"No! I will not hand it over!"
She gave the needle a vicious twist and instantly felt the sweetness of vengeance fulfilled. Allain gagged, reached for his chest, then tumbled over. Like the raccoon, he lay panting and staring up at her.
Ankouer howled and lost his human shape, reassuming the spiral of a cyclone. The fire on the lake flickered and dimmed. Above, beside her father, the opal sent out sparks of colored light. With her newly honed intuition, Liz realized Ankouer had been surprised, but that this opportunity would quickly pass. She circled around the doctor.
"Get the opal, Papa!" she cried, breaking into a sprint.
Already the flames had regrouped, intensified. Ankouer was twisting at a fierce speed. Time was running out.
She saw her father reach out, then lumber to his feet. Clinging to the rocky wall, he inched to the lower landscape. Liz feared his heart would give out at any moment. She headed upward, ever upward, arms outstretched and urging him on.
Then Zach was calling to her, running toward her, running to help, and she whirled to greet him. When he was halfway up, a gale arose. It ripped at his hair and clothes, and he couldn't run fast enough or strong enough to overcome the force.
The wind plastered her overalls to her body. Maintaining her balance took every ounce of energy. For every step forward, the wind blew her back two more. And above, his shaggy hair so wind-tossed it nearly stood on end, her father clung to the wall for his life.
Then he turned, supported by a single hand, and teetered on the brink of the ledge with the opal in his hand.
"Izzy!" he bellowed. "The fire stone!"
The gale instantly stopped. Ankouer whirled in fury, then dipped and struck her father's arm. He staggered, weaving back and forth with precarious balance. Just as he tumbled into the pool, he let the opal fly from his hands.
"Zacharie! Get Frank!" Liz heard Maddie scream, but there wasn't time to think of anything but the stone soaring in her direction. She raced to the edge of the pool until she stood on its very lip.
The voodoo doll had been her lifeline, and at first her hand refused to release it. Nearer the opal came, nearer and nearer, and still she couldn't force herself to let go. In desperation, she drove the needle completely through the doll's heart. Ankouer screeched. Her fingers uncurled, and the doll hit the cavern's stone floor.
Stretching to her tiptoes, she opened her hands for the gem. It was falling short, too short. She dropped to her belly, stretching out, straining, waiting. . . .
A small sob escaped her throat as the stone struck her hands. She clenched them into tight fists and eased back, gasping, onto the smooth rock. She had it now. She had it.
The shriek that followed turned her blood to ice. She lifted her head, saw hundreds of black pieces shooting out from Ankouer's spinning form. Swarming bats instantly filled the cavern. They swooped toward the lake, where Zach supported her father as he crawled from the pool.
Then the bats were upon Liz, dozens of them, flying at her hair, at her arms, at the hands grasping the opal. Their sharp little claws scraped at her fingers, which she clutched with fierce determination. But despite her will, her grip slowly weakened and the opal slipped away.
"Noooo!"
The fragile gem plummeted over the lip of the pool.
A split second later, Ankouer resumed human shape. He dove toward the falling stone, a whirling hand thrust out to catch it, new booms rising from his center.
But Zach had swept up the voodoo doll and even as the opal fell, even as Ankouer boomed his gallows laugh, Zach twisted the needle in the clay figure's heart. Again and again he twisted, expressing a violence Liz found both shocking and gratifying.
The fire ebbed and Ankouer's booms turned into another shriek. The bats soared back to their source, merging with Ankouer's slowing spiral. The monster rose toward the hole in the cavern's ceiling. Rising and rising, fading as he rose, fading . . . fading. . . .
A new flash of lightning crackled just as his spiral faded into nothing, clearly illuminating his absence.
Liz stared at the empty space with a mixture of triumph and terror. This wasn't over. Her father was still half in the water with a heart that could go at any second. The opal had rolled to a stop not far from the water's edge, and she gave thanks that the fall hadn't shattered it. Its brilliance had ebbed, and now it looked like any other stone, although the striations were quite visible under the glow of Zach's lantern.
Liz climbed to her feet and descended the ramp on shaky legs. Zach was still holding her father's head above the surface of the pool. Maddie lay on the ground with her hands extended toward him, sobbing. At the sight of Liz, she got up and rushed forward.
