Cleo's Curse

by Allie Burton

  Everything faded to black.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Antony

  Antony grabbed his cell phone from his pocket the second it buzzed. Hopefully one of the warriors had discovered where CC had gone.

  She’d left the professor’s house without telling anyone. Not even him. An ache spread through his chest and grabbed on to his heart. He had no clue where she’d went, or why. He and Ash had scoured Exeter Academy’s campus for a couple of hours. He’d even become invisible again to sneak into her residence hall.

  Good thing Olivia had found the technique for fading in and out and taught it to him. The invisibility power was permanent, not the actual invisibility. He needed to teach CC. If he could find her.

  Now, he was visible and wished he wasn’t because his expression probably told Ash what he needed to know about the text message he’d received.

  “A text from CC.” Antony’s pulse fluttered as if a distress signal.

  “Where is she?” Ash scowled, glancing between the buildings on campus. “What does she want?”

  “She wants to meet me. Says she wants to talk.” The urge to dash to wherever she was overtook Antony. If she was back at school, it would only take seconds to find her. He squeezed the phone in his hand. He had to calm himself, think. Then, respond.

  “If she wanted to talk, why leave the professor’s house?” Ash had never liked CC, really, he didn’t like any girls except Olivia, and tolerated Piper and Aria.

  “I don’t know.” The same question ran through Antony’s head. Maybe CC’s aunt had contacted her, or her parents had finally called. She would do whatever her parents wanted to earn their approval.

  Even take off without telling him. A sharp stab of envy struck him. He didn’t have parents or a family, so he really couldn’t understand this pull to please.

  “Where does she want to meet you? Is she here at school?”

  “No.” He read the second text message, confusion adding beats to the throbbing of his heart. “She wants to meet at the Dewey Monument in Union Square.”

  “The shopping queen strikes again.” Ash clamped his mouth together and shook his head. “I don’t like it.”

  “I trust her.” The sureness of Antony’s tone matched his beliefs. He did trust CC. “I need to reply.” He knew he wasn’t thinking straight. The need to see CC again, to hold her, overruled logic.

  “What’re you going to say?”

  “That I’ll meet her.” He didn’t have a choice. He had to find out why she’d left, and get the Knot of Uset.

  Ash continued to shake his head. “I don’t like it.”

  Antony’s survival instincts prickled. Something felt off, but since he’d recognized his love for CC, nothing had seemed normal or regular. He saw everything through a colored lens. “You don’t like her.”

  “I don’t like any girls from this time period.” The muscles on Ash’s face relaxed and his eyes went dreamy. “It was easier in the past where people knew their places.”

  Antony had known his place. A slave with no rights and no decision-making abilities. Even since becoming a warrior he kept a low profile, let others make the decisions, did what he was told. Not anymore.

  “I’m going.” Antony texted his response. He didn’t have time to go back to the professor’s house, brief everyone, and prepare for a battle. He needed to get to CC now. To be by her side. He understood the risk he was taking. “You go back and prepare the others, in case this is a trap.”

  * * *

  Antony used the palm tree leaves to protect him from the rain. From his post, he watched the base of the Dewey Monument in the center of Union Square. The single column memorial had been built in the early 1900s, and had a goddess of victory perched at the top.

  A strange place to meet a girl, especially with a heart statue not far away. He would’ve picked the more romantic over the military.

  Between the steady rain and the dark spring evening, the park was deserted. Lights from the department stores surrounding the square sent splashes of color across the shiny pavement.

  The upscale shops actually lessened his worry. CC probably shopped here all the time. The place would be familiar and comforting if she was upset. A place she would choose to run. A place for her to hide.

  Why had she hidden from him?

  She acted more like Queen Cleopatra than the CC he’d come to love. Playing games. Being uncommunicative.

  His phone buzzed again.

  Texting instead of talking.

  Reading her text, he couldn’t stop the sliver of irritation. I am on Maiden Lane. I will meet you there.

