Page 90 of The Curse of Indy Moore
I returned to the dining room feeling full in ways I couldn’t explain. We ate and talked over lunch, spending a little over two hours there before Mr. Hawthorne made the disappointing call of our departure. The girls weren’t the only ones upset, though I did my best not to show it.
“Please, come again,” Thea said with her hand on mine. “Once this is all over, we could throw a congratulatory gathering with your aunt and cousins, too.”
“I’m sure they would love that,” I replied, even if I couldn’t imagine bringing them to a place like this, a world I could never give my family… a world Carline offered.
Everyone said their goodbyes. Mei and Jenai surprised me by offering hugs that I eagerly accepted. Behind me, Colt fixed Mr. Hawthorne’s jacket like he was a parentrather than a brother. He implied that Rooke should visit more. Renli, on the other hand, outright stated it. As much as they teased each other, it was clear they had nothing but respect for one another.
With that, we left the manor’s comfort and stepped onto the streets, where their butler flagged down a carriage. The butler opened the door. I shivered when Mr. Hawthorne sat beside me rather than across. His arm brushed mine, sending a jolt to the tip of my fingers. Placing my hands in my lap, I stared ahead and said, “They’re fond of you, your family. Colt and Renli are right: you need to visit more. The girls would clearly love it.”
He relaxed against the seat, one leg crossed over the other. “I imagine you must be upset with me for not doing so, considering your current situation.”
“I was, but family is complicated and our feelings toward them even more so. That I can understand perfectly. However, family is also precious, and yours adores you, and I know you adore them. You wouldn’t want to regret not being around more often one day.”
As I was starting to regret it. Being there, I thought of all the dinners I missed with my family. The late nights I worked at the tavern, I came home to the girls asleep. I thought we made up for it the next day when we talked over breakfast, but truthfully, our time was limited there, too. The girls had school. Aunt Agnes and I had work. We maneuvered around each other, and I pondered all the stories we hadn’t shared, that we may never share.
“I know.” He shifted and faced the window, a thoughtful look to his eyes. “I am the only artificer in my family. They gave up so much to ensure I received an education.”
An education deemed lesser, regardless of all the work the Hawthornes put into it. The thought left a vile taste in my mouth, and I found myself glaring out the window toward the castle steeples.
“I believe you have repaid them more than enough.” The house behind us said that. They lived well and found jobs better than before, but that didn’t settle the worry on Mr. Hawthorne’s face.
“Let us hope Professor Kumir and Otis have found something in our time away.” He didn’t say more, signaling the end of our conversation, even if I wanted to ask more, but he held his secrets close, and we were silent on the ride to the archives.
25
Where Indy Is Offered Hope
AtTheGrandTempestArchives, Otis gathered the attention of practically every artificer in the local area. They must have suspected he assisted Mr. Hawthorne on my case and went to slither their way into his good graces. Mr. Hawthorne took to his rescue, basking far more in the spotlight, while Professor Kumir had gone missing. I went in search of her since I would much rather wander the aisles than be caught in the claws of the ravenous artificers' floors below. Although the last time I went off alone, I was chased by a dog.
I weaved in and out of the shelves, discovering a section on seafare. I knew nothing about sailing but picked up a book to flip through the pages. The book detailed worlds across the sea with deserts that stretched for hundreds of miles and jungles so thick one, could hardly walk through them. Worlds beyond worlds that felt unreal, but these books depicted so truthfully.
“Have you ever been on a boat?”
Cursing, I dropped the book.
“My apologies, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” Professor Kumir took a step back, allowing me to lean over to retrieve it.
Settling a hand over my racing heart, I slid the book back on the shelf. “It’s alright. I’m a little jumpy after the previous incident here.”
“Ah, yes, the dog. Rooke wrote about it.” She had six books hovering behind her in a perfectly neat stack. “How did your visit to Hawthorne Manor go?”
“Great, actually. The Hawthornes were nothing but kind.”
I followed her into the aisle, where she leaned against the railing to peer at the floor below. Mr. Hawthorne poured over the books artificers offered. They wore amicable smiles that would have fooled me when I first arrived. Now, I understood they wore masks to step in a world built to crush them the moment they showed an ounce of truth.
“Did you find anything?” I asked.
“Quite a bit, actually. Our theory holds merit. You have always been the key to your curse, Indy, but now you may be the cure as well.” She held out a hand, and one of the books floated over. “We’ve found over a dozen curses where the curse-bearer changes, and they use that change to throw the curse back at the demon.”
“Meaning I may have to do the same.”
I joked about throwing a curse at Carline but never expected that would be the route to take.
I leaned my side against the railing to face Professor Kumir. “How could I possibly go about that? I’m no artificer.”
“That is where we artificers come in. Rooke may be able to make an enchantment to help. This particular enchantment could focus your will enough to have momentary control over your wolf form. However, I doubt we can give you much more than a few minutes. Most of the work will be up to you. Rather than thinking about attacking her, imagine you are breaking her enchantment. You are aware that demons don’t require runes, yes?”
I nodded. Carline had never done anything similar to artificers. She commanded power entirely. Changes came into being because she willed them to, making the prospect of fighting her all the more daunting.
