“Forces of nature, hear my call.
Let all evil creatures fall.
Take away their strength and sound.
Make them move as if they’re bound.”
Quickly, I collect the herb mixture again, in reversed direction, and disperse it over the salt line.
“Forces of nature, hear me now.
Let to us all evil bow.
Grant us entrance to this home.
Make sure we can safely roam.”
As the pixies and trolls filing out of the mansion drop down one by one, I press a finger full of herb mush against each of my friends’ foreheads to make sure they are included in the spell. I finish by putting a dot on my own forehead.
“Forces of nature, hear my plea.
Show us what we’re meant to see.
Keep us safe and make us find
the secrets of the owner’s mind.
Forces of nature, hear my cry.
Give us all a keener eye.
Leave no traces of our stay.
Wipe all evidence away.”
All candles are blows out at once. The smoke that rises slithers around us. The wisps touch our foreheads, and the herb dots evaporate. The smell of rosemary lingers in the air when silence settles upon us.
Taylar and Charlie collect the pixies lying motionless on the cold tiles and put them in the cages we brought. Then they put all the unconscious trolls in a heap and form a barrier around them.
“Ready?” Vicky asks me.
I nod solemnly. I know killing them is the safest solution, and the world will be a better place without them, but slaughtering monsters when they’re not able to defend themselves feels unnatural.
“They’ll kill us all if we don’t kill them first,” Gisella says over her shoulder.
When I don’t respond, she steps out from the circle. “I can do it for you.”
“No, don’t. Give me a second.” With all the evil powers inside the werecat-witch, I can’t let her use an incantation. It would almost be like inviting the Devil in.
With an impatient nod, she steps back into the circle.
With a couple of deep breaths, I get ready for the second spell.
I place the black candles around my friends. The incense stick from my pocket shakes in my hand when I light it. I never thought I would find myself in a situation like this, ending the lives of creatures that lie helpless at my feet. My whole body resists my efforts, but I have no choice. If we let these creatures go, we will be in big trouble later.
So I lift the two cages, that look like bird cages filled with pixies that remind me too much of Tinkerbell, and hand them to Vicky, who places them on top of the troll pile. She puts the burning incense stick on top.
With another matchstick, I light the black candles again and walk around my friends a second and third time.
“Burn these creatures without pain.
Let their struggles be in vain.
Make sure none of them survives.
Send them to their afterlives.”
The incense stick shoots sparks down, and soon, a small fire spreads through the pile of bodies.
I avert my eyes and continue.
“Leave no trace to us behind.
Let the search for us go blind.”
A horrible mixture of blood, herbs and burned hair and bones rises, accompanied by black smoke.
I swallow several times. The candle flames sway restlessly, as if they don’t want to be a part of this either.
But I’ve come this far. Now I should finish it.
“Let these bodies disappear.
Let their souls no longer fear.
The wind will pick up all the dust,
and they will end up where they must.”
My voice doesn’t sound as confident as it usually does, but it works, nevertheless. The burned body parts, clothes and even the cages are turned into dust and taken away by the wind.
“Very smart,” Vicky comments when the candle flames die. “You made sure they won’t end up somewhere they shouldn’t.”
I shoot her a faint smile. “I learned from my mistakes.”
Vicky puts everything back into her endless pocket, and I join Taylar, who’s hovering by the glass doors that lead to a giant kitchen and dining room.
I’m surprised at how calm he has been.
“How are you feeling?” I ask him. “Was she among them, the pixie that killed Lleyton?”
He rubs his temple. “I’m not sure. I don’t think so.”
“Maybe she isn’t here anymore. She could work for someone else now.”
His eyes narrow. “Maybe.”
“Or maybe she died.”
Now he shakes his head and clenches his fists. “No, she’s alive.”
“What do you think then?” The anger that starts to emanate from him is making me nervous.
“She’s probably running errands or trying to get Shelton Banks out of prison.”
“He’s not in prison yet, Taylar,” I say, lifting my arm to put it around him but thinking better of it. “That’s why we’re here, to collect the evidence that will put him there and keep him there for a very long time.”
Taylar doesn’t move. “But he’s not the only one who should be punished. He’s not the one who actually killed Lleyton.”
I feel the others shifting uncomfortably behind us. We can’t stay for long. If someone catches us…
“I know,” I say. “And if we find her, we will take care of her. But please try to keep a clear head. Don’t get carried away by hate, Taylar.”
He breathes out slowly and unclenches his fists. “I’ll try.”
A look over my shoulder tells me everyone is eager to go in. “Remember, don’t wander off alone, in case of surprises, and holler if you find anything useful.”
They all nod solemnly, and Taylar and I step forward as one.
Only to hit our heads against an invisible wall.
CHAPTER 26
I squeeze my eyes shut until the flashes of lightning stop piercing my brain. Vicky’s hands touch my back, preventing me from tumbling backwards. I hear Taylar moaning beside me.
“Why did Mona not tell us about this security wall?” Maël ponders aloud.
Slowly, I regain my balance. The pain in my head subsides, but dots of bright light still dance through my vision.