  The stiff wording and fully-typed words didn’t sound like CC. Too formal. A daze of emotion rattled through him. Confusion, worry, and distress. When had he become an expert on all things CC?

  He quickly texted Ash the change in location and took the terraced steps from Union Square onto Maiden Lane. Antony couldn’t wait for backup. If this wasn’t CC texting him, and by the way his skin itched with nerves it possibly wasn’t, then someone had her phone.

  Fear, as strong as a bull, rammed into him. If they had her phone, they probably had CC.

  He noted the white iron gates closing the street to traffic during the day. The narrow lane was lined by closed cafes and high-end fashion boutiques. Shuttered umbrellas shading round tables clogged the sidewalk, and colorful flags fluttered in the breeze from one of the storefronts.

  On a sunny day, the street would be crowded with diners and shoppers. Tonight, between the rain and the dark, only shadows lurked. Shadows haunting his heart, thinking about her texts.

  Her earlier text had been short and harder to decipher. His decision to come alone had been rash. But his need to get to CC had been irrational.

  Antony stayed invisible. No one could see him, or sense his presence. Except CC. And members of the Magical Order of Crucis, or Society of Aten, if they were involved. Even so, he kept to the sidewalk and close to the walls, not taking unnecessary risks.

  How could the Order be involved, when most of the members had either died or been taken into police custody when the Soul Warriors had rescued Piper? There’d been close to no activity at their museum headquarters.

  A man wearing a trench coat came out of one of the storefronts. He didn’t see Antony pacing past. The man pivoted toward the door in the small alcove, locking the shop for the night. On his bald head was a rhinestone-covered cowboy hat. A fairly normal thing for a man in San Francisco to wear. People here tended to more flamboyant. Antony had started noticing how people dressed since hanging out with CC. He’d upgraded from the old sweatshirts to sweaters.

  From behind, thick arms wrapped around Antony’s shoulders.

  His tendons tightened at the attack. Fighting intuition and power rose inside him. With his magical abilities, he could easily take several normal people, so fear or terror didn’t set in. Only his need to defend and fight. His muscles wanted to burst from beneath his skin. Before making a move, he analyzed the situation. He realized he had more than himself to consider. The innocent man with the hat stood beside him in the small alcove of the shop. He had to protect the innocent, even if the man couldn’t see him.

  Antony shoved his arms out and spun around, blocking the shopkeeper from a second move, pushing him farther into the alcove and closer to the door, protecting him. “Get back inside your store.”

  Turning toward the street, Antony confronted a short, squat hairy guy blocking access. Babi. He wore black combat pants and a leather jacket. He’d been the second in command at the Magical Order of Crucis, and had disappeared before the battle had ended.

  Antony’s stomach dropped, and paranoia seized him and wouldn’t let go. He wasn’t dealing with anything or anyone common. If Babi was actively searching for the Knot of Uset, this was trouble. Big trouble.

  Babi could see him and knew the Soul Warriors’ secrets. He must’ve been the one texting, not CC. Which meant Babi held CC prisoner.

  The sit
uation fisted around Antony’s heart and squeezed. Tight. He refused to think anything worse had happened to her.

  “Got you where I want you.” Babi’s leering smile had Antony re-tallying.

  One on one, he could win. Except Babi seemed to know something else.

  The confused shopkeeper hadn’t moved from his location in the alcove by the glass door. Probably because the man only heard a disembodied voice. He couldn’t see Antony.

  Standing at the edge of the alcove, Antony imagined himself visible, guaranteeing the man saw him and listened. “Go back inside.”

  The man with the hat stared right at him. And grinned.

  Antony’s stomach flipped up and over. Everything he believed shifted. There was no surprise on the shopkeeper’s face, which meant the guy with the glittery hat knew about powers and was somehow involved. He was caught between a man as hard as a rock and a puzzling place.

  Becoming invisible again with hopes the guy with the hat couldn’t attack from behind, he faced the bigger known threat. With a super-strength side kick, he aimed for Babi’s midsection and kicked. He double punched with a one-two hit. “Where’s CC?”

