by Sarah Noffke
“What? By who?” she asked in a whisper.
He gave her a strange look. “By me, of course.”
“Okay, but why? You were supposed to wait until I showed up.”
“Yes, Ms. Liv Beaufont, Warrior of the House, but someone beat you to the sword, so I moved it before they could get it.”
Liv blinked at the brownie. “I don’t understand. Someone else came for the sword? Tonight?”
Freddy nodded, his body bobbing along with his head. “Thankfully I was here and noticed them approaching. That gave me enough time to get the sword out of its case and hide it.”
Questions were streaming through Liv’s head so fast she couldn’t articulate them fast enough. “You moved the sword? But how? It’s huge. And heavy. And who is this person who came for the sword?”
The brownie looked over his shoulder before returning his gaze to Liv, not looking as frantic as she felt. “I did move the sword. We can levitate things, which made it easy to move the sword, although I ran out of time to hide it properly, which is why you need to go and get it.”
“Where did you put it?” Liv asked, a strange picture in her mind of the tiny brownie walking beside a huge hovering sword. It was important never to underestimate someone based on their size. They could still move great things.
“I put it in the room with the shiny rocks,” Freddy squealed.
Liv nearly doubled over in defeat. “Are you serious? That was where I sent the guards so that I could get into this room.”
Freddy nodded again, hopping forward as he did. “It’s okay for now. I put it at the back of the exhibit. But the one who came after it will find the sword. They are already mad.”
“Who is it?” Liv asked.
“An elf,” Freddy answered. “One I’ve never seen before, who has a darkness in his eyes and a strange prowess that scares me.”
“An elf?” Liv asked. “Like a regular-sized one?”
If this offended the brownie, he didn’t show it. “Yes, and as you might have guessed, he could have gotten to the sword just as I did because the wards don’t work on him. So I’m sorry, but I had to move it.”
“You did good,” Liv said, staring around and trying to figure out what she was going to do next.
“What exactly are you doing here?” the woman from before said at Liv’s back.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Liv almost rolled her eyes at the inopportune interruption. Before she had been worried about being caught by her. Now she found her a pest who was getting in the way of her fighting the mysterious villain lurking somewhere in the museum.
Slowly Liv turned around to face the woman, arranging her face into a neutral expression. “Hey. I’m here to work on the fetish carving exhibit. I think I’m lost, though.”
“You’re what?” the woman said, hesitation in her voice. Liv’s statement didn’t make sense to her, but she also didn’t know enough to discount it. Liv could read this on the curator at once.
“I was added to the team at the last minute,” Liv explained. “Where are we supposed to meet?”
The woman backed up, her eyes uncertain as she pointed. “Over here. Actually, I could use some more help—”
The lady’s eyes widened in alarm as she halted and revolved her chin to look in the direction of the case. The empty case.
“Where is the sword?”
Oh hell, Liv thought. I can’t catch a break today.
Feigning surprise, Liv turned to look at the case too. Keeping this act up for very long wasn’t going to work. Too bad for this woman that she was so observant. Liv was about to hit the woman with a spell when she staggered backward and slid down the wall, suddenly fast asleep.
Liv looked at her hand, wondering if her magic had poured out of her without her knowing it.
“That should keep her out for the rest of the night,” Freddy said from beside Liv’s knee.
“That was you? You did that?”
“Naturally.”
“I didn’t know that brownies could put mortals to sleep.”
“How do you think we get our housework done?” he asked her, his hands on his hips.
“I thought you waited until they went to sleep.”
“Nope. We put them to bed so we can do our chores.”
Damn, I really need to read that book Rory gave me, Liv thought.
“What about the other mortals? They will be back soon,” Liv said, peeking into the darkened corridor.
“I can take care of all of them,” Freddy stated proudly. “The guards will be asleep before you even make it over to the fancy rock area.” The elf disappeared, leaving Liv standing in front of the sleeping woman and staring at the small empty room.
She eyed the area outside the space. Somewhere in the vast Natural History Museum was a deranged elf who was after Turbinger as well. It was hard to believe that she had thought the greatest obstacle that night would be stealing the sword from a mortal museum. Now it appeared that she was going to have to fight for Turbinger as well.
Once Liv had slunk into the gemstone exhibit, she realized that the security guards hadn’t had a chance to fix the electrical problem she had created. The lights were still flickering overhead, and most of the cases appeared to be unlocked.
Liv nearly tripped over the guard who had been whistling before. He was sprawled on the floor, peacefully taking a nap as if he were curled up in his cozy bed and not on cold tile.
Freddy appeared to be a valuable ally, saving Liv from having to use her magic on the mortals or harm them in any way.
She lifted her hand to fix the lights she’d made malfunction when a creaking sound echoed through the exhibit. Liv spun, her hand extended and her eyes honing in on the figure lurking in the dark.
Standing beside an open case was a tall, slender man. He was attired in worn clothing such as one might see on a homeless person on the streets, but when he stepped out into the flickering light, Liv knew this was no mortal. The angle of his jaw and ears told her right away that he was an elf—and then there were those eyes. As Freddy had described, they were like two wells full of never-ending darkness.
