Cursed Magic

by Madeline Freeman

  Before I arrived at the meeting place, I sent instructions to the psychics and witches. I told them to scout the perimeter and look for any Amaranthine who might be stationed to make sure no one interferes with Brody’s plan. While I haven’t seen Brody interacting with anyone, it doesn’t mean he is without assistants. My friends will also need to try to figure out if there are any traps that might hurt one of them—or Fox—when they go to save him.

  They will save him. I have to believe it. Despite what I said to Brody, I won’t let Fox die.

  They know I’m with Brody now. The next message I receive should be someone assuring me Fox is safe.

  I refuse to allow my mind to dwell on any other scenarios.

  I’m surprised when Brody pulls to the side of the road. We’ve barely traveled a mile from where I met him. We’re still on the outskirts of town, where most of the land is dominated by fields of corn or beans, but on this particular plot of land, there are trees. It’s not a forest by any stretch of the imagination, but the wooded area covers about half an acre. Plenty of room to hide Owen.

  Wordlessly, Brody leads the way into the woods. My heartbeat increases with each step, to the point that I’m afraid Brody might be able to hear it. Does he know I plan to double-cross him? I don’t want to think of how he’ll react when he finds out.

  If he finds out. It’s possible he will simply leave town after he takes me to Owen and never learn of my deception. After all, he claims to be a man of his word.

  Still, I can’t help the sinking feeling in my stomach. No matter what he claims, he wants me to be the assassin, and I can’t imagine he’ll give up easily.

  I shake my head, trying to clear it. I’ll deal with the consequences later. All that matters right now is saving Owen and Fox.

  Brody slows and turns to me. “He’s just ahead in a small clearing.” He regards me in a way that makes me feel like he can read my mind. Even though he’s not a psychic, I clear my head of any thoughts of Fox or the future, filling it instead with excitement about seeing Owen. “There are few people in this world who have ever managed to best me, Krissa Barnette. You should be honored you can count yourself among them.”

  My lip curls. Of all the things I could possibly find gratifying, I can’t imagine anything less appealing. Still, I don’t want to offend him, so I hastily try to make my face look neutral. “Thank you for holding up your end of the deal.”

  His face tightens for a split second before he shakes his head. “Of course.” He takes a few steps back, moving so he’s closer to where we came from than I am. “Enjoy your happily ever after.”

  “I will.”

  I wait until Brody turns and starts walking away before continuing toward the clearing. He was right—it is small, barely the size of our living room and dining room together. In the center is Owen, his hands bound to a stake in the ground. He’s on his knees with his back to me, and he jumps when I release a relieved yelp and run to him.

  “You’re okay,” I say, suddenly breathless. I kneel beside him and my fingers immediately go to the knots binding him. “I was so afraid. We couldn’t find you. I don’t know what I would’ve done if they hadn’t found Fox.” The words tumble from my mouth so quickly I’m not sure Owen can decipher them. “Actually, I know what I would’ve done. I would’ve gone with him. I would’ve gone with Brody to save you.”

  “It’s not too late.”

  Owen’s voice is so flat, so emotionless, that it startles me. As my fingers loosen the last knot, I glance up at his face for the first time. What I see makes my breath catch. He’s not pleased to see me. If anything, he looks angry. But that doesn’t make any sense. Surely he understands what would’ve happened if I hadn’t found him. Was my mention of Fox enough to erase any trace of relief that he’s no longer in danger of dying?

  “Are you okay?” I ask, reaching up to stroke his face.

  He pulls away before my fingers make contact. “Why did you even bother to come for me?”

  “You’re not making any sense.” An icy thrill of dread shoots down my spine. Something’s wrong. Did Brody do something to him? Did he cast some kind of spell to make him act this way? “If I didn’t come, Brody was going to kill you.”

