The Demon's Grave (27 page)

Cody recovered first, reading the gold plate on the glass casing out loud. “Ramses II, third king of the Nineteenth Dynasty.”

“Come on,” Aidan said as if he wished he didn’t have to. We backed away into the next room, unwilling to tear our gazes from the mummy until it was out of sight.

Cody backed into something metal.

Slapping a hand over my mouth to stop a scream, I jumped and turned to see shiny medieval armor on a mannequin; a lance held firmly in one metal hand.

Aidan and Cody studied a display of long, broadswords while I peeked at all the heavy crusader stones with crosses carved out of them. Still there didn’t seem to be a clue about our Challenge.

We had separated in the small flimsy room, drawn to all four corners and I started to think about Damien’s visit. He’d mentioned he’d be testing me and there’d been something about me and Aidan…‌

Pinching my lips together I saw Aidan pressing his face to a glass case filled with deformed and twisted stones that didn’t look like anything I’d seen in our world.

He wasn’t supposed to know about my past, but I remembered the spark in Damien’s eyes when Cody called him
Birket
. The house we’d been in had belonged to the Birkets.

“Aidan?” I whispered, glancing over my shoulder to make sure Cody was still distracted.

“Hm?”

I took a deep breath, remembering how we’d felt that strange shock when our hands touched outside the Victorian house. “Have you ever felt strange around me?”

“Hm?” He scratched his head until his hair spiked in its usual, wild fashion.

I nudged him and hissed. “Like when our hands touched at your house. You don’t remember that? I know you felt that. I mean like before that. Have you ever felt like…‌like maybe you knew I was coming, or close, or just weird?”

Tearing away from the glass case looked difficult but he paused before asking. “What are you talking about?”

This was useless. Maybe Damien had told me that to throw me off. Perhaps this was the test. “Nothing,” I muttered.

“Is that what you guys were talking about? You and Damien?” Aidan straightened, keeping his pale eyes level with mine.

Kind of.
I shrugged.

Aidan’s shoulders sagged as if I’d insulted him. He looked away, peering over his shoulder to see where Cody was before taking a deep breath. “I don’t know.”

Before I could ask further, he turned his back to me and walked away, head down.

He’s shutting me out, I realized.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts I tilted my chin up to see the back wall of the large room. The display areas which were the size of two of my living rooms had taken us farther away from the black door than I’d expected.

Inching into the next display room I saw it was mainly Celtic. There were pictures of the Stonehenge tacked to the walls while displays of tools, stone and an assembled hut took up most of the space. There were displays of the Green Man and items featured in druidism.

Despite all the fascinating items, my attention was drawn to a door just beyond the exhibit. I was about to shout back to the boys when something stopped me.

The door was cracked open. It wasn’t the traditional Damien-black-door and no symbols decorated the front.

As I slipped closer to investigate, I could hear the boys approaching the Celtic room behind me. They whispered back and forth, though I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Unwavering, I clasped the doorknob and pulled it toward me. This was wrong too. Damien’s door always swung in.

Blinking I tried to make out the details of the new room but it was too dark, like staring down a well. I’d have to call the guys to help me investigate. It would be stupid to go in alone.

Before I could turn to call, a faint lime-colored glow flickered to life.

Like a switch, it revealed a little of the new room. It wasn’t much but enough for me to make out a metal examiner’s table, like something I’d seen in vet clinics before. The glow blinked, but didn’t go out before resuming a steady rhythm:
on
, off,
on
, off.

After only a second a large, the light hovered over the metal table flashed on. It was bright, probably the brightest I’d seen in the Challenge yet. I squinted back the pain and lifted an arm as a shield.

To my relief, nothing happened. Nothing jumped out of the shadows or roared to life. Everything was still, except the hum of the powerful lamp reflecting off the metal table.

A thin, beige curtain surrounding the tiny room like a mask.

The glowing light was on a smaller surgical table. It was the size of a D-battery, and shaped in a cube. As it flashed the green light steadily, I realized it was calling me. I felt a tug in the center of my stomach that was like pulling.

