The Seventh Crow

by Tamara Geraeds

  Vicky is still on the other side of the portal with Taylar and Gisella. When I turn my head, I find Charlie next to me on the ground, gasping for air.

  I pat him gently on the back. “Take it easy. You’re okay.”

  He takes another gulp of air and wipes the sweat from his forehead. “I couldn’t… breathe… you know.”

  Maël helps us both up. “It was the climate in that world. Hardly any oxygen in the air.”

  I point at Gisella, who’s directing the shadows with some simple hand movements. “Why isn’t she gasping for air?”

  Charlie frowns. “Good question.”

  Maël steps forward and holds out her hand, sensing the air. “She is using her new dark powers to fight.”

  Charlie gasps. “What? No!” He dives forward, but Maël grabs his arm before he reaches the portal.

  “Let her try.”

  Charlie pulls himself free. “And risk her life? No way!”

  “That is her choice to make.”

  Taylar and Vicky reach the portal and step back into Shelton Banks’ mansion.

  As soon as Vicky sees that I’m alright, she steps past me to check on Jeep. He looks a lot better, sitting up and smiling at her, so I focus on Gisella again.

  I nudge Charlie, who’s still hesitating. “Now that the wall is gone, we should be able to attack from here.”

  He nods at me and starts throwing grease balls at the spinning souls. My lightning bolts follow quickly, illuminating the darkness. That’s when I see a familiar face behind Gisella’s shadows.

  I grab Charlie’s arm. “Wait, Kess is still in there too.”

  Charlie lowers his hands and shouts, “Kess! Get out of there!”

  “Who’s Kess?” Jeep says from behind me.

  I hear Vicky answering, but her words are drowned out by a roar that freezes everyone in place.

  Charlie shivers. “What was that?”

  The answer jumps out from behind the souls. An elephant-sized lion grabs a foot and launches the attached soul out of sight. Three fully formed heads turn to face the new threat, and Gisella seizes her chance. She raises her arms high above her head and brings them down with force. The shadows obey immediately and shoot down like rockets. Momentarily, all the souls vanish from sight.

  The giant lion jumps over the mess of wriggling black, grabs Gisella gently by the waist and steps through the portal. As soon as the beast lets go of the werecat-witch, it changes form. Just in time, because we were about to attack it. When we realize it’s Kessley, we lower our hands.

  Charlie hugs Gisella tightly. “Why did you do that? You could’ve gotten yourself killed!”

  She kisses him on the lips and smiles. “How is that different from any other day?”

  He shakes his head. “That’s not funny. I was really worried, you know.”

  “Incoming!” Taylar hollers, and we all turn back to the portal.

  The souls have managed to break free from the whirling shadows. Slivers of black mist with arms, legs and heads attached to them slither our way. Vicky and I move closer to shield off Jeep, who is still on the floor. Maël holds out her staff and starts mumbling.

  “Can we close the portal?” I ask.

  Gisella shakes her head. “Not in time. Let me try something.”

  She steps to the edge of the portal and spreads her arms. We watch as the souls approach, our weapons at the ready. Gisella utters strange words and guttural sounds, and the shadows swerve around the souls. They cling to the sides of the portal. Gisella’s voice rises in volume, and a wave of energy shoots through the swirling black. They moan in pain but push forward with more vigor.

  Maël’s mumbling rises in volume too, and the souls’ movements stutter.

  “Yes! Keep going!” I call out.

  Hands reach out and mouths open in the chaos of black wisps. Red eyes glare at us angrily before disappearing again.

  “Pulverucorvus volucurus!” Gisella yells, and she slams her hands together.

  We all back up when the souls burst into a million pieces.

  “Brilliant!” Kess exclaims, and at first, I agree. It seems as if Gisella has managed to make the souls explode.

  Maël has fallen silent. The agate stone on the tip of her staff stops glowing as she watches with fascination.

  “What did you do?” Charlie asks. “Was that an incantation?”

  Gisella steps back without taking her eyes of the descending dust. “It was. I turned them all to ash.”

