Sea Cursed: An Adult Dystopian Paranormal Romance: Sector 13 (The Othala Witch Collection)

by Amy Lee Burgess

  I dug my spoon into the fruit, quite sure I wouldn’t be able to swallow and would probably choke to death. Across from me, Mother sat with her hands folded in her lap.

  “Ms. Stone, do you not like fruit? Shall I ask Matilda to bring you something else?” The Lord Regent sounded solicitous, but I didn’t trust him.

  “I’ll wait for Logan,” Mother said without a trace of insolence in her tone, yet everyone still knew she was being defiant.

  “At this table we refer to each other by our titles or last names,” the Lord Regent explained with a patient smile that made me shiver.

  “I’m afraid I don’t know Logan’s last name,” Mother said. She looked across the table at me. “Do you...Ms. Adams?” She turned back to the Lord Regent. “I presume she’s entitled to that last name even though my marriage has been annulled?”

  The Lord Regent tilted his head, his smile gone. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead, actually.” He tapped one finger against his cheek as he mused. “Should I strip the earth witch of her last name? Make her use yours? I believe I should. So it is done.” He looked at me. “You are now Demetria Stone. Michael Adams has no further responsibilities toward you. In fact, he may have a case in a civil court of law against your mother requiring her to repay him for every penny he’s spent on your upkeep and hers these twenty years.” He turned back to my mother. “Does that satisfy you, madam? I sincerely hope so. Now. Eat. Your. Fruit.”

  Cheeks burning red, Mother scooped up a slice of mango and popped it into her mouth – without using a spoon.

  “Mother.” I groaned, terror twisting my guts.

  “You heard the Lord Regent. We are to eat our fruit.” Mother plucked a strawberry from her cup and nibbled it, juices dripping onto the pristine white tablecloth.

  The Lady Regent made a strangled noise that could have been horrified laughter or a snort of derision aimed at her husband. Whatever it was, it distracted the Lord Regent’s attention away from Mother.

  “You find something amusing?” His glacial tone made Walrus Mustache blanch and duck his head.

  The Lady Regent patted her throat and bestowed a blinding smile on us all. “I apologize. A piece of cantaloupe went down the wrong way. Matilda has sliced everything too large again. I shall speak to her after dinner.”

  Silence reigned as everyone ate their fruit cups. Mother continued to use her fingers, her cheeks bright red. I used a spoon, but every piece tasted like ashes in my mouth which made it hard to swallow. Where on Othala was Logan?

  The Lord Regent had just set down his spoon when Logan ducked through the door and took the chair between Mother and the Lady Regent. He’d shaved the beard stubble from his face, giving him a fresh look. He glanced up the table at me, and his eyes sizzled blue in the candlelight.

  The Lord Regent, his expression solemn, removed a watch from his waistcoat pocket. In the Before Times watches had been obsolete because people used things called cell phones. Before that they had used watches that ran on tiny batteries. Most people on Galveteen used watches with batteries the sea witches recharged with their magic, but rich people like the Lord Regent used rare, old-fashioned watches that wound.

  I’d read about pocket watches in school, but I’d never seen one – not even at the Before Times Museum on the Strand.

  The Lord Regent’s was large, round, and shiny gold. He pried it open and stared portentously at the watch face. No one at the table moved. My breath stuck in my throat, all but strangling me, and I devoutly hoped I wouldn’t puke fruit all over the table cloth.

  “You are eight-and-a-half minutes late.” The Lord Regent snapped the watch shut. “I’m feeling generous tonight so I will ignore the half minute and round down to eight. I am grieved, sea witch, that you did not take my warning to heart.”

  He tucked the pocket watch back into his striped waistcoat. “As you know, your sister is currently incarcerated. She’s treated quite well with good food and bright lights. I am aware she is afraid of the dark, so I made sure to tell the guards to keep her cell well lit.

  “However, for eight hours, one hour for every minute you decided to make us wait for your presence at the dinner table, she will sit in her cell in total darkness.”

  Logan’s face drained of all color. He bowed his head, obviously fighting for control of his emotions. Outside, a sudden gust of wind battered the windows behind the Lord Regent’s seat, followed by a blast of hard rain.

