The Curse Keepers Collection (132 page)

“Okay,” he said, nodding. “Somehow the Middletons got possession of the ring and the spear. And we suspect the ring you’re wearing came from the estate through your mother. But what happened to the spear?”

“Allison told Trina that the collection also had Native American spears. Some were so old that the shafts were warped.”

“So the Guardians might have the spear. That’s good.”

“Tsagasi says that there are things from the night my mother died that are important. I need to remember what happened.”

David grabbed my hand and stroked the back of it with his thumb. “I know you weren’t keen on the idea before, but do you want to try hypnosis?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” If I were back home, I could ask Collin to go into the ocean with me. But that would hurt David. He might not ask questions, but he knew my encounters with Collin were far from innocent. Yet if I could get necessary answers, didn’t that justify it?

Didn’t Tsagasi say that the right- or wrongness of a situation depended on which side you stood on?

But there had to be another way. Hurting David was an absolute last resort. Some of the memories had already emerged. I just needed to tap into the others.

He lowered his voice. “Ellie, there’s one more thing the letter mentioned.”

“What?”

“The writer of the letter—a man named Samuel—said the Middletons were part of a secret group. But when he tried to appeal to the sheriff, he was just laughed out of the station.”

“Secret group?”

“The Guardians.”

I sat up straighter. “Oh, crap.”

“Samuel found out they had the ring and the spear because he’d heard they were seeking weapons created to fight supernatural creatures.”

“It’s them.”

“I think so.” He paused. “There’s one more thing and it’s the best news of all.” His grip on my hand tightened, counteracting his words.

My breath stuck in my chest.

“This afternoon, I received a phone call from a woman associated with the collection. She had heard about Allison’s death, and she asked if I knew anything about the research Allison had been doing. When I said yes, she asked me to come to Charlotte in Allison’s place. I’m meeting them at ten tomorrow morning.”

My eyes widened. “How is this good? It’s creepy enough that they knew about her death this soon, but they specifically sought you out. I don’t like this . . . ”

“Ellie, this is my chance to see the weapons for myself.”

“And look what happened to the last two people we know who saw them.”

“Don’t be so superstitious.”

“Superstitious? My mother and your ex-girlfriend were both murdered less than a week after they saw the collection. You’re the one who keeps claiming there are no coincidences in any of this.”

“This will be different. I’m not going in blind. I have an idea of what I’m looking for.”

“But you have no way of knowing what their plans are. They might be waiting there to kill you.”

His back stiffened. “Ellie, I’m doing this with or without your approval.”

I hopped off the bed and headed for the kitchen, David on my heels. “Don’t be angry with me.”

I placed my hands on the counter and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to smother my panic. “I’m not angry, David. I’m terrified.”

He stood behind me and pulled my back to his chest. “I have to do this, love. And you know it too, deep in your gut.” When I didn’t answer, he bent his mouth to my earlobe. “This could be the big break we need. We have a sword that kills Raven Mockers, but I suspect they have many more weapons we can use. This is our chance to not only protect you but to go on the offensive. To save the world.”

He was right, and it killed me to admit it.

We hung around his house and ordered a pizza. He said he had more research to do to prepare for his visit the next morning, so I told him I was going to sit in his backyard in the hopes that Tsagasi would come to me. I hadn’t seen him since our middle-of-the-night chat.

“This is going to sound quite bizarre,” David said, glancing up from his laptop. “But I think you should take the sword with you.”

I put my hand on my hip, my eyebrows raised. “What will your neighbors say about a woman walking around your backyard with an antique weapon?”

“We’ll deal with it if it comes up. But the sun will set soon, and I’d feel better if you could defend yourself with more than the mark on your palm.”

“Okay.” Minutes later I was behind his house, heading for the woods as the sun hung low in the sky, my nearly three-foot sword in my hand. I hiked a good thirty feet before calling out Tsagasi’s name.

Moments later he walked out from behind a tree.