“They probably put it up when Shelton was taken in for questioning,” Gisella says. “I might have an idea on how to trick it.”
I hold up my hand. “Don’t use an incantation.”
She pushes me out of the way gently. “Don’t worry. All I need are some shadows.”
I pull a flashing Taylar toward me, and we watch quietly as the werecat-witch gathers shadows from all corners of the house.
“I’ll try this on myself first,” she says. She makes a twirling motion with her index finger, and a handful of shadows wrap her up from head to toe. Her hand, now covered fully by shadows, is dropped to her side, making her look like a dark statue. Until she suddenly vanishes.
“Fingers crossed!” her voice says close to me.
I peer through my eyelashes and tilt my head, but I still can’t see her.
A couple of seconds later, the dark figure appears again, inside the house.
“You did it!” I call out. “That’s amazing!”
“Brilliant!” Kessley agrees.
The shadows unwrap themselves, and Gisella smiles at us. “Okay, stay still everyone, and don’t panic. This might itch a little.”
As she moves her hands, the shadows that still linger near the doorway shoot left and right and wrap around each of us. It feels a bit claustrophobic, especially when a shadow folds around my head, making it impossible for me to see anything. The wriggling of the shadows feels more like a tickle than an itch, and that comforts me a bit. Although Gisella uses her dark powers to control them, the shadows themselves aren’t evil.
I breathe in and out slowly until I can see again.
“Okay,” Gisella says. “To prevent collisions, I’ll call you in one by one. Step through the barrier slowly and stand next to me.”
She calls my name first, and I step inside without trouble.
“Okay, I made it,” I say when I reach Gisella.
The shadows release me at her command, and she calls in Taylar, who was standing next to me.
One by one, we make it inside safely. I laugh at the sight of Kess dancing through the dining room as if she just got into an amusement park.
I turn to Gisella to thank her. “That was a great idea. How did you know this would work?”
She sends the shadows to the corners of the room. “Remember the invisibility spell? That uses shadows too.”
“You’re right! I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I wasn’t completely sure it would work,” she confesses.
Charlie walks up to her and kisses her on the cheek. “It did, and I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Lee.”
I clap my hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, now that we’re inside, we’ll split into twos, as agreed, and─” I fall silent. “Where’s Taylar?”
Everyone turns around in search of our youngest ghost. There’s no sign of him anymore.
A worried frown takes over Gisella’s face, and I follow her gaze.
A shadow slithers along the floor and around the corner. We hurry after it at the same time, the others following close behind.
We find Taylar at the foot of the stairs leading to the next floor. Several shadows have wrapped themselves around him again. Are they obeying him now? His complexion is unnaturally gray. His jaw is set and his mace held tightly while he looks up at a pixie, hovering halfway up the stairs.
“I’ve come for justice,” he says, his voice dripping with hate. The last word comes out as a venomous hiss.
The pixie raises her tiny chin. Her wings flutter rapidly to keep her in the air. “What I did was justice. You both should’ve died that day.”
Taylar climbs the first step with a violent roar. “We deserve to die because we stole food to stay alive?”
She crosses her small arms. “Stealing is a sin. You can work for food and shelter. That is no excuse to steal or to live in someone else’s house.” Her voice is so shrill and vicious that it hurts my ears.
While the two bicker on and Taylar moves closer to the pixie one step at a time, I discretely point at Vicky’s back pocket. She takes the hint and pulls out the remains of the herbs. She hands them to me behind my back.
In my mind, I practice the words again to make sure they come out fluently.
Vicky reaches for the black candles when everything spins out of control.
We’re swept off our feet with force and bang into each other near the ceiling. The box of herbs slips from my hand and hits the floor.
Maël is hovering near me. She holds her staff firmly in both hands, and her lips are moving.
“Oh come on!” the pixie screams, and the next moment, we all tumble up and down again. I hit the ceiling hard and see Maël’s wand sailing down and landing in the herbs that decorate the floor.
The flying creature flutters toward the ghost queen and produces a shrill laugh. “You didn’t really think you were stronger than me, did you?” She taps Maël’s cheeks mockingly.
She passes by each of us while we hang glued to the ceiling. “You think you can come in here and kill all of my friends?” Her tiny face turns a bright red.
“We did kill all of your friends,” Gisella responds, moving her hands to call the shadows to her.
The pixie is next to her in the blink of an eye. “No, you didn’t. You think I was alone here? Think again, bitch.” Her whole body shakes with another burst of laughter.
From behind her, the shadows draw nearer. Gisella is seconds away from wrapping her in them.
But then, the pixie dashes out of the way, and the shadows hit Gisella in the face. She splutters and moves her hands frantically to get them off. She directs them back to the pixie, but without even moving, the creature turns us all sideways. Gisella loses focus, and before she can recover, a rope folds itself around her wrists.
Once again, the room spins around us. Without guidance, the shadows retreat to their corners.
I try a lightning bolt, but before there’s even a spark in sight, my hands are bound too.
