Cursed Witch

by September Stone

To be honest, I don’t know if there’s a future for me and Poe. Maybe our tryst in the forest is all there will ever be between us.

  But even thinking such a thing makes my stomach ache.

  We haven’t talked about it. I could go to his room now and ask him, but I’m not even sure how to broach the subject. “Hey, Poe, remember that mind-blowing sex we had in the forest? Are you up for another go, or was that a one-time thing?”

  Not hardly.

  Besides, I’m not sure it’s prudent to have that discussion with Poe before I get things sorted out with Calder. And Taj. Although he didn’t display the same hostility last night, I have no idea what he’s thinking.

  And what about what I want? I was happy with just Taj and Calder. The three of us were finding our rhythm. Is there room in my life—and my bed—for a third man? And now that I have had sex with Poe, will he start draining me if he ever decides to shift into his panther form? Now that we’ve started, is it even possible to stop?

  I grab the pack off my mattress and whip it across the room. It crashes into the far wall, and the contents tumble out, littering the floor with everything I just put away—and more.

  With a growl, I cross the room to gather my scattered belongings. I need to get myself under control.

  Several packets of herbs provided by Sophie have spilled, and I take my time figuring out what I can salvage and what is beyond saving. I scoop up a handful of various crystals and roughly fold up my pajamas and spare shirts and jeans. But when I pick up a cloth bag by the wrong corner, a wooden bowl tumbles out.

  I stare at it, baffled. Why on earth would I have that in my bag? But when I catch a glimpse of the brown stick edges of the leaf fragments, realization washes over me. It’s the locating charm I made back in Twin Rivers.

  It’s fully cured.

  Hope bubbles inside me. This charm was always my Plan B, to be used only if we had no other leads. Although I hoped it wouldn’t be necessary, I’m glad I trusted my instincts and made it. We may still have a chance after all.

  Holding the bowl in my hands, I close my eyes and find my center. It takes several extra breaths to calm my swirling emotions, but when I finally tap into the well of my magic, the world opens up to me. I focus my intent on the Staff of Rahn, trying to remember every detail of the sketches I saw of it in Elowen’s books.

  I breathe in patience, knowing full well that it could take minutes—even hours—for the charm to send its magic through the world to find the object I seek.

  But in mere seconds, a sensation like a fish hook in my stomach pulls me forward with such force I almost lose my footing. I take a few steps, hoping for some kind of clarification—an image in my mind, something—but all I get is more tugging.

  I follow the sensation out into the hall, palming the charm so that any passersby won’t ask what I’m doing.

  Within minutes I’m in a familiar corner of the temple, the tug now so insistent it’s almost painful. With a whispered incantation, I deactivate the locater charm.

  For a long moment, all I can do is stare at the short stairwell that leads to the dark hallway and the treasury beyond the iron door.

  The staff is here.

  Kari smiles broadly when she spots me from her table at the dining hall. I do my best to keep my expression neutral, not wanting to draw any undue attention, but the hitch in her grin is enough to tell me I’m not quite hitting the mark.

  “What’s wrong?” she whispers when I touch her shoulder.

  “We need to talk.” I reach for her wrist and circle it with my fingers, applying gentle pressure so she knows I mean business.

  “Is it Taj and Calder?” she asks as we exit the cafeteria. “I stopped by the healing ward earlier and—”

  “You lied to me,” I snap. “I thought I could trust you, but you lied to my face. What’s worse—I thought we were friends.”

  She blinks several times. “What are you talking about?”

  I grit my teeth. I can’t believe she’s still trying to play innocent. “The Staff of Rahn. I know it’s here.”

  Her eyes go round like saucers. “Are you nuts? I told you it’s not here.”

  I pull the locating charm out of my pocket. “Then how come this tells me it is?”

  “Where’d you get that?”

  “I just remembered I had it. And it drew me right back to the treasury. You care to explain why that is?”

