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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 sides 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 was counting on me. Not to mention all creation.
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.
