“That would mean the wards that were implemented to protect us,” Ranger X said, “are now holding us hostage.”
“It would also serve as an easy explanation for the precise targeting,” Silas agreed. “The wards already target the island to protect it. If someone wove a curse through them, the targeting would already have been taken care of. It’s ingenious, really.”
Ranger X cursed under his breath in agreement. “They’d know that we wouldn’t be examining thoseancient wards. We don’t touch them; they’ve stood the test of time for millennia.”
“Everything lines up,” I said. “For example, the portals. People can still travel within The Isle’s perimeter, which means it’scrossingthe wards that gets us into trouble.” I paused. “You also mentioned that the remains of the Forest Dwellers that were killed were piles of ashes and salt?”
Ranger X nodded.
“When I treated Irina for the curse, she had extremely high salt content in her body,” I said. “Salt is somehow interacting with the curse. Aren’t your ancient wards tied to salt crystals at the bottom of the lake?”
Mutterings came from the Ranger crew as the group digested my theories. There was a lot of uncomfortable shifting and eye contact, but nobody refuted my claims.
Finally, one Ranger from the back called out, “Hey, Doc—you got any idea how to fix the wards?”
“Actually, I do,” I said. “But it’s sort of a change in plans.”
Ranger X, Silas, and the entire Ranger army waited for my miracle plan.
I met the gazes of all of them when I said, “I say we destroy the wards completely.”
Real dissent sizzled beneath the surface from the Ranger crew who stood behind their leader, though nobody dared speak. Next to me, Silas’s posture straightened. I could tell he was waiting for someone to challenge my somewhat bizarre and absurd sounding plan. Even I could admit it was a real Hail Mary of an idea.
“I don’t understand,” Ranger X finally said. “The wards are the only thing keeping this island alive. We saw what happened when the temporary ones collapsed this morning. If it weren’t for Silas’s failsafe wards, we’d all be piles of ashes and salt.”
“Short of actually breaking the curse which, frankly, sounds impossible,” I said, “this is the only solution.”
Ranger X and Silas shared a gaze.
“Let’s start from square one,” I said. “Is it possible to break the curse? To just…dismantle it somehow so that everyone is saved, and the island is left untouched, and we all gallivant off on our merry ways?”
There was a long silence as I suggested a far more logical solution.
“Because if there was a way to do that, I’m pretty sure you guys would’ve thought of it by now.” I shrugged. “I can only guess at the technicalities of curse-breaking, butI have to think you guys have put the best Spellbinders on the case, and they’re coming up empty.”
“It’s true,” Ranger X said quietly. “Even Lily’s tried to break it with her Mixology skills, but it’s too complex and too powerful for one person. It’s hard enough for her to come up with an effective antidote. Similarly, the Spellbinders keep striking out, saying they’ve never seen magic like this before. Breaking this curse completely could take…” He let out a huge breath. “A lot more time than we have left.”
“In lieu of actually breaking the curse, since that is not a feasible option,” I said, “we need to disconnect the curse from the power source.”
Ranger X drew in a sharp breath. “That’s dangerous. The pent-up magic could lash out and spread over the island like a virus. Disconnecting a curse from the power source without having a curse-breaker in place is dangerous for everyone. It’ll spread like a virus until it eventually loses steam. But we could lose a lot of people before that happens.”
I turned to the head of the Ranger Program. “If we destroy the salt crystals and effectively disconnect the curse from its power source, how long do you think we have before the entire island is overtaken by the curse—assuming it spreads like a virus until it fades away?”
Ranger X shook his head. “Not long. I’d guess about an hour.”
“How long does it take to get a portal up?” I asked. “Assuming that portals will function once the wards are destroyed.”
“One portal writer can erect a portal in a few minutes under normal circumstances,” Ranger X said. “But for extenuating circumstances or very large portals, it can take a lot longer and require significant effort. We have generators, but it takes time to get them hooked up as well. We’d probably have to rely on the strength of individuals with the short time we’d have.”
“Not to mention,” Silas added, “We can’t forget that someone is behind the curse, and they won’t sit back and watch while we tinker with the logistics. Once we start breaking wards, I’m sure they’ll be alerted to the fact that the curse has started to wane. Which means we could be under an active attack at any given moment.”
“How many portal writers do you have on The Isle?” I asked.
Ranger X calculated. “Twenty, give or take? We’ve got thirteen on staff with us, and there are a few others—Irina being one—who dabble in their spare time. I’m sure we could round them up if needed.”
“We don’t have a lot of options,” I said. “We’re pressed for time, and we’re in a lose-lose situation. We can either wait for the backup wards to collapse and cross our fingers, or we can try to get ahead of it despite the risks. I vote the latter option.”
“With all due respect, who are you to decide what happens to our people?” One Ranger stepped to the front and stood next to his boss. “You’ve only been here a few days, and you are proposing a plan that’s almost certain to get us all killed. You’re talking about the lives of our friends and family, wives and children.”