  Kari’s eyes flick past me, and she grabs my hand and pulls me further down the hall. “I swear to you, Bryn. I’ve been in the treasury. All that’s there is our most sacred ceremonial robes and some golden bowls and silver knives to be used during special festivals. No magical artifacts—no Staff of Rahn.” She presses her lips together as if debating whether to go on. “I even asked Anson about it.”

  Betrayal flares in my chest. “You what?”

  She shakes her head. “It’s not like that. I didn’t tell him why. We were talking, and I saw an opening to mention artifacts of legend. I mentioned the staff by name and he said it was a shame such a powerful tool was lost to the ages.” She holds up her hands as if that settles the matter.

  Her dismissal rankles. “Then he’s lying to you.”

  “Or maybe you’re so desperate to find what you need to cure you that you’re willing to believe anything,” she counters.

  I press the wooden bowl of brown herbs into her hand. “You know how this works?”

  She nods. “I’ve used a locating charm before.”

  I hold her gaze. “Then do it.”

  With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Kari takes in a deep breath and murmurs the activation incantation. Then she brings the charm to her lips and whispers, “Staff of Rahn.”

  Barely a breath passes before she lurches forward, pulled by an unseen force. She almost loses her footing as she follows the charms tug in the same direction it led me less than fifteen minutes ago.

  We’re still two hallways away from our destination when she speaks the words to deactivate the locater. When she hands it back to me, her expression is closed, unreadable.

  “Spirits guide us. You were right. The staff is here.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Bryn

  Kari sits on my bed, her knees pulled to her chest and her arms hugging her legs. Her eyes are glassy, and she hasn’t spoken since her revelation in the hallway.

  “I can’t believe it,” Poe mutters, leaning against the door. “We almost left empty-handed when we could have had what we came for.”

  Silas sits in the wooden chair beside the small desk. “How’re you doing over there, Kari?”

  She barely stirs at the sound of her name. Is it possible she’s in shock? I can’t see how the presence of the staff in her temple would push her over the edge, but I can’t think of what else could be upsetting her so much.

  “You really didn’t know, did you?” Silas continues, his tone gentle.

  “Either that or she’s a world-class actress who’s missed her calling,” Poe grumbles.

  Silas shoots him a not-helping look before returning his attention to Kari.

  My heart aches for her. I don’t know exactly what she’s going through, but I’ve experienced enough hurt in my life to sympathize. “I’m here for you, Kari.”

  She sniffles. “I don’t understand why they wouldn’t tell me. Why would they keep it a secret?”

  I shrug, but I don’t have an answer for her.

  She doesn’t seem to require one. Unfolding her legs, she sits up at the edge of the bed. “I’ve been in the treasury before. It must be hidden. But why?”

  “Question, if I may,” Poe says, lifting a finger. “Why do you call it a treasury anyway? All this time I’ve been imagining you’ve got gold and jewels stashed away in there. But Bryn told me what’s really in there. Robes. A few golden bowls and silver knives. Why put six guards on a door guarding stuff that’s… Well, that’s not worth the life of six guards?”

  Kari exhales noisily. “Well, it’s not just the
treasury. The high priests and priestesses cycle in there. They’ll stay for a week at a time, fasting and meditating. They say they do their best praying when they’re…” Her brow knits and she looks up, her gaze locking on mine. “When they’re in the Temple’s most sacred space. The sanctum.”

  Poe straightens. “And you didn’t think this was important to tell us about before?”

  I shoot him a look before turning back to Kari. “Have you ever been in there?”

  She’s shaking her head before I finish the question. “I’ve been in the treasury plenty of times, but the sanctum is reserved for only high priests and priestesses who’ve proven themselves worthy of communing with the strongest and most enlightening of ethereal beings.”

  Poe barely disguises a snort, but I lean in closer. “You said you’ve been in the treasury. But if the sanctum is also behind that door, how have you not been inside?”

  “There’s another door behind a sacred tapestry,” Kari says, almost dismissively. “It leads down to the sanctum.”

