A light escapes his mouth. It hesitates for a moment before shooting straight through the bars and into Jeep’s nostrils.
He coughs and shakes his head, swaying back slightly.
Gisella’s gaze moves from the cage to him and back. “That was easy.” She sounds disappointed.
Jeep stares at the mage, who lets out his last breath. “It’s fine. The only thing that matters is that I kill them. The how is not important.”
She places her hands on her hips. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t prefer a good fight.”
“Normally, yes,” Jeep admits. “But now…” He shrugs. “I’m tired. All I want is to finally get rid of the ghosts I fought for so long. I need my energy for the upcoming battles.”
The solemnness in his voice pierces my heart. He has fought so many battles already. I don’t blame him for being tired and wanting some rest.
He turns back to me and gives me a wary smile. “I think we can move on to the next one.”
I peer inside the cage. The mage has stopped moving. He slowly becomes transparent again, until he is no longer visible at all. A second later, the cage goes up in blue smoke.
Kessley starts hopping up and down again. “You did it! He’s gone!”
Jeep’s face lights up when he smiles at her. “He sure is, leopard girl. One down, six to go.”
I rub my hands together. “I think I’ll cast the spell on all six at once, if you don’t mind. It’ll save us a lot of time.”
“Fine with me,” he answers, sounding a lot happier already. I think Kessley’s hopping and wide smile have something to do with that too.
Taylar, Kessley and Gisella stack up the remaining cages inside the herb circle I drew, and I repeat each step.
Without the mages disturbing the spell, it takes only minutes to cast it and vanquish all six of them.
When the last bit of Jeep’s magic disappears inside him and the last glass box goes up in smoke, the tattooed ghost stares at the empty spot with a mixture of relief and regret.
I grab his hand when he drops the sword. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…” he says, but he leans on me slightly. “Nothing except…” His eyes meet mine as he whispers his next words. “This takes me one step closer to seeing my wife again. One step closer to the end of this battle that seemed to go on forever.” He bows his head. “And now I realize… I’m going to miss all of you immensely.”
Vicky, standing next to me, able to hear every word he utters, flings herself forward and into his arms. “I’ll miss you too, Jeep.”
I wrap my arms around both of them. “I can’t imagine a life without you guys anymore, but we’re not done yet. We’ve still got some time together.”
CHAPTER 29
We sit in the protective circle together for quite a while resting and chatting. The weather is nice, not too hot and not too cold, with a clear sky and a bit of wind.
Charlie lays down on the grass beside me, with his hands behind his head. “This feels like old times but with some new friends, you know.”
I turn my head to him, my right arm wrapped around Vicky. “I know what you mean. This could almost be a normal summer break. Chilling with our friends in the garden, having a drink.”
He sighs. “If only staring at the sky didn’t remind me of the battle raging in Heaven.”
“And Quinn stuck in it,” I add.
Vicky lifts her head from my chest. “We’ll figure out a way to help.”
Charlie plays with Gisella’s long, red locks. “I hope so.”
We listen to the chatting of the others for a while, until Charlie speaks again. “Do you think the sky will change if it gets really bad?”
I frown and follow his gaze. “You mean, like, will it turn red?”
“Yeah, or will there be a large crack or something?”
I shrug lightly. “Hopefully we’ll never find out.”
“I’m going to make dinner,” Mona announces from the other side of the circle. “Who wants chili?”
I join in the chorus of me’s going up. Maël and D’Maeo decline, but the other ghosts are in for some spicy food. Chloe pushes herself to her feet. “I’ve had enough food for a while, but thanks for the offer.” She fidgets with her stiff locks of hair. “And thank you all for saving my life. I will never forget it.”
I gently push Vicky off of me and sit up. “Are you leaving?”
Charlie chuckles. “You didn’t expect her to move in here, did you?”
I shove him without taking my eyes off Chloe. “You can stay here for a while, if you like.”
