And for the first time in centuries…
He couldfeel.
PART ONE
BIRTH OF THE DEAD
—In the dawn of tragedy, we were born to die—
CHAPTER ONE
SANORA
Twenty-three Years Later
“I’m very serious. I wanted to smack the last one’s face!”
My mother’s laughter floated in from the kitchen just as I knelt on yet another overstuffed suitcase, trying to bully the zipper into submission. I packed a lot of clothes, and yet, they weren’t enough. “Can you believe it? Do you think I’m unlucky, too?”
Grunting, I bounced once on the lid of the bag, heard the zipper shift, and grinned. Victory.
“You’re going to ruin the bag,” Mother said, suddenly appearing in the doorway, arms folded and brows dipping like she’d walked into a crime scene.
“This isn’t even the worst of it.” I jerked my head towards the army of three already zipped, heaving suitcases standing guard by the wall. “This one’s just the stubborn runt.”
“You’re only staying for what? Three weeks? Four, max?”
“Twenty-eight days.”
“And you packed like you’re going to survive an apocalypse. Is all these—”
“Yes. Absolutely necessary. I’ve been collecting things for this trip for months, thank you very much. Everything here is important.” With one final yank, I sealed the zipper and flopped onto the floor with a dramatic exhale. “Besides, the tarot reading said I won’t die, but I’ll live unluckily, remember?”
“Oh gods,” she muttered, already walking away. “Stop believing those things,” she snapped.
“Don’t mock it! Six different readers said the same thing. Six. Word for word, like they were reading a damn script. ‘Child, you’ll live a long life, but a very unlucky one.’ I mean—what the hell kind of fortune is that? I’d rather live short and lucky, honestly.”
“Stop believing those things,” Mother repeated from the living room. “You give them power when you believe them. That’s how omens work. Why would you even go there?”
I rolled onto my side, propping myself up. “Well, your only child is going to a freaking legendary cursed town, so forgive me for wanting a little reassurance from the universe.”
There was silence for a while.
She returned a moment later, crouching beside me, her face a mask of concern poorly hidden under a worn-out smile. It was always easy to read her. She wore her worry like makeup.
“Do you have to go there?” she asked quietly. “There are plenty of ways you can find things online these days. I’m sure if you look into your computer properly, you’ll find answers—”
“Mother.” I reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing gently. “Online is full of...dung. It’s my thesis and I need to do proper research. I’ve waited years to do this research and I finally have the chance. No amount of online digging is going to cut it. I have to be there. See it. Touch it.”
Her eyes searched mine, still reluctant. “Isn’t anyone else going with you?”
I shook my head. “No. Nobody signed up for cursed-town adventures, unfortunately. They all picked safer topics.” I gave her a little push. “Be proud your daughter is going out of her way for her education.”
She sighed, still not finding my idea entertaining. “I’m more proud of the ones who picked safer topics.”
I laughed.
After a moment, she stood up and disappeared into the kitchen. I followed a beat later, leaning over the counter as she checked the pot on the stove.
