It was a scent.

The other day, Ash thought it was just a pressure; a feeling he couldn’t describe, but now what his mother described it as made sense. Similar to when one took a whiff of particularly heavy foods and could ‘taste’ the greasiness just from the scent in the air around the food.

“Curse?” Mr. Pinon paled, bringing his daughter closer to him. He stopped in his tracks, too afraid to move.

Ash gritted his teeth and confused. “I’ll explain later. Follow me!” He urged the man up.

“Effie, come here!” His mother called out into the hall as they reached the upper floor. Ash almost relaxed. Effie was mostly snow elf and they had a naturally low body temperature compared to regular humans. They could also regulate to conserve energy, meaning Effie’s extremities could literally be as cold as a glacier stream.

A head topped with two puffy silver-white buns peeked out from the dining room. “Momma?”

“Effie, we need your cold, clammy hands!” Ash shouted as he led Mr. Pinon up the second round of stairs.

Effie balked. “My hands aren’t clammy!” She opened her mouth to reprimand her brother further, but gasped when she saw the other little girl. “What happened to her!” Her shriek filled the hall. Her mother swept towards her.

“Sweetheart, Naali will cool the room down, but we need to cool this child down as soon as possible. Can you cool her neck, head, and chest with your hands? The heart and head are most sensitive to heat, but the flesh is sensitive to cold.”

Effie, though wide eyed and appearing afraid, nodded. Her brows knit together and she began pulling up her dress sleeves to reveal her pale arms, determination on her little face. “Leave it to me, Momma!”

Ash let Mr. Pinon into the closest guest room. He touched what looked like a glass plate embedded into the wall and the room illuminated with light. Mr. Pinon didn’t seem to pay attention as Ash directed him to put Theresa on the bed.

Effie crawled on to the bed from the other side, moving the pillow from the head of the bed and taking a seat. She stretched out her little legs in front of her.

“Move her on my legs,” Effie said. The little girl was still unconscious and Mr. Pinon didn’t exactly know how to adjust his daughter on top of another little girl. Nera took the lead and adjusted the girl, letting out a low hiss as she touched the child.

“She’s burning up,” she said as she laid Theresa’s upper body on to Effie’s legs. The coldness of her skin could be felt through her thin tights. As soon as Theresa was laying there, Effie leaned forward, putting her hands over the little girl’s chest and pressing her arms against the sides of her head and neck, as if cradling Theresa’s upper body. Effie didn’t say a word, but Ash noticed how she grimaced for a brief second feeling how hot the other child was. “How long has your daughter been like this?”

“Naali, start cooling the room!” Spirits could not be seen unless their master was nearby, but they could use their powers as long as they were given permission. At once, the room began to chill, as if frost had entered.

Ash could feel bumps rising in his arms before taking some slips and summoning water on the mattress, then freezing it to make an impromptu ice pack beneath the girls.

“I don’t know...two...three hours ago?” Mr. Pinon said. “Can your daughter stand the cold?”

“Effie is part snow elf. She can handle near freezing temperatures fine,” Ash said. He kept a hand hovered over Theresa’s head to try to get a feel for her body heat. His mother was right; she was burning up.

“Don’t worry!” Effie had gritted her teeth and seemed to be putting all her concentration on cooling the little girl. Putting ice directly on to flesh for too long would give them a frost burn, damaging skin and perhaps even muscle tissue, but Effie’s cool skin would be much gentler. “I can cool her down!”

“My eldest son went to get ingredients to make a cooling gel to put over her body. It will keep her cool for at least two to three days,” Nera told him. “Ash, get your things to prepare the mixture.”

“Yes, Momma.” Ash was already running out the door, making a mental note of what he needed and where they were so he could collect them.

When he returned with all the items in his arms, he saw Mr. Pinon seated on a chair next to the bed, tears in his eyes as he hunched over, appearing defeated. Ash looked at his mother in question as he put the tools on the table.

Nera’s expression was serious. “I told him,” she said.

“Are you certain it’s what it is?” Ash asked. Nera nodded.

“I’ll never forget that scent in the air...that feeling it gives off.” Her eyes narrowed as her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Never in my life.”

His mother’s voice was tight and he frowned. “Momma, are you all right?”

