“Not exactly.” She paused before adding, “We were ambushed.”
“Damn it.” He stood up, pacing his office. “Are you safe?”
“Yes, sir. For now.” Greyson’s voice came through in the background, then she went on. “The Tyrfing attacked me mentally. I could hear it.” She cleared her throat. “I have a hunch, and I’m hoping Dr. Sinclair can help me confirm, but if I’m wrong, I need you to do me a favor.”
His brows pinched as he turned to stare at his desk. A favor wasn’t a request for backup. It was personal.
His grip tightened on his cell phone. “And I need for you to follow protocols. I’ve got a plane fueling up now, and I’ll be in Glasgow in a few hours. Do not engage the demon. Wait for me.”
“Respectfully, I’m not sure we’ve got a few hours, sir.” She lowered her voice. “I worked with this demon on the police force, and if your records are right, he also infiltrated our ranks at Department 13. This isn’t a lesser demon, and there’s more at play here. The magic in the Tyrfing spoke to me today. It’s sentient, like Pandora’s box.” She cleared her throat, steadying her voice. “If my hunch is right, I think my blood can lift the curse. The demon believes my blood will feed the magic in the blade, but what if it’s actually the opposite? What if I can set the magic free?”
David’s heartbeat thundered in his ears as his blood pressure rose. “Or it’ll kill you and gain more power.” He shook his head. “Stay away from the sword until I get there. That’s an order.”
She sighed. “Does this mean you won’t do me a favor?”
He closed his eyes. “I won’t need to if you follow my orders.”
“Find my sister and tell her I love her, and I’m sorry.”
The call ended.
“Damn it,” he cursed under his breath.
He grabbed his coat on the way out of the door and pressed the button on his phone for Captain Flynn. Usually David went out of his way to negotiate with the crew through their quartermaster, Colton. He seemed to be the most trustworthy from David’s perspective. The crew trusted him, and his reputation for honoring his word had been reinforced in David’s interactions with him.
But right now he needed a schemer, and Flynn was the best of them.
The captain answered on the third ring. “Agent Bale? What a surprise.”
“Flynn, I have a side job for this mission, if you’re interested.” David got in the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor, taking him back up from the underground station of Department 13.
Flynn chuckled, keeping his voice low. “I’m listening.”
“Agent Henderson is in danger.” He watched the light flash as each floor passed by, willing it to hurry. “I’m on my way to the jet now. I need you to delay her by whatever measures are necessary until I get to the Sea Dog.”
He tsked. “Too late. I’m afraid she’s not on board.”
“She just called from the car. She’s on her way back there now.” The elevator doors finally opened, and David jogged out, heading for the parking structure across the street. “She’s going to meet with Char, and I need to be sure she doesn’t leave the ship.”
“What’s in it for me?”
“Money.” David popped the locks on his unmarked black sedan. “Wired to your account. No strings.”
“Do better.” He chuckled. “I have plenty of money already.”
“Fine.” David rolled his eyes as he got into the car and fired up the engine. “What do you want?”
“I want a relic. A trinket, really.”
David ground his teeth. “No deal.”
“You haven’t even heard what it is yet.” Flynn’s voice took on a condescending flavor that grated on Agent Bale’s nerves.
“Okay. What are you looking for?” David pulled out of the lot. If the traffic lights were on his side, he could be at the airstrip in less than ten minutes.
“A map.”
David raised a brow, shooting a look at his phone on the seat next to him.
Flynn continued, “Before I led the mutiny and took over as captain of the Sea Dog, our previous captain claimed to be in possession of a document with the location of a treasure. I have reason to believe your department might have it now. I would like it back.”
David frowned, checking his rearview mirror. “I thought you have all the money you need.”
A door closed on the other end of the line, and Flynn’s tone became more pointed. “The treasure in question isn’t gold.”
David slalomed through the busy D.C. surface-street traffic, dread swirling in his gut. This was a deal with the devil, but Flynn was his best chance at saving Aura from herself.
“Tell me what I’m looking for and I’ll get it to you.”
“Good,” Flynn murmured. “I want you to email me this agreement, so I have written proof of our bargain. I’ll email you back the document I need.”
“Done.” David tapped the steering wheel, willing the light to turn green. “I’ll email you from the airstrip. Do not allow Agent Henderson to leave the Sea Dog.”
“She’s as good as imprisoned.”
David ended the call, trying not to second-guess his decision. Once he had the Tyrfing locked back inside the vault, he could worry about Flynn’s demands.
But what was on that map? If not gold, what would an immortal pirate captain be searching for?
Chapter Twenty-One
Greyson parked the rental car at the dock and got out.
Aura was already on her way to the Sea Dog, but he slowed, scanning the area for any sign of the demon with the Tyrfing. When he’d imagined this quest, he’d envisioned wielding a blade of infinite power. He’d never considered the curse that powered it.
He’d lived long enough to understand that power always came with a price.
Legend claimed it had been crafted under duress. The dwarves had produced a sword so deadly it could cut through any material, just as the king had demanded. But in order to make those cuts, the magical price would be paid in the blood of the king’s family line.
The constant craving could have twisted the magic into its own version of consciousness, giving the blade a destiny. And after being locked up, from one prison in the vault, to another with this demon, could the sword be searching for freedom, for the peace of the chosen one’s blood?
Regardless, Greyson wouldn’t let it take Aura. Over his dead body. And since death was off the table for him, he’d fight until the end of the world to keep her from the Tyrfing.