The Eighth Mage

by Tamara Geraeds

  Vicky pats her endless pocket with a meaningful look at me. I reach in, take out the pearl and hold it up for Quinn to see.

  Then, something happens that I’ve never seen before.

  Quinn’s jaw drops.

  He reaches for the pearl and takes it from Vicky carefully. His chest moves faster than usual. This pearl must really be something special.

  “The Pearl of Arcadia,” he finally says in a stunned whisper.

  After the tenth time of him turning it around before his eyes, my patience runs out. “A premonition told me this thing can do more than repeat the message that God gave the angels. Do you know what it is?”

  “I do,” Quinn says, moving his hand up as if he’s releasing a bird. The pearl rises up and floats in our midst, halfway between the table and the ceiling.

  I bite my lip to prevent myself from screaming at Quinn to ‘Tell us what it does already!’

  Finally, he starts to explain. “What you have here, is one of the most powerful calling devices in existence.”

  “Calling devices?” Kessley and I ask at the same time.

  Quinn nods without taking his eyes off the pearl. “If you activate this, it will send a signal to every human being on Earth that will one day become an angel.”

  I shake my head in confusion. “What? How would it even know who to call? You said the choice to become an angel was yours.”

  He folds his hand around the pearl and gives it back to me. After one last look, I drop it into Vicky’s pocket.

  “I did,” Quinn says. “Each potential angel has the choice once they die. They can either go to Heaven or become an angel. Sometimes they are asked to become one; sometimes the request comes from themselves. Either way, that pearl…” he points at Vicky, “has the power to gather a small army.”

  There’s a stunned silence.

  Maël adjusts her cape, which is completely smooth again. “I have never heard of such an object.”

  Quinn shows her his white teeth in a conspiratorial smile. “That’s because it’s top secret.”

  Vicky slides to the edge of the bed, curiosity written all over her face. “What happens when the signal is sent?”

  “Once the call reaches the potential angels, each and every one of them has to choose between death or becoming an angel. If they choose death, they will instantly forget the call and live out their lives, after which they will move on to Heaven. If they choose to become an angel, however, they will be obligated to answer your call.”

  “And they will fight with us as angels?”

  “Yes, if you tell them to.”

  Kessley is getting excited again, bouncing slightly on her feet. “Does that mean Dante will be their master?”

  “Until their task is fulfilled, yes.”

  Kess grabs Taylar for support. “You’ll have a shield of thousands!”

  “That’s a bit optimistic,” Quinn responds.

  “Hundreds then?”

  “About a hundred, maybe.” He gives her a friendly smile. “People under fifteen will not hear the call. And don’t forget that most angels were never human. You need a pure heart to become one, and not many people have that.”

  “I know lots of people with a pure heart,” she counters.

  “Are you sure?” There’s a twinkle in Quinn’s eye as he holds her gaze. “Did they ever bully anyone? Exclude someone? Lie? Keep wrongfully given change at a store? Ignore people who were bothering someone else? Leave someone who had fallen?”

  With every word he utters, Kessley’s shoulders sag a little lower. When Quinn finishes his list, the sixth ghost crosses her arms. “You can’t tell me people like that actually exist.”

  Charlie and I chuckle at the same time. My best friend slaps Quinn on the back. “Qaddisin here is exactly like that.”

  Kessley snorts. “Of course he is. He’s an angel.”

  “True,” Quinn says before either of us can respond. “But I was like that when I was still human.”

  Suddenly Jeep throws his hat against the ceiling, startling us all. Except for Quinn, who glances over his shoulder with a small frown.

  “As fascinating as this all is,” the tattooed ghost says, “the most important question here is… how do we activate the pearl?”

  Quinn walks around my friends and halts at the door. He holds out his hand to Dylan, standing in the doorway. “Hi, I’m Qaddisin. Quinn for friends.”

  Dylan stares at him with wide eyes. He seems overwhelmed by the presence of an angel. I can’t blame him, most of us never get to meet one.

