The Curse Keepers (Curse Keepers series)

by Swank, Denise Grover

  She stood back as I made the symbols Colin showed me, leaving out his symbol and substituting mine instead. For the center symbol, I put Claire and Drew’s initials and prayed it was enough.

  “That is so cool,” she said after I finished.

  “Let’s just hope you don’t need it.”

  When I left, I drove to the inn. Myra was an early-to-bed person, so I knew I wouldn’t run into her close to eleven thirty. Daddy had marked the doors, but some of the symbols Collin used were missing. I’d feel better if I redid them all, but the inn had a lot of exterior doors, and it would take me awhile.

  I made my way around the building, putting Myra and Daddy’s initials in the spot that designated who needed protection, hoping it covered the guests too. But I put a fresh line of salt in all the openings for added insurance, even the windows I could reach. If the gate didn’t close, I’d ask Collin if there was something more appropriate to use. I chided myself for my pessimism, but I couldn’t shake the heavy dread that had settled around me.

  I saved the front door that led out to the screened porch for last. I opened the screen door slowly to ease the creak in the hinges and nearly screamed when I saw Daddy in the corner, mumbling.

  “Daddy! You scared me to death! Does Myra know you’re down here?” I knew for a fact she didn’t. There was no way she’d let him out here by himself.

  Daddy ignored me, still mumbling, but I caught a few words. Black water, son of the sea.

  He was saying the words of protection, but in English.

  I took several steps closer. “Daddy?”

  He stood in the darkest of shadows, probably the least safe place he could be. My palm began to tingle.

  Shit.

  My heart pounded against my ribs. I knew I could protect myself, but could I protect Daddy too? Did I have time to mark the front door?

  “Curse Keeper.” A shimmering white-grayish light appeared on the porch out of thin air, and I stood in front of Daddy to shield him. “Daughter of the sea, witness to creation. The hour is close at hand. Do you intend to close the gate?”

  Since this spirit wasn’t threatening me, he must be Ahone’s messenger. “Yes, but I’m not sure how.”

  “Because you do not believe.”

  “I believe now.”

  “Yet you still have no faith.”

  “It’s not a matter of faith. I just don’t remember.” Frustration welled in my chest. Were the memories buried deep inside, or had telling Claire wiped them away? Not that it mattered at this point. I had no hope of learning them in the next few hours.

  “A sacrifice must be made to close the gate.”

  I gasped. I expected something like this from Okeus, but not Ahone. “What kind of sacrifice?”

  “You are safe tonight. From Ahone.”

  I swallowed to keep from throwing up. “Okeus?”

  “Okeus is not your greatest enemy tonight.”

  “What does that mean?”

  My father’s mumbling grew louder, and I glanced over my shoulder. Daddy had his hand up, muttering the words of protection in English. Would it work for him since he wasn’t the Keeper now? I doubted it, fear spreading through my body like a cancer.

  “The curse was flawed from beginning to end. Alpha and Omega. The beginning of time to the end the world. The universe tends to chaos but thrives on balance. Gods were not meant to be contained, nor can they be commanded. A price must be paid for the arrogance of man. Each line must pay a price and the retribution is steep. A sacrifice must be made.”

  My blood rushed in my ears. My palm burned, and I held it at my side, ready to send the spirit away, but he was here for a reason, and I hoped to find out why.

  “What about Ahone? He was part of the curse.”

  “He has suffered many times over, and he will suffer again. The son of the land has already made his sacrifice; now it is time for the daughter of the sea.”

  What did Collin sacrifice? “Do you mean I must die?”

  “Not tonight. Not by Ahone.”

  Daddy’s mumbling stopped.

  And then I knew, my eyes widening as my heart raced. “No! I’ve sacrificed one parent to this terrible curse already. I won’t give another.”

  “Ahone will not close the gate without a sacrifice.” Then the spirit was gone.

  A sacrifice? I forced myself to calm down and think rationally. I couldn’t sacrifice Daddy. I wouldn’t. The gate could stay cracked for eternity for all I cared. But if gods were after Daddy, I had to protect him.

