Cursed and Crazed

by Sophia Stafford

  “How can I help? What can I do?” Azrael had entered the room and was kneeling on the other side of Jaycen before Benedict could blink, Thornton ran in a few seconds later.

  “Take off your ring and put it on her finger, and then take her hand in yours,” Benedict instructed, completely thinking out loud, and having no clue if any of this would actually work. Azrael took off his ring, a ring that was not only thousands of years old but is coated in an old magic. “Thornton, cut your hand and put it on her body, anywhere. Just quickly.”

  Guards, having heard Benedict’s call or followed Thornton had entered the room. “We should start moving her to the entrance, for when the paramedics come,” one suggested.

  Benedict shook his head furiously. “Not yet.” He waited until Azrael slid the ring onto Jaycen’s now bony finger and started muttering a spell, a spell that he had absolutely no idea would work or not.

  “What are you doing?” Thornton asked, but didn’t move his cut hand as he grabbed hold of Jaycen’s arm.

  Benedict didn’t answer. He muttered the spell over and over again, his voice getting louder and louder. Like an electrical current, magic surrounded them, none of them could see it, but they could all feel it. It passed over them all like a wave, making Jaycen’s body jolt on the floor, the greyish tone to her skin vanishing immediately, even as the wound carried on bleeding under Benedict’s hand.

  It worked. For a minute Benedict could barely believe it as Jaycen stirred.

  “The paramedics are here,” one of the guards said.

  “Carefully take her to the front of the building, I’ll follow her out.” Benedict stood, Thornton and Azrael following as Azrael took back his ring and the guards picked Jaycen up. Thornton stayed at her side as they carried her out of the room, holding her hand as they rushed her away.

  “Are you going to tell me what just happened?” Azrael waited until they were alone to speak, twisting the ring in his finger as he spoke.

  “They drained her powers. I know, I’ve seen them do it before. They take their powers and they kill them.” Images of the hundreds of dead witches and warlocks, all killed the same way, passed through Benedict’s mind like a slideshow. The thought that Jaycen could have been one of them was almost too much.

  Azrael nodded. “I know what they did to her, I’ve been to many of the crime scenes. What I want to know is what did you just do to her?”

  Despite the situation they were in, Benedict laughed a little. “The spell they cast didn’t just stop when they pulled the blade out of her. I could see it, still drawing away her magic. There would be no way of saving her with the spell still drawing away her life. So, I blocked the spell, cutting it off.”

  Azrael took it all in before laughing in disbelief. “How did you know that would work?”

  “I didn’t. I just know I didn’t have another choice.” Benedict walked over to the other body lying discarded on the floor. “Who do you think this is?”

  Azrael seemed to think on it for a moment. “He’s wearing a guard’s uniform so maybe he was their way out of here? Whoever he was they clearly didn’t need him anymore. It won’t take us long to figure out who he is.”

  Just another dead warlock to add to an ever-growing list of names. The thought set him on edge.

  Benedict and Azrael left the room, only to be greeted by Edemur and a handful of guards.

  “He’s gone. He’s escaped. We’ve been unable to locate Darius,” Edemur informed them, his voice even but his eyes angry as his eyes cut to Benedict’s hands. “Whose blood is that?”

  “Jaycen’s. Darius attacked her before he left. Weren’t all the exits sealed off? How the hell did he escape?” Benedict had to look away and curse. Darius escaping was bad enough, but Darius escaping with Jaycen’s powers was damn right scary. He wasn’t ready to share that news just yet though.

  “We don’t know how he got out. It’s what I wanted to speak to Jaycen about actually. Is she fit to speak to us?”

  “The Cure’s incompetence never ceases to amaze me,” Azrael said, none of the guards able to look him in the eyes. “Jaycen is currently in hospital. So no, she’s unavailable.”

  Now it was Edemur’s turn to smile, “Isn’t that just convenient? When she gets back, please inform her I want to see her? That the council wants to see her?”

