At the last word, his mouth twitches, as if it leaves a nasty taste on his tongue.
Maël is on her feet in a split second when she sees the tiny stone between his fingers. “You treacherous─”
He smiles gleefully as she flings herself at him. Without much trouble, he holds her back using his free hand while the other is above his head. The stone catches the sun, and although it is only the size of a pea, it manages to blind me for a second. In that second, the screams around us turn into moans of agony.
I blink to clear my vision, just in time to see Maël hit the traitor on the head with her staff. The stone─some stowed away knowledge in the back of my mind tells me it’s a plume agate─bounces from his hand when he falls, and Maël dives forward to grab it.
But instead of picking it up and putting it back between the entwined twigs where it probably belongs, she drops down on her knees.
First, I think the traitor has tripped her, but then she doubles over. Her wand slips from her hand, and she lands on her side, breathing heavily. Drops of sweat pop up on her forehead, and she coughs violently.
Laughing loudly, the traitor gets to his feet and takes his time to pick up the agate stone.
“I am so glad you liked my soup,” he grins, looming over Maël. “Of course, you did not ingest as much poison as your loyal subjects.” He tosses the stone in the air. “That would have interfered with my plans for you.”
“What a horrible man,” I say to the Maël standing next to me. “He poisoned your whole tribe? Why?”
There’s no answer, and when I turn my head, the ghost queen quickly wipes away a tear.
I bite my lip. “I’m so sorry, Maël. If it’s too much for you to watch, we can leave. I understand why you hate food now.”
“No.” Although her voice is hoarse, the word comes out briskly. “I can do it.”
I nod, although I’d rather not see more of this myself. But I’m sure it will be over soon. Maël is in no position to fight this man off. It will only be a couple more minutes before she dies along with everyone she’s ever cared about.
I blink away the tears forming in my eyes. If only I could help her. But her fate has already been determined.
CHAPTER 6
“I will fast forward a bit,” Maël says to my surprise. “And while we watch the last days of my life, I can tell you the rest of the story.”
“Days?” I rub my ear to make sure I heard her right. “He kept you alive for days?”
She raises her staff, and now that I know what to look for, I see the agate hidden between the twigs at the top. That is where the sparkle comes from when Maël uses her magic. I’m glad it’s intact again.
I put my hand on her arm and everything starts to move again, but slowly now, so I can keep watching.
“He made me watch them die, all of them,” Maël whispers. She gestures at the space around us, and I watch the traitor flit in and out of view, throwing one person after another onto the ground around the campfire. Maël slows down time a bit, so we can see him roll in a cart filled with bodies. Most are like dolls, motionless and limp, but some are still moving as he throws them down.
The old Maël tries to crawl to them, to help them, but she can barely move herself. Pain distorts her face no matter how hard she tries to hide it from the few people who are strong enough to open their eyes. I see her lips moving when the traitor returns with another load of bodies. He puts them all in a circle, leaning against each other to keep them upright, as if they’re just enjoying a night around the fire together.
“What did you say to him?” I ask.
She shakes her head sadly. “I begged him to have mercy on my people. I told him that whatever we did to hurt him, it was my fault.”
I swallow to keep my tears back. “What did he answer?”
“He said: ‘Oh, I know it is all your fault. Their punishment will end soon, do not worry. You, on the other hand, have a long way to go before your suffering stops.’ And then he just sat down next to me until they all died, and their bodies started to rot.” She raises her staff higher. “It might be better to look away now.”
I obey immediately, the sight of the dead around us already making me nauseous. Not just because of the way they look, but mostly because of the cruelty of it.
“Why?” The question slips from my lips before I can stop it.
“He told me it was because we abandoned our work for the king. We lived off his land, killed his animals and drank his water, and we did not give anything back. He thought about selling us all to the Spanish, but he figured we would be too stubborn to do as we were told. He was told to punish us, so he did.”
“Told by the king? By Mansa Kambi?”
“That is what I thought at first, but during our travels, we had heard about neighboring countries trying to take over our land. The king needed all of his subjects to fight for him, and we had slipped through the net several times. We wanted to remain an independent tribe, which is why we were moving closer and closer to the border of Mali, hoping to find a better home somewhere else. We could have made it, if I had not trusted this man.”
“What was his name?” I’m not sure why I’m asking her this, but I suddenly want to know.
Maël shakes her head sternly. “I cannot give you his name. He is not worthy of a name anymore.”
I nod, although I’m not sure I understand.
“Having a name gives you power, just as using someone else’s name can sometimes give you power over them. You knew that, did you not?”
“I’ve heard of something like that, I think.”
“This man is not worthy of going by any other name than traitor.” She lowers her wand and sighs. “The end is near now.”
Her wand trembles slightly, and without thinking, I grab her free hand. She tenses, and I expect her to pull free, but she doesn’t. It feels a bit weird, as if our roles have been reversed, but at the same time, it feels good to know she needs me as much as I need her to survive, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
Maël sucks in her breath, and I focus on her old self, lying very still by the fire. I’m glad we can’t smell the decay around us. A pack of hyenas is munching on a couple of bodies. The tracks in the sand tell me they’ve taken a few with them already.
