We continued eating and I marvelled at the new side of Serge I was witnessing.  I had become accustomed to him acting guiltily grim.  The evidence that there was more to him than just the man who was trying to fix the problem he had caused was an insight that intrigued me.

The curse was not impressed with my undue interest and proceeded to progressively push ice through my veins, but I did my best to ignore it.  I could feel myself shaking with the effort of my battle.

While I fought, supper was cleared off the table and the two younger children repeated their pleas to show me their rooms.  Karen insisted they go and complete their homework first.  Both complied along with their older brother, with minimal whining.

Once the kids were set up and the kitchen was cleaned, Karen suggested a round of cards.

"Do you feel up to trying, or would you rather head back home?" Serge asked me.

I knew what the curse would prefer, so I said the opposite.  "I can try."

Dan got out a deck of cards and after some discussion we began playing a game of hearts.

I lost the first game pretty terribly and did not do much better the second, but I did not care.   The important part was that I managed to function past the curse's intent.

I was slowly dealing the second hand of our third game when Serge's phone rang.

"Sorry, it's Leah.  I've got to take this," he apologized.  I heard his chair scrape back and his footsteps as he walked into the living room.

Karen turned to me.  "So, are you enjoying playing this at all?"

I considered.  It was not that I disliked the game so much, as it was hard to enjoy myself when I had to fight the curse to make every decision.  The only tricks that were easy to play were the ones when there was only one legal move available.  Following suite with only one of the right type was a breeze.

"I think it's g-good for me," I told her.  I shivered.

I saw her nod from the corner of my eye.  "That's good then.  Do you know how to play crib?"

I nodded.

"I'll bring a board over, if you want."

"O-okay," I agreed reluctantly.  Fight the curse, fight the curse, I reminded myself to keep myself from running away from scary things like Karen with a crib board.

Serge walked back into the room.  I could almost feel his tension in the prickling on the back of my neck.  "I think I'm going to have to cut our night short," he said with an apologetic note.

"What happened?" Dan asked.

Serge was quiet for a long moment before he responded.

"There's been a challenge."

I heard Karen gasp and Dan say, "Oh, shit."

Although I remained quiet, I felt the significance of his words as deeply as the rest of them.

* *  *   *   *   *   *  * *

We left quickly after Serge's explanation.  I apologized to Macy and Payton that I would have to skip my tour of their rooms this time, before Serge swept me out the door.  Both children's eyes were wide.  Neither knew what was happening, but they clearly had sensed something was amiss.

The drive back to the house was quiet until I managed to find the strength to speak.

"Are y-you okay?" I asked before realizing what a stupid question it had been.  Of course he was not okay; I knew how I would feel if someone challenged my father or brother, our family's legacy.

It had been a long time since there had been a challenge in any of the trifecta packs and it was a sign of how far Serge had fallen.  The real test of his people's esteem would be if the challenger managed to get the majority to agree to the challenge.

I tried to amend my question.  "I mean, I kn-know y-you're not okay, but..."

"I'll be fine," he said.  His words were not terse, just melancholy.  My heart felt heavy at the sound.

"M-maybe," I agreed reluctantly.  "I'm s-sorry this happened, S-Se-Se..."

"It's nothing you did," he assured me.

"I know, but th-this would not have happened—"

"If I hadn't cursed you," he finished bitterly.

"Or if I hadn't disobeyed my dad th-that d-day," I added slowly.

We felt silent.

I clutched my hands in my lap and closed my eyes.  Both our words were true, but...  "I don't want y-you to lose, Se-Se-Ser..."

I heard him exhale sharply, but he did not answer.  I tried to look at his face, but I had already exhausted my rebellious spirit.  I looked out the window instead at the passing trees in silence.

"I could simply step down," Serge said.

"D-d-don't," I pleaded.  I did not want to be the cause of his downfall any more than I wanted to be the piece that caused the Trifecta to lose the war.

"I won't.  I don't know what would happen to you if I did.  Would your curse disappear?  Would it transfer to the new leader?"

I considered his words, true tension in the pit of my stomach.  The curse seemed oddly unconcerned with the idea.  "I don't think i-it would disappear, because i-it doesn't seem upset like when I consider y-your d-death or like that story about s-self s-sacrifice Missus Lindale told us.  I think it would tr-transfer to the new leader."

I imagined the curse ownership transferring to some new unknown leader.  I did not want that and I felt a swell of my own real organic fear.  What would another leader be like?  I could not imagine that he would be so concerned about my wellbeing as Serge was, even if Serge's care was brought on only by his guilt.

"I d-don't want a n-new...  Se-Se-Ser...  Pl-please d-don't just g-give up."

