The Eighth Mage

by Tamara Geraeds

  When I turn to face the light, I shield my eyes a bit, still afraid of the blinding effects it might have. But nothing happens. It’s very bright, with golden spots, but I can see the figure within clearly.

  My mouth falls open. I feel it, but I can’t stop it. The angel standing behind me with a white envelope in his hand is breathtaking. He looks like a man in his forties, but without any wrinkles. He has a beard made of light, or so it seems, and his long hair is even blonder than Charlie’s. I’ve never seen eyes as light blue as his and… My thoughts come to a halt when I realize something is wrong about him. There’s a trail of dark spots on his white robe, and as he steps closer, I can see he’s limping.

  He drops the envelope and turns his back to us. He spreads his arms, and his wings unfold.

  I gasp. There’s a tear in the left one, and dark blood trickles out of it.

  “Wait,” I say, reaching out to him. I want to ask him if he needs help, but the light spreads, the wings move, and the next thing I know, he’s gone.

  for at least a minute I stare at the spot where he was standing, unable to move. No one else makes as much as a sound either.

  Finally, I bend over to pick up the envelope. I meet Mona’s eyes across the table and see fear and sadness in them.

  “Is this why you gave us the divine light? So we could see this angel?” I ask her.

  She swallows several times. “No, it’s not. But I think it’s a good thing we saw him. Now we know how serious things are up in Heaven. We’ll need to come up with a plan to help soon.”

  I bite my lip and turn to Dylan. “I’m sorry. Armando will have to wait after all. This wounded angel wouldn’t have visited us if these cards weren’t extremely important. We’ll need to find the next soul and save it. And as soon as we do, we need to go and help the angels. Before there are none left to help.”

  When I turn the envelope over, I find drops of blood on it. My insides turn cold at the thought of angels dying in Heaven right now. Fighting for their lives and ours. I wish I knew of a way to help them. If I did, I’d go up there this instant. But I don’t, and I need to remind myself that this angel brought us these Cards of Death for a reason. If helping them fight was more important than saving the next soul, they wouldn’t have brought us the cards.

  I open the envelope and pull the contents out. I’m not surprised to find the symbols on one of the cards being blown in all directions so fiercely it’s impossible to see what they are. After all, the punishment in the second circle of Hell is wind. Hence the tornado demons we fought before.

  “The back is moving!” Kessley suddenly calls out.

  I turn the cards around and study the swirling symbols, this time in shades of gray. “That’s normal.”

  Charlie snorts. “You call that normal?”

  With a chuckle, I hold the cards up. “Well, compared to a lot of things I’ve seen since my veil lifted, yes, I’d call this normal.”

  Vicky leans closer. “What’s on the first card? The one you can already read?”

  “Let me see.” I lay the one with the wind on the table and take a look at the symbols on the other one. “It’s a noose and a strawberry.” I show it to everyone.

  D’Maeo nods. “Well, this one is easy enough. One of the symbols stands for the sin that will be committed to end up in the second circle of Hell…” He pauses while I try to remember what this sin was.

  “Lust,” Charlie says.

  D’Maeo nods. “Exactly. So that must be the strawberry.”

  “Which means the noose stands for the way this soul will die,” Jeep finishes his train of thought.

  Kessley rubs her neck. “By hanging?”

  I scratch my head. “That will be difficult to prevent. We’ll need to keep an eye on the soul constantly.”

  Gisella crosses her arms. “We need to find it first. That might be more difficult. What’s on the other card?”

  I show her the lines that are pulled apart by the wind. “I don’t know yet. We need a way to get rid of the wind.”

  Maël turns to Dylan. “You know of a way to manipulate the wind, do you not?”

  Dylan rubs the edge of the table nervously. “I do, but I’m not sure it will work on wind created by magic.”

  I slide the card over to him. “It can’t hurt to try.”

  He picks it up and slides his finger over it. “If it works the same as normal wind, it should be easy to get rid of it.” He gestures at the kitchen cabinets. “Do you have a glass jar, with a lid?”

  “I think so.” I stand up and open the first cabinet.

  “It’s in the last one,” Mona says.

  Heat rises to my cheeks at the thought that she knows her way around my kitchen better than I do. I open the last cupboard and grab the first jar I see. I hand it to Dylan, who removes the lid and places the card inside. “Wind is created by cold and heat currents colliding. If I close the lid, I will prevent the currents from hitting each other, therefore cutting off the wind’s power source. In theory, at least.”

  He puts the lid back on, and both Vicky and I lean closer to check the card.

  “It’s working!”

  Dylan grins at me and slides the jar over.

  I hold it up for a better look and describe what I see. “Okay, there’s a cross, so this person has something to do with religion.”

  “Definitely, because there are also two praying hands,” Vicky points out.

  “And a church or something with two red towers.”

  “The Monastery of Saint Gertrude,” Gisella says immediately. “The roofs of the towers are red.”

  “And a…” I hesitate and turn the jar toward Vicky and Dylan. “What’s this?”

  “A boomerang?” Dylan suggests.

  Vicky narrows her eyes at it. “Could be.”

  I show the card to Taylar and point at the curved shape.