“Why are you in the woods, daughter of the sea?” But he wore a smirk.

“To find you, of course.”

“Did you bring a list of questions? I haven’t had my nap yet.”

“Very funny.”

He gestured to my hand. “You are carrying the sword.”

“David thought I should bring it in case I needed to defend myself.”

He nodded solemnly. “He who guides the Curse Keeper is wise.”

It was good to know that Tsagasi thought I needed David too. “You’re right. I need to remember what happened the night my mother died.”

The little man leaned his shoulder into the tree. “And?”

“I need you to help me find the memories.”

He shook his head. “You must figure that out on your own.” His scowl deepened. “The loss of your memories isn’t normal.”

“Because of the trauma?”

“Because of magic.”

I was an idiot. “I can use my power as a witness to creation to remember,” I whispered.

A hint of a smile flickered at the edges of his mouth, then just as quickly disappeared. “They will come rushing back once you tap into them. You will be vulnerable.”

“Like when I’m with Collin in the ocean.” I considered waiting until we returned to Manteo. I could ask Collin to watch over me in case something supernatural showed up, but I needed whatever information was trapped in my head now, so David would be more prepared for his visit tomorrow.

My gaze narrowed on Tsagasi. He had protected us last night. “Will you protect me?”

“I’m not sure I can do it on my own.”

“Will your friends help?”

“They are reluctant to get involved.” But he shifted his weight as his voice trailed off, hinting that they could be convinced.

If I’d learned anything since this mess began, it was that everything had a price. “What do they want?”

His eyes met mine. “They want peace, but more importantly, they are frightened of the power you wield. They want your blood oath that you will never banish them to Popogusso.”

“Blood oath?” I shook my head. I’d had one blood oath too many to suit me. “No way.”

He crossed his arms and turned to look toward the setting sun, barely visible through the foliage. “Then you must take your chances.”

This had to be negotiable. “If I swear this oath, what guarantee do I have that they won’t do something evil, something that earns them a place in Popogusso?”

He shrugged. “You don’t.”

“How many are there? Do I have to promise this for all the creatures that don’t follow Ahone or Okeus?”

“No, only those who will agree to guard you.”

“Can I meet them first?”

He nodded his approval. “It is a wise request.”

The leaves behind him rustled and another little man appeared next to him. While Tsagasi resembled one of Snow White’s dwarves, this man looked much more proportionate to his height. His face was smooth and wrinkle-free, and his long, dark brown hair hung down his back, the ends brushing the plant life at his feet.

Tsagasi stood straighter. “This is my brother. Tsawasi.”

“Hello,” I said. I wasn’t sure it was the correct greeting for a supernatural creature that wanted to protect me for a price, but it was better than “hey.”

The little man gave a tiny nod.

“And this is Gawonii and Ama.”

A man and a woman appeared out of thin air behind the little men, both dressed in deerskin clothing and carrying bows on their backs.

I gasped in surprise.

They looked like the Native American warriors I’d seen in drawings and the occasional photo, and they were the size of normal humans. The woman watched me with interest, but the man looked wary.

“They are Nunnehi,” Tsagasi said, as though that explained their sudden appearance.

I shook my head, still staring at them, even though I knew it was rude.

“The Nunnehi are ‘the people who live anywhere.’ They are immortal beings who can appear and disappear at will. They have long been friends with the Cherokee.”

“And they want to help me?”

“If you agree to the blood oath. But before you decide, you must understand that you are not the only one who will be making an eternal pledge.” He looked over his shoulder. “We will agree to come to your aid whenever you need us. But only seven times.”

“Wait, I’m being asked to
never
send all of you to Popogusso, but you’re only agreeing to help me seven times. That hardly seems fair.”

He shrugged his indifference.

“And how will they help me?”

“They will defend you to their deaths.”

Maybe it was a fair trade. “Okay.” I was nervous. Making another bond seemed like a bad idea, but David had urged me to go with my instincts. I had never felt comfortable taking Ahone’s mark, but somehow I was sure that making this blood oath was the right thing to do.

