Cursed: Briar Rose's Story - Kaylin Lee Page 0,12

removing my wet clothes. My back was to the door, but I knew Dad remained in the doorway. I could even picture his frustrated expression. It would be the same way he had been looking at Alba for weeks—brow wrinkled, eyes crinkling, helpless and worried.

There was a stretch of silence, and then he sighed heavily. “I love you, kid.” His words were quiet but firm. “Always will. If this is about the mission, your mom and I won’t leave you girls alone again. We’d already decided on the way home. She’s going to stay in Asylia with you from now on whenever I have to go into the Badlands.”

The curse’s satisfied posture disappeared at his statement. It hissed and sent a stab into my heart, as though I’d been the one to make the promise. I held my breath, the pain making my eyes water.

Stay or go now, it won’t matter, the curse snarled after a moment, as though reassuring itself. She will pay. In five years, the creature Zel will pay.

“Just talk to me,” Dad pleaded from the doorway. “Tell me what happened, and I’ll fix it. I’ll fix everything.”

He waited quietly for several minutes. The curse held me still and silent, its posture as alert as a palace guard. When Alba called something from downstairs, Dad finally left.

The tears I’d been holding back since I arrived home finally began to fall, pooling on the pillow and spilling down to my chin. There would be no fixing me. No fixing any of this.

The curse’s threats kept my sobs silent as I mourned, frozen and alone.

Chapter 6

Breakfast the next morning was awkward.

“Why did you leave?” Alba’s large, green eyes met mine from across the table. She hadn’t touched the pile of brambleberries, honeybread, and cream on her plate. Sunlight streamed in from the window behind her, making the wispy tangles of her dark hair glow gold.

A series of thuds and a loud grunt came from the back hallway, where Dad had apparently decided this morning was the perfect time to re-organize the closet that held his Sentinels gear.

Ella and Mom hovered at the sink behind her, supposedly making yet another pot of coffee while surreptitiously watching me whenever they thought I wasn’t looking. I couldn’t stand to make eye contact with Mom.

I imagine you want Zel to witness things firsthand, or you would have just killed her by now. What did they want Mom to witness? The end, the curse had said. Just what would I be leading Mom into?

A sudden, intense surge of shame nearly took my breath away. I focused on the small pile of brambleberries Mom had set on my plate when I first came down, counting the number of berries until I could breathe again.

Are those tears in her eyes? The curse sneered at Alba. She’s going to cry, isn’t she? Pathetic!

“Just felt like a break.” I ate another berry, the taste sour on my tongue. The curse’s mockery had quickly robbed me of my hunger.

Alba twirled the end of her braid with one finger, then inched her other hand across the table toward me. “Are you hurt? In pain? Can I heal you?” She bit her lip, her eyes red and glassy. “Please, Bri. Even if it’s just a headache. I truly want to help.”

Don’t you dare, the curse spat. No healers.

I yanked my hand back.

“Don’t touch me,” I said flatly, not needing to be compelled by the curse’s threats to warn her. “Not ever.” I knew enough about the healing process to guess that her invasive, expellant magic would find the curse immediately. She wouldn’t be able to break it, but she’d know about it—and then what would the curse have me do to silence her?

Alba’s face blanched. A tear dribbled down her cheek. “I won’t,” she whispered, looking down at her plate. “Sorry.”

“Bri.” Mom’s voice was hard. “Go to your room. Don’t come back down until you’re ready to be kind to your sister. And get to work on your studies. You have a week’s worth of homework to catch up on before school tomorrow.”

“Fine.” I stood immediately and went to my room, glad to be out of the kitchen and free from Alba’s heartbroken expression.

The curse propelled me to my desk, its attention landing on the flyer I’d taken from the Mage Academy a week earlier.

TRACKER MAGES NEEDED, it read. Sentinels Teams Expanding. Defend Your City from Magical Threats. Recruitment Meeting Required for Interested Candidates.

The curse seemed to dance with excitement inside