Nera closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try to collect herself. She exhaled and took another deep breath, exhaling again before replying. “Curses are a well-hidden, secret...art, if you can call it that. Not much is documented about them, not even in the books your master gave you.”

Ash drew his lips inward and bit them. “I know. I’ve poured over them. There are categories and some steps. Most curses are weak, usually temporary. No one wants to risk their life essence to support a curse.” Ash shook his head as he looked at Theresa. Her face had been flushed, but now it looked less so. “But this isn’t a temporary one, is it?”

“It’s weakening her body, making it unstable, thus the outburst of extremely high fevers,” Nera said. “A high enough fever can disable a person. Under the right conditions, it could kill them.”

Mr. Pinon took in a sharp breath. His head shot up to look at her. “Someone wants to kill my daughter?” His heart seemed to have fallen to the depths of the world as he shook his head, unwilling to believe it. “She’s just a child! She’s never harmed anyone!”

“Fatal curses are extremely rare,” Ash told him. He didn’t want to believe it either if he were honest. “The stronger and longer a curse, the more life essence is used up.”

“The exchange is equivalent the stronger the curse is,” Nera said. “It would be a life for a life.”

“Yes!” Ash remembered that. There was some graph with the correlation of the caster’s consumed life essence versus the severity of the curse based on what small sampling the Traceras researcher had gathered. Small, temporary curses hardly cost the caster anything, but for a curse that could kill someone? The caster would forfeit their life. “No one sane would give their life.” Mr. Pinon didn’t appear to know what to make of this. Ash looked at his mother and found a dark expression on her face. “Momma.”

“It is possible to cast a fatal curse if the caster uses multiple sources of life essence.” She turned her head towards her son, her eyes hollow, as if remembering something she didn’t want to. “I know of only one instance. The caster used part of their life essence, weakening them severely, and the life essence of another person, almost making that person bedridden for the rest of their life.”

Ash’s eyes dilated. He’d never read anything about that. “Is that...is that possible?” His breathless voice trembled just a bit. His mother nodded her head.

“I wish it weren’t.”

His chest tightened.

“I’ve brought the items!” Henry was quick. His voice filled the hall. He rushed into the room, holding a canvas bag that bulged out.

Ash pushed down the rest of his thoughts and gathered the bag in his hands. He rushed to the desk to combine everything. The materials were few, but were highly effective in making a cooling gel that was fast and didn’t harm flesh.

As he twisted his wrist to mash the ingredients together, his mother checked Theresa’s forehead. “She’s cooling down. How are you holding up, Effie?”

Effie’s eyes were shut, as if to help her concentrate. “I can do this all day.”

She said that, and while an adult snow elf could probably do so, a child had their limitations.

“Thank you for this, Young Miss,” Mr. Pinon said with red eyes.

Effie shook her head, a determined expression still on her face. However, Effie was only a temporary solution while the cooling gel was prepared. When the ingredients were mashed together and the once transparent gel was opaque, it began to be icy to the touch.

“It’s ready!”

“Henry, Ash, Effie, go outside. I’ll help Mr. Pinon put the gel on. Mr. Pinon, focus on the areas where my daughter had her hands and arms; they are sensitive to heat and will cause severe physical and cognitive damage once affected,” Nera said. “It is imperative that they cool down.”

Henry picked up their sister and carried her outside with Ash trailing behind them, closing the door behind them.

“Second Brother, is she going to be okay?” Effie asked with pain in her voice. Ash took a deep breath and looked towards the closed door.

“I don’t know, Effie.”

Effie’s hands clenched Henry’s shirt. “If you find Shadow, will she get better?”

Ash lowered his head. He didn’t know the answer to that either. “Maybe...I’m not sure.” Effie’s eyes began to redden. Henry patted her back and rocked her in his arms.

“All right, don’t worry so much. Auntie’s here now, too. She’ll help figure something out,” Henry said. He saw his brother give him an uncertain look and his stomach tightened. Was his aunt at a loss, as well?

After a few moments, the door opened and Nera welcomed them back in. Theresa still laid in bed. She was a bit less flushed, but also had a thick layer of gel everywhere. Even her thin clothes were clinging to the gel beneath them.

