Later in the day, when the sun was setting, Cory returned to the office with Tabitha. The two stayed in the front room, talking fast about a plant. Lindell didn’t dare hope, even though they looked excited.

  “I know how the Rune Master made his runes stronger,” Tabitha said when she saw Lindell in the kitchen doorway. “He must have a deep knowledge of plants to have even considered it.” She grinned. “He’s using Graveblossom root. Graveblossom grows in forests along the shore in Oenum.”

  “Does it grow nearby?” Lindell asked. He thought he’d read about that plant somewhere before, but couldn’t think of it right then.

  “It does,” Cory said. “Do you want to come with us to see if it’s been harvested?”

  Lindell nodded, grabbing his boots from where he’d left them on the other side of the fireplace. “Is that something you have at your shop?”

  “Definitely not,” Tabitha said. “It’s illegal to sell it and has been for years.”

  He would ask what Graveblossom was later. He wanted to see the place where it grew, to see if it had been harvested. The three of them left the office, crossing through the nearly empty harbor and into the forest. Tabitha led the way along the rocky shore. At the edge of the forest, at the base of a tree, they found what they were looking for.

  “Are those daisies?” Lindell asked, but he had never seen ones with white petals that were red on the ends.

  “These are Graveblossoms,” Tabitha said.

  The three of them stared at the patch of flowers in silence for a long moment. It had clearly been harvested. The dirt was disturbed where someone had pulled a few flowers out, along with the roots.

  “He’s taken flowers as well…” Tabitha shuddered. “That’s the most dangerous part.”

  “What does the flower do?” Lindell asked. “You sell poisonous plants at your shop. How is Graveblossom worse?”

  “It allows those without magic to use elemental magic,” Cory said, “but they lose control of the magic and it kills them. That’s why it’s illegal to harvest it or use it.”

  “A very long time ago, it became popular,” Tabitha said with a sigh. “An apothecary started selling it for an outrageous price, promising it would allow those who aren’t witches to use magic. Those who could afford it bought it. Most didn’t even believe in magic back then. I don’t know what history books say happened, but a bunch of nobles died after drinking Graveblossom tea. They were killed by elemental magic that manifested within them. It doesn’t do anything to witches or demons, and I doubt it would affect a spirit either. But the Rune Master could use it against the duke and his allies.”

  “The root doesn’t have that effect?” Lindell asked.

  Cory shook his head. “It can strengthen rune magic. We talked to Edwina, a local rune witch. Her great grandmother once used Graveblossom root in a rune curse to make it much stronger. That was before it was illegal, or before the effects of the flower were discovered.”

  “I will prepare the antidote,” Tabitha said, staring at the patch of flowers. “Just in case.”

  The three of them went back into Arkose. Lindell and Cory walked with Tabitha to her shop before going back to the office. The sun had finished setting, but Hector wasn’t there.

  “I’m going to his house to see if he’s alright,” Lindell said.

  “I’ll go with you,” Cory said.

  The two of them left the office, going to the west side of Arkose. Hector’s house was a medium sized one at the edge of the town, in sight of the forest. Lindell knocked on the door, trying to ignore the knot of worry in his chest. There was no answer. Cory tried the door and it opened. The two of them looked at each other before hurrying inside. The front room of the house was dark. The moonlight spilling in through the open door was the only light. It was enough light to see Hector sitting at the end of the stairs that went up along the right wall.

  “Don’t come closer,” Hector said, his voice strained. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, and his hair was a mess, no longer tied back. His eyes were light brown and feline, with no visible white. His teeth looked longer and sharper than usual.

  “Did the Rune Master curse you?” Cory asked.

  “Yes,” Hector said quietly. “He must have gotten me on the way home. The harbor was crowded.” He growled, the sound chilling Lindell to the bone. It wasn’t the sound of a frustrated human, it was the sound of an angry predator. Hector stared hard at the floor. “I’m sorry, Lindell. I should have told you the truth before.” His voice shook. “I’m going to tell you now.” He looked at Lindell with those strange eyes. “Bazza left me for dead in the forest of Luna. I saw him at the harbor and followed him into the forest, to some sort of shrine. It was home to a lesser demon, but the demon was weaker than he expected. Neither of us was any match for Bazza, and he left both of us to die.”

  Lindell hesitated. “Then you’re the host of a demon?”

