Chapter Twenty-Six

My eyes fly open as panic grips me. Something isn’t right. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way! I can’t even think clearly enough to know how I know that, but those same words keep ringing through my head. My eyes flit around the room, confused and unsure of where I am.

Sliding my hand closer to my body so I can push myself up, I jump when the jeans-clad legs I seem to be laying on flinch. I freeze instantly. The details of where I am slowly come flooding back in. I remember leaning against Bas as we watched the movie. My heart rate jumps at the thought. I look up slowly, dreading what I know I will see.

Bas looks down at me with a smile. “I thought I was going to have to stay here all night.”

He seems so relaxed! I push myself up in a flash, my eyes darting over to Tanner. My heart struggles to calm itself back down when I see Tanner sitting on the couch with Sibeal squashed up against his side, completely unconscious. He shrugs his free shoulder at me, apologizing, I suppose, but I’m just glad he was distracted from being angry at me for falling asleep on Bas.

“Hey,” Bas says, “are you okay?”

My head shakes back and forth violently.

“What happened?” Tanner asks.

“I had another dream.”

Both guys perk up immediately. Tanner nudges poor Sibeal. She groans and tries to snuggle closer to him. I half expect Tanner to be more abrupt the second time, but he surprises me. His hand gently rests on her shoulder and shakes her just enough to get her attention.

“Sibeal,” he says quietly, “wake up.”

“No,” she answers with her eyes still tightly closed.

Tanner smiles and tries not to laugh. His hand moves up to her cheek. He tries tapping gently, but she just ignores him. “Sibeal,” he calls as his thumb sweeps back and forth across her cheek.

That gets her attention. It gets mine, too! I stare at Tanner, jealousy creeping up to my ears. What is he doing? The feeling only gets worse when Sibeal finally opens her sleepy eyes and smiles at Tanner. I think Bas can feel the tension hardening my entire body. Because of the way I’m sitting, no one else can see how his hand begins rubbing slow circles on my back. I know he’s trying to distract me, and I try to ignore him, but his touch proves too much to resist. I fall back against the couch, still frowning, but intent on not thinking about it.

Tanner must have filled Sibeal in on the scant details I provided before getting distracted with Tanner’s wandering fingers, because she asks, “What happened in the dream?”

“I saw you give Darcy the stone. I saw the two of you fight and Darcy try to trap you with her.” I take a deep breath, suddenly angry at Sibeal. “And I saw how Darcy got sucked into the mirror! Why didn’t you tell us that the freaky reflection we’ve seen isn’t a reflection at all, it’s Darcy!”

“What?” Bas and Tanner both demand.

Sibeal shrinks back against the couch. “I didn’t know it mattered,” she mumbles.

“Everything matters!” I snap.

Tears spring to Sibeal’s eyes. I can’t believe she didn’t tell us that! I start to say something else, but Bas’s hand slides over my wrist and squeezes gently. I look over at him, irritated, but his gaze it fixed on Sibeal. The sadness in his eyes calms my anger and I turn back to see Sibeal huddled against the couch crying.

The spike of anger I felt toward her vanishes, not only because of her distress, but because I realize it came more from my own jealousy than anything else. I shrink back, realizing now that this is how Tanner has been feeling for weeks. The realization settles in my heart, making it ache.

I wouldn’t be jealous if I didn’t still care about Tanner so much. The fact that I have caused him so much pain brings on a wave of guilt. As I glance over at Bas, I see the same pain echoed in his expression. I struggle to contain my emotions and refocus on Sibeal, still crying because of my harsh words. Finding the right words to comfort her seems impossible.

Tanner doesn’t seem to know what to do for Sibeal any more than I do, so he settles for patting her back softly. “I’m sorry,” Sibeal cries. “I just…I didn’t want anyone to know Darcy was trapped like that, or that I could still see her. I know I should hate her, but she’s so sad in there. At first, she was furious. I couldn’t even look in the mirror because all I would see was her hatred, but lately, she’s been so sad. I feel so responsible. I need to help her, but I don’t know how.”

