“Miss Hamilton, if there were any other way, I would never trouble you at a time like this. But please, for the sake of my family’s generations of care for yours, help us again.”
I struggled to sit up, but Charles gently pushed me back down. He poured me a g
glass of water.
I know it’s unrealistic to ask you to perform the full rite now. Is there any way to delay the curse? Just for a few days?”
I sighed heavily and drank the water. My ancestors had made a pact with the Devereauxs, and had received their prote- ction in turn. My family’s magic was bound to their fate. My parents‘ dying words were a reminder of that sacred duty. Even in this state, I had to save them.
I thought for two hours. Charles waited in silence, not daring to disturb me.
*There is one way,” I finally said. “But there can be no mistakes this time.”
*I’ve never tried it before. I can’t guarantee it will work.”
The moment I spoke, Charles nodded without hesitation. “Tell me what to do, Miss Hamilton. I will follow your instruct-
ions to the letter! There will be no more accidents.”
I drew a layout of the Devereauxs‘ ancestral sanctuary on a piece of paper, marking the positions for the ritual objects. The black rooster, now consecrated by my blood, was the perfect offering. After explaining all the precautions, I was still uneasy.
“Are you
you
certain no one will interfere this time? What about Victoria? Is she secured?”
“This is our only chance.”
Charles nodded grimly. “They are locked in the basement. Guards are watching them. They won’t be causing any more trouble.”
“Thank you, Miss Hamilton. Please, rest and recover. I will have the butler see to it immediately.”
With that, he hurried out of the room. I knew he was going to check on his injured nephew, and I didn’t stop him. If this smaller rite was successful, it should hold the curse at bay until I was discharged.
Relaxing for the first time, I quickly fell into a deep sleep.
I never expected the next disaster to come so quickly.
The next morning, Charles burst into my room, frantic.
“Miss Hamilton, my sister! Something’s happened! She was getting a beauty treatment and was severely burned all over her body! She’s in intensive care!”
“Didn’t you say things would be fine after yesterday’s preparations? Why is this still happening?”
Chapter 2
“Didn’t you say things would be fine after yesterday’s preparations? Why is this still happening?”
“She’s my only sister. We have to save her!”
“How are you feeling? Have you recovered? Can you come to the sanctuary with me? Did we place something in the wrong position?”
I was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, confined to a wheelchair. I went with him back to the estate.
In the sanctuary, the ritual objects were laid out in the exact opposite configuration of my drawing.
My brows furrowed. “This is wrong. It’s like someone took my diagram and created a mirror image.”
“Look, this jade Buddha should be in the east. It’s in the west. It was meant to counteract the curse, but now it’s amplify- ing it.”
“Who arranged these items? They have to be moved back, immediately!”
Charles was horrified. He ordered the guards to rearrange everything, but it was too late.
The hospital called again. This time, it was his cousin. The injuries were critical; the doctors had already issued a termi- nal diagnosis.
After hanging up, Charles’s face was a mask of dark fury.
I frowned, a suspicion forming. “Is it possible there’s a spy among your staff? Someone from a rival family?”
The Devereauxs had made many enemies over the years. It wasn’t impossible.
But Charles immediately dismissed the idea. “These people have served my family for generations. They sign a pact when they come of age. Their entire families‘ lives are in my hands. They would never betray me.”
