Page 163 of The Curse Breakers

My voice grew louder. “I am life and death and everything in between.”

“I am the foundation of life and the receiver of death and everything in between.”

Our blended voices echoed off the water. “I compel you to leave my sight.”

A crack appeared in the sky, ripping the seam between our realm and the spiritual one. The badgers screamed and cursed. The ground shook and the boat swayed violently, but Collin spread his feet apart and stayed upright, our hands still joined.

Rays of bright white light shot from the badgers’ bodies, filling the boat and nearly blinding me. The creatures shrieked with agony and fear until their bodies exploded in a ball of white light. Then a million pieces that looked like fireflies were sucked up into the crack overhead. When all the pieces were gone, Collin looked down into my face, fear and devastation in his eyes.

He slowly pulled his hand from mine but kept his arm around my back. “Do you even realize what just happened?”

I swallowed the lump in throat, my chin trembling. “I’m not sure about thewutapantam, but we sent the badgers away.”

“Yes,” he whispered. “We sent them away. But at what cost? Awutapantamsacrificed himselffor you. Do you even understand the significance ofthat?”

I didn’t know for sure, but the loss I’d felt at its death had left me dazed.

“There arefour, Ellie. Four in all of existence, and one is now gone because of what you started tonight.”

Tears burned my eyes. “I didn’t know, Collin,” I choked out. “I saw Daddy when we were in the ocean, and he insisted that I had to do this tonight.”

He shook his head, disgust pinching his mouth. “He told you what Ahone wanted you to hear, Ellie! He tricked you into doing what he wanted. Just like he tricked Manteo.”

My mouth opened, but I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to believe anymore.

“We’ve both learned something tonight,” Collin said. “Noneof the gods are to be trusted. We’re all pawns in an eons-old power struggle, and both sides will sacrificeeverythingandeveryoneat their disposal to get what they want, including their own creations. The Croatan and the colonists. Manteo and Ananias.”

My chin trembled. “You and me.”

He swallowed, lifting his hand to my cheek, longing in his eyes. “Especially you and me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“We are responsible for destroying three creations tonight. For eternity.”

I shook my head and jerked out of his grasp. “I’m devastated about the deer, but I’m not sorry about the badgers. That’s what we’re supposed todo, Collin. We’re supposed to send those things back where they belong. That’s our job! We’reCurse Keepers.”

Sadness filled his eyes. “We earned new titles tonight.Destroyers of life.”

“They thought nothing of condemning innocent lives to hell, so why should we feel sorry for them? They were going to killus, Collin.”

“No, Ellie. They were going to killyou.” He paused. “And they wouldn’t have stopped until they succeeded.” He looked toward the town, sirens blaring in the distance. “I’m not sorry we destroyed them. I couldn’t let them kill you. But we crossed a line we can never uncross. There’s a good chance that we just declared war on Okeus’s demons. My only hope is that they see the badgers as enemies of Okeus and think we did them a favor.” He turned back to me. “But even so, they’ll no longer trust me.”

“Your allegiance to Okeus protects you.”

He shook his head. “Not necessarily anymore. Not after this.”

“So what happens next?”

“We stay on guard and wait to see if they attack us. They won’t killyou, not unless they’ve gone rogue like the badgers. Okeus still wants you.”

Like that was supposed to make me feel better. I clenched my fists. “If the others start killing people too, I’ll send them back, Collin.”

“Not if I don’t help you.” His face hardened.

“There’s a way for me to do it without you, and I’ll find out how.” I instinctively reached for the ring hanging around my neck.

His gaze fell to my chest and he reached for the band, lifting it up to study the symbols. His face grew stern as his eyes lifted to mine. “Where did you get this?”

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