The Sixth Ghost: a supernatural urban fantasy action adventure (Cards of Death book 6)

by Tamara Geraeds

  “We’re strong,” I tell her. “And so is he. We’ll defeat this chaos thing.” I kiss her cheek and let go. “We’ll prepare a spell from my father’s notebook to trap it while you fetch Mrs. Delaney. Once she’s here, we’ll lure the demon into the protective circle in the back garden. Mrs. Delaney will use her power to tear D’Maeo away from it. I’ll trap it, and then we’ll have time to figure out a way to kill it.”

  Mona nods at everything I say. “Okay, that could work.”

  “It will work,” I assure her.

  She keeps nodding. “Yes. Yes, it will.”

  “Go,” I urge her. “And be careful.”

  “You too,” she says with a sad smile. Then she disappears in a cloud full of dull sparks.

  Vicky, now looking like her normal gorgeous self again, pinches my arm. “Well done.”

  I’m not sure I agree, but this was probably the best I could do in such a short time frame. Hopefully Mona won’t need comforting anymore once we’re done.

  Straightening my shirt, I turn to face the others, who shed the last of their disguises as they stand up again. “Is everyone ready?”

  There’s a collective yes from their familiar faces, and I swallow to prevent myself from choking up.

  “Are you sure?” I press. “This thing is strong, so if anyone is not up to this, tell me now.” I give Taylar and Vicky a questioning look. “No unfinished business or fits getting in the way?”

  Taylar inspects his slender arms and legs and pats his tummy, that has shrunk at least twenty-five inches. “I’m fine for now.”

  Vicky cracks her neck and some stray blonde hairs spiral down and vanish. “Me too. And if I feel a fit coming up, I’ll get out of your way.”

  “Awesome. Let’s do this then.”

  I stride out of the kitchen and into the protective circle we created in the back garden. Vicky pulls most of what I need for the spell from her pocket, and Charlie fetches the rest of it–plus three chocolate bars–from the kitchen.

  Soon everything is ready. There’s no sign of the chaos residue yet, so we prepare to lure it.

  “What we need to do is focus on our worries,” I explain, looking at my friends one by one. “But we can’t let them take over. We have to release some of the chaos in our heads, but not let it carry us away.”

  Charlie fidgets with the buttons on his Hawaiian shirt. “I’m not sure I can do that.”

  I frown, surprised to hear him say that. He’s always so light-hearted I thought he never really worried about anything at all.

  He clears his throat and finally looks up. “Is there another way to lure this thing?”

  “Maybe, but this will work best.”

  He shakes his head. “Not if I flip out.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  The corners of his mouth twitch. “Well, Dante… normally I push all negative thoughts away, you know... I ignore common sense, even when it’s obvious that things… won’t turn out alright.” He lets out a sigh. “Under normal circumstances, focusing on my concerns wouldn’t be a problem, but lately… we’ve had some big things to worry about, you know. The comforting phrase ‘it’s not as if the fate of the world depends on it’ doesn’t work so well here, does it?”

  I reach out to pat his shoulder, but he pulls away. “You make things sound so easy, but some of us are hanging on by a thread, mate. We’re not all as brave as you, you know.”

  My mouth falls open. At first, I want to object, to yell at him that I’m not brave at all, but that won’t help any of us. So instead, I nod and say, “I’m sorry I gave the impression that this is all easy. It’s not, not for any of us. We’re all struggling, and sometimes we need to let off steam or hide under the covers. You say that I’m brave, but I’m not. I just pretend to be brave and confident.” I stretch my arm again, and this time, he lets me grab his shoulder and squeeze it. “What you just did is so much braver than anything I’ve ever done.”

  He snorts. “Sure it is.”

  “No, I mean it, Charlie. It takes guts to step up and tell people you’ve reached your limits. And I’m glad you did, because if I lose one more friend…” My last words are swallowed by a sob. I push the tears back quickly and turn away from him. “So… we need a different strategy.”

  “I’ve got an idea,” Vicky says. She steps up to Charlie with a smile.

  There’s a short silence as they look into each other’s eyes. Then Charlie visibly relaxes. The tension leaves his shoulders, and his breathing steadies.

