Briar Rose (17 page)

Like the other women in her family, she’d always had a good voice, but now it sounded weak and thready, as if the trees along the highway had sucked the life out of it. By
the time she’d finished the first verse, nothing had happened. Not one twitch of power.

Was her great-gran’s faith misplaced? Had all this work been for nothing?

I have to do this.
It was that or go back to the Roses’ house and watch her friend’s life ebb away. ‘I’m going to try again.’

‘You can do it,’ Joshua replied without hesitation.

At least he believes in me.

This time Reena closed her eyes and thought of her very best friend, what it would mean if she remained inside the curse. If it didn’t kill her, Briar would sleep through the rest of high
school, through prom, graduation. She’d lose her chance to attend college, to get married or even to have children. The world would move on and Briar Rose would know nothing of it.

Reena would lose her best friend and Joshua would lose . . . well, something he’d only just realized he wanted.

No way.

Reena began to sing again, visualizing the inside of the old church where Lily had taken her as a child. It’d been built in the late 1800s and the floor creaked a warm welcome with every
step. The pews were wood and hard on her butt. The women always wore their Sunday best, clad in their fancy hats and dresses. The men were in dark suits, their shoes polished, their ties straight.
That old building was filled with love and faith, emotions stronger and richer than anything else in this world.

She’d just reached the second verse when the earth began to crack open. Her voice faltered and went silent.

I did it!
Reena Bulloch Hill, Lily Foster’s great-granddaughter, had pulled the Dark Rider from his slumber.

Kerry went frantic, barking at the intruder. Joshua ordered her to be quiet and the collie fell back, low growls filling her throat.

‘Why have you summoned me, child?’ a chill voice demanded.

Reena’s heart lodged in her throat. The Dark Rider never spoke to anyone. Had she screwed up the conjure?

‘I . . . I need . . .’ She corrected herself. Everything she’d read said that she had to keep control of the situation, not beg for what she wanted. ‘I need to break a
curse. I need power to do it.’

‘You are of the old one’s blood,’ was the reply. ‘Her I respect. You are but a pup.’

‘A pup who summoned you,’ she shot back. Attitude counted, or at least that’s what Lily had always told her. ‘Here’s the deal,’ Reena began, resisting the
urge to turn and face the spirit head on. ‘My best friend, Briar Rose, is cursed and she needs our help.’

A bone-dry chuckle came from the spirit behind her as footsteps drew closer. Reena’s knees were knocking now and she clutched her personal
gris-gris
bag tighter. Joshua was
shivering as well, though he kept his back turned as she’d asked.

‘I see this curse,’ the spirit said. ‘It is a dark one. She lives not inside a dream, but a nightmare, one built of her own imagination. One that will kill her in time. So you
wish me to break it?’

‘You can do that?’ Reena blurted.

‘No. I cannot.’ Another chuckle. ‘What is it you wish of me?’

‘I seek the power to go inside the curse with her,’ Reena said. ‘Then I’ll help her break it.’

‘Is that so?’ She felt his breath on her neck, bitter cold, and gave out a sudden yelp of fear.

When Joshua whipped round, his eyes connected with those of the Dark Rider.

‘Oh my God,’ he whispered.

If was as if black had taken on a new dimension, with its own weight and intensity, far beyond the simple lack of light. The Dark Rider was made of this nothingness, from his hair to his skin to
his eyes and his clothes.

‘You idiot! I told you not to turn round!’ Reena cried.

‘You smell of horseflesh,’ the spirit said. ‘Do you ride?’

Joshua gave a dry swallow and nodded.

‘Hey, no, this thing is with me, not him,’ Reena insisted.

‘No longer,’ the spirit replied. ‘
This
one has seen me. For that revelation
I
shall name the price of the power you seek, pup.’

Joshua’s heart was pounding so fast he could barely breathe. What would this thing want? His heart? His soul?

‘No,’ it said, reading his mind. ‘Something far more entertaining. You will rid me of the burden I bear, for it is much like a curse to me.’

‘What burden?’ Joshua asked, confused.

The spirit pointed at the crossroads. ‘There is a dark soul that lies here with me. He gives me no peace and I would have him gone.’ He looked over at Reena, who kept her eyes off
him. ‘For the power I will grant her, there will be a horse race. If you win, then you will live. If you lose, all those you hold dear will fall by his sword. Either way, he is gone.’
The Dark Rider tilted his head. ‘Do you agree?’

Joshua’s eyes moved to Reena, but she was already shaking her head. ‘Not a good idea,’ she said.

But what choice did he have? If he said no, Briar was lost.

He pulled his attention back to the spirit. His body shook harder now and it shamed him. ‘You will send
both
of us into this curse where Briar Rose is being held. You will bring
us back once we’ve helped her break it.’

The dark man shook his head and pointed at Reena’s back. ‘This one will send you into the curse and retrieve you. I will only grant her the power to do so. I will not guarantee your
safe passage, nor your survival.’

It was a bargain even the devil would have turned down.

‘Joshua, don’t do it!’ Reena said. ‘Not this way. You have no idea—’

‘It’s a deal,’ Joshua cut in. ‘But I’ll race at the time and place
I
choose.’

‘You dare set terms on me?’ the spirit retorted.

‘Yeah, I do,’ Joshua replied, feeling his courage stir. ‘You want this as much as we do.’

A nod of respect. ‘Indeed. The race must take place before the next full moon, one week hence. If not, you will have no choice but to come to me and pay
any
price I
demand.’

‘Done,’ Joshua said, sweat rolling down his face.

‘The key and the charm are the way into the curse. Your blood must be shed for the power to spark.’ The unholy grin that spread across the spirit’s face made Joshua’s
knees weaken. ‘This was too easy. I expected a harder bargain.’

