Page 83 of Outlaw Witch

I already knew that the situation wasn’t good. But this just confirms it.

He levels his intense gaze on me and the temperature of the room seems to lower by ten degrees in an instant.

“I need you to talk me through exactly what happened. Do not skimp on the details.”

I nod, swallowing hard before I clear my throat. I then spend the next hour rehashing the events of last night, while Dante peppers me with questions. By the time I’m done, he knows everything, barring the color of panties I was wearing.

Which means he knows about my attempt to absorb Fabian’s magic.

I mean, two people already know the secret I’ve kept to myself for years. What’s one more?

Potential disaster, that’s what. I’m aware that I may be actively signing my own death warrant here, but of all the people that know my secrets, I feel confident Dante is the one with the weakest links to the Archarcans.

Humming thoughtfully, he eyes me with barely concealed intrigue, like I’m a specimen he’d love to shove under a microscope.

“You did the same thing to me,” he comments. Instead of looking horrified or angry, he still has that same air of interest, but there’s a hint that he’s surprised I had the audacity.

“I didn’t mean to,” I blurt out and then snap my mouth shut so hard my teeth clack together. That’s as far as I’m willing to go with that topic of conversation.

“So can you tell me anything that might help me work out what went wrong? I couldfeelthat it was all working fine, but then it just... didn’t take.”

Dante goes quietly contemplative for a few beats, tapping his chin with a blunt fingertip. “From what you’ve described, I would assume the sacrifice is the thing that stopped the ritual from working.”

“The sacrifice?”

He hums a little to himself. “It sounds like the curse your boy has is a particularly nasty one. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard of anything like it.”

I cock my head to one side, slowly tearing up the napkin in my hand until it’s a pile on my empty plate. “Does that mean youhaveheard of a curse like it?”

“Decades ago.” He leans back against the counter with a heavy sigh. “I’ll admit I hadn’t thought of it in many years. Not until the other day when you first brought it up.” He clears his throat and I see a flash of sadness in his expression before he swiftly smoothes it away. “An acquaintance of mine was cursed around eighty years ago. The curse rebelled against all attempts to remove it, almost as though it were sentient. It sounds like this is a similar level of curse.”

My stomach drops. That explains his interest in this whole situation. I had thought he just wanted some leverage over the Nexus mages, but clearly there’s more to this situation than I realized.

“Did... did you manage to remove it?”

“Eventually.” He has a pained look on his face. “But it wasn’t before the curse had taken over her body entirely. I witnessed what will happen to your mage boy if you’re unsuccessful in removing the curse.”

I swallow hard, barely wanting the answer to my next question. “It was... bad?”

He levels me with an intense stare for a moment and then turns his head away, contemplating his answer. “I know that my kind do not have a good reputation in the city, or anywhere. We’re seen as selfish. Always taking things without ever giving in return. We’re seen as monsters.” He swallows hard. “But I’ve seen true monsters. That was what happened to Constance once the curse fully took over her body, she was transformed into something that’s only desires were to take from others.” He shakes his head slightly.

“I’ve seen massacres before. But once thatthingtook over Constance’s body, I’ve never seen anything more grisly than a room where she was unleashed.” He swallows audibly. “Others tried to control her once she was in the cursed form, but it was impossible. She was something that could not be leashed or tamed.”

“What happened?” My voice comes out barely more than a whisper but draws Dante’s attention as though I shouted the words.

“Eventually, she was taken out. Tranquilized like she was nothing more than a beast and the ritual was performed once more. Others had spent months poring over everything we knew about curses to be certain it would work. It turned out that the sacrifice was the key. Something about the sacrifice your mage boy chose wasn’t enough to keep the curse at bay.”

I cock my head to one side, waiting for more detail. When he doesn’t seem like he’s going to embellish anytime soon, I prompt him.

“Dante? Any thoughts on how we can know if the sacrifice is going to be enoughbeforetrying and failing again?”

“You might be wondering why I haven’t introduced you to those that were involved in the successful ritual so they can pass on their wisdom,” he says and my gut twists again. I just know what’s he’s going to say isn’t going to be good. “I was banned from being at the ritual myself, they saw me as being too close to Constance and I have to admit it was painful to see her in the state she’d got to by that point.” He clenches his hands into fists before relaxing them and meeting my gaze. “Every person involved in the ritual died that night. That was the size of the sacrifice, considering Constance no longer had anything of her own to surrender.Thatis the kind of sacrifice you will need. Maybe nothing so great as your life, since the mage isn’t so far gone.”

The words sit heavy between us and a heavy sense of dread settles on my shoulders. I guess we need to get back to the drawing board with Fabian’s sacrifice. If his powers and his ability to heal his brother are not enough, what is?

I’m insanely curious about who this mystery woman was. Clearly, she meant something to Dante. But I’m not going to delve into details just because I’m nosy.

“I’m sorry,” I reply softly.

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