  “That’s not fair!” I cried, in horror. “He wasn’t late on purpose. We have one bathroom between three of us, and we came back this afternoon covered in sand and sea water. Logan offered to go last because Mother and I have such long hair. Please, my Lord, don’t punish his sister for something beyond his control!”

  Everyone stared at me in various stages of incredulity. I shuddered, wishing I’d kept my mouth shut. Would I never learn there was no reasoning with the Lord Regent? He didn’t care about such concepts as fairness. If he did, would we be treated as we were?

  The Lord Regent cocked his head to regard me for a moment. “I believe I shall round up to nine after all. My patience and generosity have been exhausted for the evening. The sea witch’s sister will spend nine hours in the darkness now.” He bent a frightening glare at me. “Have you anything left to say? Anything at all, earth witch?”

  Tears choking me, I shook my head. I’d made it worse for Logan’s sister, not better. An extra excruciating hour in the dark because of me.

  A sharp crunch reverberated throughout the room, and a jagged crack zigzagged down the windowpane behind the Regent’s chair.

  Rage worked his features when he observed the damage.

  “Fix that!” he roared at me, leaning so close I could smell the wine on his breath. “Fix it now or his sister will rot in the darkness until her heart bursts from terror!”

  Mother shut her eyes and her lips moved soundlessly. Twin spots of color flared across her cheeks.

  I stared mesmerized at the Lord Regent, unable to think or speak coherently.

  The crack in the glass began to repair itself from the bottom up. I knew I wasn’t doing it. Mother must have been.

  The Lord Regent waited until the glass was perfect again. “Good thing for you your mother was here tonight to fix that. However, she won’t be around to clean up after your uncontrolled outbursts when you are out to sea reuttering the spell that will save Galveteen from the ravagers. Othala curse us all for saddling the island with such a useless, worthless witch, Demetria Stone. You will be the death of us all, won’t you?”

  My heart pounded with such a sick intensity I expected it to explode out of my chest in a red spray of blood.

  “We did make some progress this afternoon, my lord,” Mother said, sounding breathless, as if she’d run half a mile as fast as she could. Using her power must have physical effects upon her. Or perhaps she was simply terrified as I was.

  “I’ve had a full report from Captain Clark,” the Regent snapped. “Frankly, your idea of progress clashes violently with mine. It occurs to me there are three witches to one non-magical participating in this farce of an exercise. I believe tomorrow I shall send someone I know shares my opinion of witches more closely than perhaps Captain Clark does.”

  Mother swayed in her chair as if she might faint. Alarmed, Logan shifted in his seat so his shoulder touched hers. She seemed bolstered by his support and drew a deep breath.

  “As you wish, my Lord.”

  “Of course it is as I wish,” snarled the Regent. He snatched up the silver bell by his elbow and gave it a violent swing.

  The door between the kitchen and dining room opened to admit Matilda.

  “Matilda, stop clearing for a moment and attend to me.”

  Matilda froze in the act of removing the glass dish in front of the Lady Regent.

  “My lord?” she whispered, giving him a fulsome smile.

  The Lord Regent nodded affably in her direction. “Matilda, as one of my most trusted servants, I am setting you an
important task that will take you away from your regular duties. Tomorrow you shall accompany the witches and Captain Clark to the seashore and observe the earth witch’s progress controlling her powers. You will report to me everything you see and hear. Do you believe you can do that for me?”

  Matilda swelled with pride. “Of course, my lord.” She shot me a gloating look I struggled to ignore.

  The Lord Regent smiled. “Thank you, you may clear now and bring out the salad.”

  After the salad course was served, I kept my head down and focused on my plate. Mother and Logan did the same.

  We ate in crunchy silence until the Lord Regent set down his salad fork with a contented sigh. “Councilor Abrams, did my inspirational speech at the docks convince many captains to take their vessels out to sea?” Although he smiled, I heard the warning in his tone.

  Walrus Mustache coughed into his napkin, his face mottling red. “My lord, the Regina, the Mary-Angela, and the Orca are, indeed, out to sea.”

