The Diamond Curse by Liz Marsham

Author:Liz Marsham [Marsham, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781250195593
Publisher: Imprint

10

In Which Inside Voices Get Out, and the Outside World Gets In

Millicent extended her hand. “Come, sister,” she said, over the snarling of the beasts. “We have work to do elsewhere.” Myrtle took her sister’s hand, and the two spirits disappeared in a flash of lightning.

As the hexbeasts prowled toward the Mysticons, the girls summoned their weapons. They took up a defensive formation in the center of the car, back to back so they could face in all directions. The creatures circled, claws at the end of their gangly red arms and legs tapping the ground, their long jaws working as their sharp teeth gnashed together. Their glowing, sickly green eyes focused on each girl in turn, and their snarls morphed into guttural growls and hisses that rose to fill the vault car.

“Does … does it sound like they’re saying words?” shouted Piper over the din.

Arkayna tried to pick out individual sounds, but before she could focus, her bangle-phone went off. She glanced down to see that Eddie was calling, and she swiped to answer.

“What’s going on in there?” demanded the security chief. “All the cameras went down when the diamond broke.”

“It’s a long story,” Arkayna yelled into the phone.

One creature locked eyes on Arkayna. “No time!” it howled, in a hideous mimic of Arkayna’s voice. “No time for you! Better than you! I know better!”

“Shorten the story for me, please,” said Eddie. “And what’s that shrieking in the background?”

“There are two spirits loose on the train,” Arkayna said, “and they have the power to summon … we don’t know yet. Creatures, demons, something.”

“Hold, please,” said Eddie tersely. A second later she was back. “I see them. Two women, gray, floating?”

“Yes! Where are they?”

“They just appeared in the locomotive. The good news is they’ve subdued Kymraw for the moment. The bad news is it looks like … oh no.”

The Mysticons and the beasts lurched as the train accelerated sharply.

A hexbeast stalking toward Em raised its voice above the clamor. “Your fault!” it screamed at Em. “All your fault! Everything is your fault! So clumsy! So reckless!”

The tip of Em’s sword wavered as she glanced at Arkayna. Arkayna shook her head firmly, and Em nodded, reassured.

“The spirits are interfering with the engine!” continued Eddie. “I can’t stop them from here; they just reached right through the security plates! Can you get to the locomotive?”

“We’re on it,” said Arkayna. “How’s the rest of the train?”

“Hard to tell. Down here seems fine, but the security feeds all over the train are glitching out. Be careful.”

“Will do.” Arkayna signed off. “Girls, we’ve gotta make this quick.”

“Fine by me,” yelled Zarya, drawing her bow.

“Yes, that’s right, charge in,” screeched a hexbeast, dancing toward her with its claws extended. “Make noise. Make a mess.”

Zarya fired, and the hexbeast batted the arrow out of the air with one hand. Zarya gasped.

“Oooooh,” called the beast, now mimicking Zarya’s voice. “What will I do if I can’t solve my problems by shooting at them?”

“Hey, leave her alone!” Piper whipped

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