by Marta Szemik
“That’sss what you think. You will not get away, sssillly creature.” He threw his head back and laughed, and the hood slid off his bald pate. When he lowered his head again, Aseret’s eyes glowed orange, so bright that their sheen seemed to pierce my retinas, and I felt my soul being pulled toward him. He reached out, his palm stretched forward, dragging my spirit inexorably forward. I tried to remain still but the energy jerked me across the lawn, closer to the warlock.
“You sure you want me to get close?” I warned, feigning bravery I didn’t feel, hoping Aseret would believe the bluff.
The pull eased, and he wiggled his nose, then smirked and yanked again, yelping laughter. “You are powerless!”
The wind picked up in the clearing, filling the air with a lilac-scented purple mist. Hope sparked in my invisible heart as a swirling vortex opened to my left, lifting the stray grass clippings into a miniature whirlwind. The demon’s face fell.
“She may be, but I’m not,” Eric declared as he stepped from the vortex and moved up beside me. He braced his feet and thrust his hands out, palms facing forward.
Took you long enough, I complained in my mind.
Sorry, things are getting out of hand. The fleshy spikes on Eric’s neck fanned out above his turtleneck. The dark hollows under his eyes and the sweat stains on his clothes meant an underworld creature had kept him busy.
Really? I hadn’t noticed.
I’ll explain later, Eric replied. Let’s send him back to the underworld first.
“You’re meddling in my businesss, evil-bender,” Aseret hissed, planting his feet solid on the ground. His hands twitched. The warlocks eagerness to hurl electricity our way stretched across his face, but he couldn’t harness any power.
“You keep forgetting you are my business, demon!”
“You can’t fix what’sss been done.”
“That’s what you think.” The spikes vibrated on Eric’s neck.
Aseret’s face grew taut, then distorted, fighting an unseen force I knew came from my friend’s body as he began bending the warlock. “You will not ruin me this time.”
“We’ll see about that.” Eric jerked his head sideways, letting the spikes extend. I hadn’t seen them protruding this far in all the years I’d known him. The color faded from his face, and his eyes went blank as he dropped into a trance. At the edge of the jungle, an orange-rimmed portal opened, within waited the underworld.
Eric forced his palms forward, streaming cold fire into the center of the warden’s chest. The warden’s body shook and convulsed as Aseret’s soul strained to remain inside it. Then the body thumped to the grass as Aseret’s soul fled its host to uncoil as a ghostly figure beside it. Even in this form, the warlock’s wrinkly, scarred face sent waves of fear through me.
Aseret rushed at me, grabbed my hollow torso, and hauled my form with him toward the opened vortex. Heat pulsed in waves from the portal and somehow I could feel it waft through my soul. Eric struggled to separate us, new power circling his body in blue and purple streams, sparkling outward like fireworks. My evil-bender strained to save me, yet when I read his face, I knew my destiny wasn’t to be rescued. Aseret’s grip tightened as we neared the outer rim of the vortex.
Eric’s face was nearly white, drained from the bending, and he dropped to his knees, apologizing with his eyes. The pull into the underworld intensified. Underworld’s heat and the stench of spoiled eggs wrapped my soul, sucking me in. A cackling laugh vibrated against my eardrums, as Aseret dragged me back to hell.
Chapter 11
My ghostly insides twisted—or perhaps the memory of the spin had tangled them. The nausea stopped when the vortex closed. The scent of honey and lemon flew through me and I looked for my children, but they weren’t here.
My spirit uncoiled in the underworld. The instinct to run passed when I couldn’t sense anyone else near me. My ghost whirled around, inhaling air I didn’t need. Then I crouched, my invisible heart pounding, as I scanned the dim room and the tunnel beyond for Aseret’s ghost. The hum of hot air and lava that flowed under the rock filtered through the corridor I found myself in. The rock wall beside me glistened with moisture; I reached out to touch it, surprised I could. The humidity in this oven-like heat was like magic; all moisture should have evaporated. My palm, instead of falling through the rock, flattened against it. Miranda’s curse held; I couldn’t pass through. I shut my eyes, straining to be invisible, but that didn’t work either. Floating forward, I ventured further into the passageway, then pressed my back against its wall, wary of who I might encounter.