  The moment she finishes her sentence, the specks stop falling.

  “What are they doing?” Kessley asks nervously.

  Gisella raises her arms again and starts to utter her strange sounds. But the souls are no longer affected, and even the shadows grow restless. Bit by bit, they shrink back to where they belong, leaving the werecat-witch alone in the doorway.

  “That’s enough.” Charlie pushes me aside and yanks his girlfriend back. Fast as lightning, he builds a grease wall that separates the souls from us. While he works, I watch the soul parts wriggling through the air. They form solid shapes with wings and sharp beaks. Their shiny black feathers reflect the light from the lightning ball I conjure in my hand.

  Charlie stops building when the wall reaches his shoulders. He looks back at us. “I’m out of energy.”

  Vicky and I reach out to him at the same time. “Watch out!”

  We drag him down and duck when the birds dive out of the portal. But they don’t attack us and even leave Jeep alone. They caw loudly as they soar over our heads, straight for the hallway. I count them as they disappear. Seven crows with glowing red eyes.

  CHAPTER 3

  Before returning to Jeep’s side, Vicky hands Charlie four chocolate bars. He manages to leave the wraps on until he’s checked on Gisella.

  I look around dazed. The portal has vanished, leaving an empty, white room behind. Gisella is fine, but as surprised as I am, and Jeep is hugging everyone.

  “Dante?” He stands before me, a bit unsteady, but in one piece, and suddenly, I can’t hold back my tears anymore. With a sound that’s a cross between a sob and an exuberant cry, I fling my arms around his neck. He presses me against his chest as firmly as I hold him.

  “I knew the Devil didn’t capture you. I’m so glad we found you.”

  “Me too.” He dries his cheeks and stares at me. “You’re still standing.”

  I smile through my tears. “Barely. We’ve missed you.”

  He lets go of me and looks around. “Where are we?”

  I frown. “You don’t know?”

  He rubs his face. “I don’t remember much. All I know is I got sucked away when we left Purgatory. After that, everything is dark until I got stuck in that empty place, where I slowly went crazy.”

  I nod. “Which is why the souls were able to escape.” Gently, I squeeze his shoulder. “I’m so sorry we weren’t able to find you sooner.”

  He swats my apology away. “Don’t worry about that, I knew you had more important things to do.”

  I lower my head, ashamed that he wasn’t our first priority. “I wish we didn’t.”

  He picks up his hat from the floor and places it back on his head. “No really, don’t worry about it.” With a sigh, he turns to face the others. “Can we get out of here? This house feels toxic. You can introduce me to the leopard girl on the way home and fill me in on what I’ve missed.”

  Kessley giggles. “Leopard girl, I like that.”

  Maël leads the way, and I close ranks, mostly because I want to keep an eye on Gisella and Jeep. The tattooed ghost hasn’t fully recovered yet, no matter how hard he tries to hide his pain, and the werecat-witch seems ready to collapse.

  We reach the ground floor without trouble and find no one stopping us outside either. When I glance over my shoulder, I see that every trace of us vanishes in a second. My spell worked.

  Vicky has handed the books we took from the library to Kessley, w
ho carries them with trouble, but proudly. Charlie hovers around his girl nervously. She’s lost in thoughts and mumbling to herself now and then, thankfully not with the same voice she uses for incantations, but still, it worries me.

  I catch up with them and lean over to Charlie.

  “Is she alright?” I whisper.

  When he shrugs, I clear my throat. “Gisella?”

  She turns her head and blinks. “Yes?”

  “How are you feeling? Are you okay? Using your dark powers and containing them afterwards must have cost a lot of energy.”

  “So that’s what that was,” Jeep calls out over his shoulder. “You’re using your Black Annis powers now?”

  I can almost see him thinking, ‘they must have been really desperate.’

  “Yes, plus Kasinda’s dark powers. I can control them pretty well,” Gisella answers.

  “But something went wrong,” I say gently.

