“Because there was with the other three.”
Crap. Telling him might be enough to scare him away. But then again, if he was getting involved, he had a right to know. “I went out with him a few times.”
David stopped on the boardwalk, tilting his head to the side. “Why was he killed?”
“Why were any of them killed?”
“I’m asking you.”
“Why do you think I know?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m not a fool, Ellie. Please don’t treat me like one.”
“You are the last person on earth I would ever suspect of being a fool.” I meant it.
“So why were they killed?”
“As punishment. For me.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wished I could retract them. I started walking again.
David sensed my reluctance and thankfully didn’t press the issue, not that I presumed he’d let it drop. He was just biding his time. I was learning that it was something he did a lot.
I led him between the New Moon and the retail shops that faced the sound. My apartment was in the back, the last unit on the third floor. We climbed the exterior wooden steps to my porch. When we reached the landing, I wasn’t sure whether to curse or be thankful.
Collin had redone the marks.
David stared at the door, his mouth open in wonder. “You have to tell me what this means.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything.” I said, snippier than I’d intended. I rubbed my forehead with the back of my hand. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I’m tired. I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks.”
“Why not?”
“My sleep has been riddled with nightmares.”
I could see he wanted to ask me about my dreams, but instead he turned his attention back to the door. “You’ve already told me the symbols are there for protection, and I know you don’t want to tell me what you’re protecting yourself from. But if you were to indulge me with an explanation of their meaning, it might jar a memory about Ahone.”
I shook my head with a smirk. “Well played, David. Fine.” I pointed to the corners and started with the explanation Collin had given me. “The stars and the moon in the corners represent nighttime, which is when I need the most protection. The sun is on either side. This asks the sun to provide its far-reaching power to the night.” I pointed to the symbols on either side of the sun. “Next are lightning and rain, representing the air. They are placed on either side of the sun. This asks the sun and the night to provide me protection from the wind—” I stopped short of adding gods. I stared at the center of the design. Collin had added his sign of the land. The only symbol needed for the protection code to be complete was mine for the sea. I bent down and grabbed the piece of charcoal I kept hidden in a flowerpot. “The symbol in the center represents what’s being protected. What’s there now is the symbol for land, but it’s incomplete.” I added my wave symbol to all four sides. “I am the sea.”
When I stood back and looked at the door, the charcoal still in my hand, I waited for him to respond in some way.
He was silent for so long I wondered if he’d been enchanted. Finally, he licked his upper lip. “I have so many questions that I don’t know where to start. And I’m far from sure you’ll answer any of them.”
“Go ahead and try.”
“Where did you learn all of this?”
“The other Keeper.”
His head pivoted toward me. “The other what?”
“Keeper. His name is Collin Dailey, and he’s a descendant of Manteo. These symbols have been passed down from generation to generation. He’s the one who first put them on my door. His symbol is the land.”
“The land and the sea?”
“When his symbol joins with mine, it provides additional protection.” I paused. “But I’m not ready to tell you that part yet.” I was surprised I’d told him the Keeper part.
“How can you be sure he’s a real descendent of Manteo? There are no recorded relatives. He could be duping you.”
I put the charcoal back into the pot and pulled my keys out of my purse. “Wondering whether Collin is a real Manteo descendant is the least of my worries. But trust me that he is. I have all the proof I need.” I put the key in the lock and pushed open the door.
“And what’s that?”
I held my palm open. “Collin has an identical mark on his hand.”
“So what?” David scoffed, showing his first sign of cynicism. “He could have had it tattooed.”
“This isn’t a tattoo, David.”
“Then what is it?”
“When I met Collin at the New Moon, he didn’t have this mark on his palm. But when he left a few minutes later, we both had one.”
“Do you realize what you’re saying?” he asked.
I stepped inside my apartment and turned to face him. He was one step away from entering my world. “David, this is your chance to get the hell away from all of this. You suggested that the appearance of the colony was a supernatural occurrence, and I’m here to tell you that you’re right. The mark on my palm is too. It just showed up on my hand the day before the colony appeared.”
He remained expressionless.
“If you walk through this door, I will tell you everything.” I wasn’t sure when I’d decided that, but he needed to make an informed decision about whether to plunge into this madness or turn back. And if he decided to be a participant, the only way he could help me was if he knew everything.
He looked at the door, then back at me.
“I know it sounds crazy. I didn’t believe it either, and I wasted a full day pretending it wasn’t real. But the god’s honest truth is that I really need the information you have. I didn’t intend to tell you what was really happening, I only wanted to find out what you knew. But tonight I realized you’re too curious to let it go at that.”
He took a step forward, but I blocked his path.
“You asked about how I was connected to the deaths, and I told you that they were a punishment. I had to make a choice and each day I didn’t choose, someone I knew was killed. Right now, they’re leaving the people I care about alone, but I can’t be sure that will last. At some point, the people who are close to me may be in danger again, and if you become part of this, I suspect you will be included in that. Especially you. You have information that can help me understand them, and that might make them feel threatened.”
