CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“Melba. She tried to protect us all,” said Grover. “She saved my life many times.”
“How do we stop the curse?” asked Bennett.
“I’m not sure,” said Ruby. “Usually someone of their own blood could help but not knowing anything but a first name doesn’t give us much to go on.”
Aislinn and Kane walked toward the group, and Bennett stared at the woman.
“You. You felt something when we shook hands.”
“I did, but I knew that it wasn’t your past or future. It was someone else’s.”
“I don’t know what to do,” he said quietly. “I’m so tired. I’ve tried to make this right. I’ve tried to change what happened, but I can’t. It’s the past. All the houses I’ve torn down, the trees I’ve burned or destroyed, anything that might remind me of what they’ve done. None of it works.”
“Maybe we have to go back to where it all happened,” said Irene. “Maybe we can find the original plantation.”
“It wouldn’t be hard,” said Bennett. “It’s the one place I’m banned from entering. It’s a historically preserved and saved home up River Road.”
“It’s still standing?” asked Grover.
“As far as I know. They rebuilt it. I tried a million times to get the man to sell it to me, and he refused, then had me banned from the property. I can’t get near it.”
“Then that’s where we have to go,” said Ruby. “You feel like goin’ Grover?”
“Can I? I mean, I’ve never left here,” he said.
“You should be able to with Bennett and the rest of us. Will you try?”
“I’ll try.”
Arriving at the old plantation, they were surprised at the pristine exterior and grounds. It was close to midnight, and they knew that entering through the gates would be trespassing.
“Code? Turn it all off,” said Nine
“Done.”
“They have cameras,” whispered Bennett.
“We know. We’ve turned them off. Let’s go and see what we can find. Or feel. Whatever,” said Nine, frustrated.
“I feel sick,” said Grover.
“Me too,” said Bennett.
A shadowy figure walked toward them, the figure of a woman. Her hair was up in a turban-like piece of cloth. She was old, ancient, some might say.
“Melba? Melba, is that you?”
“Whatchu doin’ here, boy? You didn’t die here.” She looked at the other men and women, then at Bennett. “I see. You think to remove the curse.”
“Melba, it wasn’t him that did this,” said Ruby.
“You on his side? A negro takin’ his side,” she scoffed.
“I’m takin’ his side. I’m tellin’ you that your curse hurt all the wrong people. William Hampton started this. There’s no reason to make this man suffer for what he did. He’s tried to make it right.”
“No one can make it right!” she yelled. The echo actually hurt their ears. Grover just stared at her, shaking his head.
“It’s done, Melba.”
“Don’t you want to avenge your wife?” she snapped.
“My wife has been gone for two hundred and fifty years. I can’t avenge her,” he said with exhaustion. “It’s too much. Too much death and anger. He’s done nothing wrong.”
“She was my granddaughter,” said the old woman.
“I’m so sorry,” said Irene. “But that’s no reason to hate a man who never knew anyone involved.”
“Your granddaughter?” repeated Grover. “You could have stopped him when he took her from me.”
The woman just stared at Grover, not saying anything. There was nothing to say. He was right. She could have done something to stop the old man, but she let it happen, believing it would all work out.
“You had the power to prevent him from killing my wife, your granddaughter.”
“I c-couldn’t,” she said.
“Couldn’t or wouldn’t?” asked Grover. He stared at the woman, then at Irene and Ruby. That’s when he understood. He looked back at Melba, tilting his head.
“You allowed it to happen.”
“Allowed what to happen?” asked Bennett.
“She allowed him to rape the women, beat the men. You said to me once that he gave favors to those who allowed him to do what he wanted to do. You allowed him to do those things.”
“That’s right. That’s right, I did! I needed supplies, food, and clothes for my children.”
“Children that he gave you,” said Grover. The woman said nothing, just staring at him. “He allowed you to travel to other plantations and service them with your magic, to a point. You thought that would give you favor forever. Then he killed your granddaughter and me.”
“I didn’t care about you. I cared about Tia. She was mine! She was going to follow in my footsteps. She shouldn’t have fought him. I told her what to do.”
“You sicken me,” said Grover. “Remove the curse from this man right now!”
“I can’t,” she said resolutely. “In death, I have no power.”
“But your ancestors do,” said Ruby. “Who are they? Who are your people, and don’t lie to me, woman. You may not be able to curse the living, but I can damn sure curse the dead.”
The old woman’s brows rose, and she stared at the woman across from her. She smelled her power and then stared at the tiny white woman. Together, they were an unstoppable force. Ruby stepped closer, raising two fingers.
“You’ve got two minutes, then I start mixin’ spells.”