The Keeper's Curse

by Diana Harrison

  “Would it have affected my dreams?” Emmy asked meekly. “Is that why the dream downloader didn’t work?”

  “Answer her,” Breckin commanded.

  “Yes. You are a weak little thing, being half human,” he said, his voice both insulting and wistful. “The last thing Thoreoux needs is you getting stronger with Crawford’s power.”

  Breckin stepped away from him and turned to Circlet. “Now do you believe me? Get Cyrus and arrest him now – he might have already found out about this and is making a run for it.”

  Circlet’s eyes clouded over with something that resembled guilt but not, Emmy noticed, surprise. A horrible thought crossed her mind – was it possible Circlet had known about what Cyrus was supposed to do?

  “As for you,” Breckin snarled, grabbing hold of Milo and yanking him out of the guards’ grasp. “Where is the Book of Curses?”

  “Unhand me you disgusting mimic.”

  “I said where is it?”

  “At my house.”

  Breckin began dragging him by his overcoat over to where they had left the horses. Emmy’s breath caught in her throat – where was Breckin going to take him? Certainly not to Cyrus’s?

  “Is there a way for Thoreoux to get into Methelwood?”

  Milo’s face was no longer red; he paled until he resembled a ghost. “No! No, don’t ask me that – Yes. Yes, he has a portal to Methelwood which I helped create and there is one that will lead to Thoreoux’s living quarters – NO! STOP!”

  Breckin’s eyes were very bright now. “Where? Where is it?”

  Milo began to holler in panic in an attempt to stop himself from speaking. Breckin’s grip on his coat was so tight now Milo did the only thing he could do: he slipped out of it in one fluid motion and bolted towards the gate.

  “Where is it?” Breckin asked again, running after him.

  He continued hollering, heading straight towards the gate, Breckin on his heel. Emmy watched, trying to understand what Milo was trying to accomplish when she saw it – he was running straight towards a bronze statue of an armoured knight brandishing a rapier. Emmy saw it happen both in an instant and in slow motion as Milo rammed his body straight into the needle point of the rapier. The bronze sword went right through his chest, through his heart, and out the other side.

  Breckin didn’t see this coming. He froze for a moment, then panicked, then went to try and help Milo. He held Milo’s limp body, shouting for a doctor, but he was already dead. Within seconds Milo’s skin cracked and burned, dissolving into cloud and light. Breckin’s arms closed on Milo’s palewraith, which fell through his grasp and disappeared into the wind.

  Emmy’s hands clapped on her mouth, paralyzed. She had just seen a man die. Her eyes were drawn to Breckin’s white shirt, a splotch of red slowly growing wider.

  Breckin must have sensed her distress because he was at her side in a moment, wrapping his arms around her, blocking her eyes from the sight.

  “Don’t look at it,” he murmured. “It’s okay, it’s done. I’m sorry he had to die, but it’s done. We’ll get Cyrus and this will be over with, you’ll be safe.”

  Emmy began to shake her head. Cyrus. No.

  “We’ll head over to the Crow mansion straight away,” Circlet’s voice said grimly. “A sixteen-year-old boy, my goodness. This is going to be a brutal trial. He’ll be locked away forever.”

  “No,” Emmy said, her voice cracking. “No, you don’t understand –”

  Breckin pulled her back from him to face her. “It’s okay, you’ve done enough. I’ll go with Circlet, but you can just stay here.”

  “With any luck Cyrus will be able to tell us where that portal is,” Circlet said, trudging passed the two teenagers.

  Emmy knew she had to do it. Now. “He won’t tell you because he doesn’t know.”

  Circlet snorted. “He was handpicked to murder the most important person in the world, according to his master. I highly doubt that.”

  Emmy pushed herself away from Breckin’s chest, untangling herself from his grip. “He doesn’t. Thoreoux didn’t trust Cyrus, not completely. And he was right – Cyrus was never going to hurt me.”

