I glance at Charlie and wonder again: what was going on earlier, at the table? Charlie wanted to tell me something, but Dylan stopped him. Something about the man who killed Dylan, Armando Accardi. Maybe he’s waiting for us inside.
I shake my head. No, impossible. Charlie would never turn against me.
“What are you waiting for?” Vicky whispers in my ear.
I lick my lips. “Nothing. Let’s go inside and free those angels.”
When everyone has joined Dylan at the door, I count from three back to one on my hand. On zero, Dylan opens the door. We file into the barn, me first and the others close behind.
It’s dark inside, and the smell of burning lingers in the air.
“I’ll make some light,” I announce before I conjure a small lightning ball in the palm of my hand. When I find nothing close to us, I enlarge the ball slowly. As soon as it’s big enough to make out the far wall, I let the ball float up to about seven feet above my head.
What I see when I take in the space is not at all what I was expecting.
There are six angels locked in the barn, standing upright, with their eyes closed and their lips moving restlessly. But there are no bars around them. No cages, no chains, nothing dark keeping them down.
Instead, dozens of human shapes surround them. Six or seven of them are moving in circles around each angel, closing in and backing down again. Taunting. Every now and then they grow a bit larger. Some are already looming over the angels, like giant shadows. When I step closer to one, I can hear the figures whispering.
“We’re better than you.”
“We’re the most important species in the universe.”
“Bow to us!”
“Worship us!”
I turn to my friends. “They are turning these angels against humans.”
Dylan is still standing close to the door. His hands are trembling slightly. “Why are their eyes closed?”
I study each of the trapped angels, noticing only now that none of them is reacting to the swarming shapes around them.
Vicky reaches out to the one close to me. She holds up her hand, trying to pick up the emotions coursing through his body.
“Anger, fear, resentment,” she sums up after a couple of seconds.
“They have given them nightmares about humans.” D’Maeo joins us, deep lines of worry in his forehead. “The marodium are building an army of angels. An army filled with hatred against humankind. An army that will do whatever Satan tells them to.”
I open my mouth to ask him if he’s sure. To beg him to tell me he’s kidding. Angels that have gone rogue by themselves are hard enough to handle, but this… all this rage building up inside them, the images inside their heads feeding on the jealousy that some of them may already feel.
The first syllable that leaves my lips is drowned out by a sudden wave of noise. The whispers get louder, and the figures suddenly grow at double speed. I take a step back when the human forms rise above the angels one by one. They are shouting now, their hands pushing and shoving the angels.
Vicky grabs my hand. “What’s going on?”
Jeep holds his hat in front of him, ready to throw it if the shapes decide to attack us. “I think we triggered some sort of fail-safe, that speeds up the process.”
Maël pulls out her staff. “This is not good.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up when the angel in front of me opens his eyes. He spreads his wings, sending the human shapes sprawling in every direction. All the light has seeped from his body. His eyes are as dark as the night, and his mouth is twisted into a menacing snarl. The feathers of his wings have turned into jagged shapes, his round jaw is now a square one, set in anger. The skin of his bare chest is torn. No, this is not good. This is not good at all.
* * *
Dante Banner returns in The Ninth Angel – the conclusion to the thrilling Cards of Death series.
The final battle is drawing closer at frightening speed. Will all their efforts to gain power be enough to beat the Devil once and for all? Or will Satan finally rule the world?
Turn the page for a sneak peek of the final book in the series! Or pre-order the book online soon!
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Preview
Cards of Death book 9
The Ninth Angel
CHAPTER 1
(first draft)
It’s weird how, even when you’re expecting it, everything can still spin out of control faster than you imagined. One second we’re watching six angels being tortured in their sleep, the next we’re faced with six creatures that don’t resemble angels anymore, back-up by the nightmares that made them that way.
When one of them woke up, all aggravated and ready to attack the first human it saw, I thought there would be plenty of time to either wake it from its hypnoses or make a run for it.
I didn’t expect the remaining five angels to wake up at the same time, and I certainly didn’t expect the human forms hovering around them to focus on us. I figured they would disappear as soon as their job-to turn the angels against humankind-was done. Instead, they turned into all kinds of other monstrosities.
Gisella and Vicky react before anyone else does. The werecat-witch throws her hands forward, creating a force field that knocks our enemies over. Or at least, it should, but the angels merely stumble to stay upright. The figures are blown back, but they recover quickly and with angry snarls and hisses.
Meanwhile, Vicky digs up two jars of salt from her endless pocket, and tosses them to Dylan and Taylar. “Create a salt line around the barn. Quickly!” she yells.
