“Don’t blame her,” I told him. “She didn’t open the book.”
Everyone looked to Lichen.
“Sorry.” He looked to the ground.
“We’ll be having a chat about going through my shit later.” I shot daggers through my glare.
“Tell us what you were reading about,” Wren said, trying, as she always did, to ease the tension.
“I believe that is the scream of a banshee,” he answered.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Greeve asked, pulling the long, curved sword from his back.
“Does anyone have any ideas on killing a banshee?” Fen asked, looking directly at me.
“Not a gods-damned clue,” I answered. “The only thing I’ve ever heard is that if you hear a banshee cry, you have under twenty-four hours to live.”
“Super awesome.” Kai stared down Lichen.
The banshee’s scream was closer this time and again followed by a haunting cackle that made my hair stand on edge.
“I only read the words in the book. How was I supposed to know?”
“You couldn’t feel it? The magic?”
“No.” He shrugged, his shoulders still heavy.
I would think about why an evil book with magical creatures inside called only to me later. For now, I had to think quickly. “Can anyone see it?”
“I can’t see it, but I can feel it on the wind,” Greeve replied, watching the skies.
“Can you intercept it?” Fen asked.
“Possibly.”
“So, we just send him up there on his own?” I turned to Greeve, who grinned and disappeared.
“Attention whore,” Kai coughed into his hands again.
“Maybe, but I’ll still save your ass,” Greeve answered from somewhere above.
Fen pulled his sword and took a step away from me so he had clearance to swing if he had to. We waited in uneasy silence, all ready in case the banshee showed itself. The scream rattled the sky. I felt a gush of wind as Greeve flew past me, and then another shriek as he made contact.
Lichen yelled and grabbed the sides of his head as deep red blood poured from his nose.
“Shit.” Kai moved his weapon haphazardly through the air, though he could not see the attacker.
“Kai, stop, you could hit Greeve,” Wren scolded.
No one moved as Lichen fell to the ground with his ears covered, still screeching in pain. Then Wren followed him. Instinctively, her magic came forward and she was gone, but we could still hear her cries from the ground.
“Gods-damnit. Come on, Greeve,” Fen barked.
“It’s fast,” he called from above.
I felt him move back and forth across the sky with bated breath. Another scream. A terrible, gut-wrenching, vomit-inducing scream. Blood poured from Kai’s ears, and he also yelled, trying to cover them. Fen grabbed his temple and groaned, trying to resist whatever was happening, but he still fell hard to one knee. I felt a rush of Fen’s own power as he tried and failed to pin the banshee.
“Stop, Fen,” Greeve begged. “You’re pushing me around.”
