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The sun had begun to set, and I was getting more and more anxious. “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. Not to mention that’s where they found Daddy’s body.”
“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.”
He had a point. “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.Youcan 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.”
