Cleo's Curse

by Allie Burton

  “Goodness and light?” She relaxed her shoulders, getting more comfortable, appearing to realize he wasn’t there to endanger her. “Is there more? What does that even mean?”

  This could be tricky. If she didn’t believe, she’d think he was crazy and be no help in finding the Knot. “The Soul Warriors’ purpose is to gather magical artifacts before they can be used for evil.”

  Her gaze stopped at his waist where the weapon rested. “Like the weird gun contraption?”

  “No.” He put his hand on the gun, letting his fingers rest on the hilt, sensing the force of its mechanical power and how he’d used it tonight. Sorrow passed through him at the loss of life. “This isn’t a magical relic. This is a modern-day weapon.”

  “You speak as if you’re not part of this world.”

  She was intuitive and smart. He’d have to be careful. Shrugging, he hoped she’d be satisfied with the non-response.

  “You knew how to use the weird weapon.” She glared. “I saw a delivery guy evaporate the other day from one of those guns. What happened to him? And to the two men who attacked me?” Her tone rose higher with each question, as if panic strangled her.

  “They’re gone.” He refused to go into detail. There were more important things to discuss, like what happened to the Knot. “They won’t hurt you again.”

  “Why do they want to hurt me?” She shivered and wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to comfort herself.

  He wanted to close the distance between them, and take her in his arms. Comfort and assure her. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. Comforting was not in his job description.

  Get the Knot and get out.

  “They think you have something they want.” He wouldn’t go into the details about multiple groups wanting the Knot of Uset.

  “Is the crown a magical relic? You delivered the gaudy gift to them already.” She sounded skeptical about both the magic and his delivery service. She was right on one count.

  “They don’t want the crown. The crown is useless.”

  Her chin tucked in and her eyes rounded. She crossed her arms in front, giving him a skeptical glance. “My aunt told me to deliver what she sent for my birthday, which was the crown.”

  There had to be more. CC had demonstrated the power of invisibility when she’d had the Knot. Now she was visible. “Think, CC. What else was in the package?”

  “Nothing.” She threw up her hands. “The crown was wrapped in this tangled gold rope packaging to protect the crown. That’s it.”

  Relief raced through his bloodstream, throbbing with the rhythm of success. “The Knot of Uset.”

  “That’s what those men asked for. I don’t have any idea what they’re talking about.” She seemed truthful. She truly didn’t know.

  Which was a good thing, except he’d have to tell her something. His balancing act continued. He hung between two worlds. Hers and his. Once she knew about his reality, would she become entangled in his problems? “The Knot of Uset was part of Queen Cleopatra’s powers. Some people believe it’s a magical relic.”

  CC’s brow furrowed. She leaned away, as if trying to assess everything about him, as if analyzing his sanity. “You believe this?”

  She sounded disappointed. Disappointed in him.

  He was disappointed in himself, for wanting to prove himself to her. This was about retrieving the Knot. Once he got the relic, he’d never see her again. “The packaging is the Knot of Uset.”

  “I thought the golden rope was pretty, but magical?” She scoffed.

  Scoffed at his statement and his beliefs. He gritted his teeth. “I said some people believed.”

  She examined him, analyzing his half-truths and half-lies. “If you don’t believe, why bother finding this Knot of Uset? These Egyptian cult people might find it and realize their beliefs are stupid.”

  Her logic slayed him, not leaving him many options except the truth. “Their belief in its power is what makes them dangerous. They’d do anything to get their hands on the Knot.”

  “Anything?” She shuffled her feet, and glanced everywhere except at him.

  He got a bad feeling. “What?”

  Her gaze glued to his. “What if the Knot is missing?” She shot him a smile appearing more like a grimace.

  “You have the Knot. You have to have the Knot.” Real panic shredded his skin, instinct telling him something was wrong. “The day we met, you had the golden rope in your possession. It’s what made you invisible.” He snapped his mouth shut and counted in his head. The truth was out. How would she react?

