I try to swallow the lump rising in my throat.
“You should reverse the spell,” a voice on my other side says.
I look up at Quinn. “How did you know-“
He moves his thumb towards Charlie.
I sigh. “I don’t know how to reverse it. I don’t even know what went wrong.”
The minotaur charges with a loud grunt and people dive in every direction. Some of them change shape too. Dragon girl slams her tail into the ent’s chest, while a snake-like creature slithers around its legs. Sparks in all colors light up the room. The ghoul shrieks with delight before jumping the people on the other side of the bar.
Charlie grabs my arm and pulls me back into the restroom. “I’ll help you.” He looks around, while the shouting in the bar rises in volume. “Where did you put the spell ingredients?”
I reach into the bin and pull everything out.
Charlie scans everything quickly. “Good. Put everything back where you cast the spell.“
He reaches into his pocket for a piece of paper and a pen and follows me to the cubicle.
“Why did it go wrong?” I ask while putting the three candles back in place.
“You probably didn’t focus on Simon.” He holds up the piece of paper and pen. “Write down the exact words of the spell. Then read them backwards, light the candles in reverse and extinguish them with one handful of water.” He writes down a few lines before handing the pen and paper to me. “Then read this.”
I do as he says, take a deep breath and try to read the spell backward as best as I can.
“Ecalp siht ni elpoep eht ot,
Ecaf sti wohs live lla ekam.
Lla ti sedih that kcolb eht tuc.
Llac ym raeh hgih fo srewop.”
I light the candles again, but in reverse order. Then I swoop some water out of the toilet and throw it over the flames. I turn the piece of paper around.
“As water meets fire, this spell will be broken.
As fire meets water, it is now unspoken.
Undo what was done.
Don’t harm anyone.”
The noise behind the door dies down. Only a soft weeping can be heard, followed by multiple footsteps withdrawing.
Charlie collects the candles and flushes the piece of paper. “Well done.”
I stuff my hands into my pockets. “I’m really sorry. It was a stupid idea.”
He tosses his hair over his shoulder and pats me on the back. “Yours was not the first spell to backfire, you know. And it was for a good cause. It’s fine.”
I shuffle my feet. “So what happened to Simon? Did the spell work on him, too?”
“Oh, he showed his evil face alright. And then took off through the window. I’m guessing we won’t be seeing him again for a while.”
My hands ball into fists. “That’s too bad. I would have liked to kick some information out of him.”
Charlie brushes some dust off of his beach shirt. “Violence doesn’t solve anything.”
“I know, but my hands itch. Who knows what he has done.”
“That’s just it. We don’t know.”
“But the spell told us something, right? He’s not under some sort of dark influence. He’s genuinely evil.”
Charlie stares into the distance. “Yes, I guess he is.”
I put my arm around him. “At least we’ve still got each other. You and Quinn didn’t change.”
His head turns abruptly in my direction. “You didn’t trust us, either?”
He doesn’t sound hurt, just surprised.
I shrug. “How could I? You all lied to me…” He opens his mouth to protest, but I hold up my hand. “That wasn’t your fault, but I didn’t know that. I was attacked by demons. I saw two of my best friends fighting. I found out the Devil is real. How could I know who to trust?” A thought pops into my head. “When you were fighting Paul, why didn’t either of you use magic?”
He grins. “I created a magic free zone just outside the building. I knew he’d have to walk through it.”
“That’s smart.” I let go and walk to the door. But before I open it, the meaning of his words hits me. “But does that mean Paul’s power is stronger than yours?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Is he also a Mage?”
Charlie shakes his head. “No, he’s an elemental, like Simon. An earth elemental.”
I rub my face hard. “I don’t even want to know what that means.”
I open the door into the almost empty bar. Great, I ruined the bar and its business.
“Don’t worry,” Quinn says, stepping towards us. “Things like this happen sometimes. Customers will come back.”
Stop reading my mind.
