Page 41 of Cursed
Seth said Vernon was an elemental mage. If the song co-opts energy from the storm, does it weaken the power Vernon has available to draw on? Maybe we’re not just strengthening the magic for Seth’s witches, we’re also draining a resource Vernon might have counted on using. And if we’re right about the ship’s wheel being Vernon’s anchor, destroying that will also give us an edge, and sap Vernon’s magic even more.
Outside, the sky lightened from black to muddy gray as dawn came. Strong winds whipped around the RV, rocking it fromside to side and making Evan fear that despite physical tethers and protective magic, they might be knocked over. The rain beat against the windows, making it impossible to see.
Save Seth. Save Pax. Lift the curse. Save Seth. Save Pax, Lift the curse.
The words became a mantra he silently chanted in time with the music. Tony played with a look of resolute concentration, and Evan guessed that the musician was similarly fixed on channeling himself into the rescue.
Despite being drawn into their last-minute effort, Tony’s friends played with enthusiasm. From their expressions of peaceful concentration, they looked like they were equally swept into the surge of the magic as the power rose.
We can’t win the battle for Seth, but maybe we’ll be the extra edge that makes the difference.
Unbidden, Evan’s mind supplied its own images of the battle, filling in from imagination what the drone no longer showed.
Vernon and his coven would use every bit of dark power they possessed to hold off Seth’s attack and work the ritual. Evan only remembered bits and pieces from his own rescue, but the attacks he and Seth had mounted to save the other descendants remained clear in his mind.
He remembered the smell of the herbs and potions and the scent of the candle smoke. Evan had been bound to a table while Pax hung from chains, but Evan could still feel the bite of cold iron on his wrists. Despite being drugged, he had been utterly terrified. He hoped that Pax was indeed unconscious and spared that terror and the dreams that followed.
Evan’s hands ached from the constant drumming, but he kept on playing, welcoming the pain that reminded him he was still alive. The magic had eased some of the discomfort from the curse, but Evan knew it still drained him.
The song took on a life of its own, skirling high and dropping low, in tune with their breath and heartbeats. Evan had read about monks who played for spiritual transcendence, but until now he had never understood how such a thing could be possible.
Now, he believed.
If we didn’t have people to rescue, would the song put good energy out into the world to heal what’s broken?
If he survived, Evan promised himself he would ask Rowan about the possibility.
The storm raged on, and thunder rattled the windows in the RV. Tony flinched at the sound but never lost the melody. Evan realized they had been playing for over an hour and wondered how much longer the fight would last.
Evan felt himself fading and clung to the music magic to keep him from collapsing. He worried that meant the battle wasn’t going well, and fear tightened his chest and nearly took his breath away.
Winning was never assured, no matter how good their magic or how powerful their allies. Yet Evan had never let himself imagine not freeing Pax and stopping Vernon and his followers. Now, he worried that their effort might not be enough.
Seth has weapons and charms. Teag and Rowan are powerful witches, and so are Kinsley and her coven. He’s got Caden and some muscle for backup, plus Tristan and Nash to summon the ghosts to help.
It’s got to be enough. Please, let it be enough.
The sun was fully up now, lifting the gloom despite the rain that continued unabated. The wind had died down, and the thunder and lightning stopped. Evan didn’t know whether that was an omen tied to the magic or just a storm running its course.
Tony glanced toward him and frowned. “Doing okay?”
Evan guessed his dwindling reserves showed in his face. “Yeah. Hanging in there.”
Although he continued to play, Evan felt as if the music was all that sustained him. He knew he couldn’t keep going much longer.
Did we fail? Did Seth stop Vernon before he killed Pax?
Evan searched his feelings, but was unsure how to separate his own imagination from anything he might be reading from the magic.
The song slowed from its frantic peak as the rain slacked off. Evan didn’t know if the magic affected the storm, but they certainly seemed intertwined at the climax of the magic.
Reluctantly, Evan sensed that the song’s power was spent. “I think that’s it, folks,” he told the others. One by one they stopped playing.
“Did it work?” Ava asked, and the others looked on with concern.
“No way to know until we hear back,” Tony told them. “I know that we helped. I have to believe it made a difference. Thank you all so much.”
“Let us know how Pax is,” Tim said. Now that they were no longer playing, everyone looked tired from the early hour and the energy poured into the magic.
