Fallen Shroud: An Urban Fantasy Novel: (Twisted Curse Series Book 1)

by D. J. Dalton

  “I’m not sure.”

  Nadria frowned. “What do you mean you’re not sure?”

  “One believes there’s something here. It led me up here.”

  Nadria shook her head. “If your imaginary friends are part of you, they can’t know something you don’t know.”

  That made sense, in theory. But One knew the room Mom was in when Briggs took her to the Restricted Ward. Could it have a way of tracking?

  “One showed Briggs and me the room Mom was in that first night.” Expressionless faces gazed back at her.

  Ordell moved to the pile, pulling pieces out. Keren and Nadria joined him. They cleared the pile in total silence.

  With three people working, clearing the pile only took a few minutes.

  “We didn’t find anything.” Nadria sat on the floor.

  “Is there anywhere else your mom might hide something?” Ordell joined Nadria on the floor. He took her hand.

  While looking at One, Keren pushed her thoughts to him. Where is the item this key opens?

  One somersaulted over the same spot. She let out an exasperated breath, looking at the floor beneath One. A shimmer caught her eye. While thinking maybe it was the moonlight, she knelt, running her hand across the spot. Tiny ripples moved under her fingertips.

  “What are you doing?” Ordell slid closer.

  “I’m guessing there’s a protection spell over this spot. Watch.” She waved her hand over the spot again. This time, there was no doubt. Her hand caused a gentle ripple in the mirage.

  “I don’t see anything.” Ordell moved his face closer.

  “Me either.” Nadria watched Keren’s hand.

  Keren sat on her heels, looking up at One. Was this another vision, something only she could see? While squinting at One, she pushed a thought at him. How can I remove the spell?

  It flew over Nadria’s head.

  Gasping, Keren widened her eyes.

  “What?” Nadria looked where Keren’s eyes focused over her head. “Is something wrong?”

  She grabbed Nadria’s arm. “Do you know any magic that removes or inactivates protection spells?”

  “Remove protection spells? No.” Nadria looked into Keren’s eyes. She must have seen the desperation. “Well, Granny used to be a custodian at a nursing home. She said families often came to visit the residents with memory globes purchased from fairy stores. These packaged spells left magic remnants that Granny cleaned with a wiping spell.”

  Ordell leaned in. “Did she teach you the spell?”

  “Yes.” Nadria smiled. “She’d put remnants of used magic around the house and had me wipe them. She insisted too many remnants were dangerous, and I needed to practice cleaning them up.”

  “I’ve never heard of that,” Ordell said.

  “Granny said magic use today was sloppy and low quality.” Nadria shrugged. “She said, years ago, wielders took pride in and respected magic. Now, they mass-produce spells and potions for profit. I never questioned Granny. I enjoyed playing the wiping game.”

  Keren pointed to the floor. “Can you do that spell now, over this spot?”

  “I can try. I’ll need some water.”

  Ordell retrieved a glass of water from the kitchen.

  “Here it goes.” Nadria dipped her fingers in the glass, rubbing the water across the floor. She took a deep breath. While closing her eyes, she held her palms toward the floor. Her forearms shimmered.

  The ripple turned to a vibration. “Keep going, it’s working.”

  Ordell focused on the spot. “I still don’t see anything.”

  Just then, the house moaned. An ear-splitting snap made them cover their ears. The bedroom floor cracked open.

  “What’s happening?” Ordell shouted.

  Thick gray fingers reached through the crack. The house moaned, shaking as if caught in an earthquake. Another deafening crack and the gap widened enough for the creature to fit its head through. It looked to be made of clay. Expressionless eyes scanned the room.

  Nadria screamed. “A golem!” She scrambled back until she slammed into the wall.

  The golem worked to wiggle its way out of the crack.

  “I didn’t mean to.” Nadria’s body trembled.

  Keren staggered over to her, grabbing her clammy hand. The house’s shaking made it difficult to walk. “We have to get out of here.”

  Ordell slid over, grabbing her other hand. They used the wall as a brace to get to their feet. The house shook again. This time, the crack widened enough for the golem to slide the rest of the way out.

