Kira held her breath as Caleb took another bite of the cupcake, chewing it slowly. Bit by bit the whole thing slowly disappeared, icing and all, until there was nothing left.
“How… how do you feel?” she asked after a moment, reaching down to touch his shoulder.
Caleb frowned. “Hmm. Not much different. But then, I’m not really sure how I’m supposed to feel – I don’t think anyone’s ever written or talked about what it’s like to have a curse come o—whoa!”
Caleb gasped in a shocked breath, his eyes widening. Kira dropped into a crouch by his side, grabbing his hand. “Caleb! Is everything all right?!”
Her heart pounded – what if the mushroom hadn’t been the answer after all, and they’d been wrong about the right way to prepare it? What if Caleb was realizing they’d made a terrible mistake, and he’d poisoned himself for nothing? What if –
“No, no – I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. It’s just that – wow. Everything suddenly just got… I don’t even know if I can describe it. It’s like everything just got… brighter. Somehow. Almost as if before I was looking at everything through… through a veil. But it suddenly just dropped away, and now I can really see things.” He turned his head, gazing down into Kira’s eyes. “Well… except for you. You look just the same. But I suppose that’s the mated bond for you – and I wouldn’t have wanted you to look any different anyway.”
Kira found herself biting her lip, as tears welled up in her eyes. Relief washed through her, and she realized she was shaking – the sudden release of her fears sent a burst of adrenaline through her.
“So… so you think that’s the curse being lifted, then?” she asked tentatively.
“Well, I can’t say for sure, but it definitely feels like something’s been lifted away from me – something I didn’t even know I was carrying in the first place. But I guess I just never knew any different – the curse has been with me since birth, after all.”
Caleb looked up, his face shining with happiness, to where Gale and Sylvie were standing a short distance away, watching.
“I have you to thank for this,” Caleb said solemnly. “And Kira, of course, for showing me where to find the mushrooms. But I never would have known what to do with them once we found them if it hadn’t been for you two and your willingness to help. And I have to say, of all the things I thought I’d need to break the curse, magic cupcakes was… pretty far down on that list.”
Sylvie laughed softly. “Please – of course we wanted to help. How could we not? And look, it gave me a pretty interesting new project for a while. Anyone will tell you that you put me in a kitchen and give me something to bake, and I’ll be happy. So it really wasn’t any trouble whatsoever.”
“Exactly.” Gale nodded. “And aside from that, the parklands are part of the reason Girdwood Springs is such a special place to live. I might be new in town, but I love it here. And people like Kira and Sylvie who’ve lived here all their lives know better than anyone why this place should be preserved. If I can do anything to help put a stop to what Tongle & Heit are doing, then I’ll do it.”
Caleb nodded, his expression serious. “Believe me, I appreciate it. And I intend to pay you back for it by stopping them. Now that this curse is lifted – hopefully – I want to do whatever I can to help. Starting with finding that will.”
“Any clue about how you’re going to do that?” Sylvie asked, crossing her arms. “And is there anything we can do to help?”
“Oh no, I think you’ve been more than enough help already,” Kira said. “And… well, I do have an idea about finding that will. But since it involves, I guess, some mild criminality… I wouldn’t want to get you guys involved. Or even let you know beforehand what it is.”
“Hey, I’m always up for a little mild criminality in the name of great justice,” Sylvie laughed. “But I get what you mean. Keep your lips sealed – but don’t worry, we’d never give you away.”
“Mild criminality, you say,” Caleb said, looking at her with warm, curious eyes. “Well. It seems like I at least should be in on this plan.”
Kira nodded. “Yeah. We’ll definitely be needing your – I hope, fully restored – luck for this.” She turned to Sylvie and Gale. “Thanks again. I honestly can’t tell you how much this means to me. To us.”
“Hey, like I said – saving the parklands is more than enough of a return of the favor, not that it needed returning in the first place,” Gale said, shaking his head. “Now – it sounds like you guys have a scheme to discuss. Don’t let us keep you.”