  His hand trembles when he shakes Quinn’s. “D-Dylan. Dylan f-for… friends.”

  Quinn chuckles. “Nice to meet you.” He studies the young mage from head to toe. “I have a feeling you have something to do with the sudden appearance of this pearl. Am I right?”

  “Y-yes, sir. I had one of th-the flowers it c-came out of.”

  Quinn squeezes his shoulder. “There’s no need to be nervous. We’re all friends here.”

  “S-sorry, sir,” Dylan stutters.

  Quinn winks at him. “And it’s Quinn, not sir.”

  Dylan gives him a trembling smile. He still can’t take his eyes off him, and it’s starting to get uncomfortable. Mona must sense it too, because she stands up from D’Maeo’s lap and aims some sparks at the young mage.

  When they reach him, Dylan visibly relaxes. His hands stop trembling, his shoulders loosen up and he blinks several times. “Thanks, Mona.”

  “You know, Dylan…” Quinn tilts his head. “Only a handful of people are able to receive a golden peony, like you and Dante did. You’re special, Dylan. I should be the one trembling in your presence.” He winks again.

  Dylan laughs. “Thanks, but I’m not that special.”

  “Of course you are,” Gisella counters immediately. “Have you forgotten what we found out yesterday?”

  Dylan fidgets with the hem of his shirt. “No, but I’m still not sure I believe it.”

  “You’d better get used to it,” Kessley says cheerily, “because you’re part of the special squad now!”

  “Hear hear,” Taylar says half-heartedly, which results in a mean poke in his side from his girlfriend.

  “Seriously, though.” Quinn looks at all of us, one by one. “I need to get back soon, so I’ll tell you how to activate the pearl.”

  We file downstairs and Quinn is about to finish his instructions when there’s a knock on the front door.

  When I open it, the iele float inside. “Sorry we’re early,” Soimane, the leader, says. “But the marodium seem to be up to something.”

  Sfinte, the one of the left, wipes a gray lock out of her eye. “We think they want to expand their territory.”

  “Which means our chances of defeating them are shrinking,” Mandre finishes.

  They follow me into the kitchen where they repeat the bad news.

  “We can go now,” I say.

  “Fine with me.” Vicky stands up and wipes some dust from her leather pants. “But what about Charlotte’s powers?”

  I bite my lip. “Well, maybe you should transfer them to Mom.”

  Quinn shakes his head. “That’s a bad idea. You should leave that to someone who excels at spells.”

  Vicky drops back into her chair. She looks tired. “Dante then. But we can’t leave this house without him.”

  “You won’t have to,” Quinn replies. “Once you get back from Affection, there will be enough time to transfer Charlotte’s powers and for Susan to train. That is, if you leave now.”

  Kessley stares at Quinn with her mouth open. “You know when our battle with the Devil will take place?”

  Quinn stands up and spreads his wings, that pop out of his back. The feathers touch Mom and Dylan’s heads, and they both close their eyes for a second.

  “I can feel the battle drawing near,” he says, while the light from inside him burns brighter and brighter. “And I can tell you,
you need to hurry. We all do.” And with that, he turns into a blinding flash and disappears.

  CHAPTER 30

  I stand up and rub my hands together. “Well, that settles it then. We’re postponing the transfer of Charlotte’s powers until after our visit to Affection. We’d better leave now.” I turn to the iele. “I reckon you know the way?”

  Soimane’s nod makes her long hair flow up and down. It’s mesmerizing, and it takes a couple of seconds for me to tear my gaze away from it.

  Charlie stands up and bows lightly. “May I offer you a ride?”

  Soimane gives him her most beautiful smile, and for the first time, I see a hint of jealousy on Gisella’s face.

  “Thank you,” the leader of the iele says, “but we never take the car. We’ve got our own way of traveling.” She slides over to the front door, as always followed closely by the two other fairies.

  “Does everyone have their weapons?” I check.

  Taylar disappears for a second and returns with a sword and shield in his hands. Vicky taps her right side. “Got it.”

