Casting Curses

  “When I arrived in Kish, I felt an incredible déjà vu, as though I had been there before. I knew the area even though I had never laid eyes on it. I knew exactly where to look for some of the artifacts. Henri didn’t question it. He just used me like a hunting dog. I was his bloodhound. We made discovery after discovery, thanks to me.”

  “And I imagine he got all the credit?”

  “Most of it.” Her eyes darkened. “But that was the way of the times, you know. Then it happened. One night, I was sitting on a sand dune, staring at the stars, when I heard a voice calling to me. I’m not certain what name he called out, but I knew it was my name, and I had no choice. I answered.”

  “Was it Etum?”

  She nodded. “I followed the voice into a valley not one hundred yards from where we were camped. Under the stars, I began to dig. Henri didn’t realize what I was doing, so I dug through the night with my hands, bloodying my nails. By first light of dawn, I had discovered an entrance into an underground catacomb. When he found out, Henri was horrified by the state of my hands, but the medic wrapped them up, and I begged him to let me be the first one in. For once, he played fair. I wish now he hadn’t. He said that since I had discovered the opening, I would be allowed to go first.”

  “I have a feeling it didn’t end well.” I rubbed my head.

  Lilis laughed, her voice bitter. “Does it ever? Once I was inside what turned out to be a catacomb, I heard my name again. I followed the voice, breaking off from the main group. They were so astounded by the discovery that they didn’t notice I had disappeared. I found myself near a trapdoor, and opened it, to find a ladder going down.” She closed her eyes, as though reliving the moment.

  “I was surprised the air was still fresh. It wasn’t like there was any ventilation as far as I knew. I still think there had to have been a shaft leading to the surface that brought in fresh air. Anyway, I cast a light spell and headed down the ladder. When I reached the bottom, I found myself in a small room. There was a well in the middle of it. I couldn’t see the bottom of the well, but I could hear water down there. And hanging over the well was a basket containing an urn.”

  “Let me guess, this urn was the one in the secret room? The one holding Etum’s spirit?”

  She nodded. “But I didn’t know that at the time. All I knew was that the basket had a variety of charms and words written on it. I didn’t pay attention. I grabbed hold of the basket and pulled it to me. I heard a laugh, but I didn’t pay attention to that either. I took the urn and the basket. I was planning to give it to Henri, but something came over me. If I showed it to him, he would put it with the rest of the artifacts and I couldn’t allow that. This urn was mine.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I’m a shadow witch. I created a portal to my home, took the urn and the basket there. Once I got there I realized that if Henri found out what I had done, he could accuse me of theft. So I disappeared into the countryside.”

  “Did your parents know what happened?”

  She nodded. “Yes. My mother was horrified when she saw what I had done. She knew what was in the urn. She told me about Etum. About how he had destroyed so many lives, and then defied Ereshkigal. The goddess sentenced him to an eternal half-life. And he had used me to free him from that half-life. Luckily, I hadn’t opened the stopper to the urn.”

  “Thank gods. But why you?”

  “I’ll get to that in a moment. It’s why I vanished into the WPP. Anyway, my mother told me that now I was responsible for keeping the urn hidden forever. She suggested that I go to America, to get as far away from Kish as I could. The more distance I could put between myself and his homeland, the less Etum would be able to pull on me. And my mother couldn’t take the urn because she was bound by a promise to her mother.”

  “But why didn’t she tell you this from the beginning? Wasn’t the story passed down from generation to generation? It sounds like it should have been.” I didn’t understand the secrecy. All secrecy led to was danger and misunderstanding.

  “She never thought anything would happen. The family thought it was long enough in the past to just bury old bones and leave them alone. Apparently they didn’t count on how much power Etum still had. And there’s one other thing that I haven’t told you yet. When my mother gave birth to me, one of the Aunties warned her that I was the reincarnation of Etum’s lover. I was the woman he was planning to marry and I had promised that I would free him, then took my own life. When I was born into this body, I had no memory of that. But the instinct was there. The promise held me. And he was able to communicate with me because of it. We were going to ravage the world and rule it by force.”

