“No, don’t!” Charlie shouts, and he pushes Kessley out of the way.
Of course, that doesn’t help. The shadows follow their target. They lift Kessley from the ground and wrap her up tight. Her face changes back to her own as she gasps in pain. “Help!”
“Gisella, look at me!” Kasinda’s voice rings out, and to my surprise, Gisella’s hand stops moving. So do the shadows around Kessley, but they still hold her tight.
While Kasinda carefully approaches her niece, Charlie and I each grab a shadow and try to pull it free.
Kessley screams in agony.
We let go, and I take her face in my hands. “Kess, listen. You’re a ghost. You can slip through the shadows. Make yourself invisible.”
“I can’t,” she says. “I can’t… breathe.”
“Sure you can,” Charlie says after a quick look over his shoulder at Kasinda and Gisella. “You’re dead. There’s no need to breathe, you know.”
“But it feels… that way, and I… suck… at turning… invisible,” she says.
It looks like Kasinda could use some help, so I gesture at Charlie to keep talking to Kessley. I can only hope she won’t be taken away from us this soon.
Gisella has aimed her rage at her aunt.
“You can’t stop me,” she says in a low voice that doesn’t suit her. “I can do things you can’t even imagine.”
“Oh, I can imagine,” Kasinda chortles. “And I don’t want to stop you, I want to help you. Don’t you remember why you’re here?”
Gisella’s eyebrows move down. “Don’t play with me.”
“I’m not playing.” Kasinda halts in front of Gisella. “You came to take my powers, and now you’ve got them. I want you to put them to good use. Combined with your own powers, you can do what I could only dream of.”
A grin forms on Gisella’s distorted face. “I sure can.”
“I brought something to help you.” Kasinda holds out her hand. On it rests the dragon’s egg.
I press my lips together to keep in a warning. If Gisella breaks it, we’ll have no way of controlling her. She’ll be too powerful to defeat with a spell. I don’t even want to think about what she could do.
“What is it?” she asks curiously.
“It’s the egg of a Hornback Dragon, the foulest dragon alive. If you eat it, the strength of your powers will double.”
“Really?”
Kasinda holds out a book with her other hand. “If you don’t believe me, look it up. I brought you the Dragon’s Encyclopedia. The real one, not the incomplete one you can find on the Pentaweb.”
Gisella releases the shadows, and Kessley rolls away from them, clutching her chest.
The werecat takes the book from Kasinda and flips the pages until she finds both the Hornback and the Ryu. “This does look like a Hornback egg, but you probably put a spell on this book to make it show me what you want,” she scoffs.
Kasinda laughs a sweet laugh without joy. “Come on, how would I do that? I have no powers left, remember? No more spells for me. Which is why I want you on my side.”
Gisella licks her lips slowly. “Well, in that case.” She grabs the egg, holds it above her mouth and squeezes until it breaks.
I look away when the yolk slides into her mouth and down her throat.
“Ugh,” Gisella says, wiping her mouth. “That’s gross.”
She hands the book back to Kasinda and stretches her arms above her head. “These powers feel great. They fill me with energy.”
Her aunt gives her a pitiful smile. “I know. They feel so good in the beginning, don’t they?”
Suddenly, Gisella doubles over in pain. “What the…?”
I hold back Charlie, who wants to rush to her side.
Kasinda glances at us. “Don’t worry, it’s just the magic of the egg kicking in. Her battle with her evil powers has started.”
Gisella is practically screaming, and for the first time, I’m glad Kasinda doesn’t have any neighbors left. The last thing we need now is a police squad knocking down the door.
Gisella is on the ground, her hands resting on the floor. She’s panting hard. Her teeth chatter as she pushes them together over and over.
Charlie pulls himself from my grip and kneels down next to her. “You can do this, Gis. You’re strong, you know.” He rubs her back, and she lets him. As her breathing steadies and her face relaxes a little, I calm down too. Finally it’s going in the right direction.
My heartbeat shoots up at the sound of a thump beside me. I take two steps back when I see Vicky laying on the floor between the couch and the table.