"Help your daddy, Izzy. Help him."
Without a moment's reflection, Liz kicked off her shoes and made a move to dive in after the men.
"Wait!" Maddie cried. "Do not chance your mama's book in the water."
"It's survived worse."
"But you are running out of luck, no?"
Liz divided her gaze between Maddie and the men, who were already closing in on the shore. They didn't seem to need her help. But in case they did, she might as well keep the journal dry. She reached in her pocket for the plastic bag containing the book, and as she started to hand it over she reconsidered.
"Just a second," she said. "Why don't you dive in and help them?"
Maddie shrugged and reached toward the journal. "Can't swim."
"Can't . . ." A swamp rat unable to swim? "What's going on here, Maddie?"
The woman laughed, and before Liz could react, Maddie snatched away the journal. Liz reached to yank it back, but Maddie whirled toward the water. In a few long strides, she swept down on the opal, then turned back and lifted it high in the air.
"I give you the guardian, master, just like I promise. Take her, take her now."
The opal flashed, and Maddie uttered a small shriek of pain, but held fast to the stone. Liz charged toward her, reaching to tear the opal from the woman's clutching hands.
An unseen force pushed at her arms, holding them back. Maddie laughed in riotous triumph. A shrill whine filled the cavern. Instantly, Liz's entire body grew leaden. She involuntarily sank to the ground, crumpled at the crowing Maddie's feet, where she choked out, "Why?"
"Ankouer promise it all to me. Your daddy, your house, the magic that once were Ellie's. I only have to give him you. It were my pleasure. All these years I be second best. Now I get it all. I get what were yours and your mama's. Think of that when Ankouer is chewing on you."
Liz listened with much greater surprise than she should have. It wouldn't have been too hard to predict Maddie's actions. But despite her hatred, Liz had never once suspected the woman of treachery. Of tempting her father, yes, but not of being in league with Ankouer. Her love for Liz's father seemed too great to permit her to hurt anyone he cared about.
The whine increased, and Maddie looked up. Liz forced her heavy neck to lift so she could follow the gaze. Le fantome noir was spiraling down from the overhead opening, slowly, leisurely, apparently in no hurry.
"Za-Zack k-killed Ankouer," Liz stuttered thickly.
"Your uppity ways done get you in trouble," Maddie replied. "Ankouer not die so easy, no, not him."
Liz barely heard the words. She felt languid and sleepy, and wasn't quite so cold anymore. Something splashed in the background, but she was certain it had nothing to do with her.
Then Maddie shrieked, and Liz snapped back from the lure of slumber. In her peripheral vision, she saw her father on the ground by the lake, heaving for breath. Above her, Zach fought Maddie for the opal. The woman kicked him, aiming for his groin, but Zach sidestepped, then spun around, taking Maddie's arm with him. He bent her forward, trying to wrench the gemstone from her hand.
"Come to my side, Ankouer," Maddie cried, even as her backward kick landed in the center of Zach's belly. "Quickly, master, come to my side!"
Zach let out a grunt and doubled over.
The phantom boomed a macabre laugh that sent further chill through the cavern. "You're doing well, servant. I give you the defender to do with as you wish."
Maddie picked up a rock and threw it at Zach, then another, and another. Her fury made her aim poor, but one glanced off his head. Blood surged from the wound, staining his hair. His eyes glazed. He staggered.
Life was returning to Liz's numb limbs, and she reached out for Maddie's ankle. As her hand closed around it, the woman fell and lost hold of the opal. She rolled, yanking her leg free, then gave a kick that struck a glancing blow off Liz's head.
But not before Liz retrieved the stone.
"Give it to me," Maddie shrieked, leaping to her feet. "Give it to me." With dizzying speed she plucked a heavy rock from the ground. The next instant she stood above Liz, the rock held high, ready to crash down.
Just as the rock descended, Zach charged forward, his arm deflecting the blow.
"Fool!" Maddie spat out. "My master will destroy you!"
At those words, the whine in the cavern rose to a hideous shriek. The funnel coalesced, forming a man-shape. Flames burst anew on the surface of the lake.
