“No you don’t!” I yell. I put the car in reverse and hit the gas.
The monster growls when it slides back. It hits the ground, but jumps back onto its legs in one smooth motion.
“Hit it!” Vicky screams.
But I’m already too late. It bends its legs and launches itself straight at me.
Reflexively, I hold up my hands. Although I know it won’t help me one bit, I send all my willpower through my arms. Hold it back, hold it back, hold it back.
Energy starts coursing through my veins. My body heats up and without making a conscious decision, I move my arms back and make a pushing motion.
Inches from the windshield, the demon is hit by a bolt of lightning. It lets out a deafening screech before dropping to the ground.
I gape at the empty space before me. Then at my hands. “What just happened?”
I don’t wait for an answer and step out onto the street. With slow strides, I walk to the front of the car and peek around the hood.
The monster is lying on its back. Its eight legs point towards the sky. The black stuff on its body has stopped wriggling and the dark eyes have lost their shine. The air is filled with the smell of burnt feces. I wrinkle my nose and turn my head toward the sky. There’s no sign of a thunderstorm. No rain, not much wind.
“Did you do that?”
I shriek and jump back, bumping into Phoenix. “Don’t sneak up on me!”
Vicky covers her mouth with her hand. “Sorry, babe.”
I take another look at my hands. There’s nothing different about them. No lightning pulsing through them, no hammer of Thor that suddenly appears. “I’m not sure what happened. I just wished for that demon to go away.”
“You must have another power.”
My head jerks up. “You mean I can have more than one power?” I want to cheer, but at the same time, I have a feeling this is actually bad news. My gaze shifts back to the demon that is slowly turning into black smoke. “Is it common for a Mage to have more than one power?”
“Not really. Only the really powerful ones have it. I’m so jealous.”
I know she’s reading my feelings, and wants to make me feel better, but this is not the time to laugh. Charlie’s words echo in my mind. ‘You’re more powerful than me, since you have a Shield.’
Vicky steps in my line of view and squeezes my arm. “What’s wrong?”
“I have always been a strong believer of the concept that everything happens for a reason.”
“It does,” she confirms.
“So, if a normal Mage has only one power and no Shield, that means I got those extras for a reason. I need them.”
The last of the ugly demon is blown away by the wind and Vicky walks back to the passenger side. “Well, we already know you were chosen to keep the Devil locked in Hell. So, there’s your answer.” She hops into the car without opening the door.
I follow on the other side. “Don’t tell me you’re not worried about that.”
She shrugs. “We defeated him once already, while you didn’t have any fighting powers. We’ll be fine.”
“That’s just it, Vicky. I’m not so sure. I have a feeling we’re going to need all the powers we can get.”
The look on her face tells me she’s hiding her concerns. She knows the dangers of this world better than I do. She knows I’m right.
CHAPTER 8
We drive back to Darkwood Manor in silence.
When I pull up in front of the mansion, Vicky puts her hand on my leg. “We’ll be fine. It won’t be easy, but we can do this. Have faith in yourself.”
I give her a crooked smile. “Thanks.”
We walk into the house side by side. Thoughts are swirling through my head. There’s so much to take care of. The Cards of Death, my premonition, Vicky’s memories, fixing Maël. Danger seems to lurk in every corner these days.
Vicky pushes me gently into the kitchen, where the others are already waiting. “Don’t worry, we’re safe here. You protected the house, remember?”
I readjust my athame, before I stab myself in the back.
“What’s going on?” Taylar asks with a worried frown.
“Why?” Am I that transparent?
“You look as pale as a ghost,” Jeep comments. He smirks at Taylar, who grins back.
I flop into the seat at the head of the table. “Let’s say a lot has happened.”
I quickly recap everything. Vicky adds the details I forget. I keep an eye on D’Maeo. He looks as calm as ever, until I tell him about my recently discovered power.
“It’s bad news, isn’t it?” I say.
He smooths his gray beard before answering. “I’m not going to sugar coat it for you, Dante. If a Mage is powerful, it is for a good reason. Their job is to protect the world. Both worlds.”
“You’re as worried as I am, yet you didn’t seem surprised when I told you I have a second power.”
Maël’s golden cape is blown up by an invisible force. D’Maeo presses his lips together. “I’m sorry. We can’t tell you anything more. We swore an unbreakable oath not to tell you.”
My shoulders drop. “Great, just when I thought I was an inch closer to something resembling the truth.”
Vicky leans back in her chair and stretches her arms, before entwining them behind her head. “You could always guess, of course. We can confirm or deny.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, great. If only there weren’t a million possibilities.”
She shakes her head. “Come on, babe. It’s really not that hard. Just ask yourself the right questions.”
I fold my arms. “Like what?”
“Like, who could we have sworn an oath to?” She cocks her head at me.
I fling my hands in the air. “I don’t know! To my father?”
“Ka-ching!” Jeep says. “You are through to the next round.”
