Cursed (18 page)

“Maybe a plan B just in case the curse didn’t work?” Gus guessed.

“Do you know why it hasn’t worked yet?”

“No,” Gus said lighting a cigarette. “It’s not important. You need to know how to disable it.”

“Can I do that?”

“Of course,” Gus said. “No curse is impregnable.”

“How?”

“A killing curse can only be accomplished with a biological item from the intended victim,” he said. “So Vania must have something of yours. Sometimes it’s a lock of hair or an organ.”

“An organ?” Evan asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Gus said. “We don’t need every body part we have. People lose eyes, kidneys, ears. It can be anything biological. If you have all your body parts it’s probably a lock of hair.”

“How do you know Vania cast the spell?”

“I don’t,” he said. “You told me that. Isn’t that what Nefar said to you?”

“Yes,” she said disappointed. She thought he had more independent information.

Gus told them they needed to find the talisman and burn it. It was the only way to get rid of the spell. Once the item is destroyed by fire it will break the spell.

“Where is it?” Evan asked.

Gus grimaced. “Well that’s the hard part,” he said. “These types of curses are rare and can only be performed by masters of magic. I assume the spell caster would be an expert at hiding the talisman.”

Sasha deflated like a balloon quickly losing air. She didn’t even know Vania let alone have any clue as to where she would keep this talisman.

“You’ll have to travel to Tysseland to find out,” Gus said.

“Where?” Evan asked.

“Tysseland,” Gus said. “That’s where Vania lives.”

“I’ve never heard of it,” Evan said. “Is it a different country?”

Gus laughed heartily again. “It’s a different world. You’ll need to find someone who can open a portal for you.”

Sasha shook her head having a hard time absorbing everything she’d heard. A portal?

“I can’t open portals,” Gus said. “But you know someone who can.”

Sasha and Evan glanced at each other and then looked back at Gus. “We do?” they said in unison.

“He’s in your mother’s inner circle,” Gus said.

Sasha didn’t have to think over that remark very long: Dominic.

Sasha stood. “Thank you,” she walked to Gus with her hand outstretched. “You’ve been very helpful.”

Gus stood taking her hand in his. His hand was pleasantly warm.

“I hope I was able to help,” he murmured.

“You have,” she said. “How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing, now,” Gus said. “I’ll ask for payment later.”

Sasha froze in surprise but quickly recovered. She was hardly in a position to argue.

They followed Patrick from the room back to the front door of the shop.

CHAPTER FORTEEN

The moment Sasha stepped out of the shop she realized she’d forgotten to ask Gus about the pendant and blue sparks. She turned to reenter the store when she heard a loud crack and sharp pain she’s never experienced before seared through her shoulder.

She stumbled forward and landed on her knees not quite understanding what happened. She glanced at her right shoulder that was throbbing and saw a growing red blot on her shirt. She didn’t remember staining her shirt.

Her brain hadn’t registered what happened until after she collapsed in the doorway of the shop and heard another loud crack of a gunshot and the wood around the trim of the door splintered and wood bits flew in several directions. Sasha tried to roll away as a piece of wood hit her face but her body would not obey her commands.

Evan was behind her on his knees and dragged her into the dark coolness of the store. She heard more bullets striking the shop exterior as the glass windows of the shop shattered.

The edges of her vision grew dark as if she were developing tunnel vision. She saw Evan’s head above hers and his hands were pressing against her shoulder. She could see his fingers were bright red and she wondered if he’d hurt himself or been shot too. He was folding fistfuls of those terrible kiddy black cloaks and pressing them against her chest to stem the flow of blood.

Sasha heard voices and then ear piercing sirens wailed. The edges of her vision narrowed considerably until there was just a pinprick of light and she couldn’t see Evan anymore. She hoped he was ok and hadn’t been shot. She wondered why the blue sparks hadn’t come. This time she really needed them.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A nurse was checking the bandage around her shoulder when Sasha’s father came into the hospital room. He was holding a bouquet of flowers and rushed to her side when her eyes opened.

Sasha tried to sit up but the pain was overwhelming. She flopped back to the pillows exhausted.

“Don’t move,” the nurse barked.

Sasha gave her father a weak smile.

“How is Evan?” she asked afraid of the answer.

Her father put the flowers in a cheap plastic vase and sat them on the windowsill.

“He was in the hallway a few minutes ago; you want me to go find him?”

“In a minute,” she said as the nurse wrote on her chart and left the room.

“What happened?” she asked her father. Her memory was cloudy. She was leaving the shop and that’s it. She had no memory after that.

“The police said it was a drive-by shooting,” her father said. “The shooters and the intended target got away. I hope they get the people who did this.”

Her dad leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. “I love you honey.”

“I love you too Dad.”

Sasha closed her eyes. Could the shooting be another coincidence or was she the target? Maybe Evan would know.

“Where’s Mom?” She asked

“She’s on her way,” he said taking the seat beside the bed.

Sasha leaned back into the pillows and closed her eyes. These assassins were determined. Sasha wasn’t sure how long she could keep this up. She hoped her mother could help her. She planned to tell her everything once she arrived.

“Dad,” she said. Her father made a noise and observed her from the magazine he was reading.

“Dad, have you ever heard of Tysseland?”

“Can’t say I have, where is it?” He said.

“I don’t know,” she said.

“Ask your mother. She’ll know if it’s one of those new up and coming neighborhoods.”

“Yeah,” she said in a small voice. “I’ll do that. Can you get Evan now?”

