Cards of Death Box Set

by Tamara Geraeds

  “Vicky!” I yell, hoping she’ll understand I want her to stab him.

  She’s already next to him, swinging her sword. But before the blade hits Craig, a large brick knocks Vicky down.

  With a startled cry, I dive past the wall of grease. Vicky lies on the floor several feet away, knocked out. But that’s not what stops me in my tracks. It’s the green eyes that stare at me. Although there’s bricks attached to them, instead of a body, I recognize them immediately. “Paul.”

  CHAPTER 36

  More bricks zoom through the air above my head and Paul, in his brick form, rises up before me.

  “I wish I could tell you it’s good to see you, Paul,” I say, meanwhile reaching for my power core.

  “Me too,” he answers.

  With one arm, and without taking his eyes off me, he grabs Craig by the neck and pulls him out of the grease wall. “That’s what you get when you lose your temper.”

  The Snapper shakes him off and grumbles angrily.

  “You’re not the one who has to lose his temper, Craig. Don’t forget that,” Paul continues.

  “I know. But these ghosts were getting on my nerves.” He lifts his finger to his cheek and flicks some grease off.

  “Yes, they’re very good at that,” I mock. “I actually train them to be as annoying as possible.”

  Paul narrows his green eyes. His brick face protests loudly. “When did you become so witty?”

  With a smile, I haul myself up. “Just around the time when I discovered some of my friends had gone mad.”

  He snorts. “We’re not mad, Dante, we’re smart. I thought you’d know the difference, considering your mother is mad as a hatter.”

  It takes several deep breaths for me to stay calm. “I think your head has taken too many hits with a basketball, Paul.”

  He flexes his brick arms and cracks his neck. “Okay, enough of this useless talking. Back to business.”

  Bricks zoom through the air before I can conjure lightning. But they’re not aimed at me. Not yet.

  Charlie ducks and shoots grease blindly.

  Paul just steps aside to avoid the balls and speeds up his stream of bricks. They are smaller now, but he releases them faster than Robin Hood can shoot his arrows.

  Charlie moves, but there are stones everywhere.

  I crash one with a lightning bolt, but another one hits my best friend in the head.

  He goes down and I aim my next bolt at Paul.

  Thoughts tumble through my head at an alarming rate. Is Charlie okay? Why did I never see Paul for who he really was? Where is my Shield? Why aren’t they helping? Can I beat Paul? Should I call Quinn for help?

  It’s such a mess in my mind, that the reason why my Shield isn’t helping hits me in the back before I realize what it is.

  As I crumble to the ground, the creepy guy with the red hair looms over me. “I sent your friends home. They can’t do much without you, so once you’re out of the way…” He grins manically, which I take as a cue to get up.

  But I can’t. No matter how hard I try to move my arms and legs, they’re not working. It feels like they’re stuck.

  Paul strolls leisurely toward us, with a smug look on his face.

  “You know, I finally see the problem with your triangular shaped head,” I say, mocking the insecurity he used to tell us about.

  His grin fades. “Really?”

  “Yes. It doesn’t suit that nasty grin. You have the face of a choir boy.”

  He looks down on me, while I command all my muscles to move and poke my power core as hard as I can. Nothing happens. Except that Paul takes a giant brick out of his stomach and raises it above me.

  “I’m sorry about this, Dante. We did have some good times together. But if you won’t join us, I have to deactivate you.”

  Deactivate me? What am I, a robot?

  I struggle to hold up my hand, but only my fingers move. “Wait.”

  “No stalling, Dante. You’ve lost. Accept it.”

  “Paul, please. Don’t you remember all the things we talked about? That we wanted to do good in this world? Together? We can still do that.”

  His eyes search my face. “Sure, but I’ve chosen my way to do it. And you’ve chosen another way.”

  Energy courses through my body. It’s a slow stream, and a bit faint, but it’s there. If I send it all to my hand, I can hit him right in the heart.