“You don’t need to help her,” Tanner argues. “Darcy deserved what she got. She’s just manipulating you now so you’ll feel bad for her and let her out. You’re crazy if you think she won’t go right back to hating you.”

“I know, but …”

“But nothing,” Tanner interrupts. “You can’t save her. You have to save yourself.”

Bas and I look at each other, knowing this argument is going nowhere fast. Neither of us seems to know what to say, though, until a new thought hits me.

“Darcy is the one sending the dreams,” I say quietly. Even though I didn’t speak with much force, everyone turns to look at me.

“What?” Tanner asks.

I shake my head, realizing how foolish I was for not seeing it before. “What you just said about Darcy only acting sad in order to manipulate Sibeal, she’s been doing the same thing to me.”

“She has?” Sibeal asks.

Nodding slowly, I say, “She wanted me to see you trap her so I’d think my role in all of this was to free her. She is too self-absorbed to understand that I wouldn’t see her as the victim. She thought she could trick me into helping her with the dreams.”

“Why would she show you what happened with Colin? Tanner asks. “Surely she would know that wouldn’t help her case.”

“I don’t think she can control what the dreams show once she opens the connection.” Sibeal doesn’t know about Kivera, so I don’t mention her, but it’s because of the dreams Kivera sent me that makes me almost sure of this. Kivera wouldn’t have shown me the awful things she did if she could help it. I think she sent the dreams, but then lost control over them. Everyone seems to accept this, probably because they don’t have much else to go on.

I settle back, feeling some measure of peace at this conclusion. I know this was Darcy’s intention in sending the dreams, and I’m almost positive Tlaloc wanted me to see through her falseness and save Sibeal instead of Darcy. I say almost positive because Tlaloc isn’t exactly the most benevolent god, and it’s not unreasonable to think he might want me to punish Sibeal. I’m going to really hope that’s not the case. If it is, though, it wouldn’t change my mind to help Sibeal. If I am wrong and it costs me my life, so be it.

The room is quiet and everyone, especially Sibeal, takes in what I just said. My moment of peace crumbles quickly as a feeling that I’m forgetting something gnaws at me. As Tanner and Sibeal debate the value of trying to help Darcy, I replay the dream in my mind. Nothing particular stands out, but the feeling I woke up with, the sense that something was wrong, fills me again.

“I don’t think Darcy was supposed to be sucked into that mirror,” I blurt out.

The musing stops. Both Tanner and Sibeal stare at me. Bas touches my shoulder, drawing my eyes to him. “What makes you say that?”

Shaking my head, I say, “I’m not sure. I just know that something went wrong with the Soul Stone. I woke up knowing it wasn’t right.”

All eyes turn to Sibeal, but she can only shrug. “I don’t know. I thought the curse stone was a completely different curse. I didn’t know what to expect.” She runs her fingers through her hair, making the curls wilder. “Even knowing now that it was a Soul Stone, I’m not sure. It’s such a rare curse, so difficult to produce. I never learned what was supposed to happen once it was activated.”

Tanner turns to Bas. “Would Noel know?”

“I’m not sure, but we can certainly ask him.” Bas pulls his phone out of his pocket, but before calling, he turns to look at me. “What about Kivera?”

“Who’s Kivera?” Sibeal asks.

Biting the corner of my lip, I look over at Sibeal. Do I really want to try and explain Kivera? I don’t know if Kivera will even be able to help me, but it’s worth a try. “Kivera is the woman who cursed my family. Now she serves as, I don’t know how to explain it. A guide, I guess?”

“You can talk to her?”

“Yeah,” I say slowly, “but it’s not easy to get to where we can talk. I’ve never done it without being asleep before.”

“But you’ll try?” Sibeal begs.

I’m not sure I’ll be successful, but I’ll try. I nod and watch as Sibeal’s shoulders relax. The room quiets. Bas, who has been intent on his phone for the last minute, notices the quiet and starts to stand up.

“No, don’t go,” I say quickly.

Everyone, including Bas, looks at me with an odd expression. How do I explain the fact that Bas is the only person who can give me inner peace so I can reach the temple mesa? Uh, I don’t. The demand in my eyes is enough to keep Bas from leaving. I ignore the rest.