  Holy crap. This was getting far more complex than I first thought.

  “So let me get this straight. In a past life you were Etum’s lover, and you and he were out to rule the world. He was cursed by Ereshkigal and you killed yourself to come back in the future and save him. That about right?”

  “Pretty much,” Lilis said. “Now you know why I’m in the Witches’ Protection Program. Etum could make use of my powers. The Aunties see an unbalance arising if I stay in the same world as him. Even now I fear that if I stay here he’ll sense me. Auntie Tautau promised me that he wouldn’t, as long as I stay inside her house. Until he is fully destroyed, I have to live outside of this world. Otherwise, everything could crumble.”

  “What can he do without you?”

  “Until he’s gathered enough strength, there’s not much he can do except make life miserable for the people around him. But if he got hold of me, he could fully bring himself back into this world. And that would put everyone in danger.”

  I leaned back, floored by her story. The fact that I had a being capable of terrorizing the world in my house made me want to throw up.

  “All right then. So, what do I do to get rid of him?”

  Chapter 11

  LILIS LOOKED BOTH relieved and worried. “First, realize you’re dealing with an extremely powerful sorcerer.”

  “The fact that the goddess of the Underworld cursed him to a half-life tells me that much. It also tells me he’s not a very nice man. What else you got?”

  “There is a ritual you can perform to appeal to Ereshkigal. You can petition her to curse him to oblivion. Put the blame on me if you want. She may be terrifying, but she is a fair goddess. You must follow the descent of Inanna. I don’t know the exact ritual, or I’d tell you in a heartbeat. But it is written in some of the ancient texts. I believe there is a book called the Journey of Ereshkigal that may have the instructions. It’s a translation of an ancient scroll. The book is so old that I don’t even know if there’s a copy left in existence. But if you can find it, I think it should contain the ritual that you need.”

  I held her gaze. “Can I do this without magic? Your beloved Etum—”

  “He’s no beloved of mine! It’s not my fault that my ancestor decided to come back in my body to wake up her lover. I don’t remember her, I don’t remember being her. I don’t want to follow through with her plans.”

  I relented. It really wasn’t Lilis’s fault. “I’m sorry. I’m just on edge, given all that’s happened to my family. But can I do this without magic? Etum’s curse ended up giving me an allergy to my magic and it could kill me if I try to use it.”

  Lilis closed her eyes for a moment, hanging her head. After a moment she whispered, “I don’t know. I’m not sure. I’m so sorry you and your friends have been dragged into this.”

  At that moment Auntie Tautau reentered the room. She was carrying a tray filled with tea and sandwiches. I shook my head as she offered me a plate.

  “I ate before I came, thank you.” I paused, then turned to Lilis. “Is there anything else you can tell me? Why did you create the secret room? Why the paintings on the walls?”

  “It was an attempt to keep the room from ever being discovered. The paintings and glyphs were my plea for protection. I thought about trying to approac
h Ereshkigal over the years, to beg her to destroy Etum, but I couldn’t bring myself to. As the years went on, I began feeling urges to break open the urn. When I realized the urges were becoming stronger, I knew I had to seek help. So I had the room walled off. I came to Auntie Tautau and begged her to put me into the WPP. I told her I needed to live in a different dimension. But I didn’t exactly tell her why.”

  “It is not the place of the Aunties to always ask why,” Auntie Tautau said. “In this case, I wish you would have told me, child. But the damage is done and we must do our best to rectify it. Etum must not be allowed to go free.”

  “Then I have to figure out how to petition Ereshkigal.” I hung my head. “Fuck.”

  Auntie Tautau motioned to Lilis. “It’s time for you to return to your home. I can keep him from sensing you for a while, but he’s powerful, and will soon know you are here. If you leave now, he will never suspect that you returned to this world.”

  She turned to me. “Maddy, warn your friends who know what’s happened to keep their silence. The politics stretching out from this are myriad, and not all of the players will appreciate Etum’s destruction.”

