Curses and Ash (The Siren Chronicles Book 2)

by Tiffany Daune

  As Halen chugged the orange soda; Asair yawned. What are you doing? I was trying to sleep, but your heart is going to beat right out of your chest.

  “Jae’s getting us sugared up for the purge.” Halen eyed Jae as she poured a blue liquid into a clear bottle, then shook until it glowed.

  Halen, I have to tell you one more thing before Jae purges me.

  He sounded worried, and she didn’t know if was the sugar or his emotions, but she grew queasy.

  I need you to be able to trust me when I’m in the new host. Even if you don’t want to come with me, I need you to know you can count on me.

  Halen chugged back another swig of soda. You make it sound like you’re leaving.

  There’s something I have to do.

  She scanned his thoughts, but he blocked them right away. That’s not fair.

  The less you know the better.

  And look how well that’s gone.

  I don’t want you to get hurt.

  I’m already hurt. I’m a mess. Jae’s going to drag you out of me somehow, and I’m supposed to go back to Dax like nothing happened? I don’t think I can. I don’t even know what to believe anymore.

  A heavy thud boomed from the other side of the room. Halen’s attention snapped to the door. Her sparks flickered into overdrive as Jae jumped up from her desk. She pressed her finger to her lips, motioning for Halen to be quiet.

  The knocking grew more insistent. Had Dax found her? Had her fear been a beacon leading him to Jae’s door?

  Jae unfastened the lock without even asking who was on the other side. “I was worried about you.” She pulled back the door, and then grabbing a coat sleeve in her fist, she pulled a boy into the room. “What took you so long?”

  “Quinn?” Halen’s breath hitched. He was supposed to be looking for Natalie. “What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same, but what’s the point in playing games?” Beads of water dripped from his jacket, his torn jeans were muddy, and his high-tops squeaked when he stepped by the fire.

  “Take those wet things off.” Jae nudged him. He kicked off his sneakers, and tossed his jacket over the head of a bronze gargoyle. “Why don’t you two talk? I still have much to do. Purging requires so many elements.” She stepped behind her desk, sat and then began sorting little silver beads into piles.

  “So, it’s true—Asair is in you.” He sat on the overstuffed chair across from Halen and helped himself to a handful of gumdrops from the tray.

  “Those are not for you.” Jae waved a warning finger, without glancing up.

  He sat back and kicked his socked feet up on the ottoman. “But I’m hungry.”

  Jae clapped her hands three times. A meaty sub sandwich complete with a dill pickle appeared in his hands. “I don’t have time for this.”

  “Thank you.” He over-exaggerated the you.

  She sighed, shaking her head, and continued counting her beads.

  Halen crossed her arms. “He is, but you already knew that—didn’t you?”

  “The portal brought you to London. That was too much of a coincidence.” He took a bite of the sandwich.

  She wondered if Dax thought the same.

  He swallowed and wiped the mustard from his lip. “I took off to give you an opportunity to leave.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah, Dax was all over you. I thought Maddie would distract him, if I left him in charge.” He shrugged. “Then a friend of mine, you saw him, the bloke with the white hair—Wolfe.” He laughed. When Halen didn’t join in the laughter, Quinn explained. “He’s actually a wolf, and his name is Wolfe with an e.” His grin broadened.

  Halen frowned, clasping her hands in her lap.

  “Anyway, he followed you here. Then I knew for sure. You’d only find this place one way.”

  “Asair,” Halen said flatly.

  “Yup, so now you do the purge, I fix my sister, and then it’s Tari time.” He ate greedily, with big bites. Even his rugged good looks couldn’t mask his crudeness.

  “You still need Natalie’s tears.”

  “I have them.” He patted his pocket. “She’s not evil like they paint her out to be, you know. She really didn’t think the spell would work when she cast it. She thought your existence was a total lie. She felt horrible and gave me the tears in case I found you.”

  “If she’s so great, why is she with the Hunters?”

  “I don’t know. Before Nat disappeared, she kept going on about finding the truth. She was hostile. Jae wouldn’t let me bring her here. She said Natalie needed to find the truth on her own. I thought she was dead until you and Dax showed up.”

