Fairy Bad Day(68)

“There’s something I think you should see.” He gently steered her around so that she was facing the same way he was, his arms still protectively wrapped around her shoulders, as if he was afraid that she would disappear on him.

“What are you—”

But the rest of her words were lost as there, hovering in the air, just behind where she was standing, was an elaborately decorated container about the size of a backpack. The wood was so dark it looked almost black, while deep red gems were studded in the lid and glistened around it like some sort of blood-soaked halo. For an inanimate object it seemed to radiate a lot of evil. Like darkhel, like soul box, she supposed, while not finding the thought remotely comforting.

“You found it,” she croaked. “You really found it.”

“We found it,” he corrected as he stepped back and watched Emma fish the pendant out of the pocket of her shirt. The large circle in the middle of the box was a mirror image of the crystal. “So go on,” he encouraged, and Emma felt her hands start to shake.

Is this what her mom had done when she had banished the darkhel?

The idea of Curtis and her repeating history gave her a small thrill. Of course it wasn’t the same as being a dragon slayer, but at least she was following in her mother’s footsteps in some small way. Even if it had taken Emma four days and a bunch of friends to inadvertently figure out.

She took a deep breath and slipped the pendant into the front of the box. It was a perfect fit and she watched as the top opened up like a flower and a dark wisp of smoke curled out. For a moment it hovered over her head before it formed into a small, tight ball and then it went speeding out of the freezer and off into the food court.

A second later the box itself disappeared and the crystal pendant fell to the floor with a clatter. She bent and picked it up before turning back to Curtis, slipping her hand into his and shooting him a shy smile. He squeezed her hand and gave her a dazzling smile that made her feel short of breath.

There. It was done. The darkhel’s soul had been returned, and in twenty-four hours the vile creature would be banished back to the other side of the gate, where it belonged.

Emma just hoped that things didn’t get worse before they got better.





CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE





I still can’t believe you did it,” Loni said as they sat in Emma’s dorm room carefully activating the dozens of tiny wards that Loni had attached to the silver knives and carefully coated in salt, while they waited for Tyler and Curtis to come back with some food and the list of potential Pure Ones.

“I know, it’s crazy, isn’t it?” Emma agreed as she used her screwdriver to flip the switch in the ward before adding it to the growing pile. “I mean we actually banished the darkhel. Well, almost banished it,” she corrected while desperately trying to ignore the irony of finding herself in the position of longing for rather than dreading tomorrow’s induction ceremony. Even though she wouldn’t be made a dragon slayer, she would at least know that the darkhel was gone.

“Yeah, that’s great too but I’m actually talking about you and Curtis,” Loni said in a mild voice before she put down the ward she had been working on and grinned. “So seriously, I want all the details.”

“What?” Emma felt her cheeks start to heat up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I mean, we’re in the middle of a crisis here and I’m not sure that talking about boys is really appropriate.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” Loni retorted. “Not only is the crisis nearly averted but more importantly you two came back from the mall glowing like you’d been dipped in neon paint and then plugged into a power station. So I want details and I want them now. Was there kissing?”

Emma felt a tingle go through her as she nodded and smiled. “Yes, there was kissing. And even some talking. So do you really want to know what happened?”

“Do ogres like eating the eyeballs of their victims? Of course I do.” Loni eagerly leaned forward. It didn’t take Emma too long to fill her friend in on everything, though she didn’t feel it was her place to mention Curtis’s secret.

“Well, if I’ve said it once to Tyler, I’ve said it a hundred times. You and Curtis are perfect for each other.” Loni let out a dreamy sigh when Emma had finished. “And not just because of the star-sign thing, but just because it makes so much sense. Oh, and it also means that Tyler owes me a hundred bucks.”

“You put a bet on me?” Emma demanded.

“No,” Loni quickly said, then relented. “Well, yes. But only because I’m a hopeless romantic. Plus Tyler, cynic that he is, gave me really great odds. Are you mad?”

“No, I’m not mad,” Emma assured her. “Especially since I know how much you wanted to get those jeans you saw at the mall the other day, so I guess your ill-gotten gains will help pay for them. But, Lon, if you don’t mind, don’t say anything about it just yet. It’s just that until we know for sure that the darkhel is banished, I can’t help but feel uneasy. Like my stomach is all twisted in knots, you know?”

“I know.” Loni nodded just as there was a knock on the door and Tyler and Curtis appeared with a tray of burgers and a piece of paper.

“Well, ladies, I hope those wards are done because we come bearing food,” Tyler announced with a flourish.