The Curse Keepers Collection (83 page)

I stood in the center of the dirt-floored structure as my eyes adjusted to the dim light, amazed that a family of three had lived comfortably in here. A bed, slightly larger than full-size, sat in one corner, a skeleton tucked beneath the quilt.

I gasped as I realized I was staring at my namesake, Elinor Dare.

Steven turned back to me. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you that the bodies haven’t been removed yet. Do you need to get some air?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. It just caught me by surprise.”

“As a father, the cradle is much more difficult for me,” he murmured.

The cradle. My eyes sought it out, next to the head of the bed and in Steven’s shadow. I took a step closer. A tiny skull was visible at the top of the infant’s bed, a cap covering its head.

“We’re fairly certain this is Elinor and Virginia Dare, but there’s no sign of Ananias.”

“You’re sure this is their house?”

“Not one hundred percent, of course, but as certain as possible. We’ve found a Bible with Ananias’s name inscribed inside, as well as other papers leading us to believe he lived here.” He pointed to the table on the opposite wall from the bed. A stack of papers sat in one corner, a candle in the middle.

I took a deep breath, the full impact of the situation hitting me. Ananias had sat at the table. He had slept in that bed next to his wife. Held the tiny baby that now lay in the cradle. How had he gone on after realizing he’d lost everything and everyone? “What was in the papers you found?”

“We’ve only begun to scratch the surface, so I can’t really answer that question yet. The two weeks we’ve been granted isn’t nearly enough time for us to examine everything. After David requested an extension, I’ve decided to file one as well. I’d like to be the lead researcher.” His mouth twisted, and he shrugged. “We’ll see if that happens or not. Only the fates decide.”

“Do you believe in fate, Steven?”

“I never used to, but I’m becoming more and more of a believer.”

I was too.

David returned about thirty minutes later. We were standing outside when Steven saw him coming. He leaned close to me and lowered his voice. “I’m not a meddler, Ellie, but David is like a son to me.” He rubbed his chin. “He doesn’t get close to people very easily. I can see there’s something going on between you two.”

“Oh.” We’d tried to be discreet with our partnership, and I felt bad that Steven had misunderstood, thinking our mutual interest was romantic.

“What you two do is your own business, but it’s obvious he’s taken with you. I wanted you to know how rare that is for him.”

I considered setting him straight, but what was I going to say? I’d have to let David take point on this one. “Thank you for showing me the house, but more importantly, for telling me about my parents.”

David approached us with a leery expression. “What are you two talking about?”

I laughed. “You, of course.”

Steven laughed with me and placed an arm around my shoulders. “You’ve met your match with this one, David. I suspect her father would approve.”

I offered him a smile. “I’m sure Daddy would.” Steven was talking about romance, but I knew Daddy would approve of David’s eagerness to help me.

David’s face flushed. “I think I’ve heard enough.” He shook his head and reached for my forearm, dragging me away. “There’s something I know you’ll want to see.”

Several feet away, he slowed down and stopped pulling, but his hand didn’t drop; it just shifted so that he was lightly gripping my wrist.

“I meant what I said about Daddy.”

He looked amused. “Oh, really?”

“Daddy would have loved you. If he could have handpicked someone to help me, I’m certain it would have been you.”

David gave me a strange look, and his eyes flickered with something I didn’t recognize. Then he shook his head, his excitement returning. “Come on. I really do have something to show you.”

“What?”

“It’s a surprise.” He led me to a hut that was smaller than the others and located at the edge of the clearing. Several primitive symbols were painted by the door, a few of which I recognized.

“Manteo’s hut,” I murmured.

“Yes, but that’s not the surprise.” He led me around the side of the structure, to a table that had been set up under a canopy. “Ellie, look at this.”

There was a slat of wood, covered in symbols.

“We just found it inside. Look at this.” He picked up a pen and pointed to a few of the symbols, keeping the tip several inches above the wood. “Recognize these? The night, the sun, the land, the sea.”

“They’re almost identical to the ones on my door.”

“I know. The symbols for things often changed from tribe to tribe. Collin’s family must have carefully preserved these for the ones he’s using to be almost identical.”

At least thirty symbols covered the slat, and I didn’t recognize about half of them. One symbol in particular filled me with excitement. “Okeus.” I pointed to it. “That must mean that one of these stands for Ahone.”

“Yeah, but the question is
which
.”

Some of my excitement faded. “How do we find out?”

“The books my friend borrowed should arrive at the inn today. Even if Ahone’s symbol isn’t in the text, we might be able to narrow the options down through the process of elimination.”

“How long do you think that will take?”

“That’s what I’m worried about. It might take days or even weeks. How much time do you think you have left?”

I twisted my lips as I thought about what Ukinim had said. “I might already be out of time. Ukinim suggested he wouldn’t have trouble taking my Manitou.”

David’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What good would it have done? Knowing won’t help us find Ahone’s mark any faster.”

“You can’t go out after dark anymore.”

I grimaced, finding it hard to agree. My Manitou was now fair game. Okeus could spring his surprise on me at any time.

I only hoped I would survive it.