  I frown at her, wondering if I’ll ever find out how she hides a sword underneath those tight clothes. But in the end, I guess some things are better left a mystery. It would be like a magician revealing a trick: once you know how it works, it’s not as mesmerizing anymore.

  When everyone is ready, we say a quick goodbye to Mona and Mom and jump into our cars. The iele rise higher into the air, wait for both Charlie and me to hold up our thumbs, and take off.

  Everyone is quiet. I think we’re all thinking about Quinn’s words: ‘I can feel the battle drawing near.’ We all know it’s coming, but hearing an angel saying it out loud somehow makes it more real. Even Vicky is worried. A deep frown is etched into her forehead.

  I focus on the road in front of me. The iele fly at lightning speed, but their posture is the same as before. It’s almost as if they’re hovering in one place, except that their hair and clothes move even more than usual. It’s a weird sight and, to be honest, a bit distracting, because once again I have trouble tearing my eyes away from them. After I almost steer Phoenix into a tree or two, I ask Jeep to keep an eye on the iele and tell me where they’re going.

  Once we’re out of the forest, the fairies rise higher. A quick glance tells me they’re out of my sight. “I can’t see them anymore. Have they left us?”

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got them,” Jeep answers. His voice sounds far away, and when I turn my head, I nearly drive the car off the road again. Jeep’s head is sticking out through the roof. To me, he’s now a headless body.

  “Wow, keep your eyes on the road!” Vicky yells from the backseat, and I yank the wheel to keep us from crashing.

  We leave Blackford soon, and when it slowly gets smaller in my rearview mirror, doubt starts to prickle my neck. What if we overestimate ourselves? These marodium monsters sound dangerous.

  “Maybe we should go over the plan again,” I suggest.

  When the ghosts in the backseat agree, I dial Charlie’s number and put him on speaker.

  We go over every detail of our strategy again, and the goosebumps on my neck and arms disappear.

  “I think we’re here,” Jeep says, lowering himself back into his seat.

  I slow down and see the iele floating closer to the ground. When they block my way, I park Phoenix and give her a gentle pat on the wheel.

  “Try not to get hurt,” I whisper.

  Everyone files out of the two cars, except Vicky.

  I open the car door and peer inside. “What’s wrong?”

  She’s grabbing her head with both hands. Her jaws are clenched tightly. “It’s happening again.”

  My heart stutters. “What is?”

  She rocks back and forth. “A little bit was hidden deep inside my head. It’s fighting for control.”

  I fling myself forward onto the back seat and pull her into my arms.

  I didn’t want to think about the possibility that we beat him too easily before, but now I have no choice but to face it. “Beelzebub?”

  She rests her head against my chest. “Maybe you should leave me here. Lock me in with a spell.”

  “No, I’m not leaving you alone. What if he makes you hurt yourself?”

  A rustle behind me startles me, and instinctively, I throw a lightning bolt at the shape that bends toward us.

  Jeep goes transparent just in time to make it fly through him.

  “Sorry,” I say.

  He waves my apology away and addresses Vicky. “You controlled it before, you can do it again. You’re strong now, Vick, and one of the toughest girls I’ve ever known. I have faith in you.”

  I kiss the top of her head. “Me too.” The moment the words leave my lips, I believe them. She can suppress Beelzebub’s influence. “Use your new powers.”

  She sits up abruptly, almost giving me a head-butt. “You’re right. I can’t hold it back forever, but I can hold on for now.”

  She hops out of the car without opening the door on her side, and I crawl backwards.

  The others are watching with concerned faces a couple of paces away. Vicky holds up her thumb and relief washes over their faces.

  Jeep and I meet Vicky at the back of the car. I grab her hand, and electricity pulses through it.

  “Don’t let fear get a hold of you, that’s what he uses to take over control,” Jeep warns her.

  Vicky straightens her shoulders and lifts her chin. “I’ll be okay. For now. Let’s do this.”

  We gather behind the three fairies. Soimane points at a line of trees about a hundred feet away. “Do you know what kind of tree that is?”

