The Sixth Ghost: a supernatural urban fantasy action adventure (Cards of Death book 6)

by Tamara Geraeds

  “Shadows, shadows, come to me.

  Surround me so only I can see.”

  With the bowl on top of the book, I start walking inside the circle, dropping the mixture onto the line of herbs as I go.

  “Wanted by evil, dark as night,

  I cloak this book in magic’s light.

  Hide its true form from evil breaths.

  Disguise it as the Book of a Thousand Deaths.”

  When I reach the spot where Vicky is standing, I take the last of the mixture and rub it onto the front and back of the book.

  Vicky hands me a lit incense stick and holds up my Book of Spells, so I can read the last lines.

  “Evil magic will not see,

  this book’s true identity.”

  With the incense held under the book, I wait for the smoke to do its job. More and more of it wraps around the cover until it is no longer visible. It is lifted from my hands. I can hear the pages flipping. The smoke turns red, gold, blue and then brown. With a jolt, the book rises. It’s still changing. Pages are added while it spins. The dark cover becomes more solid, and intricate figures are etched into it. Crossed bones, skulls, a pentagram with the tip pointing down to Hell instead of up to Heaven, an inverted cross and, in the middle, inside a deep-set circle, a strange symbol that looks familiar somehow.

  While I rack my brain to remember where I’ve seen it before, the smoke moves along the edges of the pages, nibbling away until they look worn. Then the smoke whirls up one more time before dissipating. Vicky takes the incense stick from me, and I catch the book that drops down without warning. “Wow! It’s heavy!”

  Vicky steps up to me and studies the thick cover. “What’s that symbol?” She points at the one in the middle. “I think I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

  “Me too,” I say, staring at it again. “But I can’t remember where.”

  I follow every line with my eyes, hoping to jog my memory. There’s a cross with a double horizontal line on the top, resting on the center of an infinity sign.

  Vicky shakes her head. “Maybe Gisella knows what it is.”

  I pick up the empty bowl and follow her inside.

  “That was fast,” Mona says, putting down her mug.

  “Oh, we’re not done yet,” I say, “but we wanted to show you this.”

  I put the heavy book on the table.

  “So that’s what it looks like,” Taylar says breathlessly.

  “It’s beautiful,” Charlie remarks. “Look at the details. Are those symbols carved into the cover or something?”

  “More like burned, with magic,” Gisella says in a disapproving tone. “It might be beautiful, but don’t forget how dangerous it is.”

  “It’s not the real book,” I remind her. “So we have nothing to fear.”

  “True, but still…” she shivers, “it gives me the creeps.”

  I tap the carving in the middle. “I wanted to ask you guys if you know what this symbol means. I think I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

  “You might have seen it on the Pentaweb,” Gisella says, staring at it as if she’s afraid it’ll jump her. “Vicky showed you the magical internet, right?”

  “She did. I know this symbol is called a Leviathan Cross. It’s a satanic symbol, but I’m not sure what it stands for exactly.”

  “I do,” Maël says, reaching up to push back an escaped curl. “The double cross symbolizes protection and balance in the eternal universe portrayed by the infinity sign below. Lucifer believes that the balance of the universe was disturbed when he was banished to Hell. The Leviathan Cross is a symbol for all magic used with the intention of restoring that balance. In other words: for Lucifer to rule the Earth.”

  Gisella backs up a bit more. “The spells in this book are of an evil you can’t imagine.”

  I nod and slide the book back to me. “Well, we knew that already. That’s why we’re taking a fake book to your aunt instead of the real thing.” I shoot her a reassuring smile. “And if this cookbook awakens such strong feelings in you, it must also work on Kasinda.”

  She shakes her head slowly. “Not necessarily. You’re forgetting she’s much stronger than me.”

  I point my finger at her. “She will fall for this. Just wait and see.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I am.” Without another word, I walk back into the garden.

  Vicky follows close behind. “I still have a feeling I’ve seen that Leviathan Cross somewhere before. And it wasn’t on the Pentaweb.”

