The Curse Keepers (Curse Keepers series)

by Swank, Denise Grover

  Okeus appeared next, moving through the gate toward the tree, in human form. He was handsome with raven hair, long on one side and short on the other. His eyes were black as the night. He held his arms open wide. “Come, my children! You are finally free!”

  Grotesque creatures spilled out of the tree like ants, crawling over one another in their rush to freedom. They circled Collin and me. Collin stiffened and his free arm snaked around my back and pulled me to his chest. The creatures sniffed at the edge of our circle, clawing at the invisible shield. Hundreds covered the ground in the garden, knocking over the candles and trampling the marks in the grass. “We will hunt you in the night Curse Keeper, daughter of the sea, witness to creation. You will rue the day you came into existence. We will torture you for four hundred years as your people tortured us.”

  Then they disappeared into the darkness. All but Okeus, who walked toward us, wearing a wicked smile. “Well done, son of the earth. You have opened the gate, and while I can give you continued protection, your reward will not be granted. You defied me by protecting the daughter of the sea.” Okeus turned to me, his finger piercing the shield. A sharp talon extended from where he should have had a fingernail. The tip touched my right arm and his claw sank deep, dragging across my skin and cutting a jagged design. His symbol.

  I screamed from the pain, and my knees collapsed. Collin held me up, horror in his eyes.

  “Until the day you die, you carry the mark of my curse.”

  My vision swam as Okeus disappeared. Collin and I were alone with the open gate before us.

  Ahone came next, descending from the sky, wearing a white robe and a long white beard. “Witness to creation, you believe, but do you have faith?”

  Tears fell down my face. I didn’t know what to have faith in anymore.

  “There are forces greater than the strength of the gods. You are witness to creation. You have seen this with your own eyes. You have been present in all of time and space. You were chosen for a reason, Curse Keeper, witness to creation. You must have faith.”

  Anything we send back right now won’t stay there. The gate to the spirit world is open and it would only return. They will only stay locked away if the gate is closed.

  The only chance humanity had at survival was if we shut the gate.

  “I don’t know how.”

  “You will when you have faith.”

  “After I make my sacrifice?”

  Ahone nodded.

  Did I need Collin for this? I doubted that he’d even help, not that I wanted his help. I tugged the rope around my arm free and pushed Collin’s arm off of me. I held up my throbbing right hand, blood dripping down my wrist, and walked toward the gate. Ahone said the answer was there if I had faith.

  What was the difference between belief and faith? I believed this was real because I’d seen it with my own eyes. But faith meant believing without proof.

  Ahone interrupted my thoughts. “The sun is rising, witness to creation. When the sun touches the surface of the earth, the gate is sealed open forever.”

  No pressure.

  “Ellie,” Collin called behind me, panic in his voice. “What are you doing?”

  Anger rose hot and scalding, and I turned and pointed my finger at him. “You shut the fuck up right now.”

  Pain swam in his eyes. I turned to face the opening.

  How was I going to do this? I didn’t know what to do, but I realized that was the point. Wasn’t that the purpose of faith? Trusting in something even when you didn’t know what to do? But how did I sacrifice myself and still close the gate?

  “Daughter of the sea, the universe strives for balance. You are only half of a whole.”

  As much as I abhorred the thought, I needed Collin’s power to help me do this.

  “What is your sacrifice?” Ahone asked.

  “Myself.”

  Collin gasped. He moved next to me, grabbing my arm, his eyes widening in terror. “Ellie. No.”

  Ahone shook his head. “You must give something of great value that will cause you pain to lose. You cannot sacrifice yourself.”

  I swallowed a sob. I couldn’t close the gate without a sacrifice, and the sun would be up soon. What was I going to do?”

  Daddy stepped out from behind the tree, still wearing his pajamas. “I am the sacrifice.”

