The Spirit Witch | Bewitchment #1

Fifteen

As soon as Charlotte emerged from the crypt, Jonathan was there to greet her, a concerned look in his eyes after she'd run off into the dark with a knife.

"It was an oath," she said. "Just as I suspected."

Jonathan peered past her into the crypt's stairwell.

"And the little ghost girl?"

Charlotte nodded. "She's at peace now. The Endless One—"

She paused and her hand slid into her pocket, fingers toying with the broken bits of stone. She knew his name.

Did she dare to say it? No one spoke it for a reason. It would grant him an increment of power and the thought of giving him even more of an edge was not a favorable one. The odds were already stacked against her.

"The Endless One used the girl's grave to seal his oath, leeching from her like a parasite. She couldn't pass on until the oath was severed."

"Did you break it?" Jonathan said.

Charlotte nodded. "Into a dozen tiny pieces. There won't be any way to put it back together again."

"What I don't understand is Alexander's role in all this. Did he have relatives in Šuná back then?"

Charlotte shook her head. "If he did, his bloodline wouldn't be infected with the curse. He would have been protected, not possessed."

She sighed and rubbed at her temple. Her head still ached and she was starving.

"We'll think it about it on the road," Jonathan said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "For now, let's find an inn where we can spend the rest of the night. We could both use a hot meal and some dry, warm clothes."

Charlotte hesitated, surveying the surrounding forest. Her magic wasn't anywhere near the strength she would like it to be in order to face The Endless One again. But it could take months, even years before that happened and she couldn't wait that long. With every passing minute, he was taking more souls, leaving a trail of empty bodies in his wake.

"No," she said. "Not yet."

"But—"

"He's mortal, Papa," Charlotte said. "All it would take is a stab to the heart and he's done for."

"How can you be certain of that? Before the fire, you said he removed himself from Alexander's body."

"Well, yes, he did. In effect."

"What's stopping him from doing that again? Returning to the basic form of his curse to survive?"

"He doesn't have that freedom anymore," Charlotte said. "Now that the oath doesn't protect him, he can't change hosts. He has only one body at his disposal."

Her voice hitched. It was Alexander's body he owned. Alexander had surrendered to him, welcomed him in.

I don't want to fight it any longer.

How much of Alexander's consciousness was left? Did he feel any pain or remorse? Was he awake when The Endless One used Alexander's body to consume the souls of the living?

Another thought lurked in the back of her mind, whispering, waiting for her acknowledge it. But she refused to and shoved it away.

"When the body he owns," Charlotte pressed on, "is finished, he won't have anywhere else to go."

Jonathan studied her for a moment. "What are you not telling me, Charlotte?"

"I'm not—"

Jonathan raised his eyebrows and she stopped. She fiddled with the sleeves of his coat, plucking at a frayed thread as an excuse to avoid his gaze.