Chapter 573: The Curse Between the Lines

The office was warm.

Annabeth sat across from the desk, Ronan beside her, both of them facing Orion and Sophia on the other side.

Annabeth’s hands rested loosely in her lap. She had composed herself fully since the incident outside. Whatever the exchange had been, it was behind her now. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

She looked at Orion first, then at Sophia.

"The plague," she said. "The one your pack was trying to get information about."

Orion leaned back slightly in his chair. "What about it?"

"I have information," Annabeth said. "It’s not much, but I think it’ll help."

Ronan straightened. "Okay?"

Annabeth exhaled slowly. "First things first, the ’plague,’" she said, using air quotes. "Isn’t a plague."

The room was quiet for a beat.

"It presents like one," she continued. "Spreads like one. Acts like one, but it isn’t one. People assume it’s one because of how fast it moves through communities."

"It’s man-made—or in this instance, woman-made—with black magic."

Sophia’s frown came immediately.

Black magic.

Again.

It was like every thread they pulled on led back to the same place. The stones. The beasts in Nirvana. Dolion. And now this. She said nothing yet, just let the thought sit at the back of her mind where it belonged for now.

"Victoria is the one behind it."

Ronan’s head lifted sharply. "Victoria." He said it like he was confirming he had heard correctly. "As in the leader of the Enclave? The self-acclaimed Luna who could pose as a demon queen?"

Annabeth nodded.

Sophia tilted her head, a frown on her face. There was something about the name that sounded familiar, like she had heard it before somewhere, but she couldn’t place it.

Orion noticed the frown on her face.

"What’s wrong?" he asked.

"The name is familiar," she said. "I mean... I can’t place it, but it sounds very familiar. Like something I’ve heard before—perhaps even said?" She shook her head. "I don’t know."

Annabeth’s brows drew together. "You know Victoria?"

"I can’t say for certain," Sophia told her. "I only know the name is very familiar."

Ronan leaned back in his chair. "It could be another Victoria," he said easily. "It’s not a strange thing. People share names. It happens. I don’t want to believe you know the Victoria we are talking about, sister-in-law. Like I said, she could pose as the reigning queen of demons and the underworld."

Sophia gave a small chuckle. "Maybe it’s someone else then..." she said softly. "But I’ll do well to find out."

Annabeth’s frown hadn’t fully cleared. She looked at Sophia carefully for a moment.

"Are you from the West?" she asked.

"I don’t know," Sophia said.

Annabeth paused in shock.

"She has amnesia," Orion informed her, because he could see the questions in her eyes.

Annabeth’s expression shifted—curiosity, understanding, and something else she didn’t quite voice.

"I’ve heard of it," she said slowly. "But I’ve never actually met someone with it before."

Sophia gave a small shrug.

"There’s a first time for everything."

A faint smile touched Annabeth’s lips at that, but it didn’t last long.

She leaned back slightly.

"Ronan might be right," she said after a moment. "You could be thinking of another Victoria." She paused. "But in the West... that name isn’t used."

"Why not?" Ronan asked.

"It’s an unspoken rule," Annabeth said. "Some of them won’t say her name at all. Some out of reverence—they still believe in what she stands for, what the Enclave is supposed to represent." She shook her head faintly. "Others out of anger. Because of what she’s done. The smaller packs in the West—she’s destroying them. One by one. Victoria controls everything there. Every decision. Every movement." She looked at the desk for a moment. "And at this point, I suspect it goes even further than the West."

The office was quiet at her words.

"It was that bad over there?" Ronan asked softly.

Annabeth let out a humourless sound. "It was extremely bad," she said. "That’s why we were determined to leave. Victoria wanted our pack. She wanted all of us. She was not satisfied when she took Benny—she wanted more, and we fought back."

"Was it for the plague?" Orion asked her.

"I think so," Annabeth said with a nod. "Honestly, Tobias would be in a better position to tell you guys everything because Victoria had an unhealthy obsession with him. Perhaps she liked him because he looked young or more, but she liked him a lot—and he worked with her, closely at that."

"Benny allowed himself to be taken when Victoria sent her men because he was of the opinion that it was black magic and he wanted to investigate... he wasn’t wrong," Annabeth told them.

"This ’plague,’" Sophia said, using air quotes like Annabeth had used, "could you explain it more? What does it do? How does it attack?"

Annabeth looked at her.

"I wouldn’t call it a plague," she said. "That’s not the right word for it. A curse is closer." She folded her hands. "The one thing that’s consistent across everyone affected—they bleed black. Or cough it. The blood is black, and if someone unaffected comes into contact with it, they can become infected. One touch is enough."

Ronan nodded slowly. "That’s consistent with black magic," he said. "Black blood is common in people who’ve been affected by it. Their blood turns."

"Yes," Annabeth said. "But that’s not just it. According to Benny, it seems the curse is selective—it affects those it wants to affect... I suspect that’s Victoria’s handiwork at play..."

She paused when she noticed the look on Orion and Sophia’s faces.

"Is something the matter?" she asked them.

Ronan turned to them too, a frown on his face.

Instead of answering Annabeth, Sophia turned to Orion, who was already looking at her. She was almost certain he was having the same thoughts as her.

"The translations..." she said, and Orion nodded immediately.

"What translations?" Ronan asked. "The ones from the stones?"

Sophia nodded. "This is just to be certain, but there’s something I want to confirm, and we need the translations—word for word if possible."

"It seems we have to change locations, once more," Orion said to Annabeth.