Cards of Death Box Set

by Tamara Geraeds

  But still, a fairy godmother?

  “Aren’t all fairy godmothers like… plump?”

  “We can appear in any form we like,” she says with a glint in her eye.

  I fold my arms, still not buying any of it.

  “Okay, Mr. Skeptical,” she says, putting down her cup. “Watch this.”

  A bright light comes to life at her feet and crawls up. Every part of her body it touches, changes into sparkles, just like the ones I saw when I charged into Mom’s bedroom. Her wide smile lingers in the air for a moment, like the Cheshire Cat’s, and then she disappears completely.

  “Bibbidi bobbidi boo,” she yells in my ear and in a whirl she appears again, this time in a white dress decorated with shiny diamonds.

  My mouth falls open. “That spell is real?”

  She giggles and waves her hand up and down along her body. “No silly, I was just kidding.” The dress is replaced by her regular dark blue pants and shirt in the blink of an eye.

  “I don’t need a spell to change something,” she says, leaning towards me as if this is a big secret. “My magic is in my hands.” She wiggles her fingers and my shirt changes into a white royal jacket, with golden buttons and shoulder pieces. “I have always liked Disney’s portrayal of Cinderella’s story. Her fairy godmother closely resembles the real ones and the prince is so charming.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

  “Oh, thank you,” I say, trying to sound posh.

  “But all kidding aside…” She snaps her fingers and my royal outfit changes back into my plain American teenager one. “I’ve always been here to protect your family, but fate made it hard on me. I’ve never been able to heal Susan, and I couldn’t save your father, and that hurts me more than you can ever imagine.”

  The tormented look on her face tells me she’s telling the truth.

  “You did everything you could,” I tell her. “You still do.”

  A soft scraping makes me turn my head. “Did you hear that?”

  We both stand up. A bolt of lightning appears in my hand before I consciously summon it. At the same time, sparkles fly out of Mona’s fingertips. I smile, despite the fear thumping in my throat.

  “Nothing can get in, right?” I whisper. “We protected the house.”

  “Did you check all the doors and windows after you barged in here half an hour ago?”

  I want to roll my eyes at her, but she means well. And now that I think back, I can almost see myself tripping over the threshold in my haste to get to Mom. I slap myself on the forehead. “I think I broke the line of salt at the door.”

  As soon as I finish my sentence, the front door rattles. The wind howls like a wild animal. Or maybe it’s a demon. My gaze moves to the crack below the door, through which smoke makes its way inside. This can’t be good.

  CHAPTER 12

  I dive forward to restore the protection. Mona yells something, but a loud whoosh drowns out all sound.

  A carpet of sand is blown inside and pushes away the remaining salt.

  I bend down to gather the scattered grains, when flames rise up around me.

  With a cry of pain, I tumble backwards. The fire reaches for my feet and I kick off my burning shoes.

  Mona drags me away from the door with a simple finger movement.

  I stumble to my feet. “Get some water! I’ll get the salt.” My eyes are already locked on the kitchen cabinet where we keep the salt, when Mona grabs my arm.

  “Too late. We’ll have to fight.”

  I turn and look at the flames. A huge beast fills the doorway. It has the head and upper body of a giant lizard, covered in black-and-beige bands. Grains of sand move like ants from two long arms down to the dozen black tentacles that form its lower body. A second set of arms is holding the burning door. A yellow, split tongue shoots from its mouth. More sand lands on the floor and ignites.

  “It’ll burn down the whole house!” I yell.

  More sparkles appear around Mona. “Not if I can stop it.”

  She vanishes in a cloud of light and a second later the demon almost loses its balance. The arms drop the burning door and ash flies everywhere. The monster growls and hisses and turns its beady eyes in every direction. One of its tentacles is lifted by an unseen force and the demon swats at the air around it.

  I look at the fire, spreading across the room rapidly. A bucket of water is not going to do any good anymore. I need something stronger.

  “Use your powers,” a voice says in my head.

  Relief floods over me. “Quinn, thank goodness.”

  “I cannot fight with you now, I have other orders to attend to, but you can do this. You are strong.”

  I grit my teeth. “How can I put out a fire with a lightning bolt?”

  “You don’t just control lightning, you control the weather, Dante.”

  The demon is swatting wildly at the invisible fairy godmother, while the sand keeps pouring out of it onto the ground. The whole outer wall is already ablaze and smoke starts to fill the room.

  “Come on, Dante. Put out the fire. Use your powers.”

  I grit my teeth. “I’m not sure I like this dominant side of you.”

  “I wouldn’t have to be like this if you just listened.”

  A growl interrupts our bickering. The demon has given up trying to locate Mona. It has turned its attention to me, slithering further into the living room on its tentacles.

  I focus on my power core, near my heart, and think of rain.

  It turns a few shades darker outside, but not a drop of rain falls down.

  The demon reaches for me with its long arms and I duck.

  Rain, come on, rain! My fingertips crackle as power shoots through me. There’s rumbling in the distance. I picture dark clouds and pull the water inside them towards me.

  A tentacle approaches me from the left and I take out my athame to stab it.

