Cursed by Darkness (Once Upon A Curse)

29. Bodin

TWENTY-NINE

Bodin

Eryx fell to his brother’s knees, and not one of them understood what was happening. A god was said to be unstoppable, immortal, but Eryx’s life source bled from his human form as crimson pooled beneath him. For generations, people claimed they heard Ronna’s screams around the world as she watched her favorite brother die.

S eeing the Ombrete standing over Juniper was Bodin’s worst nightmare. It opened its fanged mouth, and June turned her head away, closing her eyes. Even over the sound of his pounding footsteps as he ran toward them, he heard her whimper. The Ombrete sucked in a breath?—

And Bodin launched himself, tackling into its side. He rolled with it to the edge of the field. Jumping to his feet, he unsheathed his sword while holding his free hand out to the side. He didn’t dare look behind him. Instead, he trusted that Richard and her brothers would get June out. Taking a deep breath, Bodin released some of the tight hold he kept on his magic. Tendrils of black smoke whirled around his fingers.

He’d hidden the extent of his dark magic for so long. The power that was the exact opposite of his wife’s Lumen power.

The creature roared, but when it tried to dart forward, Bodin threw his magic out to stop it.

More shadows joined his, and he glanced over briefly to find Samuel at his side.

“Get her out of here,” he shouted over his other shoulder. They could only hold this thing back for so long. There was no fighting it in earnest. Bodin might be able to anticipate its moves, but the creature could read him just as easily. That was how he’d received the scars down his face, after all.

Which meant it now knew how much he cared about Juniper. Its onyx eyes lifted to the woods behind Bodin.

“Go! Now. All of you,” Bodin demanded.

“No,” she said before the Ombrete let out another roar and charged—but not to get to Bodin, no. It wanted his wife, and they were in its way.

Samuel grunted at the impact, and Laurent stood closer to Bodin with his sword out. Bodin admired his bravery, but that blade wouldn’t protect him.

“Let me down!” June screamed. “Bo!”

He clenched his jaw while silently thanking whoever had grabbed her. She continued to cry as they carried her away, and it tore at his heart, but at least she would be safe.

“Bo?” Laurent said, his voice full of concern and confusion. His friend hadn’t inherited magic. Even after drinking the water from the lake as a child, none appeared in him. He couldn’t help here.

“You too. Get out of here.”

“I’m not just leaving you?—”

“Yes, you are,” Bodin interrupted, blocking the monster again as it swiped a claw at him. “Both of you go. Protect her. And shut the godsdamned door behind you!”

Laurent’s footsteps retreated, but Samuel hesitated.

“Go. That’s an order,” Bodin said between clenched teeth. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, despite the cool air here. When his guard still didn’t move, he added, “Please, Samuel.”

No one else was going to die by this monster. He wouldn’t allow it.

Bodin let out a sigh of relief when the man took off. But the feeling was brief. The Ombrete growled a beat before it launched itself skyward. It flew over Bodin toward the portal, and his heart stopped. He sprinted after it, throwing spirals of magic to knock it off course.

Managing to stop its trajectory, Bodin used his shadows to toss the creature aside. That wouldn’t deter it for long, but if Laurent could just get that door shut…

His lifelong friend reached safety but stood in the portal, waiting. Samuel entered just after. Bodin cursed them. “Shut it!”

Laurent refused, beckoning him to hurry with one hand while the other still held his sword. Not that it would do much good. Bodin took off and was nearly there when a ball of fire soared his way. He barely managed to dodge it.

He wasn’t as lucky the second time. Searing heat blasted into his left shoulder, and he fell to the decayed ground. Gritting his teeth, Bodin rolled over to protect himself from the monster as it came closer. Pain shot through his arm as he tried to lift it to use his power.

The Ombrete landed and stalked toward him, a predator focused on his prey.

“Shut the fucking door,” he whispered, hoping one of them would think clearly enough to follow the command. His life wasn’t worth all of theirs.

As the shadow creature paused, preparing to lunge, Bodin shook his head. This couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t die. No, his fate was much worse than that, it seemed. The darkness inside him began to shift, that final lock trying to break open to protect himself. If he unleashed it though, no one else would be safe. Pain shot through him, bones creaking, preparing to take a new form.

With a roar, the Ombrete jumped?—

Only to be met with a wall of light.

He whipped his head around, expecting to find that his wife had somehow learned to use her Lumen magic. But it wasn’t her.

Richard stood above him, both hands raised at the beast. “Move. Now.”

Bodin managed to get to his feet through his shock and make it to the doorway. Shoving Laurent inside, he watched as Richard walked backward to them, his eyes never leaving the Ombrete. His magic never wavering. As soon as he reached the palace, Bodin slammed the door shut—both the physical portal and the one in his mind that threatened to burst open and ruin everything. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, from the pain, the exertion, and the anger alike. He didn’t even have the strength to lock the portal with his magic.

“Bo,” a shaky voice said. He hadn’t even realized he’d closed his eyes. Opening them, he found his wife being held back by her eldest brother.

