Vicky nudges me. “Go on.”
“A great battle awaits us. A battle no living soul has ever seen before. We have seen your great power mere minutes ago. We humbly ask you to be a part of this battle.”
Silence greets me and I slowly reach for my athame.
“Wait,” Vicky whispers. There’s a crunching of branches, followed by a cracking sound left and right. Barely audible grunts are carried to me on a light breeze.
I hear someone swallowing beside me. “They’re bowing,” Taylar says.
“Then we must bow back.” I bend forward and lower my head. The rustling of clothes tells me the others follow my example.
“It would be an honor to help you in this battle, chosen one,” the ent leader’s voice booms. “Take my branch to write history.”
A loud crack makes me blink. When I straighten up, shadows break up my bright world. A huge figure steps closer. When I blink again, the figure turns into an enormous tree. The shape is still hazy, but I can tell its arms are moving in my direction, so I put away my weapon and hold out my arms.
A heavy branch is put into my hands. Ash rises up when I exhale. The sharp texture stings my skin.
I bow again. “We are grateful for your gift. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.”
The dark form bows back. For a moment everything is silent.
“Can we leave now?” I ask from the corner of my mouth.
“Yes, they have all turned around,” Vicky answers.
The huge shape moves away from me. A blurred face fills my vision. “Let’s go. Take my hand.”
Vicky pulls me along, past trees that stare at us and bushes that jump aside to let us pass.
Since I can’t see much, I fight the urge to look over my shoulder.
“You did great,” Quinn assures me when we come to a halt.
We gather under his wings again and this time I keep my eyes firmly shut.
CHAPTER 25
Back at Darkwood Manor, I almost cry with joy, taking in the kitchen and everyone in it. The others look back. Taylar with a pensive look on his face and Vicky with her thumb raised.
“I thought fighting those demons was scary, but not being able to see the enemy is even worse,” I confess. “I was sure I’d be chopped into pieces any minute. By ents and demons alike.”
I shake off the jitters and lay the branch down on the table.
Taylar is still watching me. “How did you come up with all that?” he asks when I return his questioning gaze.
I shrug. “I sensed showing respect would work better than threats. The words just came to me.”
“You sounded like an old king in a medieval movie.”
“I did?” I grin, planting my tired body into my chair. “Well, that ent seemed to like it.”
Vicky kisses the side of my neck. “I liked it, too.”
I shiver and fight the urge to pull her close.
Jeep clears his throat. “So what now?”
Vicky moves to her chair. I glance at Quinn, who’s bent over the branch.
“Now I take this and heal Maël,” he says.
Jeep dusts off his hat. “And then you bring her back to us?”
“Of course.”
Taylar holds up the tablet. “Hey guys? Myah is up to something.”
Quinn picks up the branch. “See you all soon.”
I catch his eye. “Thanks Quinn.”
He hums an almost inaudible “You’re welcome,” and when I blink he’s gone.
We all gather around Taylar.
“She’s getting ready to go somewhere,” he explains.
“Where?”
“I don’t know, Dante, she didn’t tell me.”
I want to hit him with a snide remark, but Vicky squeezes my hand and whispers, “Don’t. He’s just worried about Maël. We’ve known each other for ages. We’re like family.”
I kiss her on the cheek and pat Taylar on the shoulder. “I know I’ve been in this family for just a few days, but it already feels like forever. I can’t imagine what it must be like to see your sister get hurt, but I do worry about Maël, too. She’ll be fine though. She’s in good hands.”
Taylar gives me a weak smile. “I know.”
I look at the others. “We will all be fine. We’re destined to win this. We’re a family and we’ll stick together.”
D’Maeo shoots me his proud father smile, Jeep gives me the thumbs up and Vicky hugs me tightly. Our lips meet and sparks fly everywhere.
“Ew!” Taylar exclaims. “Do you always kiss your sister like that?”
I laugh. “We’re a special family, Taylar. Anything is possible here.”
Jeep bends toward me and wiggles his eyebrows. “Anything?” He pouts his lips.
I push him away. “Okay, almost anything.”
I’m glad to see Taylar is laughing now, too. Then he points at the screen in front of him. “Look, she left something on the desk.”
“It’s a letter.” I bend closer. “What does it say? Can you zoom in?”
He shakes his head. “No, but I can make a screen shot and zoom that in.”
The letters blur a little when he does, but I can make out the heading. “Westside Cemetery.”
D’Maeo straightens up. “That must be where she went.”
“Then that’s where we’re going, too.”
Vicky grabs my arm. “You should eat something first. You must be starving.”
Now that she mentions it, my stomach growls. At the same time, Charlie knocks on the front door. “Did you find out which ents to contact?” he asks when I let him in, meanwhile handing me a pizza box. He must have read my mind or something.
I open it and take in the mouthwatering smell. “We spoke to the leader of the Black Forest and he gave us a branch to heal Maël.” I stuff half a slice of pizza into my mouth and close my eyes.
“That was fast,” Charlie says. “He just gave it to you?”
“Not quite,” Taylar answers, because I’m still chewing. “Dante spoke to him like a king.” He still sounds impressed.