  “Me too.” I kiss her on the cheek. “It’ll come back to us. Don’t worry about it.” I gesture at my Book of Spells, which is still in her hand. “Show me the next one.”

  “Immobilizing the enemy,” she reads out loud when the book flips to the right page. “Looks like an easy one.”

  “It is. It’ll only be there for show,” I say with a wink.

  “All we need is a hex bag. Since we want it to look genuine, Gisella should make it.”

  I turn to call out to the werecat-witch and am surprised to find her standing behind me.

  “Already here,” she declares cheerily. She pats her stomach. “And full of energy again.”

  “How did you creep up on us like that?”

  She hops from one foot to the other. “I’m half cat, remember?”

  I scrunch up my nose. “I actually don’t know what that means. The only cat feature I’ve seen so far are your blades, and they’re not even that catlike. I’d expect you to have five of them on each hand instead of one big blade.”

  She throws out her arms, and the blades replace her hands. “We start out like that, but around our tenth birthday, the tiny blade nails, as I call them, melt into one. Which is actually better.” She slams them together with a loud clang. “Much more solid, you see.”

  I smile. “I suppose you have a point. But besides sneaking up on your enemies and piercing them with your blades, what can you do as a werecat?”

  Gisella taps her lips in thought. “Well, I can communicate with cats. But that hasn’t been very useful so far. Although, I have retrieved something that was stolen from me once that way. Other than that… I can walk on narrow ledges, I’m not afraid of heights, I have nine lives─”

  “You what?” Vicky calls out.

  I chuckle. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Nope.” She shakes her head with a wide grin. “If I die, I just come back.”

  “So, for now, you’re immortal!” Vicky’s voice is high with excitement.

  Gisella tilts her head. “Basically. But I’d still rather not die.” She winks. “Furthermore, I could easily win every single gymnastics golden medal in the world… as long as no other werecats are competing.” To demonstrate, she does a backflip and several other moves I don’t know the names of. It all looks so easy. Her whole body bends as easily as rubber, and it’s as if she doesn’t weigh anything. She barely touches the ground.

  We both cheer and applaud when she gives us a small bow.

  “How come I’ve never seen you do any of that in a fight?” I ask incredulously. “I’d say that’s a pretty handy skill. Why don’t you ever use it?”

  She laughs out loud. “I do use it, all the time. You just can’t see it. You only see the beginning or end of a move. Watch.”

  She walks to the other side of the protective circle and takes a deep breath. “Now, don’t move.”

  Her blades appear again as she throws down her arms. Then she pushes off, takes a couple of ultrafast steps and… disappears.

  I can hear movement in the air, but I don’t see Gisella anymore until she comes to a halt in front of me, her bright red locks blown out behind her and her blades inches from my neck.

  Vicky bursts into laughter. The sound is contagious, but I swallow the chuckle rising in my throat, afraid to move.

  “You should see your face,” Vicky hiccups. “It’s hilarious.”

  With a content gri
n, Gisella pulls back. “Glad I could lighten the mood a bit.”

  “You knew she could do this?” I ask Vicky while I rub my neck, even though the blades didn’t actually touch my skin.

  Her blonde-tipped locks cascade around her beautiful face when she shakes her head. “No, but I saw this coming from a mile away.”

  I feel a blush creeping from my neck to my cheeks. “I’m still amazed at the amount of powers in the world. My life feels more like a movie than the real thing at the moment.”

  Vicky leans over to me and brings her mouth to my ear. “Is it a good movie?”

  Her breath tickles my skin and I shiver. “It’s a brilliant movie, but as a life, it’s a bit hard. If I had a choice, I’d keep the protagonists and throw everything else away.”

  Her lips are still close to my ear, moving down the side of my face slowly as she asks, “Who’s your favorite character?”

  Although the answer is clear, I can’t stop the joke rolling from my tongue. “Dante is pretty awesome.”

  She recoils, as expected, and glares at me. “Really?”

