Page 32 of The Cursed Sebastian Storm

“If looking after your garden helps, then do it. Like you told me, we have to take care of ourselves and not let the problems with the veins consume us.”

It was true, but that mentality had only been necessary when the problem didn’t seem to have a solution.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

James helped Sebastian gather some things he’d need for his new house in town. They packed a box full of cookware and utensils and another one of food from the pantry before taking them to Eli’s car.

They returned to the house, this time to get some items from Sebastian’s room. James opened the front door, and Sebastian stopped, frozen in the middle of the porch.

“I don’t want to go in.” Goosebumps erupted on his skin. “I didn’t mind the kitchen, but I always liked spending time in there.” He peered through the open door from where he stood several feet away. They’d gone in and out through the mudroom before, and Sebastian hadn’t ventured past the kitchen. “I fucking hate this house.”

James gripped his shoulders. “Of course you do.”

“But I was just saying how I want to come here and garden. I’m a goddamn mess. Do I hate this place or not? It doesn’t make sense to feel panicked by one thing and long for another.”

“It makes sense to me,” James said plainly. “The house was a prison, especially at night. You escaped outside, where you could do things you enjoyed and shape your life as much as you were able to. Your garden and the rest of the property are beautiful. The house is dreary and full of old shit that reminds you of everyone else who was trapped here before you. Even I don’t like the idea of going back through this door, and I wasn’t here long at all.”

“The house did feel like more of a prison than the grounds.” Sebastian sagged as some of his tension disappeared with James’s understanding. “Even though I was trapped on the property, at least being outside, I could breath.”

“I’ll go get some things from your room for you.” James squeezed his shoulders. “Go grab Hazel and send her in here to find me. She can help me pack.”

Sebastian met James’s stare. “Thank you.”

His serious features tugged up in a smile. “Of course, Sebastian. It’s nothing when doing this doesn’t cost me anything.”

But it wasn’t nothing. Kindness might not always cost, but that didn’t make it meaningless.

Sebastian returned to the clearing, relieved he’d never have to set foot in the main part of the house again if he didn’t want to. He still thought it was ridiculous that he couldn’t let go of the garden, but he wasn’t going to obsess about it. He had to take what felt good and run with it. That way, he could keep going.

In the clearing, Hazel seemed excited to go find James in the house. “I’m not pretending I haven’t wondered what it’s like inside.” She was off down the path without any more prompting.

“Feel free to poke around,” Sebastian called as she headed toward the house. “And if there’s anything you want, grab it. James will help you steer clear of the creepy shit.”

She let out a snort of surprise. “Okay.”

“Come check this out.” Eli waved Sebastian over from the other end of the clearing. He and Parker were crowded around one of the mechanisms.

Sebastian approached and looked down at the thing.

Eli was practically vibrating where he sat in the dirt, a wide smile on his face. “It’s working.”

“Of course it’s working.” Parker huffed with good-natured exasperation. “I don’t do shoddy spellwork.”

“Definitely not,” Eli beamed up at him. “But look, Sebastian, it’s recording the amount of magic flowing through the vein below us.”

The spindly structure held a pen suspended by a string. Beneath the pen was a roll of what looked like receipt paper. Numbers were being recorded on it in a neat line, the pen twitching as the paper slowly unrolled itself.

It was an impressive bit of magic, but Sebastian could see why modern technology had some advantages over this older method. “What if it rains?”

Eli didn’t miss a beat. “We’ve cast moisture-repelling spells. As long as things don’t get left out too long, it’ll be fine. But if it starts pouring, I might need to rush out here.”

“We’ll rush out here together,” Parker corrected.

“Right, right. That’s what I meant.” Eli laughed. “But that’s not all.” He pulled a map out of his back pocket and unfolded it so he could spread it out on the ground.

Sebastian knelt. “It’s a map of Moonlight Falls.”

“And the surrounding area.” Eli pointed to a hand-drawn line going through town. “This is the vein I was studying for my master’s thesis. It’s in a straight formation, which is rare.” He pointed to a section of the map north of town. “This is your property, see the lines marking it? And this is where the clearing is. My vein in town is going northeast, and so is the one here. At exactly the same angle and they align. Meaning, this vein going through your property connects to the one running through Moonlight Falls. In a perfectly straight line.”

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