  “No!” I shouted. How did he get here? How did he know where to go? Horror magnified my panic. I told him. I turned to Ahone “He doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

  Daddy smiled, his face full of love and pride. “Ellie, I do know what I’m doing. I’ve lived my life so proud to call myself the Curse Keeper and now I get to be part of history in the making. Now I will live on in the legends.”

  My legs shook. “Daddy, no. Please. Don’t leave me.”

  “You and I both know I left you years ago.” He turned to Ahone. “I’m ready.”

  I started to run to stop him, but Collin wrapped his arms around my stomach. “Ellie, don’t.”

  “Get your fucking hands off me.”

  But Collin’s grip tightened as Ahone reached a hand to Daddy’s chest. Ahone’s fingers turned to white smoke, which spiraled around Daddy’s body. Daddy’s head fell back and his legs grew limp.

  The smoke gently lowered Daddy to the ground, then retreated to Ahone’s hand.

  “Both of your sacrifices have been accepted. You may close the gate.”

  Sobbing, I shook my head, leaning forward, but Collin’s arms kept my back pressed against his chest. I didn’t want to close the gate. I wanted Daddy.

  “Ellie, don’t let your father’s death mean nothing,” Collin’s voice broke, whispering in my ear. “He wanted you to close it.”

  I spun around to him, my sorrow exploding into rage. “You did this! You betrayed me! You opened the gate, Collin. How could you?”

  He shook his head, tears in his eyes.

  “It’s your fault my father is dead. I will never forgive you for betraying me, Collin. Never.”

  “I know.” He sucked in a breath. The sadness and pain in his eyes were nearly my undoing. He took my hand and pushed his palm into my own.

  In an instant, with the jolt of power, I was directly in front of the wide-open gate, searching deep inside my being for the ancient force. I realized my agonized soul was the key to finding it. Great sacrifice was needed to save the world. Ananias Dare had sacrificed his entire village, including his wife and child. Perhaps he’d done it inadvertently, but he’d done it all the same. I needed to feel deep pain to uncover the ancient magic. Didn’t Ahone realize that Collin’s betrayal was sacrifice enough?

  I leaned my head back, my mark still linked to Collin’s, opening my left arm wide and summoning the force. A black hole filled the sky overhead.

  “Collin, you opened the gate. You have to close it.”

  He stood at my side, his eyes wide in confusion.

  “Push the gate closed, Collin, or I will kick your fucking ass.”

  He looked around as though he were in the middle of a dream, but he grabbed a thick iron spindle with his left hand and pushed the gate closed.

  I pressed our still joined hands onto the metal bars. “We are daughter of the sea and son of the earth. I am witness to the birth of the earth and the birth of the sea, magic more ancient and powerful than that of the gods. Our union gave rise to their birth and our union will give rise to their death. I call upon our primordial power to seal the gate to hell.”

  Sparks flew from the melding of the gate to the wall of the spirit world.

  When I was sure it was sealed, I dropped Collin’s hand, and we stood under the giant oak tree, on trampled grass and overturned candles. The sun’s rays had begun to peek over the horizon.

  Ahone stood next to the tree, Daddy’s body at his feet. “The universe strives for balance. The son of the earth has paid his sacrifice. The daughter of the sea has also paid hers. Daughter of the sea, you may now bear my mark.” Ahone disappeared into mist.

 
I rushed to Daddy and dropped to my knees. I reached a tentative hand toward him, terrified he’d be frozen. “Daddy,” I wailed as I stroked his face, thankful to find it still warm. He looked so peaceful, as though he were asleep. “Daddy. Wake up. Daddy!” I shook his shoulders, leaving bloody smears on his cheek and his pajamas. “Wake up!”

  “Ellie, he’s not asleep.” Collin’s voice cracked behind me.

  I pressed my cheek to Daddy’s chest, listening for the dull thud I’d hear when I was a little girl. The only sound was my own ragged breath from my sobs.

  “Ellie, we have to get out of here.” Collin squatted behind me and gently gripped my shoulders.

  My body stiffened. “Get your fucking hands off of me.”

