Beyond the Black Mist (The Familiar Curse Book 2)

by C. L. Bright

  “I understand,” I replied as I caught Serena’s hand and squeezed it. “Do you have more questions for us?”

  He gave me a slight smile. “Oh, yes, I’m just the first to question you.”

  Chapter 22

  More than two hours later, we were finally able to leave the meeting. Every time I thought they were about to release us, a new round of questioning started.

  Alaric had avoided any further outbursts, but he’d looked like a caged wolf trying to break free the entire time.

  When someone was assigned to take us back to the cabin, Alaric stood.

  “I’ll walk them back.”

  More than one shapeshifter, including his mother, looked like they wanted to argue, but they all held their tongues.

  Once we were away from the meeting hall, Alaric muttered, “You foolish females have a death wish.”

  Both Serena and I stopped to glare at him.

  “Foolish females?” I asked.

  “What is your problem?” Serena demanded with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

  I put up a hand before Alaric could respond. “Let’s do this inside.”

  He nodded, and we finished walking to the cabin.

  Once I shut the door, Serena said, “Answer my question.”

  “You can’t possibly think leaving here is a good idea,” he stated. “Don’t pretend you’re not thinking about leaving even sooner now. You have nowhere to go and no protection.”

  “And you think we’re safe here when many of your people believe we’re a danger to them?” Serena demanded. “There may not be that many who think we’re in league with those monsters, but they believe our presence is a threat.”

  “She’s right,” I agreed. “We were never completely safe here, but things have gotten worse. I’m not about to wait around until they decide we can’t ever leave.”

  “I promised to keep you safe, and I will,” Alaric insisted angrily. “Who will protect you if you leave? I’m sure you’ve already been sentenced to death, Serena. There may still be allies among your people, Juliet, but you have no way of knowing who they are.”

  I’d kept my temper under control for the meeting, but I was tired of accusations and plots against me. I was also tired of seeing Serena hurt by Alaric.

  Alaric became the target of all my pent-up anger.

  “Stop acting like Serena is helpless. Spellcaster magic protected the children. More children would have died without her, so I think you should have a little more respect for her abilities. You and your people should be thankful there was a witch here when those creatures attacked since spellcaster magic worked against them.”

  “Her usefulness was discussed before you were summoned to the meeting,” he replied softly.

  Silence fell over the room for several heartbeats.

  “So, you discussed how you can use me?” Serena asked, sounding more hurt than angry. “What did you decide?”

  “That we can’t let you leave,” he admitted without meeting her gaze. “There are still those who want you cast out, but the majority of the leadership feel you should stay to help us deal with any future threats from those monsters.”

  “Are you saying we can’t leave?” I demanded. “We were told we couldn’t leave without permission, but we won’t be granted permission to leave under any circumstances, right?”

  “It’s not that simple,” he argued.

  “It seems simple to me,” Serena snapped. “It’s a yes or no question.”

  “Either we can get permission to leave, or we’re prisoners. Which is it?” I pushed.

  He looked away, but Serena stalked toward him and smacked his chest hard. “You owe us an honest answer.”

  “You can’t leave.”

  “So, we’re prisoners because your leadership doesn’t know if they’ll need us again.” Serena sounded calm, though I sensed the effort it took to contain her anger. “We aren’t welcome here, but we can’t leave.” Her gaze shifted to the floor, and she clenched her fists.

  “Now, you know how my kind feels,” Alaric said in a nasty tone.

  “That was a completely messed up thing to say,” I told him. “You know Serena’s sacrificed a lot for shapeshifters. She’s given up everything.”

  Serena met Alaric’s gaze, and I’d never seen her look quite so cold. “I was attacked by a shapeshifter when I was thirteen. There are scars on my belly and thighs from the attack. I have every reason to think of your kind as dangerous animals, yet I gave up my freedom trying to save a shapeshifter. Most of my family turned on me because they saw my compassion for shapeshifters as a weakness. I carried a knife everywhere I went for years for fear of being attacked by my cousin because he considered my kindness a weakness. I will not be judged by you.”

  Alaric opened his mouth to speak, but Serena put a hand up to stop him. “Don’t you dare talk to me. I thought you and your people were somehow better. You’re not, and I regret wasting my time on you, Alaric. You don’t deserve my time or my love.”

  “Serena,” he began in a pleading tone.

  “Get out!” she shouted. “I wish I still had my knife so I could stab you in your black heart.”

  I sensed her angry magic swirling around the room. She wouldn’t kill him, but she would hurt him if he didn’t leave.

  “Get out,” I told him.

  For several heartbeats, it seemed he was about to argue before he let out a sad sigh and walked out the door.

  Serena still had her fists clenched at her sides, and she didn’t say a word.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine. We need to start planning. It might be a good time to figure out where Dante is.”

  “You’re right,” I agreed. “This isn’t the safest place for him.”

  “I don’t know if I can leave the children unprotected.”

  I nodded. “Maybe you can come up with a protection spell.”

