Bryony's gaze softened as she took in Eleanor's nervous demeanour. She understood how unsettling the presence of magic could be for those unaccustomed to it, especially when it clung to something as intimate as a family heirloom.

  Her voice was gentle but steady. "Tell me, Miss Hawthorne, what happened after you received the locket?"

  Eleanor's hand tightened around the chain, her knuckles blanching. "At first, it was fine. I wore it every day." Her voice grew softer, weighted with each word. "Then… strange things started happening. I'd hear whispers at night, feel a chill even with the heating on full." Her fingers trembled as she released the locket, letting it settle against her chest. "And then I saw her. My grandmother. In the mirror. Just… staring."

  Bryony nodded, holding back any quick reassurances. A calm, measured approach often gave her clients the space to reveal details they wouldn't usually remember. "A powerful memory," she murmured, letting the words linger. "Sometimes these objects retain imprints, echoes of those who owned them."

  Eleanor looked down, her cheeks flushed. "I've tried to ignore it, convince myself it's just in my head, but… it feels real. I need to know if it's… if it's cursed."

  Eleanor placed the locket on the desk, her hands trembling. As it touched the wood, a ripple of magic washed over Bryony's senses, subtle yet insistent. She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing.

  Intricate Celtic knotwork twisted across the gold surface, concealing glyphs that pulsed with harsh, discordant energy, raising the hair on her neck. Bryony's scepticism wavered. The locket's aura was old, at least a century, and it felt almost sentient. Powerful magic had been used to create this magic way beyond the abilities of an amateur. Bryony wondered how old the enchantment really was.

  Bryony retrieved a rune-inscribed chalk from her desk drawer, sketching a containment circle that vanished into the polished wood.

  "I'll take a closer look," she murmured, settling the locket into the circle. "Most 'curses' aren't as grim as people think. We'll sort this out."

  Eleanor's tension eased as she released the locket. Her hands trembled as she withdrew, pressing them flat against her skirt.

  "Thank you." Her whisper barely made it past her lips. "I know it sounds silly, worrying over an old piece of jewellery, but…" She glanced at the locket within Bryony's protective ward. "I haven't slept properly since finding it."

  Bryony noted the dark circles under Eleanor's eyes and the tremor in her voice. This went beyond the fears of an anxious teacher. She rose as Eleanor moved toward the office door. "Please wait in the café below. Emil makes a mean hot chocolate." She glanced at Eleanor's trembling hands. "I think you should hold off on the coffee, just for now."

  Through her office window, Bryony watched Eleanor as Ash settled her in at a small table in the corner of the café. He flourished his apron and revealed a small bouquet of flowers which he set in the vase on the table. Eleanor's smile was the first genuine one Bryony had seen on her since she'd entered earlier that morning.

  Turning to her desk, her gaze settled on the locket within the containment ward, its metal surface absorbing the fading afternoon light. The locket's magical aura pulsed, growing stronger with each passing moment.

  Her lips quirked. Bryony couldn't remember how many supposedly cursed items she had examined. Usually, they ended up being less than original. Most of the time, nothing was wrong, and it was all in the client's head. She'd give the piece a look and cast some slight warming spell to give it a comforting glow or warmth to the touch. Then she'd give it back and off the client would go. Content in the knowledge that the curse was contained. But this piece, this piece was different.

  As she traced the ward's edge with her fingertip, genuine power thrummed beneath the surface.

  ****

  Mara entered silently, headphones in place, her gaze immediately drawn to the locket suspended in the containment ward. Her usually distracted expression sharpened with interest. Bryony watched Mara's fingers hover near the ward's edge, a slight furrow in her brow.

  Considering her psychic ability, it took a lot of work to get Mara's full attention. There was always noise for her. Mara had once told Bryony what it was like. A constant stream of voices, overlapping each other as they jabbered on in her head. She could block them out, of course, but it took effort, and that would leave Mara drained over time.

  Usually, she just listened to her music. Somehow that drowned everyone out. The only person who didn't drain her was Ash. For some reason, Bryony could never quite figure it out; Mara couldn't hear Ash's thoughts. Maybe it was because he was a shapeshifter, or perhaps it was just because he was Ash; there were a lot of odd things about him. Whatever the reason, it made Bryony happy to know that at least somewhere, with someone, Mara could find some peace.

  "Take your time," Bryony murmured, aware of Mara's deep focus on the locket.

  Bryony tensed as Mara's eyes narrowed. The air thickened around the containment ward as the locket responded to Mara's intrusion. Mara moved her fingers closer to the locket. Her arm straining the closer it got.

  A loud crack suddenly echoed in the office as a bolt of electric energy leapt from the locket to Mara's fingers. She jumped, pulling her fingers back as the energy hit the containment field and scowled at the thing.