I began to feel light-headed but my eyes didn’t leave the enticing little light. It wanted me to go and pick it up.
Something that small couldn’t be dangerous
, I thought dreamily. It was rather pretty and wouldn’t it be nice to have something like that with me? We could have something to show us through the dark. Maybe then Aidan would stop doubting me, stop pushing me away and trust me a little.

I heard Aidan and Cody’s voices getting closer but neither seemed to notice the door. If I didn’t hurry, they’d get the crystal before me. The idea sent a pang of jealousy so sharp and fierce that I bolted into the room without a second thought.

My head was a haze, like walking into a dream with only one focus:
I had to have that little light
.

Taking three leaping steps around the empty examiner’s table I scooped it up.

It was cool in my warm palm, calming, perfect in every way.

Elated, I could barely take my eyes from it as I hurried back to the doorway. I knew I should have waited for my partners but I couldn’t help it. Clutching the cube in my hand I dared to inspect my new prize.

Uncurling my fingers one at a time, I savored the little light as it flickered
on
, off,
on
, off.

My heart ached at the idea of losing it, leaving it behind, letting anyone else see it. I would have to hide it from Aidan and Cody.
Especially, Aidan, he had it in for me from the beginning
, I thought panicked. If he saw this he would try to take it away. I knew it. We weren’t meant to be friends, we both knew that from the very beginning. I glanced up, hearing the two of them whispering just out of sight, in the Celtic area.

I should hide it, but I wanted to look at it one last time.

The color had changed from the brilliant lime to a pink, which darkened to a blood red. Blinking I transferred it to my fingertips, holding it up to the light. Each flash darkened the color. It began to fall into a deeper and deeper red until it was almost black.

I half expected it to gradually heat up in my palm, but it remained cool.

This didn’t seem right. I wouldn’t have to
give
it to Aidan and Cody; just have them take a look at it, right?

Maybe they’d know what it was doing, but I’d make them promise not to touch it. Sighing in defeat I took a deep breath. “Ai…‌”

A cold, steely hand clamped over my mouth from behind.

My cry was muffled when a second arm wrapped around my stomach, trapping my arms to my sides.

As they dragged me back into the room, my spine crashing into something hard that creaked and clattered like…‌metal?

I twisted and struggled but it felt as if the arm were squeezing me tighter until it was too painful to twitch.

My chest heaved against the constriction and my head swam. I felt hysteria settling in for a visit. If I hyperventilated, I’d pass out and that would mean losing the cube.

Concentrating on my increasing heartbeat, I closed my eyes, daring it to slow. Each deep breath against the metal hand made the fingers against my cheeks slick with condensation.

The bright light over the examiner’s table snapped off and my eyes opened. The light shone from the museum outside, shadowing Tin Man and me.

Inhaling deeply, I knew I had to warn them. I screamed against the hand. Twisting my head at the same time, the fingers almost slipped away before digging painfully into my jaw.

It whipped me around, my feet left the floor and my head couldn’t keep up. Darkness twirled and heated nausea struck the back of my throat, stiffening my jaw and strangling the scream. Tears sprang to my eyes and I tried to blink them away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the door to the museum close on its own. It locked out the light so only a sliver crept in beneath. I tried to focus on the little light, otherwise I wouldn’t know if I were upside down or right-side up in the dark. If Tin Man wasn’t holding me, I would have fallen.

The cube warmed my sweaty palm, a small comfort that showed I was still alive. It marked divots into my palm, but I was determined to conceal it. Holding it to my thigh, I hoped the light didn’t peek through my fingers.

This must be why Tin Man came after me. It wants the cube back
. I could hand it back and take my chances but I didn’t think I’d be released so easily. Besides, the cube was mine now.

Screaming against the steely hand, I breathed through flaring nostrils to stop the room from spinning. I needed more oxygen.

I’m going to die
, I thought.
Right here with Tin Man, he’s going to wait for Aidan and Cody to leave and then take the cube
. I somehow hoped Damien would steal me and let me join Phoebe, Read, and Robin, but that didn’t seem to be happening.