The two boys hurry outside and the rest of us form a line of defense in front of the only exit.
Gisella tries another blow, and when that doesn’t work, she calls the shadows to her. There are lots of them in here, which is a good thing, because now she can send a shadow over to almost every angel and nightmarish monster in here. For a moment I think it’s working too. Then the angels open their mouths and breathe out, sending the shadows back to their corners.
“Eh… I need some help!” Gisella calls out. The sliver of panic in her voice sounds unnatural. It sends a shiver down my back. If Gisella loses faith, the outcome doesn’t look good.
There’s no time to think of a strategy, because the angels and monsters are moving forward as one. Maël slams her staff against the side of a man that looks familiar. Taylar is jumped by his spitting image, save for the gruesome scars that line his face and the burn marks on his hands.
When I look at the other forms approaching us, I realize the figures have changed into our worst nightmares. And although I’m afraid to face mine, I’m also curious. What does my worst nightmare actually look like in the flesh?
I conjure two lightning bolts in my hands and bra
ce myself when I turn my head back to the incoming threats. The figure in front of me change shape constantly, as if it can’t decide what it is supposed to be. I see Vicky’s face changing into Mom’s, and turn into a burning ball next. I almost smirk. I guess there are too many fears in my mind to deal with?
While it tries to find the perfect form to tip me off balance, I shower it with lightning, combined with rain.
I’m surprised it works, since I’ve never managed to create more than one meteorological phenomenon at time. The nightmare inducing monster shudders as electricity runs through its shadowy form. Around me I hear the clanging of metal, Maël’s mumbling as she tries to slow down time, the whizz of Jeep’s hat and Charlie’s grease flying by and the whoosh of Gisella’s catlike moves.
My confidence vanishes into thin air when I realize none of it is driving the angels back.
Then a voice calls out from behind us. “The salt is in place!”
“Retreat!” I yell at the top of my lungs.
Everyone backs up, and one by one they step outside.
I see multiple Kessleys melt back into one. Then it’s only me and Gisella left. The dark figures have chosen one form as they close in on us: the form of Charlie. A smart move, seeing that he’s my best friend and Gisella’s boyfriend. It’s hard to attack him, even though we know it’s not him.
But they miscalculated Kessley’s abilities. When both Gisella and I hesitate, my sixth ghost pushes us back and changes into a dragon the size of a small elephant. In response, the Charlies as well as the angels behind them charge as one.
I focus on a large wave, to hit them from the side, but Kessley opens her dragon mouth and breathes fire. The nightmare Charlies shriek and roll over to extinguish the flames.
Gisella grabs my hand and pulls me through the door, out into the sun.
Kessley shrinks back into her human form and follows us.
Taylar pulls her close and buries his face in her bleached hair. “That was so brave.”
I don’t hear her answer, because at that moment the first angel reaches the line of salt. When it bounces back slightly, it bares its teeth at us and tilts its head. “Well well, you found a way to trap us. But you forgot one thing.” The words come out as a growl and the sunlight moves away from the door. The angel stretches his wings. “We are heavenly beings. Salt will not stop us.”
I try to hide the sliver of worry that makes its way up to my throat, by folding my arms. It takes all of my courage to stay where I am, about an inch from the doorway. It’s a good thing Gisella and Vicky are standing beside me, or I would’ve stepped back for sure. Because if we’re wrong about these lines of salt, this angel will crush me. I can see it in its eyes.
I envision a thick cloud above my side of the wooden door, filled with hail. I’m surprised at my ability to keep it in the air.
The angel folds its wings and steps forward so suddenly I flinch. Some hail escapes from the cloud above me.
It doesn’t matter. The angel bumps into an invisible barrier. It lets out a surprised yelp of pain and bounces back.
The cloud above me dissolves. My lips twitch toward a smirk, but it’s actually not that funny. These are angels and we need to wake them up somehow.
Kessley seems to read my mind. “Use the Pearl of Arcadia.”
There’s a loud rumbling from behind us, followed by a squeal of rage. It sounds a bit like a lion choking on a bone.
“Too late,” Jeep says, pushing his hat back onto his head and moving his hands to find any skeletons hidden under the perfect lawns around us. “The marodium are coming.”
I grit my teeth. “Okay, we’ll come back to save the angels later.”
“Don’t bother, we’re fine!” the angel calls from the doorway.
I ignore him. “It’s time for our plan, guys. Get ready.”
