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“I’ve killed two and two are left. They’ve threatened to gut me. I took a rain check.”
“You’ve killedtwo?”
Before I could answer, both Raven Mockers attacked me at once, coming at me from opposite sides. I’d been lucky to take out the first two, but I was in real danger this time.
Tsagasi’s voice echoed in my head. “Listen to your power, witness to creation.”
I dove out of their path, away from David. One followed me, but the woman moved toward David and Allison. Tsagasi shot in front of the Raven Mocker, blocking her path with his body and a flash of light.
Grabbing the sword with both hands, I ran forward, sinking the blade deep into the chest of my attacker. The weapon hadn’t hit his heart, but I’d used so much strength that its blade was embedded almost to my fist. As I struggled to pull it out, I pressed my foot on his stomach and kicked, jerking my weapon free.
The Raven Mocker growled, swiping at me from the side, but I twisted in the opposite direction and spun in a circle. I used the momentum to move behind the creature and plunge the sword into its back, under its left shoulder blade. The demon screamed loud and long before bursting into flames and smoke.
I spun around to face the remaining demon. The old woman stood in the center of the room, watching me. “And then there was one.”
She’d had a chance to kill me from behind and hadn’t taken it. Why?
I cast a glance at the group huddled in the corner. David was still squatting in front of Allison, while Tsagasi stood in front of him, bathed in a soft yellow glow. The perpetual scowl on his face was deeper and made him look fierce.
“You’ve been lucky, Curse Keeper,” the elderly woman cooed. “My brothers and sister were careless, but I am not.”
“You just keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.”
She advanced as I took a step into the middle of the room. “You’re not supposed to have the power to kill us. You need the other Keeper.”
“Surprise,” I singsonged.
“It matters not. You will soon be in hell. After you fulfill your role.”
Rather than answering, I just watched as the demon inched toward me. I moved closer and closer to the front door. If I could lure it outside, hopefully David would think to pour salt across the threshold.
“Where is your sharp-barbed tongue now, Curse Keeper?” she asked.
I ignored her, digging deep inside, trying to find the well of power that had faded along with my physical strength. I was desperately out of shape and it was now biting me in the ass. I could tell this Raven Mocker was smarter than the others, more patient. She’d wait all night for me to make a mistake. There would be no defeating her in a defensive maneuver. I’d have to take the offensive.
Power surged through me again, swelling and filling me, but I held back, waiting for her to show weakness.
“Ellie, what’s going on?” David shouted, but I ignored him.
I heard Tsagasi’s low voice in the back of the room, and I hoped he was filling David in on what was happening.
“I’m going to kill your pet.” The Raven Mocker gave me a wicked grin.
David?Panic raced through me, but I forced myself to remain calm even though the Raven Mocker stood between us. She could have meant Tsagasi for all I knew. I couldn’t let anything happen to either one of them.
She spun around and kicked Tsagasi with the side of her foot, throwing him across the room. His body hit the wall and slid down it with a sickening thud.
I was too terrified for David’s safety to even stop to check on my little protector. David couldn’t even see the Raven Mocker, so he had zero chance of defending himself.
“David, she’s right in front of you! Jump to your side!”
The Raven Mocker leapt for him, her claws extended.
He dove to his left, but she kicked him, sending him flying into the wall beside Tsagasi. He landed three feet from Allison, clutching his stomach with a groan.
A metallic taste coated my tongue as fear sent my heart rate skyrocketing. I couldn’t give in to my panic. “You want to fight defenseless humans who can’t even see you? Come fight me.”
Laughing, the Raven Mocker rushed me with her hand raised. She was faster than the others, and I had no hope of killing her yet. I knew I would be lucky just to defend myself. Her arm slashed toward my chest as she cackled, sounding every bit as crazy as she looked. I swung the sword as hard as I could, the blade connecting with her bicep and slicing diagonally through muscle until bone stopped my swing. The thick black blood splattered on my shirt and droplets landed on my face. I resisted the urge to wipe it off as nausea roiled in my stomach.