  Benedict didn’t speak, he couldn’t guarantee that something civil would come out of his mouth.

  So with a nod, Edemur turned and left, his guards following him.

  Azrael waited until they were a safe distance away before he said, “This place is filled with vultures Benedict, and they are all out for that young girl.”

  Benedict knew that was true, and he knew, no matter what, he had to protect Jaycen Reece because now, she was more vulnerable than ever.

  Chapter 11

  The next time Jaycen came to it was quiet and cold as hell. With her eyes still closed she moved her head from side to side, her body still feeling numb.

  “Did she just move? I think I saw her move.”

  “Of course, she moved, she’s sedated, not dead.”

  Jaycen’s head was too foggy to try and work out who was talking, so she focused on her eyes instead, willing them to open, every part of her body felt heavy, from her fingers to her eyelids. Was she still dreaming?

  “Are you ready to lift her? On three?”

  She felt multiple hands dig their way under her body, and on the count of three lifted her into the air. Her stomach flipping as her body moved. Now would be a good time to wake up, she told herself, her mind completely onboard, her body, not so much.

  “Be careful with her. Just, put her down carefully, watch her head.” A new, very worried and strained voice entered the mix. A voice that was unmistakable and Jaycen would know it anywhere. Thornton.

  “Well, you could help. Okay? Not just stand there like a lemon.” Someone, possibly the someone currently holding her in mid-air, hissed at him, keeping their voice low, like a stage whisper.

  “I’m keeping watch,” Thornton staged whispered back, “But I swear if you hurt her, I’m going to hurt you. For the love of… put her down, you’re going to drop her.”

  Oh, a threat. She thought it was a little unnecessary, but she liked it. And if she could she’d smile, maybe even throw him a wink and kiss. But she couldn’t, all she could do was hope to God that she wasn’t about to be dropped.

  “She is fine, we are not going to drop her, okay? And, I would just like to point out that right now you are not helping or keeping watch. Anyone could walk in!”

  It sounded like there were only two people in the room, but Jaycen could feel two sets of hands and the suspense of who was holding her in mid-air was killing her.

  “Everyone just shut up. Stop talking,” Benedict’s voice now entered the mix, he wasn’t whispering. “Caleb, just put Jaycen onto the bed, so we can get her out of here. We need to move fast.”

  “Do you just happen to have a sheet in your pocket?” Caleb asked back snarky, but still with a smile in his voice.

  “It’s a hospital. There should be sheets everywhere, wait here for a second,” the female voice answered back, her voice sounding sweet and familiar, Jaycen just couldn’t place it just yet.

  “Oh great. So she’s gone. That’s okay, Iris, we’ll just wait here, out in an open hallway. It’s fine,” Caleb called after her, now openly laughing. “This is honestly the worst plan. It really is.”

  “We just need to get Jaycen out of this hospital and on the road. Everything will be fine after that,” Benedict said, sounding like he was walking around.

  “Yeah,” Thornton spoke now, and he sounded very close. A hand traced her hairline on her forehead, the touch so light. She imagined what he was doing, and how he was looking at her, she also really hoped it was indeed Thornton because although she and Benedict had become closer over the last few months, they weren’t that close. She took a long, deep breath and then made her eyes shoot open with maybe a little
too much speed than necessary. And what she didn’t realise was just how close Thornton’s face was to hers.

  “Oh my god!” he screamed, throwing himself back and landing on the floor with a hard thud. “She’s awake, she’s awake!”

  Benedict came into view immediately as he bent, so he was eye level with Jaycen as Caleb helped a still shook Thornton off the floor.

  “Hi.” Her mouth and lips were ridiculously dry, and for some reason so were her eyeballs. But she was awake, and she could sort of move.

  Benedict looked skeptical. “You have enough morphine in your system to knock out a small herd of elephants. How are you awake?”

  Mm, not exactly the greeting she had been expecting.

  “On a scale of one to ten, how’s your pain?” He pressed, checking her fever with the back of his hand.

  “Right now, I can’t feel my feet.” And that was the only way she could describe it.