  His fingers slid slowly off of my arms, and he rose, but remained inches behind me.

  I stood, spinning around to face Collin. “What was your sacrifice? Was it your brother?”

  A hint of anger mixed with the pain etched on his face. “No. God, no.”

  “What? What did you give Okeus?”

  The morning hung pregnant with pause. “My soul.”

  I gasped. It all made sense.

  Are you a witch, Ellie Lancaster? Have you cast a spell to entrance me? Or are you an angel sent to save my soul?

  “Why would you do that, Collin? Why would you sell the devil your soul?”

  “You don’t understand, Ellie.”

  I shook my head in disgust. “You’re right. I don’t understand. I thought I knew you.”

  His eyes hardened. “I told you not to trust me.”

  “That’s the only thing I should have believed.” The cool morning air hit my flushed skin and I shivered, then spun around, looking for my shirt.

  “Ellie. I swear to God I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “Don’t you mean you swear to Okeus?”

  “Ellie, please. Just let me explain.”

  I ignored him as I bent down to pick my T-shirt off the ground. Dizziness swamped my head as I stood back up, and I realized how much blood I had lost. My right arm was covered in it.

  Collin reached for me, but I slapped him away with my left hand. “Don’t you touch me. You lost any right to touch me.”

  “Ellie, please.” The pain in his voice almost broke me. Almost.

  I tugged my shirt over my head. “You lied to me. You endangered my life. You endangered humanity for what? You sold your soul. What did Okeus promise you, Collin?”

  “Ellie.”

  “You knew. The day you came into the restaurant, you knew. You did this. You did this to me. The contents of hell have spilled upon the earth and every single creature has vowed to hunt me down and make me pay for their imprisonment. All for your selfish greed.” I found my purse on the ground and picked it up, pushing through another wave of dizziness. “I hope you’re happy, Collin. I hope it was worth it.”

  “If I could do it all over again—”

  My heart twisted with pain and grief. “You’d do the exact same thing. You told me that last night.” My voice caught on a sob, but I swallowed it. “You wouldn’t change any of it.”

  He held out his palm toward me. His mark was there, covered in both of our blood. Hours ago it was a symbol of hope; now it was reminder of my idiocy. “I didn’t know, Ellie. I swear I didn’t know.”

  “And now you do. But it doesn’t change a fucking thing.”

  I turned around and took a deep breath. I was about to walk away from the one person in all of eternity who could make me whole. My literal other half. The pain was excruciating, a thousand times worse than any physical pain I had ever felt. I choked back a sob. Could I do this? Could I walk away from him?

  How could I not after what he’d done?

  I took a step, nearly collapsing from the pain of separation.

  “Where are you going?” Collin called after me, his voice broken.

  I stopped and looked over my shoulder. “I’m going to do what my father raised me to do. I’m going to save the world.”

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  The idea for The Curse Keepers came to me in March 2012. The end of my urban fantasy series—The Chosen—was on the horizon and I was looking for a new project to start on when the series was finished.

  Although I wasn’t sure what I would write about, I did know that I wanted to write another urban fantasy without vampires and werewolves. My friend and critique partner, Trisha Leigh, suggested I base it on the Lost Colony of Roanoke. In my version, the colony disappears because of a curse.

  This story is based on historical events and figures. Manteo is real. He was a Croatan Indian who befriended the English when they first arrived in what is now North Carolina, years before the colony landed onshore. Manteo sailed to England with Wanchese, another Croatan Indian, and spent several years in England before he returned to the New World on the ship with the first colony. A ragtag band of 118 men, women, and children determined to create a new life free of religious persecution landed on Roanoke Island on July 22, 1587. Their governor was John White, but he soon returned to England to get more supplies, leaving behind his daughter Elinor/Eleanor (both spellings found interchangeably), newborn granddaughter Virginia, and son-in-law, Ananias Dare, along with the rest of the colonists, less one man who was murdered by a neighboring Native American tribe.

