The Spider's Curse

by H. K. Varian

  Gabriella looked serious for a moment. “Sakura’s magic inflicts pain to whatever it touches. I learned a bit about how healing and spirit-walking magic are two sides of the same coin, so I just . . . put them together.”

  “Pain . . . ,” Mack said, realizing something.

  “Mack, I’m so happy for you,” Gabriella broke into his thoughts. “We’ve missed you.”

  Mack transformed into his kitsune form. His third, shadowy tail was gone. His fur was snow white again. He was truly himself once more. He could rejoin the fight of good versus evil—on the right side.

  He transformed back into his human self so he could talk to Gabriella more easily.

  And in that transformation, Mack made a big decision.

  “You know what I have to do,” he said to her.

  “You have to come home with us,” she insisted.

  “No,” Mack said. “I have to do my best to make sure Sakura loses this war. I can’t do that if I come back with you.”

  Gabriella shook her head. She knew the real Mack—the brave, stubborn, too-ambitious Mack—well enough to know what he was thinking. Tears ran down her cheeks. “You don’t have to do anything, Mack. Come back with me.”

  I want that more than anything, Mack thought. But this is too important.

  Mack smiled at his friend. “The only way to take Sakura down is to do it from the inside,” he said. “She’s too tricky, too smart, and way too determined. You’ll need inside information to win.”

  “It’s dangerous,” Gabriella told him. “We could lose you again. You could lose yourself.”

  “I have to do this,” he answered simply. “You know it, and I know it.”

  This is how I can thank Gabriella for saving me, Mack thought. This is how I can make it up to the others—all the wrong I did under Sakura’s control. And how I can thank Jiichan for being the best, most loving grandfather I could have had.

  “You’re no longer a shadow fox,” Gabriella said. “Sakura will see your white fur. She’ll notice the missing tail. Whatever else she is, she’s smart.”

  “She is smart, but so am I,” Mack said. “She taught me something really important—illusion. It took a while, but I’m a good student. I mastered it.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating. When he transformed this time, he changed back into his shadow self, complete with a third tail. Don’t worry, he communicated telepathically. I’m still me.

  He transformed back and smiled at her.

  “I can hide who I really am—at least until the time is right. She’s had such a strong hold on me that I don’t think she’ll suspect anything’s wrong. She’s too consumed with seeking revenge on my grandfather. She’s blinded to almost everything else but that.”

  “But what can you do with her that you can’t do fighting by our sides?” Gabriella asked. “Why do you have to stay with her?”

  “So I can send you information about the Shadow Fox’s army and its movements. We’ll take her down much more quickly this way. I know we will.”

  Gabriella’s eyes welled with tears again. “But I saved you,” she said, falling to her knees. “I healed you. I finally did it. You can’t leave.”

  “I’m so grateful,” Mack said. “You did save me. You don’t know how much I want to go home, but I have to do this. This is the best way I know to make up for all the pain I caused.”

  “You didn’t,” Gabriella said. “Sakura did. Don’t blame yourself.”

  “But this was my fault,” Mack said. “I was impatient. My grandfather told me to stay away from her—you all did—and I went after her by myself at Wyndemere. I thought I could deal with her one-on-one. That was a huge mistake, and that’s how she got to me.”

  “Don’t you want to see your grandfather first?” she said.

  Mack shook his head. He knew that would be too hard. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to leave him again, Mack thought. It’s better if I don’t see him.

  “Tell Jiichan I’ll see him soon,” Mack said. “Tell him I learned from my mistakes. Tell him I called him Jiji,” he added, using the pet name he’d called his grandfather when he was really little.

  Before Gabriella could object again, Mack called up a burst of power and ejected her from his mind.

  Bye, Gabriella, he thought. Thanks for saving me. I’ll do everything I can to help you defeat the Shadow Fox.

  Chapter 12

  Aftermath

  Fiona encased Mack in a bubble of water the minute he fell into unconsciousness and transformed. She didn’t want to see her friend hurt, but she also couldn’t let him get away.