  “Dog droppings?”

  I snort. “Probably not.”

  “That last one is a candle,” he says.

  “Yes.” I rub my face. “So we’re looking for a nun in the Monastery of St. Gertrude, and the only clues we have to which nun we need are a candle and a boomerang.”

  “How many nuns live there?” D’Maeo asks.

  I pull out my phone and open Google.

  “About fifty,” I say when I’ve found the website. “So there’s no way we can watch all of them.”

  Jeep places his hat firmly on his head. “We can show them the card and see if it gives them any idea who it’s about.”

  “And what do we tell them about the cards? The truth?”

  I bite my lip. “They are Benedictine nuns, right? Catholics? So they believe in Hell?”

  D’Maeo nods. “They should. But will they believe us?”

  I stand up and grab my keys from the kitchen counter. “Only one way to find out.”

  The others stay in their seats. “What? We should go as soon as possible, right?”

  D’Maeo clears his throat. “You want to knock on the door of a monastery in the middle of the night?”

  I shrug. “It’s a long drive.”

  Gisella holds up her phone. “Three hours and forty-two minutes. I’d like to use the rest of the night to get some sleep.”

  A mumbled ‘me too’ rises.

  “Oh, and I’m not sitting cooped up like we normally do for almost four hours,” Taylar adds. He squeezes Kessley’s leg. “Not that I mind being so close to Kess.”

  Charlie taps the edge of the table. “You’re right. I’m not looking forward to that either, so I think Gisella and I will take my car. Dylan, you can join us, if you’re coming.”

  I turn my head to the young mage. “You don’t have to. If you want, you can go find Armando Accardi on your own. I understand if you don’t want to wait any longer.”

  Dylan’s eyebrows go up. “Are you serious? Of course I’m coming. If I can contribute even a little, I will. Besides…” He winks. �
�You need me if you run into any more of those tornado demons.”

  I tilt my head. “Really? Are you getting cocky all of a sudden?”

  He blushes.

  “You could tell us how to fight those demons. It would be much safer for you.”

  He shakes his head. “No way, I’ve been safe for decades, inside Jeep’s tattoo. I’ve heard a lot about the Devil’s plans, and I could never do anything to stop him. Now that I can, I’m not running away from it. Besides, even if I take care of my unfinished business, where would I move on to? Heaven? Doesn’t sound like a great place to be at the moment.”

  “Good point,” I mumble, and I hold my hand out to him. “Well, in that case, we’re happy to have you on the team.”

  He beams at me and shakes my hand. “Thanks!”

  I stretch my arms above my head and yawn. “And now it’s time for some sleep. I suggest we get up early for the drive to Cottonwood.”

  Charlie groans. “How early?”

  “I want to leave at half past three.”

  “Are you serious?” He drops his head on the table.

  “Very serious. We need to reach this nun before the demons do.”

  Charlie lifts his head and rubs the red spot on his forehead. “I know, but wouldn’t it be better if we got there rested, you know?”

  “Better to get there in time and tired, than get there rested but too late,” D’Maeo voices my thoughts.

  Charlie pushes himself up. “Okay, you’re right. I wish you all a good night.”

  I pat his arm when he passes me. “Don’t be so gloomy. We’ve partied till four in the morning before. You never had problems with that.”

  He stops and turns back to me. “I have no problem staying up late; it’s the getting up early the next day that gets me every time.” He smirks at me, waves and walks out of the kitchen and up the stairs, Gisella following close behind.

  I rise too and take one last look at the cards. The dots of blood seem to scream at me. Do something! Help them! How can you sleep when Heaven is about to fall?

  A hand on my back startles me. “Hey,” Vicky says softly. “You’re doing the right thing. We can’t function without sleep. If we could, we’d have done it already, and we’d always be one step ahead of our enemy.”

  For a moment, I just gape at her. Then I find my voice back. “But we can, can’t we? I could cast a spell to make sure none of us need sleep anymore.”

  “That won’t work,” Mona says before Vicky can respond.

  My shoulders sag. “Why not?”

  “Simply because there are some things you cannot tamper with. The human body needs sleep and food. You might be able to suppress those needs, but no good has ever come of that. A spell like that will either backfire or not work at all.”

  Reluctantly, I give in. “Fine. Sleep it is.”

  “Keep the faith, Dante,” the fairy godmother calls after me.

  “Always!” I call back, and I pull Vicky closer to me as we climb the stairs.

  While I prepare for bed, I tell myself things aren’t that bad. We’re making progress. Yes, things are getting worse in Heaven, but at the same time, we are growing stronger. Charon was right, Mom’s words did give me more confidence, even if it was only a little. She has faith in me and so should I.

  When I snuggle up to Vicky and stare over her shoulder, lost in thought, she presses a kiss on my forehead. “Stop thinking and go to sleep, babe. Everything will be alright.”

  I close my eyes, and with her warm hand drawing circles on my temple, I fall into a deep sleep.

  CHAPTER 14

  I’m standing in a big building, my friends behind me, all in solid form. It is dark in here. The main hall is dimly lit by candles. Dark shapes watch us from all sides. Automatically, we all draw closer together. I can feel my friends’ arms touching me. They give me courage.