The path seemed clear for the moment. I drifted down it, turning every few feet to ensure no one followed me. Sounds drifted from the maze of corridors, and I perked my ears, intent on hearing everything and identifying what creatures or features might be making the noises. The splashing of a geyser above echoed through the hot air of the maze. I took a whiff and tasted the tart acidity of sulphur on my tongue.
How is this possible? I thought, swishing the insides of my mouth with saliva and spitting to clear the unpleasant taste. Then I stared at the spittle as it was absorbed into the dust on the floor. Should a ghost smell or produce spit?
Even my floating wasn’t as high as it could be. I tried to rise higher to avoid being seen from the other end of the hall, but I couldn’t. Instead, I drifted closer to the rocky floor until I had to walk. “Damn you, Miranda,” I muttered, “just when I began to feel comfortable as a ghost, you had to curse me.”
My hand slid across the rock wall until my fingers touched a wooden surface—a door. By this time, I was no longer transparent. I stopped, wishing I could stick my head through to see what was on the other side. A light shone through a keyhole. Crouching, I placed my eye to the small opening. The lit room beyond looked familiar. The smell of burning wood from the roaring fireplace on the side wall floated into my nostrils. In one corner, black roses bloomed. Xela’s lair.
A shadow passed in front of the door, sending me scuttling into the far wall. “Crap,” I groaned, then paused in confusion after I bounced off the wall. I did not feel like a ghost as I pushed away from the wall and brushed dirt off my jeans.
“Hello?” a voice called from the other side of the door.
I gasped. “William?”
The door opened a crack, squeaking on its hinges. William peeked through the slit, then swung it ajar. “Sarah? What are you doing here?” He pulled me inside and shut and locked the door quietly, drawing the chain hung midway along its groove. His tousled hair looked clumpier than usual. Before I could comment, he threw his arms around me as if he hadn’t seen me in days.
“Me?” I blurted. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh my God, you’re real! You’re back!” William lifted me and pressed my body against his chest, the way he had when we met. Somehow, he was able to touch me as if I were in the flesh. “You have a body.”
“No,” I denied. “I don’t have my body.”
“What are you talking about?” He squeezed my arm, then pressed his lips to mine. “I will never let you go again. I thought I’d lost you forever.”
“No, you haven’t, but I’m still a ghost, William. A cursed ghost.” I took his hands. “I promise I will make things right. I should have told you the truth. I’m so sorry.” My promise was more like a vow, and it would not be broken.
“Cursed? Why would you do such a stupid thing and not tell me?”
“I know. I should have.” I hung my head, unable to bear the disappointment in his eyes.
“Come here.” He pulled me in, held me tight. “I know you didn’t have a choice. I’m sorry I blamed you. I know some secrets aren’t meant to be shared.”
I looked up at him. “You have a secret too.”
He closed his eyes. “Yes.”
“And you cannot tell me.”
“No.”
He was right. Some secrets had to remain intact.
“Are you mad?” he asked.
“That would
be a little hypocritical of me, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes.” He kissed my forehead. “But when all this is over, no more secrets. No more Aseret, or anyone else, for that matter. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” I sighed. “It’s so good to be here with you.”
“In the underworld?”
“Oddly, it feels right.”
“Which means we should be here. Look.” He pointed to the blue sphere sitting on the table. “Eric’s been able to transfer my mappings to his magic sphere.”
“Is that what you’ve been working on with your father?”
