. At once, the charred stench of a melting city drenched the room.

  “Close it!” Ezra buried his nose in his sleeve.

  “Just a sec.” Dax stuck his arm out the window and waved.

  Halen thought he had gone off the deep end when a soot-covered bird fluttered before them and perched on the tip of Dax’s finger. Quickly, he brought the wren inside and shut the window.

  The bird flitted around the hotel suites, darting in and out between the two. When the wren completed its check, the bird flapped its wings so vigorously Halen thought the little wren might explode. Instead, with a flash, the bird morphed into the body of a slight girl.

  “Lina!” Halen smiled.

  Lina plucked a feather from the corner of her eye and coughed.

  Halen handed her a glass of water from the cart.

  “The smoke,” she wheezed. “I need a few minutes to adjust.”

  “Where are the others?” Dax asked.

  She held up her hand, still coated with fluffy down feathers. Her newly cut copper hair fell to her chin. Without her veil of long hair draping her shoulders, her milky bare flesh drew everyone’s gaze to the floor.

  Tage riffled through her backpack and yanked out a pair of white pajamas. “You can put these on.” She nodded toward the bathroom.

  Lina scooped the clothes against her chest. “Thank you.” Ignoring Tage’s suggestion for privacy, Lina slid on the shirt, rolled the sleeve hems and pulled on the pants.

  “How far away are the others?” Dax asked.

  “They’re a few blocks north. My brother put on quite the show. I hope he doesn’t get himself tranquilized, or a bullet in the butt.”

  “What do you mean?” Halen asked. “I hope he’s not using his body as a shield again. That didn’t go so well the last time.”

  Lina folded the hems of the pajama bottoms. “The police wouldn’t let us through the barricades so Tasar shifted.”

  “In front of everyone?” Ezra’s jaw dropped.

  “Well, why not?” Lina shrugged. “Dragon wings are beating the sky; the ocean is on fire—a bear in traffic won’t make the news.”

  Dax illuminated the screen on his cell phone. “I should wait for them in the lobby.”

  “No, you can’t!” Tage glanced toward the glowing stone.

  Lina followed her gaze. “You’ve locked yourselves inside—why?”

  Tage gnawed her fingernails.

  “Tage?” Halen stepped toward the coffee table. “What is Lina talking about?”

  She slumped in the chair. “I couldn’t take the chance that Asair was alive in you.”

  Lina’s shoulders rolled back; she sprang to the balls of her feet. “He’s here? Is that why the flames still burn?”

  “No!” Halen backed away. It would be easy for Lina to slit her throat and vanquish Asair’s soul. Halen was no match for her magick. Why had Tage blurted her suspicions? What kind of friend was she? Halen had to turn this around. Be convincing, she told herself—or was that Asair’s voice in the back of her mind? “I can’t believe you, Tage! Why don’t you trust me? I trust you!” She stood in front of Tage. Her heart beat with a frantic rhythm as Lina watched her every move. “After all we’ve been through, you think I’m lying? Some friend you are.”

  “We need to be careful. What if Asair deceived you?” Tage’s voice was small.

  She felt horrible for calling out Tage, but she was too close to the truth. She couldn’t back down now. “Remove the spell! We’re on the same side here. I want the flames to stop just as much as you do.”

  Tage didn’t budge.

  “Tage—remove the spell!” Halen leaned over the chair, placing her hands on the armrests.

  “Why?” Tage crossed her arms.

  “Why not?” She wasn’t getting anywhere with her. Tage was stubborn, but this was ridiculous. She stepped away, shaking her head. “Why won’t you believe me?”

  “That’s exactly why I did it.” Tage pointed at the glowing rocks. “The Halen I know wouldn’t care if we were locked inside. Asair, on the other hand, would want to get away before your mom had time to purge him.” Her tone softened. “Just consider it, Halen.”

  The glowing rocks set her on edge; the urge to run consumed her. Surrounded by people who wanted to help her, why then did she feel like the hunted?