His shoulders move up. “Sorry man, I can’t.”
Never mind. Let’s get out of here.
I move past the broken chairs and bleeding people on the ground. My throat tightens. If just four creatures can do this, what would happen if the Devil reached Earth?
The owner of the bar is mumbling something, his eyes fixed on the pieces of glass scattered everywhere.
I walk over to him. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
He shakes his head, while words keep tumbling out of his mouth.
A tingling sound makes me turn around and my mouth falls open. All the fragments of broken glass are pulled together by an unseen force. They rise up like a mini tornado and form brand new glasses. They float towards the bar, where the owner falls silent and puts them on the shelves.
“Have a nice evening,” he says.
I give him a half-dazed wave and walk outside. Charlie and Quinn step out behind me.
Quinn looks around, his eyes squeezed to slits. After scanning the whole street, he turns to me. “No sign of Simon. Where to now?”
Before I can make up my mind, my mouth answers. “Let’s go to Darkwood Manor. It’s time you guys meet my Shield.”
CHAPTER 12
Quinn came on foot, so he rides with me. His black curls almost touch the ceiling, but it doesn’t bother him. We are both silent, lost in our own thoughts. Charlie follows us in his own car.
After I park in front of Darkwood Manor and watch Charlie step out of his car and gaze up at the mansion, I turn to Quinn. “Can we really trust Charlie?”
Quinn watches Charlie’s every move, as he approaches the house and walks around it slowly. “Yes, he has a pure soul.”
My mouth drops open. “You can read that, too?”
He smiles at me. “Sometimes.” He pushes his shoulder against mine. “Don’t beat yourself up. Nobody suspected Paul and Simon to be evil.”
Not even you, and you can read minds.
“Exactly,” he says. He grabs the door handle and gets out. With his hands on his hips, he surveys the mansion and its surroundings. “Nice place you’ve got here. And well protected.”
That makes me finally feel a bit better. “Thanks. Are you ready to go in?”
I realize it still looks creepy as hell, but I haven’t had time to fix it up yet.
Quinn doesn’t look bothered though and Charlie comes back around whistling admiringly. “You’ve got yourself a palace here, Dante.”
“Yeah, a haunted palace.” I give him a crooked smile.
He throws his head back, laughing. “You forget we’re magic kind. We don’t scare that easy, you know.”
I shift my gaze to the mansion. “So this house doesn’t look scary to you?”
“Sure it does. You could shoot a horror movie here. But the ghosts inside are your friends, aren’t they?”
His cheerful demeanor lightens up my mood. “Absolutely. So are you ready to meet them?”
He waves at the door. “Lead the way.”
I unlock the door and walk into the kitchen. It’s empty. “Guys? Are you here? I’d like you to meet my friends.”
Four figures materialize in their usual seats. They wave at Quinn and
Charlie, who greet them with respectful bows.
While Quinn studies Jeep´s tattoos, Charlie’s eyes slide over every part of Vicky’s perfect body. He catches my eye and winks. “It’s great to have new friends, isn’t it?”
“Watch your feelings, Charlie,” I warn him. “Vicky can read them all.”
He has the decency to blush as Vicky wiggles her eyebrows at him. Quinn only looks up briefly from his conversation with Jeep. He doesn’t appear to be interested in Vicky at all, which is fine with me.
Charlie wastes no time changing the subject to magical powers. Just when it’s Taylar’s turn to tell him that he doesn’t have a power, I notice the empty seat next to D’Maeo. “Where’s Maël?”
“Still recovering,” D’Maeo answers. There’s concern in his voice.
“Did you find a spell to help her yet?”
They all shake their heads.
“So we do have to go back to the Shadow World.”
D’Maeo rubs his eyes. “It’s no use, Dante. The tree is gone, remember?”
“There might be a trace of it.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Charlie steps closer, his eyes big and incredulous. “You’ve been to the Shadow World?”
