Well, when they met.And the stench of his former curse—the kind that only Delilah, a rare type of witch who could smell magic, could sense—had overwhelmed her.
Kieran’s stomach dropped.He started, “Is Sebastian…?”
“Cursed?I don’t know.I’ve never smelled anything like it,” Delilah replied, eyes closed.Her forehead was wrinkled, nose scrunched up, and lips turned down in a frown.She went to one of the tables of candles and wafted the scent toward her.
“Do you think it’s dangerous?”
Delilah pinched the skin between her eyebrows and shook her head.“It’s just so…different from anything I’ve ever smelled.At first, I thought I was smelling the blood on him, but it’s worse than that.Itstinks,like he bathes in gore every night.”
“What kind of curse would cause that?”
Delilah shook her head.“I don’t know.But honestly?It…scares me.All of a sudden, I felt like I was looking at an animal whose behavior was just off enough to hint that it had gone rabid.”
“He’s notrabid,” Kieran scoffed.“He’sterrified.And rightfully so.Wouldn’tyoube scared if someone tried to kill you this morning?Cursed or not, he needs help.And who are we to turn away someone with a curse?It’d be awfully hypocritical.”
Delilah bit her lip, considering her words.Softly, she said, “Just…be careful, all right?Maybe I’m paranoid, but something here seems…off.”
“Only time will tell,” Briar offered.
Kieran looked over his shoulder at the door, thinking of Sebastian heading down to the observation deck.To add a powerful curse on top of the fact that he was supporting his family?He couldn’t even imagine.Kieran exhaled a breath.
I have a lot to learn about Sebastian Feng.
Chapter Six
Dear Ash,
I don’t know when—or, really, if—I’ll ever send this letter, but I can’t sleep and I figured that I could at least get all this off my chest in the meantime.I’ll come right out and say it: I miss you.I miss cuddling on your couch while we listen to the radio.I miss seeing your smile when you walk through the door of my café every morning.I miss kissing you as we lie in bed and fall asleep to the city noise.I may not physically be in Gellingham now, but my heart is still there with you.
I’m on my Calling, which I’ll tell you all about when I’m finished.since the only way you’ll ever see me again is if I break this curse.My first task is retrieving the hilt of a magic scepter from a lake.Easy, right?We’re going to land tomorrow evening, so I’ve been practicing my magic.I managed to light a candle, which is a great start!Nothing else really worked,but I’m not overthinking it.I’m sure it’ll just be a quick in and out before we’re back on the aeroship and coasting to our next stop.I’ll be home before you know it, Calling complete and you and I back on track!
Who am I kidding?There’s no way I can do this.We’re over, it’s done, I’m screwed.I’m sure I’ll probably come up with some stupid idea that’ll get me killed at the very first stop because I’m supposed to be the leader of this whole quest and meanwhile I can barely lead myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth every morning.Sure, it’s great to have Sebastian along, but if I don’t get myself killed doing something stupid, his former boss will likely do it for me.Verbena should have let that toad monster eat me.Would have been kinder than letting me fumble my way to an untimely death.
LoveYours,
Kieran
The next morning at breakfast, Sebastian withdrew a map from his pocket and spread it out on the table, much to everyone’s blinking surprise.
“This is a copy of Elias’s intended path to each scepter part’s location,” he explained as he used his teacup, plate, and silverware to hold down the corners of the map.“I did my best to copy it from memory, so I may have missed a few notes, but it should help us avoid any run-ins with his mercenaries.”
Ariel looked up from adding too many sugar cubes to their coffee.Their narrowed eyes slid over to Sebastian’s side and scanned the map.They took a loud sip of coffee and nodded, fingers drumming on the table.
“These are the most direct routes to each place,” they said.They reached into a vest pocket and withdrew a compass, a protractor, and a pencil and began making marks on the page.“Not much of a surprise that he’d be wanting to reach each location as quickly as possible.Any idea when he left?”
“He’s a half day behind us,” Sebastian said, and pointed to an upscale part of Gellingham on the map.Kieran had never been there, but he knew that’s where Klaus Hammond lived, along with most of the city’s gentry.“He was planning to leave his mansion in the evening after he’d met up with the mercenaries.So we’ve got a head start, but his mercenaries could easily catch up if they have smaller, faster aeroships.”
“So we have to decide whether to risk attack or to delay our progress by taking a slower, roundabout path,” Kieran realized aloud.He rubbed his chin, noticing he’d developed a bit of stubble overnight.He made a mental note to shave before its embarrassing patchiness became more apparent.“What do you think, Ariel?”
“Honestly?I might just stay on the fastest path and see if we can outrun them,” the pilot said, tapping their lower lip with their pencil.They shot Delilah and Briar a look.“How do you feel about fighting some mercs?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve taken my anger out on someone trying to kill me.Might be fun,” Briar said, taking a bite of bacon.She used the strip to point at Sebastian.“How about you?You have any combat training?”
Sebastian’s face didn’t change as he said, much to Kieran’s shock, “Yes.”
Kieran asked, “Er, self-defense, right?You mentioned that on the phone.”
Sebastian shrugged, all nonchalance.“My father wanted to make sure his kids could defend themselves.He taught me and my sisters a few useful things before he passed.I didn’t escape Elias without leaving him with a couple bruises.”
