“Sure.” She pulls a piece of paper and a pen from her bottomless pocket and starts writing. “You’ll have to do it while she’s asleep.”
I close my eyes. Why would anything ever be easy?
CHAPTER 16
Since there’s nothing much we can do to find out who to save right now, and I really want to let off some steam, I suggest to start our training. The Shield tells me the backyard is the perfect place for that, so we all spill out of the back door.
They’re right. The place is as huge as the mansion itself, and it’s hidden from view.
Not that anyone ever comes near, except for the occasional demon.
Vicky forms a large arena with a bunch of lanterns.
Taylar has armed himself with another shield. He’s got to have a whole collection of those upstairs.
“Hit me with your best shot,” he yells.
I narrow my eyes at him. “My best shot of what?”
“Lightning. You can call flashes of lightning, right?”
“I guess so. But not on command.”
“That’s what we’re here to train for. Just try.”
I throw my hands in the air. “But I don’t know how!”
He lowers his shield. “Well, neither do I, remember?”
I feel sorry for him. “Maybe we can draw out your power, too.” I grin. “We would be even stronger.”
Vicky appears by my side, making me jump. “We can always try.”
“Great. Tell us how to summon our powers.”
She places her feet a bit further apart and inhales deeply.
Taylar and I follow her example.
“Now close your eyes and reach deep inside yourself with your mind,” she instructs. “You’ll find a spark there, near your heart. Like electricity, a buzz.”
I think of nothing but my inner being. It doesn’t take me long to find the buzz. It reminds me of what it feels like when Vicky kisses me.
“Now tug at it.“
I focus on the pulsing electricity and it shoots through my veins. Without knowing why, my hands reach up. Lightning escapes from my fingertips with such force that I’m blown backwards. I try to ease my fall, but bolts are still shooting from my hands. They rip the ground below me to shreds.
Taylar moves away from me with a shout, while Vicky’s open mouth slowly twists into a grin.
I struggle to my feet and survey the mess. “Oops.”
Quinn steps closer. “Pretty good start. You didn’t kill anyone.” He squats next to the grooves I made and moves his hands over them. They seal themselves in only a few seconds.
“Try to concentrate on the amount of power you want to release. Picture the flow from your power point to your hands.”
He turns and starts giving instructions to the others. While Taylar gives it a go, Quinn teaches Charlie and the rest of the Shield to combine their forces.
Taylar’s face is getting redder by the second. His forehead is wrinkled up and his hands are balled into fists.
I gently touch his hand. “Relax, don’t force it.”
He relaxes a little, but it still looks uncomfortable.
“Do you feel a spark?” Vicky asks.
The young ghost presses his lips together. “Yes, but it’s not coming out.”
“Keep trying, but be gentle. Don’t command it to show itself. Ask it nicely. Nudge it.”
“I’m nudging the hell out of it!” He grunts loudly.
Vicky gives me a smile. “One moment.”
She steps in front of Taylar and grabs his fists. “Look at me.”
He lifts his head.
Vicky’s eyes swirl and slowly Taylar starts to relax. “Now reach inside and nudge gently.” She lets go of him and he closes his eyes.
“Keep trying,” she says. “No rush.”
She beckons me away from him and I whisper, “Do you think it will work?”
She shakes her head. “His power is not fully developed yet. But it might help him. He can use a little more confidence.”
I want to lean forward and kiss her, but I realize there’s too many people here. “You’re such a sweetheart.”
She shrugs. “I know.” She moves to my side. “Are you ready to try again?”
I rub my hands together. “Sure.”
“Remember to focus on where you want the power to go. And don’t summon too much of it. We don’t want to burn down the whole forest.” She points at an old watering can, lying in what remains of the lawn. “Try to hit that.”
I reach inside myself again, but before I can give the slightest tug, a smell that doesn’t belong here reaches my nostrils. I whirl towards it and see a head dripping with black mud peeking around the corner.
“Demon!” I yell. “Everybody into the house!”
At the same time, the white clouds in the darkening sky turn to gray.
We start running, but Vicky appears in front of us. “Wait. This is our chance to practice on a real enemy.”
We come to a halt about six feet from the back door.
“If he’s too strong, we can always flee inside and cook up some sort of spell.”
“We should have protected the garden and driveway, too,” Taylar mumbles from behind me.
I straighten my back and pull back my shoulders. “Vicky is right. We’re strong enough to fight one demon, or even two, especially with Quinn and Charlie here.”
Charlie points to the side of the house. “What about three?”
Two more demons step out from behind the first one. They lick their lips with a grunt, watching us with black eyes. Their pointed legs hit the ground one by one, eager to jump us. I really don’t want to find out how sharp they are.
“Well, like Vicky said, we can always flee inside,” I say.
Charlie summons a ball of gel, but Vicky stops him before he can throw it. “Let Dante try.”
I concentrate on my point of power, without closing my eyes, because I have a feeling it would be a bad idea to let these demons out of my sight. I point my hands towards the first one. My heart is beating wildly and when the monster pounces, I give the electricity inside more than a small nudge. It escapes me with such force that I almost tumble backwards again. But this time I brace myself. My feet are placed firmly on the ground. I aim the bolts at the demons. For a moment, the lightning blinds me. I see dark forms leaping out of the way. There’s a yelp and the sound of something big hitting the ground.
