The Curse Defiers (30 page)

I shook my head in shock. “Collin . . .”

“Now let’s figure out how to save David, because we need ‘he who guides the Curse Keeper’ if we have any hope of defeating these guys in the future.”

I nodded as he dropped his grip. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he mumbled, shutting the lid. “We have an uphill battle ahead of us.” He walked to the end of the bed and jumped down. “I’m still not sure returning that sword to you is the brightest idea, but I feel better knowing you have some way of defending yourself.” When I reached the edge of the tailgate, he grimaced. “Try not to impale yourself when you hop down.”

I twisted my mouth into a mocking smile. “Very funny.” I held the sword up and away from me as I jumped and landed on my feet.

“Let’s go survey the grounds and come up with a plan.”

We walked around the building toward the sound. We stopped at the edge of the trees to the north of the complex. “I think you’re right. If we lead them to a fake gate, we should make it close to the water. If Mishiginebig is still watching out for you, he’ll come to your defense.”

“If?”

He shrugged. “Well, we do run a risk. I suspect once Okeus figures out you’ve decided to turn him down, he’ll remove all protection from you in the hope of forcing your hand. And just like that, Mishiginebig will turn from protector to predator.” Collin started to walk into the woods.

“And what will happen when Okeus realizes
you’ve
defied him?” I asked as I followed him.

He didn’t answer.

“That bad?”

“Honestly, Ellie, I don’t know. We’re making our own rules tonight.”

“I need to tell you about the Raven Mocker’s prediction for my future.”

He stopped and turned around to face me. “A Raven Mocker told you your future? Why didn’t you tell me?”

I lifted a hand in frustration. “I don’t know. Maybe because I was busy
dying
and all.”

“Sarcasm won’t help right now.”

He was right, damn him. “Look, Collin, I’m sorry. With everything else that’s been going on, it slipped my mind. She told me almost a week ago.”

“Shit, Ellie.” He groaned and lifted his head to look up at the now-darkening sky. “What did it say? It could make all the difference tonight.”

“She said I was a vessel that will determine the fate of the world and I will either save it or destroy it. And that it will happen soon.”

He watched me for a long moment. “That’s it?”

My eyebrow shot up. “That’s not
enough
?”

He snorted. “Well, it’s vague as shit.”

“
Thank you
.” I thrust my hands out from my side. “That’s what
I
said.”

“What do you think it means?”

“I thought it meant I’d become Okeus’s boo. What else would I think?”

He crossed his arms and stared out into the sound. “Remind me of what the ghost of your Aunt Betty said.”

“Aunt Bitty. And she said that I need the ring, but not in the way I think.”

“Okay.” He put his hands on his hips. “How do you think you’re supposed to use it?”

“There are letters in the library at UNC at Chapel Hill, and one of them is an eyewitness account of the blessing of the spear and the ring.”

“You’re kidding?”

I shook my head. “Of course I’m not.” I told him about Okeus and Ahone. “So Ahone told my ancestor that a
she
in his line would need the ring and it would save her life. And that if she were to stand next to the tree with the ring that sings and read the inscription, she could permanently seal the gate to hell.”

“Is that what you intended to do with it?” Collin asked.

“No,” I said in frustration. “I think it’s a terrible idea. Ahone’s been planning this for centuries, and we both know he’s just about as trustworthy as Okeus.”

“Your ghost aunt said you need the ring, but not in the way you think. Without her influence, how would you use it?”

“I don’t know,” I groaned. “I probably wouldn’t use it at all.”

“Maybe that’s the answer. Maybe you
are
supposed to use it.”

“Should I really put that much faith in a ghost that’s giving me instructions through Claire?”

Collin’s shoulders slumped. “Maybe Tsagasi knows something.”

“I haven’t seen him since Sunday and I’m scared to call him. What if it counts toward the seven times he and his friends agreed to protect me? I don’t want to waste the blood oath.”

“You just want to ask him a question, so I think you’re in the clear. Besides, I think this is important enough to warrant calling him.” He paused. “But if you want, I’ll try to summon him instead.”

“Wait!” My stomach cramped from my nerves. “Let’s talk a bit more about this shindig tonight. Maybe it’ll help us figure out what to ask Tsagasi.”

He nodded. “That’s a good idea. And let’s figure out where we want the fake gate to be.” He stopped next to a tree about twenty feet from the shore. “There’s a neighborhood to the north. I’m worried we’re too close to people.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe we should do this on the dock.”

“But what if they expect a tree?” I said. “David tricked them with the aquarium, but what if they know that part? We’ll have to find one that’s close to the water and hope Big Nasty will help.”

“You want a plan, here’s one: We lead the Guardians here, we start the words of protection and create a vortex. They won’t know it’s not the gate. We’ll get David and the sword and the spear and then get the hell out of here.”

“That’s still a sucky plan, Collin.”

“And it’s the only one we’ve got.”

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-F
IVE

We walked out onto the dock and came up with more details. We’d stand at the back of the dock while Collin used his guile to convince them to show us any warded weapons they had. The threat to my safety would hopefully draw the attention of Big Nasty, and the confusion of a giant snake showing up would help Collin free David and steal the weapons while I added to the chaos. Not to mention I had my own supernatural bodyguard detail at my disposal. And if Big Nasty didn’t show, we’d create the vortex and tell them it was the opening to Popogusso.