  “Do you think Natalie will help my friends, then? Do you think now that she’s seen my—I mean, our mom, she will bring her back?”

  Quinn chewed the last bit of his sandwich. Glancing back at Jae, he snagged one of Halen’s sodas. If Jae noticed, she said nothing. He took two big slurps before continuing. “Your sister may have given me the tears, but only because she liked Maddie. Otherwise, she’s not the helpful kind. If she took your friends and your mom, then she’ll want something in return. You have Dax to thank for that.”

  “Dax?”

  He twisted in his chair, facing Jae. “She knows what a prick he is—right?” When Jae dismissed him with a wave of her hand, he turned back to Halen. “When Nat moved in with us, she was fun, with one hell of a sense of humor…” He drifted with this thought, taking another sip before saying, “But Dax drove her deep into her dark side, and when she got lost, he left her there. Sometimes for days, without bringing her back. She’s not the same girl she used to be.”

  This was not the story Dax had told her. “Dax said she craved the dark side.”

  “Have you ever seen an animal that’s been abused? When Dax finally came looking for her, she would hide in the shadows until finally they became a part of her. She no longer had to hide because she had become the darkness itself.”

  “And you really believe it was all Dax’s fault?” she asked.

  Quin answered. “What does it matter who’s fault at this point? Unfortunately, you need his bone marrow if you want to perform any real magick. And you’re going to need a hell of lot of magick to seal that portal.”

  Halen shook her head. “Did you all know I would help?”

  He shrugged. “Dax hasn’t been connected to you very long. I guess we hoped you would help. Of course, I was betting on Asair. I seriously didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “If Asair can’t take you, then I guess you’ve got it.”

  “We still need Natalie,” Halen said.

  “What? She won’t come.” He glanced over his shoulder at Jae. “What are you thinking?”

  “We need her,” Jae said. “I want to bind her in the circle of three.”

  “All you need is Asair and the water stone. Why are you filling her head with the circle of three? Nothing good comes from curses.”

  “It’s not a curse,” Jae said.

  Quinn shook his head as he faced Halen. “If souls are involved, it’s a curse.”

  She didn’t like where this was going and she knew the water stone was being guarded—by Huron. Every second, this plan grew more complicated. “Why exactly do we need this water stone? I thought all you needed was the Hunter’s soul.”

  Again, he glanced over his shoulder. “Haven’t you told her anything?”

  “The water stone is Galadia’s wand. It holds infinite power. We need it to seal the portal and the Tari have it.”

  Halen’s eyebrows rose.

  “Oh, bollocks.” Quinn shook his head. “I forget you were raised human.” He stood and went to the shelf crammed full of scrolls and books. He chose a leather-bound book with a thick spine and tossed it next to the tray of treats. “That’s why we’re at war—because some dumb bloke fell for a girl.”

  Halen reached for the book. An embossing of two interlocking circles, the same a
s on her birthmark, adorned the cover. Halen thumbed through the tattered pages. Rich illustrations of bizarre creatures with horns and scales, obscure botanicals with wild names, and endless maps of lands she somehow knew the names of filled the yellowed pages.

  Quinn stood over her rubbing the dark stubble on his chin. “Tragic love story; guy falls for girl—girl crushes his heart.”

  “Tell the story properly.” Jae sighed. “So she understands.”

  “I know this story,” Halen said, though she wasn’t sure who had told it to her.

  Quinn sat next to her on the couch. She scooted over, though their knees remained touching. “Did you mother tell you?” He set the book over their shared laps. He flipped the pages, stopping at an illustration of the three realms. The page divided, with Etlis on top, Earth in the middle, and Elosia below, and when he folded the page in threes, the picture became a boy and girl facing each other and holding hands. The ocean formed the girl’s skirt, the waves, flounces of lace, and the boy, a tuft of leaves for his hair.

  “Galadia and Tarius. They’re beautiful.” Halen’s fingers sparked when she touched the blue rod in Galadia’s fist. “The water stone,” she whispered.

