Maël nods. “I agree. Lucifer does not know that we are aware of his other plan. He will think that he has the element of surprise. That he will be able to take us by surprise. But we will be ready for his arrival after we have saved the final soul.”
I want to counter with a ‘we will?’ but manage to swallow it at the last moment.
Maël seems to pick up my doubts, because she continues by saying, “If we want to make certain that we are ready in time, we should split up.”
I take in the hesitant faces around the table. My brain is working overtime, trying to figure out our best move.
I can tell by D’Maeo’s face that he agrees with Maël, but he appears to be just as unhappy about it as I am.
He waits patiently for me to make a decision, though. While I go through all of our options in my head, the only sound in the room is that of the old oven whirring and spoons clanking in pans as Mona finishes her feast.
The sudden tension hanging in the air is palpable. I meet Mom’s eyes, and she nods encouragingly.
I take a deep breath. “As much as I hate to admit it, I think it’s best if we split up. Two of us should go with Dylan, to solve his unfinished business, while the rest of us stays here to transfer Charlotte’s powers to Mom and train.”
“Then there’s no question about who is going with Dylan,” Taylar says. “Charlie and Gisella are the only ones who can leave the house without you.”
When I don’t answer, his left eyebrow moves up. “Unless you want to go with him yourself?”
As fear suddenly washes over me, I place my elbows on the table and hide my face in my hands. “I don’t know. I hate that we need to split up again.” I press my hands against my face. “Three of us got lost before, and we’ve only been reunited for a couple of hours. I’m afraid to lose someone again if I let one of you out of my sight for even a minute.” I push myself up and start pacing, the tension inside me too heavy to sit still. Mona raises a hand when I pass her, ready to sprinkle me with her soothing sparkles, but I shake my head. “No, please let me finish.”
She nods and turns back to her pots and pans.
“I know it’s irrational to worry about all of you constantly. I know that we’re all in danger and that some of us, or maybe even all of us, will get hurt whether we’re together or not. But I am…” I bite my lip, wondering whether I should say this out loud or not, being the leader and all that. Eventually I decide to be honest. “I am scared of losing you guys. Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll lose you no matter what we do.”
Vicky reaches out to me, and I smile at her. “But I can’t let that get in our way. That’s what Satan wants, for us to get so scared we’ll do stupid things. And the stupidest thing we can do is lose faith in our abilities. So we will split up, because there’s not much time left to prepare for the battle that’s coming. The demons have been chasing down the souls faster with each circle, so I expect the last Cards of Death to arrive soon. And Dylan needs to get rid of his unfinished business before it bites him in the ass.” I grin when Kessley lets out an involuntary chuckle. “I just want you all to know that it’s okay to be scared, but that we need to do what’s best. And splitting up for a little while is what’s best now.”
I nod and sit down, suddenly tired. I guess pouring your heart out can do that to a person. But I also feel better. I think I needed to hear these words myself the most. I knew deep inside that it was fine to be afraid. Logical, inevitable even. But that feeling won’t stop any of us. We’ll keep fighting until Satan is back in Hell, covered by nine layers of sinners, or until we can’t fight anymore. Which I guess is never, because even from Heaven, we’ll be able to continue our fight. Or from the Shadow World or wherever we will end up if we die or move on. We’ll keep going until the threat is gone.
Jeep places his hat on the table and rests his hands on it. “That was a great speech, Dante. I don’t admit this often, but I am afraid too. Being trapped inside that empty world, with those ghost mages escaping from my tattoos, was one of the worst and scariest moments of my life, yet I’m sure facing Lucifer will be worse. But you are right, it’s fine to feel fear, because it means we have something to lose. It means we care about ourselves, each other and the outcome of our fight. Remember that the demons only care about themselves, and the Devil only cares about himself and the outcome. None of them will shed a tear if any of their ‘friends’…” he makes quotation marks in the air, “get killed. Which is why they have less fear.”
“But also less love,” Maël adds.
He points at her. “Exactly! We have much more to fight for! Lucifer fights only for himself.”
Dylan sits up straight, nodding vigorously. “Thanks, guys. I feel much better. Just as frightened, but much better nevertheless.”
Vicky slaps him on the back. “Join the club.”
Charlie leans closer to him across the table. “You’ll feel even better soon.”
Dylan blinks at him. “Why?”
Charlie points his thumb over his shoulder. “Because Mona’s treats are almost finished.”
Dylan stares at him without moving. Then, slowly, the corners of his mouth turn up. “You’re right,” he says, and then he starts laughing.
I’ve never heard a laugh like his before. It’s much lower than his speaking voice, but when he laughs harder, it changes to a higher ‘hee-hee-hee’, which reminds me of a donkey. It’s super weird, but very contagious, and soon we’re all laughing, some of us more hysterically than others. Kessley bends over so far that she hits her head on the table, which only makes her laugh more.
Even Maël is laughing, although she doesn’t make a sound. Once a queen, always a queen.
Mom looks happy and relaxed too, and once again, I’m grateful that she doesn’t remember much of what happened to her.