Bodin was so mad at her. Infuriated beyond belief. Yet, seeing her here, safe… He took a single step toward her before she ripped out of Rafe’s grip and barreled into Bodin, her arms wrapping around his middle.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered against his chest. “I’m so sorry.”

Sighing, he hugged her and pressed his lips to the top of her head. He breathed her in, holding her tightly, needing to feel that she was here and safe. “I know.”

He looked up at the others, at Richard, specifically, who was squeezing his hands into fists before straightening them again. Over and over. The guard met Bodin’s gaze then glanced down at Juniper with concern.

As if sensing his attention, she stiffened and turned around. “You…”

Laurent took a step closer to Richard, his hand on his sword. “You’re Gilarnian.”

Richard visibly swallowed and nodded.

“No,” Juniper whispered. “That’s not possible. You’ve worked for our family since before I was… born…”

Her words trailed off. Hugo’s eyes widened, and he looked back and forth between his sister and her most trusted guard.

“It was my mother,” she said under her breath.

Bodin had no idea what was going on. He was still in a great deal of pain and wanted to sit down, but whatever revelation his wife had come to seemed important, and he sensed that she was going to need him.

Except, Richard appeared just as confused. “What?”

Juniper lifted her chin. “You said you were once in love, but she married another man. Was it my mother?”

A weighted silence filled the room. Rafe’s eyes widened as he glanced down at her hands, and the color leached out of Richard’s face.

“How…” The older man took a step back, shaking his head.

“Someone please tell me what’s happening,” Laurent said.

Samuel shifted closer to Richard, one hand splayed at his side.

Juniper pivoted to look at Hugo then Bodin. “It’s hereditary. You both said the only way it could be this strong is if it came from a parent or grandparent, right?”

All at once, it made sense. Bodin nodded. “Yes.”

Tears lined her beautiful green eyes, and the only thing he wanted to do was scoop her up and take her away from all of this. But he knew he couldn’t do that. She needed to face this. She needed these answers. Instead, he put a hand on her back and kissed her forehead once before turning her to face the man again.

“I’m here with you,” Bodin whispered, standing directly behind her.

“You have magic,” Richard said in an equally low voice.

No one spoke for several seconds. As if they were each waiting on Juniper’s reaction. Bodin’s head pounded, his shoulder throbbed from the burns, but he didn’t move. He would let her process this as long as she needed.

Then, he would find out why she came down here. And how she found the godsforsaken key to begin with. He knew he should have thrown it into one of the rivers, but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to do it. It served as a reminder, as well as his punishment.

“This is too much.” Juniper shook her head. “I… I can’t…”

Before anyone could say more, she was pulling out of his grasp and heading up the stairs. The group of men stared at each other for a moment, seemingly unsure of what to do in this situation. Gritting his teeth, Bodin quickly summoned enough of his magic to seal the door. He’d busted the lock to get it open earlier, to get to her, and he knew he would need to reforge one, but he wanted to make sure Juniper was all right first. Richard started to go after her, but Laurent and Samuel blocked his path.

“Hugo,” Bodin said, “since you seem to understand the situation, please fill Richard in. Laurent, explain the Ombrete. I trust them with this.” Pausing at the foot of the stairs, he turned to add, “Thank you for… I don’t know what would have happened if we hadn’t made it to her in time. I don’t think I…” He cleared his throat, unable to finish the thought. “I trust you with this information, but it cannot leave this room under any circumstance.”

“Of course,” Rafe said as the others nodded their agreement. Richard dipped his head, appearing distraught, and Bodin knew it was more than guilt weighing the man down. Yes, he had been charged with Juniper’s safety, but she’d run away from him again. That wasn’t his fault. But it was more than that. There was also fear in his hazel-green eyes.

This man who’d always protected Juniper. From the moment Bodin met them, he’d seen how much Richard cared for her. And he hadn’t known this monumental secret. He’d missed it. Now, they were both in a kingdom where their magic was forbidden.

“I trust him, Gilarnian or not,” Bodin told Laurent.

Samuel stepped forward. “Sire, there’s more to this than you know.”

“What do you mean?” His guard so rarely spoke up or inserted himself, so if he was doing so now, it must have been important.

Glancing at Richard, Samuel said, “I think you should talk to the queen before blindly trusting him. She was questioning things earlier, but I think you should hear it from her.”

Richard visibly clenched his jaw. He looked up the stairs, but there wasn’t anger in his eyes. He wanted to go after Juniper, that much was clear. Bodin sincerely thought it was because he cared though. He wanted to protect her, talk through this.

Bodin nodded. “Stay with him, then. But he’s not a prisoner. I will find out what’s going on.” To Richard, he added, “I’ll keep her safe. I promise.”

Richard let out a breath. As Bodin turned to go, he said in a hushed tone, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Bodin raced up the stairs and through the art gallery. Juniper was nowhere in sight, so he made his way toward their bedroom. His shoulder was killing him. He wondered if Richard had healing powers with that light. He should have asked him before rushing away, but he needed to find his wife.

