Page 17 of Fate's Sweetest Curse
Phina wiped a palm over the lower half of her face. As she did, her sleeve slipped down her arm, revealing the ring of black ink that encircled her right wrist. It was the Oath tattoo of all adepts, not dissimilar fromthe tattoos that knights wore around their necks—proof of the magical thread that tethered all Order members to the binding magic of their Oaths.
Idris had once referred to his old Oath as a leash.
In addition to the ring around her wrist, there were tattoos on her fingers—odd symbols that looked like an alphabet in another language. They, too, were magical, each representing another level of clearance within the hierarchy of adepts. Based on her countless markings, Phina keptmanyadept secrets.
And I was certain I’d just stumbled into one of them.
A slippery sense of dread slid through my chest. “Am I…am I in trouble?”
Phina’s eyes cut to mine again. All warmth had left them, like sunlight disappearing behind storm clouds. Her expression became thunderous, foreboding.
Fearing I was about to be expelled, I went on talking. “I know I shouldn’t’ve followed you. It’s just that, well, I’ve wanted to be an apothecary for so long, and I—” I shook my head, well aware that I was rambling but unable to stop. “I just respect you so much, and when I saw Mariana in the Charm, I was curious, but also concerned you were—I mean—I didn’t—”Fates, rein it in, Hattie.“Did I do the wrong thing by offering the Hylder? It seemed like he needed help, but—”
“It’s cold,” Phina mercifully interrupted, gesturing at my bare arms. “And late.”
“Professor Farkept, I—”
“Say nothing of what you overheard tonight.”
I tensed. “I won’t.”
“You put yourself, me, and countless others at risk.”
“I’m—” I swallowed. “I’m sorry.”
“Go directly to your dorm,” Phina ordered. “Nodetours.”
I could’ve kept my mouth shut after that. Ishould’ve. But my self-control was no match against my curiosity.
When I was growing up, so much of the world and the truth had been kept from me. After years of being denied answers—of keeping my own secrets—I’d developed a hypersensitivity to that which was hidden, and an insatiable desire to uncover it.
Black blood. Hylder. The Well of Fate. Could they all be related, somehow?
I couldn’t help myself. “Your research. It has something to do with monsters, doesn’t it?”
Phina blanched, too shocked by my question to hide the answer on her face. The confirmation.
“Hylder is a purification herb.” I shook my head, my forehead furrowing. The hooded figure tonight didn’t look like a monster, but if Mariana knew them… Perhaps they’d been bitten? Perhaps…the monstrousness was an affliction of some kind? That would certainly explain the bobcat. Which meant: “It’s a curse. You’re studying curses.”
Phina clenched her teeth, jaw bulging. “Go.Now.”
I was prying. I was asking too much. IidolizedPhina, I should’ve respected the secrets of her Oath-protected research, but—
I took a step closer, too horrified and intrigued to stop. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
Phina glanced around as if we were at risk of being overheard, the whites of her eyes flashing wildly. Then she gripped my shoulders, squeezing until she’d no doubt leave bruises on my skin. Her voice came out as a breathy whisper, strained with warning. “Say anything more, and I won’t be able to protect you.”
A chill cascaded down my spine. Her words were eerily similar to what Noble’s father had said to me the night I was sent away. I bit my lips together and nodded.
Phina gave my shoulders a rough shake. “Doyou understand?”
“I understand.”
She let go. Nodded. Jerked her head in an obvious dismissal.
So, I did as she asked. I walked purposefully down the alleyway, leaving Phina behind, my mind racing with theories and assumptions, half-truths and countless more questions—even as I dreaded all the possible answers.
7
