I lean forward for another kiss when she pulls back. “What would I do without you?”
She places a finger against her lips in mock-thought. “Eh… Probably something stupid.”
I shove her playfully. “Thanks a lot.”
Charlie stands up and rubs his hands together. “Does this mean we’re going to do it?”
With my hands on my hips, I stare at him. “Don’t tell me you’re looking forward to this.”
He flips his hair over his shoulder. “Of course I am, Dante. This is our strongest weapon! The Devil can do whatever he wants; escape Hell, throw more demons at us, kidnap the people we love… but in the end, he will always lose. Because…” he swings his hips with every word he utters, “we’ve... got… Vicky!”
Kessley giggles, but I suppress my snort. Because frankly… Charlie is right.
“Come on, come on,” Charlie sings cheerfully. “Say it, say it!”
I exchange a quick look with Vicky before I give in. “Alright, alright, you can stop the dancing, or whatever you want to call it. You’re right.”
He performs a pirouette and nearly topples over. “I knew it!”
Gisella catches him. “You’re right, okay? But please stop acting like a five-year-old. You’re embarrassing me.”
He stands still immediately, as if someone has frozen him. His mouth hangs open, as if he wanted to respond but forgot what to say.
At first, I think he’s messing around, but after several seconds, he still hasn’t blinked. Besides, I don’t believe he’s able to stand still for this long.
I frown at Maël, whose staff is pointing in Charlie’s direction. She smiles apologetically. “Sorry, he was driving me crazy. I needed a second to think.”
Gisella doubles up with laughter and even D’Maeo grins. Jeep stands up and places his hat on Charlie’s head. “What a great imitation of Charlie Chaplin!”
“What’s a Chaplin?” Kess asks, which makes everyone laugh.
“You don’t know Charlie Chaplin?” Jeep seems offended. “He is one of the greatest comedians that ever lived. He was famous for his silent movies. Movies in which he didn’t say a word.”
Kessley rolls her eyes at him. “Yes, I know what a silent movie is, thanks.”
“Can I borrow your staff sometime?” Gisella asks Maël, ignoring the bickering people next to her. “I’d love to be able to shut him up once in a while.”
Before the ghost queen can answer, I hold up my hand. “Okay, guys, enough fooling around. This still doesn’t give Maël the chance to think.”
“That’s okay, I am already done.” The ghost queen taps her staff, and Charlie starts moving again.
He shakes his body like a wet dog. “That was weird.”
I lean on the table in front of me. “Tell us what you were thinking, Maël.”
“Charlie made a good point and…” She stops talking when my best friend moves his hips again.
As soon as she points her staff at him, he holds up his hands. “No, don’t! I’ll be quiet.”
He sits down, and Maël continues. “I think our focus should not only be on Vicky’s practicing, but also on the rest of us protecting her. Vicky can end our battle on her own, which means she is the most important of us all. We need to make sure nothing happens to her.”
I grab Vicky’s hand when she starts to protest. “I think this is a good idea. But it will be difficult to keep you safe when we’re fighting who knows how many demons, Trevor and the Devil himself.”
“You could put a protection spell on her,” D’Maeo suggests.
I frown. “If something like that worked, we could’ve used it a long time ago.”
The old ghost turns to Mona, who has her back to us and her hands in the dishwater. “Can it be done, Mona?”
She shakes the soap from her hands and turns around. “It can, but it will drain power from the spell caster constantly.”
I drop back into my chair. “Great, so our only option is to find someone else to cast it.”
“What about you, Mona?” Taylar asks. “Is there anything you can do with your sparks? You were born to protect people, after all.”
Mona nods thoughtfully. “Our most powerful tool is to whisper a warning into our protégée’s minds when something bad is about to happen.”
I scratch my head. “You never did that to me, did you?”
“Sure I did. But you won’t know. You can’t hear me when I do it. Sometimes it comes through as a sound, disguised as a thought.”
“You mean an inner voice,” Gisella says.
