4. Sebastian

4

SEBASTIAN

Sebastian and James found Hazel waiting for them on the sidewalk in front of town hall. The front entrance was blocked off since the reception area had been destroyed in the fire, and a team of workers were replacing the busted glass above the doorway. Sebastian carefully stepped around the mess of cones and ladders, following James and Hazel to the back entrance.

Inside, Eleanor's office door was open. As they entered, the mayor seemed surprised to see Hazel but didn't comment.

She folded her hands in front of her on the desk. "How are you, Sebastian?"

"Much better, thank you." He shifted uncomfortably as he took a seat.

"We were all very worried. I'm surprised you didn't go to the hospital."

Sebastian didn't know how to respond. If he'd wanted to, he could have said he was unable to go to the hospital, meaning the secret-binding was as weak as ever. He almost wished it hadn't worn so thin. The secret-binding would have helped him lie more convincingly, but as it was, it felt like nothing held him back from spilling Storm House's secrets .

Eleanor eyed him closely as he failed to speak. She looked tired, and Sebastian felt bad for contributing to her stress. At last, Eleanor moved on. "How did you manage to destroy that shade-being?"

"A lightning spell with a lot of energy. I had to think of something since the fire didn't work. It was a long shot, but, well…" His words faded.

Eleanor blinked, taking a beat to absorb Sebastian's statement. "You have that much power?" she asked, her tone implying she didn't believe him. Maybe she was wondering why he hadn't done the lightning spell sooner. When Sebastian didn't respond beyond a quick nod, she went on. "And the darkness?"

Sebastian forced himself to maintain eye contact. "I'm not really sure. It disappeared with the shade."

Eleanor paused like she was waiting for more. Eventually, she asked, "And why didn't you leave Moonlight Falls?"

"I didn't have to in the end. Things were so hectic, then it was all over."

Eleanor looked far from convinced. She turned to James and Hazel. "And you two? Why couldn't you leave? Why not take Sebastian to the hospital when he didn't wake up?" When no one answered right away, Eleanor stood. She leaned forward, bracing her palms on the desk. "What are you hiding? I don't get it. I thought we were a team. I don't see why you're trying to make it harder for me to deal with this than it already is. I know you all have Moonlight Falls' best interest at heart."

"Eleanor, please," Hazel begged, hands fisting the ends of her shirt sleeves. "This is for your own good."

" My what? " Eleanor straightened, crossing her arms. "How? Keeping secrets isn't protecting or helping me. It's doing the opposite. I need to know what happened. Otherwise, the officials will never believe me. What if this happens again, and next time, they don't send help? "

Hazel stood, facing Eleanor. "It potentially happening again is exactly why we can't tell you anything."

The mayor narrowed her eyes, saying slowly, "Because you couldn't leave." She pursed her lips like she was putting all the small pieces she'd picked up together. "You really couldn't leave, and if it happens again, what? I suddenly won't want to leave if I know what you're hiding?"

Hazel turned helplessly to James and Sebastian.

"You know I'm dedicated to this town," Eleanor went on. "I'll do whatever it takes. All I'm asking for is your cooperation and for you to trust me."

This situation wasn't helping anyone. They couldn't trap Eleanor against her will, but what if she knew the stakes? What if she accepted the risk freely?

Sebastian leaned forward in his chair. "Whatever it takes? Are you sure?"

"Yes," Eleanor said adamantly.

Hazel sucked in a breath. "Sebastian."

"It can be her choice." He held Hazel's stare, and she nodded in agreement. When Sebastian's gaze landed on James, he nodded as well.

Sebastian turned back to Eleanor. Her expression was tight. Sebastian hoped she would decline his offer, even if he was willing to let her decide. "What if I told you explaining had a price? We aren't acting like this because we want to." The words came out easily. Sebastian wondered if Eleanor would even have to break what was left of the secret-binding. If she didn't, was there a chance she wouldn't be trapped? That felt like too much to hope for.