“She’s cooling down,” Mr. Pinon said. He was standing and looking towards him. He sniffled and knelt down, bowing his head. “Thank you, Madam, Young Masters-”

“Mr. Pinon, that’s enough,” Ash said, his voice firm. “I said if anything happened, then come to me, and I meant it. I don’t renege on promises.”

“Indeed. My son is right to do so. He felt that something was strange with your daughter and he was not mistaken,” Nera told him. “Mr. Pinon, you are now a guest in this household and your daughter is a patient of my son.”

Mr. Pinon nodded, but then looked confused. “The Second Young Master is a doctor?”

“No, but I do esoteric research and curses fall within that,” Ash said. “While this is a deeply personal matter, I will be chronicling everything. The more information we have, the better we can proceed.” And though he hoped Theresa would pull through and the curse be broken, if they couldn’t stop it, perhaps with the information they gathered, one day they could help someone else.

It was just that he didn’t want to say this, feeling it was insensitive. The man’s daughter was dying in front of him.

“Keep an eye on her and make sure her temperature goes down. In an hour or so, the gel would’ve cooled her back to a normal temperature,” Nera told him. “If she wakes or if you need anything, touch this glass panel beside the bed. It will light up with multiple symbols. There is a bell symbol, press it and it will notify us. We’ll come to check on her again.”

Mr. Pinon nodded. He still hadn’t stood up.

Henry released a heavy breath. “Mr. Pinon, have you had anything to eat? You should also keep your health up for your daughter’s sake.”

Mr. Pinon shook his head. “I just finished lunch when I noticed that Terry’s skin was getting hot again. The medicine the doctor gave us was working the last two days. She was still hot, but closer to normal. I thought it was only a matter of time before she returned to a normal temperature. I didn’t expect her to suddenly burn up. It happened so quickly and she’s never been so hot before, so I panicked and came to find the Second Young Master.”

“Understood,” Henry said. “Then, please take a seat and take care of her. We’ll be here.”

Mr. Pinon bowed his head once more and Nera ushered her children out. It seemed she knew that he would not get up until they had left.

After the door shut behind her, she closed her eyes and let out a low breath.

“Is it really a curse?” Henry asked, his voice low. Ash looked at his mother, who gave a single, solemn nod. Henry swallowed. “She’s just a little girl....” He didn’t want to believe someone could be so cruel to a small child.

Ash knew Theresa personally, though just for a day, but he’d met her friends and spoken to neighbors. Everyone liked her. Knowing how difficult it was for her father, she was a diligent little girl, well-behaved, and did her best to help at home. She’d even tried to get her father to go back to work at the docks because the money was better, saying that she was a ‘big girl’ and could go to and from school by herself.

“People who cast curses and the people who ask them to do so don’t care about age or innocence,” Nera said, sounding disappointed at the nature of things. “Let’s...let’s go back to the kitchen.”

“I’m not hungry any more....” Effie’s voice was quiet and she buried her face in the crook of Henry’s neck.

“Why don’t I take you to your room? You can get ready for bed and I’ll read you a story.” He offered this, but it was still quite early. After dinner, the family would usually go on their evening stroll. It was a good time to run into neighbors and other acquaintances also on their walks and catch up.

However, Ash didn’t need magic to know that no one felt like doing so.

Effie looked down. “I want to hug Commodore.” Commodore had finished eating far earlier than them. “He’s on the roof, taking a nap.”

“All right,” Henry agreed. “I’ll take you up to Commodore.”

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Ash and his mother continued on to the kitchen to clean up. They’d finished dinner, but had plenty of left overs. Ash put some aside on a plate for Mr. Pinon. He doubted that he’d get hungry soon, but if he was going to care for his daughter, he needed to keep up his energy.

His mother began to put away the food into the preservation cabinet.

As Ash wet a dish towel to wipe the table, he paused and looked at his mother. “Momma, you said that it was possible for two people to use their life essence to create a fatal curse?”

He saw his mother nod her head. “In order not to kill themselves, they split the sources of essence. Think of it as taking half of two cups to fill a third cup without completely emptying one.”

Ash knit his brows together and frowned. He wiped half the table and then stopped. He looked up at his mother again, remembering the blank gaze in her eyes earlier in the room.