  “Daddy! You have to go inside.” I ran to the door, writing the symbols as quickly as I could. I’d made it to the symbol for air, when a wind blew me across the porch and sent me crashing into the wicker furniture.

  “Curse Keeper.” My throat tightened at the derogatory tone. Okeus’s messenger. “It is time to make your decision.”

  “Tell Okeus to go back to hell.”

  “If you refuse, you must make your sacrifice.”

  “What is up with you gods and your fucking sacrifices? Go to hell!”

  Daddy stepped forward from the shadows. “I am ready to pay the price.”

  “No!” I screamed. “No! He doesn’t know what he’s saying!” I scratched the next symbols.

  Daddy turned to me, his eyes clear and coherent. “Your mother died for you, Ellie. Now it’s my turn.”

  “No! I’m not going to lose you too!” I grabbed his arm and dragged him across the porch and toward the front door.

  The spirit sent a blast of air toward us, but I held onto Daddy’s arm and managed to get the front door open and push Daddy inside.

  “DO NOT DEFY OKEUS, CURSE KEEPER!” The loud voice shook the porch.

  “Fuck you!” I shouted, lifting my palm and shoving it toward him, shouting the words of protection.

  The spirit howled, screaming into the night as he disappeared.

  I scratched the last of the symbols on the door as Myra appeared in her nightgown, bleary-eyed and frightened. “Ellie? What’s going on?”

  “Daddy was outside, and he was almost attacked.”

  Her eyes bulged, and she swung her gaze out to the yard. “Attacked by what?”

  “Myra, the curse is real. It’s all real. Okeus, the dark creator god, has marked Daddy as a sacrifice, but as long as you keep him inside and behind the marked door, you’ll both be all right.” The gods might have marked Daddy, but I’d do everything to protect him.

  Myra tilted her head. “Ellie, listen to yourself. What are you saying?”

  I searched her eyes, pleading with her to understand. “I know it sounds crazy, Myra, but it’s real. Please. Please, keep Daddy inside. Hopefully this will all be a bad dream tomorrow. I have to go.” I ran toward the screen door.

  “Ellie!”

  I turned around to face her.

  “I believe you.”

  Those three words meant so much. I ran back and hugged her. “Thank you.”

  “Ellie, be careful.”

  I rushed to my car and drove back to my apartment, tightly wound, my thoughts a scrambled mess. Ahone’s messenger said that he and Okeus weren’t my biggest threat tonight. So what was? Collin? I just couldn’t believe it. I knew he wasn’t the most honorable man, but our link didn’t lie. It wasn’t Collin. Maybe Ahone’s messenger was warning me that the gate wouldn’t close if I didn’t make a sacrifice and I’d face my nightmare. Hundreds of spirits intent on torturing me. I fought to catch my breath. That definitely seemed like the biggest threat.

  Both gods demanded a sacrifice, so what were my options? The way I saw it, I had three: One, I accept Okeus’s offer and pledge myself to him and save Daddy’s life. Two, I provide a sacrifice of some kind to Ahone to close the gate. Three, I do nothing. If I chose one, I’d save Daddy but lose the world, and most likely myself, to evil. If I chose three, I’d most likely spend the rest of my life constantly on guard, protecting Daddy and myself and watching the world be overrun with spirits. I only had one option I could live
with, the second. But I could never sacrifice Daddy.

  I would sacrifice myself.

  A surreal calm settled over me. I thought my decision would freak me out more, and while I was terrified, I was more worried about what would happen if I didn’t follow through with it. What would Collin say? What had Collin sacrificed?

  Unbelievably, I fell asleep on the sofa and woke up to my cell phone ringing.

  “Ellie, I’m setting up here,” he said after I answered. “I’m worried that we’ll run out of time. I need you to meet me at the botanical gardens.”

  “You’re already there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why didn’t you bring me with you?”

  “I’ve been here for a couple of hours and didn’t want you out here out in the open.”