Tsagasi dug a hole next to the base of the tree, uttered words in a guttural language, and pulled a short, sharp-pointed knife from his belt. He pierced the palm of his right hand with the tip, then let the several drops of black blood fall into the hole and said, “Upon my life I swear.”

He repeated the process with the other three. Once that was done, he turned to me.

Shifting my sword to my left hand, I held out my right hand and he quickly pierced the exact center of the circle of the mark, where I had the scar from the blood ceremony Collin had completed. The pain was minimal as I watched the red drops emerge from the cut. When the blood started to pool in my hand, I held it over the earthen hole and tilted my palm to let it fall.

“Upon my life I swear.”

The moment my blood hit the earth, a billow of white smoke rose and a blast of energy shot from the hole, rushing through my body and stealing my breath away.

“Her blood is more powerful than I believed,” the woman said in awe.

Fear strangled my throat. Had they tricked me?

“I told you she had the power to defeat the gods,” Tsagasi murmured. He turned toward me, looking at me with something I hadn’t seen on his face before: respect. “Together we will defy the gods and bring peace to all creatures. Mortal and immortal.”

All four of them watched me.

Feeling uneasy, I took a step backward. “Let’s get started.” I sat on a log and laid my sword beside me. Taking a deep breath, I curled my fingers around the rough tree bark and then released it as I closed my eyes. “Okay.”

Taking several slow and even breaths, pulling up my memories of the birth of the world, I found myself immersed deeper in them than I’d ever been. I was the first drop of water to hit the earth. The memories of the changing and evolving world sped up to warp speed, a dizzying display of images that left me disoriented and anxious until it all stopped, dumping me into the memory of a cool winter day.

I was eight years old again, sitting under the oak tree with Claire. The wind was cool and crisp as I stared into her tear-splotched face, desperate to make her feel better. She had just told me that her father was thinking about a divorce. So I shared with her the one thing I knew would distract her—the story of the curse. As soon as I shared the information, I realized I was already forgetting things about it that I should have remembered.

Momma came home and made a phone call to Steven, asking him to help her access the archives at Chapel Hill, and she mentioned calling the police. But whatever else she said was confusing to the little girl me. I only knew she was hiding something from Daddy and she thought he’d be unhappy when he found out.

Since I was upset, Claire decided to share another secret of her own—that she heard voices. She said one of the reasons her family had moved to Manteo was that she was teased at school. But the voices had begun to quiet over the last few months, even though they all still said the same thing:
you must help her.
Only Claire didn’t know whom she was supposed to help.

The next two days seemed to be on fast-forward as I traveled through my memories, and the action only slowed again when I was working on my homework after school. Momma and Daddy were still fighting about Momma’s visit to Charlotte the week before and how she wouldn’t tell him about what she’d seen. They went into Daddy’s office to argue, but I hid around the corner, listening to their raised voices and getting peeks through the French doors. Finally, Momma relented and showed him a ring that she wore around her neck on a chain. It was an artifact from the Middleton collection that had been stolen and lost during the Civil War. The ring had been lent to her in good faith with the request that she discover its significance. Daddy became very excited when he recognized the engraved Croatan symbols on the ring. He told her it was the ring Ananias’s great-grandson had created with a Croatan priest. He’d had it made so that he could banish demons on his own if necessary.

She reluctantly gave him the ring, but only after he made an agreement: if he couldn’t find the gate to hell within a week, he would completely give up the curse for the rest of his life and stop telling me about it. Then he went back to his office at Fort Raleigh to get papers that would help him translate the markings on the ring.

After Daddy left, Momma told me she’d read me a story before I went to bed, but she needed to check on the guests at the bed and breakfast first. I went upstairs and put on my favorite nightgown, a lacy, white cotton, billowy gown that made me feel like a princess. After brushing my teeth and picking out the story, I started downstairs to tell Momma I was ready.

That was when I heard glass break.