He swallowed hard. “You were witness to this?”

His mother seemed to pause, her hand still on the cabinet handle. She closed it and nodded once. “I was.”

A heavy sensation filled the pit of his stomach as a small voice in the back of his head told him not to ask. “Who?”

Nera turned around. She had drawn her lips inward and bit them, her mercury eyes not blank, but distraught. She didn’t say a word, but Ash could tell that she seemed to be thinking of it, replaying it in her mind.

At last, she raised her eyes and met his. “Your grandmother.”

His grandmother, his mother’s mother, was a full-blooded Lunapsar from an elite family raised in the diaspora in West Wind Valley. When his mother was ten, his grandmother began getting sick. Most people got sick every now and then, and there were plenty of healers and doctors. However, Lunapsar rarely got sick.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

The common illnesses humans often got did not affect Lunapsar. It was something about their physique; this was similar to many other humanoids - elves, beast men, and a few subgroups like the Lunapsar and the Astorians. They simply did not get sick or were affected by the same illnesses as regular humans as they were more resilient.

Which was why it was so alarming that his grandmother got sick.

His grandmother’s health deteriorated quickly, prompting her to demand to be returned to the West Wind Abbey to ‘rest’. In truth, according to his mother, she knew she was going to die and wanted to be with her people. She also wanted to ensure that his mother, Nera, would be placed somewhere safe.

The reason the abbey and the valley were safe, but not their home, was because his grandfather, a general, had been forced to marry a second wife, his cousin, at the general’s mother’s demand. Ash wasn’t told in detail how this happened, but he looked down on his grandfather for doing so. His grandfather’s home, which had his great-grandmother in charge of the household, was dangerous to Nera because she and her mother were loved by her father.

“Grandmother died because of a curse?” Ash asked. He knew she died; she was gone well before he was born, but he thought it had been sudden with an injury or a particularly serious illness that she somehow caught.

His mother gave him a sad smile. “Didn’t I say I would never forget that scent? It was heavy...your grandmother’s body was covered in it. It’s the rotting source life essence deteriorating the life of the victim, Ash. The further along the curse is to reach its final stage of death, the stronger the scent, especially for those with magic sensitivity or gifts.” Her eyes began to redden. “I was suffocating in it when your grandmother died.”

Ash felt his eyes grow wet. “Who...how did you know it was the life essence of two people?”

“Because your grandmother sped up her own death to formulate a reflective curse,” Nera replied. She gave her son a wry smile. “This won’t be found in the Traceras books. This is a Lunapsar retaliation. Our family has had many enemies over its existence.”

Ash nodded his head slowly. He knew that already. “What happens with a reflective curse?”

“Curses can only be placed on a victim if the caster has a physical piece of the victim with them; blood, hair, even sweat. I believe it needs to be fresh. I suppose it loses its properties as it degrades; I don’t know. The reflective curse, to my understanding, reverses the connection. Whatever the victim is suffering, the caster and essence source will also suffer. When the victim dies, so does the caster.”

That meant that two people had died when his grandmother died. “Do you know who cursed Grandmother?”

Nera clenched her jaw. “The caster was an old noblewoman. It seems she learned it from her childhood nanny. I don’t know how many other curses she’d done, but she was careful not to risk her life. It seems neither her nor her nanny knew about reflective curses and didn’t expect retaliation.”

Ash scrunched his face. “What did this noblewoman have to do with Grandmother?”

“It wasn’t the nobleman, it was her partner who provided the other half of the life essence,” Nera replied. “The General’s mother. She cursed her daughter-in-law. She hated Mother, and by extension, hated me. Mother wanted me to go with her to the West Wind Abbey fearing that they would target me next.” She let out a small, bitter laugh. “I wouldn’t put it past them to do so, even if I share their blood.”

Ash was quiet for a moment. He looked down and silently finished wiping the table. After he rinsed out the dish cloth and hung it up on a small rack to dry, he looked at his mother, who had taken a seat at the cleared dining table and stared at the surface, her mind elsewhere.

“Is it possible to do a reflective curse for Miss Pinon?”

Nera shut her eyes and shook her head. “It is still a curse, Ash. It would take her life essence. Your grandmother knew she was going to die, so to her, it didn’t matter that her death came faster, as long as she avenged herself and took those who’d curse with her.”

