Curse of the Phoenix by Aimée Carter

Author:Aimée Carter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: 2021-06-08T00:00:00+00:00

18 LU

AFTER SPENDING MOST OF THE morning and afternoon in a panic over finding her brother, Lu was completely drained.

Ever since they’d arrived in England, she’d been tense, waiting for the next moment she’d have to jump into action to help Zac breathe, or save him from mermaids, or find him in a massive forest with dragons and a manticore on the loose. It was exhausting, and she had no idea how their mother had done it. How had she spent all day, every day, watching over Zac and not worrying herself to death?

As soon as Lu thought it, her blood ran cold. An aneurysm had killed their mother, not Zac. Not all that worry. Lu hadn’t known what an aneurysm was—she’d never even heard of it—and the thought that something she didn’t even know existed could steal someone she loved…

“Do you want to see my drawings?” said Zac from the other side of the bedroom. It was past dinnertime now, and Rowena had been purple with rage at the news of what had happened. Their great-aunt couldn’t blame Zac for this one, though—not when it had been the unicorn who’d run into the forest and then abandoned him. But Penelope had gotten a stern talking-to, and Zac and Lu had been sent to their room with a dinner tray and strict orders not to bother the adults.

“Show me,” said Lu wearily, and Zac held up his sketchbook. He’d drawn the phoenix in half a dozen different poses, and several of them he’d even colored in.

“I like this one best,” he said, pointing to the only finished picture. In it, the phoenix was looking over his wing, his blue-and-orange plumage on full display.

“I can’t believe he stood so still for you,” said Lu, shaking her head. “Did you see anything else? Any—visions?”

Zac hesitated and lowered his sketchbook into his lap. “Nothing important,” he mumbled.

“You’re sure?” she said, and he nodded. Lu didn’t believe him—or at the very least, she was sure he was hiding something—but before she could press, a floorboard creaked outside their room.

“Don’t you dare,” came a harsh whisper, barely audible from Lu’s spot on her bed. There was a thump as something hit the wall, and with a scowl, she got up and crept over to the door.

“Let me go, Oliver,” said another low voice—Penelope. “They have a right to know.”

“Rowena said not to,” he hissed. “If you do this—”

“They’re our cousins,” she insisted. “Wouldn’t you want to know?”

“I already do, and it ruined my life,” said Oliver. “You’re just going to make them miserable.”

“And hiding it won’t? Stay out of it if you want, but I’m telling them.”

Lu heard another thump, and suddenly there was a knock on the door only inches from her ear. Scrambling backward, she barely made it to her bed before Penelope stuck her head inside the room.

“Do you have a minute?” she said, far more somber than usual.

“Uh—yeah,” said Lu, stretching like she was only just sitting up. On the other side of the room, she saw Zac roll his eyes.

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