  "There's not just a curse. Someone trapped part of a psyche inside.' Mara grunted.

  A shiver crawled down Bryony's spine. The locket hadn't merely absorbed dark energy; someone had crafted it with deliberate malice, far beyond a typical family curse. She regretted doubting the client's fears.

  'And it's not happy about being in there.' Mara continued, examining her hand. 'I'm pretty sure it wants out.'

  'Would that be a good idea.' Bryony asked. Mara's only response was a look. "Hmm, thought that would be your answer," Bryony said. "Well, we need to contain it then. Permanently. We'll have to bind it in there. If we can fully seal it, then who knows,' Bryony said, moving to the cabinet on the wall behind her desk. 'Maybe it'll fizz out. If we are lucky."

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  She opened the cabinet and retrieved a velvet pouch of glyph-etched stones. She arranged them in a circle around the locket, each settled with a soft, reassuring click against the antique wood. The stones would form another layer of protection whilst they worked. From the locket's earlier display, Bryony suspected it would not go quietly.

  Mara's presence always steadied her nerves when dealing with curses. Bryony hated them. Bryony's abilities relied on the natural world, and curses were anything but natural. The malice and hatred needed to create real curses always lingered on her skin for days. Last time, she had to bathe in the North Sea just to get rid of it.

  Mara's psychic abilities gave her an intuitive grasp of people's minds, allowing her to understand people in a way Bryony would never have been able to or wanted to. And since that was where curses were born inside the mind, Mara's insight was invaluable.

  Bryony drew a measured breath. With Mara's insight guiding her, she felt confident they could bind the curse. She looked down at the locket as a feeling of someone watching them crept over her skin. 'Let's just get this over with.'

  "If we strengthen the containment ward first, it should hold until we can safely bind its energy," Mara said, her voice steady despite her tense posture. "In case it gets… defensive."

  "Good call. This thing's been festering for God's know how long." Bryony opened herself to the wyrdstream, feeling the familiar pull and push of life's power run through her. Steadily she allowed more power through, channelling it into the chalk wards and rune stones on her desk. Through her magical sight, she watched as the protective wards shimmered and fused, creating a lattice of energy around the locket. Mara's psychic power reached out to her. Blending into her own as they had done many times before. Mara's grounded, intuitive skill guiding Bryony's structured approach in a familiar, seamless rhythm.

  Bryony arranged the spell components in her mind precisely, coiling power around them, readying them. When the spell started to take hold, she figured that was when the curse would fight back. Better to surprise it all at once and not give it a chance.

  There were advantages to being a mage. A witch or a sorcerer could never hold the power to assemble things like this inside them. They would have to release each part before weaving the next. Allowing the curse time to fight each section of the spell separately and that, Bryony mused, would be unpleasant.

  As a mage, though, Bryony was directly linked to the Wyrdstream, the universe's flow of life. True, most mages burnt out and killed themselves well before mastering the stream. Still, those who survived were faced with access to unimaginable power. Something she had always struggled with.

  She removed her runeblade stiletto from her desk drawer and rested it against her forearm. It wasn't necessary for the binding to work, but its weight always reassured Bryony. Magic was great, but nothing beat the warded steel in her mind.

  Mara stood beside her, eyes closed in concentration. In all her years of work, no psychic had matched Mara's attunement to cursed objects.

  "Ready when you are," Bryony whispered, feeling Mara's focus in her mind.

  Mara's hands moved gracefully through the air above the ward, her gestures precise and measured. Bryony tracked the movements, sending trace streams of power to each point and linking them to the sections balanced in her mind.

  It was easy for Bryony to use too much power. Mara had never worked with a mage before Bryony. In fact, even Bryony had yet to meet another mage. To say they were rare would be an understatement. The first time they tried this, Bryony pushed too much at Mara, almost killing her with the force.

  The locket pulsed beneath the web of power as if acknowledging her presence. It seemed to be readying itself, challenging them to release it and let it free upon its captures.

  "There's not just anger," Mara murmured. "there's a warped sense of duty, almost like an inherited grudge. It feeds off each bearer's pain."

  Bryony refocused her mind, racing through potential counter-spells, adjusting her approach as Mara spoke. This curse was no simple binding. It was a web of emotional snares. With Mara's reading of the mental imprint, they could target the specific points without risking a cascade effect.

  Bryony picked up her chalk and sketched a modified containment circle, weaving Mara's insights into its design.

  She positioned each glyph stone precisely, magic tingling beneath her fingertips as the power within her built. Mara's insights had revealed a hidden layer to the curse. The sense of duty it held to its bearer and the generations of spite it had absorbed from its previous owners. It must have driven them mad. Purposefully haunting them and whispering at them. All the time, feeding on the malice it stoked.