Since Mona is laughing as much as we are, she sends her sparks to take the pans from the stove. They also hand out plates, that almost smack some of us in the face because they are affected by Mona’s laughing. They tremble almost as much as she does, which sends them off-balance. Of course, their erratic motions cause even more laughter. Eventually, Mona gives up and calls back her sparks. I catch my plate before they drop it on the ground and try to suck in air between my hiccups.
Dylan is still imitating a donkey, and Vicky places a hand on his arm. “Please stop, you’re killing the people in the room who aren’t dead yet. They can’t breathe.”
My gaze shifts to Mom, who has covered her mouth, as if she can stop laughing that way. Charlie, on the other side of the table, is nearly choking. Gisella slaps him on the back forcefully, with a wide grin on her face.
Dylan turns around in his chair, and the high-pitched sounds are soon replaced by the low chuckling again.
I wipe the sweat from my forehead and take a couple of deep breaths. “What a great way to end the day, guys.”
Taylar regains his cool too and says, rather seriously, “The day isn’t over yet. We’ve got plenty of time to mess it up. It’s not even dinner time yet, even though it sure smells like it!”
Everyone stops laughing, and Kessley nudges Taylar in the side. “Way to spoil the mood.”
“It’s fine,” I say, swatting her words away. “We can’t laugh all day.” I nod at Dylan, who’s still hiccupping. “At least, most of us can’t.”
The tension evaporates again. Mona wipes her blonde locks back in place and straightens her dress. “The food is ready!”
We take our time trying each of the dishes she cooked. They’re all beyond delicious.
When we’re finally done―and more than satisfied―we all lean back in our seats.
“When this is over,” Kessley says, rubbing her belly, “you should start a restaurant, Mona. You could make tons of money.”
The fairy godmother shrugs. “I could, but I don’t need money. The Magical Government pays me.”
Mom stands up suddenly, swaying on her feet. “I’m sorry, if I could,
I would stay here for hours to talk, but I’m exhausted. I think I’ll go lie down for an hour or so, if you don’t mind.”
Charlie opens his mouth to object, but D’Maeo is faster. “I think that’s an excellent idea. You’ve been through a lot, and you’ll need all the energy you can get for when we’re transferring Charlotte’s powers to you.”
Mom shoots him a weak smile that makes my heart shrink. She’s not okay with this plan. I can’t let her go through with it.
“I’ll come with you for a second,” I say, rising to my feet as well.
She seems surprised, but she merely nods and says goodbye to the others.
I follow her to the top floor.
“What’s up?” she asks, while she closes the curtains.
I have a feeling she doesn’t really want Charlotte’s powers, but when I tell her that, she repeats that it is the best option and that she does want it.
She walks over to me and gives me a hug. “We’ll be okay, Dante.” She holds me at arm’s length. “Remember how this all started? First with the fits. We had no idea what they were or why they were happening, but we dealt with them, didn’t we?”
I nod, unable to answer her because of the big clump of emotions suddenly stuck in my throat.
“And then John left. We were both devastated. Angry, somber, bitter. But we kept going.”
“Yes,” I whisper.
“And then you found out you were the chosen one. You didn’t want to be. You knew nothing of the magical world. You didn’t know how to fight; you didn’t even know what your powers were. But you kept going. You know why?”
I wet my lips. “Because I had no other choice?”
She squeezes my shoulders. “Because you knew deep down that you could do it. Because you are stronger than you thought you were. We both are.”
I let her words sink in and realize she’s right. I didn’t always believe I was strong enough, but I kept going anyway, which probably means that I am strong enough to pull this off.
Mom moves her hand to my chest. “Besides that, you’ve got a good heart, Dante. You don’t give up, because you know people will die if you do, and you can’t stand the thought of that.”
With every word she says, my doubts and longing for the old days get weaker.
I put my arms around her again. “You know, I inherited that good heart from you and Dad.”
I can feel her smiling against my shoulder.
“You’re the best mom in the world. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Dante. Let’s do this together, okay?”
I let her go and hold out my hand. “Deal.”
She shakes my hand and smiles.
Then I turn and walk to the door. “I’ll let you rest now. We’ve got a lot of preparations to take care of.”
She blows me a kiss. I catch it and close the door, only to hear her calling my name a second later.
I stick my head back inside. “Yes?”
“Look what I found in my pocket.” She shows me a piece of paper. Confusion paints her face, and a small blush creeps up from her neck.
“What does it say?”
At a loss for words, she holds the note out to me. I walk over to her and take it. My eyes flick over the words fast, but it takes me two reads to believe what it says.
My dear Susan,
I am sorry for what I did to you. All I wanted was for you to love me back. I see now that this was not the right way.
Lucifer wants me to use you to get to Dante. I could never do that. Therefore, I must let you go, for now. I will lock you in a protected space in the Monastery of Saint Gertrude. I know Dante will find you there. He might be a pain in the ass, but he is also smart and perceptive.
I can’t let him take you easily though. Lucifer would know. And Dante is still my enemy.
Which is why I will set up a trap. If the trap works and none of his friends survives to take you home safely, I will come and get you myself. But I suspect there will be someone left to take care of you.