Her smile makes her lip crack. “Thanks for the offer, but I’d really like to go home. I’ll be a burden more than a help here. But if you do need my help in the future, let me know.”
“We will.” I step up to her and hold out my hand. Then I change my mind and wrap my arms around her. “It’s been a pleasure having you here.”
She blushes, the warmth of her cheeks thawing part of her face.
Ginda stands up too. “I’m going with her. To make sure she’s safe.”
“The cards have turned to ash, which means the Devil has failed to get her. No one will come after her now. We stopped her from committing the sin of gluttony.”
Ginda glances sideways at her friend. “I’d rather not take the risk.”
Chloe’s blush deepens.
I open my arms. “I understand. Thank you so much for all your help.”
She hugs me and then the others. Chloe is shy at first, but my friends won’t let her leave without a proper goodbye, and I can tell our affection touches her. By the time they leave, the Mahaha looks a lot warmer than when we first met her at the Winged Centaur.
“I’d better give them a ride.” Charlie gives Gisella a quick kiss and takes off after them.
“Good thinking,” I mumble. I forgot we took them here, and it’s a long walk to town.
Vicky slaps my shoulder. “Are you coming?”
When I blink, I realize we’re the only two still standing outside. When did they all go inside?
“What were you thinking? You were far away for a moment.”
I put my arm around her. “I was thinking of all the special people we met recently. The world is so much stranger than I thought.”
We start walking to the back door, and Vicky pokes me in the chest. “Of course it is, you’re in it.”
After dinner, we discuss how to use Shelton Banks’ true name to get what we need. For a moment, our plan to make sure the vortex behind the portal in the silver mine can’t reach Hell crosses my mind, but I decide it’ll have to wait. If Satan was anywhere near succeeding, we would’ve noticed. Or so I hope.
I write down every question I need to ask Shelton Banks, in order of importance, in case we manage to get only one answer.
The first one is obvious: I need to get him to undo the curse on Vicky. Honestly, I’ll be happy even if that’s all he does.
We go to bed early, tired from a very long and exciting day.
“Are you nervous about facing Shelton Banks?” Vicky asks when I kiss her goodnight.
I play with the black lock that falls over her face because she’s lying on her side. “A little. But I think I’ll be safe. I’m actually more scared of not being able to get information out of him than I am of talking to him.”
“He’ll be furious.”
“Sure, but he’ll also be unprepared. He won’t be expecting me.”
“I think a mage as powerful as him is always─”
We both shoot upright at the sound of a loud bang.
Without a word, we jump out of bed and hurry into the hallway. The others open their doors at the same time. Charlie and Gisella come running down the stairs from the top floor.
Another bang reverberates through the house before anyone can speak.
“It’s coming from the secret room,” I say, and I run around the stairs in the middle of the hallwa
y. The doors of the built-in closet between Taylar’s room and the storeroom tremble with another bang. I open the doors and push the top shelf. The other shelves drop down, and the back wall moves sideways. The next bang seems louder than the previous ones. We’re getting closer.
“Where is it coming from?” Taylar asks as he follows me into the secret room.
I walk to the only place I can think of: the porthole into the silver mine. Was it bad luck for me to think the portal could wait?
The glass inside the porthole shudders with another bang. After a short hesitation, I pull it open and peer into the tunnel. The pulsing of the red symbols inside the secret tunnel gives me just enough light to see where the noise is coming from.
“The portal,” I whisper. I could hit myself in the face. How could I be stupid enough to think this could wait? It probably would’ve taken about fifteen or thirty minutes for me to cast a spell on it. But no, I wanted to sleep. A low grunt escapes my lips. “Something is trying to get through.”
Maël pushes me aside to confirm. A shocked expression takes over her face when she steps back again. “Get the Bell of Izme, quickly.”
“Yes, of course.”
I try to remember the spell to reveal it, but I can only think of half of the lines. I reach behind my waistband to consult my Book of Spells but find nothing there. Of course not, I’m in my pajamas.