  “Ww-what?” She flinched. “I thought the gold rope was pretty, and I was wearing it under my coat. But making me invisible? Impossible.”

  “Nothing good comes from keeping the Knot.” He needed to convince her the rope was dangerous and she needed to give it to him. “The class you attended where the teacher couldn’t see you? You must’ve been wearing the Knot.”

  “As a belt.” Her chin dropped in a deep nod. “It changed length to fit what I wanted to do with the knotted rope.”

  His decision solidified. He needed to tell her.

  “It’s magical.” He put confidence into his tone. “And dangerous. There are many more of those men searching for the Knot of Uset.”

  Her skepticism hardened in her granite glare. “If I was invisible, how did you see me?”

  He was glad she wasn’t gullible, believing everything a guy said. At the same time, he wanted to strangle her. She needed to believe him. “It’s part of my…abilities.”

  “Like flying.”

  “Jumping.”

  She crossed her arms in front of her again, blocking him out. “This is difficult to believe.”

  He didn’t have time for any more explanations or convincing. The sooner he got the relic, the sooner the power could be contained. If the relic didn’t matter to her, she’d have no problem giving it to him. “Where is the Knot of Uset?”

  Her mouth dropped open, not a word came out.

  His gut tightened, sensing the news would be bad. Every single one of his nerves stood on end, waiting to jump or scream. “Where is it?”

  “I threw the rope away.”

  Chapter Ten

  Cleo

  Perching on the edge of the big metal dumpster outside my residence hall, I held my nose as if I were about to dive into a pool. The rancid smell flared my nostrils, causing irritation. My eyes burned.

  “I can’t believe you threw away the Knot of Uset.” Antony was up to his waist in trash. His black jeans had splotches of gross, sticky stuff. His dark shirt was stained. He’d taken off the nice sweater and hung it on the lid of the dumpster before jumping in with no hesitation. “You’re sure this is where it would be?”

  “The cleaning service takes the garbage from the floors and dump it here.” The queasiness doubled thinking about everything he mucked around in. “The garbage trucks don’t come until Monday so the rope should be here.”

  “Aren’t you going to help search?” His gaze landed on me. “You did throw a precious magical artifact in the trash can.”

  I’d had a hard adjustment emptying my wastebasket from my room into the large hallway bins. My entire life I’d had maids to do the dirty work. Clean, scrub, laundry, dishes. Now, my life had changed irrevocably and I had to change with it. What further horrors were in the future?

  More attempted kidnappings? More days of invisibility? More sinister magic?

  The last question sprinkled over my skin, causing tiny bursts of excitement. Having magic would be cool. Impressive. Imagine what my friends back home would think.

  The thought had me steeling myself against the smell and jumping into the dumpster.

  Pieces of trash swooshed around, and I sunk into the heap of foul garbage. Shaking, I closed my eyes trying to control my disgust. Bugs could crawl on me. Worms could slither against my skin. Someone from the residence hall could see me and my reputation would be ruined. My pressed jeans and Merino wool swe
ater would be going right back in the dumpster once we were done searching.

  For a magical Knot. I squealed inside. Half-believing, half-not-knowing-what-to-believe. I’d seen things. Experienced things. How could I not believe?

  I kicked papers and banana peels and plastic containers of trash around with my soft, brown leather Coach short-sided boots. The shoemaker would never forgive me. So gross. I had to think about something else besides the stench and the rot.

  “You said the Soul Warriors fight for goodness and light. What does that mean?” And did I believe him about this gang of superhero good guys?

  I believed the rope was dangerous because those madmen in black wanted the relic. I believed Antony believed in its powers. I’d seen him do incredible things. And it had seemed as if I was invisible in class the other day.

  Then again, I always felt invisible.

  The internal squealing of possibility dulled.

  Antony opened his clamped mouth to explain. He was buried much deeper in the refuse. “We search for magical relics to keep them away from those who would use the powers for evil purposes. Starting wars or controlling a government or turning people into slaves.”

  “We?” I used the toe of my boot to move a nasty cardboard box soaked in some type of liquid. “How many Soul Warriors are there?”