  “And you just couldn’t let him do that, could you? No, of course not. Not the great Krissa Barnette. Always right there.” He snaps his fingers sharply, making me jump. “Right on the spot to save whoever’s in danger.” He presses his hands into the grass and pushes himself to his feet. “Don’t think I don’t know that’s the real reason you’re here. I know you think you’re here because you love me, but you’ve already proven you’re incapable of love.”

  His words hit me like a sucker punch. I stand and try to move into his line of sight. I know he’s upset with me after finding out about Fox. He has every right to be. But this doesn’t sound like him. Perhaps Brody has cast some sort of charm to confuse him. “I know you’re mad at me and I get it—I do. You think I betrayed you, but I didn’t, Owen. If you let me explain, you’ll see I never did anything to hurt you. It was all the Influence.”

  “That’s a lie, and we both know it,” he snarls. “If you had no feelings for him, you wouldn’t have been drawn to him. But you did—you do. You’ve never been able to convince me you don’t.” He narrows his eyes and looks at me as if I am something repulsive he found on the bottom of his shoe. “I can see it in your eyes. You want to forget it ever happened and move past it. But I can’t. I won’t. I want nothing to do with you. As far as I’m concerned, you might as well leave and never come back. I hate you.”

  I feel as if the wind has been knocked out of me. I can barely take in a breath. Is it possible this is really Owen talking? Is this what he really feels? I thought he could come to terms with what I did when he realized it wasn’t really me. But he’s never looked at me this way before—not even when I first found myself in this reality and he saw me as nothing more than the girl who broke his heart to join Crystal Jamison’s clique.

  Pressure builds in my mind as the Influence tests the barrier keeping it in place. There are too many raw emotions flowing through me, too much adrenaline and fear, and it’s weakening the wall built by the dissevering spell. But I’m still in control. I can’t let it out—I won’t. I need to calm down. I need to get Owen to come with me. Felix’s car isn’t far, and I’ll feel much safer once we’re nearer to civilization. “Let’s get out of here. We don’t have to talk, but I don’t like the idea of staying here. I don’t think Brody will try anything, but it’s best not to tempt fate.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you,” Owen snaps.

  We don’t have time for this. I filter through different ideas in my head. Maybe I could have someone else pick him up—Lexie or Bria. I get the feeling he wouldn’t be too keen on getting in the car with Felix or Tucker at the moment.

  He’s edging toward the tree line in the opposite direction of the road. I dart forward and close my hand around his wrist, tugging him to a stop.

  “Don’t touch me! Don’t ever lay your hands on me again.”

  I release him and step back, afraid he might strike out at me. I’ve never seen such loathing in anyone’s eyes before. I didn’t even think Owen was capable of that kind of hatred. “I don’t know what’s going on, but this isn’t you. Something’s wrong. You don’t have to let me help you, but let me bring you to someone who can.”

  “Krissa!”

  I jump at the sound of my name. The voice came from behind me, but my brain is having trouble figuring out how it’s possible. It’s Owen’s voice—but Owen is standing in front of me. At first I think I must be imagining things, but when I hear my name again, I turn.

  Someone is approaching the clearing, but it can’t be who I think it is. It must be my mind playing tricks on me—too much adrenaline or not enough oxygen or something. But when the figure crosses through the last of the trees and steps into the sunlight, I can’t deny what my eyes are seeing. Owen stands, his hair a mess, a vivid
red gash across his cheek, looking relieved to have found me. “Get away from her!” he calls. “You can’t trust anything he says. They had me tied up, but I escaped. Brody’s trying to trick you. That’s not me, Krissa! It’s not me.”

  I stand, frozen in place, not sure what to do. Can the person in front of me really be Owen? But if he is, who have I been talking to? Trepidation laces with curiosity as I twist to look at the person behind me. For a moment, it still appears to be Owen, but then the image shifts before my eyes. The Owen behind me begins to shimmer and melt away until all that remains is a woman I’ve never seen before. She’s short—probably no taller than I am—with brown hair and green eyes. She wears a red tank top, jeans, and a haughty expression.

