Cleo's Curse

by Allie Burton

  Tingles sparked and exploded. I responded to his kiss, wanting him to understand my love even if he didn’t return the feeling. The explosion pulled the severed pieces of my heart farther apart.

  A reunion and a goodbye at the same time.

  “Enough time for that later.” Olivia’s tone didn’t welcome an argument.

  I should’ve sensed her approach. I’d been so taken up with the kiss I’d been oblivious. Ash and Blaze stood by the cage entrance making sure no one else came inside. The other warriors fought, the clashing of metal seeming to come from a long distance when it was only yards away because I was so focused.

  “We need to get CC’s aunt out of the building.” Antony’s decisiveness made arguing pointless. “Give Neffy the Tyet.”

  “No. I’ll stay.” Aunty shook her head.

  I understood her stubbornness. I couldn’t let her win. Sorrow wove through brushing every inch of me. I hated putting Antony at risk. But this was his calling. I’d think of a way to get him out of the building before its collapse.

  Taking out the specially cut and shaped Tyet, I handed it to my aunt. “Aunty Neffy, these people are my friends and they’re going to get you to safety.” I kissed her on the cheek. “Listen to what they tell you.”

  “I’m staying. They won’t hurt an old woman.” Aunty’s lie didn’t convince anyone.

  “They already have.” Worry braided in my system. “You need medical attention. You need your insulin.”

  “You should come with us, CC.” Olivia took hold of Aunty’s arm. “You’re not trained for this kind of battle.”

  The raw pain throbbed. Even with all I’d done they didn’t consider me part of the group. “No. This was my plan. I’m staying until the bitter end.”

  Antony put his arm around my shoulders and contemplated me with a gleam of pride in his eyes. He believed in me, even though I’d given his only hope away.

  Ducking the few continuing to fight, Olivia led my aunt to her Tyet rope, which she’d used to rappel into the building. She took my aunt’s piece and tied it onto hers. Then, she lifted my aunt with her super strength and tugged on her long portion of the rope. The rope magically ascended to the broken window.

  Antony stared at their progress. “How did you learn to make that?”

  “Basket Weaving 101.” I waved at the framed mirror. “We need to take the mirror with us when we leave. The frame is a textbook about the Knot of Uset.” The second the words were out of my mouth I wanted to shoot myself. Why tell Antony when he wouldn’t be leaving?

  The warriors had the battle in hand. White-robed figures lay on the ground, either dead or injured. Babi was unconscious on the floor of the cage.

  My glance swiveled around, searching for one other. I hastened forward to where Demetri had been laying. He was gone. “Where’s Demetri?”

  He’d been stabbed and bleeding, but his legs worked.

  Ash waved his weapon. “A couple of people took off down the stairs. Since they can’t get out of the building, I let them go.”

  “We should go after them. They might know something.” Antony picked up one of the downed follower’s swords and headed toward the door.

  “The building’s going to implode.” The ticking in my chest picked up its pace. Maybe they’d know another secret about the Knot of Uset. Like how to escape the destruction I’d set in motion.

  “We need answers.” Antony headed down the stairs as if he was going to do this alone.

  I, Ash, Piper, and Math followed. Everyone else stayed behind to clean up and get out.

  We moved down the narrow stairs in unison. Even though Antony didn’t have a Tyet, he moved in step with the rest of us. Actually, he moved a step ahead. He was leading.

  Pride for him puffed inside me. He’d never believed in himself and his decision-making abilities. That had now changed.

  Was it too late for him? I couldn’t stop thinking that giving the Tyet to my aunt had caused his doom. Yet, I couldn’t operate with fear shadowing my every move. I had to be strong for Antony and the Soul Warriors. And I’d continue to puzzle out a solution.

  Antony and Ash stood by the side of the door on the second floor. Antony signaled with a nod and Ash kicked the door down. I peered inside. A bed, dresser, and desk. Nothing unusual and no Demetri.

  Piper and Math took the door across the hall. Same process. Same results.

  While we searched, the clock continued, timing until the end. The tick, tick, tick counted down until impact and implosion. Until Antony’s death.

