Page 43 of Cursed By Fate

“So are you,” Vale said. “I couldn’t keep up.”

Only then did I notice he was dripping wet.

“Which direction was it headed?” Vale asked. “I can have another team try to intercept it.”

“Toward the Wilmington River. Probably heading out to sea to escape us.”

Meemaw pulled me to my feet. “You’re a Gorgon, aren’t you? I thought they were descended from a sea monster.”

“Your point?”

“I’d expect you to be more adept in the water.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Gage’s group has a boat.” Vale shared the update in the group chat.

Thirty minutes passed while Gage and his companions pursued the monster, but they lost sight of it once the river met the Atlantic. They turned around and returned to Savannah, arranging to meet us at Vale’s yacht. The demigod offered us a ride back to Evermore, from which we could continue our search for the elusive monster.

At the dock, all heads were accounted for, except two.

“Has anyone seen Louise or Margie?” I asked.

No response.

“Whose group were they in?” I pressed.

Cowboy tugged the rim of his hat to shield his face. “I thought they were right behind me. Slippery suckers.”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Meemaw said. “We saw the monster, which means it was nowhere near them.”

“There are all kinds of monsters,” Harriet replied. “And not all of them wear snakeskin.”

“I bet they took a detour and got lost,” Gage said.

“Then why aren’t they answering their phones?” Catherine pressed.

“I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation,” Meemaw said. “Margie and Louise can take care of themselves.” She paused. “Well, Louise can take care of both of them.”

I glanced at the clock on my phone. “It’s later than I realized. We need to get the rest of you back to Evermore,” I said.

Fear sparked in Catherine’s eyes. “We can’t leave without them!”

“We’ll keep looking for them,” Vale said. “They’ll be much easier to find than the monster.”

“I can ask my network for help,” Harriet volunteered. “An out-of-town witch won’t get far without being noticed.”

Nina waved to us from the yacht’s helm.

“The captain is ready for us,” I said, prodding Meemaw, Joan, and Catherine to board the boat.

“I’ll be in touch,” Vale said. “Thank you for coming today.”

“I’m sorry it wasn’t a success.”

He reached for my hand as I boarded the yacht. “I wouldn’t say it was a complete loss.”