As Bas settles in next to me and goes back to bringing up Noel’s number, I slide my fingers around his hand, the one neatly hidden between us. His eyes dart over to mine, but he doesn’t say anything. I don’t explain to him, either. I simply close my eyes and try to focus.

I prepare myself for the usual struggle to center my thoughts and find inner peace. Imagine my surprise when the feeling of completeness comes right away. My hand tightens around Bas’s as I let my heart call out to Kivera for help.

The change from den to temple mesa is something I can feel. My eyes open to the familiar site of weathered stone and endless, unreal night sky. The faint rustle of clothes pulls me up from sitting to turn around and face Kivera. She smiles at seeing me and reaches out, concern showing through her smile. I take her hands willingly and let her lead me over to our usual spot.

“It is so good to see you again,” Kivera says.

“You too,” I admit.

“What questions do you have for me?” Kivera asks seriously.

I settle in, knowing this may be a long conversation. “Do you remember the stone I told you about?”

“Yes, the one with the symbol on it. Did you figure out what the stone’s purpose was?”

I nod. “It’s something called a curse stone. Apparently, a person with power can store a curse in it, then give it to someone they want to curse.”

I’ve never heard of the Aztecs using something like this, but I’m hoping Kivera will know something. She waits patiently for my question.

“Do you know anything about objects like this, ones that can hold power?” I sigh, knowing this is a long shot. “I mainly need to know what is supposed to happen when that power is unleashed.”

Kivera ponders the question carefully. “I am guessing that you are asking this question because you suspect something did not go as it was supposed to with this stone.”

My head bobs up and down. When Kivera asks me to tell her what did happen, I hurriedly lay out the details of the last two dreams. She listens to every detail and I can see her mind working. I mentally cross my fingers that something will trigger an answer. When I finally stop talking, she is quiet for a few moments.

“The priests I knew of did not often use objects of power,” Kivera says, “but from the little I do know, and from the understanding of the power I have gained since being bound to this place, it does not make sense to me that the power contained in the stone would push the girl Darcy into the glass.”

“I know a lot of cultures are superstitious about mirrors being portals to another world or dimension, but I agree, I don’t know why the stone would have sent Darcy into the mirror.”

Kivera considers this for a moment before saying, “The girl should have been captured in the stone, I believe. That was the source of the power and the vessel prepared to contain it. She should have been drawn back to it.”

Even knowing that Kivera isn’t an expert on Celtic anything, what she is saying makes sense. I think she’s right, but that still leaves me with a big problem. How does this affect the curse?

It takes what feels like forever to explain the intricacies of the curse to Kivera, but she takes it all in calmly. I am glad that I don’t have to try to convince her of anything. That’s definitely one perk to having a cursed, dead spirit guide…or whatever she is. Kivera isn’t going to shy away from a bizarre story.

When I finally finish, Kivera seems confused. “I’m afraid I don’t understand the goal of this woman who made the curse stone.”

“What do you mean?”

Kivera frowns. “Well, if her goal was to take both girls’ power, why would she not just use the stone herself? She could have easily given it to Sibeal and then made the curse permanent. There should have been no need for so much trickery.”

My hands rub across my face wearily. Why did none of us think to ask that question earlier? Kivera is right. It doesn’t make sense. There must be something else going on here, but I have no clue what that might be. Etain wants Sibeal and Darcy’s power, but she could have taken it at any time. Why make it so hard?

After a few minutes, I have to admit defeat. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“I’m sorry, but I do not know either,” Kivera says sadly.

“It’s okay. At least we know there’s something else to figure out. We still have a little time. Maybe Bas’s cousin will have an idea.”

Kivera’s melancholy over not being able to help me more suddenly dissipates. “I see things have changed with Bas.”

Caught off guard, I stumble to answer. “What? How can you, uh, tell?”

“You say his name differently than you used to,” she says. “There is happiness now instead of anger.”