  A smile stretches across the woman’s face. “I’ll admit, he’s more resourceful than I anticipated.” She glances past me toward Owen—the real Owen. “How did you manage to get away?”

  My mind reels, struggling to make sense of what’s happening. “What’s going on here? Why were you pretending to be Owen?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” the woman asks, her tone indicating she thinks it ought to be. But nothing is obvious right now—everything is twisted and it’s making my brain hurt. The Influence continues to push against my consciousness, and I have to focus now to keep it from breaking through.

  “It’s Brody,” Owen says. “He’s desperate for you to be his assassin. He figured if you thought I hated you, you’d think there was nothing left for you in Clearwater and go with him.”

  “But it didn’t work,” the woman growls. “I told him it wouldn’t. You can’t just think there’s nothing left for you—there actually has to be nothing left for you.”

  Before I can work out what she might mean by that, she conjures a handful of something like crackling blue lightning and throws it toward Owen. He calls out in pain and I rush to him.

  He’s on the ground. Whatever she hit him with knocked him over. “You okay?”

  He grimaces. “I’ve been better.”

  The woman shoots another spell in our direction, and it narrowly misses Owen. I position myself between him and her. I can’t use magic to protect him, so I bank on how much Brody wants me. I can only hope his desire for me to be the assassin is enough to keep this woman from hurting me to get to Owen.

  I curse myself for not having prepared for a double-cross from Brody. Of course things weren’t going to be this easy. I should have known better than to trust him on any level.

  Another bolt of blue electricity tears up the ground by my feet. “We have to get out of here. Can you move?”

  Owen tries to get to his feet, but the color drains from his face and he tumbles back to the ground. “You have to leave me. Go get help.”

  “No,” I say firmly. “I’m going to get us both out of here.”

  I mean the words as a promise, but I have no idea how I’ll fulfill them. Without the Influence, I have no kind magic to combat the attack, and in Owen’s current state, I don’t think his psychic abilities will be much help. The only thing I know for sure is that I’m going to save the person I love most of all, no matter the cost.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Fox

  I can’t gauge how long I’ve been out here. It feels like forever, but the sun barely seems to have moved overhead. I’m sure it’s my adrenaline making time seem to slow down. My whole body trembles with the energy to attack or run to safety. I wonder how long a body can stay working properly with stress hormones coursing through it. It has to be longer than I’ve been tied up here, but I don’t see how.

  My throat hurts and I’m pretty sure I’ve shouted myself hoarse. Even though I know there are spells cast around me to keep my voice from carrying, I can’t help calling out every time I see a car, on the off chance I break through.

  I’ve tried every spell I can think of to loosen the knots around my wrist, to send up some kind of signal alerting passersby to my whereabouts, to break the pole I’m attached to so I can run to the street, but nothing has worked. It’s like whatever’s concealing me is also canceling out my magic.

  Even though I know my spells won’t work and my shouts won’t carry, I can’t stop trying. If I do, I’ll start thinking about what’s going to happen to me. As hard as I try to keep them at bay, possible outcomes continue to pop into my head.

  I’m pretty sure I’m going to die.

  The woman made it sound like that’s what’s going to happen. She said I wouldn’t be around long. I highly doubt she was referring to some fabulous vacation she has planned for me.

  If it’s true, I wish there were some way I could leave a message—some last words. I want to say something to my dad and Griffin, of course. I’d tell them to make peace, to get along for my sake—and for Mom’s. I’d leave a message for Dana, too. I’d apologize for hurting her the way I did. It was shitty of me to lie, no matter my reasons. I’d tell her she’s a good person who deserves way better than what I’ve put her through.

  I wish I could go back and make different decisions about the whole Krissa thing. The first time she approached me, weeks ago, I was afraid to say or do anything to make her regret telling me about the feelings she still had for me. I didn’t want to give her any reason not to be with me. But I should’ve been stronger—I should’ve told her I wouldn’t be with her if we had to lie. How messed up is that? What does it mean about me that if I could go back and change things, I’d still be with her, even though I know without a doubt Owen is the one she really wants?