  Daniel, the nahual, had proved to be an expert fighter. He was approaching Mack with a set of magical chains when Mack woke up. He transformed into his shadowy kitsune form and instantly turned Fiona’s water bubble into mist with his dark flames.

  Then he leaped between Sakura and his grandfather, his back to Mr. Kimura, stopping their uneasy dance. Fiona saw some kind of telepathic communication between Sakura and Mack, but they shielded it from everyone around them.

  Mack didn’t even look at his grandfather, Fiona thought. But he doesn’t seem nearly as angry as he did earlier. Something’s different. Something’s changed.

  Fiona looked around for Gabriella, but her friend was still in the hall. The battle seemed to be winding down, but they had to keep their guards up—especially now that Sakura had appeared. None of the First Four’s followers had been captured, but a few of Sakura’s soldiers were in chains.

  While Fiona watched, Sakura waved her tails in a circle, and a dark portal opened up behind her, just like the one she had opened in Willow Cove when she first took Mack away. At the end of that fight, Sakura had pulled Mack in with her. This time, he was the first one to jump through.

  He looked over his shoulder and flashed Fiona with a wicked smile.

  Before she could respond, Sakura’s other minions, those that hadn’t been captured, rushed into the portal after Mack. Sakura stood alone, her eyes on Mr. Kimura.

  He raised a paw, ready to attack. But in the blink of an eye, Sakura joined her soldiers and the portal closed behind her.

  The battle was over. Mack was gone—again.

  The remaining Changers began to examine their wounds. Daniel went from Changer to Changer, healing whatever needed to be healed.

  Darren and Esi headed to the park to meet her cousin, and hopefully, her father.

  Ms. Therian and Yara cast spells to put the apartment back to rights. Gabriella stepped into the room just as the door magically came together and covered the entrance to the apartment.

  Miles and the mo’o helped the others wrestle their prisoners to Kenta for transport.

  “Can you get the others back home?” Kenta asked Margaery.

  She smiled and raised her previously injured arm, showing him her muscles. “Don’t worry about me,” she said. “I’m tough.”

  “We’ll get these traitors to prison, then,” he said. A second later he and the prisoners had disappeared.

  With Sakura’s soldiers gone, Fiona felt free to talk.

  “Something felt different about Mack just before he left. It was like he was himself again. But that can’t be true, can it?” she asked Mr. Kimura. “He fought for Sakura, and he left with her. The real Mack would never do that.”

  “Were you able to reach him at all?” she asked, turning to Gabriella.

  Gabriella took a shaky breath.

  She looks exhausted, Fiona thought. What battles did she have to wage in Mack’s mind?

  “I felt it too,” Mr. Kimura said. “Gabriella, you succeeded in bringing our Makoto back, didn’t you?”

  “I did. It was actually thanks to Daniel,” Gabriella said, nodding toward the far corner of the room, where Daniel was healing another injured fighter. “He taught me about healing, and that was when I realized that that’s exactly what Mack needed. Dark magic isn’t like Changer magic. It’s full of pain. It feels like something that needs to be
healed, not conquered. I decided to try that with Mack.”

  “And it worked,” Mr. Kimura said. “You are wise beyond your years, Gabriella.” He looked toward Fiona. “All four of you have a wisdom and bravery that consistently impresses me for ones so young.”

  “But I’m confused,” Fiona said. “Did Sakura succeed in turning Mack again? His fur was still dark like that . . . And if he’s healed, why did he go back with Sakura? Why didn’t he stay so he can help us defeat her?”

  “I tried to get him to stay,” Gabriella said. “I pleaded with him, but he thinks he can do more good for us from the inside. He said he learned illusion from Sakura, so he’s able to make himself look like a shadow fox, even though he isn’t one. And he said that staying close to Sakura is the best way to defeat her.”

  “He’s right,” Yara said. “He can help us win this war from the inside, from the very center of Sakura’s lair. He’ll have access to vital information he can pass along to us. It’s genius, really, that he thought of it.”

