Stone’s thoughts churned with unease as he paced the confines of Ella’s hotel room, each step a battle against the curse’s invasive pull. The atmosphere was charged with an electric anticipation—an invisible storm brewing between them as they prepared for their critical journey back to the Integratron at nightfall.
This was more than a mission—it was a gauntlet thrown by fate, demanding they confront their destiny head-on.
The room was littered with maps, books, and various esoteric objects that Isolde had insisted would help shield them from the worst effects of the curse.
So far, Stone had to admit, the worst impulses were being kept at bay. But how long it would last was anyone’s guess.
Stone packed the objects carefully into their backpacks, his hands trembling slightly—a physical manifestation of the curse’s insidious whispers.
Thanks to his awareness, he felt it then—the curse clawing at his mind, trying to sow doubt about Ella—about their path forward.
He clenched his fists, focusing on the tangible weight of the backpack to ground himself.
Ella watched him with a frown, her eyes narrowing slightly as she picked up on his discomfort.
“Is it getting worse again?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Stone paused, meeting her gaze. He wanted to reassure her, to tell her he was fine, but the truth was far from it.
He wanted the damn curse gone.
“It’s constant,” he admitted, rubbing at his temples. “Like whispers just out of reach, pushing me to doubt everything. But I’m managing. At least I haven’t said anything too asinine while I have Isolde’s trinkets. We have too much riding on this to let it win.”
Ella stood, walking over to him. “Do you think Isolde is the betrayal Diana warned us about?”
Her question was a whisper, almost drowned out by the hum of the air conditioning, yet it cut through Stone’s awareness like a blade.
“How the hell would I know?” His voice echoed harshly against the walls.
Ella recoiled slightly, the hurt evident in her expression before she masked it with a curt nod.
Instantly, he regretted the bite in his words, a testament to the curse’s tightening hold over his stupid mouth.
Of course, he had to jinx himself.
“Right. I—” she hesitated, biting her lip, then continued with forced calm, “I’m just trying to make sense of everything.”
Stone sighed, running a hand through his hair as the curse mocked him with a whisper of satisfaction. He stepped closer, reaching for her hands, needing to bridge the gap his words had created.
“I’m sorry, Ella. I didn’t mean—”
He struggled to articulate the chaotic vortex of dark tendrils that wormed their way through his thoughts. It pushed him toward isolation—a way to feel sane in the middle of this bullshit, even though he knew now was when she needed him the most.
Ella squeezed his hands, her own trembled, betraying her worry.
“I know, Stone.” Her voice was resolute, her determination clear despite the shadows that flickered across her face.
Stone gritted his teeth, feeling the curse coil tighter. Her acceptance and the way she was able to push down her own hurt to be understanding dug at him.
“If we can’t control this thing, Ella... if it keeps pushing us to the brink,” he said, his voice fluctuating between desperation and a harsher tone he couldn’t quite soften, “Maybe we need to consider what Isolde offered. At least as last, damn resort.”
Ella paused and her expression tightened. “Erase everything? All that we are to each other?”
Her voice was laced with incredulity and hurt, reflecting the sting of his words.
“I don’t know—” Stone snapped, more sharply than he intended, a wave of frustration pouring out. He caught himself, seeing the hurt again flash across Ella’s face, and exhaled slowly, struggling to modulate his tone. “I mean, maybe it should be an option—if all else fails. I hate the idea as much as you do, but if it comes down to losing our minds to this curse or forgetting...”
The room fell silent as the gravity of the situation settled between them.
Ella shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t do that, Stone.”
“It’s not what I want, Ella. But what if it’s the only way to save what’s left of us? If we wait too long and there’s nothing left to save?” His voice cracked with the admission.
Ella met his gaze, her eyes searching his.
“Let’s not decide anything now. Not yet.” She exhaled heavily. “We focus on finding the Breath of Selene first. Then, we fight this curse with everything we’ve got. Only then, if we’re out of options... we’ll consider it.”
“Okay.” Stone nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly at her words. “We fight first. We find the Breath. And maybe, just maybe, we won’t need to make that choice.”
Ella reached out, her hand finding his, a silent vow passing between them. Despite the curse’s efforts to divide them, this connection, this touch, reaffirmed their unity—a pledge to face the coming challenges together.
“Are you ready to try again?” she asked, her eyes flickering to the door. “Because it’s time to go.”
He swallowed hard and nodded silently.
“Okay, come on.”
As they left the hotel room, Stone wondered if they stand a chance. Could they defy even the darkest of fates?