I don’t respond right away. She’s right, of course. Everything about my relationship with Bas has changed. What is still so confusing, though, is figuring out what has happened in my relationship with Tanner. Before Bas showed up, I was happy with Tanner. I would have been hard-pressed to find fault with him. That’s not the case anymore, but there is still so much about him that is good. Would I be making a mistake to give up on what we have together?

“Kivera,” I ask slowly, “how do you know if you love someone?”

Kivera’s eyes close slowly. “That is a difficult question to answer, Arrabella. Love is different for every person. Are you asking me this about Tanner or Bas?”

“Both.” I prop my head up on my hand. “I don’t know if I love Tanner. I enjoy being with him, and he has always made me happy, but it’s different being around Bas. He confuses me sometimes, but at other times the world seems simpler when he’s near. Tanner is so easy to be around, and fun to spend time with. Bas makes my head hurt more often than not, but not being around him sometimes hurts even worse.”

I am surprised when Kivera wraps her arm around my shoulder and pulls me into an embrace. Because she looks like she is the same age as me when we meet in the place, I often forget that she lived a life, married, had children, and grew to old age in her mortal life. The motherly affection of gentle support is less surprising when I remind myself of that. I find myself leaning into her embrace.

“Arrabella,” Kivera says gently, “I think you already know the answer to your question, you just do not want to admit it. The question you really need to answer is what kind of relationship you are prepared for.”

“What do you mean?”

Kivera smiles at me. “Do you want the easy, fun relationship you know you can have with Tanner, or do you want the confusion and joy that being with Bas can bring you? Being with Tanner is easier. There is less pressure, less worry about the future. If that is what you want, it is okay, Arrabella. You are only sixteen, a child.

“Admitting you are not ready for what Bas is offering you is understandable. Being with Bas will be harder. The ups and downs will be more dramatic because you have more to lose. Being with Bas means thinking about the future, wondering and worrying, planning and struggling when those plans do not work out. It means being in love with someone, not just dating and having fun.”

A feeling I can’t explain builds in my chest. It hurts, but at the same time is comforting. “I’m scared,” I admit. “I don’t know if I’m ready to be in love with Bas.”

“Why not?” Kivera asks. There is no judgment in her voice. I think she even knows the answer, but she wants me to admit it.

Admitting it isn’t easy, though. My breathing becomes more labored as I try to voice the storm that is roiling in my heart. “Because I know there will be no going back. Bas feels so much. He takes everything into himself and holds it close to his heart. He never lets it go, for good or bad. I’ll be a part of him for the rest of his life. What if I hurt him? What if it doesn’t work out? He’ll carry that around forever. I don’t know if I can handle that kind of responsibility. I’m afraid of being swept up in his intensity and losing myself to him.”

“Arrabella,” Kivera says, “Bas has already taken you into his heart. There is no escaping that, but you cannot let Bas make the decision for you. Do what is best for you. If you’re not ready, Bas will wait if he truly loves you.”

“But, I can’t stay with Tanner and pretend I don’t feel anything for Bas. Saying no to Bas means losing them both.”

Kivera brushes my hair back softly and wipes away tears I didn’t realize had fallen. “You cannot make this decision for either of them. It must be for you. If their feelings are genuine, you will not lose them.”

I hope she’s right, but a whole other sadness suddenly envelops me. “It may not even matter,” I say quietly. “If I don’t help Sibeal, which is hopefully what Tlaloc wants, it will be Bas and Tanner losing me.”

Kivera shakes her head. “You cannot think about such things right now. Stay focused on your objective. I have faith in your ability to survive this.”

I try to soak up her confidence, but it isn’t easy. We embrace each other tightly. I don’t want to go back just yet, but I know I need to get back to Sibeal. “Thank you,” I whisper as I pull away from Kivera.

She smiles at me. “You know, you do not have to be dealing with curses to come here and talk to me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say with a shaky smile. I am honestly comforted by the idea. We say our goodbyes and I focus my mind on getting back to the others.

***

A few seconds later, I open my eyes to Sibeal’s den, to Bas and Tanner hovering over me. Sibeal is close by as well, but kept back by the guys crowding in. Startled by their closeness, I lean back and stare at them with a wary expression.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Tanner looks at me like I should have the answer. “We don’t know. Why were you crying?”