I pull back my power and breathe quickly. A sliver of dizziness hits me and I grab Jeep’s shoulder to stay upright.
“You’ve got this,” he says. But his hand is clamped around his hat, ready to throw it if necessary.
A body covered in steaming tar jumps at me. Dark eyes full of glee bore into mine. Without thinking, I throw up my hands again. But before I can even summon another bolt of lightning, the demon freezes mid-air. Within seconds, its body is covered in ice.
I glance sideways. “Thanks.”
Nobody responds. They’re all looking at the frozen monster, suspended in the air.
Above us, the dark clouds dissipate and the moon shines its light upon us.
I drop my hands and want to suggest focusing all our powers at the last demon.
A sound like breaking glass makes me turn my head back. The frozen monster is on the ground. The ice lies in pieces all around it. It smacks its paw against the ground to shatter the last of it. When it shakes its head with force, drops of sizzling tar fly everywhere. Then, without warning, it gets up and leaps at my face.
“Freeze it again!” I cry out, but the demon keeps on coming.
Taylar moves his shield in my direction, but the third demon hits him in the chest and he tumbles to the ground.
I dive sideways to avoid impact. Jaws snap shut inches from my face. Hot tar burns my skin and I wipe it away quickly. Thunder rumbles above me. I raise my hands, but no lightning comes out, so I roll away from the charging demon. It growls
and follows me, licking its lips in anticipation.
“A little help?” I pant.
The demon gets hit in the head with a grease bomb. The brown substance drips all over its bulking head and into its eyes. It snarls and paws at its face.
“Duck!” Jeep yells and he releases his hat.
It hits the demon in the neck and separates the head from the body. Black blood spurts onto the ground and I dive out of the way. When I get up, the monster goes up in smoke.
Taylar is still keeping the last demon at arm’s length. It tries to move around him, but the white-haired ghost is fast and nimble.
I try to create another bolt. Nothing more than a faint sparkle appears. I’m too tired.
The demon moves back a little, preparing another attack. Black drool drips from its mouth as it bares its teeth. When it charges, a ball of Charlie’s gel barely misses its head. It howls, but just before its body hits Taylar’s shield, Maël appears. She swings her wand and it hits the demon squarely in the eyes. It crumbles to the ground with a cry.
Maël doesn’t hesitate. She slams her wand through the body. When she pulls it out again, only black smoke remains.
We all scan the space around us, before we let out sighs of relief and pat each other on the back.
“Nice work,” I say to Maël, who is a bit too transparent at the moment. Moonlight pours through her body, making it look as if she’s ready to move to higher places.
I shiver. “Are you okay?”
She nods. Her mass of tight curls seems a bit deflated. The golden headpiece looks too big on her forehead.
I put a hand on her arm. “Go rest. We’ll be fine.”
I expect her to object, but she just vanishes.
“Well done, Dante.” D’Maeo steps towards me. He looks pleased. “You, too.” He smiles at Taylar. “You’re a great fighter.”
I shrug. “It’s a good thing I had help. My power faded quickly.”
“Because you were practicing and you don’t know how to control it yet.”
“Still, I wish I could’ve done more. If it hadn’t been for the others, I would be demon food now.”
Quinn joins us. “That’s why you’re a team. Not even the most powerful Mage in history fought alone. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
I rub my eyes. “I feel like an old man. How many bolts did I shoot before I was drained?”
He smiles. “Give your body some time to adjust. It’s not used to this much power running through it. You’ll be fine.”
I look at the others going over every move in the battle. Charlie relives his every step with grand gestures. Jeep and Vicky hang on to every word with amused grins that are barely visible in the dim light.
I can’t believe Charlie is so at ease with these ghosts. It took him about two seconds to fit in.
“Hey guys,” I call, and they turn their heads. “Who froze that demon? That was epic.”
Confusion greets me. Quinn and D’Maeo exchange a look before the old ghost clears his throat. “That was you, Dante.”
I recoil. “What?”
Quinn chuckles and Jeep mumbles something that sounds like, “It wasn’t me”.
“No way.” I narrow my eyes at them. “Are you saying I have three powers?”
“Not at all,” Quinn says. “I thought you were Electrokinetic, but you’ve got an even stronger ability.”
I breathe out slowly in an effort to contain my excitement. “Which is what?”
“The power to control the weather.”
I run my hands over my face. “No way. Stop messing with me, man.”
Jeep points at the darkening sky. “He’s right. Have you noticed the sudden weather changes? When the demons attacked, the sky clouded over. Now, it’s all clear again. Strange, isn’t it?”
“But… I…,” I splutter. I remember the strange amount of rain I’ve been seeing lately and my head spins.
“You’re a Meteokinetic, Dante,” Quinn says.
Charlie gives me a chest bump that nearly makes me tumble over.
D’Maeo has put his serious face on again. “It’ll take some practice to really get the hang of this power, though. It’s not an easy one to master.”