Gisella turns to me and when I wrap my arms around her neck she somersaults to the roof of the farmhouse, where I hide behind the chimney.
“Good luck,” she says, and she takes off in a blur.
Meanwhile, the others have split up too. They’ve scattered so fast that even I don’t see them anymore.
“Okay, focus,” I whisper to myself.
Even though I can’t see the marodium yet, the approaching darkness above the houses tells me exactly where they are. The noise coming from the barn must have alerted them to our presence.
I can only hope our plan will still work, since we’ve got the angels and nightmare monsters to take into account now as well. If the marodium manage to free them from the barn, we’re in trouble.
If only there was time to use the Pearl of Arcadia. But we can’t risk it falling into the wrong hands. We need it for the final battle.
The darkness slides toward me fast. Heavy clouds accompany the sound of wet feet on the cobblestones. Light is sucked from the streets bit by bit. The trees and flowers shrink back. Trees and petals fold in on themselves, hiding from the approaching evil. The weird squealing gets louder with every second that passes.
I take on a more comfortable position and stare at the rays of sunlight in the distance. I can do this, I can do this.
The first marodium rounds the corner. I’m so stunned at its appearance that I forget what I’m supposed to do.
The creature is moving on all fours, even though it has a humanoid body. Slime covers all of its slick, uncovered skin. The head is big and bald, the shoulders muscular. When it pauses and stands tall to sniff the air, I get a good look at it. It has a giant mouth with teeth the size of crayons.
Its nose is nothing more than two holes, and when it lets out a hoarse high-pitched squeal I can see the muscles holding its jaws together move on the outside of its skull. The arms and legs look like they’ve been stretched thin. The fingers are extremely long and thin too, with sharp nails at the ends. The spinal cord sticks out of its back as if it’s trying to break free.
I come to my senses when it drops back on all fours. The arms are so long that the wide shoulders are still pointing up.
When two of its congeners join it, I close my eyes. First, I try to drive the image of the horrendous monsters from my mind. Once I’ve succeeded, I imagine sunlight breaking through the clouds, shining brightly down onto the streets and into every corner of Affection.
The marodium let out a deafening shriek as the light hits them. They scurry to the side of the nearest house to find shelter, but Gisella pulls the shadows away. Their skin hisses and they burst through the door and disappear inside.
Soon, about two dozen more of them come sailing around the corner. They dive in all directions, shrieking in pain and fear as the sun burns them. Grease flies through the air, blocking their way, while Kessley appears in dragon form to make sure they don’t flee back to the other side of town. The three iele come soaring from my left and with a combined arm gesture they send the fleeing marodium back to the middle of the road. Taylar, D’Maeo, Dylan and Maël close in on them from the right. With danger surrounding them on all sides, the monsters are left with only two options: stay and fight us while their skin burns away, or seek shelter in the house their mates have fled into.
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Sneak Peek
Soul Jumper
House of Decay
Welcome to Vex Monster Tours.
Please press PLAY to watch this video.
PLAY
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“Hi there, and welcome to Vex Monster Tours. If you’re looking for an adrenaline-filled adventure, you’ve come to the right place. My name is Vex and…
You’re laughing, aren’t you? I don’t blame you. I would too if I were you. But it’s not my fault that I’m called Vex. My parents had a great sense of humor, or so they thought. They were both Soul Jumpers, of course, like me, and thought it was ironically funny to name me Vex,
since they trained me to be a nuisance to any kind of monster.
Anyway, in case you don’t know what a Soul Jumper is, I’ll explain it to you briefly.
A Soul Jumper is a human with special powers, born and trained to kill monsters. We are stronger and faster than regular humans and have more endurance and agility and some other extras. When we touch the last victim a creature killed, a connection is made with the next target of that monster. When that target is attacked and about to lose the battle with the monster, our soul jumps into the target’s body. From that moment on, our natural strengths are doubled, as are our senses. This gives us the power to defeat the monster before it kills another person. While we’re inside the victim’s body, they have no control over their moves but can still feel everything and talk to us. If they die, we jump back into our own body, which is protected by a flock of birds. Hawks, in my case. We have special Soul Jumper battle outfits, like I’m wearing now, connected to our souls to make them jump with us. They have some neat gadgets as extra back-up.
So, where was I?
Oh yes, Vex Monster Tours offers you the chance to see and fight any evil creature up close. To increase your chances of winning without my help, you get a day of training. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but I’ll give you a cupcake that contains a special mixture. It will give you the ability to pick up everything you learn a lot faster, and it builds up muscle at triple speed.
The Eighth Mage Page 23