“Exactly. That voice that tells you something is wrong, or that you should think about something before you do it.”
Kessley has turned around in her seat. She rests her arms on the back of her chair, absorbed by Mona’s story. “And if it doesn’t sound like a voice?”
The fairy godmother wipes a bit of soap from her dress. “Then it’s more like a feeling. Like your gut raising the alarm.” She narrows her eyes, searching for a better description. “It’s like having an extra set of intuition.”
“And you can use that on Vicky too?” I ask hopefully.
“I can, but I think we need more than that.”
My shoulders sag. “Well, we don’t have more than that.”
“Sure we do,” she says with a meaningful smile. “Don’t tell me you have forgotten about my friends.”
“You mean the other fairy godmothers?”
She nods excitedly. “I can’t believe I haven’t thought of this before, but we can all help in the final battle. We can be Vicky’s guide. Her extra intuition and eyes.”
D’Maeo clears his throat. “I’m sorry to burst the bubble, but won’t that be too overwhelming? Vicky won’t be able to listen to seven voices at once. It will only confuse her.”
“No, I don’t think so.” Mona shakes her head while she paces in front of the kitchen counter. “You see, if a protégée is in real trouble, we can intervene directly. Which means we can…” She waves her hand in the air as if the right word hovers there somewhere, “… steer her. Take over control of her body for a second.”
Jeep takes back his hat when Charlie hands it over. “Would that work on Vicky, though? She’s a ghost. Technically speaking, she doesn’t have a body anymore.”
Mona tilts her head. “That’s a good question. We’d have to test that.”
I get to my feet and slam my hand down onto the table. “Okay then, we’d better get started. We’ve got a lot of training and testing to do and not much time left to do it in. Mona, can you go talk to your friends, see if they’re willing to help?”
She nods. “I know they are, but sure, I’ll arrange a meeting.”
I take my Book of Spells from behind my waistband and tear out a page. “I’ll write Mom a note to let her know we’re okay.”
Mona, who was already half gone, becomes clearer again. “Speaking of your mother. It’s probably wise to assign one or two fairy godmothers to her too, since we’re giving her lots of power. She will be a target.”
“So will Dante,” Vicky adds. “I’m guessing he’s the chosen one for a reason. Without him, we can’t win.”
Mona closes her eyes for a second. “You’re right. But your powers are the most important in this battle, so we’ll focus on you for now. And if I can find more friends to help, we’ll divide them over all of you.”
Vicky gets no time for more protests because Mona turns back to the dishes. “I’ll talk to my friends as soon as I’m done here.”
I squeeze Vicky’s hand. “Don’t worry, I think it’s a great plan. You can do your thing while we fight the demons off.”
She throws her head back, laughing loud but joylessly. “If only it was that easy.”
“Pretend that it is, for now. Worrying about it will do us no good.” I wink. “Trust me, I’ve tried it many times.”
“Okay, I’ll try.” She kisses me and stands up. “Can we
go to the mine now?”
I tap my notebook. “I should write a spell first, to summon a demon and to keep us invisible.”
“Oh, right.” She starts pacing behind me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this nervous. I know how she feels, though. I remember what it felt like to have someone put the weight of the whole world on my shoulders.
I turn around and wait until I can catch her eye. “It will get better.”
She nods and continues her pacing.
Gisella stands up and nudges Charlie, who’s munching on some leftovers. “We should go.”
He looks up with a frown, grease smeared around his mouth. “Go?”
“With Dylan, remember?”
“Oh!” He licks his lips. “Shouldn’t you scry for Armando again first?”
She glances at me. “Yes. Let’s do that in the annex. Give Dante a moment of peace so he can think.”
I bend over my Book of Spells and let the words flow into my mind. I’ve jotted down five of them when there’s a knock at the door. The moment I hear the sound, I somehow know… trouble.
CHAPTER 25
When Mona heads for the front door, I stop her.
“What is it?” she asks. “You know evil can’t find us here.”