  “But how can I tell the entire Alpha-Pack to be quiet? They were there when it happened. I’m sure they’ve already told their families about it. Word will get out and I can’t stop it. I can shut my mouth about it, and Sandy and Max of course, and of course Aegis and Kelson will listen. But I can’t stop anything that’s already transpired.”

  “Then we must hope that word never reaches the wrong ears. Now go, and ask your professors to find that book. Tell them to keep their silence. Tell them Auntie Tautau said so. They will listen to me.”

  For the first time since I had known her, Auntie Tautau hustled me out the door, not even giving me time to say good-bye to Lilis. As the door shut behind me, I shivered. Hurrying to my car, I locked myself inside and held tight to the steering wheel. This was just getting worse and worse, and somehow I didn’t see us emerging from this totally free and clear.

  I HEADED TO Neverfall next, to talk to Alaysia and Leroy. Luckily, I found Leroy in his office. I loved Neverfall, with its vast winding hallways, stone towers, and the electrified scent of learning in the air. Unfortunately, the school was also rife with magic and by the time I reached Leroy’s office, I was breathing heavily. Luckily, I had the injections in my bag that Jordan had given me, just in case I needed them.

  Leroy took one look at me and hustled me into a back room where I suddenly felt better.

  “This is a magical stasis room. No magic can be performed in here. It should make you feel better while you’re here.”

  I nodded, breathing deeply. “It already is. Thank you so much.”

  “Alaysia will be here in a moment. Do you have any answers?”

  “Actually, I do, although I’ll need your help.” I leaned back in the chair, trying to relax until the elderly professor got there. Leroy rested his chin on his hands, staring quite openly at me.

  “You confuse me at times, Mad Maudlin. It’s so hard to imagine you rampaging across the countryside, stabbing vampires right and left.”

  “If you ever saw Sandy and me during one of our party-hearty evenings, you’d understand a little better. I’ve mellowed a lot, but to be honest, I recently pulled out my dagger again. I don’t trust that things will remain calm.” I wanted to tell him about the Arcānus Nocturni, but for his own safety, I bit my tongue.

  Leroy paused for a moment, then asked, “Speaking of vampires…I don’t want to step on toes here, but how serious are you and Aegis? Is there…an opening?”

  I blinked. That was the last question I had expected. Leroy Jerome was a handsome man, and he was smart and funny. But I had left my party-hearty with the satyrs days behind. I was a one-man woman now.

  “We’re pretty serious. We’ve been together for a year. I don’t know how much I believe in soul mates, but if I have one, I think it’s him. I never expected myself to fall for a vampire. It seems like an oxymoron, considering who I am. But one thing I’ve learned through the centuries is to be open to the unexpected, and to be flexible.” I paused, then added, “But thank you. I’m flattered, if you’re asking what I think you were asking. If I were free, I’d definitely say yes. If I’m mistaken, then I just made myself sound like an idiot.”

  He let out a sigh and gave a shrug. “I was asking what you think I was. I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but I respect your directness, and I wish the two of you a world of happiness.” He paused as Alaysia tapped on the door, then peeked inside. “Come on in. Maddy has some information for us.”

  Alaysia took a seat beside me, giving me the once-over. “How are you doing?”

  “I’ve been better. But Leroy is right. I do have some news.” I told them as much as I could without revealing that I had met Lilis, or who she was. “I have to ask you to keep your silence on this. Auntie Tautau was adamant about that. Etum is a danger we can’t afford to let into the community. I would tell you more, but I wasn’t given leave.”

  Alaysia made a clicking sound with her teeth. “I think I know what you’re not telling me, but I’m not going to press it. I did some research. As far as the book you are talking about—Journey of Ereshkigal—I do have a copy of it. Parts of it are blurry. It was hand-copied over and over, and then in the modern day, someone finally photocopied the scrolls, and that’s what I have. But there’s enough still clear that I should be able to glean what we’ll need for the ritual. I’ll get on it as soon as we finish here.”

