After a stop over at her own home to pick up Clarissa, Elunara made her way over to Renwa's house, trio of curse breakers in tow. Pushing her way through the doors, she found Renwa in his office, head bowed, hands on his head. He looked up at her and she saw the strain of it all on his face.
"Please..."
Elunara shifted Clarissa in her arms. "We've figured out how to break the curse, just not who started it."
Renwa shot to his feet. "Thank the goddess!"
"Let's wake up Abigail, she was the last hit."
"No." Renwa shook his head. "Please, wake up my wife first. She's been under longer."
"Good point." Elunara gestured with her free hand.
After the curse breakers worked their magic, Zelinnia groaned and grabbed her head. "Man, what a dream."
Renwa wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her stomach. "Oh, my poor beautiful wife, it wasn't a dream, but it was like an endless nightmare. I'm so glad you're okay."
Zelinnia put her hand on his head. "What?"
Elunara shook her head. "Women all over the city have been cursed. To fuck their husbands and then pass out, apparently."
"Why are you holding Clarissa?"
"Because Abigail was hit with it too." Renwa looked up.
"Abigail? But she doesn't have any husband to fuck."
Renwa shook his head. "It was me she attacked."
Zelinnia froze. "What?"
"Come on, let's wake her up, I need to know why she attacked her father." Elunara led the way to Abigail's bedroom.
The curse breakers performed their duty and then bowed out. Abigail sat straight up like a shot. She blinked repeatedly and held her head. "What a nightmare."
"You remember everything?" When the baby began to fuss, Elunara adjusted her in her arms.
"Why do you have my baby?" Abigail whispered.
"It wasn't a nightmare. You really did what you think you did."
Abigail turned several shades of red with a hint of green. "No."
"Yes."
"No, no, no. Not daddy!" Abigail wrapped her arms around herself and pulled her knees up. "Oh Gods! Did he...?"
Elunara shook her head. "He disabled you before you could get very far." Elunara sat on the edge of the bed and held out Clarissa. "Take her. Take comfort in your baby, and the fact your father would never do that to you. But, Abigail, I need you to think. I need to know every second of your day that day, and I need to know everything. I must find out who's been doing this."
Abigail took the baby. "I... I'll try."
----
Outside, Elunara turned to the curse breakers. "What can you tell me?"
The head curse breaker, Lyseia stepped forward. "The mother was just like the others, a practice curse, weak at best, gone but not ended. The daughter, however, was more vicious. There was a meanness to it. I cannot explain in a way that would make more sense. She is closer to still being cursed, disabling her may have prevented it from completing."
"Could you trace it?"
Lyseia shook her head. "Not yet."
"Damn it."
Suddenly, Tyralu popped up beside Elunara. "Ma'am!"
Elunara jumped about a mile out of her skin. "You're too damned good at stealthing, or I was too focused on this conversation. What is it?"
"I transcribed all I could remember from the scrolls that were taken from my apartment." She handed them over. "This is all I could do."
Elunara opened the scrolls. "This one is control runes." She handed the paper to Lyseia. "Confirm that for me."
Lyseia carefully took the paper. The trio looked it over. "This is indeed the curse we have been breaking."
Elunara eyed the second one. "This is a recipe for bread." She turned the paper this way and that. "With murloc scribbles."
"May I?" Lyseia held out a hand.
Elunara passed it over. "Who would steal a recipe for bread from a murloc? How does a murloc know how to make bread? My head hurts."
"There are similar runes on both pages." Lyseia handed them back. "Where did these scrolls come from?"
Elunara turned to Tyralu. "Well?"
"Deadmines."
"Cookie."
Tyralu nodded.
Elunara began to pace. "The only place everyone hit has in common is Tippy's. They all ate at Tippy's, they all had the sandwich special." She hesitated. "I trust Tippy with my life. I've eaten the same sandwich many times in the past. So, what may have changed? I must speak with Tippy." Grabbing the scrolls, she made her way to Tippy's inn.
----
The usual lunch crowd was in and Tippy was busing tables as she took orders in a chaos Elunara had never fully understood.
"Tippy, I need to talk to you."
"Can it wait, I am slammed and John's out with a broken leg."
"Wait, what? When did this happen?"
"A couple of weeks ago." Tippy sighed. "Seriously, can it wait?"
Elunara shook her head. "No, I don't think it can."
Tippy sighed and grabbed another handful of dishes. "Let me drop this stuff in the back." She disappeared into the back and Elunara could hear Tippy giving orders to someone. Tippy stepped back out and stood beside the counter. Enalla watched with caution, quietly slicing a cake with a rather large knife.
"Now what's so important that it can't wait another hour or two?"
"Tippy, you know that strange illness that has been going around? The one where women are unconscious?"
"You found out what's going on? Is everybody okay?"
"It was a curse. A curse that has finally been broken."
"Oh, thank the goddess. I've been so worried. I need to make so much food, they must be all starving!"
"Tippy... we've known each other a long time..."
Tippy hesitated. "Yeah, so?"