  “We need to bring the others here safely, then we can discuss this further,” Lina said. “I wasn’t here when the spell was cast. I’ll meet them in the lobby.” She opened the door as the cell phone rang.

  Dax spoke and walked to the window, and Halen followed. Alarms screamed and red lights flashed between clouds of smoke; the glow of flames from the Bay illuminated the sky. Below, a husky bear galloped with Daspar and Corinne by his side. Daspar ran with his arm outstretched; a neon blue streak emanated from his palm and the crowds parted, allowing them a clear passage.

  “Room 2311.” Dax ended the call.

  “Well, that’s something you don’t see every day,” Ezra said.

  “I forget what every day looks like.” If Halen woke to find a stack of books, warm toast, and cup of tea by her bed, she would find that kind of normal strange now.

  Dax placed his hand on her shoulder. She rested her cheek on his fingertips. His energy warmed her through to her bones. When she glanced up, his lips quirked with a half-smile.

  “We’ll get you out of here,” he said. “I promise.”

  “I don’t want anyone else to die.” Dax may be used to a life where people lost their lives for the cause, but she couldn’t live with souls of the dead haunting her conscience.

  “We’ll do what it takes,” he said.

  “Like with Asair? You don’t know what it was like.”

  “I was there with you—I felt everything.”

  Lina spoke, “Taking a life never is never easy, but you have to consider your opponent’s motives. Sometimes, death is the only way to survive.”

  Ezra’s gaze darted to Tage. “I don’t like this.”

  The heavy pounding on the door made Halen jump.

  Lina rushed to open it.

  As soon as the door cracked open, a woman—her hair matted, her eyes rimmed with soot and sleepless nights—pushed past Lina.

  “Mom!” Halen ran to her, wrapping her arms around her so tightly as if she were a life raft in the wake of a storm. She buried her face in her mom’s dark hair. She smelled of nights sitting around a campfire, pulling Halen back in time before all the chaos and the ruin that came with her true destiny—before she understood the cursed life of a siren.

  “Thank heavens you’re all right.” Her mom squeezed her.

  Glancing over her mom’s shoulder, Halen smiled at Daspar.

  He winced when he smiled back, lines sprouting across his forehead, where ash settled in the creases. “Hey, kiddo.” He stumbled into the room with Tasar by his side.

  Tasar had transformed back into a young man, curly rust-colored fur still coated his body. He rubbed Halen on the top of her head as he passed. “You’re looking good, girl.” He hooked his nail through the cord fastened around her neck and eyed the oval stone. “
Glad to see you still have this.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of taking it off. I only wish I could have helped you go home.”

  “Never give up hope.” He winked.

  When her mom nudged him, he dropped the necklace back on her chest. She guided Halen out of the way so she could shut the door and secure the chain. “I know it’s silly.” She shrugged. “Habit, I guess.”

  Halen smiled, knowing the chain would be useless against a Hunter, but she loved her mom all the same for wanting to keep her safe.

  “Remove that spell at once!”

  Halen’s attention snapped to Daspar.

  “We have Hunters on our backs. You don’t want to be stuck in here.” Tage opened her mouth to speak, but Daspar cut her off. “Now!”

  Tage’s shoulders slumped as he passed her by without even a hug.

  Halen didn’t get it. Tage was like a daughter to him.

  Without protest, Tage knelt, chanting the words to remove the spell.

  Dax strode over to his father. He wrapped his arms around him. Daspar patted him heartily on the back; Tage eyed them from beneath her dark lashes.

  “It’s good to see you, son,” Daspar said.

  “And you.” Dax stood back.

  From his jacket pocket, Daspar pulled out a small vial. The smoky contents faded from violet to bluish green, transitioning through to a jaundiced yellow—the Hunter Otho’s soul.

  Dax rubbed his arm, where two welled lines, branded by the Hunter’s gold arrow crossed over his birthmark.