Just as he’d suspected, he found her in their rooms, sitting sideways on the bench in front of one of the large open windows. She continued staring out at the darkening horizon as he took a seat next to her feet.

When she still didn’t acknowledge him, he leaned over to brush the hair from her face, as well as the tears. “Where’s the key?”

She opened her hand to reveal the iron key. Shaking his head, he took it and shoved it into his pocket. He still wasn’t sure what to say, which topic to address first.

“I think I dropped the dagger,” she whispered. “I had it when it attacked, but when Hugo threw me over his shoulder, it must have fallen. I’m s-so sorry.”

He inhaled slowly then gripped her chin so she would look at him. “You’re safe; that’s what matters.”

“But it was your mother’s.”

“You are far more important, Sunshine.”

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, pulling back to turn her head away again. “For going in there.”

His relief of her being safe faded, his anger returning in full force. “Why, June? Why would you do it after I specifically told you not to?”

More tears appeared, and though he hated seeing her upset, he wouldn’t give in to the urge to comfort her just yet. Juniper whispered, “I… I don’t have a good reason. I was so curious, and when I stumbled across the key, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was like a force beyond myself was urging me to go see.” When he opened his mouth, she said, “I know that sounds absurd, but it’s the truth. It compelled me forward; I didn’t have full control.”

He swallowed, understanding exactly what she meant. But surely it wasn’t the same…

Horror crashed through him. “You think the monster led you there?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I think Ronna did. I just don’t know why.”

Sighing, he scrubbed a hand down his face. One thing at a time. “You knew there was a reason I kept it locked, why no one can know what’s in there. Why… How did you even find the key?”

“I was searching for information about the war. I wanted to try to find something that could help stop it.” Fear laced her words that churned his gut, but there was more there that he couldn’t name. She got up and went to the chest at the end of their bed. When she pulled out his journal, he wasn’t nearly as upset as he should have been. It was an invasion of privacy, yes, but there wasn’t anything else in there that he wanted to hide from her. She held it up in front of her and said, “But I read about the monster you trapped, and I couldn’t help but think…”

“What?” He stood and tried to step closer, but she moved backward. The fear wasn’t just of the Ombrete. She was afraid of him.

“You said in here that it was beyond powerful, near unstoppable.”

His brows furrowed. “So, you wanted to test that out for yourself?”

“No.” She groaned. “But I thought maybe if we could figure out how to control it, we could use it to win this war.”

Bodin swallowed. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that theory. Laurent had voiced the idea more than once. From their perspectives, he understood how it could seem like a possibility, but it wasn’t. “There is no controlling the Ombrete, love.”

“Ombrete?”

“The shadow monster.”

She set the journal on the bed and moved a few steps closer. “I was just trying to find a way to help.”

“And I love you for that, but this isn’t the way. I promise.”

“But—”

“No, June.” Then, it struck him. She didn’t understand. She didn’t see the truth. “How much of the journal did you read?”

She fidgeted with the ends of her sleeves. Even amid the frustration, he couldn’t help but appreciate how beautiful she was.

“I wasn’t trying to snoop or invade your privacy. I skipped the more… personal stuff in the beginning, but I read most of it.” She must have seen something in his face because her voice grew quiet by the end of the sentence. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have?—”

Bodin lifted a hand and shook his head. “No, stop. I… that monster…”

“What?”

Running a hand through his dirty hair, he returned to the window seat. Had it not been clear in the journal? He had scribbled out a lot of it in anger, but he thought if she read it, she would have known the truth. “Do you remember what I told you about the portals? About how they work?”

“You create the places with your mind and magic.” She crossed her arms. “And the journal said you made them after trapping the Ombrete in one.”

He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to have this conversation. The moment she knew the truth, it would change everything. He’d hoped he would never need to tell her. “And why did I trap it? Where did it come from?”

Her gaze softened. “It made its way into the palace and killed your family.”

“Before that?”

“It attacked in the woods while you and Beatrice were traveling. That part was confusing though. Your thoughts seemed incomplete or scattered, and it was hard to follow a lot of it.” She looked from him to the journal and back. “Bo, where did it come from? Do you know?”

“I told you. Everything in the portal lands came from my mind.”

Juniper’s face scrunched up as she tried to piece the information together. He could see her thinking through it, still not quite adding it up. When she put a hand up over her mouth with a gasp, he clenched his fists.

“It came from your mind?” she whispered. “But how? That doesn’t make sense…” She shook her head, choking on her words. “What caused that much pain that you needed to create that?”

That was when he realized what else he was seeing in her eyes, beyond the fear. It was heartbreak. For him .

She hadn’t figured it out. He was going to have to say it. The words he couldn’t even fully write because it made him sick.

“Juniper, I didn’t just create it.” He swallowed. “I am the monster. It’s a part of me. I am exactly what everyone thinks.”