“What?”

My hand comes up to touch my face, and I’m embarrassed when it comes away wet. I try to lift my other hand to get rid of the evidence of my conversation with Kivera, but when I try to lift my hand, I realize it’s still attached to Bas’s.

Tanner’s face clouds instantly. “Care to explain?” he snaps.

I look away in shame as I yank my hand out of Bas’s. “I needed to focus. I’ll explain later, I promise.”

Tanner’s mouth opens, but Bas interrupts before he can speak. “What did Kivera tell you?” he asks.

Desperate to move on, I say, “She agreed that Darcy shouldn’t have ended up in the mirror. She should have gone into the stone. My guess is that the mirror acted as a gate or something and when Darcy got knocked into it, the power that was already saturating her got confused.”

“What does that mean for the curse?” Sibeal asks. “If she was supposed to be taken into the stone, what will happen tomorrow? She won’t get out, will she?”

That last part comes out more of a terrified squeak than actual words. I try to comfort Sibeal by grabbing her hand, but I don’t really have anything else to offer her. “I don’t know,” I admit. “Maybe the stone will just transfer the energy regardless of where Darcy ended up.”

Sibeal’s head drops into her hands. “More likely, Darcy will be released from the mirror and the power will try to take her into the stone. I don’t think Etain will be able to get our power unless it goes through the stone. She’s linked to the stone, not a mirror or a window.”

Tanner presses his hands to the top of his head. “What does that mean? Will Darcy be able to do anything while she’s being transferred or whatever?”

Sibeal can only shrug. “Knowing her, she’ll certainly try.”

“How do we stop her from hurting you?” Bas asks.

Again, Sibeal doesn’t have the answer. “I don’t know. Our power is linked. If there’s a way, she’ll certainly make use of it. She may be able to pull me in after her if she regains use of her power for a moment. She could trap me in the stone with her.”

“Sibeal, we won’t let that happen,” I promise.

“How?” she demands. “We still don’t know how to make the curse permanent. If we can’t do that, I’ll get pulled into the curse either way.”

“How do you make a curse stone?” Tanner asks suddenly.

We all turn to look at him, wondering what exactly he’s thinking. Sibeal is the first to speak up. “You have to use the ancient language to pour part of your power into the stone.”

“Is the stone special?”

Sibeal shakes her head. “It’s just a rock. The symbols on them are created during the cursing. Part of the process is preparing the stone to act as a vessel.”

“So, this thing, it has Etain’s power locked up inside of it?”

“A part of it,” Sibeal says.

Tanner begins pacing back and forth. “You’re connected to the stone because you activated the curse. Darcy is connected because she’s the one who touched it. Etain is connected, too. Her power is locked up in the stone, and you said it’s somehow linked to her. So she could collect you and Darcy’s power when the curse is permanent, right?”

“Right,” Sibeal says.

“Tanner, what are you getting at?” Bas asks, echoing my own thoughts.

He seems to struggle with an answer. “If she’s still linked to the stone, shouldn’t we be able to use that somehow?”

“Like turn the stone against her?” I ask.

Tanner shrugs. We all look to Sibeal. Her eyes get big as we wait for her to say something. “Um, maybe, I’m not sure. It’s possible, I guess.” Her fingers twist into her hair as anxiety takes over. “I might…I might be able to put a second cursing on the stone that would stop her. I’m not sure, though. I’ll have to research what curse would work. It won’t be easy undermining something as powerful as a Soul Stone.”

“But it’s worth a try,” Tanner says, and everyone nods in agreement. Tanner’s face puzzles quickly, though. “Can you even make a curse stone? I guess we never asked you whether or not you’re power got trapped like Darcy’s did.”

Sibeal shakes her head. “I’m weaker with Darcy trapped, but I think I still have enough power to manage a curse stone.”