  His green gaze fixed on her. “So, you do know about the stone?”

  “I must have forgotten,” Halen said. “I’m so confused. I don’t remember my mom telling me this story, she never spoke of Elosia or Etlis. Maybe Huron did…” She unfolded the page once more and the three realms lay before them.

  “Then you understand how the heart will try to deceive you,” Quinn said. “You might think you love Dax, but that kind of love starts wars.” He slammed the book shut.

  She slid away from him. “I’m not in love with Dax.”

  “I’ve seen the way you look at him. Even Natalie didn’t look at him that way.”

  “You don’t how I feel,” Halen said.

  “Hey, you and I are about to get real close, so it’s best if I know where you stand.”

  “You don’t trust me and I don’t trust you.” She met his gaze. “But I do know one thing for sure.” She placed her hand on the book, and sparks surged up her arm. “We have to keep the portal to Etlis sealed.” The story of Tarius and Galadia played through her mind—Tarius could never be set free. “All you need to know about me is that I will help you.” She grabbed the soda and sat back.

  “Good. If Tarius gets hold of the water stone, then we can kiss our asses goodbye.”

  “Is that why you are here?” Halen asked. “To save your ass?”

  “My father was a Tari warrior, and look at me.” He ran his hand over the scars on his arm.”

  “He did this to you?”

  “My Elosian grandparents did this to me, but Jae rescued me.” He set the book aside and returned to the ottoman.

  “Thank the heavens for that,” Jae said under her breath.

  “You’re the host,” she said. “Of course, why else would you be here? That’s what you meant when you said we were about to get real close.”

  “Yes, I’m the handsome face you’ll be looking at.” He grinned.

  “But what will happen to your soul?” Halen asked. “What about your sister—who will take care of her?”

  “Jae will provide for Maddie. As for my soul, it will be shadowed by Asair. Hey, it will be like a vacation.”

  Jae grunted. “Vacation.” She shook her head.

  “You’ll be essentially dead,” Halen said.

  Quinn propped his elbows on his knees. “My life is worth the salvation of the realms. You need to grow up, see the big picture. A siren’s life is never long—either the Hunters get you, or the Tari do. You need to appreciate every breath.”

  “I do.” She sounded offended, but she knew she had taken for granted how easy her life had been. She didn’t know Quinn’s struggles. Everyone she had met in this crazy new world had suffered. Sure, she had lost her father, but in the end, he wasn’t really dead. Quinn grew up without a mother and was tortured; Tage’s parents were killed before her eyes; Natalie was an orphan, even Dax was suffering. Quinn was right—she was being selfish. This was bigger than her. As terrified as she was, she needed to take that leap of faith, trust that she was exactly where she needed to be.

  SUGAR SURGED THROUGH Halen’s veins like fireworks in a summer night sky. Her legs shook and her hands trembled with nervous energy.

  “I’m ready.” Jae sat on the ottoman between them and clapped her hands.

  Quinn pulled at a loose thread of his frayed jeans.

  Jae reached across taking his hands. “Don’t be frightened.”

  “I’m not.” He glanced up.

  “Now you’re lying. You always blink twice after you lie; since you were a boy.” Her smile was forced, her eyes glassy as they rimmed with tears.

  “Don’t go all soft on me now.” Quinn leaned forward, resting his cheek on her hand.

  Even though she barely knew him, a lump worked up Halen’s throat. This was goodbye. Quinn would cease to exist once Asair gathered all his memories as his own. It could easily have been her.

  “You’ve been a like a mum to me,” he said.

  She leaned over and kissed the side of his head. “And you, a son. If there was another way…”

  “We both know there isn’t.” He sat back, slipping from Jae’s grip. “Maddie will be lucky to have you watching over her.” He swiped the tears from his eyes. “Are you ready?” He nodded to Halen.

  She swallowed back the fear. Not only fear for herself, but also for Quinn and the little girl he was leaving behind. She couldn’t let Quinn stand in for her. He wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t so hell-bent on fighting Asair. If Asair really was trying to help the realms, then they shared the same destiny. “We can’t do the purge.”