There was no way in hell it was going to work, but I couldn’t come up with anything else.

The sun had begun to set, and I was getting more and more nervous. “We should call Tsagasi now. If nothing else, my four protectors can help us.”

“Good idea.”

We walked to the edge of the dock when the familiar ringtone of David’s phone went off, echoing off the water and trees around us.

I stopped in my tracks, terrified, but I told myself that anyone could be calling him.

Collin was several paces ahead of me, but he spun around to face me as he dug David’s phone out of his pocket. He checked the screen and cringed. “Fuck,” he muttered before answering. “Yeah.” He was silent for several seconds, and then he put his hand on his hip and looked down at the wood planks under his feet. “Fine.” After he hung up, he turned to look at me, his face tense.

“What did they say?”

“They changed the location and time.”

“What?” I shook my head in frustration. “When? Where?”

“The Elizabethan Botanical Gardens at the five-hundred-year-old oak tree.” His eyes locked on mine. “In ten minutes.”

I gasped and took a step backward. “But how did they know?”

“I don’t know. Does Myra know the location?”

My head was a blur of conflicting emotions and thoughts, but I needed to focus. “No, I don’t remember telling her specifically, but it wouldn’t be that hard for her to figure it out. Tom found me out there multiple times. He might have told her.”

“Or they could have broken David,” Collin added, his voice gentle.

“That too.” The thought brought me close to the edge of hysteria. But I needed to keep my shit together. Freaking out would get David killed.

“We better get going. We don’t know if there’s a penalty for being late.”

We walked across the parking lot as a small single-engine plane took off from the airport. I was glad for the noise. The eerie stillness of the night made me more nervous.

“What about the sword?” I asked, laying the weapon on the floor at my feet once we got into the truck.

“If we take it, the Guardians might steal it from us. But if we encounter any demons, we’ll need it. I say it’s worth the risk.”

“Do you know how to use one?”

“If you’re asking if I’m better with it than you, I’m honestly not so sure. But if you’re going to focus on getting the ring back from the old broad, then maybe I should take it. We can still move forward with the plan to form a vortex to confuse them, and once it’s open, I’ll try to go for David and any weapons they may have.”

I nodded. “And Tsagasi?”

“If things get dicey, call him.” Collin’s hand gripped the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles were white. “In fact, you should have called him yesterday when we encountered the Raven Mockers.”

“You know what they say about hindsight.”

“Yeah.”

Several other cars were in the parking lot when we pulled in. “Why did they wait so long to call and tell us to come here?” I asked as Collin turned off the engine.

“The same reason we ambushed Steven at the university this morning.” He turned to look at me. “To shake us up and throw us off. But we can do this.
You
can do this.”

“I still don’t know what to do with the ring, Collin.”

“You don’t even have the ring, so it might turn out to be a nonissue.”

“I got the distinct impression she’s going to give it back to me to use. What do I do?”

A sly smile lifted his mouth. “You’ll figure it out.”

I was glad he had so much faith in me. “No pressure. I’m just the salvation or the destruction of the world after all.”

“Don’t be such a diva.” He picked up the sword and got out of the truck while I climbed out on my side. I’d only had the sword for a few days, but I felt naked without it. Still, having Collin carry it was the right decision. He could use it to save David while I created the vortex.

We headed for the back gate, the way we’d gone in almost two months ago. I’d been a different person then. Naïve and blind. My eyes were open to a whole new world now, but I felt as blind as before. I still had so much to learn.

As we entered the gate, a white-hooded figure stepped out from behind a tree and I squelched a shriek.

Collin, on the other hand, was unimpressed. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he grunted. “I thought you people were the real deal, not some kids playing dress-up.”

The man kept his face hidden. “You’ll find out how real we are soon enough. Especially since you tried to deceive us about the location.”

Clouds blew in and covered the moon. Was it the work of the wind gods? I couldn’t imagine the spirit world was happy with these people messing around with the gate. For once, I was actually hoping that demons would show up. Sure, being away from the water meant that Big Nasty wasn’t about to come to our rescue, but he wasn’t the only creature that went bump in the night in Manteo.

As we rounded the corner to the giant oak tree, I noticed scores of candles on the ground and at least twenty more figures shrouded in white robes. A man was tied to the oak tree, but his face was slumped forward. He was wearing a rumpled blue dress shirt covered in spots of blood and dirt.

David.

He was standing, which meant he was alive. When our guide led us past the tree, I couldn’t take my eyes off him, even if I couldn’t bring myself to call his name.

Collin moved closer and leaned into my ear. “We’re in deep shit, Ellie.”

My gaze turned to what he was looking at: a pentagram burned into the grass with candles at the tips. While it looked spooky as hell, I wasn’t sure what it meant. But I did have an idea what the rectangular table in the center meant. I looked up at Collin.

His jaw tightened. “They don’t want to send the demons back. They want to enslave them.”

