Cursed (21 page)

Sasha watched for Dominic’s reaction. He wasn’t behaving like she thought he would. He was usually dismissive. Now he just seemed deflated.

“You’re mother gets caught up in mommy-daughter issues,” he said pouring himself another drink. “She’s never been objective about Vania. You don’t know her. That will be an advantage. You’ll see her for what she is.”

Sasha was confused. Was he going to send her to Tysseland?

“So, can we get started?”

Dominic winced as he took another swallow of his drink.

“You’re awfully confident for someone who is unlikely to survive the day,” he said.

Evan tightened his grip on her hand. He seemed to be reassuring her that Dominic was wrong. She would live out the day.

“We’ll take our chances,” Evan said. “It’s not like we have options. If we stay here, the assassins will eventually succeed. Do you have another suggestion?”

Sasha was impressed he was able to keep his emotions under control. She felt like she was going to explode. Her mother and Dominic kept her in the dark about the curse until it was almost too late. Maybe it was. Her mother didn’t fess up until the assassin had almost killed her.

“I wouldn’t be in this situation if not for my mother,” she said spitting out the words. “Willow Bean has done nothing to help me.”

Dominic frowned but didn’t argue, which surprised Sasha. Dominic was overly protective of her mother. He never liked it when she criticized her.

“I don’t know what your mother has planned,” he said hanging his head as if he were ashamed of Willow Bean as well. “I never agreed with her decision to keep you ignorant. Your mother is strong willed and doesn’t always listen to me.”

Sasha was surprised by the admission. She’d never seen Dominic and her mother argue. If anything, they seemed like soul mates in a platonic way.

“Your mother doesn’t want to risk going to Tysseland and getting trapped there,” he said.

“But the talisman is there isn’t it?” Sasha asked.

“Yes,” he said. “Well, I don’t know for sure but I assume so. If I know Vania, she’ll keep it close. She has a habit of collecting objects that are meaningful to other people. She uses the personal items for spells. That’s how she controls her enemies. And friends.”

Sasha stared at Dominic hard. He was speaking in a soft voice as if he’d been the victim of one of these spells.

“Which one were you?” Sasha asked. “Friend or foe?”

Dominic blinked. A small smile played on his lips.

“I underestimated you,” he said. “You are more like your mother than your father than I thought. I will help you.”

Sasha was perplexed by his remark. She was nothing like her father. He and Hannah were very alike. No one had ever thought she was like her dad.

Sasha thought Dominic was sad. It was as if he were distressed that she was her mother’s daughter.

“Thank you for your help,” she said. It was best to be gracious.

“I don’t think you’ll be thanking me when this is all done,” he said turning away and opening the pantry. “The quest you are on is practically impossible.”

Neither Sasha nor Evan responded. She wasn’t surprised by Dominic’s dour demeanor. Her mother had been equally negative about going to Tysseland. Sasha saw no choice. If the talisman was the key to the curse then she had to destroy it to be free.

Instead of cans of food in the cupboard, there were bottles of substances Sasha didn’t recognize. Dominic took out a black candle, a slim stick and baggie of grey foul smelling powder.

“What is that?” she said turning her face away.

“Bones,” he said not elaborating. “Come outside.”

As they went into the backyard he explained what they needed to do. The queen had a secret room in the castle where she stored her most prized possessions. He didn’t know where it was, had only heard rumors of its existence. It was likely it would be guarded or have magical protections.

“Didn’t my mother tell you where it was? She lived in the castle didn’t she?” Sasha asked.

“Yes but Vania didn’t start her collection until after Willow Bean left. Vania had always been dark. She perfected a new kind of evil after her daughter abandoned her. That’s almost 30 years ago. Much has happened that we don’t know about.”

Dominic said he was sending them to a portal master like himself, Glenbury. Except, Dominic wasn’t sure he was still alive. Glenbury hadn’t opened a portal since Willow Bean returned from Tysseland with the pendant.

“He lives in a rundown shack, ” he said. “You can’t miss it. I’ll send you as close to where he used to live as I can.”

“Glenbury is key,” he said. “You won’t be able to come back without him.”

Evan and Sasha exchanged worried glances. Worry flared in her heart. Was she doing the right thing? She clamped down on her panic. There was no time for second guessing. Evan didn’t look scared as he focused intently on Dominic.

Dominic gave Sasha a small white pebble with the inscription of two symbols. It was smooth and cold in her hand.

“Don’t lose this,” he said. “This is your time and place.”

Sasha wanted to ask questions but she was afraid to distract Dominic. He walked to a secluded spot in the yard where two large boulders and a stone bench made a triangular shape. Dominic laid the candle in the grass in the middle of the triangle and poured the stinky powder around the perimeter.

“Stand inside,” he said waving his hand to the space between the rocks and the bench.

“Wait,” Sasha said suddenly seized with panic. “What are you going to tell my mother?”

Dominic didn’t look at her when he answered. He continued to putter around the triangle.

“Nothing unless you don’t return,” he said. “I’ll leave it up to you to explain to your mother why you defied her orders.”

“She may come looking for me,” Sasha warned. “She’s supposed to be finding me a place to hide.”

Dominic gazed at Sasha intently.

“Time here is not the same as there,” he said. “You won’t be gone long, trust me.”

Dominic bent over and lit the candle. Before Sasha could say anything he dropped a leather pouch in her hand. The heavy contents clinked together.

“Remember,” he said frowning. “Vania cannot be trusted. She’s not your grandmother. She’s the monster who put a death spell on you.”

“Wait,” Sasha said urgently as Dominic held out the thin stick and began muttering a spell. He ignored her and walked around the perimeter of the triangle, head bent in concentration.