  My grin stretches so wide it makes my jaws ache. I reach out and pull her close. She resists, but I manage to wrap both arms around her. “Of course not. You know who my favorite is, real and fictitious. I’m looking at her.”

  As soon as the corners of her mouth move up, I plant a kiss on them.

  It’s not until I’m out of breath that I realize we’re not alone. I let go of Vicky and turn to face Gisella. “Sorry about t…” My voice trails off when I find nobody there. “She left.”

  Vicky giggles. The sound fills me with even more hunger for her.

  “I think we chased her away,” she says with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

  I give her another kiss, a short one this time, and sigh heavily. “As much as I would love to continue on this path, I can’t.” I bend over to pick up the “Book of a Thousand Deaths”, which I dropped when Gisella almost decapitated me. I chuckle at the thought and shake my head. Gisella would never do that. I know that now.

  Vicky gives me a questioning look, which I wave away. “I was picturing my reaction to Gisella’s ‘attack’.” I make quotation marks with my fingers at the last word.

  “Priceless, right?” Vicky grins.

  I grab her by the waist and throw her on the ground. She goes down with a startled cry, and I pin her down with both arms. “You were saying?”

  She sticks out her tongue.

  Gisella’s voice makes us both look up. “Are you guys done playing?” She holds out a bowl and a piece of cloth. “I’ve got most of what we need for the hex bag. Basil, rue, nettle, lavender, hemp and something that once belonged to Kasinda.” We scramble upright as she throws the herbs onto the cloth and fishes a tiny doll in a red cat suit with long red hair from her pocket. “Kasinda made this for me years ago. It was the last thing she ever gave me, before…” She swallows.

  “Before her daughter died?” I finish her sentence.

  “Are you sure you want to use it?” Vicky asks. “You probably won’t get it back. At least, not in one piece.”

  Gisella nods. “It’s the best I’ve got.”

  Vicky gestures at the herbs spread out over the piece of cloth. “You said you have almost everything you need. What’s missing?”

  “Do you have any wormwood?”

  Vicky digs into her endless pocket and shows her a small bottle. “Only wormwood oil, will that do?”

  Gisella places the tiny doll on top of the herbs in her other hand. “It’s fine. Just pour it over everything gently.”

  “Anything else?” Vicky asks as she drops the bottle back into her pocket.

  “Some goofer dust would be nice. It’ll make the spell stronger.”

  Vicky tilts her head. “I don’t think I have any, since it’s only used for black magic. But let me see.”

  She slides her hand back into her pocket and shakes her head. “Nope, sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” the werecat says with a shrug. “This spell is just for show anyway. Can you tie the bag for me? There’s a leather strap in my left pocket.”

  Vicky retrieves the strap and follows Gisella’s instructions. When she holds the tied bag up, the werecat nods contently. “That looks great. Now all you have to do is cast the spell and make it invisible.”

  I take the hex bag from Vicky and place it on the grass. “How do we get Kasinda to take it?”

  She frowns and stares at the bag. Her eyes move up to the book in my hand. “What if you flatten it a bit and tape it to the back of the book?”

  “Great idea!”

  After a thumbs up, Gisella walks back to the house. “Holler if you need me again!” she calls over her shoulder.

  “We will!”

  I watch her walk away and contemplate the changes I’ve seen in her lately. She kept her distance at first, didn’t want to open up to me, to us. Or so it seemed. But now that I think about it, that was probably because of my attitude towards her. The first time I saw her, she scared the hell out of me by making my leg disappear. Her blades are impressive, but to be honest, they only contribute to her “tough girl” look. The catsuit, the bright red hair, the blades, everything about her screams “I want to fight”. Which wasn’t so bad until I found out what she is: a werecat and descendant of Black Annis, the most feared witch that ever lived, a deadly combination.

  “Isn’t it great to have someone like her on our side?” Vicky’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.

  “She can be trusted,” she adds.

  I kiss her on the cheek. “I know that now.”

  She holds up my Book of Spells. “Time to wrap this up. Only two more spells to go.”