  Benedict took it in nodding, then moved out of the way so Thornton could talk to her.

  “I can’t believe you’re awake so soon. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I think so. What’s happening?”

  “There’s a lot to explain,” Thornton started around the same time Jaycen could hear Iris say,

  “There are guards outside from The Cure, I think they are headed to her room. Wait, is she awake?”

  “Hi.” Jaycen still couldn’t sit up, or even lift her hand in a wave. She just lay there, staring up at the ceiling.

  It was Benedict that spoke first. “We need to get her out of here, put the sheet over her, and let’s go.”

  Iris walked over and smiled. “Sorry, but it’s only until we’re out of the hospital. Try not to breathe too heavily, okay?” She fanned out a thin white sheet before placing it over Jaycen, and then she was wheeled off with far too much speed if you asked her. Surely that looked more suspicious, right? She didn’t say this, of course. She was too busy trying not to breathe too deeply.

  “Thornton, you run ahead and get the car ready. Meet us at the south entrance, okay? Caleb, go with him.”

  Everything had been quiet in the corridor, but as they passed through another set of doors, everything became noisy. Jaycen could see through the thin sheet as people got close as she was wheeled through the crowded hospital area.

  Her nerves were just dying when a figure approached, and the very stern voice of a woman said, “What are you doing? You’re not members of staff, who are you wheeling around?” She pulled back the sheet and shook her head at a smiling Jaycen. “This is a hospital. Not a playground. You can’t be messing around in here; do you hear me?”

  No one spoke.

  The nurse then pointed to Benedict. “You should be ashamed of yourself. You’re an adult. Act like one. Great beard, though, but terrible attitude.” With one last tut, she shook her head and walked away.

  Jaycen waited until she was far enough before she said, “Would it have helped if I had played dead?”

  Even Benedict cracked a smile at that one. “Maybe. We need to move, we’re too open here.”

  Iris sucked in a breath. “Benedict, the guards. They’re over there, and they have guns. Real guns.”

  Jaycen couldn’t now move her head enough to see the two men addressed in royal blue, their hands resting on the belt as they spoke to a nurse who seemed to be giving them directions.

  “Come on, we need to move.” Benedict helped Iris push towards another set of double doors, which they were just about to reach when Benedict was pulled back by a guard in blue.

  “Run, Iris,” Benedict called out as he pushed the guard away and pulled another back who was trying to follow them.

  Iris screamed but broke out into a jog as she pushed Jaycen through the doors and down the corridor.

  “Is Benedict okay? We can’t leave him.” Jaycen used all her strength to push herself up onto her elbows to try to see Benedict past Iris’s shoulder, but all she could see was a guard running towards them with blood smeared down the side of his face.

  “Iris, he’s behind you,” she screamed just as the man jumped on Iris’s back, taking her down hard and bringing the trolley Jaycen was on down too. They all crashed onto the floor, with nurses and random pedestrians all rushing to help.

  Jaycen rolled around, her body shaking with pain as the wound on her stomach started to bleed.

  The guard pushed Irish into the ground as he stood up. “Everyone stand back, this is police business. Stand back.”

  The advancing people all stopped their approach, a nurse then pointed to Jaycen.

  “She’s bleeding and clearly needs medical help. If I could just. . .”

  The guard pulled out his gun and aimed directly at the nurse’s head. “I said step back.”

  The nurse held up her hands and took a few steps back, granting the guard a clear path to Jaycen as she twisted and turned on the floor, groaning in pain.

  “So you are hurt, I guess they weren’t lying about everything then,” he smirked and walked over until he was directly over her, his gun pointing down at her head. “The Cure want me to bring you back for questioning.” He knelt then, pressing the barrel of the gun against Jaycen’s forehead. “But you know I can’t. Your magic can’t exist. It’s not natural, not right.”

  The crowd around them all gasped in horror, some turning away, unable to look.

  Oh god, he was going to kill her. “No, please. Take me back to The Cure. I’ll go with you.”

