Infernal Curse: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (The Half-Goddess Chronicles Book 2)

by Antara Mann

  My protective wall boomed yet again as the dinosaur crashed into it and got thrown back again, and Kathryn waved her hand. The magical beast disintegrated into thin air. For a second, the spot where the beast had stood sparkled, then the air in the living room returned to normal. I sighed in relief — given the strength of the beast, I didn’t know for how long my barrier would last.

  “I thought she attacked you,” she said, no trace of remorse in her voice, as she rushed to Finn's side and took his pulse.

  Finn rubbed his temples and forehead, then turned to me.

  “The last thing I remember was that I tried peeking into your past.”

  “Yes, and you got knocked out,” I said calmly.

  Kathryn turned to Finn. “Is this true? She didn’t try to hurt you?”

  Finn shot her an exasperated look. “She hasn’t done anything to me, Kate. Stop with the paranoia. No one is after me. If anything, it was me who kinda bothered Miss Shaw. I used my time magic to peek into her family history, but I must have hit some protective charm or something because I blacked out.” He closed his eyes and breathed slowly. I sensed he was hurt and needed to recharge.

  “I think I can help you if you’ll let me,” I said. “I have healing powers.”

  He nodded to me, his eyes still shut. I placed my hand on his chest, focusing, and reached for my regenerative magical reserve. It came to the tips of my fingers, and I applied it to the mage’s skin. Flickering pale yellow waves flowed from my hand to his skin, then I concentrated harder and pushed the healing energy deeper into his body. A few more moments later, his pale face regained its normal healthy hue.

  Finn got up looking as if he’d never been blasted by an explosion, and Kathryn’s features softened with relief. Her attention shifted off Finn, and she looked around. Her gaze fell on the burned spot in the carpet, and she pursed her lips. I wouldn’t be happy if it were my house, either.

  “Please, excuse my sister-in-law,” Finn said. “In times of distress, like now, she assumes the worst of people.”

  "Especially when there's a legitimate reason," Kathryn commented.

  "Yes, about that… I learned from Finn who the unprofessional investigator was, and I am going to personally discuss his methods in interviewing witnesses with the persons in charge. Fear not, his behavior will not remain unchallenged. I am afraid he created more problems than helped you."

  Kathryn inclined her head in my direction, the only sign that she’d heard my offer to help.

  “I’m going to see Miss Shaw off,” Finn said. He walked me to the front door. Outside, out of earshot, he turned to me. “I saw some things about your parents before passing out. Would you like to hear them?”

  My heart rate quickened. This was an opportunity to learn about my parents — their past, and mine, as well. I’d longed to know more for as long as I could remember.

  “Yes, please. You mentioned my father’s and mother’s names. What did you see about them? Are you sure my father was really killed?” I bit my lip to stem the flow of questions and give him a chance to speak. My fingers tightened on my notebook.

  “Hold on. One thing at a time!” Finn chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “I saw your father’s face, and your mother’s. They were honest supernaturals, brave and moral. The strange thing is, my intuition tells me their murders and my brother’s disappearance are somehow connected. Whoever is responsible for your parents’ murders is behind Aldwyn’s disappearance, too.”

  “Did you see the culprit? Can you describe him?” I asked the mage at breakneck speed and held my breath. I’d always suspected Garrett. Would Finn’s description confirm my worst fears?

  Finn shook his head. “I didn’t see the face of your father’s killer, I only felt his magic. It was dark but not as powerful as that of a demon or sorcerer. I think he was a warlock. I also sensed he used a dagger to steal your father’s magic.”

  That didn’t make sense. When I’d fought Garrett a month ago, even though I couldn’t tell exactly what kind of supernatural he was, I was sure he wasn’t a warlock. Warlocks stole the powers of other magical users by killing them, but their powers were inferior to those of demons or sorcerers. The latter two had magic inborn in them and simply manipulated it. And Garrett was anything but weak.

  “Are you sure my father’s killer was a warlock?” I asked the mage.