A head appeared out of the formerly swirling mass, then a torso, two arms, two legs. A man again. A man without skin or hair. A man absent of all features but hot red eyes and a gaping hole of a mouth. A man so tall his skull nearly reached the cavern's ceiling.
His billowing body dropped to the cavern floor, and he walked toward them, but his red eyes looked only at Liz. As he bore down, his footsteps made the floor shake and echo. Liz sought escape, but time had run out.
"Kill her," Maddie shrieked. "Kill the guardian!"
She shrank back as enormous hands prepared to close over her body, then felt a sudden yank. Zach, pulling her back just as the fingers closed over the space she'd occupied. But her startled reaction had jarred her fingers open. Even as she screamed in protest, the opal fell from her hand.
Maddie scooped it up. Whirling, she faced Ankouer and offered up the fire opal. "Your prize, master. It is here."
"Non, Maddie! Give it not to le fantome!"
"Leave it be, Frank!" Maddie stretched her small frame toward Ankour, shaking her head at him, but he rushed forward and snatched the gemstone from her hands.
Ankouer let out a piercing screech and lashed out, hurling Frank toward the edge of the pool, where he slid into a boneless heap.
"Papa!" Liz screamed.
Blood trickled from his mouth, and his fingers uncurled, allowing the opal to roll slowly over the stone floor to stop inches from Maddie's feet.
Maddie gave it no attention. With a wail, she rushed to Frank and fell to her knees, then abruptly jumped back up and ran to meet the advancing monster that now blocked Zach and Liz's way to Frank.
"You promise!" she screeched. "You promise me you will not hurt Frank!" She pounded at the creature, her fists disappearing into the ebony swirl, then reappearing to pound again.
"Cease, foolish servant!"
"Did I not use your power as you commanded? Did I not send the gator and the coons to destroy this guardian? Did I not create the waters to swallow her up?" Maddie's voice rose to a crescendo. "T'weren't my fault they still live!"
Maddie paused, glancing at Frank's crumpled body. "You kill my man! You kill him . . . you kill my Frank." She sank helplessly to her knees, overcome by sobs, looking up in grief-wracked defiance. "Where . . . where is your power, puny master . . . that you d-don't keep your promise?"
Liz caught Zach's eyes and they inched toward her father, hoping to go unnoticed as Ankouer's displeasure grew.
"You have not the power you say, phantom," Maddie professed heatedly. With a dramatic whirl, she bent for the opal, clutching it to her breasts as she again faced Ankouer. "Power above, power divine," she cried. The opal let out a flash of light, and this time Maddie gave no sign of pain.
"Servant, you try my patience." Even as he bellowed, Ankouer's dark shape visibly diminished in size.
Liz and Zach were nearly at her father's side when a punishing shriek escaped the hole that served as Ankouer's mouth. "You love your man so much," he roared. "Go to him!"
A massive arm swung back, then sped toward Maddie. When the blow struck, she let out a single surprised grunt before collapsing beside Frank's motionless form. The fire stone rolled gently from her grip and came to rest between their crumpled bodies.
Liz let out a gasp. No matter how horribly Maddie had schemed, Liz never wanted this. By this time, Zach had reached her father and was bending over, listening for breath, but Liz's outcry had caught the phantom's attention. An icy gaze crept down her back, chilling her soul.
Come, Guardian. Your night of reckoning is here. Liz didn't turn to face him. Instead she called softly to Zach, "Is Papa alive?"
"He's breathing," Zach said solemnly, then inclined his head toward Maddie. "But I don't think Maddie made it."
Liz nodded. The woman's neck was cocked at an unnatural angle, undoubtedly snapped by the force of the blow. The opal rested quietly—no flash of light, no warm, protective glow—in the small space separating the two bodies. Liz took a step to retrieve it.
A chill swept over her and almost sent her to her knees, warning her that if she even tried, Zach and her father would not survive. Slowly, she turned to face Ankouer. He stood above her, a swirling mass, his red eyes gleaming with anticipation, the black hole of his mouth forming into something resembling a grin.
Liz reached into her pocket for her father's pills and tossed them toward Zach.
"Take care of him," she said, then went forth to meet le fantome noir.
"Liz!" Zach bellowed. "No!"