  Daspar placed the vial in Dax’s hand, not letting go. “The Hunters are coming for us. If they believe Corinne and I still have Otho’s soul, we can distract them while you get to safer ground.” He turned his attention toward Lina. “Can you create a portal from here?”

  She placed both hands on her hips and tilted her chin toward the ceiling. “Not there,” she said under her breath. She stomped the floor with her heel, then crossed over to the window. “What happened here?”

  “A dragon cracked the glass.” Ezra huddled next to Tage, scooping the water in the ice bucket as her spell melted.

  Lina’s long, thin eyebrows arched high. “Perfect.” Placing her hands on the window, she blew out. The glass rippled with her breath. “This will work.”

  “We can’t separate again.” Halen gripped her mom’s arm. “Come with us. Besides, if we take the Hunter’s soul, they’ll follow. There’s no reason for you to stay here.”

  Her mom placed her hand over Halen’s; her dark eyes narrowed. “When we find a way to stop the fires, go to Etlis. I will find you.”

  Asair knew how to stop the fires. All she had to do was surrender. Nevertheless, there was no guarantee he would free Etlis. “What if there isn’t a way? What if the fires continue to burn?”

  “We’ll find a way,” Daspar said. “We were just on the wrong path. All these years, we thought Asair’s death was the key, but now we know that’s not the case.”

  “I don’t think he’s dead,” Tage said.

  Halen shrank back, shooting her a stern glare.

  “What do you mean?” Daspar asked.

  “Tage thinks Asair’s soul is inside Halen,” Dax said.

  “Is this true?” Daspar’s voice held a strange inflection of hope.

  Her mom nudged her back, ever so slightly away from Daspar. Did her mom know? Could she feel Asair?

  “I’m not feeling anything,” Dax said.

  “And that’s pretty freaking scary—you’re her Guardian,” Tage blurted.

  “What about you?” Daspar turned to Tage.

  “Nothing!” Tage shook her head. “It’s like her emotions are turned off. Even now, with us talking about her like this, I should be able to feel how pissed she is, but I feel nothing.”

  “Maybe I just have a better handle on things.” Halen couldn’t believe this. Tage was going to blow this whole thing wide open in front of everyone. Didn’t she care what Lina and Tasar might do to her? Would they protect her or shove her out the window into the next fire ring?

  “Or maybe Asair does.” Tage crossed her arms.

  “Get over it, already. I killed him. I’m just having flashbacks of his memories.”

  “That’s normal.” Lina too stepped in front of Halen. “She entered his seam. She’s bound to have residual memories and it might even effect your ability to read her. We can fix this in Etlis.”

  When Lina reached back, soft green light emanated from the center of her palm, jumping with static energy. Halen’s sparks awoke with tingly fear. What was Lina up to? Was she preparing to strike? And at whom—Daspar? They were all on the same side here.

  The outer corners of Daspar’s eyes sprouted with lines as he studied her. He possessed Dax’s same haunting stare, the fiery look that melted away self-confidence.

  “Corinne, perform the test.” Daspar’s harsh tone alarmed Halen.

  “I don’t think that’s necessary.” Her mom’s smile was tight. “I’m sure Halen would know. Remember how sick you were when Pura entered your body? It took you months to adjust to her memories while they merged with yours, and then when her soul took root, you vomited for days. You couldn’t even get out of bed.”

  “I was human. My lungs, my blood, my heart, even my brain changed. Halen is a siren already. Do the test,” Daspar said.

  Halen looked at Tage. How could she rat her out?

  Tage shifted her gaze to the floor and Ezra placed his hand on her shoulder.

  Halen swallowed hard. Already, sides were being drawn.

  “None of this is necessary,” Tasar said. “We all know Halen killed Asair.” He nodded toward Lina. The green glow in her palm spun to turquoise.

  “It’s all right.” Corinne touched Lina’s shoulder. “I’ll perform the test.”

  Lina’s hand balled and the glow extinguished. She stepped aside, leaving Halen in the open.