  She was aware the attention had shifted to her. Both Circlet’s and Breckin’s eyes were piercing into her. She had to come clean now – it was out in the open, and if she didn’t, it would cost Cyrus his life.

  “Cyrus is innocent,” Emmy said and began to speak very quickly. “It’s true, he was supposed to kill me but he was never going to do it. He tried to stop Thoreoux’s attempts the whole time, protecting me when he was supposed to stay back and let it happen. He was pretending to be on Thoreoux’s side but he’s not. He’s not. Please don’t hurt him.”

  It was Circlet who spoke – Breckin seemed to be speechless. “My dear, I know the idea of him locked away forever is awful, but he is very dangerous –”

  “He isn’t! He isn’t, he saved my life. I’ve been tracking down the mental patients with him for over a week now. He helped me. That’s how I knew they were mental patients, we figured it out together. And he gave me a note when I was attacked at the school, and he directed me out of the downloader room the night I was attacked by the patients.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us this before?” Circlet demanded.

  “Because of the Possession Curse! They’re watching us all the time, and if Thoreoux knew Cyrus had betrayed them he would have killed him. I’m only telling you now because we have all the patients now and Milo is dead so Thoreoux can’t hurt him.”

  Emmy couldn’t look at Breckin and unfortunately she didn’t have to. She could feel his betrayal in her head.

  “I have the note,” she added. “And the mental patients are in Cyrus’s basement. He’ll tell you everything, Circlet. He just went along with the whole thing because he didn’t want Thoreoux to kill him and his family.”

  Circlet knitted her brows. “Why would you two collect the dead bodies?”

  “They’re not dead – we kept them alive. We just needed a dark place to keep them in so they couldn’t see or move.”

  For the first time that morning, Circlet’s face released its knots of worry and unhappiness. She looked relieved, almost hopeful. “Then we can still save them. If we can find Stockwell’s notes we may be able to reverse the possession before they die.”

  Circlet’s mouth hung open. Nobody spoke for several minutes while she thought, the guards confused and waiting for orders on what to do next. Emmy turned to Breckin, who was staring at the ground. He refused to look at her, and when she tried to reach him telepathically, something happened that never had before: he had put up a wall so she couldn’t get in.

  “You and Cyrus Crow really did all this? By yourselves?” Circlet asked in awe.

  “Yeah. We did it at night.”

  A little smile of respect pulled at the edges of her mouth. “You really are something, Miss Rathers. I don’t really know what, but you are.” She turned to the guards. “Alright, I guess we’re going to Cyrus Crow’s for possession victims. The five of you, come with me. I trust Miss Rathers is telling us the truth, but I want backup in case she isn’t being honest or is misinformed. It looks like we are going to need to scour every inch of this orb for the portal. You two – go to Milo Stockwell’s house and search for the Book of Curses and any translations he might have written. Crawford and Rathers, what are your plans?”

  Emmy needed to be there when they went to the Crow mansion. She needed to explain to Cyrus why she did what she did.

  “I’m going with you.”

  “Crawford?”

  His head jerked up, dazed. “I’m going with you too,” he said. “If Cyrus is innocent I need to see it for myself.”

  They all went their separate ways, making their way back to their horses.

  Chapter 22

  An Unforeseen Proposal

  Circlet had to knock seven times before Cyrus finally opened the door. It was a good thing he did; if he had stalled anymore, Circlet probably wou
ld have broken the front door down.

  He must have seen their group coming from the window because he didn’t look surprised to see them.

  “Governor,” he greeted her.

  “Good morning, Mr. Crow,” Circlet said pleasantly. Emmy didn’t know how she did that, staying so level-headed after everything that had happened that morning. “We request to search your house and ask your family a few questions, including yourself.”

  He looked both bewildered and angry. “Do what you want with me,” he said. “But don’t you dare involve my family. Let’s do this outside.”

  “The chances of us arresting you are miniscule,” she said. “In fact, if you cooperate, and everything Emmy Rathers has said about you is true, then you will gain only my utmost protection and respect.”