  “Your way will kill almost every human on Earth. Maybe even the Earth itself.”

  He shrugs. “Well, sometimes it’s better to start over.”

  I shoot him some of my charm. You never know what will work. “That’s not what you used to think.”

  He tosses his head a bit back in an attempt to get a stray lock of hair out of his eye. “Well, what can I tell you, I changed my mind.” He sighs. “It was nice knowing you, Dante. Have fun in Heaven.”

  With all my might, I force my power through my arm. Nothing more than a pathetic spark shoots up. It doesn’t even reach Paul. It extinguishes mid-air and my arm barely moves.

  Paul raises his giant brick higher.

  Fear clutches at my chest and my mind screams. Quinn! Help me!

  I know it’s too late. Even if Quinn responds immediately, he’ll never be able to stop this brick from crushing me. My last seconds on Earth are ticking away.

  I wish I could tell you I’m brave. That I look him in the eye or give him one last snide remark.

  But I squeeze my eyes shut and hold my breath.

  Then there’s a loud “Noooo!” followed by an even louder crash.

  I open my eyes. Kale is on top of Paul, hitting him in the face so fast that my former friend doesn’t have time to change his whole body into stone.

  “That’s my boy!”

  When I turn my head, I see Craig getting to his feet. “Smash his face in!” he yells.

  It takes me a few seconds to realize why he’s egging Kale on. This is exactly the kind of violence he has been looking for in the boxer. I have to stop him!

  Thankfully, with everything going on in front of us, the burnt man is distracted. Suddenly I can move all my limbs again. I immediately conjure two bolts and hit him and Craig at the same time.

  Apparently the burnt man was the reason that none of the police officers came in here during our fight, because as soon as he goes down, several officers round the corner with their weapons raised. “Hold it right there! Get off him!”

  Kale doesn’t seem to hear them. He keeps pounding on Paul, who has stopped moving.

  Six officers close in on him and when he doesn’t react to their orders, they send fifty thousand volts through his body.

  He collapses on the floor and while four officers rush to his side to make sure he isn’t getting up, the other two check on Paul.

  More police file into the hallway. The whole precinct is probably here right now.

  Someone points a gun at me, and another bends over the burnt man, who is still out cold. Craig is sitting up again, in his human form.

  I barely notice any of it. My eyes are fixed on Paul. Even though I know he works for the Devil, I hope he’s okay. I don’t want another one of my friends to die, even if he wasn’t really my friend. I can’t help remembering the good times we had. He can’t be all bad.

  The officer next to me is shouting something and it takes me a few seconds to understand he wants me to hold out my hands. Hand cuffs dangle from his free hand. The thought of ending up in prison finally shakes me awake. I can’t get arrested! Kale committed his sin of violence. The demons will be here any minute to kill him and take his soul. I can’t let that happen.

  “Lie on the floor with your hands behind your back, please,” the officer says.

  I have to distract him.

  With a trembling hand I point at Paul. “Is he okay? He’s my friend.”

  Just like I hoped, the officer follows my gaze before answering.

  With one sw
ift move of my hand, I release a lightning bolt at the far wall and burn a hole right through it.

  “What the heck was that?” I yell.

  The officer instantly forgets about me and walks to the wall to investigate. Several of his colleagues follow him.

  Craig and I exchange a warning look that says ‘Don’t attack me, or else’.

  “Dante?”

  Quinn’s voice pops into my head.

  I get straight to the point. The demons will be here to collect Kale’s soul soon.

  “I know, your armies won’t hold them for long anymore.”

  They’ve been holding a lot longer than I anticipated.

  “We need a way to get Kale out of here. I could daze the policemen, if you take out Craig and…”

  He stays silent for so long, that I start to worry. What? What is it?

  There’s no response, and Craig is on the move. He’s slowly getting closer to Kale, who is waking up moaning softly.

  Quinn? Are you still there?

  “Yes, I’m here.”