  “Three ships out of the entire fleet?” The Lord Regent frowned, and my stomach contracted. Even non-magicals had it rough with this man. Was there no satisfying him?

  Councilor Abrams harrumphed and went into a long-winded, slightly incoherent explanation involving dry dock, repairs, seasonal fishing grounds, and sea witches unable to cope with the weather.

  At the mention of sea witches, the Lord Regent clenched his teeth.

  “Sea witches can control the weather. They do it every day. Captain Clark reported how the sea witch stopped the rain today so the earth witches could practice their magic. So what is the problem here, councilor?”

  Councilor Abrams huffed and puffed something garbled and shot a pleading look at Logan, who had finished most of his salad and now sat with his head down. He must have felt Walrus Mustache’s agonized gaze, for he lifted his head slowly.

  “The weather patterns are magically induced during the Reutterance,” Logan said, his eyes downcast. “The sea witches aren’t able to counteract. It’s residual magic cast fifty years ago by the sea witch who was marked by Othala. Only another sea witch marked by Othala could even attempt to control it.

  “I didn’t stop the rain entirely today. I did my best, but it still drizzled, and it didn’t hold off long. It’s much easier to add magic to make it storm harder. It’s almost impossible to lessen the effects.”

  “What’s your range? Enough so if we put you on a fishing vessel and you led the fleet out, you could the calm the seas enough to fish?” Councilor Abrams fairly bounced on his chair, unable to contain his excitement.

  “He stays with the earth witch,” the Lord Regent said with a cold look in my direction. “Her wild gyrations nearly caused a tidal wave this afternoon that would have topped the sea wall. Possibly crushed it on the way over. Someone who has control and power matching hers needs to babysit, apparently.”

  Councilor Abrams’s eyes bulged, and his wife gave a little scream of fright. The urge to reach around the councilor and pinch her nearly overpowered my sense of self-preservation.

  It didn’t help matters that the Regent was right. If Logan hadn’t convinced the wave to flatten, it wouldn’t have mattered that I also persuaded the earth to stop shaking. The wave had already been generated, and I had no power over the sea.

  “When are the three ships due back in?” The Regent lifted the bell and rang it to signal it was time for the main course. Would this dinner ever end?

  Matilda bustled in with plates containing thick cut pork chops, mashed potatoes, and green beans. My mouth watered even as my stomach clenched with anxiety.

  Abrams grimaced. “The Orca was due today, but she hasn’t made it back to harbor. The Mary-Angela is overdue by a day and a half. The Regina was on a short trip only. She should be back tomorrow.”

  The Lord Regent’s fingers tightened around the stem of his wine glass. “If even one of those ships has been lost, your days as admiral of the Galveteen fleet are numbered.”

  Abrams’s wife gasped and tears flooded her eyes. She excused herself from the table and blundered out, barely containing sobs.

  Abrams watched her go, his expression torn between concern and dismay. “I apologize for my wife, my lord. She’s very emotional since our youngest married and moved out. Once the grandchildren begin to arrive, she’ll have something to focus on. She’s feeling rather useless at the moment.”

  “That’s a woman’s lot in life,” the Regent remarked. “She’d better get used to it.” He glanced down the table at Mother, Regina, and me, as if challenging us to contradict him. None of us rose to the bait, and he gave an irritated sigh before snatching up his fork and stabbing his vegetables.

  Regina ate a few bites before quietly excusing herself and leaving the room, hopefully to check on Abrams’s wife.

  They both returned a moment later, the councilor’s wife dabbing at her eyes with a lacy handkerchief. On her way past back to her seat, the Lady Regent squeezed her shoulder.

  Logan, Mother, and I ate in silence. No one spoke to us, and we offered no conversation of our own. When at last dessert was over, the Regent suggested that he and Abrams retire to his study for brandy. Logan, Mother, and I excused ourselves and rushed for the stairs.

  “Dem, I just want to be alone,” Mother said, blocking my way when I tried to enter her room after her. “I’m very tired and upset.” She shut the door in my face. I turned to see Logan closing his door. He hadn’t even bothered to say good night.

  Halfway across the hall to my room, I tacked to the left and ended up at his door. I didn’t know what to say to him, but I didn’t think he should be alone to brood over his sister.

