Page 32 of Woven Souls

“Demons? I have no power to control them. And Utikyie? I don’t even know what those are.” The look on his face makes me almost want to believe him. “The monsters you speak of, yes, I would have thrown a little magic from the Third Realm into the book, so it is quite possible they hunger for your flesh and power as part of the curse. But the others? I have no reach or ability to draw from the Realm of the Dead to infuse into that book. I swear it.”

I throw my hands up in frustration.

“How about this? Lift the curse off of me now. Then, I’ll come back in a few days with the book so you can pick up where you left off on your search to open the Veil, as long as you lift the curse off of my friend?”

“Wait a minute,” Viktor shoots me a warning look before turning to the warlock. “Could your brother have found the book, but unintentionally cursed himself? It would explain his disappearance. Or placed his own curse on it in the process of trying to use it? If he somehow managed to find a way to access the Realm of the Dead, then he’d have the power to curse it with that magic, which would explain why Willow is being hunted by things from that realm.”

Fredrick tilts his head, his brows furrowing as he considers Viktor’s question.

“I suppose it’s possible that he placed his own curse on the book, if he did find it. He may have managed to get his hands on a bit of Death Magic, and if that’s the case, it would make sense that such creatures are after you, Willow. But if he did find the book, why isn’t he in possession of it now?”

“That’s not our concern.” Viktor waves a hand dismissively. “Our concern is now having to deal with another warlock’s curse over Willow. And if your brother is anything like you, he is probably quite aware of Willow and her… abilities and desires them as well.”

Anotherwarlock is after me? The news makes me feel lightheaded.

I reach for my glass of wine and down half of the glass in one gulp. Could Fulton really be sending the Utikyie after me? To control them would mean he’s powerful. Placing my glass down, I stare at the river, wondering what we’re going to do now. Suddenly, a large, heavy hand falls on top of mine. I jump in surprise, my head whipping around to find Viktor’s hand resting on top of mine.

I meet his gaze.

“We’ll figure this out,” he assures me. After a moment, he tacks on, “Babe.”

The endearment is so unexpected that I laugh. Shaking my head with amusement, I turn back to Fredrick, who watches us closely.

“Let me be quite frank with you, Willow,” he says. “While having the book back would be nice, you can keep it. I have no use for it. Please, can I ask you to just… just tocheckon Rebecca? I did a little digging on you before tonight’s meeting, and on your social media pages, it says you’re a necromancer. Now, I think we all three can agree that you’re a bit more thanthat,but for this evening, can I ask that you please just reach out to her on my behalf? I don’t know if Fulton was telling the truth or not, but if she’s over there, I’d love to speak to her and ask for her forgiveness. The other necromancers I asked said they couldn’t do it. They kept saying they could hear her but couldn’t reach her. With your immense power, you could probably communicate with her with no problem, right?”

I stare at the warlock sitting across the table from me, imploring me to help him. If this is all that it will take to get this stupid curse off of me, half of it at least, I’ll do it.

“Remove the curse first, and I’ll do it for you right now.”

Fredrick claps his hands together and beams at me. “Of course, thank you!”

Viktor squeezes my hand in a warning. “We shouldn’t be doing this at a human establishment. We may cause a disruption.”

Fredrick waves his hand dismissively. “They won’t even notice us.” He reaches across the table, his hands outstretched. “Your hands, please.”

Without hesitation, I pull my hand from Viktor’s and give the warlock both of mine. I try to hold back my grin, but I can’t. This is it! No more monsters! Viktor tenses and leans forward with his forearms on the table.

“One moment, please,” Fredrick murmurs.

He closes his eyes. His lips move, but if he’s speaking, I can’t hear him. I glance over at Viktor, who is watching the warlock closely. Time ticks by. I think I feel a flash of heat race up my arms, but it comes and goes so quickly I can’t quite be sure. Just as the waiter brings out a tray with three salad bowls on it, Fredrick opens his eyes and lets go of me.

“There, it’s done.” He flashes me a grin as he sits back.

I glance at Viktor. At his barely perceptible nod, I let out a deep sigh. Viktor would have heard anything Fredrick was chanting. Whatever knowledge of warlocks he has, evidently he’s confident Fredrick removed the curse. I swallow hard as the relief threatens to bring tears to my eyes.

None of us say anything while the waiter places the salad bowls in front of us. My relief is momentarily washed away as I stare down at the utensils in front of me. Shit, which fork do I use for the salad?

As if he can read my mind, Viktor catches my attention and deliberately reaches for the fork furthest from his plate and uses it to mix around his salad. As the waiter fills Fredrick’s empty wine glass, I mimic Viktor’s movements. Relieved that I have someone to guide me, I feel more confident as the waiter takes off and leaves us to eat in peace.

After a few bites of salad, I place my fork down and look up at Fredrick who is cutting into his steak. He notices my attention and places his utensils down.

“Thank you.” I make sure he hears my sincerity. “Now I’ll keep my end of the bargain. Let me reach out to see if she wants to speak to you.”

Fredrick clears his throat while I reach for my power. The familiar cold that drips into my veins as I reach out into the Realm of the Dead is comforting. I blink as my vision shifts. I can see into this worldanda translucent dark void as the Realm of the Dead comes into view.

“Rebecca Noir.”

My power races into the Realm of the Dead, filtering through the different souls as it seeks out the woman I’m searching for. It doesn’t take me long to find her.

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