  What is it? What happened?

  “That red-haired man…”

  I turn my head so fast, everything starts to spin. But the burnt man is still on the floor. He is awake, but still a bit dazed.

  What about him?

  “Be very careful with him. He is powerful. You cannot defeat him and the demons at the same time.”

  Why? Who is he?

  “He is the Red Horseman. Bringer of war.”

  CHAPTER 37

  He is what?

  “The Red Horseman.”

  Of the apocalypse?

  “That’s the one.”

  How do I defeat him?

  “I don’t know. You must have caught him by surprise somehow, or he wouldn’t have gone down. You’ll need your Shield.”

  That Horseman sent them home.

  “Yes, but you’ve got a way to summon them now, don’t you?”

  Hope flares up in my chest. Of course! The spell is in my book. But there’s no time for a spell now, with all these policemen around and Craig and that Horseman preparing to jump me and Kale.

  “I’ll distract them for as long as I can. And you’ve still got Charlie.”

  He’s silent for a moment again, before adding, “I’ve filled him in. He’ll help me distract everyone, so you can cast the spell.”

  Good luck. Be careful.

  “Always.”

  I jump to my feet and pull out my Book of Spells. As I take out the piece of paper with the spell on it, everything around me gets incredibly light. Everyone, except for Charlie and I, shields their eyes. Charlie hits the Red Horseman with as much gel as he can, and continues with Craig as soon as he’s trapped. The officers are flailing around blindly, yelling and tripping over each other’s legs.

  I read the instructions on the paper and let out a sigh of relief. There’s not much I need, so I can get started right away.

  “One moment,” Quinn’s voice says when I flatten the piece of paper on the floor before me.

  Dazzling sparks fill the hallway. The officers yell even louder. “I’m blind! Help!”

  Quinn flashes into view and takes their voices with one sweep of his hand.

  The Red Horseman struggles to free himself from his prison of grease, while Craig is running against the wall in an attempt to crack the gel that holds him captive.

  Charlie wastes no time and covers them from head to toe in a thick layer of fresh goo.

  “Okay, go ahead,” Quinn says in my head. “We’ll keep an eye on these people.”

  Before I start, I call out to Kale, who is sitting up, with his back against the wall for support. “Kale, can you hear me?”

  “Yes. What happened?”

  I decide to give it to him straight. “You got violent and now demons will come to take your soul.”

  He smacks his hand against his forehead. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I just got so angry when I saw Craig and that other guy attack you and your friends.”

  “Don’t worry about that right now. In order to keep you alive, I need you to stay close, can you do that?”

  “Sure.” His voice sounds a bit broken, but there’s no time to reassure him now.

  “I’m calling for back-up. Stay where you are.”

  “Okay.”

  While I read through the spell again, I pull five hairs out of my head, one for each member of my Shield. I take out my athame, take off my right shoe and sock and pierce the skin of my big toe. With the blood, I draw a small circle on the floor and place the hairs in it one by one. “D’Maeo, Maël, Vicky, Taylar, Jeep.”

  I dip my finger in the circle of blood and touch every hair carefully.

  “Let these subjects hear my call.

  Bring them here before I fall.

  Keep them safe through time and space.

  Transport them without a trace.”

  After I touch the last hair, I conjure a bit of lightning in my hand and hold it above the circle until the hairs turn to ash.

  The tiny, dark particles rise in the air and evaporate. With a soft whoosh, my Shield appears before me.

  Vicky falls into my arms. “You’re okay!”

  I kiss her on the forehead. “Yes, Quinn arrived in the nick of time. But the demons will be here any second to collect Kale’s soul. We have to get him out of here.”

  She picks up my book and piece of paper and hands them back to me. “Do you have a plan?”

  “Not yet, I was busy keeping myself alive.”

  A loud bang makes us all turn our heads. The burnt man is back on his feet. He has somehow freed himself from Charlie’s grease. His hands are balled into fists, his arms stretched out beside him. Slowly, the ceiling boards around him fall down and zoom through the hallway.