  “A subterranean prayer chamber?” Poe asks. “That doesn’t sound safe. What if there is an attack on the treasury? What’s to stop some gang of baddies from going to the sanctum and taking out your high priests?”

  When Kari doesn’t immediately answer, Silas leans in. “These are smart people, Poe. I’m sure there’s another way out. They wouldn’t endanger their priests and when they’re communing with the spirits, right?”

  She lifts her gaze to his. “Of course. There’s an emergency tunnel that lets out about a quarter mile south of here.”

  I smother the bubble of triumph rising in my chest. That’s it—the last piece of the puzzle. The reason we never found a second way out is that it’s hidden off site.

  “So that’s it,” I say, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice. “The staff is in the sanctum.”

  Kari nods. “That’s the only place I could think it would be.”

  “But why?” Silas asks. “The staff was crafted by Rahn to help him channel his magic and tap into the arcane energies of the universe. I didn’t think your people used magic unless guided by the spirits.”

  “We don’t,” Kari says quickly.

  “Then what’s the staff for?” Silas asks, standing from his chair and edging toward me.

  She opens her mouth but closes it again.

  Silas’ fingers curl around my wrist briefly—just long enough to communicate a simple thought. We need her to help us get the staff.

  I want to ask him how, but he’s already crossed to the wall opposite Poe. Walking over to him and grabbing his hand would look too suspicious, and Silas must believe I’ll know what to do since he didn’t give me any more instructions.

  Kari trusts these people. They healed her from her own curse, and she’s devoted herself to them ever since. Even now that she knows they have the staff, there’s no reason for her to help us get it. She and I may have grown close these last few days, but I’m not her family—the Order is.

  So what makes people turn against their family? An icy hand clamps my chest. I know the answer to that all too well. “Why wouldn’t Anson have told you about the staff?” I ask quietly. “You mentioned it by name and he said it was lost to time. Is he an acolyte like you? Does he just not know about it either?” I glance at Silas, nodding as if the answer to my own question has come to me. “I bet he’s not high-level enough to go down to the sanctum.”

  “No, he is.” Kari’s lips twitch. “He actually emerged from his time of meditation a few days before you arrived. If it’s down there now, it was down there then. No one’s come or gone since his group left.”

  Poe leans forward. “Are you saying there’s no one down there now?”

  Kari doesn’t respond with words, but the way her eyes dart to the floor makes me think Poe hit the nail on the head.

  “Have you ever considered you don’t know everything about the Order?” I ask gently. “I understand why you stayed here. They saved you, and you devoted your life to them. And they accepted you, but not fully. They haven’t told you all their secrets.”

  “I’m not a high priestess,” Kari insists. “I’m still an acolyte.”

  “But maybe there are other things they’re not telling you about, too.” It pains me to twist the knife like this, but if Kari is going to help us, she has to doubt those around her.

  “Have you ever seen a healing go badly before?” Silas asks. “I know you said sometimes healings just don’t work—but have you ever seen people get knocked into comas?”

  Kari’s head shake is almost imperceptible.

  “We’re not saying they’re bad people,” I say, taking measured steps toward the mattress and settling down beside Kari. “But when people you trust start lying about things, you have to ask yourself why. Why would Anson lie about the staff being here? Maybe they’re using it for something that isn’t in line with what the Order claims it’s all about.”

  She jumps up like the bed electrified her. “I don’t believe that,” she snaps.

  I stay glued to my seat, not wanting to push her any further. “I’m sorry, Kari. I just…”

  She holds up a hand to silence me. “I’m going to a chamber to fast and meditate. I’m going to ask the spirits to guide the hand of the staff’s rightful owner.” She holds my gaze for a long moment before turning and striding toward the door.

  When Silas clears his throat, Poe moves out of the way, and Kari disappears into the hallway.

  “Well, that was a waste,” Poe grumbles.

  I shake my head. “No, it wasn’t. We know the staff is here, and we know it’s not in the main treasury room. Plus, Kari’s not going to tell on us. I call this a win.”