  "If we lock down the resentment triggers, we should be able to keep it stable," Bryony murmured, layering the containment spell. "Just enough to hold without suppressing its energy."

  The magic responded to her touch as she wove Mara's observations, modifying the traditional containment. Her focus sharpened as the spell took shape, with Mara's gift for reading emotional anchors proving invaluable.

  Bryony channelled her magic through the containment ward etched on the desk, her power resonating with Mara's psychic probe. The locket resisted, almost unsure of the probe, but Bryony held firm, adjusting her spell to match the emotional signature Mara had identified.

  "There's a trigger point beneath the surface. A memory of loss. If we contain it first, we should calm the curse."

  Bryony traced the psychic probe. Her inner mind raced along the channels of power. Below the surface of the locket, a blood-red glow emanated. It was the memory. Loss and pain bound to the cold metal wanting to feed on any life force that touched it. Bryony searched around it. Feeling out the edges, being careful not to mentally touch the dark energy.

  It formed a star shape within. As Bryony probed the last point, it moved. Dark energy brushed against her power, responding like a wounded animal. Without hesitation, Bryony released her control, sending the spell's full force at the darkness.

  It tried to resist momentarily, but Bryony's plan worked. The sheer force of her power overwhelmed the dark, locking it into a matrix of glowing blue energy.

  "Got it. Let's ease off once it stabilizes." Bryony traced the ward's pattern with her fingers.

  The locket's dark aura dimmed to a whisper as the final strands of magic wove into place. A surge of satisfaction filled Bryony as the containment spell clicked into place.

  Bryony caught Mara's eye with a grateful nod. Though they'd contained countless cursed artefacts, this locket had demanded exceptional care. Mara's ability to read the emotional anchors had made their work safer and swifter.

  She traced the ward's edge with a finger, sensing the steady pulse of their combined magic beneath her touch.

  They stood back from the containment ward, watching the locket's dull, pulsing glow. The magic felt controlled yet potent like a caged beast waiting to strike. A tingling lingered in Bryony's fingers from the spellwork.

  "This was crafted with some awful intent," Mara said quietly, frowning.

  "This wasn't casual magic, that's certain." Bryony crossed her arms, studying the artefact. "We'll need to warn the client to keep it secured."

  With care, Bryony lifted the locket, using the containment ward before wrapping it in rune-marked fabric. The protective symbols were subtle enough to avoid disrupting their earlier work yet strong enough to steady the curse. Even as she set it in a new velvet-lined box, she could feel the curse's malice simmering beneath their spell work.

  Mara nodded her approval. Their client would need strict rules: no wearing the locket, no physical contact, and, most critically, no amateur purification attempts. Bryony had witnessed too many contained curses break free from misguided efforts. This piece demanded professional handling, and Bryony would ensure the client understood.

  ****

  Eleanor perched on the edge of her chair as Bryony explained their findings. Her eyes darted between Bryony, Mara and the box on the desk. The young teacher blanched at the mention of familial resentment woven into the curse.

  "We've contained it, but this isn't an ordinary piece," Bryony said. "The curse feeds on resentment and pain. Careless handling could reignite it. Keep it secure, and don't let anyone else touch it. Over time, it may burn itself out, but I wouldn't bank on it.' She said, rising from her chair. 'For now, it should be safe. But…. No touching. Got it?"

  Eleanor's fingers twisted anxiously as she took the box from Bryony.

  "I can take it off your hands if you'd like," Bryony offered calmly. "For a fair price."

  Eleanor shook her head, managing a faint smile. "Thank you, but no. It's been in my family too long. I'll follow your instructions carefully."

  Eleanor held the velvet box against her chest, her hands trembling. "I can't thank you enough. Just knowing that I'm not going mad…. it's more of a relief than you might think."

  Bryony nodded. There was something rewarding about containing dangerous magic before it could cause harm. She watched Eleanor tuck the box into her handbag carefully.

  "Remember what we discussed about storage," Bryony said. "And call us immediately if anything seems off."

  As Eleanor departed with more words of thanks, Bryony stood in her office doorway, quietly proud of their work, balancing client care with protection against magic's darker forces. Mara's steady presence beside her was a quiet confirmation of their partnership's success.

  Mara was studying Bryony with that knowing look when she turned around. Bryony smiled faintly, sensing their combined magic still humming in the air—a subtle reminder of their precise work.

  "Well, that was something," Bryony said, exhaling. "Couldn't have managed it without your insight, Mara."

  "Team effort, as always." Mara's steady voice matched her calm demeanour.