  Sweat dampened Keren’s face. She didn’t know what a golem was, but she knew it wasn’t friendly. Her friends were in danger again because of her. She recklessly asked Nadria to use magic on an anomaly she didn’t understand.

  “Let’s get out of here.” They stumbled downstairs.

  Once in the living room, she let go of Nadria’s hand. “I can’t leave without whatever this key opens.” She pointed to the front door. “You go, get to safety.”

  “No.” Nadria snatched her hand back. “I’m not leaving you.”

  Ordell pursed his lips, then gave Keren a sharp nod.

  The golem stepped up to the railing. While stressed from the monster’s weight, the staircase groaned, threatening to collapse.

  “What’s a golem?” Keren shouted over the house’s cracking and groaning. The entire place was falling apart around them.

  “They create golems from earth and magic. It does the bidding of one master and won’t stop until they are told to.” She squeezed Keren’s hand. “We don’t know what its orders are.”

  The golem’s eyes locked on Nadria. Its massive body thumped down the stairs.

  Nadria screamed.

  “We won’t let it hurt you.” Ordell picked up a broken coffee table leg. While holding it like a bat, he stood in front of Nadria.

  She pushed him aside. “It will kill you to get to me. Save yourselves.”

  “How does its master control it?” Keren crouched low as the golem approached the bottom of the staircase.

  “There’s a scroll in its mouth with the master’s name. Removing the scroll should make it immobile.” Nadria ran to the front door. While tugging at the handle, she screamed in frustration when the door wouldn’t open. “If it catches me, nothing you do will make it let go.”

  Ordell swung the table leg at the thick clay body. The table leg shattered. Unfazed, the golem continued its steady gait toward its victim.

  Pinned in the corner, Nadria crumpled to the ground, unable to take her bulging eyes off the golem. Ordell changed to his horse form, bucking and kicking the golem. Pieces of clay sprayed around the room, but the golem kept moving.

  A pulse ignited in Keren’s solar plexus. She felt it explode up her neck to the back of her eyes. Two appeared between Nadria and the golem. It lowered its flaming horns and charged. Clay flew in the air as Two smashed into the golem’s chest, pushing it back. Ordell continued bucking, tearing into the golem’s head.

  Keren took her opportunity and rushed to Nadria. She dragged her past the golem. They ducked to avoid a swipe of the monster’s hand. While skidding into the kitchen, she let go of Nadria to open the back door. A scream of frustration came from Keren when it didn’t budge.

  She gritted her teeth, pounding on the door until her palm burned. The bandage on her wrist turned red. No matter what she tried, the door refused to open. She stepped back, her eyes sweeping the room until she spotted the broom. After snatching it from the corner, she rammed it, stick end, into a window.

  Over and over, she drove the broom into the window until she stopped from pure exhaustion. Some kind of magic had them trapped inside. Her stomach clenched. She dropped the broom and doubled over in pain.

  As a scream rent the air, panic gripped her when she realized Nadria wasn’t in the room. Did the golem have her? The house quaked, causing her to stumble on the way to the living room. Her vision blurred while white dots danced before her eyes. Aft
er falling to her knees, she crawled to Nadria, who sat cross-legged just inside the living room. Nadria’s pallor and irregular breathing frightened her. She must be in shock.

  The fight with the golem shifted since their escape to the kitchen. To get to Nadria, the golem changed directions. The fight was about halfway to the kitchen; the golem gaining inches with every step. Ordell’s powerful black stallion’s body shimmered with sweat. His dripping mane stuck to his neck. The effort to stop the golem taking its toll.

  After seeing Nadria, the golem leaned into Two’s attack. Two’s muscles shook, the fire on its horns less vibrant.

  Keren’s vision blurred. She clung to consciousness. “Ordell, the scroll.” Her last bit of strength fizzled away and Two disappeared.

  Falling on her side, Keren could see the golem. With the sudden disappearance of Two, it crashed face-first to the ground. A black mouse scurried under the golem’s head. She took a ragged breath. Tears came to her eyes seeing Ordell’s mouse form reappear, pulling a paper behind him. Ordell tore the paper to shreds, then turned back to his human form.