  “Is there anything else I can tell you that will help?”

  She shook her head. “Knowing the nature of the ritual and having a copy of the book are our two best bets.”

  My phone rang at that moment, and I glanced at it. It was from Kelson. I excused myself to take the call.

  “Maddy, I need you to get home now. Something’s happened.”

  “What now?” My heart sank.

  “Max went into the secret room to look around, to see if he could figure out anything. I asked him not to, but he insisted. He came bounding down the stairs in his tiger form. He can’t seem to transform back. Sandy said she’s worried that he might fully fall into his tiger nature and go ballistic on us.”

  “Crap. Double crap. The last thing we need is a rogue tiger running around. I’m on my way. I’m at Neverfall so it will take me awhile to get home. You and Sandy be careful, you hear me?”

  “I hear you. We’ll see you when you get here.” She hung up, and I shoved the phone back in my pocket. As I turned to Alaysia and Leroy, I saw they were both staring at me.

  “Bad news?” Leroy asked.

  I nodded. “It seems that Max has been affected by the curse as well. He’s now running around in his tiger form and he can’t change back. We’re worried that he might just go all jungle boy on us.”

  “Tigers are more often found in the savannah and rocky climes than in the jungle,” Alaysia started but stopped when I glared at her. “But I guess it doesn’t really matter, in this case.”

  “No kidding. This tiger happens to be inside my house. I’ve got to go. Call me as soon as you can, please. I’m relying on you, because I don’t know any other way to deal with this.”

  “Go on, head home now. And don’t let your worry push you into reckless behavior.”

  “I think I passed that point a long time ago,” I muttered as I left the office.

  I CALLED JORDAN on the way, using my Bluetooth. “Do you have anything that can knock out a tiger? A weretiger?”

  “I like that you didn’t even start this time with a ‘Hello, how are you,’ ” he said, laughing. But he quickly sobered. “What happened?”

  “Max is in tiger form and can’t seem to turn back. Hence, I figure that—like Aegis—it might be a good idea to put him down for the count. He gets nervous when he’s a tiger and around a lot of chaos. And that’s one thing we aren’t lacking for.”

  “I’ll be over a
s soon as I can. How are you doing?”

  “Feeling nauseated. I’ve been around too much magic today and it’s only going to get worse. Do you have anything else that can help me?”

  “I have developed something, but it will temporarily totally suspend your powers. It will make you immune to the effects of magic in terms of the allergy, but you won’t be able to cast any spells at all while it’s in your system. And it may take a few days to filter out of your bloodstream.”

  “I’m desperate enough that I’ll take it. Bring it with you, please.” I ended the call, trying to focus on the road. It was true, my stomach felt like it was about ready to hurl, and I was tingling all over. I really didn’t want to have to give myself one of those shots, but I sure as hell didn’t want to go into anaphylactic shock.

  By the time I arrived home, Max was running around the yard, with Sandy chasing him, trying to get him to slow down. He leapt into one of the trees, and was clawing at the bark.

  “He’s upset. And when he gets upset, he gets a little bit twitchy.”

  “We’re all a little twitchy by this point. Jordan is headed over with something to put him down for a nice long nap. We’re about to be down both Aegis and Max. And I don’t have use of my powers. In fact, Jordan is bringing along a shot that will totally suppress my magic. It will also suppress the allergy. I won’t be able to cast any spells, but at least I won’t die from being around magical energy.”

  “Motherfucking hell,” Sandy said, sputtering. “Once we take care of this, girlfriend, we are going on a week-long binge. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. And I can’t imagine how you feel.”

  “I feel ready to shit a brick.” I stood back, watching Max climb the tree. At least he had picked one that was sturdy enough to hold his weight. He was gorgeous, a beautiful massive golden Bengal, big enough to strike down just about anything that gave him trouble. And yet, he was graceful and delicate as he climbed the tree, his dagger-sharp claws digging into the trunk.