  “Nine originally. We’ve added a couple of members.” Curt answers. He didn’t want to expand.

  Which hurt. I was digging in a dumpster for him. He could at least tell me everything. Maybe he wasn’t being completely honest.

  I pushed a large plastic bag out of the way. “Are there any female warriors?” If not, the group would be totally sexist.

  He picked up a milk jug and tossed it to the far side of the dumpster. “Yes.”

  Interesting. And worrisome. Was he dating one of the female warriors? What if they believed in arranged marriages?

  I couldn’t ask that question. “How do you become a Soul Warrior?”

  I’d never really fought for anything or anyone besides myself. To be part of a group serving for goodness and light sounded romantic. Like Antony. I swooned. Although the dizziness was probably from the smelly garbage.

  “You have to have magical powers.” He picked up a piece of what used to be a decorative pillow.

  Confusion wrestled in a back-and-forth battle for my belief. I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea Antony was superhuman, and there were magical relics in the world, or I’d become invisible. Would invisibility be considered a power?

  I tiptoed through a pile of cracked egg shells sticky from the yolks. “Like your super strength and speed. And the flying.”

  “I don’t fly, but yes.” He dug deeper into the corner of the dumpster, burrowing through the trash.

  Having powers would be totally cool. My parents would be impressed.

  “How did these people who want to use the relics for evil purposes find out about the power?” I tossed a pile of Styrofoam blocks aside. My parents would not be impressed with learning I’d been dumpster diving.

  Antony cleared another section. He was working much faster than me. Maybe it was another power. “Contacts in Egypt, legends of old, religious texts, hieroglyphics, or scrolls.”

  I shifted a few more pieces, not really trying. The smell made me sick and I wanted a long shower. “What’s the legend behind the Knot of Uset?”

  “The Knot resembles an ankh, which represents eternal life. It is the symbol of the goddess Uset.” His voice came through the noise of shuffled garbage. “It’s also called the Buckle of Uset or the Blood of Uset. Uset’s priests and priestesses had a reputation for wisdom, healing, and dream interpretation, and the ability to control weather, which they did by braiding or knotting their hair.”

  “They could change the season, and therefore the fashion season, every other day.” Such power.

  And totally incredible. How could this be real? The information about braiding hair sounded familiar, possibly something I’d heard from my aunt. A pang shot through my chest. Pain radiated outward, thinking of her. If the bad guys wanted the Knot and I gave it to Antony, what would happen to Aunty Neffy?

  “Does the Knot of Uset have any connection with Nefertiti or Cleopatra?”

  “Queen Cleopatra used the power of the Knot to seize control from her brother, who originally ruled jointly with her.” He said the queen’s name with contempt. “Can you search a little harder?”

  His contemptuous, harsh tone had me wondering how much more he knew about Queen Cleopatra. And if it bothered him I was named after the queen.

  I shoved my hand deeper into the trash. Not wanting him to have the image of me digging in the trash, I stuck to the far left side of the dumpster. The fact I’d held the supposed-magical Knot of Uset in my hands, which had caused me to become invisible, sent a thrill down my spine. If we found the Knot, Antony would take it and I’d never see him again. And that wouldn’t help my aunt.

  Whether I believed in the magic or not didn’t matter. What mattered was saving my aunt, and getting me out of trouble at school. Plus, the Knot of Uset was given to me. Now I understood what it could possibly do, shouldn’t I have the opportunity to take it out for a test drive? To discover whether its magic was real.

  More thrills pulsed and throbbed and fired-up exciting ideas in my mind.

  I never should’ve told Antony about throwing the golden rope away. I hadn’t believed at the time. Still wasn’t sure now. If I found the Knot in the dumpster, I could tell my parents about my discovery. They’d have to treat me better. Bring me home to protect me. Save Aunty Neffy.

  A hero. Possibly a dead one.

  I shivered, remembering the risks. “How did those men find out about me?”

  Something shimmered and I moved by it.