But Liz barely heard his protest over the words from the journal echoing in her mind. The guardian shall walk into his blackest part. Destiny had finally overtaken her. Already she was touching the cold, cold flesh of Ankouer. It parted for her easily. She stepped inside without the opal, knowing certain death was ahead, but also knowing she'd just guaranteed her father's and Zach's safety. As the wall closed behind her, she felt the rumble of a cruel chuckle.
"Welcome, Guardian," said Ankouer. "The battle begins."
Chapter Twenty-four
It happened so fast Zach could hardly take it in. One second he'd been checking Frank for a pulse that appeared nonexistent, the next second Liz stepped into Ankouer's swirling body, and in the next, that manlike body changed into a vortex.
"Liz!" he roared, charging the funnel, prepared to follow her in. He hit a solid wall that sent him sprawling. He stared up, his mind spinning in tandem with the shape that had swallowed the woman he loved.
Laboring to his feet, he approached the twister again, this time more cautiously, but his touch rebounded so forcefully he felt it clean to his shoulder. Again he tried, and again. In a final burst of frustration, he pounded on the unresponsive spinning wall, only to end up staggering from the recoil.
He gazed around the cavern, inanely hoping that Liz would magically be there. She wasn't. A few flames still danced on the surface of the pool, and nearby was Maddie, stomach-down, her head jutting out grotesquely. Her dark and lifeless eyes stared at him, and the silent plea they held echoed his own. Next to her lay Frank, his left arm also twisted. Clearly broken. Zach had lied to Liz when he's said he felt a breath—or exaggerated, anyway, because the faint brush of air had probably come from the phantom.
His eyes drifted to the pill vial, which had fallen not far from Frank's feet and he stood up and went to get it. With a sense of futility he opened the nitro bottle and took out a pill. After tipping Frank's head back, he slipped his fingers between the man's lips and deposited a tablet under his tongue. The instructions on the label said to wait fifteen minutes, and if there was no response, try again.
Fifteen minutes. It seemed like an eternity.
He bent listlessly to pick up his windbreaker, which he'd dropped on the ground when he'd gone in the water after Frank. Sitting down, he took out a cigarette, then put his arms
on his knees and hunkered down to smoke it.
Run. He should run. They were dead, all dead. Nothing to do but save himself. But the funnel cloud appeared to have no interest in him, which meant he was safe for now. And leaving . . . ? He couldn't leave Liz, not without being sure.
By his account, she'd reappeared from the dead just a few days before, and since then he'd snatched her from death's greedy claws so many times he'd lost count. But this time it seemed he'd finally lost her to its grasp.
Yet there was no sense in running. Without her, he had nothing to run to. His loss ran so deep he dared not feel it. A heavy sigh went out on an exhale of smoke, and he leaned forward to pull his flask from his back pocket.
It felt light in his hand, half empty at least, but he might as well drink his fill. Maybe it would numb him sufficiently to face hauling corpses through the dank tunnel. For that was all that was left to do. Bury the dead and say a prayer for Liz.
He lifted the flask to his lips.
"Zacharie."
Turning, he saw that Frank's eyes were open, and he jumped so bad he almost dropped his flask. But as soon as his heart stopped pounding, it lifted, allowing entrance to a scrap of hope. He recapped the flask and went to Frank's side.
"Hey, partner," he said, kneeling beside the fallen man. "I thought we'd lost you. Looks like you broke your arm. How bad does it hurt?"
"Izzy . ."
"She's fine," Zach lied. "Just fine."
"Pas du tout," Frank replied, then launched into whispered French.
"I can't understand you, Frank. Speak English."
"Oui, oui. You must be bold, mon ami. Izzy is inside Ankouer, yes?"
Since his lie had failed, Zach nodded grimly. "Does she got the opal?"
Zach shook his head, tilting it toward the spot between Frank and Maddie. When Frank saw Maddie, a low moan left his lips. He reached out slowly, and touched her now pale face. "Adieu, mon amour."
Good-bye, my love. Even with his poor grasp of French, Zach understood, and he looked away, unwilling to intrude on this grieving man's moment.
Chills & Thrills Paranormal Boxed Set Page 24