At the same time, the thought made me angry. I had to wait for a demon to save me? What is wrong with me? I have a chance to help save them and I was giving it up so easily. There were Challenges harder than this.

Lifting my right foot, I kicked back for a leg.
Won’t take me down so easily
, I thought.

The clang echoed against my soggy sneaker, but my attacker didn’t react. There wasn’t a grunt of pain, a flinch or a step back. Only the metallic ring still hung in the air.

Somewhere to my left, I think, metallic footsteps could be heard approaching.

There were two?!

Breathing deeply and frantically through my nose, I sensed the air grow sharp as something frayed touched the fabric of my shirt. Something sharp.

As I twisted in the anaconda grip, the point rose up and caressed the edge of my collarbone. It was a pointed, wooden tip from something held by Tin Man Number Two, though he stood several feet back. In an instant I remembered the knights from the medieval display. One of them had held a lance.

My captor leaned me into the tip of the lance. It was surprisingly dull, but pressed to my skin, scratching the splinters beneath my collarbone.

Raising my foot I struck at the loud shin behind me, frantic for noise‌—‌a lot of noise. Pounding at it, the room vibrated with the echo until the door flung open.

“Nora?” Aidan’s voice shouted through the blinding light.

Hope split into fireworks inside my head and I screamed to warn him.

I was such an idiot! I wanted to drop the little cube of light, but I couldn’t. I wished I could say that I wouldn’t, but my fingers couldn’t uncurl around the object no matter how hard I tried. The corners dug so deep in my palm I wondered if they were breaking skin.

As I blinked away the harsh light, I saw Aidan’s wild hair silhouetted in the doorframe. He froze before shouting, the urgency snagging every syllable, “Cody!”

The lance stopped pressing to my collarbone and the shiny knight, who I could finally see, turned to the intruder.

Cody skidded in beside Aidan, his smile barely visible until he looked into the room and was silhouetted. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing escaped.

Aidan and Cody stared at the two knights and the knights stared back at the two strange boys as if deciding what to do.

Unable to twist in the steely grip for fear the pressure would break bones, I watched helplessly, hating the sensation, and scrambled for an idea.

The lance-wielding knight turned his head back to me, armor squeaking. Shoulders rising, he lifted the lance, aiming for my chest.

My heart beat so fast it made my chest feel too small to cage it.

The knight dove with the lance poised and I heard Cody and Aidan shouting within my spinning world.

I waited for the pain to spike my chest. It just felt like I was falling. The room tilted and I was floating. In my confusion I didn’t think of screaming, I just stiffened, waiting for the worst.

I landed hard on the metal shell. The armor
crunched
and
clanged
against the polished floor.

The arms released me.

Surprised, I almost forgot to move. The split second of hesitation resulted in a clumsy scramble. Rolling off the mound of metal was the easy part. I landed on my stomach with a
splat
. My body felt inflated once released from the weighty arm.

There wasn’t enough time to stand. Twisting onto my back, I saw the lance-wielder had fallen too, but was getting up much more quickly.

My sneakers dug into the floor in a clumsy crab walk. I still clutched the cube. “Help!” I called.

It was Aidan who grabbed my arms from behind and swung me from the floor. We staggered into each other until we regained our equilibrium.

“Out!” I heard Cody squawk.

My free hand gripped Aidan’s shirt sleeve to keep the room from spinning. Glancing over my shoulder, I realized what pulled the knight to the floor‌—‌inadvertently saving me.

Ramses II swayed on his feet over the metal-clad two.

Aidan seemed to see him at the same time and we paused in the doorway to see the mummy grab the surgical table.

It tore off one of the metal legs as if it were made of twigs. It tossed the rest of the metal aside, hitting the beige, medical curtain. The table didn’t hit a wall behind the curtain, it flew straight back into darkness and was swallowed whole.

The mummy gasped strangled, unrecognizable words “
Nii heeeel
“. It could have also been a language I wasn’t meant to understand. The lack of lips made speech slightly more challenging for this one.