I try focusing on something else, but it’s the only movement I can see. The traitor must be out hunting, or maybe he’s sleeping in a tent nearby. It’s almost nightfall, and the first shadows are creeping into the camp.
When Maël from the past moans softly and lifts her head a little, the hyenas look up from their meal. One of them moves closer and sniffs Maël’s head. She tries to shoo it away, but she is barely able to move her arm or make a sound.
Two other hyenas join the first one. Maël gathers up all the strength she has left and rolls over, closer to the fire. The predators growl in frustration, and two of them return to easier prey. But the remaining animal is persistent. It has set its mind to this fresh snack, and it won’t give up until it can sink its teeth into it.
“Oh no,” I mumble, covering my mouth with my free hand.
The old Maël stretches her arm to the staff leaning against a tent. When I narrow my eyes, I can see the stone has been put back. If she can reach it, she might be able to freeze time and escape.
But who am I kidding? I already know she’s going to die here. Even if her outfit didn’t match the one her ghost copy is wearing and her hair wasn’t exactly the same, I can feel it in Maël’s energy. Her sorrow and rage seep into my body like lava flowing from a volcano. Maybe it’s because she’s squeezing my hand. Maybe it’s because we’re in her memory. Either way, it’s as if my emotions have tuned into hers. It makes me want to turn around and run. Too bad I’m the one who asked to see this. And we can’t go home, so I’ll have to keep my feet firmly on the ground and see this through.
Just when I’m convinced the hyena will sink its teeth into Maël’s shoulder and drag h
er away from the fire, a loud metallic banging echoes through the camp.
In the blink of an eye, the pack of hyenas is gone. Except for the one looming over Maël.
I have to give it points for determination, but when the traitor comes into view, slamming a wooden spoon against a bowl, it gives up and takes off. The traitor keeps making noise while he shouts something at the fleeing animal. I imagine it meaning something like ‘get out of here, I’m not done with her yet!’.
When he finally stops his drum solo, I can hear the hyenas howling in the distance.
I can’t help but let out a sigh of relief. At least it looks like Maël won’t get ripped apart by wild animals.
Unfortunately, whatever the traitor has in mind can’t be much better, judging by the sly grin on his face as he kneels down next to her.
He laughs shrilly when he sees the staff, that has fallen over and is now lying inches from Maël’s hand. He picks it up and places it out of her reach, against the side of the tent. Then he vanishes inside and comes back with a bowl of water.
I expect him to give it to her, but instead, he dumps it over her head.
She splutters and tries to turn away from him, but he grabs her shoulder and pushes her on her back.
“What is he saying?” I ask Maël.
“Wake up, fallen queen, it is time to die.”
The woman on the ground splutters some more, but keeps her eyes closed.
The traitor laughs and draws a spearhead from his belt. He grabs Maël by the hair and pulls her into a sitting position.
She opens her mouth, but her scream is cut off when the man drives the spear into the back of her neck.
I avert my eyes, bile rising to my throat. “No…” My head moves from left to right, as if denying what I saw makes it less true.
“Look.” The queen ghost next to me lets go of my hand and tears her gaze from the scene before us.
Her hand moves to the curls that reach the spot where her cape is attached to her dress. She pulls them up to reveal a red scar.
I knew there was something in her neck, but I was always afraid to ask. Not just because of Maël’s feelings, to be honest, but also because I was afraid it would be something like Vicky’s scar, something attached to some kind of curse.
“How is this possible?” I ask her, studying it before she lets the curls fall over it again. “I thought with a ghost everything looks the way it did when you died. But the wound has healed. There’s only that scar.”
The muscles in her jaw move, and I’m afraid I’ve asked too much now.
“I’m sorry,” I start to say. “You don’t have to─”
She shakes her head. “It is okay. You have a right to ask.” She points at the two people in front of us. “Watch.”
I’m afraid to turn my head back, but I just want this to be over, for both of us.
Maël is slumped in the man’s arms, blood trickling from the wound in her neck.
“Do not die yet,” ghostly Maël translates the traitor’s words with a cold voice I barely recognize. “You need to suffer some more.”
The man pulls the spearhead out and places his free hand inches from the wound. A blue glow floats from his palm into Maël’s neck, closing the wound.
I almost lose my balance and grab Maël’s arm for support.
“He’s… he’s healing you?” I stutter.
A shiver runs through her. Tears free themselves from the corners of her eyes. “He kept me alive for days with some kind of magic. Made me watch them all rot and get eaten by the hyenas.”
It feels like someone is squeezing my throat shut.
“I’m… I’m so sorry… so sorry, Maël,” I stammer, swallowing over and over to prevent myself from throwing up.
“It is not your fault,” she says dryly.
“I shouldn’t have made you tell me. This must be… horrifying for you to relive.”
She whirls around so suddenly that I almost fall over again. But she grabs my shoulders with both hands, her staff falling in the sand, and brings her face close to mine. “No, you were right to ask me. Because I see it now.”