True… so why does it feel as if a brick has landed in my stomach?
I make for the door and steady my breathing before I open it.
As soon as I see the three figures hovering on the doorstep, I know why I got that sudden cold feeling inside. The low whistling at the front of the mansion should’ve given me a clue.
“Hello, Dante,” the gorgeous woman in the middle says with a sweet smile. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
“Yeah…” I say, my voice barely audible. “You too.”
All three fairies giggle. They’re even more mesmerizing than I remembered, with the white gowns that cover their feet and the white hair that flows up and down lazily in a warm current.
The one in the middle gestures lightly with her head to the hallway behind me. “Mind if we come in for a minute?” she asks in a tingly tone.
I realize I’ve been staring for too long and step aside quickly, a blush creeping up to my cheeks. “Of course.”
When I want to lead them into the kitchen, I find Mona blocking my way. She must have followed me to the door.
“You belong to the iele folk, don’t you?” she asks, bowing deeply. “It’s such an honor to meet you.”
The middle one drifts forward and opens her arms. “Another fairy! How lovely.”
They hug, and the other two iele bow to Mona. I stand and watch, a little stunned. This greeting is a lot friendlier than the last time we met. I won’t forget the way the iele grew and got darker when we saw them at the church, and how they threatened to kill us if we didn’t give them their bell back.
“I’ll fix us some herbal tea,” Mona says, and she hurries back into the kitchen.
I’m grateful that she’s taking the lead, because I haven’t recovered from the shock of finding the fairies on my doorstep. But the iele wait patiently for me to invite them into the kitchen. Following Mona’s example, I bow before beckoning them to follow me.
When we pass the annex, Charlie walks out of it. “Hey, who was at the…” He cuts his question off abruptly when his gaze falls upon the iele. Instinctively, he takes two steps back and bumps into Gisella.
The three floating women simply smile at him. “Hello.”
“Hi,” he says carefully.
The leader peers over his shoulder. Her smile grows wider. “Oh my, there’s so much power in this house!”
I clear my throat. “Yes, we’ve made some new friends since we last saw you. May I introduce our new friend, Dylan.”
“Another young mage,” the leader says. “How lovely.”
I beckon everyone into the kitchen.
“And this is my sixth ghost, Kessley,” I continue.
Kess stands up, takes the hems of her leopard dress and bows. “It’s an honor.”
The iele give a small bow back.
“Do you want us to stay?” Charlie whispers in my ear.
“No, we’ll be fine. I can always call if I need your help.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, never taking his eyes off the fairies.
“Yes, go and free Dylan of his unfinished business.”
I can tell by the nervous fiddling with his hair that he’s not too keen on leaving us with the iele, but he says goodbye anyway, and Gisella and Dylan follow his example.
The iele sit down facing the kitchen counter, where Mona’s sparks are preparing the tea.
When Mona serves the tea, we all watch in awe as strings of white hair pick up the cups and lift them to the fairies’ lips.
“So,” I say after a long silence. “What can we do for you?”
Once again, it’s the leader who speaks. The women on her left and right remain silent. “We’ve come to claim our payment, for lending you the Bell of Izme.” She taps a long, slender finger on the table. “Our bell is still in one piece, isn’t it?”
I nod. “Yes, of course.”
“Good. I’ll tell you what we need then.”
I hold my breath and hope for the best. Their timing isn’t bad, although I would’ve preferred them to have waited until we’ve defeated Satan. But I don’t have a clue what sort of help they might need. I can only hope that we can give it to them. If not, I’m sure they’ll turn into their monstrous selves again.
The leader of the three fairies rises a couple of inches from her chair. “The three of us have been working on restoring the bond between iele and humans that once existed. We used to work together to keep the peace and spread love. But humans turned out to be unreliable, and often cruel.”
Jeep leans back in his chair with a sigh. “Tell me about it.”
“We believed in our alliance until one of us was kidnapped, as you might know.”
I nod solemnly. “Yes, we heard about that. I’m so sorry that happened.”
