The Curse Defiers (22 page)

I sat next to David on the sofa, staring at the screen of his laptop. “I don’t like it, David. It’s isolated for a reason. It’s not safe.”

“I’ll be fine, Ellie.”

“I can’t let you do this. I’ll worry too much.”

He offered me a soft smile. “Now you’ll know how I feel when you run headlong into dangerous situations.”

“That’s different. I actually have powers I can use to protect myself.”

“And I have a power too.” He tapped his temple. “Don’t sell me short. I can go in and inventory items and determine if they’re potentially important or not. If you go in, you’ll have no idea what you’re looking at.”

I couldn’t argue with his line of reasoning. “It doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

His eyebrows rose with a hint of teasing. “I know a thing or two about that.”

He’d been so solemn all day that his momentary playfulness gave me some reassurance. “So are you and I going to be okay?”

“You mean
us
?” His eyes widened slightly. “Ellie, we had a fight, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to break up. Every couple fights.”

“But this is different.” I tried to settle the anxious feeling in my chest. “This is so very different.”

He put his arm around my back, snugging me against the side of his body. “I reacted badly last night and I’m not proud of it, but I’m only human. I’m glad I told you how I really felt instead of bottling it up inside. We need to know where we stand with each other.”

I nodded.

He grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together. “Tell me how
you
feel, Ellie.”

I sat up straighter. “About what?”

“About anything.”

“I’m not happy that you’re going into that office building without me.”

His mouth tilted into a lopsided grin. “I knew that already. Tell me something I don’t know.”

“There’s nothing.”

“That’s shite and you know it. Tell me how you feel about not including Collin in this trip to Charlotte.
Really
.”

I looked at our joined hands, unsure how to answer. But he wanted the truth. “I understand why you don’t want him there and I can’t argue—you have valid points, after all—but I still think we should include him. Call it a gut instinct.” He stayed silent, though it was obvious he wanted to say something. “But I want to give you more input in how we do things, which is why I’m going along with your request.”

“But you resent me for it.”

“No.” I took a breath to steady my voice. “I resent myself for letting this happen.”

“Are you sorry you’re involved with me, Ellie?”

I looked up into his worried eyes. “Not in the way you think. You may have acted like my connection to Collin didn’t bother you in the beginning, but I knew it was something we couldn’t ignore. Still, I don’t regret a single minute I’ve spent with you. Selfish or not, I can’t imagine having gone through any of this without you. But if I were a better person, I would have done things differently. I would have protected you from the pain I’m putting you through right now.”

His gaze dropped to our joined hands, and I realized how tenuous our connection was. My connection to Collin was eternal and out of my control, but my connection to David was like a thread that could snap at any second.

“David, you made me a promise not to leave me, but just like when we set the rules, you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into.” I lowered my face so it was underneath his. “I’m telling you that you aren’t bound by that promise.”

He shook his head, sadness filling his eyes. “Ellie, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Neither am I.”

We stared into each other’s eyes for several moments before I squared my shoulders. “I want to know more about your plan for tomorrow.”

He released a heavy breath. “I don’t really have one. Like I said, I just want to inventory what they have for now, and if an opportunity arises that I can take advantage of, I’ll do it.”

“How will you know what to look for? I had no idea which one of Allison’s swords to use until Tsagasi helped me. From the sounds of it, there are lots of weapons in the collection.”

David turned my right hand over and traced the circle on my palm with his fingertip. “Our only course of action is for me to go in and check it out; then you and I can figure out where to go from there.”

“David, I’m scared.”

He tugged me against him, fitting my head under his chin as he held me close. It was a warm and familiar contact that felt natural, like coming home. I wrapped my arms around his back and held him tight.

“I know, Ellie, and so am I. And I know you’d probably be more comfortable if we had an elaborate plan like whatever Collin would come up with, but in this case, I think the simpler, the better.”

I forced a smile and glanced up at him. “Actually, Collin seems to go for simple too. So maybe you two aren’t such opposites after all.”

He didn’t look happy with the comparison.

