a very dark witch, or as you know him, a dark walker. Part of the original curse came from Isabel’s daughter. She taught you how to escape but warned you that if you ever told anyone, you would be cursed to an immortal life of darkness. You taught me how to escape. You also managed to elude the caligo for centuries. Since Isabel cannot have your soul, she is punishing you in the only ways she can.
"We believe that your mother was taken away from you because of the curse. Alexander kidnapped her, revived her with dark magic, erased her memories and removed her ability to dream walk. We think his original plan was to use her to lure you to him."
My head feels like it's spinning as all of the new information flows through it like Niagara Falls. “Emma, your strength in dreamwalking and your ability to put an end to all of this is because you are the original family that received the curse of the immortal soul. You and I are the only members of original cursed individuals who did not succumb to the caligo; therefore we were cursed to relive the same life until we can be claimed. But that will not happen anymore. You have more power in you now than you ever have before. ”
“I don't understand. If we're the only ones who survived, then how did my mother come back?”
“The curse is complex, as Zoë’s parents have been able to discover. Isabel is in complete control of the souls she has claimed. She can do whatever she wants with them, including sending them back to human life. Her ultimate goal is to have the both of us for her collection.”
“Her collection?”
“Isabel wasn’t satisfied with the caligo claiming only the souls of Mary, Clara, and Anna; she wanted more revenge. The curse began to be passed on through generations, beginning with you. You passed it along to your children; your children passed it on to their children and so on. As it spread around the world, Isabel was able to claim new souls. Every time she did that, she grew a little stronger and moved a little closer to regaining her human life. It's almost as if she has a puzzle she is trying to complete. There are two missing pieces to her puzzle, you and me. Since she can't have the pieces she needs, she is filling in the spaces with thousands of tiny little fragments, made up of the souls of other dreamwalkers from around the world.
“She knew that if she allowed a soul to return that you had a powerful connection with, she could lure you into the caligo. She is using Natalie like bait to get to you. Once she has you, she can be human again.”
His words are a lot to process. I take a minute to let everything soak in before speaking again.
“Why is Natalie being used as bait?” I ask him.
“Natalie is connected to you both by blood and on a spiritual level. Alexander and Isabel knew that all they had to do was put Natalie in front of you, make you see and feel the connection between you and you would do the rest by going directly to them.”
“But that’s exactly what we are doing!” I yell with gusto. “Are you telling me this is all part of their trap to claim me?”
“Emma, you are different now than you ever have been. You are stronger than ever. This is the time to move forward and end this curse. They believe you will weaken and let your guard down while you search for her. But soon you will realize that you are stronger than you could ever have imagined. You just need to experience a walk with the pendant on. It will be so much more clear to you then.”
I slowly drop my head to look at the pendant. Grabbing it gently, I lift it to a position where I can see it better.
The symbol on the pendant seems like a never ending curving line entwined with itself; like multiple infinity symbols strung endlessly together, or a series of knots with no clear beginning or end. The years of its existent are evident. The metal it is made from has a rusted bronze undertone and gives off a faint odor. The brown suede cord rests softly along the back of my neck, still smelling strongly of the chemicals used to treat it. I rub my thumb back