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“I don’t just hope to do it—I’mgoingto do it,” I said firmly.“Unless you’d like to save us both some trouble and just take it off?”I offered, thinking maybe we could find some common ground.I gestured at her ragged appearance.“After all, I can see what the effect of holding up such a powerful curse has had on you.I’m sure you’dloveto be rid of it.Then you could maybe go to a spa and get a nice facial—onenotinvolving mud—and relax.Wouldn’t that be great?”

But my pleas for self-care obviously fell on deaf ears.

“This Drake is cursed and ever shall be!”she screeched.“His Sire killed my only love—for this he must live in the same torment I endure daily!”

“Look, it’s awful to lose a loved one,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.“But I don’t see why you had to curse Saint—or rather, his Drake.Why not curse his father instead?He’sthe one who killed your husband.”

“Nay, for the agony of a cursed child is more painful to any parent than their own pain,” she snapped.“If you have come to reason with me, boy, go home again.Your words mean nothing—they do not ease my grief or loss.”

The Drake snorted and put his head down, his burning lava eyes glaring at theBruja.His meaning was clear—he was threatening her—he wanted the curse lifted.

“Kill me then!”she shrieked at him.“But know that if you do, the curse will never be lifted.My death will only seal it to your soul for all eternity!”

Well, so much for reasoning or threatening her.

“Okay, so I guess we’re doing this the hard way then,” I said.

Taking a breath, I reached into an inner pocket of my blazer—yes, I was still wearing my Nocturne Academy uniform—and pulled out the Curse Breaker.The many splinters and spikes on its surface pricked me as I closed my fingers around its roughly spherical shape.

Most magic, as I’ve said before, needs multiple ingredients and also time to call a proper circle.But this was Blood Magic, as Megan had pointed out.It was much more direct—all I needed was a simple incantation to make it work.Well, that and my own blood.

“Forged in fire

Doomed by ire

My blood I take

This Curse to break!”I shouted and then I squeezed the Curse Breaker ball as hard as I could.

It pierced my palm and fingers and I felt intense pain—not just from the many jagged points and spikes but from the Curse which was running from the Drake into me.I aimed it at theBruja,channeling all the pain and shame and misery both the Drake and Saint had gone through because of it.As the blood dripped down my palm and stained the immaculate white cuff of my uniform shirt, I focused all my attention on her.

“Take it!”I growled, my voice going low and hoarse in a way it never had before.“Feel the pain you caused—the innocent lives that were taken because of your curse.Feel itall!”

“No!No!”She threw up her arms, her long, crooked fingers looking like an animal’s claws as she shrieked in agony.She sank to her knees as years and years of madness and sorrow and hate rushed over her in a hot wave of horror.

“Release the curse!”I urged her.“All this can stop if you just let it go!You’ve ruined so many lives—including your own.Let it go.Let it go!”

I could feel my own blood running faster now as the pain of the curse moved through me.My whole shirt sleeve was wet with it.It felt like something inside me was breaking and being drained at the same time but I knew I couldn’t stop.If I did, Saint’s Drake would remain cursed forever.This was my one and only chance to set him free.

I loved him and I wasn’t giving up.

So even though I was starting to see black flowers blooming in my vision and the world was getting wavery all around me, I kept squeezing the spiked wooden ball, harder and harder.

At last theBruja’swill seemed to break.

“All right!”she sobbed, in that high, shrieky voice.“I will release it…I will remove the curse!”

She raised her hands to the sky and began to chant something in a language I didn’t recognize.It wasn’t Spanish—possibly it was the Drake Mother Tongue.

But though I didn’t understand the words, the meaning was clear.As the Curse bore down on me, it felt like I was standing at the bottom of the ocean with millions of tons of water pressing down on me.But as theBrujachanted, the awful pressure began to lessen and the pain began to ease.Little by little, the Curse was lifting.

I turned my head to look at the Drake and felt a stab of hope.His eyes were no longer burning pools of lava—they looked normal and sane.His scales no longer had the blood-red glow.Instead, I saw a warm, golden glow taking its place.And the insides of his sail-like wings had gone from crimson to gold as well.

Good!I thought.The curse is lifting!

But I didn’t dare let go of the Curse Breaker yet.I had to be sure every last bit of the curse came free from the Drake.It’s kind of like scraping something sticky, like gum off of something—every little bit has to be gone before it’s completely clean again.

I could feel my own blood and life-force waning—flowing down my arm and away in a trickle of scarlet.Can you bleed to death from your hand?I had a woozy feeling I was going to find out.But I still didn’t let up.I wanted Saint and his Drake to be utterly healed and this was the only way.