  The inquiring look he always cast on Emmy was now being thrown Circlet’s way. Emmy hid behind the guards out of his sight.

  “Emmy? Emmy told you? No, she would never do that.”

  “Don’t be alarmed, Mr Crow,” she said, and gave a brief explanation as to what had happened that morning. Cyrus’s shock was almost comical – Emmy had never seen him show so much expression before.

  “Stockwell? I remember Stockwell when he was transferred,” Cyrus said, opening the door for the visitors. “If I had seen him I would have told you. I would have recognized him instantly.”

  Breckin and Emmy trailed in last, and Cyrus’s eyes widened when he saw them. His glance at Breckin was very short before his attention turned to Emmy. He stepped towards her as if he were about to hug her, but backed off at the last second.

  “Are you alright?”

  She smiled shyly. At least Cyrus wasn’t angry with her.

  Breckin stood between them, shifting his eyes between the pair of them, in the end letting out a low hissing noise before he stomped off with Circlet. Cyrus didn’t seem to care at all.

  “Come, I’ll take you into the parlour. Are you hungry? I’ll have the cook make something for you, anything you like.”

  She declined the offer but she did want to sit down, so he led her into the parlour.

  This is so weird, Emmy thought. Last night they had been fighting and he was now being nicer to her than he ever had been before. Not that she was complaining.

  The next hour was filled with interrogation, and a lot of it. Emmy was properly introduced to Brynn and Cyrus’s mother Brenna for the first time, who told them everything they knew, which was virtually nothing.

  Breckin offered to ask Cyrus questions under driver command, and Cyrus accepted it. Since he couldn’t lie, this removed the last bit of doubt from Circlet and Breckin that Cyrus was guilty.

  “So, I suppose that’s all, then,” Circlet said at last.

  Fevered red spots flushed Breckin’s cheeks. “What do you mean that’s all? You’re not going to arrest him? Nothing?”

  “He’s on our side,” Circlet said. “I mean, we’ll have to do an official report, but I think that’s enough for today. The fact you have a Keeper is out in the open, and that there is a portal to Thoreoux’s living quarters in Methelwood. Not to mention his ally was living here under our noses for four years. Do you have any idea how much damage control I have to do? The press is going to be all over this –”

  Breckin stood up, knocking the chair he was sitting in over. “But he’s still a horrible prat!”

  “I saved your life you ungrateful bastard!” Cyrus thundered.

  For the first time since the hospital, Breckin looked at Emmy. “I can’t believe you’re friends with him.”

  Before she could defend herself he stomped out of the room.

  Circlet’s eyes were shining, and Emmy had a feeling she was trying not to laugh. “Ahem, well, anyway – Mrs. Crow do we have the go from you that we –”

  “It’s Miss Hawthorne.” Brenna’s voice was fierce.

  “My apologies, Miss Hawthorne – may we search your dungeons for these mental patients? They need to be attended to right away or they will die.”

  “Of course.”

  The room emptied in the next minute, everyone going their different directions, leaving Cyrus and Emmy alone.

  Emmy leaned back in her chair. “He hates me.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, he does not hate you. He’ll get over it – he’s got the attention span of a gnat.”

  “Don’t,” Emmy warned.

  “Fine, no jibes at Crawford. Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat?”

  Emmy shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. The mansion was always so cold – how could Cyrus stand it?

  “If you don’t want to talk about Crawford, there’s something else I want to address,” Cyrus said. “Now that everyone is gone.”

  Distraction was exactly what she wanted; it was weird Cyrus knew that. “What?” She turned to look at him and noticed he suddenly appeared very uncomfortable, even slightly ill. “Are you okay?”

  “About last night,” he said. “I just want to ...” he choked, “apologize.”

  Emmy was fairly sure Cyrus had never said that before in his entire life. She was oddly touched.

  “You couldn’t have known why I was ... acting the way I was, and I want to explain it now.” He loosened his collar. Emmy was curious now; she wasn’t used to seeing Cyrus in any way flustered. “Now that we’re out in the clear, I can be with you in public.”