I wave my hand, which looks strangely untouched. “Don’t exaggerate. I just sweet-talked him.”
“Like a king,” Taylar insists.
I just shake my head and pick up another slice.
“Did you get the cameras?” I ask before taking another bite.
“Sure did. I got loads, so I won’t have to go back again, you know.” He takes out his phone. “But her office will be closed now. We’ll have to wait till tomorrow to plant them.”
I hand him a slice of pizza. “Not necessarily. We’re going to Silverton now, to the cemetery. So we’ll be close to where Myah works. The Shield can get in without being seen and it will be much easier to plant the spy cams when no one’s there.”
He licks his fingers. “Good point. I’ll come with you, in case you need to fight more demons or traitors.” There’s venom in his voice.
It’s hard to piss off Charlie, but Paul and Simon definitely succeeded. I must confess I’ve gone from disappointed to somewhere between angry and livid myself.
“Thanks, mate.” I hold up my hand and he gives me a high five. “I’m glad I’ve still got you and Quinn.”
“Me, too, man. And your Shield is awesome.”
“I know.” I shove the last piece of pizza into my mouth and ignore Jeep’s smug look.
Taylar waves the tablet above his head. “I’ve deciphered part of the letter on Myah’s desk.”
“Oh good.” I close the pizza box and shrug when Charlie shoots me a disappointed look.
“What does it say?”
The young ghost squints his eyes and starts to read.
“Dear Ms. Pullus,
We regret to inform you that the Silverton town board has given us only two weeks to clear out the cemetery and move graves if requested. To meet this deadline, we need all payments for movement to Eastside Cemetery by the end of this week.
All overdue payments will be returned and the graves will be removed without further notice.”
Taylar rubs his eyes. “There’s more, but it’s too blurry.”
I rub my forehead. “So Myah wants to move a grave, but she doesn’t have enough money.”
“Graves,” Taylar corrects. “I think it’s about more than one.” He points at the tablet. “This looks like a list.”
I stretch my arms and legs. “Okay, let’s go to this cemetery and see what we can find out.”
CHAPTER 26
When we’re about halfway there, Quinn’s voice pops up in my head. “Dante, can you pull over for a sec, please?”
I do as he says, ignoring the surprised looks on the other’s faces. As soon as I stop, Quinn appears in front of the car, with Maël at his side.
The rest of the Shield is out of the car in the blink of an eye. They all hug her and for a moment, I think Jeep is wiping away a tear.
I walk up to them and wait for my turn to welcome her back. “I’m glad you’re okay,” I say when I put my arms around her.
“So am I,” she says.
“You look great!” Charlie chimes in. “Like a queen.”
“She is a queen,” Taylar says.
“Really?”
Maël’s face is glowing beneath her massive halo of spiraling curls. “I was a queen once. But that was a long time ago.”
Jeep kisses her on the cheek. “You will always be a queen.”
She blushes a little and adjusts her golden headpiece. I can’t believe how solid she looks. Almost human. Her dark skin is sparkling and her cape seems brighter than before. As it moves in the wind, I wonder where she puts her staff. I never really thought about it before, but there’s not enough room for it.
“Are you ready to join us?” I ask. “Or do you need more rest?”
She straightens her shoulders and reaches inside her cape. Out of nowhere, she pulls out her wand and slams it into the ground. “I’m done resting.”
I jump back a little when the ground below my feet trembles. There’s a light in Maël’s eyes I never saw before. She smiles at me. “I’m ready to fight.”
The corners of my mouth turn upwards. “So am I. Let’s go.”
Even without Quinn, who’s gone back to wherever his real home is, the car is overcrowded. But I’m too elated to care. If we can get Maël back, we can get Mom back.
I turn on the radio and we all sing along to Surfin’ USA, which makes Charlie very happy. D’Maeo and Maël don’t know the lyrics, so they just hum along. We sound like a magical choir.
It’s growing dark when I park opposite the cemetery.
“Let’s just pretend we’re visiting our uncle’s grave or something,” I say to Charlie. “Keep your eyes open, everyone.”
We wander along the paths and nod to a man carrying the sculpture of an angel.
He’s one of the last people to collect remembrances. Most of the ornaments and picture frames are already gone, but there’s an abundance of fresh flowers. Lots of people have come to say their last goodbyes.
I take a left, but Maël walks straight ahead. “This way,” she says. “I can feel her.”
I turn back. “You can feel her? How?”
She shrugs, making her cape rise and fall like a golden wave. “I don’t know.”
She leads the way without hesitation and after a few turns, we come to a mausoleum surrounded by turned over gravestones.
When the door moves, Charlie and I duck behind the bushes.
Myah steps out, mumbling to herself. “Don’t worry, I’ll do it tomorrow.” She strokes the marble of the burial chamber. “I’ll get the money in time and arrange the appropriate transport.” She wipes a tear from her eye. “I miss you so much, Dad. I’m so lonely.” She rests her head against the cold surface and sighs. “But I’ll be strong, just like you taught me. Only a few more years to go.”
Then she turns and walks away.
We get up and I look at the others. “What was that about?”
D’Maeo walks past me and studies the names carved into the mausoleum. “Just like I thought.” He jabs his finger against the marble. “They changed their name.”
