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I fell asleep, David’s arms chasing away the nightmare of Allison’s screams. But I blinked awake in the middle of the night, sensing that something was off.
David slept next to me, his breathing soft and even. I waited to hear the familiar banging on the door followed by my slurred name, but it didn’t come. There was no angry god waiting for me. Still, a slight itch tickled my right hand.
I carefully sat up and slid out of bed, trying not to disturb David.
I padded through the house and into the kitchen, pouring myself a glass of water. While I was mid-sip I heard a noise outside, so I set the glass down on the counter and cracked the back door open.
“Took you long enough to check on me.” I heard Tsagasi’s voice but couldn’t see him.
I walked out though the door and sat on the step, tugging David’s T-shirt down to cover my bare ass. “I’m sorry. I was dealing with a crisis of my own.”
“Human feelings are such fragile things,” he grunted in disgust.
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. There was definitely no arguing his point. “Did you have any problems?” It seemed so wrong to ask it that way. Allison had died and Tsagasi had stayed behind to cover up her death. Goose bumps broke out on my arms. When had I become so callous?
“No, but the Raven Mockers returned, looking for ‘he who guides the Curse Keeper.’”
He who guides the Curse Keeper? “David?He has a title?”
“Everyone and everything has a title. Sometimes more than one.”
Like me. I had three. “David said Raven Mockers are only supposed to go after people who are on their deathbeds. Even then, they wait until the person’s dead to take their heart. But that Raven Mocker took Allison’s heart while she was still alive.”
“Being locked up for centuries changed the Raven Mockers. And not in a good way.”
“So they aren’t following the rules anymore?”
“Many things aren’t.” Tsagasi crawled up the steps and sat next to me. “I thought you would have realized that by now.”
I stared at him longer than intended, but I still wasn’t used to talking to a one-and-a-half-foot-tall man. “You said you’re my guardian.”
“I said a guardianof sorts. Perhaps ‘coach’ might have been a better term.”
“Coach?”
“I can guide you and point you in the right direction. I can watch you train. But I can’t volunteer information. I can only answer direct questions, but I can’t tell you what to ask. I can only steer you in the correct direction. Tonight, you asked the right questions.”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t enough. I didn’t save Allison.”
“While you must try to save the world, you cannot save everyone in it.”
My head knew he was right, but I wasn’t sure how many more people I could watch die. “That’s depressing.”
“It is what it is. Once you accept your circumstance and your fate, you will truly be ready to take on your adversaries.”
“You think I haven’t accepted my circumstances and fate?”
His head tilted to look up at me. “Have you?”
“I suppose not.” I sighed and leaned my temple against the side of the house. “So what did you do after we left?”
“I straightened up the house. I asked my friends to help me lay the woman out on the sofa.”
“Your friends?”
“There are many beings in the spirit world. Many are my friends.”
“Are they good spirits?”