  She nods and scratches her head. “Yes, I was trying to turn them to ash and let that fly away, but I must’ve mixed up the words.” She bites her lip. “I’m sorry I messed it up, but I didn’t see any other way.”

  “It’s fine,” Charlie and I say in unison.

  Jeep slows down and pats her on the back. “You prevented them from tearing me apart, and I’m grateful for that.”

  “Me too,” Vicky says.

  We reach the spot where I hid Phoenix. Once all the bushes have been removed, I’m glad to find my car unharmed. I pat her on the roof before stepping in.

  Jeep takes his place next to me without hesitation. Thankfully, Charlie doesn’t seem to mind. He slides onto the back seat, next to Gisella. The other ghosts have no other choice but to merge in the two remaining spaces. Even in his transparent state, I can see a blush rising to Taylar’s cheeks as Kessley makes herself comfortable on his lap. Or in his lap. Maël and Vicky are both leaning back, their heads next to each other. They look like a two-headed monster-ghost. I grin.

  “What is it?” Jeep asks.

  I gesture at the back seat with my head, and he smiles too. “Yeah, you need a new car, man. I’m not sharing my seat with D’Maeo when we get him back.”

  “Sure you are,” I answer, reaching for the ignition. “You’ll have no choice if I order you to.”

  I start the car and pull out of the forest and onto the driveway. Jeep chuckles, but it’s not until we reach the road that we all fully relax.

  Halfway back home, I glance at the ghosts in my rearview mirror. Taylar and Kessley have found a comfortable position. Taylar has made his body solid, and she is sitting on his lap, a little slouched so she can rest her head against his shoulder. Her dress has moved up to reveal even more of her bare legs, and Taylar’s hands rest on them. My throat clogs up. Now I’m even more sure I made the right decision by adding Kess to my Shield. Not only is she a great addition, she also makes Taylar feel better. I can count the times I’ve seen him this relaxed on one hand.

  “Do you think we’ll see those crows again?” Gisella asks when I turn into Blackford. She sounds worried.

  Charlie squeezes her against him. “Don’t worry about that. It’s not your fault they got away. None of us could stop them, you know. And if you hadn’t done that, someone would’ve gotten hurt.”

  I nod in agreement. “Without a doubt.”

  Jeep turns around in his seat. “If we see them again, we’ll be prepared. I took them out on my own once. They’ve grown stronger somehow while they lived inside me, but now we can fight them together. We’ll be fine.”

  Gisella nods thoughtfully. “You’re right. Thanks.”

  I steer Phoenix onto the magical road and watch out for trouble. Blackford seems to be the center of trouble, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we bumped into another monster, of the demon or human kind. Also, if Shelton Banks was taken to the Blackford police station, I sure don’t want to run into him. He’d probably read what we’ve done from my face, which is why I speed up a little when we pass Pine Street with the police station to our right.

  “Wait, slow down,” Vicky says.

  When I do, we all follow her gaze.

  But I don’t see anything.

  “What is it?” I ask, speeding up again to escape whatever danger she’s spotted.

  “I thought I saw something weird moving around the Winged Centaur.”

  Charlie turns to look at the bar through the rear window. “Define weird.”

  Vicky closes her eyes in concentration. “I only saw a glimpse, but it looked like…” She struggles to find the right words. “A panda.”

  I frown. “That doesn’t sound like a threat to us, necessarily.”

  “Well, there was something off about it.” She shakes her head. “I’m not sure what though.”

  Jeep chuckles. “You mean besides the fact that it was running around free in a country where pandas don’t live in the wild?”

  “And where there are no zoos with pandas either,” Gisella adds.

  Vicky sighs. “Yes, other than that.”

  “So what do you think it was? Someone dressed as a panda?” I joke.

  “Very funny. But I’m telling you, it was something dangerous.”

  My heartbeat goes up at the sound of the worry in her voice. “Like a demon?”

  She meets my eyes in the mirror. “Exactly like a demon.”

  We spend the rest of the way home in silence. When we reach Darkwood Manor, Jeep lets out a deep sigh.

  “Are you okay?” I ask him.