The sound of a chair leg scraping across the floor sounded before Ash took a seat. “Momma, she’s just a little girl. I...I don’t want her to die.”

Nera looked at her son. “I know. Cooling her is just a temporary measure. Her health will continue to deteriorate if the curse is not negated. If she was cursed earlier, the reason her hellhound disappeared was because it completely negated the curse.”

Ash’s head snapped up. “Then, this is a second curse?”

“I don’t know who would hate a child so much that they would do such a thing.”

“And so quickly. Shadow disappeared just two or so weeks ago.”

Nera tapped her hand on the tabletop. “What happened to her mother?”

“Oh...um...according to Mr. Pinon, she ran off with the money they saved up about four years ago. He looked for her and waited for her to return, but she never did.”

“And when did Theresa start showing symptoms before Shadow.”

“A year before they found her.”

“Was there anything significant that happened at that time to either Theresa or her father?”

“She started school is about the only thing I can think of. He changed jobs shortly after his wife left since he needed a job where he was more flexible and closer to home,” Ash replied.

“Ask Mr. Pinon what was happening in his life about two or three months and year before they found Shadow,” Nera said. She stood up. “I need to go to the cultural center.”

Ash drew his head back and furrowed his brows. “Right now?” They just had dinner and the sun had set.

“The doors are still open at this time,” his mother replied. “I need to contact the Elder Council.”

Ash stood up. “Can they help?”

“When your grandmother died, I became obsessed with learning about curses,” his mother said as she headed to the hall. “Everything I learned, all the theories I came up with, years and years of collecting information is kept with my childhood belongings. I didn’t want anyone else to have to have to die again just to find out who did this to them, even if they died with her.”

Ash’s brows shot up. “Is there a way to negate it?”

“To my knowledge, only hellhounds are known to negate a curse, and they are manifested by the dying wish and remaining life essence of someone for someone else. There must be a lot of regret for the dying person, an unwillingness to accept they can no longer protect someone. For example, if I was on my deathbed and you and your brother and sister were unable to fend for yourselves against enemies, I would’ve used my dying breath to manifest a guardian for you because I needed reassurance that you three would be safe.” His mother reached the foyer after going down the stairs and plucked her head piece from the rack. She easily bundled her long, braided hair into the bonnet before tying it securely to her head, then taking a small headpiece to cover her face. “In the event that you were cursed, the hellhound will appear to be at your side.”

“Why didn’t grandmother manifest a hellhound for you?”

“Because she wanted to kill the casters so they could not curse me. To her, this was a more practical option. I still had the Elder Council to guide me and the nuns at the abbey to care for me,” Nera told him. She put her hand on the door knob and looked at him. “Even if my father was utterly useless, which has some weight, I would not be neglected. I’ll be back by dawn, Ash. Make sure your sister goes to bed on time.”

Ash nodded his head and saw his mother out. As he closed the door, Henry called out from the top of the stairs. “Where did Auntie go?”

“The cultural center to contact the Elder Council.”

“Is it about the curse?”

Ash tilted his head to the side and looked at his brother, but surprised. “How’d you know?”

“Auntie used to spend a lot of time scouring the imperial library and Mother’s books for information curses,” Henry said, his brows furrowed. “I remember her coming back to her courtyard with armloads. I thought she was going to use them to read to me, but she said it wasn’t suitable for children.”

Ash drew his head back once more. “She really was obsessed.”

Henry nodded. “She never told me why, only that curses were dangerous, and if I was ever in any position where I could use one, not to...or she’d disown me.”

Ash crinkled his eyes. “Did you ever mention them again?”

Henry’s eyes widened, as if horrified by the very thought. “Are you kidding? I don’t want Auntie to disown me. Since when was I that stupid?”

Ash rolled his eyes and locked the door before climbing back up the stairs. “Do you think Momma will find something to help Miss Pinon?”

“I hope so,” Henry replied. “I honestly can’t understand why someone would curse a child.”

“Twice.”

“Twice?” Henry’s voice rose and Ash explained what he and his mother deduced.

Henry knit his brows together. “Then...the hellhound...do you think it was manifested by her mother?” He seemed to think about the analogy that Nera had told Ash, using her point of view as a mother.