  Emmy laughed disbelievingly. “Are you saying you want to be friends?”

  “Along those lines ... actually, I wanted to ask you ...” He looked like he was about to vomit up the words. “... You know the Blossom Ball is tomorrow night, right?”

  This was not what she had expected at all. “Yeah?”

  He closed his eyes, trying to regain composure. His eyelids were pale blue, and Emmy wondered how much sleep he had been getting.

  “Would you like to go with me?”

  Emmy’s jaw dropped.

  This is definitely a day of firsts, she thought. Breckin was angry with her. She had seen a man die. And someone was asking her out.

  She couldn’t believe this; she had never been asked out before. Back in Canada, because she was friends with the majority of the boys at school, it hadn’t occurred to them to think of her romantically. The closest thing to dates she had gone on were when her friends asked to “practice” dating with her before they asked the girls they actually liked out. They hadn’t understood why she had been upset by this, so she would sigh and accept being the dating guinea pig, getting a lot of free dinners and movies along the way.

  But this was very different.

  He was waiting for her answer in silent torment as she considered this. It had never crossed her mind to think of him that way before. And he didn’t act like he liked her either. But then again, he was as clueless about dating as she was – he hadn’t been around girls his entire adolescence.

  They did get along well enough, she thought, when they weren’t snarking at each other. And she never noticed before, but he was sort of good looking. How had she not noticed before?

  With a little quiver of her lip she let out a tiny, “Okay.”

  He let out a breath Emmy hadn’t realized he had been holding. He looked at her as if she had hit him. “Really? You actually will?”

  She let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, I actually will. What, you didn’t think I’d say yes?”

  “Well, no.”

  She shook her head at him, not being able to suppress a grin. He really was a strange boy.

  “I’ll see you at school tomorrow, okay?” she said to him. “The Woodworkers have probably just found out what’s going on and I’ll have a lot of explaining to do.”

  “I understand.”

  “I know those animals are still around,” Emmy said, getting up from her chair to leave, Cyrus following. “But we don’t really have to worry about a few owls, right?”

  He shook his head. “I wouldn’t worry about it. They’ll die soon, anyway, and then they’ll all be gone for go
od.”

  She nodded as Cyrus opened the front door for her. “I just hope they find that orb.”

  “They will,” he promised. “Will you be fine to walk home?”

  “I have a horse,” she said. “Thank you, Cyrus. I meant it.”

  He shrugged. “You were the one who figured it out. I should be thanking you. You saved my family.”

  “And you saved me. I guess we’re even.”

  He still looked bewildered, standing in the doorway, as if he couldn’t quite believe this was real. She had been hoping for a smile, but he still seemed too dazed for that. That was alright though; she could wait. She would get that smile out of him one way or another.

  They exchanged a goodbye and she made her way back down the steps towards her palomino waiting in patience at the gate. She felt giddy, both in a good and bad way – she had just been asked out, by Cyrus of all people, but they still weren’t in the clear. Thoreoux might find out about what had happened, and there was still that portal to worry about. And Emmy didn’t even want to think about what Breckin would do when she showed up at the Blossom Ball with Cyrus. She just hoped that vein in his neck wouldn’t explode.

  Chapter 23

  Last Chance

  She said yes.

  Cyrus couldn’t believe it. He had been exposed by Circlet, had Ministrialian officials in his dungeons examining possessed patients he had gathered in the middle of the night at this very moment, but that was what he couldn’t believe.

  Brynn and his mother were thrilled with him for what he had done, which made it all the more surreal. Everything was going so well. It made him suspicious.

  He made his way back up the staircase, down several corridors adorned with torches and suits of armour, and back into his room. He lied down on his enormous four poster bed dressed in a canopy of dark green velvet.

  Liking Emmy had never really been part of the plan. He had actually quite disliked her when they first met, not only because of the trouble she had caused him, but her snoopy, stubborn personality in general. But after a while, after spending so much time watching her from afar, he began to think of her less of a subject and more of a person