Oh, Susan, I wish you could stay with me. I already miss you.
I hope you will love me, some day.
Forever yours,
Trevor
My mouth is still open when I finally look up at Mom. “Trevor put you there to make sure you were safe?”
Her cheeks are a bright red now. “I guess so.”
“Well,” I hand the note back, suddenly shivering at the thought of Trevor almost crying over it, “there must be a tiny bit of good left inside him, after all.”
Mom stares at the piece of paper in her hand. “Yes, I guess there is.”
I narrow my eyes. “Mom?” My voice is sharp, and she looks up.
“What?”
“Don’t let this fool you. He is still evil.”
Her shoulders sag a little. “I know.”
A cold hand wraps around my heart. “Don’t tell me you’ve got feelings for him.”
She shakes her head vigorously. “I don’t! I think there’s a bit of the love potion left in my blood. And to be honest…” she clears her throat, “I am flattered.”
I grin. “Well, it’s obvious how awesome you are, so I can’t really blame him.”
She grins back and crumples up the note. “I guess not.”
CHAPTER 24
When I get back down, the others are all hyped up about something.
They’re all talking at once and gesturing like mad.
I stop in the doorway and wait for someone to notice me, but no one does.
Eventually, I clear my throat. The only one who hears me is Mona, who is standing beside Vicky. She turns to me with a wide smile. “Oh, great, you’re back! We’ve got some good news.”
The buzz in the room dies down, and all eyes are on Vicky, who looks at me with glistening eyes. “I know how to create the circles of Hell.”
It’s as if electricity flows through me, but in a good way. It propels me forward, and instead of hugging her, it’s more like crashing into her. The back of her chair bores into my chest, but I don’t mind.
When I finally let go, I beam at her. “See? I knew Charon was telling the truth.”
One corner of her mouth goes up further. “No, you didn’t. I sensed your doubts.”
I swat her words away. “That was just a tiny bit.” I slap my hands together. “So, that’s it? You know what to do? Or do you need to practice?”
Charlie swallows the last home-made brownie in one bite and wipes the crumbs from the table onto his hand. “That’s what we were discussing when you walked in. It’s not as if she can create a whole new structure of circles while the existing ones are still intact.”
“And even if she can,” Jeep says, tossing his hat in the air and catching it on the tip of his finger, “Satan is bound to notice. He will send his troops to take her out, for sure.”
I tap my chin in thought. “True…” I turn back to Vicky. “But if you’re confident that you’ll be able to do it, we’ll need to trust in that.”
She averts her eyes and plays with the fork that’s still lying in front of her. “Well… I’m not completely sure I’ll do it right the first time. That’s why I was thinking…” She wets her lips before she continues. “Maybe I could practice on a smaller scale on… a demon.”
There’s no sound in the room as I process her words. I try not to freak out. She wants to risk our lives and that of countless others by luring a demon to us? If we would do that, which I doubt is smart, we’re definitely not doing it here. This place is impossible to find for our enemies, and I’d like to keep it that way. So… “Where did you want to do this exactly?”
She exhales slowly, relieved that I didn’t brush the whole idea off immediately. “Well, obviously far away from people, and preferably at a place that we know well.” She seems to weigh her next words before she says them out loud. “I was thinking: the silver mine.”
She hasn’t even finished her se
ntence, and I’m already shaking my head. “No way. We can’t do anything that dangerous close to the portal that Beelzebub came through. They will notice. And what if something goes wrong and the mine caves in?”
She adjusts her leather jacket. “What other choice do we have? We can’t do it here, and we can’t do it with people nearby.”
D’Maeo starts pacing. “I was thinking… you could cast a spell to make sure neither of those things happen. Practicing on solid ground will be better than on something soft like grass or forest soil.”
“I agree, that’s bound to be more challenging,” Taylar says.
“Plus,” Maël interrupts. “She will only create circles big enough to trap a small demon.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “I see you have already decided this together. No need for me to give my opinion.”
Vicky reaches for my hand. “That’s not true. We want to know what you think. This was the best we could come up with, but maybe you have other ideas. I know this isn’t ideal, but I don’t want to go into the final battle blind. I need to know for sure that I’ll be able to create the circles.”
I sigh. “Of course.”
Mona starts clearing the table. She does it by hand instead of sending her sparks to do it. When she sees me staring, she shrugs. “It helps me think.”
Everyone is lost in thought for a moment. The fairy godmother is the first one to break the uncomfortable silence. “I think it will work. After all, the invisibility I put on the house works on Lucifer, so why shouldn’t your spells work?”
Maël stands up and throws back her cape. “She is right, Dante. I think you underestimate yourself. We should do this now.”
The others nod, and I rub my face hard. If so many people believe in me, how can I refuse? Should I trust them or my own instinct? Is this even instinct I’m feeling, or is it only self-doubt?
Vicky pulls my hands away from my face. “Look at me.”
I do, and for a moment, I’m lost in a deep blue ocean. The moment ends with a kiss on my lips. “Stop doubting yourself. You can do this.”
The Eighth Mage Page 17