Page 28 of Hybrid Heroics

If we couldn’t remove the curse, then we would move her. There had to be safer places in this fucking realm to hide her body.

“Look at me,” I softly commanded. “I’m not going to compel you or anything nefarious. But what I am going to do is poke around in your mind until I can find what we’re searching for. I won’t hurt you.”

And I wouldn’t. I couldn’t say that Palmer and Murphy weren’t... Because I kind of thought what they would need to do was going to be painful.

I gently touched her temples, and she flinched. After a second, she relaxed a fraction, but I could tell she was uncomfortable.

The darkness was a small ink splotch in the corner of her mind, acquired while she was on a trip to the market in the orcs’ town. The store owner had hugged her, and the curse had split in two, jumping from one host to the next.

If Talia had it, so did Latharian.

“Watch him,” I demanded. “It spreads by touch, so we’ll need to check him and Sterling.”

“I don’t have any darkness that isn’t my own,” she replied. “You can check, though.”

“All right, Lynch.” I motioned Murph closer. “You’re up.”

“What do I do?” he asked, staring at me with wide eyes.

“Open your mind. I’m going to pull you in.”

My essence bounced around Murphy’s mind as I brought Palmer in too.

“Why didn’t you warn him?” the warlock complained. “He’s not any less delicate about this shit than I am.”

“I’m in his mind all the time.”

Murphy frowned. “Is that some kind of kin—”

“Sadly, no.” I sighed dramatically as Palmer huffed.

“He’s just fucking nosy.”

I snorted before focusing on the task at hand. “Now, Murphy, follow me.”

“How?”

“Walk with your mind,” Palmer helpfully explained.

“Yeah. Okay,” Murph drawled. “Let me grab my walking shoes.”

Vaughn chuckled. “Novak’s presence is a raving red. When you see it, use it like a rope. Latch onto it and pull yourself to the end. It helps if you visualize an actual rope or stepping stones... Anything that makes a path out of the trail he left.”

“I have so many not nice things to say right now,” Murph grumbled. “Some dirty things too... But I’m trying to stay focused.”

“I’ll be able to hear them,” I informed him. “So will Palmer and Talia. Maybe keep them to yourself for now?”

“Oh,” he suddenly whispered. “I see it. Or feel it?”

Palmer squeezed his shoulder. “Doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” Murphy argued. “That’s warlock magic. And the moment you touch it, it’s gonna blow you through the side of the house.”

“Noted,” the mage remarked with a fond grin.

“Do you know how to reverse it?” York asked the Lynch brothers.

“No,” Murph murmured, perplexed.