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He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
My other alternative was to stand back and do nothing. I quickly scanned the wall of display cases, looking for a weapon. “David, drag Allison over to the corner.”
He looked dubious. “Why?”
“Because there are four Raven Mockers, and right now they can attack us from all sides. If you’re in the corner, I can protect you both.”
“Ellie. Then we’ll be trapped!”
The Raven Mockers laughed derisively.
I ignored them and the implication of their amusement. “Do it!I’ll get rid of them, but if we don’t protect her, they might kill her before I send them away.”
I picked up a laptop off the end table—the only hard object I could find in close proximity—and narrowed in on a display case containing a large sword.
Grunting, David grabbed Allison under the arms. “No, not that sword. It’s too heavy and will wear you out. Go for the smaller one on the right.”
“No.” A small gruff voice spoke up from the other side of the room. “You must use a warded sword.”
My head jerked up to the still open front door. Tsagasi stood in front of it, his face contorted in anger.
“Are any of these warded swords?” I shouted back at him.
The Raven Mockers stopped their pacing and turned to face the little man. “Stay out of this,fairy,” one of the women hissed.
“You know how much I hate that name,” Tsagasi sneered. “That’s reason enough to help her.”
David leaned forward, still standing next to me, his arms supporting Allison. “Ellie, what the hell is that?”
“It’s Tsagasi. He’s here to help me.”
“Tsagasi?A little person?”
“The sword on the end, next to the doorway. At the top,” Tsagasi grunted as he moved into the room and shut the door.
The Raven Mockers’ eyes glowed red. Their heads swiveled to face me, but none of them made a move to attack. “The fairy can’t help, Curse Keeper. We will kill you.”
I found the sword Tsagasi had pointed out—a thin-bladed weapon with a narrow hilt and curved guard to cover the back of my hand. As I rushed toward the case and broke the glass, David dragged Allison across the floor, knocking over a table and lamp in the process. The light bulb in the lamp flickered and went out, plunging the room into a murky, shadowy darkness.
The Raven Mockers continued to watch me as if they were waiting for something. I was shocked they hadn’t intervened and couldn’t help but wonder what they had planned. Nothing good, I was sure.
Taking a deep breath, I lifted the sword off the hooks holding it in place and pulled it out of the case. I spun around to face them, hefting the weapon in my hand. I’d never held a real sword before, let alone used one. This thing was hundreds of years old. I hoped the blade was still sharp. “Only Raven Mockers will die tonight,” I growled, putting my back to David and Allison.
I considered lifting my hand to say my words of protection to send them away, but that would only be a temporary solution and I was tired of all my problems coming back to bite me in the ass. Not to mention the fact that they were so close they could attack and kill us all before the vortex even opened. I’d also have to switch the sword to my left hand. I was right-handed and wasn’t sure I’d be able to use the thing with my nondominant hand. I’d try the sword first.
Light from the moon shone through the windows, casting the room in shadows, but I could still see the Raven Mockers’ slumped frames. They broke into a collective grin, and the woman who had done most of the talking looked happiest of all. “She is ready. Let us begin.”
A male Raven Mocker rushed me while the others stood back and watched. His claws gleamed in the moonlight as he swung for me.
I had to protect myself, but more importantly, I had to save David. A surge of protectiveness rose up inside me as I swung the sword at the creature. It sunk into the demon’s shoulder and dug into bone, spraying demon blood into the air and all over my arm. The Raven Mocker screamed, his eyes glowing bright red as I pulled on the sword, trying to free it. I put my foot on his stomach and jerked backward, narrowly missing a swipe from his claws. My kick sent him halfway across the room with more force than I should have possessed.
“Good,” Tsagasi said. “Good. It gives you strength, just as I presumed.”
“We’re warning you, fairy…” one of the male Raven Mockers said.
“…stay out of this,” one of the women finished.
Allison had stopped whimpering and was now quietly sobbing in the corner, her eyes wild with fright. David had crouched down in front her in a protective stance.