Evan wrapped his arms around Sasha’s shoulders and pulled her to him. He pressed his lips to her ear as her vision dimmed.

“We’ll be fine,” he said. His voice echoed in her head as the light of the day disappeared and she was staring into an inky blackness. She couldn’t feel Evan’s arms anymore and twirled around to find him.

“Evan? Evan?” she yelled frantically as she searched for him in the darkness. Before her panic could consume her, she was pulled through a vortex of wind that yanked her from side to side and then expelled her with a push forward.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

As Sasha was ejected from the portal, she staggered and fell to her knees. Her surroundings were suddenly bright and blinding. She shaded her eyes but couldn’t see Evan and didn’t know where she was.

She was supposed to be in Tysseland if Dominic got the directions correct. She was able to inspect her surroundings once her eyes adjusted to the light. She saw Evan crumpled on the ground.

She ran over to him as he rolled to his side and retched.

“That was rough,” he rasped. He swallowed a few times before getting to his unsteady feet. “I did not like that.”

“Hopefully,” she said, noting where she landed, “we’ll only have one more ride home and then we are done with magic and Tysseland forever.”

They were in a small field beside a ramshackle house. It had peeling paint and a sagging roof. Sasha couldn’t tell if it was occupied.

The area was a combination of fields and forest. The field where Sasha stood contained beautiful purple and yellow flowers intertwined with menacing green weeds. The occasional red poppy glittered as if it were made of gems.

There was a dilapidated farm stand by a dirt road that ran in front of the house. The dirt road disappeared into a thick forest with redwood like trees that soared into the sky.

Why was everything in such bad shape? Sasha didn’t know what to expect from Tysseland. So far everything appeared run down surrounded by beautiful nature. She wasn’t impressed by the dichotomy; it seemed odd. Perhaps that was appropriate for an alternate world only accessible via portal.

“I need water,” Evan said rubbing his throat.

“Ok, let’s go,” she said holding his arm as they walked toward the house. They moved slowly as Evan was shaky, tripping over exposed roots and rocks. At one point he slumped to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I feel so weak. That trip drained me.”

Sasha gazed at him sympathetically. The portal trip had the opposite effect on her; she felt energized. The vortex known as a portal had churned up her insides and made her nauseous but the feeling passed quickly. The house was only 20 feet away.

“Stay here. I’ll get you water,” she said.

As she approached the home, the front door flew open. A man with long brown hair wearing filthy putty-colored robes charged out.

“Get inside, quickly,” he hissed. “Everyone knows you are here.”

Startled Sasha didn’t know how to respond. The man ran past her and yanked Evan to his feet.

“Hurry, hurry,” he said. “They are coming.”

Sasha helped the man haul Evan into the house. The man slammed the door shut and muttered words as he waved a wand around the perimeter of the door.

“Stay here,” he ordered as he marched out of the room. Sheesh. Was everyone in Tysseland as grumpy as Dominic?

Evan staggered to a chair and slumped with exhaustion.

The room didn’t have much. The interior of the cottage was as dismal as the exterior. The floor was dirt. There was a dingy low slung couch, two wooden chairs with meager padding and a small table. Candles littered every surface. On the fireplace mantle was a sketch in a wooden frame. It was a drawing of people but she wasn’t close enough to inspect it.

There was nothing in this house manufactured past 1800 as far as Sasha could see. She was certain this man didn’t even have electricity.

The man returned holding a clay pitcher and two small glasses. He poured water into one cup and offered it to Evan. He gulped the water greedily and asked for more. The man poured him another glass full.

“You should drink too,” he said giving Sasha a glass. “You’ve never been here before. The portal can play havoc on the intestinal system.”

Sasha thanked him for the water.

“Are you Glenbury?” She asked hesitantly.

“Of course,” he snapped. “There’s nowhere else Dominic would send you is there?”

Bewildered Sasha didn’t know how to respond. Why was this man angry?

“Thanks for the water old man, but don’t talk to my girlfriend that way,” Evan said pulling himself to his feet while gripping the back of a chair. “We haven’t come here by choice. It was our only option.”

Glenbury sighed deeply. He ran a hand through his tangled strands and peered out the window from behind dingy thin curtains.

“I’m not angry with you,” he said. “It’s Dominic. He knows this will get me in trouble with Queen Vania. She is much stronger than me.”

Glenbury backed away from the window at the sound of hooves pounding down a path. “They are here. They can’t see you so don’t make a sound.”

He motioned toward the corner of the room. “Go, over there. Be quiet.”

“Who is here?” Sasha asked helping Evan get to his feet and stand in the corner. She propped him up as he swayed wobbly. Glenbury made a motion toward her with his wand and she felt her lips seal shut. She could swallow but not open her mouth to speak.

Glenbury shook his head vigorously and walked to the door. He stood aside as it smashed open and three men barged in. The burly men wore regular pants, long sleeve shirts and modern body armor. When one man turned, Sasha saw L.A. P.D. stamped on the back of the vest. Where the hell was she? Was Tysseland a suburb of Los Angeles?

The men wore baseball caps and had handguns strapped on their hips. They were like paramilitary and yet this was supposed to be a place of ancient traditions trapped in a time bubble wasn’t it?

The men walked around the three-room house swiftly, poking their heads into every doorway and cupboard. One man came within a foot of Sasha as he studied the colored glass bottles on the fireplace mantel. He picked up one and froze at the squeak of the wood floorboard. Sasha had shifted Evan’s weight over her shoulders making the noise.

She held her breath as the man leaned toward them. He stared into the corner where they were standing. Sasha couldn’t believe he didn’t see them. He leaned toward her and they almost came nose to nose before a mouse scurried across the floor drawing the man’s attention.

Glenbury must have cast a spell masking their presence. Nothing else explained why the man couldn’t see them.