Page 59 of Spears and Shadows (Defenders of the Light)
Nora’s mouth fell open, but before she could even draw breath to launch into her next line of questioning, Adam jumped in and skillfully changed the subject.
“Isn’t there a group of people waiting on us to join them so we can set out to vanquish evil or some such thing?”
Unfortunately, he was right. Nora closed her mouth and tucked away this tidbit of information about him for later examination as she followed him out his bedroom door, their fingers still intertwined.
* * *
As Nora letherself into the museum, the rattling of the door sounded deafening in the empty vastness of the space beyond. The one security guard had recognized her from her many nights working late in the past and waved her on with a smile as she told him she had forgotten her phone in the office. She hoped he wouldn’t come check on her when the Shadows were present as she stuck a rubber stopper under the door, leaving it cracked open so the attack team could enter after her.
They were currently stationed in Soldier Field about a third of a mile away, hoping it would be far enough for them to not be noticed by the Shadow but close enough to respond quickly when Nora called Adam using the cell phone that was already in her hand.
Nora recalled the image of them gathered there, ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice, to calm her nerves and remind herself that she was not really alone. Ezra, Antony, Thad, and Adam were all there, as well as a half dozen other members of the Eteria that she had been briefly introduced to but was too nervous to remember the names of. She had been surprised that so many strangers had agreed to join her harebrained mission, but they had all smiled at her warmly as if they were pleased she was there.
The entire crew had assembled under the tall pillars of the stadium, looking like they felt extremely uncomfortable in the black leather jackets and jeans Thad had acquired for them, instead of being clad in their traditional armor. The effect of their modern clothes was somewhat ruined by the fact they were all armed to the teeth with spears and swords, making the group look more like a biker gang who enjoyed going to Renaissance festivals than an actual fighting force. Drew had also seemed rather amused by the picture they painted but had managed to keep a straight face, given the gravity of the situation.
Drew had wrapped her in a bone-crushing hug when she parted ways with them, offering again to come with her if she had changed her mind, to which she shook her head. She warmed when Antony, Thad, and Adam had all hugged her before she left too, and even Ezra gave her an affectionate pat on the head that sent her off into the night feeling braver than she had before.
Now that she was alone in the museum, though, most of that bravery had dissipated into the thick darkness surrounding her. She used the light of her cell phone, already opened to the call screen with Adam’s number typed in, to illuminate her path up the side stairs to the arms exhibit. As a group, they had decided that the Shadow was most likely to respond if she stood close to the powerful artifacts.
Nora wove her way through the darkened exhibit, moving slowly so she wouldn’t run into any displays in the blackness. The silence was only broken by her footsteps. It was as if the suits of armor she passed were watching her, haunted by ghosts of dead warriors waiting to watch her plunged into her own battle.
Nora shook the image from her head. Instead, she thought about joyful things that would bolster her when the Shadow tried to poison her with its words, like Adam had warned her it would. She pictured the beautiful sunlit library at the Sanctuary and Drew crushing her to his chest in one of his signature hugs. She pictured Adam’s face after he kissed her.
She stepped up to the glass case to look down on the weapons of Adam and his late wife. The light from her cell phone was dim enough to cause her to squint to make out the engravings. She remembered then that she hadn’t had the chance to ask him what the phrase meant to him. Nora added it to the long list of things that she would have to ask at some point.
A ripple of heat danced across the back of her neck. She whipped around, frantically searching the darkness in front of her for the glowing eyes of a Shadow creature or movement that might belong to the agent. Her thumb hovered above the call button on her phone and her other hand shot into the inner pocket of her jacket to grip the hilt of the dagger concealed there. Seeing nothing, Nora attempted to calm her breathing so she wouldn’t call Adam too soon and alert the Shadow to their plan.
After several tense moments with no further signs of company, Nora let the hand gripping the dagger hilt slide out of her jacket pocket. As soon as her hand fell back to her side, Nora felt a sharp tug at her ponytail, forceful enough to pull her backwards and cause a shriek of surprise and pain to tear from her throat. Her phone slipped from her grasp as she fell, right before her head cracked against the glass of the display case behind her and she lost all awareness.