  “How do you feel now?” Vicky asks. “Do you think you can do it?”

  Charlie stares past her for a couple of seconds. “Yes,” he says. “Yes, I think I can.”

  With a triumphant look on her face, Vicky turns back to me. “I can help all of you this way.”

  I grin. “That’s a great idea, babe!” I quickly survey the others’ expressions. “Right?”

  When they all nod, I clap my hands. “Alright, then I guess we’re ready. As soon as Mona arrives with Mrs. Delaney, we can get started.”

  At that precise moment, the two women step out of the kitchen.

  Mrs. Delaney shuffles out onto the grass with a concerned look on her face. She opens her arms wide when her eyes find mine. “Oh, my dear boy, how awful!”

  She hugs me so tightly that I can hardly breathe.

  “They’re not lost yet,” I manage to squeeze out. “They will all be fine.”

  Mrs. Delaney lets go of me so suddenly that I sway on my feet.

  “That’s the spirit!” she says cheerily. She balls her fists and raises them up to her face. “There’s still plenty of us left to put up one hell of a fight.”

  “Hear, hear!” Mona exclaims from behind her, although it doesn’t sound as confident as Mrs. Delaney’s words.

  I shoot her a comforting smile before turning my attention back to Mrs. Delaney. “Thank you for coming. Has Mona filled you in on the plan?”

  “She has.” She rubs her hands together and wiggles her fingers. “I’m ready.”

  I beckon Mona to join us in the protective circle. “As long as we stay inside, the void won’t be able to harm us. Or D’Maeo. Try to keep the entity inside the circle too until Mrs. Delaney has separated them. And stay where you are with D’Maeo until I’ve finished the spell to trap it.”

  Mona is nodding feverishly again, saying “okay” after almost every word I utter.

  “Hey,” I say, catching her eye. “Don’t worry. We’ve got this.”

  “I know.” She takes my hand and leans closer. The worried frown drops from her face. “I heard your speech about bravery. It was beautiful. And very true.” Her eyes bore into mine. “You know what I see when I look at you and your friends?”

  I shrug. “Determination?”

  She tilts her head. “That too. But what I see most is love. You’re all so different, but you care about each other, all of you.” She presses my hand against her chest. “I can feel it here, the connection. This is what makes you strong. Stronger than any enemy you will ever encounter.”

  “That’s what Dad wrote in his notebook too.”

  “He was right. Love is what keeps you all together. And you are the light that guides them. You are very special, Dante. I have faith in you.”

  My lips curl up in surprise. “Thank you, Mona. That means a lot to me.”

  She kisses me on the forehead and throws some sparks at me. “For extra luck. Now, let’s get rid of this cursed thing.”

  CHAPTER 3

  While I tap into my memories and fears, I try not to look at the others. But it’s hard to focus when you’re worried one of your friends is going to crack. My gaze keeps floating back to Vicky, who’s keeping a close eye on all of us. She nods when she catches my eye and mouths something that looks like “concentrate”. With a smile, I close my eyes and dive into my own head.

  Careful not to unlock too much negativity, I think clear thoughts. Mom fell into
Hell. Is she okay? Will I ever see her again? What if Trevor decides they’re both better off dead?

  I breathe in sharply. Don’t think that. It hurts too much. Try something else. The more things to worry about, the better.

  I almost snort. That won’t be a problem. Enough to choose from. All I need to do is keep my thoughts from spinning out of control.

  Vicky’s episodes. Jeep getting pulled away from us inside the portal from Purgatory. Taylar’s unfinished business. Maël’s guilt about her past. Images of the people in her tribe bending over in pain fill my vision. It was horrible to watch them all die, and I didn’t even know them. The pain must have been unbearable for Maël. What about Dad? What happened to him? How did he die? I squeeze my eyes shut tighter. If only I could see him again. Talk to him about all of this crazy magical stuff.

  My thoughts come to a sudden halt when I’m pushed over with force. I land on the grass hard, and for a moment, I don’t understand what’s happened. It’s not until Mona calls out that I return to the present.