“Sure,” Vicky interrupts, “but when he does, he will be hard to beat.”
I can’t stop a grin from spreading across my face.
Quinn sees it and gives me a warning look. “You should only use this power-.”
“Any power,” D’Maeo adds.
“… when necessary. Always remember that our existence is a secret, and should stay that way.”
D’Maeo continues. “Only practice here and don’t use your powers for personal gain.”
“Oh, come on!” I throw my hands up. “So if it’s pouring, I can’t even stop the rain?”
Jeep leans towards me. “Sure you can. Just make sure it looks natural. Chase the clouds to the next street for example, but not too fast.”
“Jeep.” D’Maeo doesn’t sound happy. “Stop giving the boy ideas, please.”
I snort. “Boy?”
He tilts his head. “You are only sixteen, even if you are the chosen one. And you’re new to all of this.”
Quinn’s head is bobbing up and down beside him. They look like two fathers telling their sons off. “We all have to be careful with our powers.”
“Sure, I get it. I’ll behave myself.” Most of the time. “I should go home. It was a long day again and I’m not really looking forward to tomorrow.” I turn to D’Maeo. “Keep an eye on Maël. If anything happens, call for Quinn.”
CHAPTER 17
My alarm clock has been beeping for three minutes before I can tear myself from a strange dream about vampires, werewolves and ogres that looked a lot like Shrek.
Another two minutes of rubbing my eyes later, I realize what day it is. I jump out of bed, open my door and listen intently. Everything could go wrong if Mom woke up from the sound of my alarm.
But the house is quiet.
I get dressed quickly and pull Vicky’s spell from my pocket. I got the ingredients at the supermarket on my way home yesterday, so I’m all set to start the spell.
I sneak downstairs to the kitchen and throw everything in a ceramic bowl. Dried fern leaf, poppy seeds, dill weed and a few drops of dew from the garden. I grind it together and then spread it over the bottom of the bowl. As instructed, I heat it slowly on the cooker, until green smoke curls up. Then I grind it again, while softly saying,
“Shadows, shadows come to me,
surround me so only I can see.”
With the bowl in my hands, I creep up the stairs. Very carefully, I open Mom’s bedroom door. She’s still sleeping.
I tiptoe around the room, repeating the enchantment in a whisper, but changing it slightly.
“Shadows, shadows come to me,
surround us so only we can see.”
I lie down on the floor and sprinkle myself from head to toe with the powder from the bowl. Then I stand up and step towards the bed. The tricky part is turning the blankets down, so I can spread enough of the concoction over Mom’s whole body. I start with the parts that are covered by her pajamas. She turns and pulls the blankets back over her, just when I drop a few grains on her feet.
I wait for a few seconds, and when she doesn’t wake up, I drop some powder on her head and start chanting softly.
“Wanted by evil, dark as night,
I cloak us now in magic’s light.
Make us unseen, from left to right,
invisible from any height.
Wrap the shadows all around,
block all motion, touch and sound.
Keep us out of every fight,
hide us both from evil’s sight.”
I gasp when shadows detach themselves from the corners of the room like living things. They dive towards me and Mom. I hold my breath when stretched black bodies swirl around me. More and more shadows release thems
elves from the furniture. They wrap around us with a soft hiss. While the room gets lighter, we turn darker.
For a moment, I think the shadows will strangle me. They pull around me tightly, cutting off oxygen and blood flow. The room spins around me. I want to grasp something for support, but I can’t move my arms. Did I do something wrong? Did Vicky give me the wrong spell?
Another shadow hits me square in the face and I stagger. I can’t see. It’s as if I’m floating. The air around me feels thick, it’s hard to breathe.
Patches of light start dancing before my eyes. I draw in a deep, unsteady breath and blink several times. The dark is gone, my feet are planted solid on the floor. Everything looks normal again, except for Mom sitting up in bed.
“Dante? What’s wrong?”
I try a smile, while I hide the bowl behind my back. “Nothing.” My mind reaches for a plausible excuse. “You were shouting, so I came to check on you. But it was just a bad dream.”
She yawns. “Oh, I’m sorry I woke you up. What time is it?” She squints at her alarm clock. “Five o’clock?” She falls back onto her pillow. “Go back to bed, honey. I’ll be fine.”
I kiss her on the cheek and go back to my room.
Although I’m still tired, I can’t sleep anymore. I feel like my head could explode any minute.
So I install myself on my bed with Dad’s notebook. I skip the angry scribbles that make my skin crawl and look for a useful spell.
My eyes fall on a page that says Book Protection Spell. Use this if you need to prevent evil from reading a book, like a notebook or a Grimoire.
I get up and rummage through the drawers in my desk. I know I have an unused notebook somewhere. Mom’s friend Mona gave it to me for my birthday once. I have no idea why. I’ve never written anything in my life. I would have been much happier with a sketchbook.
I find it at the bottom of the last drawer. When I hold it next to Dad’s book, the resemblance is striking. It has the same dark red leather binding and thickness, but mine looks unused and doesn’t have claw marks on it. It’s perfect.
Cards of Death Box Set Page 31
