Cursed

Chapter 21

"So let me get this straight: you are practicing the removal of curses on poachers and goblin extremists, and without enhancing your magic, they wither and die a painfully gruesome death; which is why you were collecting the dark blades, that you've already explained are not dark magic related, because without them you aren't strong enough to break the curses. The other option you have is purging ancient magic repositories, but without knowing their locations, you resort to blackmailing this Minks guy with information that you witness his presence while under the influence of the derraged witch's gas the first time she sequestered you with Gareth. Given that he works for the Ministry, you threaten to turn him in if he doesn't cooperate in finding records that would potentially help you find repositories, but since this was Plan B, you searched and found all four enhancer relics. Now the question is: What benefit would you get from having this ability? Especially when you have to curse them to then remove them."

"Do you need some water, Ominis? Because that was a lot of information." Sebastian lightheartedly taunted him. "Let me put it this way, who would she want to lift a curse from that she would have to practice on lowlife criminals in order to perfect it so as not to cause harm? Who do we know is cursed with something so powerful and unbreakable?"

"... Anne." Ominis, who had been pacing the entire time, abruptly stopped. "She's trying to cure Anne!" He paused before turning in on Sebastian and grabbing his collar, impressive aim for a man who could not see. "Have you been poisoning her mind again? Have you learned nothing!? Your uncle is dead for this exact reason, Sebastian!"

"I am not!" Sebastian answered, struggling against Ominis. "I swear!"

"Then how do you know she's trying to cure Anne?" He release him, panting hard. "I will not let her go near her. Not if she's trying to kill her!"

"She is not going to kill Anne. The end goal to her plan hit me when she showed me what she had been up to. Everything went perfectly fine before the curse returned to the goblin, and she knew it would happen. It was her way of justifying to me her need for all the blades, including the one in your possession."

"She's gone mad if she thinks I'll give her the horrid thing now that I know she'll be risking Anne's life for a rush of power." Ominis wrapped his hand around the hilt of the blade he carried on his belt, gripping on to it like it would disappear any moment.

"It's not polite to talk about someone like that when they're within earshot." Juniper walked into the Undercroft, her voice bellowing through the old room.

"You were supposed to stay out of the Undercroft." Sebastian crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. So much for perseving the peace.

"I was, but with your yelling, I didn't need to be. And no, Ominis, I am not doing this for a "rush of power" as you accuse me of. Anne is well aware of what my end goal is and agreed to it. But I won't risk curing her without the fourth blade." Juniper said.

Ominis didn't budge. "I will never give it to you. You are playing God, June. You will regret giving her false hope."

"For Merlin's sake, Ominis! I am not trying to raise the dead. Lifting her curse is a lot simpler than you think."

"Then why has everything else failed? You were there, June! You saw what happened to Sebastian when he went down that bloody path. He murdered his uncle!"

"This is different!" Juniper's original idea with entering the Undercroft was to keep them from revealing their hideaway with all their shouting but had ultimately fallen under the same tactic.

"June," Sebastian started. The only level-headed voice in the room for the first time in existence. "How is it different? How can you guarantee that it will be alright and that you won't be cause more harm than good?"

"Don't you enable her, Sebastian! Anne has managed to live with the curse and is doing well for once."

Juniper felt rage in her cheeks. Did they not know? Were they that dense? She couldn't hold back her feelings, and the tension grew between the trio.

"Are you that self-absorbed that you have not noticed? She is dying."

Her statement sounded like a whip cracking through the air.

"What?" They said simultaneously.

"She has gotten worse in the last few months. Bloody hell, it might be close to a year now. The curse is taking over. Did you not see how frail she was over the holiday break? I know you're blind, but you didn't notice how much she was coughing and how much time she spent sitting down? She doesn't have much time left, so give me the damn knife, Ominis!"

Ominis took a step back, but not as confident as he wanted it to be. Could she be bluffing about Anne just to get the blade? After all, Anne didn't say anything to him or Sebastian about the curse getting worse. But if it were true and Juniper could save her, why sneak around and hide it? Juniper wouldn't benefit from hurting Anne, at least to his knowledge. He wished Sebastian would say something that might help him make a decision. Could he trust Juniper?

Sebastian was in the same predicament as Ominis. When he heard Anne was worse, he would've tackled Ominis himself for the chance at saving her. But could he truly believe that what Juniper was saying to be true? He had seen what she had done to the goblin, and he wouldn't risk that with Anne. Not while he still breathed.

"No." He finally said.

"No, what?" Juniper hissed.

"You are not getting that blade."

"Did you not hear what I said!? I can't save her without all four blades!" Juniper shouted. Flailing her arms in the air in a frustrated manner. Why did they not believe her?

Ominis, invigorated by Sebastian's decision, straightened his stance.

"The only way you are getting this blade is through me." He said bravely.

There was a moment when Juniper's eyes blazed in blue flames. A split second where a ghost-like being separated from her body.

"That won't be an issue." It said.

In that split second, Juniper met Sebastian's eyes and gave him a cool-right? smile. For a split second, he recognized Juniper, his June, the one he was so familiar with. The one he felt was his closest friend. The one he loved. In that split second, he whispered her name in sudden realization that both Poppy's and Natty's theories were correct. The Juniper they were seeing was not their Juniper.

But it only lasted a moment before she lurched towards Ominis with inhuman speed. Ominis was quick, but not quick enough. He tried his best at dodging her attack, but she managed to grab him by his cloak and pulled him towards her, his feet not reaching the ground below him.

"June..." He said hoarsly as her power tightened around his throat.

"Begging for her won't help you now."

With a loud whack, Sebastian threw a nearby wooden crate at Juniper, causing her to release Ominis, but not before she wrenched the blade from him.

"You will regret that once I ditch this host."

Sebastian braced himself for a second attack, but it never came. Instead, Juniper began to chant in a hushed voice. Suddenly, everything slowly came to a stop. The fire in the ceiling sconces paused mid flicker, and the spell slowly moved in closer to the boys. For another moment, there was a break in the blue flames in Juniper's eyes.

"I'll fix this, I promise." She whispered to Sebastian before vanishing as the spell took hold of the rest of the room. Freezing the two boys in place.