My mind races. Why would Dad make them swear an oath?
“Did he make you do that before or after he changed from a nice guy into a…”
“Monster?” Jeep adds helpfully.
I cringe. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Before,” Vicky says.
So he could have done that to protect me. To make sure I wouldn’t freak out when they told me I was powerful.
I bite my lip. “He knew I was destined to fight the Devil.”
They all nod.
“Was he trying to change my fate?”
“Yes,” Vicky answers softly.
“Did he… did he try to beat the Devil himself?” Is that why he died?
Vicky clasps her hands together and lifts her chin, urging me on.
I voice my thoughts before they spin out of control. “Is that why he formed the Shield?”
Vicky smiles at me. “Exactly.”
“Don’t look so happy about it,” Taylar mumbles. He seems paler than usual. More transparent. He must be as scared as I am. Fighting demons to keep the Devil where he belongs tends to drain the energy out of you.
“Wait a minute.” I suddenly remember something. I lean forward, closer to D’Maeo, who is sitting in his usual place at the other head of the table. “Didn’t you say earlier that some of you were summoned by my grandfather?”
There’s a glint of pride in his eyes when he answers. “That’s correct.”
I’m close to the truth, I just know it.
And then it hits me. “So my grandfather fought the Devil before us?”
“He did.”
“Ka-ching,” Jeep says again, in a very unsuccessful attempt to lighten up the mood.
I rub my eyes hard. “They both fought the Devil and lost. And now here we are.” Now I understand why Dad wanted to keep this from me. Our chances of winning this are basically nil.
“They didn’t lose, Dante.”
I shoot Maël a confused look. “What do you mean? They’re both dead, aren’t they?”
“Yes, but do you see the Devil anywher
e?”
My mouth closes silently. She has a point.
“They couldn’t defeat him,” D’Maeo continues, “but they did prevent him from coming to Earth.”
I almost sigh with relief. The heavy feeling that has been pressing down on my chest lifts.
My confidence is just returning when Taylar adds the obvious. “They did die in the process though, and they were trained Mages.”
Vicky slaps him on the arm. “Stop being such a downer. That doesn’t help, you know.”
I stand up and start pacing. “I can’t blame him. For you this is like a never-ending fight and for me it means almost certain death. Not something I’m looking forward to.” I come to a halt next to Taylar. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Can’t you guys train me? Help me control my power, whatever it is.”
The young, white-haired ghost smiles. “I like that idea.”
“And you could teach me how to properly use a sword and a shield.”
We exchange a high five.
Vicky gets up, too. “I think it’s a great idea, but there’s something else that needs attention first, don’t you think?” She indicates the African queen with a nod of her head.
“Oh right. There’s one more thing we have to discuss.”
I sit down, clear my throat and explain our worries.
Maël doesn’t look happy. “I’ll be fine. I just need some time.” She straightens her cape.
D’Maeo and I shake our heads at the same time.
“I’ve noticed it, too,” the old ghost says. “That tree took some of your power. If it hadn’t, you’d have recovered by now.”
I clasp my hands together like a real leader, even though I still don’t feel like one. “So what we need is a spell. Can you find one?”
“Probably.”
“Can you take Vicky with you? Meanwhile, the others can help me figure out what the pictures on the Cards of Death mean.”
He stands up and bows. “Of course, master.”
He disappears before I can tell him he doesn’t have to call me master. Vicky winks and follows him into thin air.
I take out the cards and the drawings I made and lay them before me. Jeep and Maël move closer to my end of the table, where Taylar is already bending over my drawings.
“What’s this?” He points to the rectangle at the top of the paper.
“That’s a screen.”
“And an eagle?” Maël asks. “That one is really good! You should draw more often.”
“Thanks. I did, until I inherited this house and… you guys.”
Her mouth forms a perfect ‘O’. “I’m sorry.”
I shrug. “It’s okay. What good would drawing do in a world ruled by the Devil?”
She shoots me a small smile. “Good point.”
“So we’re looking for a woman with a hair bun and an M as her initial.”
“Or working for a company which starts with an M,” Taylar interrupts.
“Right.” I jot it down on the back. “Probably someone who works with computers, since there’s also a computer screen on the other card. But what about the star and the eagle? And the flames on the hair bun?”
“Maybe the star means she’s famous?” Jeep offers.
I add the option to my list.
“What was on the cards about Mr. Timson?” Maël asks.
I dig into my memory.
“A skyscraper,” Taylar remembers.
Jeep counts on his fingers. “A pair of glasses, two similar faces, a T and a plus sign.”
“Good memory,” I mumble. Even though it wasn’t that long ago, so much has happened that I forgot most of it.
“And those point to what?” Maël continues.
I write it all down. “Where he worked, what he looked like, his name.”
Jeep leans forward. “Which was also the name of his company.”
“Exactly. The two faces represented him and his brother, who wanted to stab him.”
“And the plus sign was the symbol of his company,” Maël finishes.