  Babi took one step forward cornering him in. He countered with a snap kick, boxing Antony’s chin and pushing him closer to the door. “We’ve got her.”

  The confirmation slammed him a second time. The emotional agony was worse than the physical pain. His brain sent a spark of panic through his system, resembling a warning shot.

  “If you harm her, I’ll kill you.” He took a wild swing at Babi’s head.

  Babi ducked and plowed forward. “I’ll do what I want.”

  Antony jumped and grabbed the wooden overhang above the door alcove. He lifted his legs and kicked both feet solidly into Babi’s chest.

  “Who’s giving the orders now?” Antony put a teasing tone in his voice, trying to force a wrong move by making him angry. “This wimpy guy cowering by the door?”

  Babi faltered backwards. His face hardened into a nasty, determined expression. He charged with his head. “Meeeeee!”

  At the last second, Antony flattened his back against the alcove wall. Babi ran past. His head smashed into the glass door of the shop. The shattering glass echoed through the small lane.

  Super strength equaled super destruction.

  “Stop it, both of you.” The wimpy man whipped a knife from his jacket. He held it against Antony’s throat, pressing the cold metal into his skin.

  Antony froze. The quickness of wimpy guy’s move took him by surprise. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Demetri.” His high-pitched tone gave Antony another shock.

  “The designer?”

  “He’s heard of me.” Demetri’s expression glowed into self-satisfaction. “My designs will be famous.”

  “I heard of you from CC.” Antony’s ribcage squeezed, putting pressure on his heart. Another person she’d believed was a friend had betrayed her. “Where is she? How are you involved?”

  Standing, Babi shook the glass pieces from his body and hair. Blood dripped down his angry face. His killing glare didn’t cower Antony. “CC is close by.”

  The pressure on his heart increased, pacing ahead. “How close?” He put a threat into his question, even though there wasn’t much he could do with a sharp blade at his throat.

  “Babi.” Demetri yanked something from his waist. “Put these handcuffs on our guest.”

  Babi stomped on the ground, crushing the loose glass beneath his heavy feet. “Handcuffs won’t hold a Soul Warrior.”

  Antony could break out in no time. First, he’d let them take him to where they held CC. Then, he’d break out of the handcuffs and rescue her. Now he knew Demetri was involved, he could handle the two men.

  “These will.” Demetri pressed the knife harder against Antony’s throat. A sharp torture. The knife nicked him. Demetri would pay for the new scar later. “Do it.”

  “What is this stuff, Demetri?” Babi yanked Antony’s right wrist, pulling at his socket.

  The shiny black metal slapped around his wrist. Where the metal grazed, a stinging burned his skin.

  Antony controlled a flinch. He refused to show them pain. “What is this?”

  He sounded similar to Babi, and he hated the comparison. Antony was built similar to the brawny man without the hairy arms. He’d been a slave just as Babi had served the previous leader of the Magical Order of Crucis. Antony had always been called on for his muscles, in his previous life and this one. He’d thought he’d been making progress with his leadership and decision-making skills. Now, he wasn’t so sure. He’d walked into this trap, and he was asking the same questions as Babi.

  The oaf slapped the other handcuff around Antony’s left wrist, forcing both arms in front of him.

  The other wrist burned. Steeling himself from the scorching, he studied the shiny black metal cuffs circling his wrists. The strange metal shocked him, sending an astonished jolt to his brain. He recognized the metal, the way the tiny shards of silver crystallized, and knew his original plan to break out of the handcuffs once he found CC was doomed.

  “Meteoric iron.” Demetri took the knife away from his throat, knowing Antony was rendered harmless. “Take his cell phone.”

  Babi snaked a hand in Antony’s pocket and took his phone. The goon gave him an aggressive pat-down, checking for weapons. With a malicious smile, Babi punched him in the gut.

  “Oof.” Antony bent at the waist, trying to control the pain. He couldn’t retaliate. Weak and powerless, he could barely move. But his brain worked in a frenzy.