Then, there’s another roar. Taylar.
He’s still surrounded by shadows, and they tilt him back onto his feet. He’s turned solid, but his skin is still a sickly shade of gray. Red veins pulse wildly as the shadows propel him forward. The pixie flees out of reach again, but the shadows are faster. They lunge, grab her ankle and pull her into Taylar’s waiting arms. He catches her and presses her tightly against his chest. She shrieks in pain, but the sound is soon muffled by the darkness that squeezes against her.
I want to tell Taylar to stop. That we can take care of her in a better way. A less cruel way. But when I open my mouth, my stomach turns upside down again. The floor gets closer at frightening speed, and I collide with the floor. Maël, Kessley and Vicky manage to slide through it. They get to their feet unharmed. Me, Charlie and Gisella are not so lucky. We stay down, moaning and grumbling in pain.
Maël hurries over to Taylar, whose face is contorted with hatred as he squeezes and squeezes.
“I will handle it from here,” the ghost queen tells him.
He looks up at her with dark eyes. “No, she’s mine.”
“Please, Taylar,” she begs. “Do not let these dark emotions control you. Hatred is what killed your brother. She will pay, but this is not the way to do it.”
I manage to sit up. My ribs hurt so much I can barely suck in air.
Taylar’s expression sends chills down my back. I should’ve watched him more closely. I should’ve known that taking him here was a bad idea. The fact that the shadows obey him can only mean that part of him has been pushed to the dark side by his anger. Maybe even all of him. The thought makes me sick. What if we can’t get him back?
Maël gently reaches out to him. “Hand her over, please.”
Finally, Taylar relaxes. The shadows move to his waist and neck, and he holds out his arms.
There lies the pixie, motionless, all the color drained from her face. Her mouth and eyes are wide open in panic. Her chest no longer moves.
“Oh, Taylar,” Maël whispers.
The darkness slithers around the young ghost like a bunch of snakes.
“She deserved it,” he says without blinking.
I can’t argue with that, but I sense the same thing Maël does. Taylar crossed a line. He didn’t just kill the pixie, he made sure she suffered. And he controlled the shadows, which is an evil power.
All we can do now is hope that he can step back over the line. Back to the light.
Maël forces a smile onto her lips. “Can I have her, please?”
After a short hesitation, he drops the pixie into her outstretched hands.
Immediately, a weight seems to be lifted from his shoulders. With a strong shake of his arms, he chases the shadows away. His see-through skin turns back from gray to its normal shade of pale. His eyes get lighter every time he blinks.
He rubs his face, and I gesture to Maël to get rid of the pixie. She blinks out of sight with a worried look on her face.
Carefully, I step closer to Taylar. “How are you feeling?” I’m afraid to touch him, but I do it anyway.
I expect to be thrown back or to get a shock. Instead, Taylar lowers his hands and shoots me a guilty look.
“I’m sorry.”
My hand wraps firmer around his shoulder, as if that will send more comfort through him.
Maybe it does, because a weak smile turns the corners of his mouth up. “Thanks for caring, Dante.”
“Of course,” I say, and I hear the surprise in my own voi
ce. Why wouldn’t I care?
“I’m fine now,” he adds. “I feel much better.”
My hand still rests on his shoulder. I’m afraid to let go. Afraid to lose him.
Guilt flashes across Taylar’s face again. “I’m sorry I scared you. I just had to do this.”
I swallow. “I understand, but not like this.”
Maël aparates back in with empty hands. Her jaw is set tight as she nods at me to step aside. She places both hands on Taylar’s chest and closes her eyes.
The white-haired ghost waits patiently for the verdict.
Finally, the African queen pulls back. “He seems okay.”
“How is that possible?” I ask. “Even I sensed the evil inside him.”
Taylar doesn’t even flinch at my words. What is going through his head?
Vicky appears on my left. “Let me look at him.”
He turns to her and meets her eyes without fear while my heart goes in overdrive. I have a lot of faith in Maël’s abilities to sense evil, since she’s shown them before, during our search for the fairy for instance, but Vicky’s power of empathy goes deeper. There’s no tricking her.
My hands are clammy by the time Vicky finally tears her gaze away. But instead of stepping back and telling us Taylar is okay, she flings her arms around him and presses him against her chest. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeats, and he hugs her back.
I let out a sigh of relief and finally look around. “This place is crazy.”
Several shrill outbursts of laughter answer me, breaking the tension in the large room.
Gisella walks to the space behind the second set of double glass doors. “Look at this kitchen.” Her hand glides over the shiny counter that takes up at least thirteen feet on the far wall and about ten feet on the other side of the kitchen island. There are two large ovens under an enormous ventilation hood. The whole room is decorated with marble and big white ornaments that are supposed to make it look like something from the Roman empire. Large ionic columns support the upper floors. They look small in the giant space until you step under them. As soon as the sun hits the white and sparkly interior, we’re all blinded. I see everyone raise a hand to shield their eyes.
The Sixth Ghost: a supernatural urban fantasy action adventure (Cards of Death book 6) Page 18