  We took the steps faster. Our marching feet created an external rhythm of destiny.

  Antony’s feet slid on the hardwood floors of the fashion designer’s shop. I was right behind him. I planned to stay by his side until the last possible moment. Like Dolce and Gabbana.

  The other warriors waited for his signal.

  The room was dark. The lights off. The windows were blocked by the Knot of Uset shutting out any light from the street. Dark shapes and shadows merged. A dress form. A clothed mannequin. A rack of clothes. Splotches of fresh blood.

  Demetri could be hiding behind any of these.

  He was outnumbered. I put faith in that fact.

  I tapped Antony on the shoulder, and nudged my head. Piper, Math, and Ash spread out. Taking a step, I cast back my whip made of golden thread. I whipped it forward. The sparks from the threads lighted and shone. From the little light, I identified Demetri crouching by the sales counter.

  Antony and I leapt toward Demetri. Ash followed. The three of us surrounded him. He’d never escape.

  Satisfaction settled inside. “Give up, Demetri. Your followers are either dead or under the Soul Warriors’ control.”

  Demetri raised his hands in surrender. A devilish gleam shone in his glare and he smirked. “Not my leader. The Akh Master.”

  The bright overhead lights flicked on.

  Antony and I seized Demetri before he could move. The designer didn’t struggle, knowing fighting was useless.

  Antony slipped the dreaded meteoric iron handcuffs from his waistband and clapped them on Demetri’s wrists. He used the straps from the sacrificial gown to hold the handcuffs in place. “They won’t have the same blistering effect, but they’ll hold him until he answers our questions.”

  “And the black metal even goes with your outfit.” Pursing my lips, I gave Demetri a noodle nod.

  I might’ve changed a lot in the last few days, but I was still a fashionista.

  Piper’s scream pierced through my satisfaction.

  The scream deflated me and fear stabbed through my center.

  A really tall man held Piper against his chest. His soulless black eyes drilled into me.

  I shivered. This wasn’t over. And we didn’t have much time left. I needed to figure out a way to get Antony out of the building.

  Math raised his weapon, panic flashing in his gaze. Ash moved forward to help.

  “Khepri.” Antony’s deep, flat timbre sounded fatalistic.

  Tension stretched the air.

  Khepri ran a finger down Piper’s cheek. “I’d hate to be forced to kill my daughter when I’ve only recently met her.”

  How could this man be Piper’s father?

  Math leaned forward in an aggressive stance. “If you harm a hair on her head I’ll kill you.” Intensity combined with anguish in his voice.

  “It’s a trick.” Piper struggled against Khepri. Even with her super strength, he didn’t need to fight back. He held her easily. “I don’t know my father.”

  At times I wished I didn’t know my father.

  Khepri looked down his long nose at us. “I’ve recently pilgrimaged from Egypt to reunite with my long-lost daughter.” He angled his head at Piper.

  She tried to twist in his arms. Her upper lip curled into a fighting grimace. “I’m not your daughter.”

  “Your mother ran from Egypt when she discovered my plans for you.” His plans didn’t sound like going to college and a professional
career.

  Piper’s brown eyes widened, experiencing dawning realization. “You might have my history correct, but you are not my father. And never will be.”

  “I have another daughter. Not with the same talents as yours.” Khepri’s glare traveled from Piper to Ash.

  “Lily.” Ash’s dusky skin paled. No one else noticed, too caught up in the drama playing out before them.

  “The Soul Warriors are my family.” Piper slammed her heel down on Khepri’s foot. “They actually care about me.”

  I wished the Soul Warriors cared about me and wanted to include me in their family. My parents certainly didn’t give me any love.

  “You will love your half-sister.” Khepri swung Piper into his arms as if she were the weight and size of a doll. “Together, your powers will be unstoppable.”

  Khepri snapped his fingers. An explosion of light. A puff of smoke. And he and Piper were gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Cleo

  Stunned, I staggered back. I blinked, unbelieving what I’d seen and now didn’t see. The building being wrapped by the Knot of Uset stopped people from physically going in and out of the building. But magically?