“Just don’t take any unnecessary risks,” I said, “and don’t ask too many questions either.”

He nodded, then let go of me and stood. “Let’s get to bed. We have a long day tomorrow.”

David fell asleep within minutes, but I lay awake for at least a half hour, staring at the dusty ceiling fan. Finally, I carefully slid out of bed and grabbed my cell phone. After all the time I’d spent thinking in bed, I’d realized that Tom still expected me home tonight. I needed to let him know I was going to be delayed for at least another day. And I needed to find out if the Raven Mockers had left Manteo when I did. And I still hadn’t called Collin to let him know about the change in plans.

I went out the back door and sat on the step, staring up at the starry sky. It felt so peaceful out there, alone in the dark. But the feeling was an illusion and I couldn’t forget that.

I found Tom’s number on my phone and pressed send. He answered right away. “Ellie, tell me that you’re back in town.”

I cringed. “I’m still in Chapel Hill and we’re going to Charlotte tomorrow.” I paused. “I take it things are still bad.”

“Worse. There were two deaths last night. I have no idea how to prevent them. It’s not like we can tell people who are sick that they need to put salt across their thresholds.”

“I know.” I sighed. “But the victims have all been sick, right? No one healthy?”

“Yeah, all sick.” He hesitated. “Why?”

“They’re here in Chapel Hill too. They killed a woman who had allergies, but they also went after a man who was completely healthy.”

“What the fuck am I dealing with, Ellie?”

I didn’t say anything.

“Ellie.”

“Tom, you’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“Ellie, I’m long past thinking any of this shit is crazy. What am I dealing with?”

Having an ally in the Manteo Police Department would be beneficial, and he had already made the leap to the supernatural. “Okay, I’ll tell you what I know. It’s up to you whether you choose to believe me or not.”

“Okay.”

“They’re Raven Mockers.”

“Cherokee,” he whispered.

“Yeah. They weren’t recorded in Croatan history, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I’ve encountered several Cherokee spirits here in Chapel Hill.”

“Croatan?” I heard him exhale. “What are the symbols on your doors?”

“Protection, just like I told you. Against demons and spirits. And Croatan gods.”

He was silent for several seconds. I expected him to start accusing me of lies and deceit, but instead he asked, “Okay, how do I get rid of them?”

“You believe me?”

“Call
me
crazy, but I do. There’s no logical, scientific explanation for all the shit that’s been happening here over the past couple of months. So what do I do? Put the marks on people’s doors?”

“I don’t know if it works if just anyone does it. Claire uses salt when I can’t mark her doors, and it keeps them out.”

“But that still doesn’t answer my original question, does it?”

“How we can save people from the Raven Mockers?” I leaned my head back to look at the starry sky and whispered, “I wish I knew.”

“There is a way,” Tsagasi said from next to me, and I jumped, caught off guard by his sudden appearance. “It won’t kill them, but it will keep them at bay.”

I covered the mouthpiece with my hand. “What is it?”

“They must gather seven smooth stones. Have the person lay with their head facing north and their feet facing south, then put a stone at the top of their head, one on either side of their head, and one at each of their hands and feet. It will hold off the Raven Mockers until morning.” His eyes narrowed. “But you are correct. Salt will keep them out in the first place.”

I relayed Tsagasi’s message to Tom. “Last night there were four of them, but they were lying in wait for me, so I’m not sure if they usually attack in groups or not,” I said. “They’re invisible to people without magical abilities, but they slash their victims with claws. They attacked David’s ex-girlfriend and he couldn’t see the wounds. After they tortured her, one of them reached into her chest, tore out her heart, and ate it. I could see the wound, but David couldn’t see anything.”

“Why do you know this? How can you see these things?”

“Because I’m a Curse Keeper. It was my job to make sure a four-hundred-year-old curse didn’t break. The curse is the reason the colony of Roanoke disappeared. Only I didn’t believe in it and it
did
break. Now all of these things have broken loose from hell, and I’m trying to send them back.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I wish I wasn’t,” I sighed.