  I knocked, but he didn’t answer. I heard the bed creak as if he’d lain down, but he didn’t acknowledge me.

  “Logan,” I said, knocking again. “Please can’t I come in?”

  “No,” he answered after an excruciating moment. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “But I...” I began.

  “In the morning,” he repeated, sounding angry. I bit my lip. Of course. I’d made everything worse for his sister.

  “I was just trying to help,” I whispered, resting my forehead against the door, weary beyond measure.

  “I don’t need any help. Good night, Demetria. Please.” The anger in his voice burned like acid against my conscience. What he meant was that he didn’t need my help. Because I was no help. I was a hindrance.

  “Good night, Logan.” I drew a deep breath and turned to go to my room. Halfway there, his door opened.

  “I’m not mad at you,” he said from the doorway. “If that’s what you’re thinking.”

  I shook my head. Nice of him to try to make me feel better, but of course he was angry at me. At least some part of him had to be. I’d opened my mouth and made things worse for his sister.

  “I’ve never crawled to anyone before tonight,” he said in such a twisted, anguished voice, I turned around to stare at him. “There aren’t many people I’d crawl for, but Chelsea’s only ten. She can barely make it rain at this point. And she’s so afraid of the dark. The first spell she ever learned was how to turn on her bedside lamp. She was two.”

  “Logan, I don’t want to die,” I whispered past the tears choking me. “How can we make sure our families are all right if we die after the Reutterance? I don’t trust the Regent.”

  I wanted him to tell me we weren’t going to die, but the naked fear on his face let me know he thought we were doomed too.

  “I want to see the spell. I want to know what to do.” He beat a fist against the door jamb hard enough to make me startle.

  “I know that’s my fault too. If I knew how to direct my magic, we’d be halfway out to sea by now, wouldn’t we?” I bowed my head in shame.

  Logan moved into the hallway to stand next to me. Somehow his arms went around me and mine went around him, and we pressed together in a tight embrace. I wanted to burrow into him until my fears melted, and when I lifted my head to tell him that, h
e lowered his mouth over mine and electric sparks seemed to leap from his lips to mine, scaring and exciting me simultaneously.

  “You crackle you’re so alive,” I whispered against his mouth.

  “I thought that was you,” he said, and our kiss deepened until my knees weakened. I’d only been kissed once before, and I’d found the experience underwhelming to say the least. But this – this was something I didn’t know could happen between two people.

  He plunged his hands into my hair, pulling out the pins that held it up until it cascaded down my back.

  “You have witch hair,” he murmured between long, intoxicating kisses.

  “You make me want to be a witch. I can’t even believe how much I want to be a witch because I want to be like you,” I said as he moved his lips to my jaw and trailed electric kisses to my throat.

  “Demetria.” My mother was halfway out of her door before she seemed to register what was happening between Logan and me. She froze as we broke clumsily apart. I couldn’t breathe my heart pounded so hard. Logan’s chest heaved as he stared at her.

  Mother flushed. “I’m sorry.” She whirled and retreated into her room.

  I winced.

  “That was awkward.” Logan’s wry laugh made me smile despite the situation. He grinned at me. “She’s not going to think about this for a minute and then come out here flaming mad at me, is she?”

  “I’m twenty-one years old,” I muttered. “Old enough to know my own mind. Old enough to kiss somebody.”

  “Okay,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “Don’t you get mad at me. My father warned me never to cross a female earth witch or I’d regret the hell out of it. If I lived.”

  “So do most sea witches stick to sea witches?” I asked, frowning at the thought.

  “I don’t know. Most of the time, I guess.” Logan shrugged. “Look, it’s not forbidden to get together with an earth witch if you’re a sea witch.”

  “Just not something your father would recommend,” I said.

  “My father?” Logan gave a hoot of laughter. “He was with an earth witch before he met my mother. Apparently she had a frigging huge temper, and he was always doing something to tick her off. Like sneak around with my mother behind her back. He deserved everything he got as far as I’m concerned.” He sobered for a moment and stared at me. “You shouldn’t screw around with somebody’s feelings like that. Right?”