  “What kind of power was that?” Antony asked the question I’d been thinking.

  Shouldn’t he know the answer? I hadn’t asked, because I thought the Soul Warriors would know what had happened and only I’d be shocked.

  Math hadn’t moved a fraction of an inch since the disappearance, except for the trembling of his body. His mouth gaped and his gaze bore into the now empty spot where Piper and Khepri had been.

  “Piper.” There was an agonized scratch in Math’s tone.

  With abnormally stiff movements, Ash stepped into the empty spot and kneeled down. He picked up shimmering white dust from the ground and rubbed it between his fingers. He tossed the dust into the air.

  The white pallor of his skin contrasted with his red mouth. His expression contained a strong emotion. I couldn’t tell which one. “Let’s go.”

  He ran up the stairs, and after a second of delay, Math followed with haste.

  “That wasn’t a normal power, was it?” I choked at the end of the question. A few days ago I hadn’t thought any powers were normal. Hadn’t realized magic existed.

  “I don’t know what Khepri used. It must be an ancient, powerful magic not attached to a relic.” Antony unlocked one of Demetri’s wrists and used the free cuff to attach him to a clothing rack. “Let’s go.”

  “What about me?” Demetri’s plea struck a chord.

  I thought he’d been a friend. Pausing, I scowled at him trying to remember the good times. Good times that had been fake.

  “Come on, CC.” Antony tugged my sleeve. “You have to get out of the building before it implodes.”

  The chord inside me clanged. The stark realization Antony wouldn’t be leaving with me hit like a building falling. Like this building was going to fall. I let him pull me up the stairs.

  None of the Soul Warriors were inside. They’d taken care of the followers and had left as we’d planned. Ash and Math must’ve already rappelled out of the building to find Piper.

  “The mirror.” I jogged into the cage. The empty cage. “The mirror’s gone.”

  “Khepri must have more unusual and powerful magic.” Antony grabbed my rope and held it toward me. “Go.” His green eyes intensified, staring at me, flickering with emotion. His mouth clamped together, and his chin stuck out in defiance. He wouldn’t put up with disagreement.

  The rope hung between us, our only lifeline. The quietness of the third floor contrasted with the thud of my heart. Seconds ticked by. The building would implode in seconds. One of us needed to go and go now.

  Fear and loneliness and agonized sadness seeped through me at the thought of leaving Antony behind. I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it. “No.” Decision-made my mind clicked through possibilities.

  And found one.

  My blood pressure spiked.

  “Piper’s Tyet.” I scrambled to the corner where Piper had rappelled into the third floor. “She’s out of the building. We can use her rope.”

  He kissed me on the lips. A great big, thankful smack. “Come on.”

  I clasped Piper’s rope and Antony took hold of mine. Imagining the ropes getting shorter, the lines pulled us toward the windows. The ground, scattered with white-robed followers, fell farther away. The thought of Demetri alone in his design shop cut through me. My eyes prickled. Even though his friendship had been false, a ruse to gain my trust, I’d mourn him.

  Antony and I got to the broken window. He scrambled onto the roof and held his hand out. Knowing I could use my strength to jump over the edge, I placed my hand in his, wanting his touch and his comfort. He tugged me onto the rooftop and into his arms. Reveling in his warm body against mine, I wanted to stay snuggled in his arms.

  The ropes that were wrapped around the building jerked, pulling taut. The building groaned.

  Fear detonated inside my chest. We didn’t have much time. “We need to get off—”

  My foot tangled in a knot, and I fell. My knees scraped the tiled roof. I reached for the rope tied around my ankle and tugged. The rope tightened. I couldn’t slip free. Fear changed to terror, and the earlier detonation seemed like a hiccup.

  The terror scraped my lungs and I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The rope wouldn’t let go of my ankle, and the building would go down. I’d go down with it. “Antony!”

  “CC!” Antony yanked my arm.

  The rope grew tighter around my ankle. The silky threads cut into my skin by my foot, and yet I felt it around my heart. Felt the tightness and the pain. The rope yanked me toward the center. I was going to get tied up in the Knot of Uset as it shrank and forced the building to shatter into pieces.