  The corner of Silas’ mouth quirks up. “May the spirits guide the hands of the staff’s rightful owner.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Calder

  I stare at the blank screen of my cell phone, willing it to light up with an incoming call.

  After the healers released me from the ward, I headed straight back to my room to pack. The drive here from Twin Rivers took the better part of a day, and I don’t want to waste that much time traveling back. There’s no telling where the staff really is, and with less than two weeks before the full moon, every moment counts.

  I’ve called in a few favors in an attempt to get us a private plane ride back to Twin Rivers, but I won’t know if it’ll shake out in our favor until my buddy calls me back.

  I’m antsy, and pacing in my tiny room is making me feel like a caged animal, but leaving isn’t an option. If I go for a walk, there’s every possibility I’ll run into Bryn or Poe—or, worse, both of them. And if I do, I don’t know how I’ll react.

  What’s worse, I’m afraid to find out.

  I’m wound so tight a knock on the door sends me jumping out of my skin.

  “Hey, mate, you in there?”

  I blow out a breath. “Yeah, Taj. I’m here.”

  We didn’t talk much in the ward. He tried to chat last night after Bryn left, but I kept up my sleeping ruse until he gave up. This morning, healers were bustling around us from the time he woke up until the time we left, and he didn’t try to chat on our way back to our rooms.

  I had a feeling he’d show up here sooner or later, but that doesn’t mean I’m prepared for him now that he’s here.

  Taj closes the door behind him, but he doesn’t step further into the room. It looks almost the same as the day I arrived. I never slept in the bed, favoring Bryn’s mattress over my own. My belongings are already stowed in my pack, which hangs on the back of the wooden chair by the desk.

  “Are we heading out?” I ask when he says nothing.

  “Not yet. I think the others might still be at breakfast.” He leans against the wall, studying me in his maddeningly observant way. “You all right?”

  “Yeah. Just anxious to get on the road, you know.” I glance at my phone, hoping for a call to interrupt the moment. But the cursed device remains sile
nt.

  Taj nods vaguely. “It seems quite a bit happened while we were sleeping. Can be a lot to take in.”

  “I’m fine,” I say, crossing to my backpack and unzipping it. I poke through the contents, even though I know damn well everything I brought is tucked into place.

  “It would be understandable if you weren’t,” Taj says. “Matters of the heart can be complicated. Even more so when you’ve not had a chance to talk them out.”

  “I said I’m fine.” I keep my tone even as I zip my pack again. “I’m just… ready to get out of this place.”

  “And what then?” he asks. “What are things going to look like when we get back to the cabin?”

  I spin to glare at him. “Take a hint. I don’t want to talk about this.”

  His lip curls back in a snarl. “Well, that’s too bloody bad, isn’t it? Because I do. In case you forgot while we were unconscious, Bryn is my concern as much as she is yours. And, like it or not, that means you’re my concern, too. Now, I need to know where your head’s at before the five of us cram into a car for a road trip back to Twin Rivers.”

  Something inside me snaps. “You want to know what I’m thinking? I’m thinking fuck this shit.”

  “Finally, some progress,” he says, his British lilt more condescending than usual. “What shit is it we’re fucking, then?”

  “She fucked Poe.” The words grate against my throat like broken glass. “We were in comas, and she took a ride on the first dick she tripped over.”

  Taj lifts an eyebrow. “Really? You think that’s how it went down?”

  “It doesn’t bother you?” I tear a hand through my hair. “You know, I thought we were doing okay, the three of us. I didn’t like it at first, but I understand how close the two of you got when she was undercover. She wanted to be with both of us, and I came to terms with that. But Poe?”

  “Devil’s advocate here,” Taj says, his voice steady and even as if we were sitting around a table at the Liberation Front, talking through plans for an extraction. “It isn’t exactly as if it happened out of nowhere. She admitted she admitted she had an attraction him. I know it feels like we were blindsided, but that’s not exactly the case. We knew this was on the horizon, even if I didn’t expect we’d reach it so quickly.”