The Cursekeeper

Here Lies Holly

The sound of fingernails tapping on a wooden desk was the only sound in Apate's laboratory as she gazed into her microscope. She was currently studying a drop of dark magic in a type of petri dish with some flora in it. As usual, the dark magic either killed the specimen or corrupted it entirely.

"Dammit," she said, removing the petri dish and placing it in a machine drawer. The machine sucked the dish in before making a loud vacuuming noise, then the dish came back out nice and clean. As Apate went to grab it, the blue acorn on her desk began to glow and she sighed before pressing on it, Darrach's face popping up. "Darrach," she greeted neutrally.

"Apate," Darrach mumbled. "I'm contacting you to let you know that we...we managed to get inside Lady Morgan's head and we have retrieved O'Callaghan."

Apate put another petri dish under the microscope. "That was quick," she said as she added a drop of dark magic to the dish. "Thank you for the update."

"You're welcome." Darrach's face moved closer. "May I ask what you're doing?"

Apate eyed the man for a moment before watching the dark magic kill the dandelion in the petri dish. "May I ask why you're asking?"

"An attempt to make conversation," Darrach replied casually.

Apate growled before taking the contaminated dish and putting it in the cleansing machine. "I have no interest in conversing with any of you."

"Why not?"

"What is the point? We're sworn enemies!"

"And yet we have formed a truce."

"A temporary truce!" Apate snapped at the grinning man. "Just until I can get what I want!"

"Then why would you add the Recovery Clause to the contract?" Darrach asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Apate waved him off and went back to her work. "Because when Lilly and I finally battle, I want her to be at her best."

"You are fully aware of Lady Morgan's desire for a permanent truce." Darrach sighed and pinched his nose. "Apate, look. I get it. You're a woman of pride and you are unapologetic by nature, and I know you're worried about never being able to see Cahira again, but, ugh, I mean, it's not like the kid's gonna let anything stop her from seeing you or Carman."

Apate chuckled a little while doing another test. "Not wrong there."

"Speaking of, have you told Carman yet?"

Apate paused for a few moments before brushing back her hair and clearing her throat. "...no," she growled lowly.

"Are you that worried about her reaction?"

Apate leaned her head back and groaned loudly. "Is there anything else I need to know about Lilly and the journey into her own personal Hell?"

Darrach frowned. "Well, actually...uh...the way you described your hell in Pandora's Box seems to differ from Lilly's a little."

Apate arched a brow before jerking her head to look at his face. "What do you mean?"

"Lilly, Rose and O'Callaghan all had their own doors."

"Pfft. I had my own cell, same as everyone else."

"Okay, I will give you that," he chuckled. "Rose and O'Callaghan had their own rooms, but Rose apparently escaped her cell and got into Lilly's...which, uh...heh, based on the gaming mistress the men came across, the cell-"

"Woa woa woa, what?" Apate asked, sitting up and scooting closer to Darrach's image. "What gaming mistress?"

Darrach took a breath and ahemed. "I will get to that in a moment. As I was saying, Lilly's cell is vast. Apparently from her prison door to Saint Denis, it's fifty miles."