  CHAPTER 9

  When we’re done, I examine the antique cookbook carefully from all sides.

  “Nice job,” Vicky compliments me. She runs her hand along the back cover. “I can’t feel the hex bag at all.”

  “Then I guess we’re ready.”

  Her face suddenly clouds over. “What if this doesn’t work, Dante? What if we can’t get rid of this curse?”

  I put down the book and grab her shoulders. “Look into my eyes.”

  Her gaze darts over my shoulder.

  “Come on, look,” I press. “Tell me what you see, what you feel.”

  She blinks and focuses on my eyes. I let my mind wander to what’s coming and picture our success in my head. Handing the book to Kasinda, transferring her powers to Gisella, lifting the curse… My mind won’t stop there. Next I see D’Maeo, Jeep and Mom standing in the kitchen, hugging every one of us. I even get a glimpse of Lucifer going down. I put every bit of hope in it that I can muster.

  Then laughter from the kitchen drifts our way, and the images vanish. Vicky comes into focus again. Her eyes are wet.

  “Thank you,” she whispers. “I needed that.”

  I move my hands to her head and press her gently against my chest. “You’re very welcome.”

  We clean up the protective circle, pick up everything we used and walk into Darkwood Manor.

  “How’s everything here?” I ask the others.

  “We didn’t find anything,” Charlie answers.

  “Find anything about what?” I ask, putting the heavy book down on the kitchen table.

  “About how to free D’Maeo, you know.”

  “Or how to find Jeep,” Taylar adds.

  “And get Susan back,” Mona finishes.

  “Right,” I say, a bit dumbfounded.

  “What?” Charlie says when I walk around the table and lower myself into my chair. “You didn’t expect us to just sit here and do nothing, did you?”

  “Of course not,” I answer.

  Charlie leans forward and narrows his eyes. “You did think that.”

  Taylar crosses his arms. “We care about our friends as much as you do, Dante. Why would you think we’d sit back and do nothing?”

  Angry faces star
e at me, and I shake my head. “I did think you were only chatting and having tea. And I wouldn’t blame you if you did. We all need a break at some point. Think about it, a couple of days ago no one would’ve been mad at me for thinking something like this. But now, everyone is so stressed out and on edge that emotions are flying everywhere.” I look at Vicky, still standing at the other side of the table where D’Maeo should be sitting. “Am I right?”

  Vicky holds up her hand to silence the others when they start talking all at once. “Dante is not accusing anyone of not caring or giving up. He makes a good point. We’re all tired, physically and mentally. Most of our self-control has been slipping away in the last day or so. And as much as I want to lift this curse and free our friends, I think it would be best if we took a break. This constant fighting and worrying is taking its toll. If we continue like this, we’re going to make mistakes.” She closes her eyes briefly. “Mistakes that could cost us more than we’re willing to give up.”

  All around the table, mouths are closing. All protests die as Vicky meets one gaze after another. Each one of us knows there’s no arguing with what she says. Not only do we feel it in our own hearts and bodies, we know Vicky can sense it. And if she says we need a break, we should take one.

  I clear my throat. “I’m not willing to risk any more lives. The new Cards of Death haven’t arrived yet, and Kasinda isn’t going anywhere. If there was ever a time to rest, it is now. A clear head can give us new ideas, and we need those.” To put more weight on my words, I stand up and look at my best friend and the werecat first. “Charlie and Gisella, you took some time earlier to take a walk together. That was a good start. You’re welcome to stay here and relax, but maybe you both want to go see your families. Mona?” I smile at the fairy godmother. “I know it’s your job to take care of us, but no job should demand all of your time year-round. If there’s anyone you want to visit, please do. Or gather more stuff you want to move in here. Fix your car… whatever you feel like doing. Go do something you enjoy.” She nods gratefully, and I turn my attention to the three ghosts. “I’m not sure if there’s anything you guys like to do when you’re ‘off-duty’? In any case, I order you to go and have fun.” I grin to make sure they don’t take that order too seriously.