Her father dropped his magazine on her bed and got up. “Sure,” he said. “I’m sure he’ll be glad you’re awake.”

Her father returned a couple of minutes later with Evan. His white T-shirt was rumpled and stained with blood. She gasped when she saw him.

“Are you hurt,” she said concerned.

“Me?” he said confused and then noticed the front of his shirt. “Ah, no that’s not me. That was you.”

“Dad, could you--,” she said before he cut in.

“I’ll leave you two alone for a bit,” he said. “Want something from the cafeteria?”

When neither responded to the question he slipped out the door.

Evan took the seat her father vacated. They stared at each other for a minute neither saying anything.

“That was scary,” Evan said finally. “I thought you were done for.”

Sasha closed her eyes and nodded silently in agreement.

“This is serious,” he said. “You can’t do this on your own.”

“So you think they were after me? My dad said it was a drive-by.”

Evan shook his head. “That’s what I told them. I thought they’d lock me up if I told them some magical forces were at work and that after a man tried to kill you with fireballs he used guns.”

“You saw Nefar?”

Evan shook his head. “It was the two guys from the robbery but he was sitting in the getaway car.”

“Evan,” she gasped. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I don’t want to lose you Sasha,” he said his voice coarse. “It was hard enough with my dad. I don’t want to go through that again.”

Evan rested his head on the bed sheets as if it weighed too much. Sasha caressed his hair and the back of his neck. His hair was soft and silky in between her fingers. Evan straightened and blinked back tears. His cheeks were rosy and he avoided meeting her eyes.

“I’m not going to die,” she said with fake confidence. She covered his hands with her own and didn’t say any more. They breathed in unison until the moment was shattered by a noise in the hallway.

Evan sat up and ran his hands across his face. He rubbed his eyes and wiped away tears.

“Tell me you’re going to get help,” he said. “Tell me you’re going to tell your mother everything. Tell me you aren’t going to handle this on your own.”

Sasha nodded her head vigorously. The door flew open as Willow Bean charged in. She halted when she saw Evan leaning on Sasha’s bed. He inclined over her and lightly brushed his lips over hers. Before she could react he pulled away.

“I’ll be back. Do what I said.”

Sasha nodded again and smiled. Evan left the room without saying a word to her mother. Willow Bean was bewildered by the rudeness. “Is he mad at me?” she asked Sasha as she dumped her large handbag on the floor.

“Yes,” Sasha said laying her clasped hands on her belly.

“Why?” her mother was genuinely flummoxed that she was the target of someone’s ire.

“He doesn’t like it that I got shot because of you,” she said matter-of-fact.

“What?” she said. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Oh Mother,” she said exasperated. “Drop the act.”

“What act?”

“I know you are from Tysseland and my grandmother has cursed me,” Sasha said staring at her mother. “I think Gus called it the killing curse actually.”

Willow Bean seemed bewildered. She crumpled into the spare chair by the bed but wouldn’t look at Sasha.

“Who told you this tale?”

“It’s not a story Mother,” Sasha said drawing out the word mother. She wasn’t going to let her off the hook. Her mother had kept her in the dark for too long. She laid it out for her mother and spared no details.

“My grandmother cursed me to die and hired assassins to finish the job just in case the curse didn’t work,” she said. “I know you are from Tysseland and that’s where she is too. There is much I still don’t understand like the blue sparks and the pendant. I will find out eventually even if you won’t help me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before now?”

“I tried but you were always busy.”

Willow Bean didn’t argue.

“Mother what are the blue sparks?”

Willow Bean stared at her, occasionally blinking. She bit her lip and then pressed them together in a grimace when she realized she was chewing off her lipstick.

“Blue sparks? I don’t understand. What makes you think they came from you?”

She told her mother about the three attacks when the blue sparks came to her aid. Her mother was quiet for a minute. For a second Sasha wondered if her mother was as clueless as she was about the blue sparks. Then her mother wrung her hands together and Sasha knew she’d stumbled upon the truth.

“You shouldn’t be able to do that.”

“No duh.”

“I meant,” Willow Bean said swallowing, “You shouldn’t be able to do that while wearing the amulet.”

She rose from the chair and gingerly sat on the side of Sasha’s hospital bed.

“What? This?” Sasha pulled the pendant away from her neck. She reached behind and unclasped it. She swung the amulet around by its leather cord. “How is this supposed to stop the blue sparks?”

Willow Bean sighed and took the pendant from Sasha. She quickly reconnected the clasp around Sasha’s neck.

“The pendant suppresses magic,” her mother said. “It prevents it from being used on you and from you using your magic abilities. So there should be no blue sparks. So, again, how do you know they came from you?”

She told her mother about the experiment with the dog. “Were you wearing the pendant?” her mother asked.

“Of course,” she said frustrated that her mother didn’t believe her. “Without the pendant I die Mother.”

Willow Bean arched her eyebrows. “Don’t be overly dramatic Sasha.”

“I’m not,” she said and told her mother what happened when she gave the pendant to her father to inspect. “Do you want another demonstration?”

She tried to remove the pendant but her mother stopped her. “That won’t be necessary.”

“I want answers Mother,” she said with as much strength as she could muster while lying down.

“Of course you do,” Willow Bean said in a condescending tone. “We don’t always get what we want Sasha.”

She turned away from her mother, not wanting to look at her. She wanted comfort, answers. She felt like she was just getting blame and recrimination.

Willow Bean sighed. Her shoulders slumped and her head drooped.