Descendants Academy: Young Adult Urban Fantasy by Belle Malory (most important books of all time txt) 📗

stumbled in and out of buildings, carrying oversized mugs and flasks of Twilight rum. Being there, in the middle of it all, was both exciting and intimidating.

Almost as soon as we arrived, a woman in a short lacy black dress—if it could be called that—approached. She looked straight at me, her red lips forming a knowing smile.

“I see you, girl with the rose-gold hair. I see you, standing there.”

Unsure what to do, I froze in place.

She continued, “You are one of two—both futures, bleak. She is strong, and you are weak. Like two broken halves to a whole, you must break some more, to pay the toll.”

Shivers ran down my spine. Her dark eyes seemed to penetrate me, like she knew everything, like she could literally look inside my soul.

“Would you like to hear more?” she asked, and the offer was oh so tempting.

Letting out an exasperated groan, Jett grabbed my arm and gave it a forceful tug. “I told you they would do this,” she said under her breath. “Let’s go.”

The woman in black pointed at Jett, her expression severe. “You there,” she said, her voice rising several octaves. “Your mind has changed, but your fate is sealed. Your heart is stuck, but it will soon be revealed. Two paths lie before you, both at great cost. Which one will you choose? Either way, you are lost.”

Whoa, that sounded ominous.

But Jett just rolled her eyes and shrugged the words off. “Utter nonsense. Come on, Sheridan. The Curse Breaker lives on the south end.”

I glanced back at Hazel, who had tugged her cloak farther over her head, as if by doing so, she could hide from the entire street. “Ignore the woman in black.” She linked her arm through mine. “I’ve seen her kind before. They all try to sound as fatal as possible.”

As we walked, I ground my teeth together, still thinking about her words.

I wasn’t weak, I thought to myself, determined. I was strong enough to do whatever it took.

We found the Curse Breaker’s house on the south end of Folly, above a bookstore. There was a sign on his door that read “Out for supplies. Come back at noon.”

“Well, that sucks,” Jett huffed, kicking the door.

After coming all this way, I was disappointed to have to wait too. We were on a time crunch, after all. “What should we do until then?” I said, looking between the two of them.

“Breakfast?” Hazel suggested.

A few blocks down, we’d passed a little café that smelled like fried potatoes and maple syrup. My stomach growled, thinking about it. “Food sounds great.”

We killed the next few hours at the café, watched street performers, and did some window shopping. When noon finally hit, it seemed strange that the island still looked as if the sun were setting instead of being high in the sky. That constant, on the brink of night, only added to its appeal. There was something freeing about nightfall; anything was possible.

At noon, Jett banged loudly on the Curse Breaker’s door, getting even louder when no one answered right away. Then, just as she raised her hand to bang once more, it finally cracked open, stopped by a chain at the top.

“Eh, what do ye want?” said a rough, scratchy voice.

Jett lowered her hand and cleared her throat. “We came to see the Curse Breaker.”

“Who’s looking?”

The chain rattled, and the man stuck his head out, his shifty gaze drifting past us. Dreads covered in a black bandana, dark eyes smudged with black liner, and a billowy white shirt, the guy reminded me of a sketchy pirate. This couldn’t be the Curse Breaker.

Jett introduced us. “We’re students at Arcadia. I’m Jett, the faun is Hazelwood, and the blonde behind her is Sheridan.”

His dark eyes lit on me, nodding. “I see why ye’ve come.” He crinkled his nose. “Whoever cursed her, did a good job. Come inside, all of ye.”

The door opened the rest of the way, and the three of us filed inside, one by one, the wooden floor creaking beneath our feet. The apartment was made up of a small living room, kitchen, nook, and a curtain that led to the back rooms. Dozens of books lined the walls, pots hung from the rafters, and almost every available surface was covered with teacups and herbs. The Curse Breaker led us to the table, sliding the potted plants aside to give us room to sit.

“Thank you, ah…what do we call you?” I said, scooting into one of the wooden chairs.

“Breaker will do.” He peeked through the blinds, looking up and down the street, before shutting them again, tightly. I was starting to understand how the dude got his reputation.

“Tea,” he offered.

I shook my head. “No, thanks. We just had breakfast.”

“Not an option.” He stared at me. “Ye will take the tea, drink the tea, and the leaves will tell us what is going on with yer, ahem, situation.”

I smiled awkwardly. “In that case, sure. I’d love some tea.”

He set about the task of preparing the kettle and starting the stove. “Now then, while I’m brewing, tell me about yer curse.”

“Well…” I said, unsure where to begin.

The tablet.

I quickly reached for my bag, fumbling with the leather straps. “This was given to my father shortly after my sister and I were born.” I handed him the heavy square of stone. “Here, have a look.”

Breaker examined it, tracing the carved words with his fingers. “Will not rest until one destroys the other…” He looked up at me. “So yer bound to yer sister?”

I nodded. “Recently, I,” I lowered my voice, “stabbed her with a pair of scissors.”

“Thorny,” Jett said appreciatively. “When you told us the story, you forgot to mention you went batshit crazy too.”

I sighed, wishing she wouldn’t make it sound like a funny or lighthearted situation. I had lost all rational thinking that night, and I wasn’t proud of it.

“Tricky, tricky stuff,” Breaker said, clicking his tongue. I watched him, wondering what he thought so far, but it was