  “I am more than okay.” He smiles at me. “Very happy to be with my family again, and to be home.”

  “Don’t cheer too soon,” Taylar warns him. “You won’t be that happy anymore when a swarm of demon pandas comes knocking on our door.”

  Vicky points at the sky. “Or a swarm of killer crows.”

  I follow her gaze and gasp. The crows must have followed us. I can’t believe none of us noticed them before, but now, they are swarming above the mansion, ready to attack.

  As fast as I can, I park Phoenix close to the front door. “Everybody out. Run or apparate inside.”

  They obey as one. Car doors slam as the non-ghosts make for the front door.

  The crows dive down, their red eyes gleaming in the sunlight. I swerve to avoid them. One of them catches the hem of my shirt sleeve. I tear myself free, ripping the fabric. I’m the last to cross the threshold, and I slam the door closed. “Is everyone alright?”

  They all nod, and we hurry to the window of the study, where Mona greets us. Her relieved smile widens when she sees Jeep, but we are all absorbed by the crows outside. They are trying to enter the mansion, but thankfully, the protection spell holds. Every time they hit a door, wall or window, they are propelled backward. But they keep trying. From up close, I can see their beaks are smeared with blood. I’m afraid to think too much about what or who they killed before they followed us here.

  “Why do you think they came here?” Kessley asks, pulling her dress down for the third time since we stepped inside.

  “To get to Jeep?” I suggest.

  The tattooed ghost shakes his head. “No, if they only wanted me, they would’ve attacked me when they flew through the portal.”

  I watch the birds charge again and again like brainless zombies. The protection holds up, so I’m not worried anymore. “What is it then? They had someone to kill first?”

  “Or maybe they needed to consult someone first,” Vicky says.

  I frown. “Like who? Satan?”

  She shrugs. “Maybe. Or Shelton Banks.”

  Jeep takes the books that Kessley must have taken from the car. “Not every maleficent soul works for the Devil.” He walks into the kitchen.

  “Thank goodness,” Kessley and I say in unison.

  All lost in our own thoughts, we watch until the crows finally give up.

  Charlie straightens up and stops munching on his chocolate bar for a moment. “They’re leaving.”
<
br />   We relax a little, except for Maël, who looks like the guard of a palace, motionless and alert. “I do not think we will be that lucky.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask.

  With her staff, she points at the retreating figures. “They are taking up their posts in that tree.”

  Taylar slams his fist against the wall. “Great. So we’re trapped in here.”

  I turn away from the window. “Not for long.”

  Everyone follows me to the kitchen, where Jeep is flipping through one of the books we took from Shelton Banks’ mansion.

  “Now that everyone is safe, I’m going to run some errands,” Mona announces, and she vanishes while waving goobye.

  Vicky hurries over to Jeep and reads over his shoulder. “Anything interes―” She furrows her eyebrows. “What language is this?”

  Kessley joins them. “Can I see? I studied the languages of the world in my spare time.”

  Taylar gives her an incredulous look, which she must sense, because she grins at him. “Yes, I’m a nerd.”

  The white-haired ghost shakes his head. “Not at all! I think it’s cool. I always dreamt of studying ancient languages, although I knew I never could.”

  “Why not?”

  I expect him to choke up, but he just swallows and explains it to her. “Me and my brother were homeless. The chances of me ever going to college were close to zero. And they dropped below zero when I died.” He winks.

  Kess giggles, and I can practically see the sparks fly between them. “Well, I can always teach you, if you want.”

  Her radiant smile is answered by a deep blush. “I’d like that.”

  Jeep slides the book over to where Taylar has sat down. “Great. You two take a look at this one while I continue with the other two.”

  He opens the next book, and his shoulders sag. “Or not.”

  Vicky looks at the third book and shakes her head before sliding that one over to Taylar too. She walks around the table and sits down on her chair on my right side.

  “More gibberish?” I ask.

  She sighs. “Of course. Why would anything ever be easy?”

  I scratch my head. “How is that possible? We could read at least one of them back at Shelton Banks’ place.”