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Audrey
Thenextmorning,wetook a shower together, allegedly to save time. He started out rubbing me down with a soapy washcloth, but tossed it in favor of using his hands. Then his tongue. It ended up taking us twice as long as it would’ve if we’d gone in separately. No regrets.
After we got dressed, I called my grandma and got confirmation that she and Ella would open the shop and keep things running until we got back. I didn’t relish the idea of confronting the curse again, but I was so certain the cave held a clue to the answers we needed. It was worth the risk if it gave us some direction.
My grandma told me to be careful. She didn’t say that often or for no reason. The nagging feeling in the back of my mind increased.
While the curse had been relatively weak when we met it on the trail earlier in the week, compared to the destruction it was supposed to be capable of, it still gave us a pretty good fight. I could only imagine the kind of power it had developed at the heart of the island, where it had the most influence. Or speculate on how much longer we had until it could leave the dead zone for good.
It had been carrying out the first phase on us for over a week now. The legend didn’t specify how long each type of attack would last, only the order, but considering how quickly it managed to dive into our minds, I had to believe a corporeal form and physical battles wouldn’t be far behind. Once that happened, Wes and I wouldn’t be able to hold it off alone anymore. The other ten needed to figure out their issues soon.
Wes had gone home to change into better hiking clothes, and to check on Finn, who was probably neck deep in the toilet and hating life. I loaded up my backpack with everything we’d need for the day, plus a few herbs and crystals that promoted positive energy. By the time Wes got back, I’d chewed my thumbnail down to nothing, eager to get moving.
It was only eight in the morning, but the temperatures had already climbed to the high eighties. In June. It made the forest a lot drier and more susceptible to fires. I had rain to combat it, but only in small, defined areas. Wes’s lightning would definitely be a hazard if I got pulled into another memory and couldn’t access my powers.
One more thing to worry about.
“Do you think the curse has anything to do with this heat?” I asked.
“Probably.” Wes wiped the sweat from his brow. “Though I’m ready to blame everything from a flat tire to global warming on the curse, so who knows.”
I took his hand and spread my clouds out wide enough to cover us both. A light mist drifted over us, keeping the air in our little bubble a good ten degrees cooler. Magic had its uses for more than just fighting evil.
We continued on the same trail we had taken the first time, though now, most of the flowers that usually bordered the path had wilted in the heat. Or from something else. The overly ripe scent of decay hung in the stagnant air. Brown pine needles crackled beneath our feet as we walked. Both of us kept a lookout for telltale signs of smoke, but nothing appeared. We continued on, growing more tense with each passing marker, wondering when the attack would come. Unless the curse was waiting for us to come to it.
At the first mile we came to a flat rock that served as a rest stop. I put a hand on Wes’s arm to signal that I needed a break. The hiking wasn’t too bad with my mist keeping the temperature manageable, but I’d spent an unnecessary amount of energy on worrying and I needed a second of calm to recenter myself.
I sat in the center of the rock and placed my crystals around me in a circle, sprinkling lavender and jasmine between the open spaces. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, inhaling peaceful forest feelings and exhaling the negative energy. Bit by bit, I began to relax. The knots in my shoulders loosened. My arms became more limber. I took another series of deep breaths.
“Does that stuff actually work?” Wes asked.
I peeled open one eyelid. “You’re messing with my meditation.”
He held out his hands. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to fuck with meditation time. Good thing there’s no chance of us being ambushed by an ancient curse at a moment’s notice.”
“Hush.” I waved him away. “This is good for my energy.”
He chuckled, but left me to it. He occupied his time burning off excess energy by zapping flies and wasps that hovered over the tall grass. I emptied my thoughts and sought clarity. This trip up to the cave would be pointless if I didn’t keep my mind open to receiving the unexpected. Unfortunately, that also meant making myself more vulnerable to the smoke’s shitty trips down memory lane, but I trusted Wes to take care of me. I snapped my eyes open. One piece I’d been missing clicked into place. I trusted Wes. That mattered.
It started with a physical connection. We had to touch in order to access our powers, but they were wildly out of control. We need an emotional connection to get a grip on the magic and its punishing side effects. Though admittedly, I struggled more with that one by refusing to let him in. But that wasn’t it. We still didn’t have full access to our powers because we hadn’t yet connected spiritually. Our halves needed to be truly whole first. Once we were in complete balance, there was no limit to what we’d be able to do.
With that realization, I jumped up from the flat rock, my energy and spirits renewed. I didn’t have everything figured out yet, but it felt good to get one thing right. The rest was close. I was certain I’d find the answers I’d been searching for at the cave. I grabbed Wes’s hand and pulled him up the trail. He had to pick up his pace as I bounced ahead of him.
He squeezed my palm. “That must’ve been some meditation session.”
I peeked over my shoulder and gave him a smug smile. “Never underestimate the power of a clear consciousness.”
We hiked for the next mile without incident. Wes’s gaze continued to dart toward the tree line and he remained tense. I tried to keep him distracted with stories of my grandma and Ella during the holidays, when they’d drink too much eggnog and put on a fashion show with Ella’s wig collection, but he didn’t even crack a smile. His focus belonged to the curse and whatever it planned to throw at us next. It made him a very silent walking partner.
About half a mile before we reached the cave, I put a hand on his chest to stop him. “Are you doing okay? You haven’t said anything in at least half an hour.”
“I’m fine.” He rubbed my arms. “Just worried.”
“You know it can’t hurt us, right?” I rubbed my palms over his stubbled jaw. “We’re stronger when we’re together. It fears us. That’s why it tries so hard to keep us apart.”
“I know we can fight it again and win, but it comes with a cost. The thought of it worming its way into your head and—”
I cut him off with a kiss. “It can’t do anything to me.”