  The guard snorted, pressing the gun down harder. “Sadly you don’t get to decide what happens now.”

  Squeezing her eyes shut, Jaycen tried to gather every ounce of strength she could muster, she waited for the burn to begin in her stomach, a burn that meant her magic was building. And a burn that simply didn’t come. Confused, but unable to wait another minute she reached forward, grabbing the guard's head in her hands and squeezed it tight.

  Jaycen didn’t know what she had been expecting, but the smug smile of the guard as nothing happened was not it.

  “Nice try princess.”

  Aghast, her hands loosened enough for the guard to grab hold of her wrist and pin her to the floor.

  Unable to move much and with her powers lacking, Jaycen realised that this was it, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  And all her hope was fading as the guard on top of her was hit hard on the head by a red fire extinguisher. He fell back unconscious, and the nurse who had told Benedict off earlier stood next to him.

  “He aint a policeman.” She shook her head and pursed her lips, “Now can someone call the real police and have this guy arrested?”

  The nurse and a few other people picked Jaycen off the floor, her wound now bleeding badly. Another person helped Iris into a sitting position as they checked the bump on her head. This was the scene that greeted Benedict when he came running through the double doors covered in blood.

  His eyes scanned the scene as he slowed into a fast walk until he was in front of Jaycen. “Are you okay?”

  She opened her mouth, but nothing came out, so instead, she shook her head and tried to focus on not crying.

  The Nurse was not having any of it as she pushed Benedict aside. “Do you know him, honey?”

  Again, Jaycen nodded her head, even as Benedict threw the woman a scowl, a scowl which she completely ignored.

  “Good. Because she was attacked by that fella over there, and she needs to see a doctor about her stitches, okay?”

  “Thank you for your help, but I think we have this under control,” Benedict informed her curtly as he turned his back on her to focus on Jaycen.

  “In control? Are you kidding me?” The nurse pushed Benedict’s arm and pointed at Jaycen. “She had a gun pointed at her head, the other little girl was basically just unconscious and you’re telling me you have this? Nope. I’m not having that.” She pursed her lips and shook her head before pointing at Benedict and then Jaycen. “I don’t know what is happening here, but I don’t like it. And t
he police have been called. The real police.”

  She turned left to talk to another onlooker, her back now to Benedict and Jaycen.

  “We have to go,” Benedict said, clearly uneasy with so many onlookers.

  “And say what to everyone here? They saw everything, Benedict? That guard said he worked for Darius?” Jaycen pressed her lips together and eased back, her wound causing even more discomfort.

  Benedict seemed to ponder the thought. “Right. Okay, I know what to do. Stay here.”

  Jaycen watched Benedict walk over to the slumped Cure Guard and placed his hand on his head. He muttered a spell that Jaycen couldn’t hear before getting up and helping Iris to her feet.

  “I’ll go get you a wheelchair.” Benedict helped Iris lean against the wall before walking off. The sassy nurse stopping him a few feet away, and clearly giving him another piece of her mind.

  Benedict leaned his head forward, his hand hovering just to the side of the woman’s head as he spoke low and quick. Another spell. Jaycen watched him work fast, as then the nurse staggered back just a little, she blinked in confusion before simply turning and walking away.

  Jaycen turned to Iris. “Are you okay?”

  Iris shrugged while rubbing her head. “No, but I’ll live. What about you?”

  Jaycen didn’t say anything for a second, and then shook her head. “I have no idea what just happened to me.”

  Before she could elaborate anymore Benedict returned with a wheelchair. “We really need to get out of here.” He helped Jaycen into the seat and wheeled her towards the exit where they could see Caleb and Thornton waiting like nothing had happened.

  Chapter 12

  They’d been driving for twenty minutes or so when Benedict pulled into a modern-looking apartment complex.

  “This should be okay for tonight, but tomorrow we’ll need to move.” Benedict led the way up the stairs, both Celeb and Thornton helping Jaycen to the top floor where Benedict let them in