“Did her mother die instead of just run off?” The two brothers stared at each other, unsure.

However, the main issue now was how to negate the curse. Ash’s grandmother seemed to have a good grasp on the issue. What was more important than negating a curse was negating the caster’s life.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

Theresa had woken up a few times. Her body had cooled to normal temperatures, but even with the cooling gel, the cold temperature of the room, which required her father to wear a poncho made of a cold-retardant blanket Ash had created, and a thin layer of clothing, she did not feel cold.

Mr. Pinon had hesitated to tell her what was going on, instead saying that she had a dangerous fever and that they needed to stay at the Second Young Master’s house so she could recover. Henry and Ash leaned towards the victim knowing the truth, but found themselves unable to tell the little girl.

Effie had fallen asleep on the rooftop with Commodore. She was perfectly safe, so her brothers didn’t worry too much, but Henry did go to retrieve her when it was time for bedtime. He helped her brush her teeth, wash her face, and combed out and braided her hair before going to bed.

The two brothers then sat around in the family library with dozens of books strewn about the table between them as they looked for something to cancel out or at the very least, delay the curse while they searched for answers.

Ash didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until Henry's movements stacking up the books woke up. He turned his head towards the clock, squinted, and then looked towards the window to see the morning light come through.

“Auntie sent a message saying that she’s still talking to the Elder Council and will be back later than expected. I brought Mr. Pinon food earlier, and Theresa is awake.” Henry reported to him in a measured voice and Ash nodded his head. “Do you want me to heat up some leftovers for you?”

Ash shook his head, but then stopped and nodded. “Please, Brother. I’ll check on Mr. Pinon.”

Henry nodded and headed for the kitchen. Ash ran his hand down his face and first went to wash up and change clothes before going to the guest room. He found that the door was open and heard the voices of little girls inside.

“...Onyx and Obsidian reported that there are no dogs like Shadow around North Village.” Effie seemed to be making a report and Ash furrowed his brows. He stepped inside the room and saw his sister sitting on the chair where Mr. Pinon had been sitting all night. Her legs were hanging down and she had a small map in her hands. “That’s this area...I’m still waiting for reports from your area of the city.”

Sitting up against the headboard of the bed closest to Effie, still covered with cooling gel, Theresa looked serious as she nodded. She pointed to part of the map as Effie laid it down on the edge of the bed between them. “We searched that area, but couldn’t find him. One of my friend’s sisters said that they may have taken Shadow somewhere else.”

“That would be a smart thing to do, since people in your area would recognize him.”

“Do you think dognappers are smart?” Theresa asked, eyes wide.

“You can be smart and a terrible person at the same time.”

Ash looked up towards the ceiling and sighed. He knocked on the door, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Mr. Pinon was sitting on another chair, still wrapped in his heated poncho. He stood up when he saw Ash, but Ash waved for him to sit.

“Good morning,” Ash said. He gave Mr. Pinon a small nod and then smiled at Theresa. “Miss Pinon, how are you feeling?”

“I’m no longer dizzy and I feel normal. No fever or chills, but I’m not hungry. Thank you for asking, Agent Atractas,” Theresa said.

Effie looked at her with sympathy and put her hand on hers. “You don’t need to call him Agent.”

“Effie, that’s what I’m called on guild assignments,” Ash said, crossing his arms behind her. His sister was not afraid, let alone intimidated.

She wrinkled her nose and gave him a suspicious look. “Since when?”

“Since I got back.”

“What? Did Drae make up a title for you?”

“Why are you asking so many questions?”

Effie shrugged and glanced away. “Just curious.”

Ash shook his head and looked back at Theresa. “Miss Pinon-”

“Sir, you can call me Terry.”

“All right, then, Terry,” Ash said with a small nod. “Did anyone tell you how long we’re keeping the gel on?”

Theresa nodded, a glint of determination in her eyes. “Until the curse is broken.”

Ash almost choked on his own spit. He looked at Mr. Pinon, who appeared helpless. It didn’t seem as if he were the one who told her. Henry was an unlikely candidate to do so either, therefore....

His eyes shifted to his little sister.