“Yes, we had to. Maël was banished there.”
Charlie is still gaping at me. “You went to the Shadow World and survived?”
I laugh. “Well, obviously.”
He moves his head from side to side and I reach out to him. “Are you okay?”
He doesn’t respond, so I push him into the seat next to Vicky and shake his shoulders. “Charlie? You’re freaking me out, man.”
Quinn joins us and puts a hand on Charlie’s head.
I look up at him. “Can you read his thoughts?”
“No, they’re too jumbled up.”
D’Maeo waves at us to give him room. “Let’s just give him a minute.”
We all step back and wait. My eyes never leave his face. I can’t remember ever seeing him like this. Charlie has always been down to earth and optimistic. He doesn’t scare easily.
I search the kitchen cabinets for a glass and fill it with water from the tap that’s thankfully working.
I push it into Charlie’s hands. He grabs on to it, but that’s the only movement he makes.
I squat next to him and try to meet his eye. “Charlie? Tell me what’s wrong.”
Finally he takes a deep breath. The glass slowly moves to his mouth and he gulps down the water. “This is bad,” he mumbles.
I take the glass from him. “What is bad?”
“You’ve been to the Shadow World?”
I shrug. “Yes. So?”
Quinn sits down opposite Charlie. He looks as lost as I feel.
“You’re trying to keep the Devil from coming to Earth,” Charlie continues.
“Yes, apparently I’ve been chosen.” My fingers make quotes in the air when I say the last word.
The dazed look vanishes from Charlie’s face. He stands up and starts pacing. “I didn’t realize it until now. I didn’t recognize the signs, you know. But when you mentioned the Shadow World…”
“What is so important about that?” It comes out more irritated than I wanted.
“Do you know how many people – living people – went to the Shadow World and came back?”
“I’m guessing not many.”
He forms an O with his fingers. “None. Zero.”
I sigh. “So? Maybe we got lucky. Or maybe we just got through it because we helped each other."
His gaze moves from one ghost to the other. “You all went? Well, that confirms it.”
I throw up my hands. “Confirms what, Charlie? Can you be a little clearer?”
He sits down and cups his head in his hands. I can see his eyes moving. He’s putting things together.
I force myself to stand still and wait until he’s ready. Taylar opens his mouth, but stays quiet. Jeep doesn’t even make a joke. Vicky reaches for my hand. For a moment I think I see Quinn flinching, but that might have been my imagination. D’Maeo just folds his arms patiently, not worried at all by the looks of it.
After minutes of silence, Charlie wrings his hands together. “Since I found out I’m a Mage, I’ve been studying prophecies.”
I release my breath. “You’ve got us all worked up over some prophecy?”
“Just hear me out, Dante.”
I want to protest, but Quinn opens his mouth first. “He’s right. You can’t just dismiss a prophecy. You have premonitions of your own, don’t you? So you know how real they are.”
A sharp pang shoots through my stomach when I remember my last premonition and I drop back into my chair. “Well yes, but they are just possible outcomes, aren’t they?”
Quinn taps his fingers on the table. “True, but how will you prevent something if you don’t know what to look out for? People see things for a reason.”
“Okay, you’ve got a point.” I nod at Charlie. “Please go on.”
“There are lots of prophecies. Whole books were written about them, scribbled down by Mages just like yourself. But there’s one that keeps coming up, everywhere I look. It’s the scariest and most important one of all. The only prophecy about the fate of the world. The one that describes the greatest fight of all time between good and evil.”
I squeeze Vicky’s hand. My mouth goes dry. I already know what he’s about to say. My heart pounds wildly, the beat repeating my hopes over and over. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.
But he does. His eyes meet mine and he utters the truth I already knew deep inside. “The prophecy is about you.”
I shake my head, if only to avoid looking at him. “No it’s not. You’re wrong.”
“It is, and you know it,” Quinn says before anyone else can speak up.
