Page 79 of House of Pawns
“What do you understand about curses?” I ask. I shiver, realizing just how cold it is in the House.
He takes a breath, not answering me right away. He blinks out at the day twice, before suddenly yanking the curtains closed.
Maybe the light bothers him, after all.
“Nothing,” he says as he turns from the window. He walks to a painting on the wall. “I’ve lived thousands of years, yet I do not know where they come from. If it’s a person who creates them, a race like ourselves, or the universe. They come and bring justice to a system unlike any in visible society.”
I swallow hard.
“But my dear,” he says without looking back at me. “I am quite sure you could not have done anything terrible enough yet in your young life to warrant a curse. I would look closely at those in your House and those in your quaint little town.”
I hadn’t considered that. The possibility that maybe this curse wasn’t about me. That there was someone else who had brought this storm upon Silent Bend.
Who could it be?
“I should let you rest,” Cyrus suddenly says and he’s instantly next to the door to my bedroom. “We’ve all had a long journey and I’m feeling a little road weary myself.” He doesn’t look at me when he says this. “We have a big night ahead of us.”
Without further explanation, he closes the door behind him.
I have no other explanation for what he just said. He’s going to kill me come nightfall.
This is it. My final hours.
My heart rate spikes. My palms sweat.
I want to be held. I want to be left alone.
I want to live.
I want to get it over with.
My head spins.
Minutes pass. I sit at my window, staring outside. Hours. The sun rises, reaches the peak behind the clouds. Time becomes meaningless.
A soft knock sounds from my door and my head whips to it. I have no idea how much time has passed since the King left my bedroom, but surely night has not fallen yet.
“Come in,” I answer quietly.
It’s Anna who enters my room, closing it behind her.
“I’ve found them,” she says, her eyes hard, her jaw tight. “Jasmine and the Bitten.”
“Where?” I manage to choke out. My throat feels tight and I’m having a hard time concentrating on what she’s saying. My death has consumed me.
“Mayor Jackson’s Estate,” she says. “I finally caught a scent of Trinity. Found a bunch of blood at the church at the end of Main Street. I’m sure she turned someone. But I followed the trail. Back to his house. I could hear them inside. I believe Jasmine is holding the Mayor hostage.”
This is something I need to deal with. This is going to explode. I remember once Raheem saying their entire existence is frowned upon. So Jasmine having an entire hoard of them is going to have consequences. For her and myself.
“Thank you, Anna,” I say. “You never let me down.”
“What would you like me to do about it?” she asks. Her eyes flash red and her hands roll into fists.
I shake my head. “Nothing. For the moment. I have other things to take care of first.”
She looks at me with the hint of disbelief in her eyes. She’s ready for action. She’s a fighter and not one to sit back and see how things may play out.
But I have something to do first.