Effie held Theresa’s hand while wearing a serious expression. “You must be strong. My Momma is here now. She will do her best.”

“Euphemia Phaera Atractas.” Ash’s voice was low. “Can I speak to you in the hall?”

Effie patted Theresa’s hand before sliding off the chair. She headed for the door with a looming Ash behind her. Halfway there, she looked over her shoulder. “Terry.”

The other little girl perked up. “Yes, Effie?”

“If I don’t come back, avenge my death.”

“Get out of here!” Ash swept forward and scooped his sister up under his arm. A moment later the door closed and he put his sister on her feet in front of him. “Did you tell her about the curse?”

“She asked me what was going on. She said her dad seemed to know, but didn’t want to tell her,” Effie said. She lifted her chin. “So, when her dad went to the toilet, I told her.”

Ash took a deep breath and knelt down in front of her. “Effie-”

“Wouldn’t you want to know?” Her question pierced his chest. Of course, he’d want to know. Henry would want to know. Their mother would want to know. Only when they knew could they prepare.

He released a low breath and dropped his head. It was out now and there was nothing he could do about it. “How did she take it?”

“Shock. She was kind of confused,” Effie replied. She knit her brows together and played with her hands in front of her. She leaned forward. “Second Brother, do you know the butcher’s daughter?”

Ash’s head snapped up. “The butcher Mr. Pinon works for?” Effie nodded. “Why do you ask?”

“When I told her someone had put a curse on her, she said it must’ve been that woman.”

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“Where are you two going?” Henry followed them from the kitchen as they passed. He frowned. “I just heated up leftovers for breakfast wraps.”

“We’ll get something outside!” Effie replied, following her other brother down the stairs.

“Hold on a moment.” Henry ran after them, grabbing the railing and jumping over to cut them off at the bottom. Ash stopped in his tracks, causing Effie to run into his back.

“Brother-”

“Where are you going.” It wasn’t so much a question as an order for them to tell him.

“Effie told Terry about the curse and Terry thinks the butcher’s daughter put the curse on her,” Ash replied quickly.

Henry took in a sharp breath. “Is she sure?”

“She seems sure, but we’re not. That’s why we’re going-”

“To do what? Get her to confess?” He gave the two of them an incredulous look. “How exactly do you two plan to do that?”

He watched his siblings open their mouths, but no words came out of either of them. Ash flushed. “We’ll figure it out by the time we get there.”

“You want to charge ahead without a plan?” Henry frowned. That practically went against everything Auntie taught them.

The door unlocked from the outside and they turned towards it. Nera pushed open the door. She had removed her face covering and raised a brow as she looked at her three children, with Henry appearing to block the way of the other two.

“What’s going on?”

“These two think they know who cursed Terry and are going to go to East Village to try to force a confession.” Henry answered her immediately with the most simplified reason.

“Momma, Terry is sure it’s the butcher’s daughter!” Effie rounded her brother and rushed to their mother.

Nera furrowed her brows. “How is she sure? Why would she curse Terry?”

“I don’t know! She’s crazy!” Effie tugged at her braids. “Momma, we have to stop her.”

Nera took a deep breath. “Once a curse is casted, it can’t be taken back,” she said in a measured voice. “And no one would admit to casting or being connected to casting a curse. Not to mention the legality, but the social stigma.”

Curses were inherently harmful. Anyone involved in casting one would be trying to harm another person. Who would want to be associated with such a person?

Effie’s shoulders fell forward. “Then, what do we do?” Her eyes reddened and her small fists trembled at her side. “We can’t let her....”

“We can send it back.” All three looked at her with surprise.

“I thought a reflective curse required the victim to give their life,” Ash said. “Momma, you’re not thinking of-”

Nera shook her head. “You can’t negate a curse once it’s cast. At least not that I know of. But you can counter with a reflective curse. Or you can transfer a curse to whoever else is tied with it, as there is already a connection. The caster’s life essence is entangled with that of the victim, but the hard part is that you must know who the caster is, and what part of the victim was used in the curse. If it was hair, then you must switch the hair. If it’s blood, then a caster's drop of blood is needed.”

“Wait,” Henry knit his brows together and squinted. “Is there some sort of physical item used?”