  “No,” Hector said, the word a growl. “I am a demon, but not all the time. The demon’s…essence became a part of me. I suppose it was the demon’s magic. Somehow it joined with me easily and has become only stronger.” He closed his eyes. “I’ve been trying to deny it happened, and I know I was a fool. Whatever the Rune Master did, I think I’m about to lose control. It’s hard to think about anything other than eating the two of you. Run. Get out of here and lock the door.” He tossed something at Lindell and Cory.

  The key landed next to Cory’s boot. Cory reached down to pick it up. Hector snarled, letting out a terrifying yowling howl unlike anything Lindell had heard before. Something writhed under Hector’s skin, then black fur came through all over him. He was changing shape entirely, but it didn’t seem to be hurting him. When it was done, a large black cat crouched at the end of the stairs. It wasn’t a friendly sort of cat. It was the kind of cat that lived in the woods and stalked and ate people.

  If Hector had been standing next to Lindell in that form, he would be up to Lindell’s hip. Hector snarled, showing sharp teeth. There was nothing familiar in those eyes now, only hunger. Lindell’s breath was shallow and fast. Somehow he felt even colder than before. Next to him, Cory had gone stiff. Hector let out another terrible yowl and leaped at Lindell. Panic cut through the fear. There was no way he could get out of the way in time.

  One moment Lindell was standing there with a demon cat coming at him, claws extended, the next he was standing next to the door. Lindell saw shadowy darkness seep back into him. What had just happened? Cory ran past, grabbing Lindell by the arm and dragging him outside. Cory slammed the door shut. A thud shook the door, but Hector didn’t get through. Cory locked the door before turning to face Lindell, his expression hard to read. His eyes were dark purple, but they lightened, then returned to gray.

  “I don’t know what just happened,” Lindell said, his mind full of questions. Could they get Hector back, or would he be lost until the rune stone was destroyed? He feared it was the latter.

  “You disappeared,” Cory said. “You became shadowy and reappeared by the door.” He hesitated. “It was like you weren’t entirely solid.”

  Lindell didn’t know what that meant, but he could tell by the careful blankness of Cory’s expression that it wasn’t good. “What does it mean?”

  “I don’t know,” Cory said, “just that it’s probably not a good sign.” He looked at the door of Hector’s house, but there was no more ominous growling from the other side. “We should go back to the office.”

  “We can’t just leave him there,” Lindell said.

  “There’s nothing we can do for him without the rune stone,” Cory said. “I’m sorry.”

  Cory was right, but it was still hard to turn away from the door. The two walked in silence for a while.

  “Something is wrong with my magic. It has been for a while,” Lindell said.

  “I sent word to Vedrix this morning,” Cory said. “I don’t know if he’s at the office in Shale, but if he is, he may already be on his way here. I told him about the Rune Master and the curses.” He glanced at Lindell. “Hopefully he can help you too.”

  -- --

  Back at the office, Lindell was still lost in his thoughts and uncertainty. The only comfort was that the Rune Master wasn’t likely to just leave Arkose and take the rune stones with him. His plan was to take down the duke. He wouldn’t leave until that happened, and he hopefully wouldn’t leave after.

  “What is a lesser demon?” Lindell asked.

  “Usually they look like animals,” Cory said. “Bigger than a normal animal. They don’t have a human form, and they can’t speak. Whatever Hector is now, he isn’t a lesser demon. I don’t know what Bazza wanted with the lesser demon in Luna, but it probably wasn’t anything good.”

  Lindell’s heart clenched as he wondered what Bazza might have done to Hector. He had said he thought Hector had died in the forest of Luna. When Lindell thought of Bazza, it made it hard to trust anyone. That was why he tried not to think about him.

  “We should eat,” Cory said, breaking the silence.

  It was the last thing on Lindell’s mind, but his stomach growled and he felt weak. He didn’t feel much better after dinner, and he was shivering even more than before. He put extra blankets on the bed that night, but it didn’t seem to help. Was he cold because of the lack of fur, or was it something else? It was hard to sleep without the sound of Eireen’s breathing and her warmth beside him.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Donovan came to the office early in the morning with a frown made even more alarming by his appearance and the way he towered over them. “Something is wrong with the duke. It’s like he’s losing control…of wind magic.”