  I clear my throat. “We’re here to speak to your leader.”

  At first there’s no response. The growing silence around us creeps me out even more than the suffocating atmosphere. I want nothing more than to leave and never come back, but I know I can’t.

  I decide to focus on the black-clad figure straight ahead and take a step toward it.

  “We have no leader,” she suddenly says. “We are all equal here.” Her voice is low and monotone. “Tell us what you want.”

  The candle flames around her flicker restlessly. It’s as if the light wants to get away from her. I understand the feeling.

  Vicky nudges me. “Tell her.”

  I shove aside my unease. “We are here to save one of you.”

  Finally, the figure steps forward. At the same time, the others, on all sides of us, do the same. My whole body is screaming at me that something is wrong, but I can’t leave without at least trying to save this soul.

  The nun chuckles, but it sounds more like she’s choking. “Save one of us? Really? From what?”

  “From death.”

  Her eyes bore into mine, and I shiver. “We do not fear death.”

  I ball my fists in an attempt to remain calm. “That is… good to hear. But there is more at stake than your lives.” I look around to see the reaction of the other nuns around us, but they are all standing still like statues, so I continue. “We’re talking about the safety of the whole world here.” I gesture at the space behind her, thinking that there must be an office of some kind behind it. “Maybe we can sit down to talk about it? We’re happy to explain everything to you.”

  The nun in front of us nods and turns without a word. The others stay where they are, still staring at us silently. I get the fearful feeling that we are being surrounded by a cult, but when Vicky steps forward to follow the nun, I do the same.

  Even without checking, I know the other nuns close ranks behind us as we walk through the corridors. I can feel their threatening presence, and I can hear their footsteps, although they are soft and more like dragging.

  The nun in front of us comes to a halt at a heavy door. She pulls it open and turns around slowly. “Please step inside.” Then she nods at the sisters behind us, and I hear them sliding away, leaving us alone with the nun in the chilly corridor.

  With all my muscles on high alert, I peer into the room and step inside. My friends are on my heels.

  The nun closes the door behind us and walks around her antique English mahogany pedestal desk. She sits down with the same rigid motion that she uses for walking. “Speak.”

  I hesitate. I’m not sure I want to share our mission with this woman, who seems to be influenced by evil. But what else can I tell her? How can I find out which nun is the one chosen by the Devil?

  “Well?” she asks, impatiently raising an eyebrow.

  “I’m sorry,” I say with a shy smile. “I was distracted by the beauty of this building for a second.”

  Her eyebrow stays in place, the rest of her face is stone cold. “Why are you here?”

  I wring my hands together and conjure a worried frown on my face. “We are worried about the youth of today.”

  Her other eyebrow goes up too.

  I continue quickly. “Most teenagers don’t believe in God anymore, nor do they believe in kindness, respect, honesty and everything else the Bible speaks of. Therefore we…” I gesture at my friends, “… are organizing a benefit and recruitment afternoon. We are visiting several monasteries, convents and churches to ask nuns and priests to come and speak at our event. We want to show teenagers a better way of life. We were hoping to find someone of this monastery to come and speak. That person will have the power to change the world.”

  I can tell by the cold look in her eyes that she’s not convinced. At all.

  “You see, our plan goes further than the local teenagers,” Vicky adds. “Once we’ve grown our religious community, we want to bring our message to the rest of the state, and after that, to the rest of the country.”

  I nod as if that thought makes me extremely happy.
“And hopefully to the rest of the world.”

  The nun behind the desk finally lowers her eyebrows. She seems to loosen up a bit. “That is a wonderful idea.” Her voice sounds as cold as her face is. “We might be able to help you.”

  “Really?” I show her a wide smile. “That would be great.”

  “If possible, we would like someone who can bake,” Kessley says sweetly. “Croissants, or something.”

  When I glance at her over my shoulder, I’m relieved to see she’s wearing a different outfit. Instead of her usual―very short―leopard skin dress, she’s sporting a neat black suit. Her hair is no longer bleached, but a healthy chestnut brown, pulled up in a tight bun. She’s like a completely different person.

  “Why?” the nun asks sternly.

  Kessley rubs her belly. “Well, because teenagers are always hungry. They tend to listen better to people who offer them food.”

  The nun taps her desk with her finger. “Yes, that is a good point.” Her lips part in a grotesque grin, showing blackened teeth. I lower my gaze before my body responds to it. “How lovely that you have chosen our monastery. We will be delighted to send someone.” She stands up, and before I can stop myself, I back up.

  She paces up and down behind her desk with her hands together in front of her. “You are an interesting group. I wasn’t sure what to think of you at first. Especially since one of the boys is apparently your speaker.” She stands still and takes the adults in our group in from head to toe. I wish we had thought of hiding Maël’s outfit before we stepped in, but it’s too late for that now.

  D’Maeo clears his throat. “Yes, we let the youngsters speak because they started this initiative, and they make a great example of how much one can change their life.”

  The nun shows him her rotten teeth again. “What a great strategy.” She walks to the door and opens it. “We would like to help, but I cannot send the sister that cooks for us because she has gone missing.”