  The knot yanked me farther.

  “Don’t let go! Please don’t let go!” I snatched at his hand, trying to hold onto anything.

  Roof tiles cracked and fell. The high window we’d climbed out of crumbled and folded. The walls wavered and swayed. It was similar to wearing a corset from a bygone area and pulling, pulling, pulling. The building wouldn’t stand much longer.

  “Never.” Antony held my wrist with an iron grip. He glanced around, scanning for a solution. “I’ll never let you go.”

  The intensity of his words, the promise, seared into me, soothing my torment. My gaze connected with his, and I focused on my love for him.

  A portion of the roof broke away. We were flung toward the edge.

  My lungs contracted and heaved a scream. “Ahhhhh!” I dug my nails into the skin of his blistered wrist.

  He didn’t flinch. “Take this.” He used his free hand to give me a greenish-orange rock.

  A rock?

  “At a moment like this, when we’re both about to die, I at least expected a diamond.” My voice husked. I couldn’t believe I was joking in the last second of my life.

  The building gave a big shudder. I screamed again. The supports wouldn’t hold much longer.

  His jaw muscles clenched. He positioned his feet to take the brunt of the next lurch of the building. “Rub the rock against the rope around your ankle.”

  Was he nuts? He must’ve gotten hit on the head by a loose roof tile.

  “Just do it.” His order mobilized me.

  Holding onto him with one hand, I bent to reach my foot. I pressed the rock to the rope twisted around my ankle and rubbed back and forth.

  The rock blazed. Smoke rose from the rope. The golden threads burned and frayed.

  I puffed. “I can’t believe it’s working.”

  The building shuddered and groaned. The rope pulled tighter around the house and around my ankle. I slid farther toward the edge, taking Antony with me and breaking the rock’s contact with the rope.

  My heart free-fell. I was going to be sucked into the building’s destruction and die. I refused to take Antony with me.

  Fear flashed in his gaze. His hand t
ightened around my arm. He clamped his mouth shut.

  “You should go.” Repositioning the rock at the frayed and blackened edges of the rope, I let go of his wrist with my other hand. “I’ll catch up.”

  I hoped. If the rope didn’t separate soon, I wouldn’t be responsible for his death.

  “No.” Glaring, he re-gripped his hand around my wrist. “I won’t leave without you.”

  The free-fall of my heart stopped, cushioned by his words. If he was waiting for me, I had to make an effort to succeed. I focused my attention on burning the rope.

  The threads frayed, first one then another and another.

  The building shook and shuddered. Windows smashed. Bricks fell. The building wouldn’t stand much longer.

  My belly clutched and my mind whirred, imagining the end. My end. Antony’s end.

  The threads popped and broke. One at a time.

  I yanked on my foot, tearing at the frayed threads. My foot broke free. So did my belief I was going to survive.

  Antony yanked me to my feet. “Jump.”

  Holding hands, we flung ourselves off the building headfirst.

  My pulse stopped and raced ahead. I couldn’t take in enough oxygen. My brain burst with the possibilities.

  The building exploded around us. The roar deafened. Debris flew past. We dodged bricks and tile and bits of concrete. Glass erupted. Pieces of steel resembled shrapnel. The narrow street of Maiden Lane resembled a war zone.

  I saw it through a haze of shock and relief. Through a view from fifty feet in the air. Fifty feet in the dark, night sky. Fifty feet and falling.

  My stomach shot to my ribs. My hands flailed and my hair streamed behind me.

  Uh oh. Even with the incredible things I could do, I couldn’t fly. Sure, I’d jumped from the same building onto a bus. This time though, I was falling headfirst.

  “Feet down!” Antony shifted his body, forcing his feet first, in a standing and falling position. He had muscles to make his body do what he wanted.

  I had nothing except good fashion sense, which wasn’t on display today.

  Antony was lower than me. He was between the shorter buildings on Maiden Lane and falling. I had thirty feet between me and the hard ground that would flatten me like a paper doll.