Cursed: Briar Rose's Story (Destined Book 6)

by Kaylin Lee

  “The storm outside is absorbing the magic from the air and the land and every living thing on this continent. The more magic the storm absorbs, the stronger it grows. It’s been approximately five days since the storm was activated. We estimate that by tomorrow night, it will be so strong that anyone mage who sets foot outside will be enervated immediately.”

  There were several gasps followed by a rumble of frantic whispers among the mages.

  “In two to three more days, the storm will reach its zenith and become strong enough to turn every living thing on the continent to dust. The magic that sustains us will be sucked in to the crater for the sole use of the Masters.”

  “But we’re in the palace.” Lord Falconus sat in the front row beside Damon, clasping his wife’s hand like he was afraid the storm would reach right into the room and sweep her away. “Surely, we’re safe behind the walls—”

  “Even if we had enough stores of magic and food to last beyond a few days—which we don’t—at that point, the storm will seep through the walls. There is no guarantee of safety, not outside that crater. There is no escape from this storm.” The prince narrowed his eyes at the group before him. “There has been word of a movement of collaborators for years now. I hope it’s clear to you all that the Masters have not left us even the possibility of surrender. The only path they’ve given to us is death—ours or theirs.”

  “So we’re all just going to die?” A pale, narrow-faced man with dark hair spoke from the center of the crowd.

  “Yes.”

  The room erupted.

  “Unless.” Estevan’s hoarse shout rose above the pandemonium. “Unless we stop it.”

  “But you just said it couldn’t be stopped!”

  “We can’t stop it, no. But we can move it. We can move it into the sanctuary they’ve built in the crater and turn it on the very ones who created it.”

  “I thought the crater was impenetrable.” A burly, bearded Sentinel spoke from where he stood at the edge of the room, his voice gruff. “Only a hidden tunnel to access it, right?”

  “It is, yes. But we believe we can move the storm and the statue that created it back inside the crater the same way they moved it out to turn it on us—with alchemy.”

  Lord Falconus’s blonde wife—Weslan’s mother, a powerful creator mage—looked ill. “But we’re not like them,” she said faintly. “We don’t know the first thing about that kind of magic.”

  Prince Estevan nodded to Chloe, who stepped forward.

  “At the Office of Ancient Kireth Research, we’ve been researching alchemy for five years. Making curses for training and all that.” She inspected her nails, her posture knife straight. “And at times, I’ve occasionally dabbled with the stronger stuff.”

  Mage Fortis’s horrified look was matched by several other mages. “What does that mean?”

  “It means Chloe can do this.” Ella pushed her way to the front of the room, turned to the assembly, and planted her hands on her hips. “She’ll tell us what to do, and we’ll do it for her. We’ll make a curse strong enough to move the statue back over the crater wall, and another one strong enough to bring the storm to full strength as soon as it’s safely inside the crater. All the Sentinels will have to do is get close enough to use the curses. Once the hostages are rescued, of course.”

  “What’s left of them, you mean,” someone muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “We’ve confirmed their safety,” Prince Estevan said curtly. “They’re still living, still awaiting rescue. We won’t let them down.”

  “But I thought no one could leave the palace, even now.” Lord Falconus crossed his arms. “How will they get to the storm without being blown into piles of dust like everything else? It takes hours just to reach the base of the Gold Hills in a fomewagon.”

  “Another curse.” Chloe lifted her chin. “To transport the rescue team into the Gold Hills, the same way the Masters transported themselves into the city five years ago. A transportation curse.”

  “You can do that?” Mage Fortis leaned forward, her attention fixed on Chloe.

  “I know how, yes.” Chloe regarded Lady Falconus with a steady gaze, barely blinking. “But I can’t do it alone.”

  Weslan’s mother blanched. “I see.” She slid a trembling, pale hand up to her mouth. “And how much … how much do you need from us?”