  “That’s a good idea,” she agreed. “Can you ask Dante if he has any ideas for the spell while I brainstorm? I’m sure we can come up with some sort of deterrent for those monsters.”

  “All right,” I agreed. “You’re planning to stay if we can’t find a spell to protect the children, aren’t you?”

  She hesitated. “I don’t know. Let’s work on this for now.”

  “I can’t leave you here,” I told her.

  Anger flashed briefly in her eyes. “Don’t try controlling my life like Alaric. I’m tired of people controlling my life.”

  I moved closer and hugged her. “I’m sorry. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.”

  Chapter 23

  While I could still sense Dante, I hadn’t connected with him telepathically for more than a few brief moments since the meeting. I’d wanted desperately to discuss what had happened, but he’d cut me short. Though I’d been disappointed, I understood that he needed to remain focused on his surroundings.

  When I finally heard his voice in my head again, I felt some of the tension gripping me ease.

  “We just stopped to get some sleep.”

  “Are you still safe?” I asked.

  “As safe as I can be,” he replied. “My people want me dead, and I’m traveling with a demon who doesn’t seem to realize I could be killed much easier than her. She may not care all that much if I die.”

  “Isn’t she with you because she likes you?” I asked.

  “Sometimes, I’m sure she likes me, but other times, I think she only follows me around out of curiosity. I think her opinion of me changes from hour to hour. What’s bothering you? I’ve sensed your unease all day.”

  “There have been some complications here,” I explained before briefly filling him in on what had happened. “We may need to leave soon, but I’m not sure Serena wants to go.”

  “Why would she want to stay after the way they treated her? That shapeshifter should be thankful my cousin feels any fondness for him. He doesn’t deserve her.”
>
  “On that, we agree. Serena is worried about the children. It’s always possible the rebels won’t be able to defend them if we leave. I don’t know if there are more of those things wandering around. I don’t even know what they are. Serena is going to try to add to the protective spell around the area. We were hoping you could help. Did you ask your demon if she’s ever seen anything like them?”

  “She referred to them as soul eaters and confirmed that they hunt children. Since then, she’s remained in dog form, so I haven’t gotten any more answers.”

  “She’s a shapeshifter?”

  “Yes, demons can change into anything they want,” he explained. “They’re very powerful. It seems demon magic helped make the original shapeshifters.”

  “Serena thinks she may have met a demon in dog form. I’d never met anyone who believed demons existed until recently.”

  “I don’t think the demons want others to believe in their existence. Some spellcasters know, but they’ve kept that information to themselves.”

  “The demon hunters are spellcasters, right?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he agreed. “I don’t know how they’ve been able to keep something this big from the other Azureans, but I suppose it doesn’t matter. Where are you planning to go when you leave the rebel shapeshifters?”

  “There are rumors of spellcasters living in a community away from Azuredale who may be able to help me get a bracelet and perhaps get you and Serena past the Ivorfalls.”

  “Do you honestly think your people would accept two spellcasters?”

  “You saved my life,” I reminded him.

  “Alaric owes you and Serena his life, but it’s only kept you safe there for a short time.”

  “You’re right,” I agreed. “I need to go back to make sure my people are safe, but I can’t promise they’ll instantly accept you. If you don’t want to come with me, I won’t blame you.”

  “I’m going with you, but we both need to accept that I may not be able to stay there.”

  “Where will you go?” I asked. “You can’t go back to Azuredale, and I’m not going to let you go anywhere without me.”

  “What about your people?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” I replied. “All I know is I’m not going to lose you again. I want to go back and take my place as the future leader, but my father will either have to accept you or start training Ellis.”

  ”I should ask you if you’re sure, but I can’t stand the thought of being separated from you again,” he admitted. “There’s a spellcaster community much farther north where they don’t keep familiars. Azureans trade with them sometimes, but I’ve heard they look down on us because of our familiar practice. Serena and I may be able to seek sanctuary there. I think we should go there first to see if they’ll accept you as well. If not, we can try farther north.”

  “So, we’ll run from one place to the next, all in the hopes we won’t be killed.”

  “What else can we do?” he asked. “You don’t even know if these spellcasters living in the woods will help you. They may turn you over to the Azureans. Any plan we make has its risks.”

  “You’re right. I suppose we don’t have much choice. First, we’ll try to get the bracelets, and then we’ll deal with my people. After that, we can figure out our next move if we can’t stay at the Heathergate Refuge. Are you sure you want to go there with me?”

  “Do you honestly think I have any choice other than to follow you?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I replied. “You can always go with Serena and find a safe place for both of you while I take care of my people. I can meet up with you once I know they’re safe.”

  “And you think it will be that simple to walk away from you, Juliet? That I can let you walk into danger?”

  “I understand how strong the bond is between us, and it will be just as hard if I need to be away from you, but we may have no choice until after I deal with my stepmother. I can’t walk away from everything like the Juliet in your play did.”