“I am sorry, I could not hold her any longer,” Maël apologizes. She steps forward. “But I can hit her in the head with my staff if you want.”
Of course I don’t want that. I hold up my hand. “Wait. Maybe the fit ended while she was frozen.”
Vicky lifts her head and scans the room.
Her eyes are still wild. Her mouth curls into a snarl.
“Okay,” I say, “hit her in the head.”
But it’s too late. Vicky jumps over the table and knocks Maël down. They roll around in a ball of teeth and arms. I try to grab Vicky, but she digs her fingernails so deep into my arm that I pull back.
Maël fights her off as best as she can, but the fit is making Vicky stronger than she usually is, plus more determined to win. She pins the ghost queen to the ground and brings down her head to bite her in the neck. I’m about to scream when Maël disappears. Vicky lands on her belly, hard. Her head hits the floor with a bang. Maël drops out of the sky above her and lands on her back. Without hesitation, she pulls Vicky’s head up and slams it down.
I turn away and swallow. Tears form in the corners of my eyes.
“I had no choice,” Maël says, picking up her wand and pointing it at Vicky again.
“I know,” I say hoarsely.
I kneel down beside my girl and slip my hand into her endless pocket. I pull out some rope and hand it to Taylar. “Tie her up with this. That will at least keep her busy for a while when she wakes up again.”
The young ghost nods silently and goes to work.
Meanwhile, I walk over to where the others are standing. Gisella shoots me a guilty look. “I messed up, didn’t I?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “The evil was stronger than we thought, but you’re okay now. We all will be if you fix Vicky now.”
Blackness clouds over her eyes again, and she cracks her neck. “I’m not sure I want to.”
Her voice has lowered once more, but this time, I don’t back up. Instead, I place my hands on her cheeks and force her to look at me.
“Let the goodness in your heart
obliterate every evil part.
Keep the magic alive inside.
And let benevolence be your guide.”
At first, she struggles, but when I finish the spell, she freezes. The black retreats from her eyes, and she lets out a sigh. Her legs give way, and I can barely keep her upright. I pull her closer. “Lean on me.”
Her head bumps against my chest, and I can feel her breath slowly turning from ice cold to warm. Charlie is rubbing her back again and whispering sweet things in her ear.
“I’m okay,” she says after a while. She lifts her head and smiles at me.
I smile back when I see a shadow rise up from her head. The red of her hair is suddenly a lot brighter. I hadn’t even noticed the change.
“How did you come up with that spell so fast?” she asks when I release her.
I scratch my neck. “It was in Dad’s notebook.”
Behind us there’s moaning, and we turn as one.
Vicky blinks and stares at us in surprise.
“Are you back?” I ask cautiously.
She sits up and blows a lock of dark hair from her face. “I think so.” She shakes her head. “That was some bad timing, huh?”
I chuckle. “It sure was. But I thi
nk we’ll be okay now.” I glance at Gisella. “Right?”
The werecat-witch nods. “Let me take care of that curse.”
Taylar unties Vicky, who walks straight to Kasinda. “First things first.”
The woman stands still while Vicky checks her emotions. With a content smile, she turns to me. “She’s fine. The evil has left her.”
“Before we start,” Gisella says, “can you check me too? I want to make sure these powers are not going to hurt you.”
The fact that she’s asking Vicky to do this tells me enough, but I still feel relieved when Vicky gives her a thumbs up.
“Can we please lift the curse now?” I ask. “I don’t want anything else to interfere.”
Gisella and Kasinda exchange a few words, after which the werecat fetches a knife from the kitchen. She pierces the tip of her finger and presses it against Vicky’s forehead. The red dot she leaves behind wriggles.
“Shadows, hear these words of mine.
Take back all that is malign.
Kill the curse that plagues this girl,
and burn it with a simple twirl.”
The shadows come to life again. They dive straight for the glowing red dot and disappear into Vicky’s head in one long wisp.
Vicky’s head moves from side to side. Her eyelids flutter. Her hands tremble. She coughs and retches and out comes the string of shadows, red smoke trailing behind it. The string flies up to the ceiling and starts twisting until it takes on the shape of a tornado. The red smoke is trapped inside it and slowly pulled apart into tiny dots.