“And yours. There’s more. We can track vampires in need of training, prowling demons, underworld shifts. We’ve developed an app on the iPad to use Eric’s sphere markings as my virtual map.” William’s eyes sparkled with an excitement similar to what he displayed when he talked about the serums and the orchids. His love for all beings and his desire to improve the world fired his soul. William’s own troubles didn’t matter when it came to helping others. I loved that about him. The trouble we found ourselves in always seemed secondary, or perhaps less urgent, because we knew we’d free ourselves . . . eventually.
“How did you get here?” I asked.
“The children sent me. As soon as I stepped on the porch, I found myself here.”
“What do you mean they sent you here?”
“Through a vortex. They told me you’d come, and they stepped back into the roses.” William pointed to the corner. “I think there may be a hidden entrance behind them, but they advised me to stay here. Crystal and Ayer sounded like adults.”
“They always do.”
“This time it was different. They cautioned me to stay here. With you.”
The black roses released a pungent aroma as if in agreement.
“You think there’s an exit?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No. At least, not one we can use. This is Xela’s lair.” I scanned the room, so eerily similar to the cave where I’d given up my soul.
“I won’t ask how you know that, but there’s something I need to tell you.”
My gaze found William again.
“I know I’ve said how sorry I am for not realizing Xela stole your body.”
“Miranda,” I interrupted.
“Who?”
“It’s a long story. Xela never stole my body. Miranda did, to try to stop the prophecy. She also punished Xela for not turning Xander to the underworld.”
“So I almost killed Xela, not Miranda.” My husband seemed confused.
“Yes.” It would have taken him one twist to snap Xela’s neck. “What stopped you?”
“It was still your body; I couldn’t.” He held my eyes. “Sarah, I promise once this is over, we will no longer have to fear anyone. You won’t need to give up your body again.”
“All right. So . . . Aseret dragged me into the underworld.” I bit my lip.
“Then where is he?”
I scratched my head. “I thought he was kidnapping me, but he didn’t come through the vortex with me. I think the children separated us.”
“It’s working,” William whispered.
“What’s working?” I asked “William, what did you do?”
“Mama?” Crystal’s voice murmured from within the roses on the back wall.
We turned toward the bushes as our children walked through the black blossoms, the lair filling with the scent of honey and lemon.
Crystal stood at least five and a half feet tall, slightly taller than me. My daughter’s freckled face resembled mine when I was a teen, not too long ago. Ayer matched her height. My son’s eyes shone with the courage I’d fallen in love with when I met William. Our children no longer looked three years old, because they were no longer three.
Their unnatural growth spurt didn’t stop me from covering their faces with kisses. “How did this happen? I didn’t want you to grow up so fast.”
“It’s our time,” Ayer replied in a deeper voice than I expected.
“Time to do what?”
“Bind Aseret to the hereafter.”
“I feel like I’ve missed most of your life,” I moaned.
“You haven’t. We can shift later.” Ayer looked at William. “Everything is going well?” He and his father exchanged a look I couldn’t understand.
William nodded. “Your mother is right,” he said, including me again. “We’ll miss your childish laughs and cuddles.”
“Oh, we still laugh a lot.” Ayer winked at his sister, then turned to me. “The scare you pulled on Chris in Pinedale was pretty good.”
“You saw that?” My hand went to my mouth.
“We keep tabs on those we need to, even ghosts.” Crystal strolled over to the fireplace and blew hard on the flame; instead of extinguishing it, it flared as if renewed.
“He peed his pants.” Ayer burst into laughter.
“Really?” I squeaked. I doubted Chris would ever see Kirsten again, and she’d be more than pleased if he didn’t call.
“Who did?” William asked, looking between us.
“Someone who deserved to be taught a lesson,” I explained.
“You’ve been a busy ghost, haven’t you?” William wrapped his arm around my waist.
“I don’t want to be little again,” Crystal insisted.
“You be who you want and need to be, and we’ll always love you.” I took her face between my palms. “Just give a little warning before we need to change diapers again,” I joked.