  “The Rune Master must have used the Graveblossom on him,” Cory said. “Hopefully Tabitha’s antidote is ready. Where is he?”

  “At his house,” Donovan said. “I moved him into a closet, so no flying objects would hit him. It was like there was a wind storm in his office when I walked in.”

  “Meet me there!” Cory said, running from the office.

  Lindell and Donovan set out for the duke’s house.

  “One moment he was ranting about magic and witches,” Donovan said, “the next he was screaming and there was a strong wind throwing everything around.” He shuddered. “Cory said Graveblossom, didn’t he?”

  “There’s a patch of it nearby, and it’s been harvested,” Lindell said. “The Rune Master has been using the roots of the plant with his rune curses to make them stronger.”

  Donovan stroked his mustache. “This all just keeps getting worse.”

  At the duke’s house, the terrified maid let them in, but she stayed in the entry hall when they went upstairs. They passed by the duke’s office. Books and papers were strewn all over the room, the desk was on its side, and a chair lay broken at the base of a wall. The paintings were askew, other than the ones on the floor. The glass in the window had deep cracks in it.

  “He’s gone quiet,” Donovan said, hurrying further down the hall, with Lindell close behind.

  They stopped outside a closet door, but Lindell heard nothing. He and Donovan looked at each other. Were they too late? Lindell heard the muffled voice of the maid, just before Cory and Tabitha came running down the hall. Tabitha held a small vial of something thick and green with a cork in it. She opened the closet door without a word. Belanger sat slumped against the back wall of the closet, his eyes barely open. He let out a low moan.

  Tabitha quickly uncorked the vial and poured the contents into his mouth. Belanger gagged, but he swallowed. His eyes closed all the way, but his breathing was steadier. Tabitha stayed by his side. The duke opened his eyes again with a grimace. He glared at Tabitha, who quickly got up and backed out of the closet. Belanger pulled himself to his feet, leaning unsteadily against the back wall of the closet.

  “The Rune Master must have given you Graveblossom tea,” Tabitha said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

  Belanger continued to glare at her. “I know what you are. Demon.”

  “She gave you the antidote,” Cory said. “You would be dead if she hadn’t.”

  Belanger glared at him too. He straightened his rumpled shirt. “I want the Rune Master found. He will hang for this.” He stalked past them and down the hall to his office.

  Lindell, Donovan, Cory, and Tabitha left the duke’s house. Out in the alleyway, the four of them stopped. Tabitha had opened her black parasol, but dark clouds were moving in overhead.

  “Did the Rune Master leave a note?” Lindell asked.

  Donovan nodded. “It said if Belanger doesn’t undo his laws against witches, he will never be able to trust anything he eats or drinks again and will be destroyed by the magic he despises so much.”

  Tabitha groaned. “I suppose I should make more antidote for the ungrateful toad.”

  Donovan smiled briefly. “I would appreciate it. If the Rune Master kills the duke like this, people will only fear magic and witches more. He would just be proving Belanger right.” He sighed. “Wilson wanted to talk this morning. I should see if he’s found out anything about Julius and Giselle.” He set off along the alleyway.

  Lindell, Cory, and Tabitha walked back to the office in silence. They were just about to decide what to do next, standing in the front room with the door open, when the duke showed up. Belanger stepped into the doorway, but he didn’t come further inside.

  “Irwin came by after you left,” Belanger said. “We are all but certain Eireen is a Priest of Iterna. A demon.”

  Lindell tensed, but didn’t dare say anything.

  “If it’s kept quiet and Phoenix stops the Rune Master,” Belanger said, “I will let you leave Arkose in peace, but I haven’t forgotten my duty as a witch hunter.”

  A heavy silence settled over them.

  “That’s no way to talk to people you want help from,” Tabitha said.

  “I’ll find out what you are as well,” Belanger said. “Just you wait.” He stormed out of the office and away down the alleyway.

  Lindell watched the dreadful man go until Cory closed and locked the front door. The three of them sat in the back room. Cory made tea. Dark clouds had moved in outside. The first drops of rain pattered against the kitchen window. None of them got up to light a fire, leaving the kitchen in shadows.

  “Belanger isn’t going to let this be,” Tabitha said. “Not now that he suspects us of being demons.”

  Cory finished his tea. “We may have no choice but to leave Arkose when this is over.”

