Page 80 of Stone Crest: Rise of a Raven
She squints, accessing me before looking over to Kingston.
“You have her eyes.” She points a finger at Kingston, then points to me. “Not you, though. You look like your father.”
“You knew him?” I ask.
She nods. “Handsome thing.” She waves a hand. “Come on in.”
I have to duck to walk through the doorframe, then follow her deeper into the dark space. It smells of honey and some kind of spice. The woman uses a cane as she slowly glides across the room to a chair with a crochet blanket draped across it.
“I’ve been wondering when you’d come find me.”
She lowers herself down, her hand trembling on the head of the cane. She must be in her late eighties, early nineties.
“Sit.” She motions.
We both pull a chair out from the dining table that’s cluttered with half melted candles and empty bowls.
“Ask your questions.” She nods her head.
“The curse.” I clear my throat. “Is there a way to remove it?”
“So, you’ve found her.” She smiles. “Your Raven.”
My heart hammers just at the mention of her name.
“I see the reaction in your eyes. You found her. Now you want to complete the bond, yeah? But the curse is still alive and strong.” She points. “Look at your wrist.”
I hold up my right wrist. “See the split,” she asks.
I glance at the two veins splitting off into a Y.
“You are one but will never be connected. The split separates. That’s the curse.”
“Is there a way to remove it?” I ask.
She glances at Kingston. “You feel regret. It’s why you’re here?”
Kingston doesn’t speak, just dips his chin.
“We regret many things in life. Some things we can alter, but there is always a price.” She clicks her tongue. “Only the bloodline can alter the curse.”
“Yes. Raven. She’s Charlotte’s granddaughter.” I lean forward. “She has the power to break it. Right?”
Her eyes blink, before she taps her cane twice on the wood floor. “No, my child. The curse can never be broken. Erased.”
A searing pain etches its way into my chest.
“No,” I growl. “There has to be a way.”
Her smile lifts again. “I said it could not be erased. But the curse can be transferred.”
“Transferred?” Kingston frowns. “What do you mean?”
“Like I said, everything has a price. You can be free, but someone else must pay.”
A deep cough echos through the small cabin as she clenches her chest.
“How does it transfer?” I ask.