  “You have to.” Quinn’s bloodshot gaze locked with hers.

  “No. I’ll surrender to Asair.”

  “You’re past that point,” Jae said. “Asair is too weak to fight you.”

  “I won’t fight—I’ll let him in.”

  “You already closed the door.”

  “Find another host, then!” Halen’s voice rose shrill.

  “I appreciate your concern for me, love, but there isn’t a big line outside. Besides, you’ll still get to gaze upon all of this.” He waved his hand from his head down to his torso. A broad grin spread across his scarred face.

  Halen smiled weakly. Trying to match his attempt to lighten the mood, she said, “The merge will be easy for you—you share Asair’s vanity.”

  “Don’t be a hater.” He winked.

  “Enough!” Jae’s eyes were tight in the center, her mouth long; humor as a coping mechanism was lost on her.

  “When I meet with Asair’s soul, I’ll be more than ready to surrender. I’m looking forward to forgetting.”

  Halen met his shimmering green eyes, the apprehension she felt toward him slipping away. Despite what he said about growing up, he was still so young. She shouldn’t have been so selfish.

  “I’m doing this for all of us,” he said. “Don’t forget what the Tari stand for, Halen. Don’t be lured by their promises.”

  “I wouldn’t.”

  “Many a man answers the call of temptation. Remember who you are.”

  “Lie down.” Jae motioned to the pillows, but Halen sat with her hands clasped.

  Jae guided her head with a soft brush of her cool hand. She then positioned two armchairs, their seats together. Quinn climbed inside. He curled to fit the cramped space, nestling into his cocoon. Jae handed them each a sparkling dark liquid that smelled of a forest in the morning after a long rain.

  Quinn held the glass out toward Halen. “To a world without demons. Lock that bastard away.”

  With a shaking hand, she held her glass out. “Tarius is going down.” She toasted the air.

  Quinn smiled a wide toothy grin, and then tilting his chin back, drank the potion in one shot. “Until the heavens part and welcome us in.” He slammed the glass down. />
  “Until the heavens part and welcome us in,” she repeated because she didn’t know what else to say. She had wanted to say more, but what does one say to a boy whose soul would be lost forever.

  *

  QUINN SNORED, TOSSING and then grunting like he was battling the sandman himself.

  Halen lay wide awake, staring at the painted constellations. “Asair? Are you there?”

  I am.

  Do you trust Jae completely? She followed the stars of Orion’s sword.

  She’s on our side, he said.

  Jae stroked Quinn’s hair, and then bent, kissing him on the forehead. “Ranastil,” she whispered.

  What did she say? Halen asked Asair.

  Ranastil is the Etlin word for warrior. I have only heard her speak it once before. To a boy…

  Jae then sat beside Halen. She handed her another glass filled with a liquid steaming with violet smoke. “You need to take this one for Asair.”

  “Will I fall asleep?” Halen glanced over at Quinn.

  “The sugar and the potion are going to counteract one another. You won’t drift off like Quinn. Instead, your body will convulse. Follow the rhythm.”

  Visions of a rabid dog churned in her thoughts. Easy for Jae to say.

  “You don’t need to be in control. You need to let go. That is the only way to be free.”

  Free. The purge was the only way to know the truth. Asair muddled her thoughts, feelings and her magick. Once he was out, she would see Dax more clearly. At least she hoped so. Halen propped up on her elbow and then lifted the glass to her lips. “Goodbye, Asair.” She shot back the liquid. Her throat burned, as if she had swallowed a hot coal. Her head thrust back against the pillow. She writhed as the fiery heat spread to her limbs, rushing to the tips of her fingers and toes. Halen moaned. Her head rolled from side to side, when her chest caved. She lurched up, sucking the air in gulps.

  “I can’t breathe.” She clawed her throat. Asair’s memories burst through her thoughts; Elizabeth at the beach, his first kiss with her behind the barn, and her corpse swaying in the breeze as she hung from a tree. Halen’s body jerked wildly, and as he rushed through her, she found him on the edge of her seam.