  Her mom couldn’t perform a test in front of everyone. Her heart raced, searching for a way out of this colossal mess. “Mom, I’m fine. I don’t need a test.” Her gaze darted to Dax. “You watched him die. Tell them.”

  His jaw was tight, his arms crossed.

  Before she could protest further, her mom grasped her by the back of the neck, yanking her forward. Her hot palm sent a chill down Halen’s spine. She squirmed, trying to break free.

  “Be still.” Her mom’s fingers curled on her neck.

  “Mom, I—”

  “Shh,” she all but hissed. With her free hand, she wedged her thumb and index finger against Halen’s left eyelid, prying it open so she couldn’t blink. Halen’s eye watered. With the tip of her nail, her mom scraped out a tear. When she let go, Halen rubbed her eye and then the back of her neck where she was sure her mom’s nails had left an impression.

  Heat flushed her cheeks as everyone watched her mom bring the tear to her tongue. Her back was to the room, so only Halen saw the shock flicker in her eyes when she tasted the tear. Halen recalled the same stricken look in her mother’s eyes when she was nine—after setting their beach house on fire. Her mom no longer looked at her as a daughter, but as something to fear.

  Corinne licked the tear away and her lips puckered as if fighting back her own tears, but when she turned toward Daspar, a soft smile played on her lips. She reached back, gripping Halen’s hand. “There’s no sign of another soul. She’s telling the truth.”

  Halen’s frantic heartbeat thrummed in her ears. If her mom was lying to Daspar, the one person who had always been there for them, then the truth was as dangerous as she had thought.

  “I’m sorry, Halen,” Tage said. “I just wanted to make sure.”

  Corinne turned to Lina. “We need to get them out of here before the Hunters come. How fast can you create the portal?”

  “I’ll start now,” Lina said.

  “Good.” Her mom shoved her toward the other room. “I think I may have scratched you a little. Let me have a look in better light. I can also remove the stitches from your ear. You do
n’t want a scar to form over the thread.”

  “Mom, I’m fine.”

  Her mom’s death grip tightened. “Always so stubborn.” She pushed Halen inside, hurrying past the bed, and into the bathroom. She shut the door behind them, secured the lock, and turned on the tap full force.

  “You have to listen to me.” Her mom’s words were rushed, her voice low.

  “You know—don’t you?”

  “You were smart to keep this to yourself.”

  “You’re sure he’s alive?” Halen already knew the answer, but to have confirmation made it seem that much worse. “I don’t feel him all the time.”

  “Your tears are sour, which means your body is fighting his soul.” She glanced back at the door. “Your emotional memory will also fight a merge because you tried to kill him. You have to accept him or purge him. You won't be able to coexist. Has he spoken to you?”

  Halen nodded. “A few times.”

  “He’s aware. Sometimes a transferred soul takes time to realize they’re in another body. They can lay dormant for years without the host waking them.”

  “You can purge him though, right?”

  Her mom leaned against the counter, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes.

  “Mom? You have to get him out!” Her voice grew shrill.

  Her mom slapped her hand over Halen’s mouth. “I can’t do anything. This is beyond my capabilities, but there's someone who can help.” She dropped her hand by her side.

  “Who?”

  “Her name is Jae. She’s an Etlin—a very powerful shifter.”

  “Then take me to her. I want him out.”

  “She lives in London. You need to find her on your own. She'll know what to do.”

  “What? I can’t go to London! How am I supposed to do that?” Her voice rose and then she lowered it once more. “This is ridiculous. Take him out of me!”

  “It’s too dangerous. The separation would leave you a shell of your former self. If Asair’s clinging to you, he could drag a part of your soul out with him. I can’t perform a task of this magnitude.”

  She glanced in the mirror. They shared the same dark hair, but nothing more. Halen had her Elosian father’s heart-shaped face and bright green eyes, but she had the best parts of her mother—she had her strength and her will. “I’m strong, mom. Take him out—at least try.”