Ripples of chilly laughter echoed around them as the Dark Rider vanished into the night.

Joshua sagged in relief. They had a way to get to Briar. He’d worry about the rest of it later.

Reena grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, hard. ‘Do you know what you just did?’

‘I think so. I’m going to race some . . . thing. I’ll just have to win.’

She shoved him and he staggered backwards a few steps. ‘Why in the hell did you turn round?’

‘I thought he’d hurt you.’

Reena groaned. ‘He was playing with you, and you fell for it. I told you he was a trickster.’

‘Then consider me tricked. We got what we came for – that’s all that matters.’

‘I didn’t intend for you to go into the curse. It’s too dangerous. That is my job.’

‘Not any more,’ he said.

Reena swore under her breath, then waved him forward into a hug, the kind that friends share when they’re scared.

‘You’re an idiot, but you’re an awesome one,’ she said, embracing him.

‘Right back at you,’ he murmured, relieved she wasn’t going to stay mad at him forever.

After they broke apart, Reena retrieved her pendant and pulled it off. Next came a penknife, and she winced as she stuck it in her palm. Wrapping her hand round the small charm, she let her
blood mingle with the silver.

Once she was satisfied the charm was properly anointed, she had Joshua do the same. As he trapped the woodsman in his bloody palm, he closed his eyes and thought of Briar. A prickling coursed
through him, as if the bracelet had somehow bonded with him.

‘Joshua?’

He blinked open his eyes. It was still dark and they were still in the middle of the road.

‘It didn’t work,’ he said, his panic kicking in.

‘I haven’t done the conjure yet,’ she explained. ‘It’s about four thirty now. I’ll begin the spell in an hour. That should give us time to get home and . . .
get ready.’

Now it made sense – she wanted to leave a note for her parents. He should do the same.

Joshua returned the pendant and waited as she began to methodically obliterate the markings in the centre of the road. When Reena had finished, she took hold of his arm.

‘I’ll see you in about an hour,’ she said. ‘Wherever that might be.’

He nodded and then, without thinking, hugged her again.

‘We’ll bring her home,’ he whispered. ‘I promise.’

Once the chores were done, Briar had curled up for a nap in the fragrant hay while Ruric shod a horse. When she woke sometime later, the shadows were beginning to lengthen.
Ruric sat on a low stool, carving a figure out of wood with sharp flicks of his knife. Briar yawned as she joined him and he smiled up at her, slipping the blade into a scabbard at his waist.

‘You were weary,’ he said. ‘Are you revived now?’ Briar nodded. ‘And hungry?’ She nodded again. ‘I swear, I shall have to inherit a kingdom to feed you,
my lady.’

She reached up to tuck a strand of his hair out of the way, and in a flash he caught her arm.

‘You remind me of someone I once cared for. She was . . . very special.’

‘Was?’

‘She died three years ago. Thrown from a horse. I still remember that day,’ he said, his eyes growing distant. ‘I had no way to save her.’

‘How awful. I’m so sorry,’ Briar said. ‘It still hurts, doesn’t it?’

‘Yes, I shall always miss her.’

For a second she thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he frowned at her wrist. ‘What is that?’ he asked.

‘A . . . charm bracelet.’

‘Do you mean it’s magic?’

‘No, it’s just what we call them.’ When he let loose of her hand, Briar held it up so he could see it better. ‘It has different figures on it. They come from some of our
favourite stories. We call them fairy tales.’

‘It is most fetching. Did your family give it to you?’

‘No, it was from this boy I know.’

One of Ruric’s eyebrows rose. ‘I thought you said you had no suitor,’ he teased. ‘A young man who offers such a fine gift is clearly worthy of your affections.’

‘Not really. Joshua is . . .’ How could she explain the whole mess? ‘His family hates me. Well, his mother anyway.’

‘Yet he must have defied his parents to give this gift.’

‘Yeah, he did,’ she said, not trying to hide the smile.

‘Did his family put the curse upon you?’

Ruric had asked the question she’d tried so hard to avoid. Because if his mother or father had done this to her, that meant Joshua knew about it. ‘I don’t think so.’

‘Now I’ve made you sad. I am sorry.’

‘I just don’t understand it all. Why I’m here, how I get home.’
Why I met you.

‘While you’re working all that out, we should find somewhere more comfortable for you than the stable. There is an inn near the main gate. It is decent and the food is good
there.’

This isn’t right.
‘I don’t have any money, Ruric. You can’t keep paying for everything.’

‘I’m sure there is some way you can pay me back.’

He didn’t mean . . .
When she tensed, he caught it.

Ruric shook his head. ‘Do
not
think I seek favours of that nature. I can be quite disreputable, but not in this case.’

‘Disreputable? You?’ Briar said, surprised. ‘I don’t see it.’

‘You would be astonished at my churlish behaviour. My father always was.’

‘I still have no money.’

‘We shall find a way for you to earn a living, something honourable. I promise.’

Rogue or not, she’d just have to trust him to keep his word.

As the afternoon moved towards nightfall, it was as if there were two villages: the one that bustled with life during the day and the terrified one that hunkered down in the
evening. Briar was used to small towns and how they ‘rolled up the streets’ at sundown – Bliss could be that way sometimes. This wasn’t quite like that. There was an edge of
uncertainty, almost dread, in the villagers’ hurried movements. As the sun went down, people began to take shelter indoors. Doors were bolted, shutters locked, at least those on the ground
floor. It didn’t matter if it was a business or a house, it was as if the citizens felt they were under siege.

Ruric had done something similar, ensuring that the animals were fed and comfortable, then he’d bolted and locked the stable doors, hanging the large key round his neck, secured to a thick
leather cord.