Eleanor returned to her chair. "What price? What do you mean?"

Sebastian braced himself. "We can't physically leave Moonlight Falls. Learning what we know will magically trap you too."

Eleanor's eyes went wide. "Meaning, if there's another attack, I won't be able to evacuate." She glanced at Hazel, who nodded. "Tell me," Eleanor said without hesitation.

"Are you sure?" Hazel pressed.

"If you're trapped here, really trapped, you know I'm not leaving you behind, Hazel. Free or not." Eleanor's gaze turned warm as she studied the other woman.

Hazel ran a hand over her face. "You're right. There's no way I'd get you to leave me behind. I just wanted to save you from this."

"I understand," Eleanor said softly. "But we're in this together."

They didn't need to break the secret-binding and the longer Sebastian explained—he started at the beginning—the easier the words came.

He wondered if whatever had happened to the veins when he'd banished the darkness had further weakened the secret-binding spell. Was whatever aspect of the curse Selma had linked the secret-binding to responding to the changing veins, or had the increased instability in the veins broken the link the secret-binding had to the rest of the curse?

By the time Sebastian was done talking, Eleanor had her hands fisted in her short hair, elbows braced on her desk. "So the whole area might blow up. We have a portal for shades and even worse beasts from Beyond sitting on your property. And all four of us are trapped here?"

"Eli and Parker are trapped too," James corrected.

Eleanor let go of her hair and stared at them. "What a clusterfuck."

"Sorry." Sebastian couldn't help apologizing. The shade problems and invasion from Beyond might not have been directly caused by his family, but they'd been the ones to let the beasts in.

"No need to apologize." Eleanor made a visible effort to collect herself, smoothing her hair. "This is the kind of thing I need to be aware of. I'm glad you told me. I understand magic stopped you asking for help before now, but at least we're past that."

"Maybe you'll be able to relay the whole story to the officials since it was easier for Sebastian to tell you today than it was before." Hazel looked hopeful. "I tried to report it last week but was tongue-tied."

Eleanor picked up her desk phone. Sebastian held his breath as she made the call. At first, it all sounded fine, but when she began her explanation, Eleanor's words seemed to stick in her throat. She passed the phone to Sebastian for him to try. He failed too and passed the phone back.

Giving up, Eleanor slammed the receiver down. "Why can't we tell them as easily as you told me?"

Sebastian chewed his lower lip, thinking. "We've seen the curse respond to changes in the vein system before when the area we were trapped in expanded after adding the fuel cell into the mix. Now, as the veins get less stable, things seem to be falling apart. The energy in the fuel cell is draining erratically and the secret-binding doesn't seem to be working properly but, unfortunately, isn't completely broken."

James turned to Sebastian. "Do you think the secret-binding only prevents us from telling people outside Moonlight Falls?"

"Seems that way," Sebastian agreed. "We still can't get beyond the reach of the veins, even with words. It's like the part of the curse meant to contain everything is still holding on strong."

"So we can only tell people within the veins' area? People we can trap?" Eleanor asked.

"Are you planning to tell anyone other than people outside who might help?" James looked at her in alarm. "We really shouldn't tell and trap anyone else. Just because things are falling apart and telling you was easy doesn't mean the curse hasn't spread to you."

Eleanor sagged in her chair. "I know. And no, of course, I won't be spreading this around. You have my word. I'll double- check if I've been trapped but will assume I have been until then." She drummed her fingers on her desk, thinking for a moment. "If there's a chance the town might explode, I need to act fast. It won't be easy to get everything in motion without the city councilors signing off on certain things, but I'll figure it out and have an evacuation plan and potential shelter options in place as soon as possible."

"If there's anything we can do to help with that, let us know," Sebastian offered.

"Thank you." Eleanor gave him a grim smile.

