Descendants Academy: Young Adult Urban Fantasy, Belle Malory [motivational novels for students .txt] 📗

better than when we started. With each book I touched, I began to understand the draw. There was power in it. It didn’t ask for permission—it just was. Absorbing the knowledge was similar to reading horror novels. Fascinating, but they still left me shaken. These books and I simply didn’t vibe.

“Anything?” Xander asked, after I put down the last one. He sat next to me on the sofa, while Ione sat cross-legged on the floor. Every time I put down a book, they both stared at me, on edge, waiting to find out what I’d learned.

My search was disappointing so far. Most of the curses I read about, especially those similar to mine, were created with so much energy, that breaking them was damn near impossible.

“Well?” Xander said.

“Don’t ever get on my bad side,” I said, with a teasing wink. “I officially know voodoo.”

He let out a frustrated breath, then handed me another. “Next.”

“Wait, she needs a snack break,” Ione said, jumping up. “I’ll make popcorn. I think we have cookies too.”

Xander’s jaw ticked. “We don’t have time for snack breaks. She needs to get through these before we go back to campus tomorrow.”

“Relax, Xan.” Ione disappeared into the kitchen, and I heard her shuffling around inside the pantry. “We can’t push her too hard.”

The microwave powered on and kernels started popping. I wasn’t really hungry, but I’d learned the trick with this bibliomagery stuff was to keep my energy levels high. I could get through more books that way.

“Am I pushing you too hard?” Xander said, studying me.

“I’m fine.” And I was, surprisingly. “When I first started doing this, my max was like, four, maybe five books tops, in one sitting. Now I can go longer, especially spaced out like this, and Ione’s snacks do help.” I grinned.

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He looked worried. “You scared me today,” he admitted.

“I know,” I said, thinking of Ione’s story. Xander had seen really bad shit play out in his family, and in a way, I’d made him relive it. “I’m sorry.”

“We’ll find a way to break your curse, Sheridan.” He reached out and touched my hand, sending a whirl of his warm magic through it. “I promise.”

I nodded, knowing that also meant I’d have to let him help. Strangely, I was fine with that. If the situation were reversed, I’d want to help him too.

A few minutes later, Ione returned with a large bowl of popcorn and a package of Oreos. She set them both down, then made herself comfortable on the floor. “You know, I’ve been thinking,” she said, a gleam in her eyes. “If I were you, I would impress every romance novel I could get my hands on. Do you know what you could accomplish in the mirror realm?” She sighed, thinking about it. “I can’t even imagine. I’m so jealous.”

I decided to burst her jealousy bubble right then and there. “First of all, you saw in Lilyworth’s class that knowing and doing are two different things. Second, the mirrors won’t even let me pass through yet. I’m still not worthy or whatever.” I tried not to sound bitter but failed. Every time those mirrors remained solid was another reminder that I hadn’t managed to fully fit into this world.

“It takes time,” Ione said. “You’ll be able to pass through soon enough.”

“Hey, back to the subject at hand,” Xander said, pushing the next book toward me. “Work your magic, damsel.”

I snatched it, narrowing my eyes on him. “Just so you know, I resent that nickname—holy bejeezus!” The incoming information was super familiar. My eyes glazed over, and I began combing through the files of my mind, trying to figure out all the details.

Xander leaned forward. “What are you getting?”

“This sounds like my curse.” I was so excited, the words started spilling out at a rapid speed. “Two babies with different mothers. Cursed at birth. One was in line for a big title, king or something equivalent. The other son’s mother was resentful because her child was a bastard, while the other had his father’s name and would eventually go on to receive the title. Whoa…” I lifted my brows. “If this really is the same curse, a lot of time and energy was spent binding it. Not only would Petra have had to sacrifice her womb, but she would have needed to kill something or someone, too. Then, she needed drops of blood from me and Riley, along with tufts of our hair. She would have had to spend three straight nights chanting the spell, without wavering.”

“That’s all good and great, Sher, but what does the book say about breaking the curse?” Xander looked at me impatiently.

“Well, it didn’t work out the way the bastard’s mother planned. The boys ended up working together. They were friends—oh, my—and they did it. They actually broke it.”

“How?” Both Ione and Xander said in unison.

I blinked. “Persephone’s Cure.”

“Persephone, the goddess of the Underworld?” Ione said.

I nodded. “The book mentions the story about how Hades abducted her.”

“We know it,” Xander said, quickly reciting the tale. “Hades wanted to marry Persephone, but her mother, Demeter, thought her daughter was too good for him. So Hades, being the dick that he was, took matters into his own hands. He captured and took Persephone into the Underworld and forced her to marry him. Mama bear, Demeter, was pissed. She refused to harvest the earth until Hades returned with her daughter. Zeus knew the people needed to eat, so he ordered Hades to give Persephone back. But Hades was a crafty bastard, and he gave his bride a fruit that would make her miss the Underworld. So the three of them worked out an arrangement. Persephone would split each year between both worlds. The story accounts for the change in seasons, yada yada. It’s autumn when she leaves, everything dies, and spring again when she returns.”

I blinked at his cut and dry accounting. My dad, ever the mythology lover, would get a kick