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY

Over the next few days, David worked at the colony during the day, and I worked at the lunch shift at Darrell’s. Collin hadn’t shown his face at the restaurant—he was probably still angry with me about involving David. Still, he had continued to visit my door night after night, putting his mark and the new symbol in the center. David hadn’t found any reference to the symbol in the texts that had arrived from New York, and he hadn’t found Ahone’s symbol either.

I considered finding Collin and asking him what he knew about the Ricardo Estate and to define his involvement, but I knew it would be a wasted effort. Collin wouldn’t tell me anything he didn’t want me to know. And I was certain this fell under that category.

David moved out of Myra’s and started staying in my apartment full time. I expected to feel resentful about having my space invaded, but now that the mark on my back was completely gone, I found his presence reassuring, even if he couldn’t really do anything to help me if Okeus came calling. He insisted on sleeping on the sofa every night, even though I suggested that we take turns rotating on my bed.

When we weren’t working, we spent all of our time together. We walked to the inn every morning before he left for the colony site. Then he’d come straight to my apartment at around seven. We’d eat dinner and do research. His progress had been slow but steady.

Neither the badgers nor Big Nasty had made a reappearance.

“Maybe you sent them back to Popogusso on your own, Ellie,” David suggested. “Maybe your words of protection are enough, and it just didn’t work before because the gate hadn’t been resealed. It makes sense if my theory that you’re a conjuror is correct.”

I hoped so, but I wasn’t about to count on it. I suspected they were lying low, waiting. For what, I wasn’t sure. I was scared to find out.

The researchers staying at Myra’s were planning to go home for the weekend. When I arrived at the inn on Friday morning, Myra stood in the kitchen, her forehead knit with worry.

“Something’s bothering you,” I said. “What is it?”

A guilty look crossed over her face. “How comfortable would you be if I left for the weekend?”

“Oh.” I could see why she would be hesitant to leave me after the lighthouse incident. “Please go. I’ll be fine. Nothing has happened in days.”

“Steven has invited me to go home with him for the weekend. He thought it might be a good idea for me to get away from everything for a couple of days. But I’m not sure I should leave you.”

I tried to hide my surprise. Myra and Steven had become nearly as inseparable as David and I were, although I suspected that David was right and their interest wasn’t strictly professional. “That’s wonderful. Of course you should go.”

“I was worried how you’d feel if I ever met someone other than your father.”

“Myra, I’ve seen how you two look at each other and I think it’s wonderful. Steven is a great man, and you deserve to be happy.”

“I don’t want to leave you.” She wrung her hands. “Maybe I should tell him no.”

I grabbed her shoulders. “Don’t you dare. David will be with me. You go have fun.”

She sucked in her lower lip, giving me a pensive look.

I recognized it well. She often got that look in my teen years when she thought I was about to do something she thought I’d regret. “Spill it, Myra.”

“I’m just worried about you.”

“I know. What in particular?”

“Ellie, I love David, and I know how much your father would love him too. I just worry about you jumping into a relationship so soon after your father’s death. And what happened with Collin.”

I looked up in surprise. “Why do you think there was something between me and Collin?”

She touched my cheek with her fingertips. “You wear your heart on your face.” Her hand dropped to cover mine. “I didn’t see you much when you were with him, but I saw you after. I know you were upset about your father’s death, but I could tell there was more.”

I took a deep breath. “What Collin and I had wasn’t real, or at least it couldn’t be in the long term. Collin is too selfish to be in a long-term relationship.”

“I know he’s the other Curse Keeper. Don’t you still need him?”

I was surprised she was discussing this with me. She had ignored everything Curse Keeper–related before my dad’s death, but even now she rarely mentioned it. “Collin refuses to help me. He thinks the spirits and gods should be loose. I disagree.” I shook my head. “Besides, there’s nothing between me and David. He’s helping me research. I know he’s sleeping at my apartment, but he’s staying on the sofa.”

Her worry faded and she studied me with a knowing look. “Okay,” she smiled. “I’ll stop meddling.”

“Go have fun this weekend. I’ll stay here at the house while you’re gone and take care of the guests.” Since the researchers would be gone too, all the rooms in the residential house would be vacant. David and I would have almost forty-eight hours to perform a more thorough search for Daddy’s papers and the ring Myra had mentioned. Our searches so far had been done in snatches of time between our shifts and the other guests’ arrivals and departures.

“If you’re okay with this, I’ll leave straight after work today and come back on Sunday night with Steven. He still hasn’t gotten his extension granted, so next week might be his last one here.”

I kissed her on the cheek. “Go and relax. You work seven days a week. And after everything . . . You need a break, Myra. You deserve one.”

She started to leave, but I blurted out a question. “Did Daddy ever mention anything about something called the Ricardo Estate?”

Recognition flickered in her eyes. “I believe I remember him mentioning something about it years ago, but he was on a phone call. I only remember because he stopped talking when I entered his office. I worried that he might have found someone else and Ricardo was her last name.” She shook her head, guilt flooding her face. “Later, I was ashamed for thinking such a thing. Your father was loyal to a fault. After I found out about the curse, I realized that it must have been related to that.”

My body stiffened. “Wait. Daddy was talking to someone else about the curse?”