  “I’m guessing they had someone following your aunt in Egypt. They discovered she’d mailed you the package, and they’ve probably been tracking your movements ever since.”

  Sounded logical.

  Bending down, I picked through old pasta noodles and wood shavings from an animal cage. Gross. William had a hamster in his room. This must be where he pooped.

  The shimmering caught my glance again. Ignoring the grossness, I dug deeper with my hands. “How did you find out about me?”

  Obviously bumping into him the other night wasn’t coincidence. He’d orchestrated it like a finely-tuned runway show. Doubts about Antony gnawed in my belly as I dug for the shimmer of gold I’d spotted. My queasiness shifted from being caused by garbage to being caused by Antony’s lies.

  “We tracked you.” He was so analytical.

  As if I was a subject. The doubts took on new proportions similar to a design re-drafted for the plus-sized customer.

  A creepy sensation crawled across my skin, and it wasn’t from the bugs. Was tonight’s attack a ploy to gain my trust? Antony wanted to leave the basketball game. He’d suggested hot chocolate, and left me standing outside the student union. Alone. He’d arrived in time to save me. He knew how to use the weird weapon.

  Plus, the other day, he’d offered to go with me to deliver the package, and yet we’d just met. He’d tried to take the box the entire trip to the industrial building. Then, he’d taken the package and disappeared. He’d probably opened the box and found only the crown inside, which was the only reason he’d come back. Again, in time to prevent my kidnapping.

  If he could plan our accidental meeting, was the entire scenario a set up? The question ignited my doubts into anger. Anger that exploded at being played the fool. He didn’t like me or want to ask me out. He wasn’t here to protect me. He wanted the Knot of Uset, like the madmen in black. This relationship had nothing to do with him liking me.

  My mind spun in a topsy-turvy motion while my hands dug. My fingers brushed something silky and familiar. Gripping the softness, I tugged the rope from under the dirty shavings. The gold shone, and the tingling sensation numbed my hands.

  The Knot of Uset.

  Victor
y celebrated silently in the spike of my blood pressure and the tingling of my skin. The tingling must be the invisibility power seeping in.

  I scanned Antony, who was focused on what appeared to be kitchen waste. How did I know Antony and the Soul Warriors were the good guys? Why should I believe anything he told me, when he’d admitted to tracking me down to steal the Knot of Uset? When he’d lied.

  He was only playing a role, like so many other people in my life. He was a temporary partner. Sadness dulled the tingling sensation. I’d wanted Antony to be real. To be true.

  If I kept hold of the rope I’d be invisible soon, and Antony would realize I’d found the Knot of Uset. I wasn’t sure I wanted him to know, yet.

  Plus, keeping the invisibility power would be cool. I could use it to sneak into the headmaster’s office and change my grades and absences. I could avoid the bad guys who were after me. I could tell my parents about my discovery, and they’d pay attention. I could save my aunt.

  I used the toe of my boot to tuck the Knot of Uset farther under the dirty wood shavings. “Nothing over here.”

  “Nothing here, either.” Antony stood fully erect and moved toward me.

  Panic had me rushing toward him. He couldn’t come to this corner and find the Knot.

  “We’ve searched most of the dumpster. I don’t think we’re going to find the Knot right now.” He held out his dirty hand. “Let’s get you out of this garbage. I’ll get some of the guys and we can search through each of the plastic bags late tonight after everyone’s asleep.”

  “Most students don’t go to bed until after two a.m.” I totally exaggerated, needing time to get back and grab the Knot.

  “Thanks for letting me know.” His short, adorable smile made my chest go tight.

  I wouldn’t be swayed by his cuteness. “I want to get out of here and take a shower. Or two.”

  “Me, too.” He pulled me closer and I was in his arms.

  My chest squeezed tighter. My heart pounded harder, alternating between attraction and fear of my deceit. This wasn’t how, or where, I wanted our first kiss to take place. And if I didn’t trust him, I shouldn’t want to kiss him. The kiss could be part of his plan to woo me and get the Knot.