  But just before it reaches me, the monster is pulled backwards. It roars and slams its hands down hard behind its back. Tiny specks of light are pressed together into the form of a bent over body. It splits in half when the demon’s hands reach the ground.

  I gasp. “Mona!”

  The demon tilts its head and observes me, its tongue shooting out of its mouth.

  “You bastard,” I fume, pulling at every ounce of power I’ve got inside me.

  Give me rain! I yell in my head.

  A sound like a breaking dam catches the demon’s attention. It turns and bends towards the noise coming from outside, its head tilted in curiosity.

  I pull with my mind as hard as I can.

  The beast shuffles uneasily. It reaches for me with one hand, while sliding sideways.

  I don’t move, even when I feel its rough, hot skin against my leg.

  And then I see it. It’s not rain, although it does fall from the sky. It looks like a wave, but it behaves somewhat like a tornado, turning wildly through the air, before plummeting to the ground.

  The demon yanks me off my feet in its flight and holds me up, but I keep my focus on the energy flowing through me. If the water rages on like this, there won’t be a house left to save. So I put both hands in front of me and slowly push them together.

  The wave obeys and washes through the doorway.

  I move my hands further apart again and the water breaks up into several smaller waves that put out the fire. In another tornado move, two waves hurl themselves at the demon.

  The water rushes past my body swinging upside down. I’m not afraid of drowning. I’m in full control. Just one small finger movement like Mona’s and the swirling water moves around my face.

  The demon is pulled off its feet, or tentacles, and its grip on my legs loosens.

  Before I hit my head on the floor, another wave catches me and puts me back onto my feet. I don’t even get wet. I almost grin, but then I remember Mona getting slashed in half just minutes ago and my anger flares up again. I lift my hands as high as I ca
n.

  The twisting waves rise above the lizard’s head and prepare to squash it. It splashes frantically with its tentacles, making for the doorway.

  “No, you don’t,” I say, bringing my hands down hard.

  The tornado hits the demon on the scaled head and it goes under, swaying its arms.

  It pushes itself up with it tentacles, so I move my hands in a circle, making the water and the beast swirl.

  A loud coughing breaks my concentration. “Mona!”

  The blonde woman is lying under the dining room table. She coughs up water.

  I rush to her side and support her. “Oh my goodness, I thought you were gone.”

  She spits out some more water.

  “Are you okay?”

  Panting, she lifts her hand and points at something behind me.

  When I turn my head, the demon pulls itself through the doorway.

  I point one finger at it and a wave strikes it in the back, slamming it into the driveway. I stand up, summon all of my remaining power and aim it at the beast fleeing to the street. All the water in the living room turns and slides back outside. But there’s no force behind it anymore. My energy is gone and my legs collapse under me.

  “Watch out,” Mona says gently, holding on to me so I don’t bump my head against the table.

  I try to get up again. “I have to take it out.”

  A sparkle jumps from her hand to mine. “No, you don’t. You scared it off. It’s gone.”

  On hands and knees, I make my way to where the front door used to be. The street is empty. Mud covers the driveway and a small river flows into the sewer.

  I sit down and wipe the sand off my clothes. “You’re right, it’s gone. But it’ll probably come back with reinforcements.” I rest my head against the doorframe and look back at her. “Are you okay?”

  She lifts her shirt. A red gash runs from her throat to her stomach. Her fingers touch it gently and sparks move along the jagged lines of the wound. I watch in awe as the tiny particles heal the gash. Mona closes her eyes while it slowly heals.

  When I stand up, I sway on my feet. It takes all of my concentration to put one foot in front of the other. At the table I halt and touch Mona’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re still here.”

  She nods. “Me too.”

  “Thanks for saving me.”

  A smile lights up her face. “That’s what I’m here for, Dante. Although my job usually doesn’t include fighting demons.”

  I squeeze her shoulder softly. “You did great.”

  “You did better.”

  Shaking my head, I turn away from her. “It took me way too long. If you had no healing power, you’d be dead now.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up, Dante. You’re doing the best you can.”

  Well, maybe that’s not enough. I’ll have to do better. Otherwise the world is screwed.

  I climb the stairs slowly. My legs ache with every step. “Stay here for a minute, while I check on Mom.”

  I almost collapse in Mom’s doorway again, but I pull myself up and haul my tired body to her bed.

  She’s okay.

  No, not okay. She’s still in a coma. That’s not okay. She should be dancing through the living room, baking cake and singing off key. She should be sewing clothes and bags, enjoying life now that the curse on her has finally lifted. Instead, she’s the victim of another curse.

  I bend over her and kiss her on the cheek. “I love you, Mom. Don’t give up, I’ll find a way to get you back.”

  Before going back downstairs, I check all the lines of salt protecting the house. It looks like the one at the front door is the only broken one. Still, my whole body itches at the thought of leaving Mom here. It didn’t feel right before, and it feels even worse now. What if I overlooked something else? What if that demon can remove the salt lines with the sand that oozes from it?

  I stomp downstairs where Mona is cleaning up the muddy, wet and burnt mess with her magic.

  I lean against the banister. “We could’ve used that kind of magic when the bathroom flooded.”