  “Yes.” He looked me straight in the eye. I could feel he wasn’t lying. Besides, my magic sense prickled on my skin sending warm waves across it; Finn was on the good guys’ side.

  “And what did you see about my mother’s murder?” I asked him, suddenly choked up. My mother was a touchy subject for me. I avoided talking about her with strangers. But now I had to face my discomfort. I knew very well who was responsible for her murder — Garrett. He'd been very vocal about it, bragging about it, and my mentor had later confirmed it. I just wanted to check Finn’s magic prowess and see if I could trust his visions.

  “I saw she was killed, but again there was no concrete face or name in my vision; I only felt the perpetrator’s magical energy, and this time it was demonical, I think… Yes, definitely a dark, powerful supernatural killed her.”

  That was curious. Had my parents been murdered by two different people? Suddenly things looked way more complicated that I would have liked.

  “You must be a valuable asset in the Council’s ranks — a half-goddess, half-elemental mage. Some may perceive you as a threat,” Finn mused aloud. "Perhaps that's why they killed your parents. And the wall around your future… that may have been placed there by someone trying to protect you."

  This guy was thinking dangerously in the right direction, and the way he voiced his thoughts made me uncomfortable. True, I’d heard the obnoxious Garrett say he’d killed my mother because she wanted to protect me from him and his inferni ally, but it was another thing hearing it from the mouth of a total stranger.

  “A month ago I met the dark supernatural, most probably a sorcerer, who’s behind my mother’s murder. And to make things worse, he has teamed up with an inferni.”

  Finn whistled. “Maybe that’s why I felt a demon was involved in her killing.”

  The turmoil inside me threatened to erupt in the most embarrassing public way. “Thank you for your revelations, Finn,” I said with the last of my control, and clenched my fist, the grip of my other hand on the notebook tighter, too. I intended to avenge my parents’ murders and slay the bastards responsible. Ever since my face-to-face fight with Garret, I’d been obsessed with killing him and his inferni ally. I didn’t care if I died in the process. I wanted them finished, over. For good.

  “May I give you a piece of advice?" Finn cautiously asked.

  I looked into his eyes. They gleamed with warmth, and I relaxed; I could trust him.

  "Yes, go on!"

  "You have to brace yourself because it won’t be easy,” Finn warned me and hurriedly added, “If I were you, I’d also like to know who put in place that protective spell guarding your future and why. You yourself saw what happened when I tried to peek into your destiny.” He looked at me thoughtfully.

  “Do you think my parents did it?”

  “It’s possible,” he said slowly. “Someone tried to protect you.”

  “But from what? My future?” I asked incredulously. “If anything, knowing what my future holds would help me prepare for it.”

  “More likely from what destiny has in store for you,” he said, his tone strangely cryptic. It made me uneasy and sent shivers down my spine.

  ***

  My first reaction was to visit Awen and discuss Finn’s visions with him, but I had work to tend to. I had to see Aldwyn’s work place. I dialed the number his wife had given me and arranged to check Aldwyn’s office.

  I teleported to the address they gave me in Boston, Massachusetts. The magic set me on my feet in downtown Boston, before a skyscraper. Aldwyn’s laboratory was meticulously ordered and tidy; after all, he was a scientist. I spotted a few
family photographs on his desk. Here, his magic felt more condensed.

  I also managed to speak to Aldwyn’s colleague; thankfully, he was working late. He couldn’t tell me anything new about Aldwyn, though, nothing that could help me in my investigation. He was a mage, too, though definitely a less powerful one.

  It was past 9 p.m. when I teleported back to my home town of Ivy Hills. My mentor lived on the outskirts of our small town, in a quiet, Victorian two-story building. I walked to his home, hoping the cool fall air would clear my thoughts and dissipate the foreboding sense of an impending disaster before I had to face him. I also sensed I would need a truckload of calm, and my thoughts at that moment were closely resembling a hurricane.