"I won't, I promise."

* *  *   *   *   *   *  * *

When we got back to Serge's home he went into his office and I went and hid in my room.  I could hear the faint rumble of him speaking, presumably on the phone.

Every time I heard his voice, I was reminded of the trouble brewing in the pack and the curse made me shiver anew.  I grabbed my mp3 player and popped in my ear buds.

I had gone through my music library multiple times in the last month and had added fourteen songs that were suitably depressing enough to sooth the curse to my safe playlist.  I had quickly exhausted the supply of melancholy in my music library and I had since begun searching for angry songs, which I could tolerate as long as none of the lyrics in any way reminded me of Serge.

I had found I could even tolerate something mildly upbeat so long as the lyrics were about something unpleasant, like hating something or someone, or the futility of existence.

I did not have much music like that, so I was forced to conclude that my taste in music had been way too happy in the past.  It was regretful that I never had a depressed phase to draw from.

Laying in bed with my stuffed lizard, I let the musical misery of musicians lull me to sleep.

* *  *   *   *   *   *  * *

I woke the next morning to the familiar frantic beating of my heart and the scent of bacon and coffee in the air.

I pushed out of bed and pulled on my housecoat before trudging out of my room.

The ice in the back of my neck flared up as I entered to find both Karen and Serge.  She was at the stove and Serge was sitting with his coffee cup and a pile of documents.  I did not have to ask to know that we would not be going for our habitual morning run today.

"Good morning," Karen said in an approximation of the tone she usually used.  She was obviously shaken up over the idea of a potential challenger as much as I was.

As much as my life hung in the balance, so did the rest of the pack's.  It seemed almost certain that no one could fill Serge's shoes.

"Good morning," I lied along with her.

"Morning," Serge repeated, his attention obviously elsewhere.  I doubted he had gotten enough sleep.

"Eggs and bacon?" Karen asked.

"Please," I agreed.  I carefully went into the kitchen and ran myself a glass of water before taking my spot one seat closer to Serge.

A knock at the door made me jump.

Karen rushed over to the door and opened it.  "Good morning, Leah."

"I need to see Serge," she announced and walked into the house without taking off her boots.

"Morning, Leah," Serge said.  I saw him turn towards the visitor.

I could not bring myself to look at her face, but I could see enough that she wore a sharp pantsuit, held herself with dignity, and that she had black hair that just brushed her shoulders.

Karen pushed a plate in front of me and I began eating while listening to the rapid conversation to my left.

"We need to set a date for the vote, Serge.  With everything going on we don't want to have to wait long, nor do we want you to give the appearance that you're putting off the inevitable," Leah said.

"Absolutely, when do you suggest?"

"Perhaps next Thursday?" she suggested.

"Very well, if you believe we can pull it off.  It's better not to have the question of leadership in contest for long with the increased attacks of late," he said.

Leah was quiet; I could hear her making notes on a pad of paper she had set on the counter.  "We can manage if we pull all the staff off of everything but essentials."

"Thursday, then.  Let Landon know so he has ample time to lodge his disagreement if he has one."

"Absolutely.  And we'll schedule the town council on the matter on Wednesday, unless you have an objection," she said, scratching more notes.

I took a bite of toast.

"I have no objection."

"And it's customary that we have a date set for the challenge if he does meet the minimum threshold."

"When do you suggest?"

"It could be as soon as the day after the vote or two weeks."

Serge paused.  "Let Landon decide.  I'll be ready when he is, if it comes to that."

She paused.  "It very well might, considering..."  She seemed to reconsider her words.

"No need to remind me, Leah.  I'm well aware that I'm on shaky ground."

"This challenge may yet resound to your benefit, Serge.  If you win the vote, it will show that your people still have confidence in you.  If you lose the vote, but win the battle, it will demonstrate your prowess for the fight.  Whatever you have done, the fact remains that you are a good military leader.  Either way it may help you restore lost faith."

"Or I may lose, leaving the pack with an untried leader at a delicate time, not to mention my thrall at the mercy of another."

I shivered at his words and swallowed my bite of egg past the lump in my throat.

She did not respond for a long moment.  "Could you find a way to come into the office this?  It will save sending our staff back and forth with documents."

"I don't think—"

"I-I'll come, too," I volunteered shakily, since the curse was furious that I dared to interrupt him.  "Then y-you don't have to stay here."

I risked a glance at Karen and saw she was smiling encouragingly at me.

"Very good, then," Leah said.  "I'll see you shortly at the pack office."

She picked up her notepad and with a brisk farewell she disappeared out the door.

* *  *   *   *   *   *  * *