  She smiles at me over her shoulder. “I know, but I didn’t want Susan to find out about magic. It is your choice whether you tell her or not.”

  An image of Mom getting dragged into a dark hole in the floor shoots through my mind. “Not much of a choice anymore.”

  “Sure it is. I can always wipe her memory.”

  I pull a face at her. “Really? I’d feel guilty if we did that to her.”

  Sparks pick up the front door, which is whole again, and place it back into the doorframe. Mona turns to face me. “It would be difficult, but think of all the suffering she’s been through. She would forget all about that, too.”

  I nod gravely. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.” My gaze moves up. “Listen, I really don’t want to leave her here anymore. It’s too dangerous. I’m at Darkwood Manor most of the time now, so I’m taking her with me.”

  “That’s a splendid idea. I can help you.”

  I let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you agree. I was afraid you’d say that moving her could be dangerous. But there will be more people around her at Darkwood Manor. My Shield is usually there and they can protect her.”

  Mona is already going up the stairs.

  “It’s not just your Shield,” she says when I follow. “There’s a lot of power in that house. It has a history and from every battle that was fought there, a speck of power still lingers.”

  “Which means more protection,” I finish for her.

  She stops and taps the top of my head with a finger. “Right.” A glow covers me from head to toe. I feel its warmth spreading through my body. It eases my nerves instantly. “There. You needed that. Don’t fear those demons. You are stronger than they are.”

  “Thanks, Mona.”

  “Any time.” She walks into Mom’s bedroom and opens the window. “Can you run outside and open the backdoor of your car, please?”

  I move my gaze from the window to her. “Eh… okay.”

  As soon as I unlock Phoenix, I see two feet drifting out of the window. The rest of Mom’s body follows, wrapped in a blanket.

  “What on earth is she doing?” I whisper to myself, hovering around underneath Mom in case she falls.

  Slowly she descends and moves into the back seat of the car. Sparks hop off her body and fly back to Mona, who gives me a thumbs up and closes the window.

  Floating people, why not? At least it’s better than demons that try to take our house down.

  CHAPTER 14

  “That water tornado you made was pretty neat,” Mona says when I pull out of the driveway.

  I smile at her attempt to sound young. “Thank you. It wasn’t what I intended to create, but it worked. I’m glad you were there to help. I wouldn’t have survived without you.”

  She clacks her tongue. “Sure you would have. You have to start believing in yourself, Dante. You were given this task for a reason.”

  I shrug. “Yeah, I know. It’s just all so new and strange.”

  “You’ll get used to it soon enough.”

  She whistles as Darkwood Manor comes into view. “It’s as beautiful as ever.”

  A snort escapes me. “Really? It’s more like a ruin.”

  I park the car and we get out.

  Mona inhales the musty smell. “It’s still beautiful to me. It breathes power and strength.”

  I frown at the mansion. “It does?”

  She shoots me a disapproving look. “Never mind. Let’s get your mother inside.”

  I take a step towards the back seat, but Mona waves at the house. “Just open the front door, I’ll take care of the rest.”

  “Do you really have to make her float? It creeps me out.”

  She lowers her arms and the sparks crawl back inside her sleeves. “I suppose we could carry her.”

  “I’ll get us some help.”

  The front door ope
ns on its own and my Shield appears in the doorway.

  “Need help?” Jeep asks, as if it’s the most normal thing in the world to arrive with your comatose mother in the back seat of your car.

  D’Maeo, Jeep and I gently lift Mom out of the car, with a little help from Mona’s sparks. We’re halfway up the stairs, with the rest of the Shield in tow, when I realize I have no idea where to put her. All the rooms on the second floor are taken.

  “Is the third floor safe?” I ask the old ghost. “Or should we put her here in the hallway?”

  He stops when we reach the top of the stairs. “I think…”

  I let go of Mom with a yell. “What was that?”

  Jeep moves sideways to keep Mom from slipping out of his hands. “What? Why did you let go?”

  “Something moved.” I point at the limp body. “On her shoulder.”

  All eyes are suddenly glued to the part of Mom’s shoulders that’s visible above the blanket. Mona and the rest of the Shield approach carefully as we watch in silence.

  Taylar nudges me. “You’re imagining things, Dan-”

  “There it is!” I yell, making everyone else jump.

  Jeep and D’Maeo bend closer to the black goo moving towards Mom’s neck.

  Mona raises her hands and sparks rain down on us.

  “Move away from her carefully,” she says calmly.

  She nods reassuringly when D’Maeo and Jeep look up at her. “I’ve got her.”

  They let go and Mom is suspended in the air, held up by the sparks. Some of the tiny lights crawl towards the black stuff. We all gasp when it jumps onto the lights and flings them to the ground.

  “Watch out,” Mona warns us, or the sparks, I’m not sure. “It’s very aggressive.”

  “What is it?” I whisper.

  “It’s the curse. It is slowly encasing her.”

  I try to rub the pain away that rises in my chest. My eyes prick and within seconds my cheeks are wet. “Are you saying we’re running out of time?”

  She nods, sending more sparks to spread over Mom’s body. “I’m afraid so. And when a curse has gone this far, it can jump onto someone else in the blink of an eye.”