  If he couldn’t move, he couldn’t fight. And if he couldn’t fight, he couldn’t save CC. Agony slashed through him, slicing every instinct to fight and protect. He couldn’t rescue CC. His body could barely move.

  “Enough playtime. Get him inside and get the front door boarded up.” Demetri ordered Babi as if he was in charge.

  And yet, Babi had said he was. What was the reality of the situation? If both men believed they were the leader, could Antony use this to his advantage?

  He couldn’t let them believe they were completely in control. “The Soul Warriors are surrounding Union Square. They’ll find me.” Not an exact truth.

  Demetri’s shrill laugh scraped down Antony’s spine. “To back you up while you have a discussion about your relationship with Cleopatra. I don’t think so.”

  Babi pushed him through the smashed door.

  “Besides,” Demetri twirled Antony’s phone around. “I’ll text the warriors and let them know you and CC need some alone time.”

  Antony stumbled, and the metal around his wrists singed. “Where did you get this metal from?” He hadn’t seen meteoric iron since Cleopatra’s time period. What little had survived had been placed in museums.

  Demetri led the way up a narrow set of stairs. “A gift from the Akh Master of Egypt to prepare for his pilgrimage to San Francisco.”

  Antony swayed on his feet, losing his balance. A visit from the Akh Master from Egypt was not a good sign. It was a catastrophe. An Akh was an effective being with the powers of a god, and the Akh Master, or Sacred Leader, controlled those powers.

  Something major was happening, and soon. CC and the Knot of Uset were involved.

  And Antony couldn’t even warn the Soul Warriors.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Cleo

  Shattering glass woke me from a fog. My body ached from lying on the hard floor. My arms bruised. My head hurt. I fluttered my eyelids open, only to be greeted by fuzzy, fantastical images.

  The frame around the mirror moved. The carvings of a robed person holding a curved knife shifted, creating live scenes. The person used the knife and cut into the rope. Except this wasn’t a normal rope. This rope resembled the Knot of Uset. The golden rope shimmered and sparked as the blade sawed through. The Knot of Uset became two, and then three, and then four pieces. The robed person tied the pieces into a special knot resembling a hangman’s figure from the childhood game. Each
of the other rope pieces took the same shape. The frame was similar to a demonstration or a how-to YouTube video.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head, trying to clear the crazy vision.

  Voices came from the stairwell. I recognized Demetri and Babi, and there was one other.

  My ear caught the deep timbre and vibrated to my heart. I cracked my lids open and peeked toward the door.

  Demetri entered the room, wearing his flashy hat and a contented grin. Babi’s big, hulking frame pushed someone in front of him. They were such an odd pair. Similar stature but totally mismatched.

  Someone with dark hair and stocky build was shoved forward.

  Antony?

  The vibrations reverberated louder and louder. I wished I was dreaming. If Antony was here, and not fighting, it meant he’d been captured.

  The cage rattled open.

  My gaze flew to the entrance and I braced myself on my elbows.

  Antony.

  My heart whooshed and yelled. This was a nightmare. We’d both die.

  With his bruised chin and blood trickling on his neck, he appeared defeated. An expression I’d never expect from the brave warrior. His dim eyes surveyed the ground. His shoulders were hunched and he plodded each step. He held his hands stiffly in front of him.

  My sorrow reached for him. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and give him comfort. Make his pain, internal and external, go away. I wanted to tell him how much I cared.

  Babi pushed Antony inside.

  The cage, our cage, rattled shut.

  “Antony.” I scrambled to my feet and wrapped my arms around him. Glad to see him, not glad to see him. Agony poured through me in an overflowing fountain, surging in my veins and slamming against my skin.

  Antony shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t be in this trap. My trap.

  I shivered, worry and guilt causing the slight movement to pierce my skin. I had no doubt he was here because of me.

  “CC.” A desperate tone tickled my ear as if he cared, but he didn’t return my hug. “Are you okay?”