Sebastian and James left town hall while Hazel stayed behind. Sebastian hoped there'd be less tension between her and Eleanor and was glad there were no more forced secrets between them, but he didn't feel entirely good about spreading his curse.

Outside, James stared across the street at the stone in the center of the road, seeming deep in thought.

"Did I do the right thing?" Sebastian asked, unable to hold the question in even though there was no taking it back now. He longed for a nap, exhausted as if he hadn't just woken up an hour ago.

"Yes, Sebastian. You made it Eleanor's choice." James put a comforting hand on Sebastian's arm. "She'll do whatever she can for the town. More than we could?—"

A roar cut across James's words, and he fell silent.

Sebastian stepped closer to him. "What was that?"

Someone screamed.

James's hand on Sebastian tightened. "It sounded like it was coming from over by the diner."

They jogged across the street without hesitation. Another scream and a louder, snarling roar cut across the quiet circle.

"It can't be a shade," Sebastian muttered, hoping he wasn't wrong. The last thing they needed was light-resistant ones out on a sunlit day.

A woman darted into a car parked in front of the park as a bear paced back and forth beside it. One of the picnic tables behind it was crushed.

Sebastian grabbed James, forcing them both to stop on the edge of the grass surrounding the stone. "What are the chances that's a normal bear?"

The animal turned its head toward them, revealing onyx eyes and a chunk of flesh missing from its face.

James swallowed. "I'd say zero."

Fuck, it was possessed. The longer Sebastian looked, the more wrong the bear seemed. Its fur was matted with dirt, its skin hanging loosely in some areas but not others. There were wounds on its side and chest, but the blood was black and dried.

It roared, flecks of something flying from its mouth. The bear abandoned the car and stalked toward them.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Sebastian tried to drag James backward. Why had they come over here? They couldn't save anyone from a possessed predator.

James sent sparks at the bear. The embers landed in the fur on its chest and ignited. The beast jolted and growled but kept moving, burning as it walked toward them like nothing was wrong.

"Why isn't it stopping?" James gasped, bewildered.

"I think it's already dead. Look." Sebastian pointed. "It's half-decayed."

"Is it the same bear Carson's son shot in the woods?"

At this point, it didn't matter. The horror that had once been a bear was coming closer. The fire spread up the beast's shoulders, but the shade inside seemed unbothered, its dark eyes fixed on its prey.

Usually, you had to kill a possessed animal to get the shade to leave the body. Sebastian didn't know what to do if the animal was already dead.

"Aim for its eyes," Sebastian yelled, taking a guess and hoping that hitting the shade's eyes would vanquish the beast .

He and James sent sparks and ran. The bear wouldn't even need to bite them or swipe them with its claws to kill them. It would just knock them down with a flaming paw and set them on fire.

Parker burst out of the diner behind them. "Hey!"

The bear paused at the sound and turned. It hesitated as it tried to decide who to pursue.

One sure way to get rid of the possessed beast occurred to Sebastian. He was on the south side of the circle this time, but the vein was still underfoot.

It didn't take the complete, hopeless desire to die to connect to the vein this time. Sebastian just had to focus under the earth, knowing part of him was down there, and pull.

His fingers crackled blue.

The bear turned back toward him and James and lunged, flaming paws launching into the air as it barred its onyx teeth. Sebastian shot pure, hot power at it, his nerves burning with the effort.

Blue energy cut through the fire and hit the bear in the chest. It screeched, but unlike the roaring from earlier, this was high-pitched. Shadow burst from the burning bear and dissipated as the body crumpled to the ground in a putrid heap.

Sebastian dropped to his knees, panting heavily, his head pounding like his heart and brain had swapped places. He released the power of the veins, but it didn't help. He groaned.

"Sebastian!" James wrapped his arms around him and pulled him against his chest.

A moment later, Parker was on his other side. Sebastian closed his eyes. He swore he could hear the sound of a fire extinguisher, but less and less was penetrating the pain in his head.

He just needed to sleep. A little nap, that was all.