Nera shook her head. “Not exactly an item, but an energy array. Which is another issue; you’d need to find the array and burn the caster’s matching sample over it. The curse will seek the new victim based on the sample. Since it’s using the life essence of the caster, it will be applied quickly. Otherwise, while the curse is searching, it will still remain tied to the original victim until it either finds a new victim or the original victim’s curse concludes.”

“Do we need to know who the other casters are?” Ash asked.

“From what I looked through, no. The caster’s life essence must make up at least most of the source essence as it is their order that is willed in the curse. If the caster doesn’t want to die when the victim dies, they sourced life essence from another person,” Nera replied. “Whether or not that person, or possibly even persons, was willing is unknown, but the caster can’t risk another source essence altering their curse.”

Henry clenched his jaw. This left them with a lot of information that they needed to collect before they could get started. First, they needed to confirm who the caster was and if there were other sources of life essence. Second, they needed to find the array. Arrays were stationary, once they were drawn on to something, they could not be moved.

Lastly, they needed to get matching samples to override the curse, and within a time limit of when the curse finished.

Ash ran a hand down his face and Henry rubbed his head.

“In most cases, this is near impossible,” he said. “But, at least we have suspects.”

“Suspects or not, if they’re not the casters, then who knows how much time we’ll waste looking,” Ash replied, running his hand through his hair. “We don’t know how far the curse has come along and the measures to stop it are only temporary.”

“Then talk to Mr. Pinon and ask about everyone they know and possible motives. For someone like the butcher’s daughter, who you told me has been very supportive of him and his daughter, he may refuse to believe such a thing and will insist they have no motive, so ask about their relationships. If it was the butcher’s daughter, then something must’ve happened.” Nera said, looking at Ash. “Interview Terry separately. She will likely hold back if her father is present.”

Ash took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, Momma.”

“Effie, this may be your chance to get to practice your beast mastery at the grand level, like you read about with Master Chanda.” Nera turned towards her daughter. “Send little animals to search for an array and birds and mice to observe the suspects. Use beast vision if necessary.”

Effie perked up, appearing determined as she puffed out her chest. “Okay, Momma!”

“Henry, distract Mr. Pinon later so Ash can talk to Terry alone. Once we find the array and confirm the casters, we’ll need to move in, and you and Ash will need to go.” Henry nodded.

“Understood.”

Nera looked up towards the stairs, in the direction of the guest room and narrowed her eyes. “This is the only way I had researched for a victim to get rid of their curse.” She looked back at her children with weary eyes. “Truth be told, I don’t know if it’ll work. It’s all theoretical at this point.”

“It’s all we have, Momma,” Effie said, tugging her arm. “It’s Terry’s only hope.” Nera stroked her head.

Ash turned around and began back up the stairs. Effie went to the rooftop so she could give orders to select birds.

Nera remained at the bottom of the stairs and let out a low breath.

“Auntie, what are the chances of this working?” Henry asked, looking at her with undisguised worry. “Not only is it only theoretical, but we’re working with an unknown time limit.”

Nera released a low breath. “I am positive Ash can narrow down suspects and Effie can find the array using animals, if given enough time. I am also positive that once the array and suspects are found, a sample can be taken from them. But for a transfer curse, I’d say sixty...maybe sixty-five percent. I could only find one semblance of a transfer curse, not a reflective one, where the victim survives, in the Mahsa Archives.”

“Were there other attempts?”

“At least a half dozen that mentioned parts of the process, some vague, and others more in detail. Another two more went into the same detail as the transfer that worked. I’m fairly confident, but there is always a chance details are missing. For instance, life essence isn’t explained. Life essence is an energy, but it cannot be manipulated like magic energy. Therefore, how is it used by non-mages?” Nera looked at Henry and he lowered his head to mull over the question.

He didn’t have much magic energy, and he obviously could not control it. Effie and his aunt were also non-mages, but they had Lunapsar gifts relating to beast mastery. They could not control regular magic energy either.

His eyes narrowed.

But when Ash needed them to claim ownership over something magical, like space and preservation bags, there was a way to do so.

Henry looked at his aunt warily. “Blood.”

Nera nodded her head once. “I suspect it was used in the creation of the array.” She looked up towards the stairs. “Effie’s little friends need to look for an array written with blood.”