  Taylar takes a step back. “Who is this guy anyway? He keeps getting up.”

  “That is the Red Horseman.”

  They all stop moving and gape at him.

  Finally Jeep licks his lips. “Well, it looks like the guy downstairs has gone all in on this one.”

  “Trust me,” Quinn’s voice says in my head. “This is not all in. Not by far.”

  Vicky raises a finger. “Is that..?”

  “Yes, it’s Qaddisin,” he responds before I can open my mouth. “Listen carefully.”

  D’Maeo pushes Maël’s head down so she doesn’t get hit by a ceiling board. Charlie throws more balls, but he’s moving slower than before and the balls are smaller. He’s about to run out of ammo, so for good measure, I hit the Red Horseman with a lightning bolt.

  Unfortunately this time he saw it coming. With a flick of his wrist, he sends it off course. It hits a fluorescent tube that explodes. The officers on the other side of the hallway duck and start shouting again.

  “There’s not much time,” Quinn says in our heads, increasing the intensity of the light around us. “Charlie, grab Kale and join Dante and the others. I’m sending you to the Shadow World.”

  What? I think as hard as I can. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is there? Not just for the Shield, but for Charlie and Kale!

  “Yes, I realize the risk, but if we want to win this battle, we’ll have to take out the Red Horseman.”

  What does he have to do with the Shadow World? I wonder.

  Quinn answers that question, while Charlie hauls Kale to his feet.

  “All the Horsemen are connected to a tree in the Shadow World. Find the red tree and you’ll have the power to imprison the Red Horseman.”

  A board lands hard on my shoulder and I cry out in pain. I hold out both hands and release as many bolts as I can.

  The demolition of the ceiling stops as the Red Horseman blocks my attack. Charlie joins me, but he has nothing to shoot anymore.

  He digs into his pocket in search of food. “I need fuel.”

  Vicky taps him on the shoulder and hands him two chocolate bars.


  “Thanks, that’s a good start.”

  While he digs in, Quinn tells us to get ready. “Hold on to each other.”

  We form a quick circle and a wave of heat crashes over us. My ears ring, and I fight the urge to cover them with my hands. I don’t want to get lost halfway through our trip.

  In the distance there’s an angry roar, probably coming from the Horseman. I pray he isn’t able to follow us any time soon, but I doubt we’ll get so lucky.

  We land on our feet in the fog, still holding hands.

  Kale is the first to let go. He sticks out his arms for balance and swallows hard. “What the hell is going on? Where did you take me?”

  I exchange a look with Vicky. Apparently Kale missed Quinn’s instructions.

  “We were sent here by our friend.”

  He turns in all directions. “Where is here?”

  “The Shadow World. The world between life and death. We can find a way to defeat the Red Horseman here.”

  Maël steps out of our circle and pulls her staff out from her cape. “Not defeat, imprison. No one has ever found a way to defeat the Horsemen.” She twists her wand in her hand and keeps turning her head from left to right. “We should hurry. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

  I grit my teeth. “I can’t believe Quinn made you come, too, after what you’ve been through here.”

  Even thinking about Maël hanging in the claws of that evil black tree makes me nauseous again, but Maël hardly seems fazed.

  She keeps her focus on our surroundings, although there’s not much we can see because of the thick fog. “It’s fine, Dante. I’m stronger now. Besides, it’s better to stay together. We’ll need all of our powers to win this.”

  “Win what?” Kale waves his arms around. His voice is strained. “Can someone please tell me what this is all about?”

  D’Maeo breaks up what remains of the circle. “There’s no time for that. Maël is right, we should hurry.”

  The two of them start walking in what seems like a random direction to me, but I follow them anyway.

  “Hang on!” Kale shouts, setting off after us. “You can’t just leave it at that. If someone wants to kill me, I deserve to know why.”