“How many of these fuckers are there?”

“I don’t know,” I breathed out, suddenly exhausted. How was I going to kill all of them? “David thinks the Raven Mockers will be easier to destroy or subdue if we go after their leader—Kalona—only Kalona seems to be in hiding. Another supernatural creature told me they are currently under the control of a proxy. I’m trying to figure out what that is.”

“
Can
you destroy them, Ellie?”

I looked into Tsagasi’s stern face. “Yes,” I finally said. “I killed three last night.”

“Thank God,” Tom muttered.

“But we’ve found the Ricardo Estate and we think there’s a spear and a sword in the collection that will help us destroy the spirits. So we have to go to Charlotte first to try to get them. I won’t be home until tomorrow at the soonest.”

“The Ricardo Estate? The one you got mixed up in? Why did you
really
go see Marino back in June?”

“I told you the truth. Collin took me to him to sell my candlesticks.”

“Collin Dailey,” he said as if he’d just figured out where to fit a puzzle piece.

“Yes, he’s the other Keeper.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me this weeks ago? I begged and pleaded with you to tell me what was going on when that thing was ripping out hearts across town. What was doing all that killing?”

“Two demons—giant badgers who had once been people until a Croatan god named Okeus cursed them. They wanted to kill me to get even with Okeus, but Collin and I destroyed them instead.”

“In Festival Park?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow.” He released a low whistle. “That’s a lot to take in.”

“Do you think you were ready to believe in it when you first asked me?”

“No, probably not. But I am now. The giant snake in Wanchese?”

“Mishiginebig. I call him Big Nasty for short. He’s bad, but he protects me for Okeus.”

“Okeus, the evil god?”

“He wants to use me. Long story.”

“Okay.” But he didn’t sound so sure. “Thanks for trusting me, Ellie.”

“Thanks for believing.” I hung up and glanced at Tsagasi.

“You’re making a mistake,” he said gruffly.

My eyes widened in surprise. “You mean telling Tom? I think he’ll help me in the long run.”

“Yes, you need more human allies. I’m talking about the other Curse Keeper. You need him. I told you that earlier.”

“I know, but—”

“Are you planning to go to Charlotte without him?”

“Yes, but—”

He shook his head, his forehead furrowing so much that his bushy eyebrows became a unibrow. “Then we are done.”

He turned to leave, but I grabbed his tiny arm, surprised to find the hair on it so wiry. “What? Why?”

“You have all this power, yet you refuse to use it. When you are ready to fight the gods, call on me and I will help you. Until then, I refuse to waste my time.”

But to do what Tsagasi wanted would hurt David. “What am I supposed to do?” I asked quietly.

“Witness to creation, you are the hope of
all
creation. You are letting the emotions of one man cloud your judgment. What do your instincts tell you to do?”

I shook my head, frustrated. He was right and I knew it. “Collin’s untrustworthy. Even if he comes, there’s no guarantee he’ll really help. Collin Dailey looks out for Collin Dailey. Helping humanity—helping
you
—is very low on his priority list.”

His gaze remained unwavering. “Not everything is as it appears with the other Keeper.”

“You’re asking me to risk my life and David’s by trusting Collin.”

“Do you really fear for your life when you are with the son of the earth?”

No, but I didn’t trust him to protect David. And as difficult as it was to admit, David was the most qualified person to look over the pieces in that collection.

“You know what you need to do,” the little man said. Then he disappeared into the woods.

I stared at my phone for nearly a minute before I made my decision, but deep in my heart, I knew I’d never really changed my mind in the first place. Otherwise I would have already called and told him not to come.

I ended up texting him. It was stupid. David was going to find out, but I wanted to be able to deny calling Collin, even if it was a technicality. I texted him the address and told him that David was the only one who could see the collection and that I was going to wait for him somewhere close by.

That’s better, Ellie. Stay away from it if possible. Will he know what to look for?

I was surprised he was being so cooperative.

He’s looking for weapons we can use against the supernatural beings. We know there’s at least one spear and one sword. Anything else you know of that he should look for?