As they waited for the others, Stone noticed Ella checking her phone more frequently than usual. Each silent glance seemed to tighten the lines around her eyes—a sign of worry she didn’t verbalize.
“You’ve been checking your phone a lot,” Stone remarked, trying to keep his tone neutral despite a stirring of frustration. “Anything you need to sort out before we leave?”
Ella looked up from her phone, her expression briefly revealing the strain she felt before she masked it with a nod. “Just trying to reach the kids. They haven’t checked in today, and it’s... I’m sure it’s nothing. They’re probably just busy with Alanna. They’ve been having a good time with her.”
The momentary lapse in her usual composure was enough for Stone to gauge the depth of her concern. Everything was starting to pull her down and she was trying hard to hide from it. Perhaps even from herself.
As they met the others in the parking lot, the atmosphere felt charged with anticipation. Would this next trip make or break them?
“Cheer up, team. We’re about to break into a high-energy super dome, not join in a funeral procession,” Jinx chided, eyeing Stone and Ella with a grin that bordered on irreverent.
Ella forced a small smile, but Stone knew it did nothing to quell her inner turmoil.
“Just gearing up to face the unknown,” she said, trying to match Jinx’s lighter tone.
“Don’t worry, Ella. When we get there, we’ll set up wards. There will be strong protections and even stronger wills. There’s power in that combination,” Trudie said, reaching out and patting Ella’s arm.
“Thanks, Trudie,” Ella responded, releasing a sigh.
Isolde, holding a small satchel in her hands, nodded. “The Integratron is a place of profound energy currents. These will help stabilize some of the forces around us,” she explained, handing out a few last-minute additions to their gear.
Each one of them was given a stone with ornate carvings on them. Stone’s was a dark hematite with a spiral on it. He slipped it into his pocket next to the other objects he’d been given
As the group packed away their gear and reviewed the plan one last time, Ella’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it quickly, her expression unreadable as she slipped the device back into her pocket without a word.
Stone noticed the tightness in her movements, the slight furrow in her brow deepening—a sign she was still waiting for that crucial message from her kids.
“Alright, let’s do this. Remember, stealth is key. We get in, do what we need to do, and get out before anyone’s the wiser,” Trudie said, as a soothing smile graced her lips.
The group nodded, rallying around the plan.
They had been close to the Breath of Selene the last time. There was no reason to think they couldn’t get in and out. Especially with the help of a witch cloaking their movements.
The group piled into Jinx’s car and drove back to the Integratron, the desert landscape sprawling endlessly around them. The conversation focused on the task at hand, but Stone could tell that Ella wasn’t fully present.
It wasn’t until they reached the outskirts of the Integratron that Ella’s phone vibrated again.
Stone watched as a flicker of relief passed over her face as she read the message.
“All good. They were helping Alanna make dinner and she has a no-tech rule when they eat,” she murmured almost to herself, the tension visibly draining from her shoulders. “I should probably enforce something like that, come to think of it.”
The simplicity of the update seemed to ground her, bringing her back fully to the moment and the dangers that awaited them inside the Integratron.
“That’s good,” he said, even as the curse tried to darken his mood.
Ella nodded, tucking her phone away with a more genuine smile. “Yeah. All the talk of Andres trying to make a move has me on edge. Especially when I’m not there to protect them. You know?”
“Let’s focus then,” Stone said. “We’ve got a mysterious object to try and retrieve. Then, we can get back to them.”
“Can’t wait,” Ella whispered, letting her gaze float out the window.
As Jinx maneuvered the car to the parking lot of the Integratron, Stone’s unease escalated into a palpable sense of dread. Each step closer to their destination felt like a tug-of-war with the curse and he wondered why.
“Everything okay?” Ella’s voice cut through the tension, her concern evident as she met his gaze.
Stone forced a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah, just... feeling the pressure, you know?”
But Ella could see through the facade, her eyes narrowing with understanding. “Still feeling the effects?”
Stone hesitated, not wanting to taint the plan or the steps ahead.
“Yeah,” he finally confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.
Ella reached out, her hand finding his, offering a silent anchor amidst the chaos. “We’ll get through this, Stone. I have a good feeling about this.”
But even her words of reassurance couldn’t silence the nagging fear that gnawed at Stone’s resolve.
What if he said or did something that jeopardized their mission?
What if the curse’s influence proved too strong to resist?
What if this time, the curse even stretched into whatever magic the Integratron seemed to hold over them?
With a heavy heart, Stone steeled himself for the challenges ahead. He prayed that their bond would be strong enough to withstand the darkness closing in around them.