“I know them,” Vicky says. “I’ll recite them for you.”
It takes us about two minutes to reveal the Bell of Izme that Dad hid in here. The bell was made by the iele, a fairy kind, and can be used to keep the portal in the silver mine closed. Maël is keeping watch by the porthole, and she steps through as soon as I join her with the bell in my hands.
“Hurry!” she urges me. “Ring it, before it comes through.”
Her words awaken a chill on my arms and back. What if we’re too late?
“Ring it!” Maël repeats when I don’t respond.
I lift my arm and start to move the bell. Before I walk into the secret tunnel, which no one seems to bother to close anymore these days, I look back to make sure someone is staying inside Darkwood Manor, in case we need our weapons.
I feel naked in my pajamas and without my notebooks, Morningstar and athame. That feeling only intensifies when I get a good look at the swirling black at the end of the secret tunnel. I’ve never seen the creature that’s trying to get through, but for some reason, I immediately know who it is.
“This can’t be,” I mumble, swinging the Bell of Izme harder.
“What?” Vicky asks, way too close. “What is it?”
I hold my free hand out behind me. “Stay back!”
“Why?” she asks, naturally doing exactly the opposite of what I tell her to. She grabs my outstretched arm and breathes in sharply. “Holy crap.”
“Stay back, babe. Please,” I repeat.
“And let you and Maël handle this alone? I don’t think so.”
The bell is now moving completely on its own, my hand is a blur. The inaudible sound it produces slowly closes the portal, or at least, it tries to. But there is a hand, with flaps of skin hanging from it, stuck in the middle. Through the gap it has created, I can see a horrible face with shredded skin, a round mouth with small, pointy teeth and glowing yellow eyes. A face I’d hoped never to see: that of Beelzebub, Satan’s strongest warrior.
CHAPTER 30
“Maël, can you freeze him?” I ask, without turning my gaze away from the horrifying creature.
“Already trying.”
Vicky lets go of my arm and steps up next to me. “I’ll try to get him to give up and retreat.”
Now it’s my turn to grab her. “Are you crazy? You’re not looking him in the eye! Who knows what he’ll do to you!”
Reluctantly, she steps back.
Maël’s mumbling grows louder, but it doesn’t seem to do much good. Beelzebub is still coming through. He’s already managed to push his arm through up to his elbow. His gruesome face is getting closer. I don’t even want to think of what might happen if he pushes through completely.
Suddenly, Taylar rushes past me. He stops inches from the arm, just out of reach, and pours some sort of liquid over it. The bones hiss, and the white-haired ghost steps back.
“What did you do?” I ask him.
He holds up the empty bottle. “Holy water. I’ve got more of it.”
“Good, go get it.”
Beelzebub isn’t retreating yet, but maybe his arm will dissolve if we pour enough of this on it. At least the bell seems to be working better since Taylar used the holy water on the creature. The darkness is crawling up Beelzebub’s arm and pulling at the tattered skin and bare bones.
While Taylar hurries back to wherever he got that holy water from, Gisella joins us in the secret tunnel. "Give me some room, I’ll cut him up a little.”
Although I’m not fond of the idea of any of my friends getting too close to this monster, I don’t think we have much of a choice. Maël’s time-bending powers have little effect on him.
Vicky, Maël and I take two steps back, and Gisella changes into a whirling ball of limbs and knives. Now that I’m not caught up in my own fight–the Bell of Izme does all the work itself–I can pay attention to the werecat’s moves. Nevertheless, I lose sight of her after about two seconds. Then the yellow of Beelzebub’s eyes is reflected in Gisella’s blades. Even though she’s moving so fast I can’t see what she’s doing, I can hear the slashing, and pieces of skin are thrown everywhere.
The hand opens and grabs Gisella by her hair. I want to dive forward to help her, but there’s no need. She performs a back-flip and lands safely out of reach. Deep cuts decorate the monster’s arm, but they heal up quickly.
Vicky nudges me. “Try your powers on it.”