  The golem lay motionless on the floor. Keren gathered enough strength to get to her hands and knees. She started the trek back to her room. Whatever this key opened had to be in that crack.

  “What are you doing? We have to get out of here.” Ordell tugged at her arm. “Can’t you hear the sirens?”

  She struggled to get out a complete sentence. “Something there… didn’t go through this… can’t leave empty-handed.” She reached out to him. “Help me upstairs.”

  “I’ll go check.” Ordell changed to a raven. He flew upstairs, disappearing from Keren’s sight.

  The sirens grew louder.

  Ordell sprinted downstairs, carrying a gray box. After grabbing Keren by the arm, he pulled her to her feet. Spots danced in her eyes. Her legs wobbled but held her upright. At least the house stopped shaking. He handed her the box. It was rectangular, and the sides smooth to the touch. There wasn’t a lid or a keyhole, just a solid mass. “That’s the only thing I found.”

  He grabbed Nadria, gently pulling her to her feet. Nadria’s eyes stared straight ahead. Keren took her other hand. Her skin was clammy to the touch. Nadria allowed Ordell to guide her to the kitchen.

  When Ordell reached for the door handle, Keren held her breath. As if nothing ever happened, the door swung open. The magic holding them captive must have been connected to the golem.

  Boots sounded on the front porch.

  Ordell dragged them through the backyard and into the neighbor’s yard. Keren clutched the box to her chest. The contents of this box might have the answers she was looking for to clear Mom’s name and stop the Dark Guild. They didn’t stop moving until they reached the gas station and Nadria’s car.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Briggs

  Briggs walked into the inquisitor station, grateful for the blast of cool air. Although only 9 am, the humidity made eighty degrees feel closer to ninety. After perching his sunglasses on the top of his head, he approached the reception desk.

  “Good morning, Mabel.”

  “Good morning, Captain Briggs.” The elderly woman leaned forward. “When’s the last time you slept?”

  Briggs chuckled. “I can’t remember.” He pointed to the door. “Buzz me in?”

  A buzz and click came from the door.

  “Thanks, Mabel.”

  “Get some sleep, Briggs.” Mabel’s voice trailed off as he stepped inside and closed the door.

  Normally, he would have used his access badge at the back entrance, but the Chief of Inquisitor’s office was located closer to the front entrance. And as tired as he was, Briggs wanted the shortest walk. He also wanted to avoid any lengthy conversations with his coworkers.

  The chief had ordered him and his squad to take the day off for a much-needed break. They had worked thirty-six hours straight. First, the Green Thumb Gardener’s Supply, then Ms. Stewart’s attack at home and again at the hospital, followed by the motel incident, kept his team hopping.

  The chief had felt generous after Faraday and the warriors had tracked down one of the arcanum from the motel. A human woman. Her hands had been duct-taped behind her back. So far, she hadn’t given him any information, but the interrogation process had only started.

  Briggs went over the conversation again in his mind. I don’t think Ms. Stewart is an arcanum. I think she’s a target. He needed to present facts supporting his beliefs. The problem was, there weren’t any. In his heart, he believed in Ms. Stewart’s innocence. He’d known her most of his life. She wasn’t capable of violence. Getting someone who didn’t know her to believe in her innocence would be a challenge. But he was getting ahead of himself.

  Right now, he only needed to convince the chief to release her into his protective custody. Once he did that, he could work on getting evidence of her innocence. The chief might say he was too close to the Stewart family to be objective and take him off the case. That was the worst-case scenario.

  Maybe he should have this conversation after he got some sleep. No, he felt Ms. Stewart’s life was in jeopardy as long as her location was public knowledge. The sooner he got her out of the hospital and into a safe house, the better.

  He stepped through the door marked ‘Chief of Inquisitors.’ A young lady Briggs didn’t recognize looked up from her computer, ruby red lips the most prominent feature on her face.

  “May I help you, Captain?”