  “But you’re out in the open.” I didn’t intend for my tone to sound so accusatory.

  “What are you saying, Ellie?”

  What was I doing? “Nothing. I’m sorry. I’m on edge.”

  His voice softened. “I am too. It will be over soon.”

  “I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.” I hung up and grabbed my purse and keys, so nervous I thought I’d throw up. I looked around my apartment, wondering what would happen to all my things. Maybe I should have made a list of what I wanted done. But what did it matter? It was just stuff. The important thing was that I was saving the people I loved and everyone else in the world with them. Panic washed through me when I thought about how I would accomplish my own sacrifice, but I took a deep breath. Calm down. You can do this.

  I was scared to be outside this deep in the night, but none of the gods bothered me. They were probably waiting to put on a show.

  When I drove into the Lost Colony complex and pulled in the botanical gardens parking lot, I climbed out of the car and found Collin waiting for me in the shadows.

  “Ellie.” He stepped out and held a hand toward me. He was shirtless, only wearing jeans and his shoes, but his body was covered with markings. As I stepped closer, I saw that his eyes shone bright with excitement and nervousness.

  I took his hand, and he turned to walk to the back gate. He was so quiet. So solemn. Should I tell him about my decision? I couldn’t imagine he’d go along with it, not after all his protests of doing everything to save me. “Collin, I’m scared.”

  He stopped and put his hands on my waist, bending over to kiss my lips gently. “I’m scared too, but we can do this. I believe in us. I have faith.”

  Ahone’s messenger told me that I believed but I lacked faith. Is that what he meant?

  He kissed me again, more possessively this time. When he pulled back, his eyes had changed, and held fierce determination.

  He opened the back gate and we walked hand in hand toward the giant oak tree. Hundreds of pillar candles circled the tree trunk. It would have been beautiful if it wasn’t so serious.

  “How long did it take you to set this up?”

  “A few hours.”

  “I would have helped you, Collin.”

  He squeezed my hand. “I know, Ellie. I didn’t want to risk you being out in the open.”

  Why did he always say that? Why didn’t he worry about himself?

  When we got closer, I saw markings carved into the ground, intricate patterns dug into the grass. I recognized only a few. “What do they mean?”

  “They’re like the symbols on your door. Calling upon the ancient forces, listing the gods and spirits that I know. The rest is a prayer of a sort.”

  Inside the large circle was a smaller circle with a small round table and Collin’s bowl. “Did you bring the cup?”

  I nodded, pulling it from my purse and handing it to him. I tossed my purse to the ground outside the ceremonial area. My legs shook.

  “Are you ready?”

  “What if this doesn’t work, Collin?”

  “Have faith.”

  Yet you still have no faith.

  Was that the key to closing the gate? That, along with my sacrifice? I had to at least address this with Collin, even if I didn’t tell him my decision. “Collin, Ahone’s messenger told me I needed to make a sacrifice to close the gate. He said you’d already made yours.”

  His eyes hardened. “You don’t have to sacrifice anything tonight, Ellie. I’ve made sure of that.”

  “With your own sacrifice?”

  “We need to get started.” Collin’s hand tightened on my mine and he led me into the smaller circle.

  What had Collin sacrificed? I couldn’t imagine him sacrificing someone in his family. But I had two choices: either I trusted Collin or I didn’t.

  Is there really any choice?

  I stepped inside the circle and the entire world hushed, as though we’d stepped onto hallowed ground. I looked up into Collin’s face for reassurance.

  He placed me in the middle of the smaller circle, next to the table. Then, standing in front of me, he leaned down to give me a gentle kiss. “It’s time.”

  Collin began to chant in the ancient language. The sounds hung heavy in the air. Everything felt slower. Louder. More meaningful.

  The moon floated full in the cloudless sky. The stars shone so brightly I felt like they would rain down upon us.

  The veil to the spirit world was close. The air grew thick, and I dragged it into my lungs with each slow breath. Magic was heavy and oppressive here, and I felt helpless and weak in the face of it. I closed my eyes. I wasn’t helpless and weak. And I wasn’t doing this alone. I had Collin.