  When Finn had urged me to find out more about the magical spell put on my future, my immediate thought was that Awen might know about it, if he hadn’t put the protection on me himself. After I fought and won over Garrett, I’d had a heartfelt conversation with my mentor. He hadn’t told me much more than what Garret had already spilled out, but he’d confirmed I was a half-goddess, and that my mother had been killed by Garrett. He told me he was waiting for me to turn 25 before disclosing the rest of my story, as per my mother’s wish. According to him, on my birthday, my goddess powers would kick in fully.

  So here I was, standing before my mentor’s front door. My heart was racing wildly, my ears were buzzing. I was about to unveil one of the many big secrets shrouding my life. I took out my key — the one Awen had given me years ago so I could access his house at any time — and opened the front door.

  Awen heard my steps and his voice rang out through the open space, "Alex?"

  "It's me," I confirmed.

  I headed straight to his living room. By the looks of it, he’d made himself comfortable in his favorite spot, a rocking chair close to the fireplace, in which a log was burning brightly. One of his tomes of mythology was open on the table before his chair, next to a cup of tea — a typical evening for Awen. A centuries-old druid, my mentor had lived during some of the great ancient civilizations and had a vast collection of scriptures and unique books no one else I knew possessed. I had long envied him for them, especially as a teenager.

  “Is everything all right? You look concerned,” he remarked. Small wonder after what Finn had told me!

  “I am,” I admitted and sat down on the sofa opposite his chair.

  He looked at me intently then offered, “Would you like something to drink? Maybe tea since it’s late?” He stood up ready to dash to the kitchen.

  “No, thanks, I’m fine.”

  “What’s the matter?” He sat down and looked into my eyes for a few long seconds. The level of love and concern conveyed by his expression flooded my heart with warmth. “I know you well enough, Alex. I can see something’s nagging you.”

  “Yes, you are right. There’s something on my mind.” I cleared my throat and went on, “Today I learned some worrisome information.” I told him about my latest assignment, about Finn and what he’d experienced — how he’d peeked into my past and sensed my parents’ lives and felt their killers’ magic. I also told Awen that Finn thought there was a link between my parents’ murders and his brother’s disappearance, and how the protective spell put on my future had kicked him out and caused an explosion.

  By the time I’d finished my story Awen’s face had turned grim. I couldn’t work out what he thought, what he felt behind his poker face.

  “So, this time-mage sensed all this?” he asked more to himself than me. I nodded and he sighed. “Well, I can see no way around it. I didn’t want to tell you the rest of your story before your 25th birthday. As you know, I promised your mother I wouldn’t burden you with more than you can carry. But I guess it’s already too late for that.”

  “Yeah, I think Finn’s revelations ruined that plan. Please, Awen, be honest with me. I need to know everything about my parents and this protective spell on my future. You owe me that.”

  Awen stood up and began pacing. He’d furrowed his brows, deep in thought. Finally, he said, “Well, I guess I have no choice now, have I?”

  I sat there quietly, watching him. He sighed deeply, frowned, and his forehead creased with wrinkles.

  “I am sorry, Alex,” he said quietly. “We all had your best interests at heart.”

  “You know I’ll find out sooner or later, right? And I may put myself in more danger looking for the answers. It would be safer if you just came out with it.”

  Awen fixed me with a penetrating stare for a minute, then resumed his pacing.

  “C’mon, Awen. Tell me. Please. Who else knows about this? The Morrigan?”

  “Yes. The mage was right. We hid some things from you, but please don’t hold it against us. As I said, I intended to tell you everything on your 25th birthday, just as your mother asked me.”

  “I know. You’ve made that point very clear, several times,” I said a little louder, barely masking my irritation.

  “If you could just have a little more patience…”

  “Patience? I need answers. Now,” I snapped.

  “I see.” He scratched his chin, looking at me with his thoughtful bright eyes.

  Unable to contain myself, I cried, “For magic’s sake, my birthday is in eight days’ time! How could eight days make any difference? I need to know whatever it is you’re keeping silent about.”