She pushes her flowing gray locks back and smiles. “I know. I could feel the good in you, in all of you, when we first met. It made me think.” Her gaze goes distant, as if she’s reliving our first meeting.
I can’t imagine I made such a loving impression. More like a stubborn and slightly desperate one. But her smile only grows wider as she turns her eyes back on me. “You have restored our faith in humankind. You made us realize that not every human is evil. But… our sisters are not convinced so easily. They have grown bitter. This affects not only them, but the whole world.” She opens her arms wide, and I can feel warmth emanating from her hands. “We need to break the downward spiral, and we need love to do it. Therefore, we must move all of the iele to the town of Affection, Idaho.”
I frown. “I’ve never heard of that town.”
She floats back into her seat and lowers her head. “That’s because it has been occupied by the marodium, a hateful species that feeds on nightmares and shapes hatred. The town is invisible to everyone, except the people they lure into it with the plants that grow there.”
“Wait, wait,” Kessley interrupts. “Slow down. I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t understand a thing you’re saying.” She rubs her forehead. “They lure people with plants?”
The iele leader shoots her a smile. “Yes, the town of Affection is filled with plants that stimulate love and relieve stress. There are microbes in the soil, called Mycobacterium vaccae, that have an antidepressant effect on the brain. Bamboo was planted in the east to increase the flow of positive energy. And benign creatures have lived there for centuries, spreading love and understanding. The air is still filled with it. Walking into the town will still make you feel good. But it has become a trap.”
“And you want us to stop the marodium,” I deduce.
“Yes. We cannot fight them on our own. There are only three of us. But once the marodium have been banished, we can take the
rest of our folk to Affection and make them see that we have strayed from our path of love and peace. Without Affection, we cannot do it.”
Maël stands up and grabs her staff tightly. “I will gladly fight for this.”
Kessley stands up too, her fists held triumphantly in the air. “Me too!”
The others throw me a questioning look. I clear my throat and gather up the courage I need to say what I must say. “If this is all true―and I’m inclined to believe you―we will be happy to do this as payment for lending the Bell of Izme.”
Before I can finish, the fairy interrupts me. “But you need to be sure. I understand.”
I nod at Vicky to walk over to the iele leader. She does, and the fairy stands up and faces her.
“Would you mind repeating your intentions and reasons to Vicky?”
“Not at all.”
She gives Vicky a summary of what she just told us. Vicky never breaks eye contact, and when the iele finishes, she turns back to me and nods.
I rise to my feet, feeling relieved and hopeful, even though we’ve probably got a dangerous fight ahead of us. “That’s settled then. We will help you defeat the marodium in return for using the bell.”
D’Maeo places his hands flat on the table. “And if we do this, can we keep the bell until our final battle with Satan is over?”
The three iele bow as one. “You can.”
I hold out my hand, and the leader bends forward to shake it. “What a human way to seal the deal.” She giggles, and it sounds so lovely that I can barely believe she’s the same creature that threatened us at the church. The one that changed into some sort of evil spirit. But she means well, and I’m glad to help. The marodium sound like a species that should be wiped out.
“How would you like to seal the deal?” I ask her with a smile of my own.
She walks up to me and holds out her hands. “Cross them,” she says when I want to take them. I do, and she crosses her arms too. Now our arms form an infinity symbol. Warmth floods through them, chasing away the last of my worries.
“Now, close your eyes and lean closer.”
I do, and after several silent seconds, our foreheads touch. I’m locked in place, but it feels good, as if this was meant to be. Images spill from her mind to mine. I see cobblestone paths decorated by flowers in bright colors. Palm trees that sway lazily in a warm breeze. A warm sun shining down on playing children dressed in long white dresses, with white hair that seems to play as much as they do. They giggle and chase each other, sometimes jumping higher in the air than humanly possible. These must be memories of the iele leader from when she was young and living in Affection. Everything is so peaceful, and when the images suddenly fade, I keep my eyes closed, hoping they will return.
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