Vicky pulls back her hand. “You already knew you were chosen. Why is this so hard to believe?”
I jump from my seat. “I’m not chosen! Someone is just playing some sick trick on me.”
Jeep clears his throat. “What about all the demons we fought?”
“Demons, yes. We fought some evil beings. But not the greatest evil of all. I mean, come on.” I point at myself. “Do I look like the embodiment of good? Like someone who could save everyone from the Devil? My powers have just started to develop. I’ve had no training. And even if I had, I’ll never be very powerful.”
Quinn abruptly pushes his chair back and stands up. He raises his arms, mutters something under his breath and brings his hands together with force. With a loud groan, the walls around us crumble into a million pieces. The ceiling crashes down at deafening speed. Charlie yells in alarm and the ghosts vanish.
I duck and throw up my arms without thinking. Lightning shoots out of my fingertips. I can feel the energy leaving my body. It hits the ceiling with an earsplitting crack and forms a barrier that keeps it in place. When I slowly straighten up, the ceiling moves up, too, creating just enough room for me to stand. The ghosts slowly blink into view again. Charlie is on the ground, his hands lifted, ready to create a gel wall.
“What the hell?” I shout at Quinn. “What did you do that for?”
Quinn’s hands part again, inch by inch. The walls mend themselves and the ceiling is lifted back to where it belongs. When I blink, everything is back to normal. Not one speck of dust is left, not even a crack visible in the walls.
Quinn sits down and crosses his arms. “Not powerful, huh?” He shoots me a mocking grin. “You just matched the powers of an angel. And this was only a reflex.”
All heads turn in his direction. Mouths fall open.
Charlie is the first one to speak. “The powers of a what?”
CHAPTER …
My eyes almost pop out of my head. “You’re an angel?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you help us when we had to fight all those demons?”
“Oh, but I did.”
I frown. “How
?”
A familiar bodiless voice whispers in my ear. “I steered you in the right direction.”
I slam my fist on the table, making Taylar jump. “You are the voice? Why didn’t you tell me?” I wave my hand before he can speak. “No wait, don’t say it.” I roll my eyes. “I wasn’t ready.”
“Exactly,” he says. “But that was not my call.”
From the corner of my eye, I can see Charlie pulling at his hair as if he wants to rip it out. I know how he must feel. Things just keep getting weirder. I thought having a Shield and a power was strange, but this is so much bigger.
“I was assigned to you, to protect you,” Quinn says.
I snort. “Right, because I’m so important.”
“You are, Dante. You are the only one who can beat the Devil.”
“According to this prophecy Charlie was talking about.”
“Yes. We’ve been preparing for this for years. Your friends were selected very carefully. Charlie was the first. You will find no Mage more loyal than him.”
Charlie slumps down in his seat again with a shrug. “True.”
I recoil. “Wait, you knew about this?”
My best friend shakes his head. “No man, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Paul and Simon were selected for their powers,” Quinn continues. “They would have been strong allies.” He rubs his chin. “But I’m afraid they have been lured to the other side with false promises. They were weaker than my father thought.”
“Your father?” I stare at him hard. “Do you mean the one you’re living with or-“
He points at the ceiling. “I mean the real one.”
A grin spreads across my face. “Okay guys, very funny.” I laugh out loud. “Ha ha, you got me. Best joke yet. Scare the newbie, huh? Well, I fell for it.”
They don’t even flinch and that only makes me laugh harder. “Wow, you’re really convincing.” I shift my gaze to Taylar. Surely he can’t keep up the act for long.
But the corners of his mouth don’t move.
“Come on, guys,” I chuckle. “The game is o-“
I swallow the rest of my sentence when Maël appears. She fades into her seat next to D’Maeo, more transparent than she used to be. She pulls her cape tighter around her body, but freezes halfway when she notices Quinn. Her eyes grow wide, and she apparates next to Quinn, who stands up when she bows.
Cards of Death Box Set Page 29
