Chapter Sixteen
Amelia
“Um, are you okay?”
I blinked rapidly, wishing the thudding of my heart wasn’t so damn loud.
“Perdita?” I said, still unsure if I was awake or asleep.
She ran over and sat on the bed next to me. “You need to see a doctor,” she said. “You’re practically delirious.”
“No. No, I’m not. They’re memories, Perdita. I’m sure of it. I think I’m dreaming about how it all began for my family. Everything we know is a lie.”
“Okay,” she said, and I could tell she was humouring me. “So how does that change things for us?”
I frowned. The details weren’t as clear as before. Everything had gotten a little muddled in my head. “It doesn’t. Not really.”
“So why would anyone lie about it?”
I shook my head. What was I supposed to remember? “I’ve no idea. But it’s important the lies stop.”
“Amelia… you need some rest. Why don’t you go back to sleep?” She made me lie back before draping the covers over me.
Sleep would be good. But why was Perdita in my room in the first place?
“Wait! Why are you here?”
She fidgeted at the blanket. “It’s time. They’re coming. We’re locked in with the dogs. Just in case.”
“It’s now! Oh, no. I wanted to see my family first. In case… well, you know.”
We exchanged glances that said we were both on the exact same page. My family would soon be fighting for their lives outside. Fighting for our lives, too.
“I think it’ll be okay this time,” she said. “They have more on their side, and they know what’s coming. It’ll be over as soon as it starts. In fact, I’m going to watch out the window while you get some rest.”
“Will you tell me if you see anything?”
“Of course.” She hurried to the window.
I called one of the dogs onto the bed. She reminded me of Kali’s Dog, and I wished Andriy had left him at home that day. I wished I knew exactly what I was supposed to do next. “I wish we could know for sure,” I muttered aloud.
I tried to sort through my thoughts and memories. That last dream had been more than real, and I wondered what was supposed to happen. If I told anyone the truth, they would think I was crazy, but I felt as though I had to tell the truth. I had to make sure Kali was remembered, too.
A stabbing pain shot through my body, making my body jerk uncontrollably. A cold sweat dampened my clothes, and I felt sharp echoes of the first pain sting my insides.
“Are you okay?” Perdita looked absolutely terrified.
I shook my head and curled onto my side as another pain clutched my insides. “I can’t take much more of this,” I said. “It hurts. Everything hurts. And I can’t sleep without dreaming of pain and worse things. I feel as though I’m on fire.”
“It’ll be okay,” she said. “We’ll figure something out.”
I groaned. “There’s nothing to figure out. I’m supposed to do something.” I couldn’t tell her I had to end the curse. I didn’t want to give her a chance to reject the idea.
“What do you mean?”
“Someone’s trying to tell me something, I think. Like this is a… a punishment, or a warning, or something. I don’t know. I feel like I’m being haunted or something.”
“Is it really that bad?”
I nodded, suddenly feeling as though I needed to outrun the pain.
“There has to be something we can do to make it better,” she said. “Doing a reading might help.”
“Tarot cards? You must really pity me.” I laughed in spite of myself.
“I’m still your friend. If that makes you feel better, then I’m cool with it. We’re sitting around here waiting anyway. What do we have to lose?”
“What if we don’t use the cards?” I knew what to do. “What if we use something else instead?”
“Like what?”
“Spirit board?”
Again she made a face filled with horror. I had to persuade her it would be okay.
“We could try to talk to Mémère,” I said in a hurry. “Maybe she can tell us if we’re safe or not.”
She looked desperately uncomfortable. “I don’t know…”
“Come on! What harm could it do? It would make me feel better.” I hoped she would give in, and sure enough, she did. I gathered the candles and some crystals. “For protection,” I told her.
“Protection from what?”
I heard her obvious fear, but I couldn’t stop now. Ignoring how all of my limbs burned, I crawled under the bed to fetch the spirit board. “I found the board hidden in my grandparents’ room.”
“Well, maybe it was hidden for a reason.”
Disregarding Perdita’s hesitation, I placed the board inside the ring of crystals and lit candles all around. A draught blew out the flames. I lit them again, desperately hoping the board would work for us.
“Put your hands on the cup beside mine,” I said. Reluctantly, Perdita’s fingers joined mine, and I felt the jolt of energy. It would work. It had to.
“Mémère? Can you hear me? Please, please, please talk to me. I need you right now. Can you see us?” I couldn’t ask for Kali. I still wasn’t absolutely sure she even existed. But I thought she might, and if she did, she could probably contact me through the board.
The cup moved then jerked to a stop. “That’s not funny.” Perdita did not look impressed.