  John White returned three years later to discover the colony had disappeared. Nothing was left behind, not even the buildings. While many wild speculations have been made—including my own, even if I know mine is fictional—the reality is that the colony, which faced constant threats from angry Native American tribes, probably moved either inland or farther down the coast to live with friendlier tribes.

  Although information about the colony is hard to find, searching out information about the Croatan tribe has been even more difficult. I have never researched a book or series as much as I have The Curse Keepers. Nor have I found so few results from my searches.

  Sadly, much has been lost about the Native Americans the first English settlers encountered. The English were far more concerned about converting the Indians to the English way rather than preserving the Native American history. I have spent months and months reading books, e-mailing professors of North Carolinian Native American history, and surfing through information on the Internet to come up with a spirit world for The Curse Keepers. I’ve pulled stories and gods from several coastal, early Native American tribes to come up with my own creation story.

  The story of the Great Hare god and the jealous wind gods is recorded in several books. I also found belief in two creator gods, Ahone and Okeus (pronounced Ok-ee), one good and one evil. However, the story of Ahone splitting himself into two so he could save humanity is my own fabrication. I have also searched early Algonquian languages to come up with authentic Native American words for the names of the wind gods since no names are recorded. I found no record of a flood story, but so many beliefs share this story, I decided to include it in my own creation myth.

  The Manitou is part of Algonquian belief. So is the spirit world hell, Popogusso. The idea of pure souls is my own creation. I have uncovered many other demons and monsters in ancient Native American folklore. They will make appearances in future books.

  Manteo is a real town on Roanoke Island. Writing about a real town that is relatively small presented a challenge. I visited Manteo in April 2012 but only spent two days exploring the town, Roanoke Island, and the visitor center at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. I have a weeklong trip planned for July 2013 to research more of the island, including Wanchese, a fishing village, and the surrounding area, both on the Outer Banks and inland.

  When I wrote The Curse Keepers, I wanted to capture the character of the town as much as possible, but I couldn’t keep everything exactly the same. I’ve changed the names of many real establishments. If you visit Manteo, you’ll probably be able to figure out most of them.

  The Curse Keepers is rich with history, and it’s my hope that my respect for los
t Native American tribes comes through in this book as well as future books.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  If it weren’t for my best friend and critique partner, Trisha Leigh, The Curse Keepers would never exist. When I was brainstorming a new urban fantasy series that didn’t include vampires or shape-shifters, Trisha suggested I come up with something based on the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Two hours of Google Chat later—despite the fact we live ten minutes apart and talk on the phone every day—the plot for The Curse Keepers was born.

  Thank you to my awesome editor, Alison Dasho, who has worked with me on multiple books and helped me tweak the series synopsis and world building for The Curse Keepers. She always believes in me, even when my confidence wavers.

  Thanks to my beta readers—Rhonda Cowswert, Wendy Webb, Becky Podjenksi, Marsha Norlock, Christie Timpson, Pamela Hargraves, and Emily Pearson. Rhonda is the best beta reader an author could hope for. She understands the number one rule of beta reading: Friends don’t let friends look stupid in print.

  A huge thanks to the citizens of Manteo who answered questions about life in their town when I visited in April 2012. Also thanks to Becky Smith, a resident of Manteo who shared information through e-mail. I tried my best to get life in Manteo as accurate as possible. What I did get right is because of the generosity of the Manteo residents.

  And finally, I want to thank my children, who have learned to accept the fact their mom has a different life than most moms. Between the multiple trips, the crazy sleep schedule, and the fact I work every day, Christmas included, they’ve not only accepted the changes in their lives but also give me their full support. They see that I’m living my dream. They can make theirs come true too.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  © 2013 Cathryn Farley Photography

  Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and lived in the area until she was nineteen. She then became a nomad, living in five cities, four states, and ten houses over the next decade before moving back to her roots. She speaks English and a smattering of Spanish and Chinese. Her hobbies include making witty Facebook comments and dancing in the kitchen. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads everyone to believe.