  All the info Dad fed me during camping when I was little comes back to me. “Douglas firs.”

  “Exactly. And do you notice anything strange about them?”

  I shake off the last of my worries and narrow my eyes. “Eh…” More memories shoot through my mind. Then it hits me. “The branches and needles start too low on the trunk for a Douglas fir.”

  Maël points her staff at the trees in the middle. “But only those four look different.”

  “Well-spotted,” Soimane compliments us. “That is because the trees in the middle are an illusion. They hide the entrance into town.”

  D’Maeo and Jeep are scouting our surroundings.

  “Won’t we be spotted if we go in through the main entrance?” D’Maeo asks.

  “It’s the only opening; the rest of the town is sealed off.” Soimane grins while she floats higher. “But don’t worry, we’ll create a distraction for you.”

  Without another word, they take off to a point high above our heads and soar toward the hidden town.

  We wait patiently for a sign that we can go in.

  After a while, Taylar tilts his head. “I can’t even hear anything. How are we supposed to know when to go in?”

  A loud rumbling freezes us all to the spot. It’s followed by a blue buzzing in the air, like electricity. Sounds trickle through to us. Yelling, growling, smashing, and more. Birds rise from the trees, screeching in fright.

  “I think they broke the sound shield around it,” Charlie comments.

  “That must be our cue,” Gisella answers.

  As one, we start running toward the line of trees. It’s weird to keep going when we get close to the illusion. With the bark of the nearest tree only an inch from my face, my legs almost refuse. But I force them to keep going and squeeze my eyes shut for a second. When I open them again, I’m running through a hazy world. Sounds are muffled, and everyone on the other side of the illusion consists of only vague shapes and dampened colors. Then I break through and come to a halt to give my eyes time to adjust to the suddenly vivid colors and my ears to the loud sounds. Vicky stops next to me, Kessley is on my other side, gaping at the houses and vegetation around us. “It’s beautiful here!”

  I point at a picturesque farm with a large barn to our left. “The noise is coming
from behind that house, so that’s where we’re going.”

  We start walking, fast but carefully, looking around and over our shoulders constantly. But this part of Affection is deserted; the iele have done a great job of luring the marodium away from us.

  Maël reaches the barn first. She peers around the corner and beckons us. We follow silently, Taylar pulling Kessley along because she keeps gaping at the gorgeous flowers that line the whole street.

  We’re halfway across the cobblestone driveway when Jeep whistles softly. Dylan bumps into me when I come to a sudden halt and turn back to face the tattooed ghost.

  Jeep points at the barn wall next to him and then at his ears. He heard something.

  We retrace our steps, and I put my ear against the wall. Whispers drift toward us. They cling to me, wrap around my head, but not in a threatening way. It’s more like a soft touch.

  “That’s weird,” I whisper. “Should we go check it out?”

  Could it be a trap? I try to signal with my eyes.

  Vicky places her hand on the wall and frowns. When she lowers her arm, her jaw sets. “Prisoners.”

  “We can free them once we’ve taken care of the marodium,” D’Maeo says while he starts to walk away from the barn again.

  “No.” Vicky’s voice stops him in his tracks. She has found a slit between the boards. She peers through it and backs up so fast that she almost trips over her own feet.

  Jeep and I catch her.

  “What is it? Are you okay?” With my eyes I ask her the real question that’s haunting me. Are you losing control?

  She blinks several times. “I’m fine. But… these aren’t just any kind of prisoners. I think they’re...”

  “You think they’re what?” I urge her.

  “Angels,” she answers, barely audible. “And they are in pain.”

  I rub my eyes and swallow a sigh. “So that’s what the morodium were up to. They’ve captured angels.”

  Dylan walks to the wooden door. “We should free them.”

  I study him, while my brain goes in overdrive. There’s an angry glint in his eyes that I haven’t seen before, plus a lot of determination. Is this a trick? Is this what he’s been waiting for all along? To stop us from attacking the marodium and lock us in the process?