  Chloe’s face was expressionless, her bearing stiffer than I’d ever seen it. She regarded Lady Falconus for a moment, and when she spoke, the word sent the room into chaos.

  “Everything.”

  Chapter 35

  The midnight meeting in the dining hall threatened to spin out of control after Chloe’s announcement.

  “To make the curses as strong and efficient as possible,” Chloe continued with an unwavering voice, speaking over the uproar, “we will need to align our will and our magic as one. Expellant mages, we will work together to pour our own will and magic into these curses, giving them as much strength as anything the so-called Masters have produced against us. We’ll give everything we have and only transport the most essential personnel and equipment into the Gold Hills, as close to the crater as we dare. It will be enough.”

  “But what do you even mean, everything?” The dark-haired mage spoke again.

  “I mean we will enervate ourselves to create the curses.”

  “But—”

  “Enervation is coming,” Chloe said sharply. “You’ll just be enervated sooner than the storm would take you. Our bodies will be kept safe, deep within the palace, protected from the storm, and cared for by the medics. When the Sentinels stop the storm, and there’s magic in the air again, they will revive us easily enough.”

  “But if they fail—”

  “Then we’ll die like everyone else.” Chloe raised her brow. “At least you’ll be asleep when the end comes. Consider it a mercy.”

  There was another wave of furious whispering among the mages. The room vibrated with tension.

  Prince Estevan cleared his throat. “I wish I could say I could give you time to think it over, but the moment of decision is already at hand. Every second we delay, the storm gets stronger, and it will be that much harder for the team to make it to the crater and move the storm before losing their strength. So, if you’re with us, please stand. You’ll have ten minutes to say goodbye to your loved ones, and then you’ll adjourn to the safe room, where Chloe will instruct you in making the curses.”

  Raven took Estevan’s place at the front, her expression sober. “Sentinels,” she called over the din of panicking mages. “We’ll be drilling the plan for getting the hostages out of the crater. As soon as the mages have our curses ready, we’ll leave. Take ten, like Chloe said. Say your goodbyes. Once we start drilling, we’re on mission.”

  “We barely made it to the palace conscious, and that was three days ago.” The bearded Sentinel who’d spoken earlier addressed Raven, his thick brow furrowed. “How are we going to hike through the Gold Hills and find the crater, much less get anywhere near the statue, now that the storm’s even stronger?”

  Raven glanced at Chloe, who bit her lip. “If we are fast enough—”

  “Sorbus.” Si straightened beside Alba. “There was still a mine full of the stuff in the Hollow when the Masters decided they’d taken enough and closed it with the miners inside. But we blasted a hole in the entrance.” He rubbed his beard, glancing at his brother Anton. “If you can get there, you might be able to mine a few pieces for each Sentinel. Fix it to your helmets. Use it to keep the storm off your skin.”

  Anton nodded slowly. “Even better, transport the teams directly into the Hollow. The mountains are full of sorbus, and the valley is so narrow, the wind barely stirs the trees. That’s probably the only place in the Badlands sheltered from the storm.”

  “Thank you.” Chloe seemed to release a breath. “You’ll have to come with us and help me direct the curse, then.”

  Si grunted. “Will do.” He approached the front of
the room, then stopped when Alba followed. He stared back at her, horror spreading across his face. “You stay with my brothers,” he said, his eyes wide. “Alba, please— Anton, take her—”

  My sister slipped deftly out of Anton’s grasp and swished past Si, her feminine movements graceful. “I’m with you, Chloe,” she said loudly, weaving through the crowd of mages toward the front. “And I’m not alone, am I?”

  Si jogged up to her and finally caught her when she was already beside Chloe. He whispered something, but Alba shook her head, her lips tight.

  “Am I?” she asked again, arching a brow at the crowd.

  Lady Falconus stood abruptly. “I’m with you.”

  “Darling!” Lord Falconus shot to his feet, looking wildly between his wife and Alba. “But you’ll never wake—”

  “I’ll wake to a rescued Theros and a celebrating city. Right, Sentinels?” For some reason, she glanced back at me as she spoke.