  “D’Maeo? Sweetheart?”

  I scramble back to my feet and watch the chaos residue soar through the sky above us. It dives at every one of us in turn, knocking us over or picking us up and dropping us from several feet. Charlie rushes over when Gisella plunges down, but she lands on her feet easily. Maël disappears into the ground and returns unharmed and on her feet, her staff raised and ready for action. Taylar uses his shield to absorb the blow, and Vicky makes herself invisible long enough for the black void to miss her. Mona’s sparks form a sort of shield that protects her as well as Mrs. Delaney. The old lady remains calm. While she moves her arms and fingers, her gaze never leaves the entity. She’s ready.

  Soon, the residue gets restless. It has noticed that none of us are getting hurt, and judging by the way it wriggles and howls, this is making it pretty angry. Hovering above me, it starts to change shape. Slowly, it forms a large head with a beard, wrinkles and a fearful frown.

  Mona slaps her hand against her mouth. “Oh no.”

  “Don’t fall for it,” I warn her. “It’s trying to trick us. It wants chaos, remember?”

  With an angry glint in her eyes, Mona lowers her hands and throws some sparks into the sky. When they hit the black smoke, it shivers. A mouth forms in D’Maeo’s face, and it opens to show a row of tainted, sharp teeth.

  “You leave my man alone!” Mona yells, hitting it with a stream of yellow sparks. At the same time, I throw two lightning bolts at it. A ball of gel lands on the smoky nose, and the face shatters.

  “Keep going!” I urge Mona and Charlie as the residue prepares to dive at us again.

  But then, it suddenly freezes mid-air. It starts to shudder, hissing violently. The particles are pulled apart, and behind it, D’Maeo’s face becomes visible. Not the contorted one, but his real face. He’s gritting his teeth, and his forehead is scrunched up in effort. His mouth opens, but no sound comes out.

  “Hold on, honey!” Mona calls out.

  I glance over my shoulder to where Mrs. Delaney is standing. She’s moving her hands so fast that they’re nothing more than a blur while the rest of her body is like a statue. Even her face doesn’t move.

  The hissing of the chaos residue gets louder and changes into a high-pitched howling. A human scream gradually mixes with it until, with a crash like breaking glass, D’Maeo and the entity are pulled apart. The old ghost lands in a heap on the grass in front of Mona. A string of smoke still clings to his legs, and when I step closer, I see that his body isn’t complete. The black void is trying to pull him back.

  Mrs. Delaney grunts. It’s taking a lot of energy to separate the molecules. I run to her side to support her while Taylar jumps in front of us and holds up his shield. Mrs. Delaney doesn’t even blink, but her jaw sets, and her back straightens when I touch her.

  Bit by bit, D’Maeo’s legs return, and the chunks missing from his face fill up.

  With a nod of my head, I beckon Charlie, who takes my place holding Mrs. Delaney up. Gisella joins them with her blade hands raised while Maël keeps an eye on everything from the other side of the circle.

  Hastily, I squat down next to the things I set up for the spell. Most of them have toppled over, but it takes only a couple of seconds to put everything back in place. Vicky takes care of the four candles inside the circle.

  “Almost… there,” Mrs. Delaney pants.

  I grab Dad’s notebook, which flips itself to the right page. When I look up, the last sliver of black smoke is pulled away from D’Maeo. Mona holds him close to her, sobbing quietly.

  “Now, Dante!” Mrs. Delaney calls out, and immediately I light a match and drop it in the mixture of herbs in the bowl at my feet. In two steps, I reach the first candle.

  “Powers of Air, hear my plea.

  Trap this evil entity.”

  I hurry over to the next candle, glancing at the chaos residue from the corner of my eye. It’s wriggling frantically. I hope Mrs. Delaney can keep the molecules in place until I’m done.

  It takes several seconds for the wick to light, and my hands tremble slightly. Finally, a tiny flame comes to life.

  “Powers of Fire, hear my plea.

  Make sure this evil doesn’t flee.”

  The flame rises with a hiss, and I move on.

  When I reach the next candle, I realize the flames are not the only things hissing. The black void is putting up one hell of a fight.