“What do you want?” Liv asked, her hand still in the air.
“The same thing as you, Liv Beaufont,” he answered, his voice like coarse sandpaper. “The question is, why do you want it?”
“Who are you?” Liv asked, stalling for time as she tried to figure out what her next move would be. She didn’t know much about elves except that they were fast and powerful and drew from elemental power.
“I’m known by many names, but the question remains: why do you want Turbinger when it doesn’t belong to you?”
“It doesn’t belong to you either,” Liv argued.
The elf tossed his long hair back as he laughed, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth. Suddenly she wanted to run and get as far away from this elf, who embodied evil. However, she reminded herself that she was a Warrior. This was not a challenge she could back down from, and there was no way she was losing her role over it.
“I’ve simply come to stop you from taking Turbinger,” the elf said and reached into the case, his finger hovering inches from a beautiful purple crystal. He leeched power from it, and a moment later, the crystal’s lush color faded to gray and it crumbled as if it were ash. In a flash, the elf directed his hand at Liv, sending a bolt of fire at her.
Liv’s instincts took over and she ducked behind a nearby case. The fire vanished upon touching the glass as if it had been sucked into a vacuum.
Damn, this guy was out for blood.
Chancing a glance at the diabolical elf, Liv saw that he was about to throw something in her direction again. She dove back to the ground, surprised again that the fire stopped before it reached her.
Something in the exhibit must be stopping his magic, she thought. He might be pulling from the elements, but they were just as strong at blocking him.
That was when she remembered what Freddy had said—that he’d hidden Turbinger
at the back of this exhibit. She rolled over on her stomach, squinting towards the back wall, where more gems sparkled in the flickering light. Liv was starting to feel like she was in a strange club with a huge disco ball, the gems reflecting the lights and the blast of fire as the evil elf sought to torch her again.
Although she was safe behind this case of gems, her most important objective was getting to the sword. Well, and staying alive.
Liv took in a deep breath and bolted forward, keeping her head low, hoping to be unseen as she darted under the cases of gems towards the back.
The fire followed her, many of the attacks blasting her with heat, which meant that not all the cases had a protective quality to them.
When she had almost reached her objective, Liv was thrown on her back by a particularly strong hit. The air was knocked out of her and she coughed, trying to get her breath.
Damn, why couldn’t I have fire magic? she wondered, trying to calm her lungs. It felt like they were on fire from breathing the strange greenish smoke lacing through the air.
That couldn’t be good, she thought, trying to recall the direction she had been going. It all looked the same now.
A particularly nasty ball of fire landed beside Liv, nearly blinding her for several moments. She shielded her eyes, backing away.
This running business wasn’t doing her any good, and with each blast, she was getting more pissed. She wanted to stand up to this elf-jerk, but first she needed an edge. She needed Turbinger.
Liv dove when she saw the elf throw more fire in her direction. This asshole didn’t care if he was destroying an exhibit. He was out for blood. The total disrespect for worldly treasures boiled Liv’s blood, making her magic pour to the surface and beg to be released. Instead, she used it to speed to the back of the exhibit. When she thought she had another place to duck from the next attack, Liv came to a dead end.
This was it. She was trapped.
Liv turned around as the largest blast rocketed towards her like a meteor falling from the sky. Without even looking, Liv dove behind a large object, the force of the blast rolling her over several times. She pushed up to her hands and feet, blood trickling from her forehead. She’d been hit. All this running was making her lose her strength, and she had no idea how to fight an elf who had an endless supply of power in the form of precious stones and crystals.
Still rolling from the momentum, Liv’s hand flew to the floor to try to stabilize her—and she felt it.
The cold metal. The power. The strength of something ancient. A raw and unyielding power. Liv looked down, the rubies from the sword winking at her from the hilt.
She was holding Turbinger.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Never before had Liv felt something so dangerously gorgeous. She was sure the energy radiating from the sword would take over her if she wasn’t careful. However, everything was at stake for her, and the elf several yards away appeared to have nothing to lose. Liv made up her mind to let the sword control her and invited the power into her veins. At her core, she felt that it knew how to get them out of this.
It wasn’t an object. She knew that instinctively. It had the feel of a person ten times her age and wisdom unmatched by anyone she’d ever met. It was the answer to all her problems, and might possibly be the cause of more if she wasn’t careful.
Letting the rage of the sword purr through her, Liv sprang to her feet and lifted the sword over her head, the effort taking more than her strength. Magic fueled her as she swung the sword behind her head.
In front of her, a large stone stood on a stand, partially blocking her view. However, she still saw the elf’s look of pure horror when she raised the sword. It sank down several inches like she didn’t have the strength to keep it steady before it straightened again.
“I am Liv Beaufont, and if you want this sword, then you better come and take it from me,” she yelled, her voice so loud it rattled the glass cases all over the exhibit. She didn’t fear that they would shatter, but rather that she would live another day in this world unable to punish those who had betrayed her. It was at that moment that she realized those weren’t her thoughts but rather the sword’s. She knew that if she wasn’t careful, Turbinger could take her over. It controlled people. Only someone very powerful was a match for it.