“Never that young.” Ayer rolled his eyes. I guess there was a bit of me in him after all.
“Mama, when did this happen to your ghost?” Crystal closed her eyes.
The twins stood side by side as William walked around them, examining their new bodies.
“Miranda.” Ayer locked his gaze with his sister’s as if reading her thoughts.
“She’s scheming.”
“This will make things a little more difficult.”
“Why? What will?” I asked.
“You’re still a ghost, but in human flesh. We cannot put you back in your body unless you’re a pure ghost.” Ayer stroked his hand across my bare arm, like he was checking the extent of my curse.
“You need to get your pure ghost back,” Crystal added.
“I hope you can tell me how to do that.” I widened my eyes.
“Miranda cursed you, so she can undue her spell. You need to find her. Miranda’s touch will lift her magic. It’s her weakness.”
Hearing that, I almost preferred to remain a ghost. “You’re asking the impossible. She won’t do anything at will.”
“If anyone can do it, you can,” they said in uncanny unison.
“I wish we could help you, but some things just need to run their course naturally.” Ayer ran his fingers through his hair, the same gesture William had.
“And remember, even when things make it seem like life is not worth living, it is. You’ll need to be strong.” Crystal squeezed my hand.
“I’m a ghost. How strong can I be?”
“Not physical strength, Mama.” My daughter embraced me.
“I’m still worried about you two,” I said. “Miranda seems more conniving than Aseret. What if she curses you?”
“Like she could,” Ayer mocked.
“We’re powerful, but we still have a weakness like anyone else,” I warned, not liking his arrogance, and suspected he’d picked up some of Xander’s traits, unfortunately.
“They can use your loved ones against you,” said William.
Ayer’s face fell. He’d also learned love for family from my best friend.
“Don’t worry, Gran is safe,” Crystal said. “So are Ekim and Atram.”
“Why wouldn’t they be?” I asked.
“We found demons at the cabin—the same ones who tried to kill you at the parking lot.”
“What?”
“Apparently Aseret wasn’t the only one with knowledge of the location of our home.”
“I will ki
ll Aseret myself if he comes near my family again,” William growled, shoving his fist into the wall by the fireplace. Earth shook and crumbled to the floor. The vibration from the punch sent a shock wave through the cave. Jars fell off the mantle and green goo spilled on the floor.
“Save your strength, Father.” The twins gave him a knowing look.
The rage in William’s eyes was the same as when I’d met him. William would be the one to end it all. Not the twins, not anyone else.
“Our training will finish by the morning. Then we’ll be ready to bind Aseret.” Ayer placed his hand on his father’s shoulder.
Crystal’s eyes turned up in their sockets, just as Mrs. G’s did, but hers remained white, not black. “You have until tomorrow to get your true ghost back. You need to be able to float by tomorrow.”
The children reminded me of Mira and Xander. Our twins had the same ability, the same traits. It eased my worries, knowing they could protect themselves.
“You may only leave through the rosebushes. Wait an hour and don’t use the door.” Ayer looked sternly at William, as if he’d known the door had already been opened.
“Please be careful.” I hugged the children.
“No need to worry, Mama. We can handle ourselves. You . . .” Crystal closed her eyes “You will need to unite as one to overcome Miranda. You will need to work together.” Then telepathically: As two equals.
I was certain William heard it too. The love I’d missed in his face and eyes returned. Perhaps it had never left, and I’d chosen to see it as gone.
Crystal and Ayer backed through the bushes and disappeared. We stared at the black flowers.
“Wow,” I murmured.
William’s hand touched mine. “We have an hour before we can leave.” His eyes beamed with hunger and lust.
“And what are we supposed to do here?” I bit my lower lip.
“Well, if you weren’t a ghost, I’d know how to spend time with you.” He stroked my arm. “Can you feel that?” William’s heart was pounding.
I nodded.
“You can feel my touch,” he repeated, as if he couldn’t believe it himself.