  “Won’t that be dangerous?” Fiona asked. “It’s not like he’s a real superhero. He’s a youngling Changer just like the rest of us. What if Sakura figures it out? What if he gets caught? She could . . .”

  Fiona didn’t need to finish her sentence. Every one of them knew the dangers.

  “He said he’s mastered illusion magic,” Gabriella said. “We have no choice but to trust him in this. I couldn’t clap him in chains and force him to stay. He wants to help us, and this was the best way he could think of.”

  Fiona shuddered. I hate the thought of him spending one more second with Sakura than he has to. What if he gets caught? Or worse, what if Sakura turns him again? If he’s mastered illusion magic, how will we even know?

  “We’ll need all the help we can get if we have any chance of succeeding against Sakura,” Ms. Therian said. “Mack’s inside information will make a big difference. Sakura’s numbers are rising.”

  Mr. Kimura was quiet but seemed resigned to Mack’s decision.

  Ms. Therian moved away to help Yara put the rest of Tani’s apartment back together, leaving Fiona and Gabriella alone with Mr. Kimura.

  “Thank you for what you did for Makoto,” he said to Gabriella.

  “He wanted you to know how sorry he is,” Gabriella said. “He talked about how much he had learned from his mistakes and how he was going to do better in the future. That’s a big part of why he went back with Sakura—so he could make up for the hurt he caused.”

  Mr. Kimura was quiet and thoughtful, his head bowed.

  Gabriella could feel his sadness, but she didn’t think that was something she could heal. The only thing that would heal Mr. Kimura’s pain was to have Mack at his side again.

  “He wanted you to know how grateful he is,” Gabriella added softly. She could feel herself on the verge of tears. “He said to be sure to tell you he called you Jiji and that he’d see you soon.”

  Mack’s grandfather gave Gabriella a hug, his own eyes overflowing. “Thank you,” he said. He reached for Fiona and pulled her into the circle. “Thanks to both of you for believing in Makoto.”

  “We’ll get him back,” Fiona said, wiping away a tear of her own. “We’ll defeat Sakura, and we’ll bring Mack home.”

  Chapter 13

  forgiveness

  The minute Sakura disappeared through her dark portal, Esi wanted to go to the park to find her cousin and—she hoped—her father. Darren couldn’t let her go alone. He let the others know where to find him and followed Esi down the fire escape just in case.

  Darren was relieved to see that she still carried the bag with Circe’s Diadem inside. He had forgotten about it in the heat of battle. Its magic would be disastrous in Sakura’s hands.

  When they reached the bottom, Esi opened her bag and showed him the ancient relic again. “I don’t want the others to see, but you can borrow the diadem if you want,” she said. “I trust you. I know you won’t use it the wrong way.”

  Darren wasn’t sure he did want it. Even if Ray is a Changer, he can’t lift the curse on us or protect me from Sakura. I’ll be putting him in danger—at least until this war is over—by giving him the choice to have Changer powers.

  “It’s probably not a good idea right now,” Darren said.

  “You’re right,” Esi said, putting it back into her bag. Then she took a deep breath. “I hope you do find a way to break the curse. For what it’s worth, I forgive you for whatever your ancestors did to mine.”

  “Thanks,” Darren said, though he realized how hollow the words felt.

  “It’s silly to hold a grudge for a thousand years. I know that, even if my ancestors didn’t. But my forgiveness probably won’t do you any good,” Esi said. “No one else I forgave ever had their curse lifted.”

  Darren shrugged. “I know you would break the curse if you could. That means a lot. Professor Zwane is working hard to find another way. That, or to find another spell that will protect me from Sakura’s mind control.”

  He eyed the diadem again. “You should keep that, but not in your purse. You and your father need to find a safe place for it and guard it with protection spells. If it falls into the wrong hands . . .” Darren’s voice trailed off while he thought about the disastrous consequences the diadem could cause in the hands of Sakura or one of her followers.

  “We’ll find a safe place for it,” Esi said. “Sakura won’t get the diadem. I promise.”