  “Do you mean like I did for you?”

  Dante had broken every rule to keep me safe. He was now a warlock without a home, one with a death sentence if he ever returned, and it was all because of me.

  “It’s not the same thing, Dante. You sacrificed your life for me, but I’m talking about sacrificing the lives of others. If it was only about sacrificing my old life in the Heathergate Refuge, I’d do it in a heartbeat to be with you. I love you, but I’ll never be able to live with myself if I don’t try to help my people and save my father. I have to do this. Please, try to understand.”

  “I understand,” he reluctantly agreed. “That doesn’t mean I’m happy about this. I need to think and try to find a way to keep Serena safe while I help you.”

  I felt tears burn the backs of my eyes. “I love you so much, and I’m glad you want to be my side. Please, don’t try telling Serena what she has to do. She’s grown much stronger, and she’s tired of being coddled. She wants to help me.”

  “All right,” he agreed. “I’m used to thinking of her as fragile, so don’t get mad at me if I mess up. I need to get some sleep. If I’m reading the magic correctly, I’ll reach you no later than the day after tomorrow. That is, assuming we don’t run into any problems. I’ll see if I can come up with some ideas for the protection spell. Hopefully, I can get some input from Sin.”

  “Be careful.”

  “You too.”

  Chapter 24

  Serena was writing down notes for the protection spell when I finished my telepathic conversation with Dante, so I decided to clean our clothes and make dinner.

  She only stopped long enough to eat before getting back to work. She ended up falling asleep, surrounded by a pile of notes.

  I gathered up all of her notes and moved them to the table so none would get knocked onto the floor before I headed to bed.

  Though I was exhausted after the stress of the last couple of days, I still had trouble falling asleep. My mind kept wandering to all the things that could have gone wrong at the Heathergate Refuge and all the dangers Dante faced.

  After a long night with little sleep, I was still dragging when we sat down for breakfast.

  “How did you sleep?” I asked Serena.

  “Great, but I can tell you didn’t sleep well,” she replied. “Did you get bad news from Dante? I’m sorry I didn’t ask yesterday, but I got caught up in my work. It was hard to stop when the ideas were flowing. I figured you’d have interrupted me if Dante had any suggestions for the spell.”

  “No bad news, and you’re right about him not having anything to add yesterday. He says the things that attacked the children are called soul eaters and that they prey on children. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any more information about them. He’s going to let me know if he has any ideas for the spell.”

  “He’s never been as good with this type of spell, but that’s okay since I may not need his help. What was bothering you last night?”

  “Nothing new,” I assured her. “The last couple of days have just been extra stressful, and I couldn’t get my mind to shut off.”

  “I could probably whip up a sleep spell for you tonight,” she offered.

  I considered her offer before shaking my head. “Thank you, but I don’t want anything that might make it hard for me to wake up if there’s trouble.”

  “That’s part of the reason you aren’t sleeping,” she remarked. “You’re too worried there will be a problem, so you can’t get your mind to shut off.”

  “You’re right,” I agreed. “Are you trying to convince me to use a sleep spell?”

  She shook her head. “No, because that stress will just carry over into your sleep. You do need to try to get more rest. Maybe you can take a nap today.”

  “Good idea,” I agreed. “Dante thinks he found a safe place for you.”

  I told her about the spellcaster community up north.

  It looked like she was at least open to the idea.

  “Is
that where Dante’s been staying?”

  “No, but he still seems sure they’ll help you,” I replied.

  “And you?” she asked. “Does this mean you’ve decided against returning to the Heathergate Refuge?”

  “No, I’m still going to try to get back to my people, but it could be dangerous for you.”

  She looked furious.

  “I’m not saying you can’t go with me,” I quickly added. “In fact, I told Dante he shouldn’t try taking the choice away from you. All I’m doing is telling you about all your options.”

  “Do you honestly think I’d let you, my best friend, face any danger alone?” she asked.

  I smiled and shook my head. “No, but I wish you would. I hate the thought of you being hurt.”

  “I know how you feel,” she replied. “That’s why I’m going with you, assuming I can leave without putting the children in danger.”

  “How is your protection spell going?” I asked.

  She grinned. “Better than I would have expected. It’s been over a year since I’ve cast any kind of protection spell, but everything I studied is coming back to me. I should be able to weave this into the spells surrounding the area. The children will have to stick closer to their homes, but they’ll have a little more freedom with the spell.”

  “That’s good news,” I told her. “I’m glad you’ll be with me. We make a good team.”

  “We certainly do,” she agreed.

  “I won’t be mad or hurt if you decide you don’t want to go to the Heathergate Refuge,” I assured her. “This is my fight.”

  She waved off my words. “No one gets to have their own fight. You’re more family to me than a lot of the people I grew up with. Your fight is my fight. I’ll be glad to get away from here.”

  “Alaric is a fool.”

  “Who said anything about Alaric?” she asked.

  “I know you aren’t looking forward to leaving the children,” I replied.