My head felt fuzzy, especially when I realized they had the weapon to do it. The Sword of Galahad supposedly had the power to subdue gods. Did they plan to enslave Ahone and Okeus? Did they want to use me and the ring to seal the gate shut? If Collin and I were right, we were on our own in this. The demons and spirits might act crazy, but they had to be smart enough to stay away from this mess.

Our guide pointed to a place at the head of the star. “You may stand there.”

We had a perfect view of the entire scene. We were directly opposite the tree, and the fifteen-foot pentagram spanned the space in front of us. A golden chalice had been placed at the head of the table, which was covered in a white tablecloth. The robed figures made up two arcs of a circle, the tree on one side, Collin and I at the other.

Terror raced up my spine and I took an involuntary step back.

A man broke free of the circle and moved toward us, staying clear of the pentagram.

“Ellie, Collin, I’m Jeremiah, and I’d like to thank you for joining us this evening.” The man’s voice echoed off the trees. His chin lifted, pulling the hood back slightly so we could see his pudgy middle-aged face. He wasn’t what I’d expected.

David’s head jerked up at my name and he looked directly at me. His face was a bloody, swollen mess.

My emotions threatened to overrun my senses, but I had to keep them in check. David—not to mention all of creation—was counting on me.

Collin took a step forward. “Well, an engraved invitation is hard to resist. Only mine didn’t mention that it was a white-tie event. Sorry we’re not dressed appropriately.”

Jeremiah chuckled. “You’ll do.” He turned his attention to me. “But Ellie, you’re the guest of honor tonight.” He smirked. “Not to worry, Collin, your presence is still needed.”

The man’s words elicited a reaction from David, who began to tug at the ropes securing him to the tree.

Collin lifted the sword and moved in front of me, blocking my path. “We were told you’d give me the spear and free Dr. Preston if Ellie and I show you the gate to hell. We’d prefer to play our part, then let you get back to it.” He waved the tip of the sword to the group.

“All in good time.”

Two figures broke from the group and moved toward me, grabbing my arms. Collin spun around, ready to strike with his sword, but the man on my right lifted a knife to my throat.

Jeremiah pressed his hands together in front of his chest. “Collin, why don’t you stand back and give Ellie some room to join me.”

My blood pulsed in my head. Collin was right—we were in deep shit. I knew what the table and chalice were for. The Nunnehi had said my blood was strong. Had she been sent to test me just like the Raven Mockers? I’d lost enough blood in the last thirty-six hours, and I really didn’t care to share any more. I wanted to call Tsagasi for help, but what if he’d betrayed me too?

Collin reluctantly took a step back but kept his sword in a defensive position.

The man in charge beckoned me with his hand. “Come, Ellie. I’m sure you’re eager to be reunited with your ring.”

The ring.
Surely Ahone hadn’t planned for this to happen. Could I use that to my advantage? Plus, I could still use the words of protection. Hell, I’d even ride away with Okeus on his giant snake if it meant getting out of this, because I doubted these people planned to let me live. “Tsagasi,” I whispered, reasoning that he was probably hundreds of miles away. If he could hear my regular voice, he could hear a whisper. He and his friends had taken a blood oath to protect me to their death. I had to trust them and their promise. They were one of my last, best hopes.

I took a deep breath and tried to slow my racing heart. “And the Sword of Galahad?”

He laughed. “You’ll see it soon enough.”

Oh, shit.

David renewed his efforts to break free of his restraints.

“I don’t like surprises,” I said. “So let’s make a deal. I’ll be a hell of a lot more cooperative if I know what’s going on and what to expect. Why don’t you go ahead and fill me in.”

His hood had fallen over his forehead again, revealing only his lower face. The image shook a memory free and I was transported to a stormy night fifteen years ago. When Collin’s father had worn a hood over his head.

“Collin’s father was one of you.”

The leader laughed and clapped. “Very good, Ellie.”

Collin’s mouth dropped open. “
What?
”

Suddenly it was all so clear. “Miriam was lying. You didn’t need information from my mother. You needed
me
. Inviting my mother to Charlotte was a ruse.”

“At the time, we didn’t realize you were too young and wouldn’t be ready for another decade. Mr. Dailey came back empty-handed, not to mention quite belligerent.”

I remembered Collin saying Steven was a low-level member and would probably run to the group looking for help after we showed up with our questions. Collin’s father must have done the same. “You recruited him because you needed him. But he didn’t really know why.”

“He was needed as a backup plan, just like Collin. We would have considered using your father, Ellie, but we were told to wait for the female Dare Keeper. So we kept waiting, as we had for three hundred years. And once we realized you wouldn’t be ready for another ten years, and that Mr. Dailey had a son who was only two years older than you, it was much cleaner to dispose of him and wait for the two of you.”

“You killed my father?” Collin asked, his voice gravelly.

Jeremiah released a derisive laugh. “He was hardly an innocent. He murdered Ellie’s mother.”

“So why wait?” I asked. “Why didn’t you instigate this five years ago when I turned eighteen?”

“The timing wasn’t right.”

Then the answer hit me. “You didn’t have the ring. You needed the ring.”