  Collin stood in front of me, pouring a dark brown liquid from an old pot into the bowl and the cup, chanting his melancholy tune. I lifted my eyes to the heavens. We were but specks in this vast and infinite universe. I couldn’t be a pure soul for nothing. The gift that I carried meant something. Something other than food for the spirits.

  Collin grabbed my face in his hands, devotion and determination in his eyes as his song continued. My soul was older than anything here. I carried an ancient history deep inside me. What did it mean? For what purpose?

  I believe now.

  Yet you still have no faith.

  Collin pulled my shirt over my head and his hands skimmed my shoulders, his right palm landing on the symbol on my back. My back arched with the rush of power, and he brought me to his chest with loving arms.

  Okeus’s symbol was on my back.

  The symbols are typically used to invoke the Manitou or other forces. The marks call upon the forces you’re asking for protection, not the forces you need protection from… You wouldn’t include the mark of the thing you were protecting against.

  Fear gripped my heart. Why was I frightened? Collin wouldn’t hurt me. Was this what Ahone meant? That I didn’t have faith in Collin?

  Collin picked up a rope from the table, placing one end in my left hand. Then he put my right forearm against his right one, wrapping the rope around our arms, binding us together.

  “Ellie, do you know what you did?”

  I nodded. I’d burned our souls together for eternity. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  He shook his head. “No. Don’t be sorry. Not now. Not for this.”

  When he finished, he took a deep breath, and his eyes darkened with desire. His free hand found my cheek, sliding down to my neck as his words filled the night. The air grew hazy and some part deep inside me recognized it as magic. How could I know that? Did I need to have faith in the magic inside me? I had to admit that something felt off. Collin was supposed to be performing a ceremony similar to what Manteo and Ananias Dare had performed. Yet somehow I knew this wasn’t the same as theirs. Collin was using the union of our souls to strengthen the ceremony. That had to be a good thing. The first ceremony failed.

  I changed the cleansing ceremony when I marked you.

  My heartbeat pounded in my head. It all boiled down to trust. Did I trust Collin or not? This man I’d seared my soul to, regardless of what he was doing now.

  Collin picked up a knife from the table.

&nb
sp; Don’t trust me, Ellie. You can’t trust me.

  No. I refused to believe Collin would hurt me. He’d sworn time and time again he’d protect me. When we were joined with our marks, I saw into his soul.

  One day, when you hate me for coming into your life, let alone letting you seal your soul to mine, when hearing my name fills your heart with pain, and you never want to see my face again… Even then, you will be my responsibility.

  Tears streamed down my face, yet still my heart refused to believe. I thought Collin meant I’d hate him for his past, but the ancient wisdom borne in my soul told me I was wrong.

  Collin knew I’d hate him for his betrayal.

  I want you to remember this. What you feel with me. Remember that I am yours for now and forever. And no man will ever give you what I can.

  He held the knife above our heads and I watched, mesmerized and in too much shock to fight him as he swiped the knife across my palm and then his. My hand was numb when he tilted our hands over the bowl and the cup, our blood dripping into the vessels. Smoke rose from the surface of the liquids, rising and joining together as it floated toward the tree.

  Blood. No blood, Ellie.

  I cried out in pain and shock as Collin pressed our marks together.

  The world around me faded, and the spirit world burst free.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  The knot in the giant oak tree began to glow and a bright light suffused the air, blinding me. But when I closed my eyes and blinked them open, I could see. The gate to hell swung open, the shouts and cries of three wind gods, the demons and other spirits, clung to the molecules in the air.

  The wind god of the north appeared in the shape of a bird with a human head and flowing white hair. “Come my brothers. You are free!” Three large birds with human heads flew out of the tree and circled over Collin and me. They dove and pecked, but bounced off an invisible dome that surrounded us. They grimaced and shrieked. “We promised we would come for you Curse Keeper, daughter of the sea, witness to creation. We will make you pay. We will be lurking in the night for you.”