“It wasn’t me.”
“Crap,” she whispered.
“Mémère? Is that you?”
The cup moved to no.
“Maybe we should stop this,” she said. Cú growled, but I ignored him.
“No. I need this. Who are you?”
The cup moved again, spelling out the word “you.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Perdita asked, sounding as interested as I was.
“Can you help us?”
Yes.
I couldn’t help grinning. It would all work out.
“Are we in danger?” Perdita asked.
Yes.
“From who?” I demanded. More danger?
You.
“Stop saying that!” I screamed as books fell from the shelves and onto the floor with ominous thuds.
Dreams.
“What about them?”
Truth.
“They’re the truth?” Perdita whispered.
Past.
“The dreams are real?” I had to make sure.
Yes.
“What do they mean? Why am I having them?” I needed Perdita to see the answers, so she would finally believe. The cup moved faster, so fast I could barely keep up.
Cursed. Broken. Freedom.
“How? How do I break it?”
Fulfil curse. Take destiny. Free me.
I understood. At least, I thought I did. Everything Kali told me was true, and I was the only one who could finish the story.
“What does that mean?” Perdita sounded worried. I was kind of sorry she had to share the experience with me, but I was doing all of this for her. I would agree to Kali’s demands, because I didn’t want my best friend to die. I could stop the curse. I could redeem myself. I could help everyone.
“I think I know,” was all I told her.
The cup moved rapidly, sliding across the board without slowing.
Seventh daughter of seventh daughter.
The pain shot through me yet again.
Broke the line.
The windows rattled in their frames.
Change.
“I get it,” I said. “It’s like the dream. I have to accept the path. If I say yes, then it’s done? It’s over?”
Yes.
“I’ll do it. I say yes.”
“Amelia, what the hell is going on?”
I ignored Perdita’s panic. The candles all blew out. The windows opened then slammed themselves shut, but I could see nothing except for that essence Kali had talked abo
ut. I expected it to be black, and dark, and evil, but it was pure white. It swirled around me, filling me with memories of my family and my ancestors. Of Kali. It consumed me, and I consumed it. I knew nothing would ever be the same again.
I flew along a river full of bones. It blackened and bubbled with thick, dark blood. This was my poisoned heritage. Wasted ancestors. Wasted promise. I could stop it from ever happening again. I could protect my family from the madness that I knew was true. I saw it in my own grandfather’s eyes, after all. Kali was right, and I thought I saw her in the distance, beckoning me.
My body drifted toward her, and the river seemed to clear. There was peace in her eyes, and the madness I saw there earlier had left. I nodded at her, hoping she was finally free.
“It’s time,” she said, and a wrenching pain lifted me off my feet.
I was back in my room, crawling on the floor, Cú growling at me. I heaved, but my mouth seemed to change, to lengthen and misalign. I felt every bone in my body break, felt my lungs constrict, and my heart give out.
Blindly, I gazed for help, trying to speak, but nothing came out save for a growl. Then I understood and panicked. I was wolf, and I wasn’t ready.
Wolf took over, scenting human. Wolf was starving because I hadn’t eaten in so long. Wolf found a target and ran out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and out of the house. Cú got in our way, and wolf attacked, flinging the dog to the side. Inside I wept, but I couldn’t take over. I couldn’t find the strength to tame wolf. It was terrifying and exhilarating, and as Cú limped after the rest of the dogs, wolf only felt excitement in the chase.
But dogs weren’t the best targets, and that familiar human scent still stung my nostrils. I could scent my best friend, but even I couldn’t stop wolf from wanting to tear out her throat. I screamed in my head as wolf raced straight for Perdita. Wolf completely ignored the horrified stares of my family.
Perdita dropped to the ground, as did Nathan, and too late, I realised what was happening. I finally did it. I finally ended the curse, and now they were feeling the break. The pain of their loss was destroying them.
Wolf didn’t care.
Wolf raced on four legs, faster than I ever dreamed possible, and leapt to catch our kill. My jaws snapped empty air as our prey was snatched from our grasp at the last second. Snarling, I spun around, almost falling, as wolf decided to try again. I begged wolf to stop, but wolf was in charge.
We charged, but a figure—a werewolf—threw Perdita out of reach and kicked us. His strength was awesome, and he sent us flying backward. Cú tried to protect Perdita again, but his attempt was pathetic compared to wolf’s strength. Wolf would put him out of his misery.
Then, Byron pounced on me, pinning me under him as his strength outmatched my wolf’s. Wolf was only distracted from our prey by the scent of enemy in the distance. Strange werewolves were watching us, and I realised the danger. They knew, or at least had an idea that everything had changed.