I study my notes. “Okay, so we have work place, appearance, name, perpetrator and company. Which of those have we figured out in the second set of cards?”
“Company, name and appearance.”
“Exactly. So that leaves us with work place and perpetrator. The eagle and the star.”
We stare at each other and the drawings for a while.
Eventually Jeep shifts in his seat. “Maybe the eagle is the symbol of a company.”
I take out my phone. “I’ll google it while you think about what kind of star she could be.”
When I type in eagle logo, Google gives me an amount of hits that makes me dizzy. I put the phone down. “We need more than that for a search.” I sigh. “Isn’t there a spell to figure this out in five seconds?”
Maël shoots me a disapproving glare. “You can’t use magic for everything, Dante.”
Taylar taps the table, grinning. “Sure you can.”
“What I mean is, you shouldn’t.”
I stretch my arms above my head. “You might be right, but isn’t this important enough to try?”
She shakes her head.
“Come on,” I press her. “Live a little!”
Taylar chortles, while Jeep tuts. “Yeah, tell a ghost to get a life. That’s just mean, man.”
I slap my forehead. “I didn’t mean it like that.” I press my temples to release some of the tension.
When I look up, the three ghosts are smiling brightly.
“We’re just fooling around, Dante,” Maël says gently. “In hard times, laughter is important.”
Taylar flattens his white hair. “Laughter is always important.”
I bang my head on the table a couple of times. “I can’t believe I fell for that!”
“But seriously,” Maël says. “We can’t use a spell to solve this.”
“Why not?”
“Because the one who sent this went through some trouble to put it in code.”
“Do you have any idea why? Did you get these when you worked with my father?”
Her eyes darken when I mention him. They still believe he turned bad.
“No,” she says. “We never got any messages. But I know why these are in code.”
I hold my breath. There’s a worried look in Maël’s dark eyes.
“The Devil has spies everywhere. Plus a system that picks up everything written about him and anyone he’s planning to kill.”
I cock my head. “Like a tap?”
She smiles. “Sort of. A magical tap. That’s why we can’t decipher this using magic. He’ll see.”
My shoulders drop a little and Maël takes out her wand and with one swift move, slams it on the ground next to her chair. Her small curls jump up and down. “Come on, Dante! It’s time for you to step up and claim your place in this world. You were chosen for this task, which means you can handle it. Don’t give up so easily.”
I straighten up. “I’m not giving up. I just want to move faster.”
She lifts her wand and points it in my direction. It almost touches my chest. “Moving fast isn’t always the answer.”
Jeep is watching us with glee, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded. “Listen to her. She knows what she’s talking about.”
“I know.” If anyone is an expert on time, it’s Maël. She can bend it, change it and even stop it. Not that I would give any other answer right now, even if she didn’t know what she was talking about. With that wand aimed at my chest, I don’t exactly feel safe. “You’re right. Now can you please lower that thing?”
“Of course, master.” She pulls it back, but hits my chin in the process. “Remember to keep your chin up,” she says with a glint in her eye. “Believe in yourself and look on the bright side, no matter how hard things get.”
CHAPTER 9
I’ve been jotting down every possible meaning of the eagle and star by th
e time D’Maeo and Vicky return.
I look from one transparent face to the other. “Did you find anything?”
They both shake their heads.
“We’ll have to try some other resources later. We can only stay out there for so long.”
My curiosity nags at me to ask him where ‘out there’ is, but I know there are more important things now. “Okay, we’ll get back to that later.” I hold up my notes. “We have a whole list of possibilities here. We figured the woman we’re looking for is some kind of star on the rise, with a part time computer job.”
D’Maeo rubs his beard. “Did you search for companies in Idaho? Maybe this one is also close by.”
I pull out my phone again and try another search. The Shield gathers around me.
Vicky leans over my shoulder. Her hair tickles my neck.
The search still gives way too many options, so I scroll through them fast. “If you see a star, please yell.”
When I’m on page three, Maël stomps her wand so hard on the ground that we all jump.
I search the screen. “What? I don’t see a star.”
The ghost queen points at the third link. “What about that one? That’s not too far from here.”
I open it. “Pinestone Bird Park? It does have an eagle as a logo.”
Vicky straightens up. “We could go check it out.”
I lean back in my chair. “I don’t know. Shouldn’t we look for more similarities? Like a star or the initial M?”
Maël puts her wand back inside her cape. “I have a good feeling about this park.”
I close Google. My finger lingers above the screen.
Vicky caresses my neck. “What is it?”
“I was thinking of asking my mom to come. It would be nice to do something with her. Her fits are finally over and I have hardly spent time with her.”
“Well, why don’t you ask her?”
I tap my phone against the palm of my hand. “Because we could be attacked by demons.”
Jeep straightens his hat. “You could be attacked by demons at your mom’s house, too.”
Snapshots of my premonition dance before my eyes. “Right. Thanks for the reminder.”
The Second Premonition Page 5