  “Yes, I’d like to see the chief if he’s not busy.” Briggs shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He should have thought about making an appointment. “Tell him it’s Captain Briggs.”

  She nodded, picking up the phone. “Sir, a Captain Briggs is here to see you.” She nodded again, then hung up.

  “He’ll see you.” Her focus moved back to the computer.

  “Thank you.” Briggs moved to the chief’s door, putting his hand on the doorknob. This meeting was important for both Ms. Stewart’s safety and Keren’s peace of mind. He knew not being able to see her mom tormented her.

  He stepped inside. A balding fox shifter sat behind a mahogany desk. With age, his body shape had grown thicker than most fox shifters. But he could hold his own in the annual wrestling tournament. Stacks of files sat to his right. One file lay open in front of him.

  “Briggs, I gave you the day off. What in blazes are you doing at the station? Captain Samuel’s squad can manage Dark Guild calls for one day.”

  “Yes, sir. I have every confidence in Captain Samuel and his squad. I wanted to talk to you about Ms. Stewart.”

  “Pull up a seat.” The chief gestured to a chair. “What’s on your mind?”

  Briggs sat down on the edge of the chair, not wanting to get too comfortable, fearing he might drift off to sleep.

  “I have a theory. Ms. Stewart is not an arcanum.”

  “Nonsense. We have witnesses and medical records proving she used magic.”

  “Yes, I’m not disputing that. But it proves she used magic, not that she attacked anyone with it.”

  The chief huffed. “Your splitting hairs, captain. The witnesses were traumatized. I’m confident they’ll remember her attacking with magic by the trial.”

  “The arcanum are trying to kill her. Don’t you think we should keep her alive long enough to find out why? You could release her into my custody. I could take her to a safe house.”

  The chief slammed his hand on the desk. “Oh, she’ll be alive but in a prison paying for her crimes.”

  “But, sir.”

  “Go home Briggs. You’re tired and need some shut-eye.” After dismissing Briggs, the chief continued studying the file on his desk.

  “Yes, sir.” Briggs stood and walked to the door. No, he couldn’t leave without one more try. He turned to face the chief.

  “Sir, the arcanum have attacked her twice. Keeping her in a publicly known area endangers innocent citizens. I’m sure it won’t take long for the press to make that connection.”


  Briggs watched redness creep up the chief’s neck to his face. His jaw flexed.

  “The bands stay on.” He pointed a stubby finger at Briggs. “If you lose her, I’ll have your badge.”

  “Yes, sir.” Briggs turned. He smiled as he left the office.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Keren

  The morning sun streamed through the window. Its warmth promising another hot Florida day. The trio situated themselves side-by-side on the daybed.

  The box sat on the ottoman next to some danishes and donuts. It was well past 1 am when they made it back to Ordell’s last night. After such a harrowing day, they were exhausted. They all agreed to wait until morning to investigate the box.

  “Do you know how to open it?” Ordell asked. “It looks solid.”

  Keren’s shower-damp hair clung to the bright yellow robe she borrowed from Mrs. Murphy. Rainbow striped socks hugged her feet. She clasped her hands in her lap. The answers she needed were inside this box. As her chest tightened, she wondered what would happen if she didn’t like the answers. She reached for a danish.

  “That’s your third one.” He gestured to the box. “How can you eat when this is waiting to be opened?”

  “I can’t help it. I’m starving.” After taking a bite of the danish, she set it aside. Her trembling hand clutched the key in the robe’s pocket. The ridges cut into her skin from too tight a grip.

  After releasing the key, she leaned forward, picking the box up and setting it on her lap. If mom was a sorcerer, so was she. While swallowing the lump in her throat, she held a quivering hand, palm down, over the box. She strained to remember Dan’s words.

  “Ostendoium.”

  A biting pain made her pull her hand back. She looked down at the tiny black dots on her palm. A lid seam appeared on the box, along with a keyhole. After slipping her hand back into the robe pocket, she wrapped her fingers around the key.

  Nadria gasped. “How did you do that?”

  Keren hung her head. “If mom was a sorcerer, that would mean I was too. I guess this proves she can wield magic.”