“I’m afraid to ask who is doing the threatening,” he finally said.
“Good.” I moved closer to him. “You should be afraid. If you do this, you might be afraid every day for the rest of your life. Because I’m fairly certain that once you become involved, you’re in it until the end, whatever that might be.”
He looked shell-shocked.
“Turn around while you can, David. Just answer my questions, study Manteo’s hut, and go back to Chapel Hill. Keep yourself safe.”
He took a step backward. Disappointment threatened to suffocate me, but I told myself it was for the best. I was asking him to commit to something serious without knowing all the facts. Any sane person would walk away after what I’d said.
I turned around and headed for the kitchen, in desperate need of a glass of wine. Opening the refrigerator, I pulled out my last bottle and closed the door. When I did, David was standing on the other side, a determined look on his face. “I told you I don’t back down from a challenge.”
And just like that, I was no longer alone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I put the wine bottle on the counter and reached for a couple of wine glasses. “Would you like some? It’s a fine vintage stock. I’m pretty sure it was on the shelf of the Piggly Wiggly for at least two weeks.”
The corners of his mouth lifted, and he chuckled. “Yeah. I think I might need it.”
Smart man.
He set the bag of food on my counter and sat on one of the bar stools. Collin had been sitting in that exact chair when I told him that I’d pa
wned my relic, a pewter cup. He’d stormed out, which was understandable. If our roles had been reversed, I probably would have stormed out too. Would David leave after I told him my story?
I uncorked the bottle, poured two glasses of white wine, and sat next to him. “I’m not sure where to start. How much can you handle? Should I tell you everything at once or ease you into it?”
He pulled our food out of the take-out bag and placed my sandwich in front of me. “You said you were running out of time. Tell me all of it at once.”
“Do you mind if I eat first? Once I get into this conversation, I’m liable to lose my appetite, and I haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“Sure.”
We ate in awkward silence, which twisted my stomach into a knot. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all.
“Do you have any siblings?” David asked, trying to take away the strain of silence.
Some of the tension eased from my shoulders. “No. I’m an only child.”
“Stepsiblings?”
“What? Oh, no. Daddy was Myra’s first husband. And they were both in their forties, so they skipped the whole second family thing.” I lifted my wine glass to my lips. I needed liquid courage to go through with this. “Do you have siblings?”
“An older brother. He’s still in England with my parents.”
“Do you see them very often?”
“Usually once a year. Around Christmas.”
I pushed the rest of my food away and then wiped my hands on my napkin and stood.
His brow wrinkled. “Is what you have to tell me really as bad as you’re making it out to be?”
“Worse.” I took another gulp of wine and moved to the sofa. Here goes nothing. “Once I start this, I need you to listen, and then you can ask questions when I’m done. Okay? Because it’s going to sound insane.”
He got up and sat in the chair next to the sofa, his expression solemn. “Okay.”
I took a deep breath. “It all started over four hundred years ago, when the colony disappeared due to . . . supernatural reasons. The colonists faced hardships, partially because of the Indian tribes around them. The governor of Virginia left his daughter and son-in-law and their newborn daughter behind when he returned to England for supplies and help.”
“Anyone who studied the Croatan knows that, Ellie.” Irritation crept into his voice. “But what most people ignore is that they had good reason to be hostile, especially after Sir Ralph Lane’s heavy-handedness the year before.”
I couldn’t hide my tentative smile. For all his good looks and charm, he really was a history geek at heart. And the fact that he’d chosen his profession because of his outrage over the treatment of the Cherokee only warmed my heart to him more.
A sheepish grin spread across his face. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. The assertion that the English were helpless victims infuriates me.”
“That’s okay.” I shifted on the sofa, tucking my feet underneath me. “Deserved or not, Ananias was terrified for his family. Manteo came up with a plan that would not only help the colonists, but also his own people. As I’m sure you know, they believed they got their strength for battles from the gods. So Manteo and Ananias performed a ceremony to lock the gods and spirits in Popogusso.”
His eyes widened. “Hell?”
I nodded. “Yes, but it went horribly wrong. Manteo’s gods were bound instead.”
“They’re roughly the same deities, Ellie.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I know. I’m telling you what I’ve been told. And you’re interrupting.”
He sank back into his chair. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay.” I paused. “Their ceremony was successful, but the colony also disappeared because of the curse. Manteo knew the gods couldn’t be contained forever, and one day they would escape. Manteo and Ananias were each charged with the job of Curse Keeper. The curse could only be maintained if the two Keepers were kept away from each other. They were forced to stay close to the island but away from each other. Once the curse broke, the Curse Keepers had until the morning of the seventh day to reseal the gate to Popogusso. Their oldest child would take the position when he or she turned eighteen. Obviously, it’s been passed down for generations. Like I said, Collin is a descendant of Manteo, and I’m a descendant of Ananias Dare. We also have titles. Collin is son of the land and I am daughter of the sea.”