  Before I can dwell on it too long, a noise attracts my attention. There’s a muffled sound coming from behind me, but no matter how hard I twist, I can’t turn far enough to see what’s making it.

  I take in a deep breath and steel myself for the inevitable. This must be it—the end. I don’t know what the woman has in mind for my demise, but I’m sure it has to do with magic. I do my best not to imagine in too much detail what could be making the muffled sounds. Is it a spell of some kind? Or a machine? Or has she somehow enchanted wild animals to do her bidding?

  My heart thunders in my chest and I squeeze my eyes closed, waiting for my death, but it doesn’t come. Seconds tick by, and the muffled sounds grow no louder. Instead, it feels as if weights are being lifted from my chest one by one. My breaths come easier. I wasn’t even aware it was harder to breathe than usual until whatever was pressing down on me was removed.

  In addition to the muffled sounds, new sounds meet my ears. Birds chirping. Traffic in the distance. And voices.

  That’s Griffin’s voice—and Dana’s.

  Footfalls sound, getting closer and closer to my position until people come into view. There’s Griffin and Dana—and they are joined by the whole circle and all the psychics, save Krissa and Owen. Even Sasha hovers by my side.

  Fingers dig into my wrists as someone tries to loosen the ropes that are binding me. As soon as they fall, Griffin pulls me into a hug so tight I can’t breathe again. I’m so surprised I don’t return it right away. We’re not exactly a hugging family—I think the last time Griffin embraced me like this may have been when our mom died.

  “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, you hear?” Griffin murmurs fiercely in my ear.

  “I won’t,” I promise, even though it’s one I know I can’t possibly keep. But it’s the only thing I can say right now to make him feel better, and somehow there’s nothing I want more.

  When Griffin releases me, I survey the others. Everyone’s faces show a mix of happiness and relief—everyone but Sasha. She stands just outside our group, her brow knit with concern.

  “That was too easy,” she says, her voice low as if she’s afraid to be overheard.

  Lexie and Bria exchange glances. “You call that easy?” Lexie asks.

  “That was some of the hardest spellwork I’ve ever had to do to break those enchantments,” Crystal says.

  Sasha waves a hand. “I get that, but look around. There’s no one here to stop us. There are no traps. Hell,
there’s not even a bomb or something to do Fox in.”

  “Hey!” Griffin snaps, suddenly defensive.

  A heavy feeling of dread settles in my stomach. “So what are you saying?”

  Sasha presses her lips together. “I’m not even sure. This just… It feels like a setup.”

  West’s posture straightens and he looks around as if preparing for an attack. “You think we’re in danger?”

  She shakes her head. “No. I think Krissa is. We have to figure out where they’re keeping Owen.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Krissa

  Pain ricochets up my leg and through my body when a bolt of the blue lightning hits me. So far, the woman has been circling us, trying to get a good angle on Owen, but it seems she’s growing impatient. Maybe I’m not as important as I think I am.

  “Can you use your telekinesis to shield us?” It’s a long shot, but Owen’s powers might be the only thing that can keep us safe until I’m able to formulate a plan.

  His face is tight with pain. “I can try.” He closes his eyes like he’s trying to concentrate. More electricity comes our way, but this time it’s deflected.

  I’m so happy I almost shout with relief. If Owen can keep this up, it’s possible I can drag him through the woods until we get to the road. And if I can get a message off to our friends, someone could be waiting there to get us when we emerge.

  “Okay, I’m going to try to drag you. I’m sorry in advance if this hurts.” I do my best not to worry whether Owen’s protective bubble will hold as I move behind him and hook my arms under his shoulders. I start tugging him and he winces and groans as he slides over the ground. From this angle, I can see where the spell impacted him. It scorched through his green T-shirt and an angry red burn is visible on his stomach. Looking away from it, I grit my teeth and try pulling him again.