  “Right.” Corbin answered confidently from somewhere to my right. “You will indeed.”

  Lady Falconus embraced her husband then marched to the front of the room. “Then I’ll see you when the sky is clear.”

  Chapter 36

  I sprinted through the dark, low-lit hallway, curses blasting my heels. I dodged one, then another, then dove to the floor when an unfortunate splash of liquid immobilized my left ankle.

  The tingly liquid seeped into my skin, reminding me of more curses, more pain—

  I slammed my obcillo crystal to my ankle and broke the curse as the tall, broad-shouldered mage loomed over me, his pale, featureless mask making him look frozen, a force straight from my most recent nightmare.

  “Time!” Raven’s shrill whistle split the air. “Seven minutes, forty-six seconds! Rotate the masks and return to stage two positions. Hustle, hustle! We need to shave at least a minute off that time before departure.”

  The man who’d nearly caught me yanked off his mask. Corbin. He grinned and held out a hand, pulling me to my feet. “You’re striking fast, Bri. As always.”

  I rubbed my ankle, then took the mask, my fingers feeling thick. “Not fast enough.”

  “Hey.” He frowned, pulled me closer with a yank on the mask. “Don’t say that. Everyone’s coming home.”

  My throat tightened as I pulled my hand out of his. “I know.”

  “Bri.” Tavar was there, standing a little stiffer than usual as Corbin edged away from me. “Are you well?”

  I stared at the mask hanging from my finger. “’Course I am.”

  How does that feel, traitor? My mother’s image appeared in my mind’s eye, burns spreading across her frozen, sleeping face.

  “Stage two positions! Get to it, Sentinels!” Raven’s bellow shook me out of whatever had just happened.

  “Just do it,” I mumbled to myself. “Just—”

  I slipped the mask over my head, then crumpled to my knees, my breath gone. The hastily constructed walls of the training model seemed to press together, squeezing me between them.

  To my everlasting humiliation, Tavar’s was the first face I saw when he slipped the mask off my face, and his arms the warm, firm force that lifted me out of my panic and carried me to the bench beside Raven.

  People spoke. I answered questions, feigning a clarity of mind that was the furthest thing from the truth. She still wouldn’t let me drill, Raven said at some point, her worried, tired eyes leaving mine. I had to stay with her.

  When the drill resumed, she addressed me again. “You’re not ready to face the Masters, Bri. I can tell.”

  “You have to send me,” I ground out, leaning on my knees as I sat beside her. “You need me.”

  She was silent for a moment, studying her gold-faced clock, then frowning at the noises coming from the model.

  “You’ll go after the statue with Tavar,” she said at last. “Stay out of the crater, out of the action. All he has to do is use the curse on the statue, transport it and himself inside, and accelerate it, and get out with the last curse before the storm destroys everything in the crater.”

  “Fine.” I couldn’t argue with that. If my failures led to weakness when rescuing hostages, I’d never forgive myself.

  “Tavar will keep you out of trouble,” Raven added, nodding to herself. “You’ll be safe with him. Your dad’s still going to be furious, but he’ll like this plan better.”

  As long as he was alive, I didn’t care what he liked. I kept that thought to myself.

  In the end, it was good that I’d been benched. That meant I was right next to Raven when Ella entered the training area, right there to observe her stricken expression as she met Raven’s eyes, communicating something I knew on instinct they wouldn’t be sharing with the group.

  Ella looked thinner, somehow, with deep creases under her eyes, her prominent belly jutting out under her wrinkled dress. Wisps of dark hair covered her ears and forehead, and her bun had slipped low and lopsided. She stood for a moment, swaying, like she’d collapse before making it to us.

  Raven stood. The rest of the Sentinels continued the drill.