  “Come on, come one,” I mumble, waiting for the flame to jump from my match to the candle.

  “Powers of Water, hear my plea.

  Let this evil seize to see.”

  When I reach the last candle, Mrs. Delaney collapses.

  “Hold on!” I call out to her. “Only one more candle to go.”

  Mona leaves D’Maeo’s side and rushes over to the old lady. Sparks jump from her body to that of Mrs. Delaney.

  She gestures feverishly at me when I don’t move. “Go on! Finish it!”

  I light the last candle and read the words from the notebook.

  “Powers of Earth, hear my plea.

  Lock this evil in a place with no key.”

  The smoke’s hissing changes into something resembling the screaming of a steam locomotive. Unable to cover my ears with my hands, I grit my teeth and pull in my head. The others flinch but stay where they are, with their eyes locked on our enemy.

  Above me, the residue is swirling and twisting. An invisible force presses it from all sides until it’s molded into a solid square.

  Vicky hands me a bottle of holy water, which I slam down hard into the bowl of herbs to make sure it shatters. Shards of glass fly everywhere and scrape my hands, but I ignore the sting.

  “Powers of High, hear my plea.

  Create a prison to hold this enemy.”

  The contents of the bowl are lifted. They start to turn, faster and faster, until they’ve formed a small tornado. Out of it rises a square glass box, covered in brown and green spots.

  Lighting the fifth candle, in the middle of the protective circle, I shout out the last lines of the spell.

  “Powers of All, hear my cry.

  Bring this smoke down from the sky.

  Lock it in this solid jail,

  where it can no longer kill.”

  With a last violent hiss, the compressed residue drops down into the glass box. I wait for the see-through lid to slam shut and lock it in. Shouldn’t that happen immediately?

  I take a tentative step closer and reach up to close it myself. Suddenly, the box starts to shake feverishly. I try to grab it, but it jumps out of reach. Maël holds out her staff and starts mumbling, in an attempt to slow down time.

  “Say the words again!” Vicky calls out.

  “Powers of All, hear my cry!”

  I pick up the notebook I dropped and search for the next words.

  Bring this smoke down from the sky.

  Lock it in this solid jail,


  where it can no longer kill.”

  Finally, the lid starts to close, but it moves as if in slow motion.

  “Please close, please close,” I whisper urgently.

  Just a couple more inches until the chaos residue is trapped. I look at D’Maeo, who has worked himself up into a sitting position. Our eyes meet, and I give him a short nod, telling him he’ll be fine.

  But when I move my gaze back to the box, my body freezes. A smoky arm shoots straight at D’Maeo and wraps around him at lightning speed.

  “No!” I yell, throwing myself forward to grab the old ghost.

  But it’s already too late. The smoke has swallowed D’Maeo, and I land on my face in the warm grass.

  Mona lets out a horrifying cry, and Mrs. Delaney lifts her arms to use her power again.

  Vicky hurries over to the box and grabs it. Immediately, the lid slams shut, but not before dragging the smoke arm and the ghost inside first.

  With a desperate look on her face, Vicky pulls at the lid. It doesn’t budge. When I join her, she pushes the box into my hands. “You can open it.”

  Slowly, I nod. My head pounds, and my skin is cold. “I can open it, but I won’t.”

  Her mouth drops open. “What?”

  I glance over my shoulder at Mona and the others. “I’m sorry, I can’t let it out again. This thing is hard to kill, and as you can see…” I wave vaguely at the spot where Mrs. Delaney is lying with her head in Charlie’s lap, “it’s also very difficult to catch. We can’t take the risk of releasing it. If it turns into a chaos demon, we’ll never be able to defeat it.”

  Vicky yanks the box out of my hands. “So, what… you’re just going to leave D’Maeo in there with that thing?”

  I swallow at the sight of the fury on her face. “Yes, until we figure out a way to get them both out safely.”

  Mona pushes herself to her feet and wipes her eyes. “Although I hate to say this, I have to admit that Dante is right. The black void is strong, and it can get much stronger if we set it free. It can kill all of us and, with that, the whole world.”