Dominic ignored him. “I think you’ve got more than enough evidence to request assistance.”
He was right. Justin pulled out his ego and entered the quick code that would send local law enforcement to his location. Slipping it back into his pocket, he turned once more to the grisly scene ahead. The two Pan-Celt men by the altar were deep in conversation. Below them, Mae was still clearly out of action, but her spasms had slowed and were growing more irregular.
“I wonder why they’ve kept her alive,” mused Dominic.
“So they can kill her,” said Justin, seeing a flash of silver in the taller man’s hands. “But they have to do it in a ritualistic way.” The pieces fell together. Ordinary enemies of the Morrigan—like Callista—could be killed in whatever manner was most efficient. But these wayward creations…they required something special, he realized. Silver through the heart, on the day of the full moon, by one of the other prized servants. Those whom the Morrigan had created couldn’t be killed haphazardly, even if it meant a slow rate of one a month. “They seem to be taking their time, though.”
“They probably think they’ve got her put down for a while.”
“Don’t they?”
Dominic shrugged. “Probably not as long as they think. That’s what I meant about pr?torians being so dangerous. Even when you find a way to stop them, they don’t stay stopped for long.” His eyes flicked to Leo with concern, but mostly he still seemed to be a hostage. “As long as they don’t try to kill anyone soon, we should just be able to wait for the police.”
Don’t wait, said Magnus.
The raven had barely finished speaking when the tall man suddenly turned to the mural in the back of the room and raised his arms up high. “Great queen, we do your bidding and return to you one who has betrayed you.”
And with a speed that caught both Justin and Leo by surprise, he spun around and turned the silver dagger, point down, toward Mae. He raised his arms in a killing blow and thrust downward—but then froze. It was as though he’d hit an invisible wall that he couldn’t penetrate. Clearly astonished, he removed one of his hands from the dagger and lightly touched Mae’s chest with no problem. But when he tried to bring the dagger to her again, he couldn’t touch her.
I guess you aren’t worthless after all, said Horatio.
“There’s some spell on her,” said the tall man incredulously. His brow furrowed in thought as he turned to his companions. “Do you have another blade?”
Someone else handed him an ordinary hunting knife. The man tentatively touched Mae’s cheek with its tip, finding no resistance. He nodded in satisfaction.
“A charm that protects her from the divine. Won’t last for long. We can wait it out.” He studied the knife’s blade in the light. “Or our mistress might still take her through an unblessed weapon.”
“We can’t wait around for them to decide,” Justin hissed. “Or for the police, apparently.”
Dominic nodded, a grim look on his face. “Six of them. One long-range weapon. That’s the real bitch if we try to cover the distance to them.”
“Mae always carries two guns,” Justin told him. “So they probably have another one too.”
“Let’s just hope they aren’t fast enough to get to it. If I can just take out the one with Leo, the rest’ll be easy.”
“That’ll be easy?” asked Justin in disbelief.
“We need to distract her without getting us killed in the process.”
Justin thought about that. “I might have a way….”
How much do you guys hate crows? he asked.
Horatio knew what he was thinking. If we do it, it’s going to hurt. More than last time.
I’ll deal, Justin said, trying not to grimace. Just make sure the woman with the gun isn’t looking this way.
To Dominic, he said, “Get ready to take her out.”
And like that, the two ravens manifested before them, darker than the night outside. They flew into the room, swooping toward the two men who stood near Mae, scratching them with their claws and beaks. All of the Morrigan’s people gaped in astonishment, and the woman with the gun turned to watch, wide-eyed. For a moment, Dominic seemed equally stunned. Then Justin, trying not to scream at the pain of having his supernatural companions ripped away, nudged him.
“Go! Now’s your chance!”