“See what?” I ask, my mouth going dry again.
“Everything happens for a reason, Dante. My father dying, me becoming queen, the mistakes I made, you making me come back here, us not being able to leave this memory sooner. It is all part of the plan.”
My mind is blank. “What plan?”
“Everything happens for a reason, Dante. Everything,” she repeats.
Then she lets go of me and smiles. “Come on, it is time to try to get back again. We have work to do.”
CHAPTER 7
We prepare to leave, or at least try to. Me with a mind that almost boils over, Maël with a surprisingly determined look on her face.
The tip of her wand, or what I now know to be the plume agate stone, starts to glow, and I glance around one more time. I take in Maël’s home and vow never to forget what was done to her. Not that I ever could. The image of the spearhead piercing her skin is etched into my brain.
But now I see something else.
“Wait!” I call out.
The staff stops glowing when Maël’s eyes follow my pointing finger.
“It’s the sand again, the sand from the Beach of Mu.”
“Another reason to leave this place,” the ghost queen answers solemnly. “We cannot restore the balance from here.”
“But look! It’s beckoning us. Or at least, I think so.” Doubt flares up, but I squash it. “What if it wants to lead us to a place that needs our help?”
“Earth needs our help, Dante. We should get back to it.”
The sand snake curves and winds through the sky impatiently. When we don’t move, it quickly draws closer. Its head stops inches from my face, but this time, I don’t flinch. I’m not afraid of it anymore.
It jerks its head as if to say, ‘Follow me’.
“See?” I say to Maël. “It wants to show us something. We should follow it.”
“I am not sure─” Maël starts, but I interrupt her.
“What if it leads us to a way to defeat Satan once and for all? Or to a place where our friends are trapped?”
She starts to protest again, but I raise my hand. “I’m sorry, Maël, but I have a very strong feeling about this. My gut tells me to follow this sand, so that is what we’re going to do.”
She gives me an inquisitive look before nodding. “You are right. It is wise to listen to your inner voice.”
The wave of sand shoots up to the clouds, twirls and dives back down.
I chuckle, all my fear for it gone now. “Looks like we made it happy.”
Watching the sand dance ahead of us awakens the hope that has been pushed from sight. Yes, we’re stuck here, but we won’t be forever. And Maël is right, things do happen for a reason. We were meant to be in this memory when the Beach of Mu escaped Purgatory, because it is supposed to lead us somewhere. And for the first time since this whole crazy, magical ride started, I look forward to finding out where fate will take us. I’ve seen so many extraordinary, weird places that I can’t help but wonder what else is out there. Of course, it could be as terrifying as the Shadow World, but I have to believe we can defeat whatever comes our way. I do believe we can. After all, we were chosen to keep the Devil in Hell and there’s a prophecy that says we will win.
Without warning, another part of that prophecy nags at my thoughts. The sacrifice that’s needed…
I shake my head and focus on the sand again. We will find a way to win without sacrificing anyone.
“What are you smiling so brightly about?” Maël asks with a frown.
“Just thinking about all the amazing things I’ve seen so far. Some beautiful, some ugly and frightening, but all of them mind-blowing.”
She tilts her head. “That is one way to look at it.”
I press my lips together and munch over an answer. “You know…�
� My mind wanders back to the life I led before I inherited Darkwood Manor. Before Dad died and Mom was suddenly cured of her fits. “Before I met you guys, I wasn’t happy. Sure, compared to how it is now, life was pretty easy. All I had to worry about was Mom and school. But everything just seemed so…” I kick at a stone, and it flies straight up. I catch it with my foot and drop it back into the sand.
“It all seemed so pointless,” I finally confess. “I didn’t contribute anything to the world, and the days just dragged on, one after the other. Every day more of the same meaningless shit.”
“And now you are the only one who can save the world,” Maël adds.
“Right.” I grin. “It went from one extreme to the other. To be honest, this is a bit too much. I really don’t want the fate of the whole world resting on my shoulders, but at least I mean something now.” I wait for a response, but it doesn’t come.
I give Maël a sideways look. “You know what I mean?”
When she turns her head to me, there are tears in her eyes. “Yes, Dante, I know what you mean.”
“Oh… I… I’m sorry,” I stutter. “That was… thoughtless of me. You know what it’s like to be responsible for a lot of people.” And also what it’s like to lose them all.
Her curls jump from left to right as she shakes her head. “It is fine, Dante. I understand what you are saying. And you are right. There is so much more in this world than we know, and even the evil side of it is beautiful, in its own way. Every battle we win makes us stronger and takes us one step closer to our goal.”
I know that her goal is not only to save everyone on Earth, but also to make up for what happened to her tribe. To cleanse her soul, or whatever you want to call it.
“You are one of the bravest people I know, Maël. I’m proud to call you a friend and a part of my Shield, and I know you will succeed.” There’s more I want to say, but the words get stuck in my throat.
“Do not lose that wonderful smile now, Dante,” she says, touching my cheek briefly. “You are right to be optimistic.”
The Fifth Portal: a supernatural urban fantasy action adventure (Cards of Death book 5) Page 4