  Tabitha sighed. “I would recommend just leaving now if it were only Belanger who was in danger, but even the horrid nobles shouldn’t have to suffer just because Belanger angered the Rune Master. And Donovan is right, it would just make things worse for witches if the Rune Master kills Belanger with magic.” She frowned hard at the table. “Witch hunters are very determined in their hatred of magic. When I lived in Vandis, my family was killed by the witch hunters. They were witches who fought them.”

  “You escaped?” Lindell asked.

  Thunder rumbled, shaking the window. The rain was coming down harder now.

  “Sort of,” Tabitha said. “I was badly wounded and left for dead in the forest.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach the sadness in her eyes. “That’s when Nox found me.”

  Lindell and Tabitha finished their tea as well, they and Cory not saying anything more. By then, the rain had stopped and the sun had returned.

  “I’m going to go see Eireen,” Lindell said, leaving Cory and Tabitha alone in the kitchen.

  At the healer’s, Delia was sitting behind her desk, looking through books and papers. Her hair was a mess, and there were dark circles under her eyes. The four nobles were still asleep, with Lovro still tossing and moaning. Pearl sat morosely on a stool beside Ernest’s bed. She didn’t look up. Lindell sat on the bed next to Eireen’s. She was breathing shallowly, her eyes closed.

  Lindell took her hand in his, but he let go quickly, worried he would make her cold. He stayed there until the sun was setting, then he left for the office. The sun had almost finished setting. There was no one in the alleyway, other than the noble walking toward him. Irwin stopped and sneered when he saw Lindell. Lindell’s every muscle clenched. The last thing he needed right then was to hear whatever horrible thing Irwin was about to say, but short of punching the man, there was no stopping him.

  “You finally appear normal again,” Irwin said. His eyes narrowed. “I suppose this too is some foul magic.”

  Lindell started to walk past.

  “I heard Eireen was cursed just like those nobles,” Irwin said. “Perhaps she has some human in her after all and isn’t entirely a beast.” He laughed.

  Lindell turned and grabbed Irwin by the front of his shirt, slamming him against the wall of the alleyway. Irwin gasped, his eyes going wide as he stared at Lindell. The part of his magic that was free of the bond felt more wrong than ever. It rushed to the surface. His hands and arms were shadowy. Despite him holding onto Irwin, Lindell didn’t appear entirely solid. Irwin whimpered, staring at Lindell’s eyes.

  He could feel the man’s fear. The stronger Irwin’s fear became, the better he felt, as though he was drawing strength from it. Irwin cried out and Lindell felt himself smile. Then his mind recoiled at his own thoughts, at his pleasure that Irwin was afraid. He shoved Irwin away from him. Irwin turned and ran, almost tripping in his hurry to get away. Lindell wanted to follow, wanted more of Irwin’s fear. He turned away and closed his eyes tightly until the feeling faded.

  When he opened his eyes, he looked back to normal. What had Irwin seen? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Whatever had just happened, he wanted no part of it. He continued toward the office, but soon he was running, not wanting to come across anyone else on the way. The office door was closed and locked when he got there. Lindell’s hands shook as he unlocked the door, but he didn’t drop the key. The front room was dark other than the light that spilled in from the kitchen doorway. He hesitated in the kitchen doorway. He glanced at the stairs, but he didn’t want to be alone right then.

  Cory was alone in the kitchen, sitting at the table, staring down at the wood. His eyes flickered purple when he looked up. “What happened?”

  Lindell sat across from him. He didn’t want to talk about this, but maybe Cory could help. “I attacked Irwin.” He told Cory all that had happened. “I don’t know what to do. What if it happens again?”

  Cory frowned hard. He looked much more lively than the moment before. “I don’t know either.” His eyes flickered purple again. “You said it gave you strength?”

  Lindell nodded. He hesitated again. “It felt good.”

  The two of them sat in heavy silence. How could they stop the Rune Master? They didn’t have even the smallest clue as to who he was. What could they do? This must be even harder for Cory, the curse making him have to constantly fight not to lose control of his magic.

  “Are you alright?” Lindell asked.

  Cory nodded. “I will be. Especially once we break that rune stone.” His stomach growled loudly and his face turned red.

  “I’ll cook,” Lindell said.

  The two of them said nothing during dinner, but the heavy tension of earlier had gone.