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I stood and took a deep breath, then looked down at David. “Showtime.”
His pale face turned toward the door, his knuckles white from gripping the arm of the sofa.
Grabbing hold of the doorknob, I pulled the door open and prepared for the usual blast of wind.
It was frigidly cold. Wapi.
This was good. David was sure to believe me now.
Wapi was perched on the porch railing. I still wasn’t used to seeing him in his physical form. His white hair blew around his bird body in the wind. I stood aside so that David could get a good look.
He gasped behind me. “Bloody fucking hell.”
“What do you want this time, Wapi?”
“Who are you to speak to a god in such a disrespectful way?”
“I am a Curse Keeper, daughter of the sea, and witness to creation. Enjoy your time on the earthly plane because I’m sending your ass back to Popogusso as soon as I can.”
“I am here with a warning from Okeus.” Wapi’s beady eyes narrowed, and he looked over my shoulder at David. “You are not alone.”
“So what’s new? You always bring a warning.” I prayed that the door protections would work, but it would be best to try and distract him from David. If that were even possible.
“You have a threat that is greater than Okeus at the moment.”
I had no idea how that could even be possible.
“Okeus has made it clear that you are his and his alone, but Ukinim refuses to listen.”
I swallowed my panic. That was the name David had found. “Who’s Ukinim?”
“He left a present on your doorstep this evening.”
“He’s the spirit that’s been killing the dogs?”
“Yes.” A wicked smile lit up Wapi’s eyes. “I have something you want. Information.”
“There’s no way you’d just give me information. Everything you and Okeus offer comes at a price. I don’t have anything you could want besides my manitou, and I know how scared you all are of Okeus.”
Wapi’s wings fluttered, then settled close to his body. “Don’t be so sure about that.”
A sliver of fear ran down my back. “Which part?”
“That all of us are frightened of Okeus. I was created eons before him.”
“And yet he’s still got you running scared.”
Wapi jumped backward off the railing, flapping his wings so that he hovered in front of the porch. “You go too far, Curse Keeper. I answer to no one.”
“Do I? I’m not so sure. Why are you taking orders from him when you are clearly smarter and more powerful?”
He laughed again, and it sounded like a screeching sound. “Are you suggesting I defy Okeus and take your manitou?”
Perhaps baiting him hadn’t been a good idea after all. “No, I’m suggesting you and your other wind god friends join forces and overthrow him. You did it with Ahone.”
“Ahone was different.”
“Are you so sure about that? He tricked you by splitting himself in two and creating Okeus. Then Ahone lent his power to Manteo to create the curse that locked you away for hundreds of years.”
