Chapter 209

Ella’s POV

Tracking down the witch was no small feat. With Liam still asleep in the hospital, I had no contact information for Julie and wound up having to check Liam’s apartment for information. Eventually, I found a single phone number scrawled on a post-it note on the fridge.

Upon calling the number, Julie promised to come see Alexander and I that night.

“I’ve actually been meaning to speak to you,” she said, “about the ritual you saw. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

True to her word, Julie arrived at the estate as soon as the clock struck midnight. The house had long since gone to bed, the corridors dark and quiet—the perfect setting for a witch to come and diagnose Alexander without prying eyes or ears lurking around.

Julie arrived dressed in a simple blue cardigan and a pair of jeans with a leather satchel slung over one shoulder.

“Let me see him,” she said by way of greeting the moment I opened the door. She practically shoved past me into the house before I could even more aside, but I was grateful for her straightforward demeanor about the whole situation.

I let Julie to Alexander’s office, where he was currently sitting in one of the armchairs and staring stoically into the crackling fire. He looked up when we entered and eyed the witch warily.

“I hear you’ve been affected by the curse,” Julie said matter-of-factly.

Alexander stood slowly and turned to her. He looked healthy, or at least no less worse for wear than he had before. That was to say, he looked a bit pale and tired, but otherwise fine. The coughing had subsided with some tea and cough syrup.

“This is Julie,” I said, shutting the door behind me and gesturing to the witch. “She’s the one who told me about the artifacts. She knows a lot about the curse.”

Julie nodded, and Alexander seemed to relax somewhat. He was no less skeptical of witches than I was, but neither of us could deny their powers now. Not after everything that had happened.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Alexander said, gesturing to the chair beside him. “Would you like to take a seat?”

“I’d like to examine you first,” she said, pushing up the sleeves of her blue cardigan. “If you wouldn’t mind sitting yourself…”

Alexander did as instructed. For a few minutes, the room was silent save for Julie’s quiet muttering to herself. She bustled around Alexander, hovering her hands in various places around his body.

Eventually, she pulled some strange instruments out of her bag—a satchel of what smelled like pungent, deathly-foul herbs that made my nose wrinkle all the way across the room, a small magnifying glass that wasn’t clear but rather pitch black and completely opaque, and a rather long needle that made even Alexander blanch.

“What’s that stuff for?” Alexander asked warily.

“Just relax.” Julie waved the satchel around his head, making him pale further at the scent, then picked up the needle. Alexander tensed, but allowed her to poke at his sternum with the needle. He flinched as a prick of blood drew to the surface of his skin.

Julie then held the strange magnifying glass over the spot she’d just pricked. She seemed to look through it for a moment, although I wasn’t sure what she could possibly see with that thing.

Finally, she set everything aside with a heavy sigh.

“It is as I thought.” She shook her head wistfully and plopped into the chair behind her as if suddenly exhausted. “The curse is taking its effect in the form of a magical tuberculosis.”

“Magical… tuberculosis.” Alexander stared at the witch in shock. I hurried across the room and poured her a cup of tea from the steaming teapot. She accepted it with a muttered thank-you and took a sip before answering.

“I know it sounds absurd, but that’s what the curse does—it may manifest in the form of a sudden and tragic accident, but those are often the more merciful consequences. Typically, it coagulates into a ball of dark magic in the body that displays symptoms of an ordinary but fatal illness.”

“Like Liam’s cancer,” I pointed out.

Julie nodded grimly. “Yes. The bright side is that there are treatments, seeing as how the symptoms manifest as illnesses or disorders well-known by our modern-day medical professionals. But the nature of the dark magic disallows any true cure other than breaking the curse.”

“So treatment could prolong my life, but the only real cure is burning those artifacts,” Alexander said quietly.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Julie glanced at me. “I take it you haven’t had any luck.”

I shook my head and perched on the arm of Alexander’s chair, rubbing a circle on his back. He wrapped his arm around my waist and dug his fingers into my hip as if I were a lifeline tethering him from flying away.

“We found the artifacts, but we believe Margaret stole them. She took off shortly after and we haven’t been able to locate her,” I replied.

Julie’s expression darkened. “Typical. She’s such a coward, unwilling to face the consequences for her use of black magic. And to think that I once apprenticed with her…”

My brows shot up. “You were an apprentice with her?”

She nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. We studied under the same elder witch a few years back. Margaret had a lot of potential, but she became overly fascinated with black magic. Ultimately, she ignored the elder’s multiple warnings and decided to start her own coven of dark witches. I haven’t quite figured out what she intends to do, but I have ideas.”

“I think I know.” I pulled out my phone and showed Julie the pictures Lilith had taken of Margaret’s journal—specifically in regards to raising undead servants.

“By the Luna’s fangs,” Julie breathed, eyes widening as she read the entries, “this is even worse than I thought. We must find her.”

“We’ve been trying,” Alexander said. “She’s proven to be very elusive.”

“I’ll find her.” Julie stood and rifled through her satchel again, this time producing a thin leather strap with a strange circular medallion on it. The pendant was carved with what looked like runes. “In the meantime, wear this at all times. It will vibrate in the presence of dark magic.”

Julie walked over to Alexander and held it out, and indeed, the talisman began to vibrate. She then handed it to me, and it was surprisingly cool and still in my palm.

“I think Margaret may have stolen the artifacts because they’re even more potent due to previous use,” Julie went on, gathering the rest of her things quickly. “And if we don’t find them before she uses them, she might sap all of the magic out of them—thereby rendering them useless in breaking your curse.”

“Great.” I tucked the talisman into my pocket. “Another risk to consider.”

“I’ll find her,” Julie repeated, slinging her satchel over her shoulder. “For now, keep that talisman close, and see a doctor for Alexander’s symptoms. And let me know if you come into contact with anyone who makes the talisman vibrate.”

I nodded, watching as she hurried toward the door. But before she could go, Alexander blurted out, “How is it that we can tell you about the curse and it doesn’t put you at risk?”

Julie stopped, glancing over her shoulder at him in the very same way she had the day she’d met me.

“Because I’ve already been reborn,” she said, smiling faintly.

And just like that, she was gone.