Page 48 of Rise of the Melody
Teague looked confused, then hurt, before turning and walking away. Bryant didn’t say a word until we heard the click of a door closing. “What do you want?” he whispered through clenched teeth.
“I don’t know who else to ask,” I admitted. “I think my aunt was cursed thirteen years ago, and it’s getting really bad.”
His eyes narrowed. “She hasn’t been cursed. I’d be able to see it.”
“Even if it was done by someone really strong?”
He huffed out a laugh. “The stronger a curser is, the darker the remnants.”
Shoot.
“What’s wrong with her?” he asked in a begrudging voice.
“Headaches. Sometimes they’re so strong that she doubles over in pain. And today she passed out.”
He stared at me a moment before letting out an annoyed sigh. “Come with me.” He looked at CooShee. “Not you.” To my shock, CooShee slowly sat, staring at the mayor as he walked away.
I followed him around the corner and into a study with shelves of old tomes. I would say books, but they looked ancient enough for the word tomes. He pulled one down and opened it, flipping pages with a crease between his eyes. He ran a finger down the page, and after a few pages, groaned and put it back on the shelf, grabbing another. By the third old book, his finger stopped mid-page and he looked up at the wall with a lost-in-thought expression.
“What is it?” I asked, leaning over to see, but he slid the attached ribbon into the crease and slammed the book shut.
“I was just making sure what I told you was correct. Weaker magic can leave a light mist, but stronger magic will leave a much more visible sign of being cursed. Lorna wasn’t cursed.”
I let out an irritated breath. “Then what’s wrong with her?”
“How should I know?” He slid the book back onto the shelf. I eyed the spine:Dark Spells for Sons and Daughters of Nicneven.
He had a whole book on dark spells? Not sus at all.
Wait.
OMG. Aunt Lorna started to feel strange the day after the disappearances, which was also when Bryant MacCray had gone to her and banished us. Had he done something else at that time? I went rigid, wanting so badly to confront him, but knowing I was too vulnerable with the cuff.
“What?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
He motioned toward the door and I walked out, trying not to feel defeated.
Mayor MacCray opened the front door and whispered, “Next time call or text me first to make an appointment. Don’t just show up and bother my family.”
“Fine,” I whispered back, my neck stiff with annoyance.
He continued to glare down at me. “You’re getting too comfortable and stirring up drama. Don’t forget the reason you’re here—the thing you should actually be focusing on—because once it’s done, you’re gone.”
The kelpie. His words were like fists punching me. I gritted my teeth and said, “Yeah, got it.”
I couldn’t turn from him and get out of there fast enough. CooShee and I left together, and I rode fast, wanting my legs to burn. Halfway home and nearly out of breath, I got a text and stopped to look. It was from Teague.
The CS took a giant dump in the den. It was fragrant. My uncle is pisssssed. Lmao
A laugh bubbled up and I grabbed my stomach. “Coosh! You pooed in the mayor’s house?”
CooShee huffed through his nose like a sneeze and his tail wagged, making me laugh even harder.
“Oh, my gosh, I love you so freaking much.” I leaned down over from the bike and kissed the top of his hairy head. Best magical creature ever.
When I got home, Aunt Lorna had her hands leaned against the kitchen sink, her head hanging down. My heart raced as I went to her. “What’s wrong?”