  Awen sighed deeply. “I guess you’re making a good point.” After a pause, he said, “Okay. Before telling you about your parents and that protective spell, I need to know. Are there any more disappearances of mages?”

  “As far as I know, there’s only this one I am currently investigating. I don’t know of any other.”

  He stared at me for a bit longer and conceded. “Okay, let’s hope it stays that way. So, back to your questions. Shortly after you were born, your father — his name was indeed Eadward Schaillee — got involved in the investigation of a few mages who had mysteriously disappeared.”

  “Missing mages even back then?”

  “Yes. It seems there’s a pattern to this although it happened long ago, at the time when you were born. So, your father dug into their disappearances, but in the process got himself killed. Your mother swore to avenge his death and followed the leads of his murder, but the culprit was keeping low, so she couldn’t catch him for many years.

  “A few years after you were born, Brighid — the Celtic goddess of learning and knowledge — made a prophecy about you. She foretold you’d be the one to kill ‘the dark one that would rise’. Even back then, there were rumors and muffled talks that someone from Kai’s court was planning a magical revolution. Someone who was high-ranked and obviously with great power and influence at his court. Kai has always refused to accept that one of his most trusted demons was plotting against him. A few of us, though, were aware of the real situation. That dark one Brighid had referred to is most certainly Garrett’s infernal ally.

  “That’s why your mother was so worried about your safety and entrusted you to my care. She didn’t want you to have the burden of this prophecy since it carries a lot of responsibility. Also, had we told you about your being a half-goddess, you would have naturally tried to unleash or work on your goddess power. But doing so consciously would have allowed the inferni to detect your location. And that poised a serious threat to your safety. Even though the inferni and his minions managed to find you over a month ago despite this precaution, we've made it very difficult for them and slowed them down. Your mother wanted nothing more but to keep you as far away as possible from any harm.

  "That meant she couldn’t be long in your presence. Too many resented the fact that she kept digging into your father’s murder, and she feared she would put you at risk if she kept you close.

  “This inferni, the dark one that will rise, has been obsessed with killing you ever since he learned about Brighid’s prophecy. And that’s how he began chasing you. I had to protect you all along the way. The Morrigan and I didn’t want you to find out
about the prophecy or have other supernaturals peek into your future and accidentally reveal it. We had to take measures — so we put that protective charm on you. We did it out of love, darling. I hope you can see that.”

  Awen smiled, looking at me thoughtfully with his big, blue eyes. “I am heartbroken that I couldn’t keep the promise I gave your mother, to honor her memory, but I guess fate has its own ways.”

  I was strangely calm, though my heart was beating faster than usual, as if I was not really in this room, listening to my fate being laid out bare in front of me. All this because of a prophecy, I thought. And I had been blissfully unaware of it. I felt a lump rise in the back of my throat and fought to keep my mind in the present. I was angry at my mentor for keeping me in the dark, but now I was beginning to realize it had all been for my own good. It was not betrayal, but done for my own protection.

  “Umm, do you think the practice of kidnapping mages is repeating now?”

  “It is quite possible,” Awen agreed.

  “But why are they doing it?”

  He gave me a sad smile. “Somehow the mages are going to play a part in cracking open Inferno's gates, but I don't know how exactly. Once they accomplish that goal, a magical apocalypse will erupt. That’s what the mysterious inferni wants: chaos and revolution so that he can take Kai’s place as leader of the Court of Hell.”

  “That’s horrible!” I exclaimed, abruptly recalling Garrett’s insane and wicked magic. The haunting memory was as vivid as the day I’d lived it, and I pushed it back. “Are they — the inferni and Garrett — stealing mages’ powers? Like warlocks do?” Suddenly Finn’s account of the type of magic he’d sensed when describing my father’s killer made total sense.

  “Most probably. Though unfortunately they are not warlocks. As you know, they are much more powerful and dangerous.”

  “But then, that means this inferni has had two minions over the years, because Garrett isn’t a warlock. Finn described two separate supernaturals behind my father’s and mother’s deaths. But he was clear there was one mastermind — the inferni.”