  My stepsister approached with jerky steps, a small, wooden box in her hands. When she reached us, she faltered, her red-rimmed eyes wide and glassy. “It’s time,” she rasped. “But, Raven …”

  Raven leaned close. “What is it?”

  “The mages were all enervated before they could finish the curses.”

  My stomach sank. The remaining magic expellant mages held in their bodies had been our last hope against the Masters. Now it was gone, and it still wasn’t enough?

  “How much did they complete?” The tension in Raven’s shoulders belied her steady tone.

  “Almost everything.” Ella’s fingers tightened around the box. “Everything except the last curse.”

  The last curse?

  Transport to the Gold Hills. Transport the statue inside the crater. Accelerate the storm. Get the last Sentinel out.

  The Sentinel who accelerated the storm would die with it.

  Me. It had to be me.

  Chapter 37

  I stood, no longer pretending not to eavesdrop. “You promised,” I bit out when Raven noticed me, her expression darkening. “You gave me your word.”

  It was nearly dawn. After drilling all night, we had no more time to prepare, much less to debate justice. It was time for me to pay for what I’d done.

  I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more. Every nerve in my body stood at attention, desperation warring with terror that she’d deny me this chance. I had to make up for my mistakes. I had to.

  Ella stared at me, her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

  I could sense the Sentinels looking our way as the drill finished without Raven calling time as usual.

  “You promised,” I repeated.

  “Promises get broken.” Raven looked exhausted, but her bloodshot eyes were as steely as ever.

  “Not this one.”

  I sensed the exact moment of her surrender—the moment her tight shoulders sagged, and she looked away.

  “Fine,” she spat, glancing her shoulder. The other Sentinels must have noticed Ella and the box she held, because they were removing their masks and approaching our corner. Raven pulled the box from Ella’s hands and opened it, removing the smallest two vials and handing them to me. “You win.”

  I tucked the tiny, cold vials into my pocket with a shaky hand, moving quickly so no one would see them.

  Ella darted forward and gripped my arm, her fingers surprisingly tight given that she looked tired enough to fall over any moment. “No,” she hissed. “That was not the plan. No one would agree to this.”

  I felt like a brute as I pried her fingers from my arm and squared my jaw. “It’s the right thing to do.”

  “It’s the furthest thing from right.”

  Raven gave a final shake of her head and held up one hand toward Ella. “Nothing about this is right. But this is the world those monsters created—one with no good choi
ce and no way out. And if it isn’t her, it’s going to be some other Sentinel.” She straightened her spine. “We’ve got a chance, Ella. You and Chloe and the mages are giving us a chance. That’s more than we’ve had since this storm began.”

  The fire glinting in Ella’s eyes made me nervous. She’d always been so gentle and kind, so warm, especially since marrying Weslan. Now, she looked about as gentle and safe as a bear in the Badlands. “I won’t allow it.” The sharpness to her voice made me jump.

  “It’s her choice,” Raven ground out. “And it’s time to go.”

  “What’s going on?” Tavar had reached us, and close behind him, the other two dozen Sentinels who would be coming on the mission.

  “It’s time.” Raven ignored his question and addressed the group with an authoritative bark. “Get your gear and assemble in position for transport. We only get one chance at this, Sentinels. And every second we delay, the storm gets stronger. Get to it.”

  Ella’s eyes flashed, but she turned from me and strode to the door, apparently too angry even to say goodbye.

  “What exactly was that?” Tavar asked me as we jogged to the area that held our stripped down, essentials-only packs.

  For some reason, I couldn’t look at him. “I’m on your team now,” I said, annoyed at the shaky quality of my voice. “Raven gave me the curses. She wants me to be the one to accelerate the storm inside the crater.”

  I shoved my arms into the straps of my pack and returned to the platform we’d constructed for the transport curse, but Tavar was close on my heels.

  We crowded onto the platform. “No, she said it should be me. I’m the one.” I could feel Tavar staring at me. Why couldn’t I make myself look at him? “She already assigned me.”