I look at the creepy arm with the visible sinews and bones and try to think of the best way to attack. A lightning bolt is the easiest for me to conjure, so I start by throwing that at him. He blinks and growls, and electricity goes through him. That’s all. Okay, something else. Ice?
I picture cold creeping up his arm and spreading to his face. A layer of ice forms on his skin, but he shakes it off without trouble. Water then. I envision a waterfall appearing above his head. In my mind, an endless stream tumbles down on all sides of him, but the water stays inside the portal.
“Great, keep going,” Vicky says softly as the images in my mind become reality.
Beelzebub splutters and withdraws.
“Yes!” Kessley cheers from somewhere behind me.
That provokes an angry, animal-like growl from the creature. His arm moves a few inches forward again.
Meanwhile, my hand and the Bell of Izme are still a blur. I don’t feel my arm anymore.
Vicky squeezes my free hand. “Keep focusing.”
When I turn my attention back to the monster, the waterfall is gone. I quickly envision it again and make it fall down even harder.
“I’m back!” Taylar hurries past me and waits for me to pause the waterfall before emptying another bottle of holy water over Beelzebub’s arm.
The bones hiss again, and I hit them with a lightning bolt. Immediately, I create hail the size of golf balls and make sure they land on his head. He knocks them away with his free hand, blocking his vision.
That’s when Vicky lunges forward. When I reach out to grab her, she’s already standing in front of Beelzebub, her back straight and her hands balled into fists.
“Please be careful,” I whisper while I try to keep my focus on the hail.
Maël’s mumbling grows louder, and her gaze is locked on the arm sticking out of the portal. Silently, I thank her. She’s focusing on freezing only the arm to make sure he can’t grab Vicky.
When I look at Beelzebub’s head again, only a couple of balls of hail fall down on him. If I had time to kick myself, I would. How could I lose focus again? The giant man-monster lowers his arm inch by inch, fighting Maël’s
power, and shakes his head angrily. Then his gaze drops to Vicky. His eyes meet hers, and his expression changes from irritated to curious. His fingers unclench and his thin lips curl up in a lazy smile, showing the sharp ends of his teeth.
I stare at his face in amazement. I shouldn’t have doubted Vicky. She’s strong; she can do anything.
As soon as I think it, malice takes over Beelzebub’s face. I expect him to grab Vicky, but he doesn’t move. His gaze remains glued to hers.
Vicky’s whole body stiffens. She stretches her arms and fingers so far it’s as if an invisible force tries to tear them off. Then a shiver runs through her. And another. Her head jerks back, but the monster’s eyes hold on to hers.
“Something’s wrong.”
Jeep’s words barely register. I’m already flying forward and grabbing Vicky’s wrist. But when I pull, she doesn’t move. It’s as if her body, rigid and unresponsive, has been nailed to the ground.
There’s movement behind me. Jeep places his hands on Vicky’s other shoulder and pushes. Still she doesn’t move. Beelzebub’s lips curl up unnaturally far. His unfrozen hand tries to break through the portal. My heart beats louder and louder as it gets closer to Vicky. He can’t take her. I can’t let him! Cold fear spreads from my feet to my head. It reminds me of the hail I created. I need to block his vision, break his connection to Vicky. Before he fries her brain. With my hand still firmly around her arm, I try to envision large balls of hail falling down on our enemy. It doesn’t work. All I see is Vicky trembling like crazy. In my mind, she collapses. I drop down next to her and beg her to wake up.
Something moves on my left. Jeep is pushed aside, and in a blur, I see a shield rising between Vicky and Beelzebub. Behind it, there’s a patch of white hair.
Vicky’s trembling stops, and when I pull again, she tumbles sideways. Suddenly, D’Maeo is at my side, catching my girl and urging me to lift her with him. I support her head and shoulders while the old ghost takes her feet. As fast as we can, we walk out of the secret tunnel and lay her down.
The Seventh Crow Page 19