  They walked toward the park. After the intense battle in Tani’s apartment, the busy streets didn’t seem nearly as hectic or as loud as they had earlier. None of the nonmagical people around them could possibly guess that the two of them had just been in a major battle. Esi, in her yellow sundress, still looked like a cool, carefree New York City girl.

  It was hard to believe that barely an afternoon had passed since Darren landed in that parking lot. He was beginning to feel like he had known Esi for a very long time.

  “So,” Darren said awkwardly as they neared the park, “I know you said your dad doesn’t let you out much, but maybe you could come to Willow Cove and train with us sometime.” He could feel his face getting hot, and he hoped Esi wouldn’t notice that he was blushing.

  Esi laughed. “Now that my dad thinks that you’re part of the new First Four? There’s no way he’d allow that.”

  “Even though the First Four just risked their lives in battle to protect the two of us from Sakura?” he asked.

  Esi shrugged, embarrassed.

  “What’s his problem with the First Four?” Darren asked. “Do you know?”

  “I don’t,” Esi said. “It’s another one of those grudges that goes way back.”

  “There are too many of those in the Changer world,” Darren said. “We need to find a way to work together—for good. Our generation has to do a better job.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Esi said.

  “The new First Four are going to need allies, counselors. . . . We’re still learning, but we do want to lead better. To do that, we have to get to know other Changers and find out what they want.”

  “Anansis are different from other Changers. You can’t just lump us all together.”

  “I don’t want to,” Darren said. “I want to learn about the different anansi families, and your history. You can teach me.”

  Esi smiled. “You have a lot to learn,” she teased.

  “So do you,” Darren teased back. “You’re wrong about the other Changers. They aren’t blind followers of the First Four. And I can teach you that whatever problem your father has with their leadership can be solved. I’ll see to it.”

  “Give me your phone,” Esi said with a challenge in her eyes.

  Darren handed it over. Esi scrolled through his apps and then typed something.

  “Here,” she said, handing it back. “You just friended me on InstaInstaChat. We can be pen pals until we go to Wyndemere Academy together.”

  Darren was about to ask her if her dad was really going to le
t her go away to school—he seemed more than a little overprotective—when they stepped into the park. In seconds they saw what looked like Esi’s dad and his guards standing with Esi’s cousin, Tani.

  Esi’s father rushed toward his daughter.

  “Are you all right?” he asked Esi. “When I found Tani here by herself I thought the worst.”

  “I’ve been worried about you, too,” Esi said. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you call or text?”

  “Some of Sakura’s soldiers followed us from the restaurant. Until we were sure we lost them, I thought it was too dangerous to be in touch. I didn’t want them to use me to track you down.”

  “I’m fine, Dad,” Esi told him. “Sakura and her minions showed up, but Darren and I fought them off together. And just when I thought we were going to lose and end up as Sakura’s prisoners, the First Four showed up to help.”

  “The First Four? To help you?” Esi’s father couldn’t hide his surprise.

  “They came to our rescue,” Esi said. “I don’t know what would have happened if they hadn’t. And I couldn’t have done any of it without Darren.”

  Esi’s father turned to Darren and shook his hand. “Thank you,” he said. “I’m sorry if I was rude earlier. I meant no offense. I’ll do whatever you need to help you break the curse.”

  Should I tell him that his daughter already offered her forgiveness? Darren wondered. Or will that get Esi into trouble?

  He hoped to get some sort of signal from Esi herself, but her face was blank.

  “Thank you,” Darren said finally. “Professor Zwane is looking into some other options for my protection. We don’t want a lot of new people suddenly transforming into impundulus while we’re in the middle of a war.”

  Mr. Akosua seemed impressed. “I think that’s wise,” he said. “If I can help Sidima in any way, I’ll be happy to.”

  Wow, am I winning him over? Darren thought, shocked. Maybe there’s real hope for Changer peace when this war with Sakura is finished.

  Before Darren had a chance to say thank you, there was a ripple in the wind, and Fiona and Gabriella appeared with Margaery.