“Do you realize how impossible that is?”
“You mean the logistics of Ananias finding a new wife?”
He shook his head as he set his wine glass on the coffee table and began to pace. “You realize this is all completely preposterous?”
My heart sank. “Yes, why do you think I didn’t want to tell you?”
He stopped behind the sofa, looking down at me. “And you actually believe all of this?”
“Not at first. My father taught me about the curse before Momma’s death, but after she died, I forgot everything. Daddy tried to reteach me everything, but I wouldn’t listen.” A new thought occurred to me. This was supposed to be a secret. The Keepers were charged with keeping the information to themselves at the risk of great punishment. For years, I’d been convinced that I was responsible for my mother’s death because I had told Claire about the curse a few days earlier. Eventually, I’d come to regard it as a horrible coincidence, but now I had to wonder. What if I had been responsible for her death, as absurd as it seemed? I shoved down the avalanche of guilt that accompanied the thought and moved to another: Would there be repercussions for telling Drew and now David? Even though the curse had already been broken?
But I couldn’t ignore that this man had been placed in my path exactly when I needed him, and he had the resources to help me save humanity. Did I really have a choice?
David sat down in the chair again, leaning back and looking at the wall. “Sorry. Go on.”
“Collin showed up at the New Moon one day. I’d never seen him before, but I felt like I was suffocating when I was near him, which was also part of the curse. Probably designed to help keep us apart. He grabbed my hand before he left, and the marks showed up. Even before I finally acknowledged that the curse was broken, I knew it. I felt it happen. And when the colony reappeared the next day, I started to wish I’d paid more attention to Daddy’s stories. I thought Collin was some nutcase when he insisted I needed to help him close the gate.” I shook my head in disgust. “But he was using me all along. He wanted to permanently open the gate to Popogusso.”
His face paled. “He wanted to open the gate?” I nodded and finished my glass, watching him as I drank. But he just stared at me, not even blinking.
“I thought we were closing and sealing the gate. And we did . . . after the gate opened and all the spirits and gods that had been locked away escaped. The spirits have been responsible for all the dead birds and animals that have stumped scientists around here. They’re weak after being locked away for hundreds of years, and they’re feeding off the animals’ Manitou to regain their strength.” I paused. “Do you know what the Manitou is?” I presumed he did with his knowledge of the Algonquian.
He waved in dismissal. “Yes. Go on.”
“They especially want mine because I have a pure soul, which has earned me a title Collin doesn’t have: witness to creation. Manitou are recycled, but mine wasn’t, which means I was present at creation. I’m rare, and it makes my Manitou stronger. I had no way of knowing, and Collin claims he didn’t know either until Wapi, the wind god of the north, tried to steal mine. Once Collin realized I was at risk, he painted the henna tattoo on my back, using Okeus’s symbol. My tattoo matches the symbol the Manteo line gets inked on their chest on their eighteenth birthday.”
David shifted in his seat, and I could tell he was dying to ask me questions, but he pressed his lips together and waited.
“Collin painted an identical mark on my back. But Okeus wanted me to fully pledge myself to him. When I refused, he killed someone I knew as a sacrifice each day for three d
ays.” I looked away, my voice breaking. “I never would have accepted Okeus, not that I even could . . . The curse is based on duality, and Ahone claimed me. After Daddy sacrificed himself to reseal the gate, Ahone said I had permission to put his mark on my body as protection, only he neglected to show me what it is. Which is why I’m so desperate to find it. Once my henna tattoo is gone, I’m completely vulnerable.” I gave him a hesitant smile. “Okay, you can ask questions now.”
“Collin gave you the henna tattoo, but the mark on your hand just appeared?”
“Yes, it was our sign that the curse was broken, and the marks are also the source of our power to close the gate. Or open it, as the case may be.”
“And how did you get the diagonal slash mark on your palm.”
“Collin.”
David tensed, and when he spoke again, it was in a lower voice. “He attacked you?”
I shook my head, sadness washing over me. “No. He needed our blood for the ceremony. I had no idea how the ceremony was performed, and he didn’t warn me. I suspect he was a little overzealous.” I paused. “We pressed our symbols together to open and close the gate. We have more power when we are joined than we do separately.” I tried not to think about the other ways we had joined together.
David was silent for a moment. “The wind gods have no recorded names.”
I released a soft laugh. He would pick up on that. “Then you’ll be the first to record them. The wind god of the north is Wapi.”
I took a gulp of my wine and then poured myself more. I sank back into the cushions of the sofa and closed my eyes. “Other than Collin, Myra, and my best friend Claire and her fiancé Drew, you’re probably the only other living person who knows about this. And Myra doesn’t know everything. I don’t like to worry her.”
He studied his hands for several seconds, then looked up at me. “That animal that eats dog hearts? What is it?”
“He’s a spirit of some kind. He hasn’t told me his name.”
“He talks to you?”
“He comes to me in my dreams. Just like Big Nasty.”
The Curse Breakers Page 13