Maël joins him. “Misha and Mary Redfeather?” She looks stunned. “I heard about them. Didn’t they extinguish the Lake Fires of 1918?”
D’Maeo gazes at the sky, as if his memories can be found there. “They did. The Redfeather family is known throughout the magical community for saving people, magical and non-magical. There was an outburst of violence amongst fire starters in 1918. The Redfeathers defeated them, but they couldn’t save everyone. Four hundred and fifty people died.”
“Yes, but if they hadn’t intervened, there would have been thousands of casualties.”
The old ghost paces up and down between the broken gravestones. “So how can Myah be a criminal?”
I hold up my hands. “Hold on. I don’t understand. Why is it so strange that Myah is planning some kind of scam? And why is it so important to her to move this mausoleum?”
Maël points her staff at the names carved into the marble. “The Redfeathers, like your family, are destined to save people. No evil will be born in these families.”
I bite my lower lip. “So Myah is not evil. Then she must have a pretty good reason to steal money.”
“She does.” Maël leans on her staff. “The Redfeathers, or Pullus’s as they call themselves now, are phoenixes. If the municipality clears out their graves, Misha and Mary can never rise again.”
My gaze flickers from one ghost to the other. “So they’re not dead?”
D’Maeo shakes his head. “No, they’re just resting.” He starts walking back to the entrance and beckons us. Charlie and I exchange a wide-eyed look. I guess he didn’t know about the existence of phoenixes, either.
The others have already followed the gray-haired ghost, so we sprint to keep up.
“What do you mean ‘just resting’?” I ask.
“You know phoenixes can rise from their ashes when they die, right?”
“Sure,” Charlie and I say in unison.
“Well, that only works ten times in a row. After that, they need rest. They have to recharge, so to speak.”
“I see.” I point over my shoulder. “So that’s what they’re doing in that mausoleum.”
Charlie wipes his blond hair out of his eyes. “But why don’t they just rest at home? Wouldn’t that be safer?”
Maël shakes her head. “They have to be surrounded by magical symbols, carved in marble, for a hundred years. No relative can stay in the same place for that long. Non-magical people will notice they hardly age. Moving the sleeping phoenixes is a risky procedure. One crack in the marble, one spot of sunlight, can kill them when they’re sleeping. The safest place to put them, is in a cemetery.”
I pull my keys out of my pocket so Charlie and I can follow the ghosts into the car.
“There’s one thing I don’t understand,” I say when I pull away from the curb. “If phoenixes are immortal, how can Myah be the person on the Cards of Death?”
“There’s no such thing as immortal, Dante,” Jeep answers. “There’s only hard to kill.”
D’Maeo’s voice responds from a blend of two faces in the back seat. “It’s hard to kill a phoenix, but it can be done.”
Jeep continues, counting on his fingers. “You can disturb their recharge, kill them right after their tenth rebirth or-“
“Blow them up?” I say, thinking of the picture on the card.
“An explosion won’t be enough. You’d have to separate the ashes.”
I turn left. “Well, I guess we know what to prevent now.”
CHAPTER 27
The Shield directs us to Myah’s office. I hand Vicky the cameras, but D’Maeo grabs her arm before she can apparate. “There’s people inside.”
We all bend towards the building. Lights are on in several offices.
“I guess they’re working late.” Vicky drops the cameras in her endless pocket. “But I can go see if Myah’s office is empty. I’ll keep myself invisible.”
I scan the building and all the windows and freeze. “Wait. There’s more.”
Jeep squints his eyes. “Demons?”
“Paul and Simon?” Charlie adds.
“I’m not sure, but it doesn’t feel good.”
Vicky leans back. “Then we’re not going in. We can try again tomorrow.”
“I agree,” Maël says.
Through the rearview mirror, I see doubts in Taylar’s eyes. Before he does something rash, I pull up and drive back to the I-90.
Everyone is quiet until we reach Charlie’s house.
“Be careful,” I urge him.
He just smiles. “Don’t worry, I put up a protection spell around my house a long time ago.” He waves and disappears inside.
On the drive back to Darkwood Manor, we pass Mrs. Delaney, who’s supported by Mona. I pull over to see if I can help.
“Oh, hi Dante,” the old woman says. She looks paler than usual and I take her arm. She gives me a watery smile.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, shooting a concerned look at Mona, who’s holding her other arm.
Mona’s cheerful demeanor is dampened. “They took her power,” she says in a hushed tone.
I look at her wide-eyed when I realize Mona knowing about magic must mean she has some kind of power, too.
Mrs. Delaney almost trips, but I catch her just in time. Then Mona’s words hit me. “Someone took her powers? Who did? Why?”
“We don’t know.”
It takes some time for me to find the right question to ask. We’ve reached Mrs. Delaney’s front door and Mona is unlocking it when I ask, “What was your power?”
The old woman leans heavily against me. “I’m a healer.”
We guide her inside and help her into bed. “That is a great power to have. Don’t worry, I’ll get it back to you.”
She pats my hand. “That’s sweet of you, Dante. You were always a good kid. I wish I could have healed your mother.”
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