Everyone looks relieved, but my thoughts are pulled elsewhere as another part of my conversation with Kivera kicks in. “Why didn’t Etain just give you the stone to start with if all she wanted was to get you and Darcy’s power?” I ask Sibeal. “It would have worked just as well with you, right?”

“Even better,” Bas says. “With you, Etain has to worry that you’ll sacrifice yourself to save Darcy. You’re the most likely twin to screw up her plans. Darcy would be happy to send you off into oblivion.”

Sibeal sits back down on the couch, confusion heavy on her shoulders. Her eyes squeeze shut as she shakes her head. “You’re right,” she says finally. “We must be missing something.”

“We need to figure out what makes giving you the stone a better choice than giving it to Darcy,” I say. “If we can figure that out, I think we’ll know how to stop the curse.”

Silence falls over the room as everyone focuses on the seemingly impossible question. Everyone is so absorbed in trying to discover what attribute of Sibeal’s makes it more likely that Etain ends up with the sisters’ power that the sound of the door to the den opening makes us all jump. All eyes dart over to the stairs as we scramble to look like we aren’t plotting.

Mrs. Ahearn appears a minute later, peeking her head around the stairwell. She smiles when she finds us spread out over the floor and couches chatting like Sibeal’s world isn’t about to fall apart around her.

“It was so quiet down here I thought you all had fallen asleep,” she says.

She seems to have mixed feelings about the four of us being down here alone. I’m sure she’s thrilled that Sibeal has made friends and we all want to hang out together, but no doubt there are concerns about leaving us down here too long.

“I hate to break up the party,” Mrs. Ahearn says, “but it’s almost midnight and Sibeal and I have a house guest coming tomorrow. Sorry, boys, but I think it’s time to head home.”

Bas and Tanner stand up, apologizing for staying so long. Sibeal’s mom brushes off their apologies. She invites them back any time, but does manage to herd us all up the stairs while she does it. Soon enough, we’re all back up at the front door where Mrs. Ahearn leaves us to say our goodbyes in private.

“We’ll keep thinking,” Tanner promises Sibeal.

“Thank you, Tanner.” She surprises everyone by throwing her arms around Tanner and hugging him tightly.

Even more surprising, Tanner hugs her back. “Of course,” he says.

Sibeal pulls away then, looking a little embarrassed. She steps back and leaves room for Tanner to approach me. His arms slide around me comfortably. It’s familiar and easy, and I let myself enjoy the warmth of his touch and try to take Kivera’s words to heart.

When Tanner pulls back, there is concern in his eyes. His voice is quiet as he says, “Are we okay?”

“I don’t know,” I say softly. I hate the way his face falls, but I can’t give him a different answer.

“After we save Sibeal, we’ll talk,” Tanner says with more confidence in his voice than in his eyes. I nod my agreement and slip out of his grip.

I step back to let him pass by me. He steps through the door and waits on the porch for Bas, who has one arm around Sibeal’s shoulder as he tries to reassure her. She seems to appreciate the effort, but there isn’t much that can convince Sibeal everything will turn out okay at this point. Bas gives her an encouraging hug before releasing her and coming over to me.

Not sure what he’ll do with Tanner only a few feet away, I wait for him to take the lead. When he stops a few feet away from me, I fold my arms around my middle. Part of me wants to pull against him and drink in the weight of his love and try to figure out if I am ready to accept it, but I can’t. My eyes glance past him to Tanner, realizing I need the same thing from him. Tanner meets my eyes for a brief moment, before letting them fall away. I am left with no clearer answer than before.

Bas shuffles a bit before looking up at me. “We’ll figure this out,” he says, and I know he isn’t just talking about Sibeal and the stone.

Swallowing hard, I nod slowly.

“I tried to call Noel while you were with Kivera, but he didn’t pick up. I’ll let everyone know as soon as I hear from him.”

Bas and Tanner disappear after that, into the darkness as they walk toward Tanner’s truck. Sibeal closes the door and leans her back against it. Her eyes turn to me with more hope than I have seen in them for a while. “Are you ready to help me create a curse?” she asks.

I sigh. I’ve been trying to escape curses for so long, and now I’m going to help make one. How much more twisted can this thing get?