Although it took all her effort to keep the sword aloft, Liv knew she could manage Turbinger. Not for long, but she didn’t need much time.
Bring my enemy to me, the sword directed in her mind. I’ll destroy him.
How do you know I’m not your enemy? she dared to ask.
I know.
The elf sucked the energy from another gem, making it turn black and crumble to dust in the open case. He hurled a streak of fire at Liv, but unlike before, she didn’t dodge as it soared toward her. Instead, her eyes stayed pinned to it, her fingers tensed on the hilt of the sword.
She didn’t even feel in control as she waited until the last possible moment, swinging the sword around to combat the fire, knocking it back to where it had originated like a baseball player hitting a home run.
The elf realized a moment too late what had happened. The fire knocked him to the ground, flames and smoke erupting around him.
Go!
As if she had been pushed, Liv charged toward the elf with the sword in her hand. She felt the rage of a hundred wars pouring through her veins, and vengeance thick on her tongue. Liv tasted every battle the sword had ever been in, which was both exhilarating and scary. She wanted to throw the sword down, but it was melded to her hands, unrelenting.
Everything was a blur until she found herself standing over the elf, who was cringing, his hands covering his face as he rolled back and forth, trying to extinguish his own fire.
“What you seek to burn will scorch you from the inside out,” Liv said, but the words weren’t her own. She didn’t even know where they’d come from. “This feud is soon to be over. The power will shift. Tell them.”
The elf scooted to his rear end, pushing himself backward as Liv swung the giant’s sword to the left and right in a fluid motion.
“They will kill me if I return without it,” the elf yelled, his voice tearful. He reached out. “You might as well murder me.”
Turbinger wanted to. Liv felt the bitter yearning from the sword to slice through the elf before them, a force she felt powerless to control. However, from somewhere in the depths of her soul, she rallied a strength she didn’t even know she had. As the sword swung around, possessed by its own desire, Liv wrestled it down. The blade sliced the elf’s extended arm, the one he had stretched out to beg for mercy in the form of death.
The elf jerked back holding his bleeding arm, shock and disappointment on his face. Liv held the sword down by her side even though it was fighting her grip, trying to be swung again.
“Go! Run! Get out of here. I never want to see you again!” Liv yelled, straining against the sword’s simmering power.
“But you don’t understand. They will hunt me down,” the elf said, cradling his arm.
“Who? Who do you work for?”
The elf looked at the sword, which had started to glow as if the anger within it was seeping out. It jerked in Liv’s grasp, and she knew that soon she wouldn’t be able to control its power. Turbinger would break free.
“Go!” Liv yelled.
The elf, needing no more encouragement, sprinted from the room, leaving Liv exhausted and holding what she believed to be the deadliest weapon in the world.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The gem room had been destroyed. Liv didn’t know how she could repair it so that no one noticed what had happened. Although she’d put out the fires, the scorch marks and smell of smoke gave away that a battle had happened there. And the gems. How was she going to replace the ones the elf had turned to ash? It had never been her plan to destroy part of the museum to get the sword, although in the morning, the Natural History Museum would know it had been stolen. The cameras wouldn’t tell them anythi
ng since they’d been disabled from the start, but the gem room? She had to fix it.
With the battle over, it was harder to carry Turbinger, which was nearly as tall as she was and weighed much more than she did. She dragged it back in the direction she’d come, looking for Freddy.
She found the brownie arranging carvings in the exhibit next to the sword room. Propped against the wall and sleeping peacefully were the museum curator and three men.
Freddy turned as she approached, polishing one of the stone fetish carvings with a thoughtful look on his face. “I see you were successful,” he said, glancing at the sword that was now resting on her shoulder, its weight pinching her skin.
“I got Turbinger, so for that I’m grateful,” she said, finding she was suddenly out of breath.
“You sound disappointed,” Freddy observed, placing the carving on a glass shelf and retrieving another from a nearby box.
“The gem exhibit has been sort of destroyed,” Liv admitted.
“And the elf?”
Liv brought the sword down, its tip resting on the floor, her hands on the hilt. The elf’s blood marked the blade, reminding her that she’d nearly killed him. Well, Turbinger had. “I let him go.”
The brownie lifted an eyebrow, his hollow eyes full of curiosity. “That is a strange thing for a magician to do. He was your enemy.”
Liv shook her head. “I don’t know who he was or who sent him. But no, I don’t think he was my enemy. Only a pawn.”
Freddy nodded, turning back to the shelf to arrange the carvings. “And you got what you came here for, which is all that matters.”
“It’s not all that matters,” Liv said, feeling the weight of everything that had happened in the last hour pressing on her shoulders. “The way we do things is almost more important than the things we do.”
“Those are wise words,” the brownie said absentmindedly.
“My father used to say that,” Liv admitted, looking fondly at the mortals sleeping peacefully. She wished for a moment that she could be them, dreaming without a care in the world.