When he opened them again, there was nothing left of Mr. Bedrik, not even his clothes. The swirling black mass shifted again and again, finished with its feast. Danny felt its rage, a cold and bitter furnace of energies.
Gustav stepped forward. “Now you go back to where you came from.”
THE PRISON…
“Nyet. Death is not a prison. You are free. Go to the next place and return here no more.”
Gustav banished Martin Bedrik’s spirit and the shadow vanished. Silence returned to the cemetery. The lightning bugs fell to the ground, dead. Darkness, normal darkness, closed in on them again. Danny took a hesitant step and found that he could move. He ran to his mother and untied her. She was unconscious.
“Will she be okay?”
“Da. She will wake up soon. You should get her home.”
Danny glanced around the battleground. The man with the knife lay at the foot of the crypt.
“Gustav, what just happened here? What was that thing?”
“Martin Bedrik’s spirit has been following you,” Gustav said. “You found each other, yes? It latched on to you. Tried to use your power to come back and get revenge. But it did not know how and neither did you. I helped it tonight. I knew we would need him to help defeat his brother.”
“You used him,” Danny muttered, “just like you used me.”
“Danny—”
“Don’t say another fucking word. I heard what you told Mr. Bedrik. I thought you were my friend. I believed in you. You lied to me. Gave me those presents. Told me I was magic. But I’m not, am I? All this time, all you wanted was my power. You used me. Wanted what I could give you. You’re just like everyone else. Just like Mom stealing my money. I hate you.”
Gustav nodded sadly.
“I wish I’d never met you. Wish I’d never found that stupid body. Wish none of this had ever happened.”
Gustav spoke softly. “You wish to forget?”
“What do you think, you commie asshole? Of course I do. Matt. My Dad…”
Before Danny could react, Gustav reached out and touched his forehead.
“Sleep.”
Danny slumped over, as unconscious as his mother. Gustav caught him as he fell.
“You will fall again, Danny, and the next time, I will not be able to catch you.” His voice choked with emotion. “I wish that I could, but I cannot. Even I am not that powerful, yes? If I could, I would fix it. I would move Hook Mountain for you. You are like son to me. But this will not happen.”
He loaded the boy and his mother into the police car and drove them home. They did not wake as he tucked them into their beds. He collected the presents he’d given to Danny from the boy’s room, and sobbed when he flipped through Danny’s Book of Shadows.
After regaining his composure, Gustav removed all traces of himself from the house. Tomorrow, Danny and his mother would wake up with no memories of what had happened. Bedrik’s death—as well as the deaths of Matt, Amiratti, and many others—would become just another statistic, the violent cost of living in Brackard’s Point. In time, Danny would mend his friendship with Chuck, Ronnie, and Jeremy—whose secret name was Jammer. Gustav knew this, even if the boy did not. They would become friends again, better than ever. Danny’s mother would not drink. She would get a better job and pay attention to her son. None of them would remember any of what had happened. Danny would forget all about magic.
And Danny would be happy for the rest of his brief life.
Gustav returned to the police car and drove into the night. He was tired, but there was still much to do before he went to sleep. He had to take care of the car once and for all. Tomorrow, he would begin hunting down the rest of the renegade shades, the ones Bedrik had placed inside the local government, fire and police departments, churches, and elsewhere. With their master destroyed, the shades were free to act on their own, living the lives they’d stolen. He couldn’t allow the charade to continue. The dead should stay dead.
More people would vanish under mysterious circumstances over the coming days. Then, when he was finished, Brackard’s Point would return to normal—whatever that may be.
He turned on the radio. Music filled the car, and Gustav sang along, his voice full of pain and regret.
“If you could read my mind, what a tale my thoughts would tell…”
Tears slid down his whiskered face.
He’d lied to the boy. Danny was indeed magic. He had the gift. The ability. Magic was a part of Danny and in time, he’d have learned it all over again, with or without Gustav’s help. But Danny would not have that time. The old man’s heart broke. He wept as he drove, and the heavens cried along with him.
Magic had a price.
Magic was knowledge and power and sometimes sacrifice.
Gustav had knowledge of Danny’s fate.
He did not have the power to stop it.
And that was the heaviest sacrifice of all.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
GEOFF COOPER WAS BORN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROPHECY. WHEN THIS LAMENTABLE DAY TRANSPIRED IS UNCLEAR. THE CURRENT HYPOTHESIS PLACES THE EVENT SOMETIME BETWEEN THE RISE OF THE BABYLON AND THE FALL OF KABUL. COOP’S SHORT STORIES HAVE APPEARED IN MANY ANTHOLOGIES AND A MAGAZINE OR TWO. CEMETERY DANCE PUBLICATIONS PUBLISHED HIS NOVELLA, RETRIBUTION, INC, AND WAS ONE OF THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED MAGAZINES. HE HAS BEEN A MECHANIC, A SECURITY GUARD, A FIREFIGHTER, A FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR, A DRIVER OF CARS OF QUESTIONABLE LEGALITY, AND A PROVIDER OF THINGS FOR THOSE WITH MORE MONEY THAN SENSE. CURRENTLY, HE HOLDS THE TITLE OF DUCK. YEAH, AS IN ‘QUACK’. DON’T ASK: IT’S BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION. HE’S GOT MORE OPINIONS THAN THE BIBLE HAS BEGATS. WHISKY TANGO FOXTROT, OVER…
Brian Keene lives in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, and writes books for a living. Trust us; it’s not nearly as glamorous as it sounds. Just like magic, there’s always a price. His previous titles include Ghoul, Dead Sea, The Rising, City of the Dead, The Conqueror Worms, Fear of Gravity, Terminal, and many more. Several of his books and stories have been adapted for comics, and several more are slated for film and video games. He probably owes you an email or a phone call, and promises to get around to it one of these days. He would like to take this moment to stop being a smart-ass and sincerely thank you for your patience. Visit him online at www.briankeene.com
Cemetery Dance Publications
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Authors' Note
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
About The Authors
Cemetery Dance Publications
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