Vicky sneezes, and a handful of red specks join the others near the ceiling.
I catch her as her legs give way underneath her.
Together, we watch the smoke being pulled into smaller and smaller pieces until there’s nothing left.
I stroke Vicky’s hair as she rests her head against my chest.
Gisella bends down and presses her finger onto the same spot on my forehead. When I narrow my eyes, I can see a faint blue light pulsing around her. She radiates pure joy now.
“Shadows, hear these words of mine.
Take back all that is malign.
Lift the curse that lingers here.
Make all evil disappear.”
I press Vicky firmer to my chest as something turns my organs upside down and inside out. My chest heats up and freezes at the same time. Nausea hits me hard, and I bend past Vicky to throw up. Instead of the contents of my stomach, a long black string comes out of my mouth. It’s as thick as the rope I pulled from Vicky’s pocket, and it grinds against the inside of my throat.
I cough and spit until I’m dizzy. Still, more string keeps coming out. My body is on fire, yet I shiver as if I’m hypothermic.
“Don’t block it,” Kasinda says. “Give it room.”
“How?” I cough.
She walks up to me and pushes me back against the couch. “Try to relax. I know it’s hard, but it’ll be over soon.”
Vicky strokes my arm. “Look at me, Dante.”
I meet her eyes and try to smile, but the string coming from my mouth prevents my lips from curling up.
“Relax,” she whispers, and calmness falls over me.
My body stops twitching, and my head bobs sideways. I watch the heap of string on the floor get bigger. It looks a bit like a snake, wriggling and hissing. Then, a bomb goes off inside me. Stars dance around the room. I can finally close my mouth again. My throat is raw, and my head pounds.
“Look.” Vicky points at the string on the floor. The sparks in my vision wrap around it and get bigger until there’s only light.
“Are you seeing this?” I ask hoarsely.
“Yes,” Vicky whispers.
Another explosion, this time outside my body. There’s so much light in the room that all the shadows flee. When the huge spark flickers and dies, the floor beside me is empty, save for a brand-new burn mark.
I wipe my mouth and sit up. “Did it work? Is it all gone?”
Gisella presses her hand against my forehead. She closes her eyes. A strong vibration goes through me, but I keep as still as I can.
When she finally pulls back her hand, a wide smile lights up her face. “The curse is gone.”
Vicky lets out a deep sigh while I cheer. I pull them both into a hug. If my legs didn’t feel like they’re filled with lead, I would dance around the room.
“Thank you so much,” I say to Gisella, and then I repeat it to Kasinda. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“Yes… yes…” Vicky breathes, lost for words for the first time since I met her.
Kessley is sitting up too, a relieved expression on her face.
I nod at her. “I’m proud of you.” I gesture at the others. “I’m proud of all of you.”
CHAPTER 19
While Vicky and I gather our strength again, helped by some special tea from Kasinda–“No evil ingredients, I promise!”–Gisella and her aunt hug and talk, and hug and talk some more. They’ve got a lot of catching up to do.
When we finally feel good enough to get up, Gisella exchanges a sad look with Kasinda.
“You could stay here, you know,” Charlie says. “You’re not obliged to come with us.”
I slap him on the back. “That’s what I wanted to say.”
I expect Gisella to brighten up, but she shakes her head. “No, I belong with you guys. We’re doing this together, remember?”
I flex my arms and stomp my feet to get blood flowing again. “As happy as I am to hear that, and to have you as part of the team, I feel I should remind you that the next set of Cards of Death haven’t arrived yet. It’s okay if you stay here a bit longer. We can call you when the cards arrive.”
“No.” She shakes her head more adamantly. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not in only for that part of the battle.” She lowers her gaze and kicks the table with her foot. “You have all grown on me, and I want to help. There’s more to this battle than just fighting demons and saving the souls.” She gestures at Vicky. “There are curses to lift, there’s unfinished business to deal with and we have three people to search for. I’m not abandoning you now. I’m with you all the way.”
There’s a long silence, in which I try to find the right words to respond to this since “thank you” won’t be enough. Eventually, Charlie is the first to react. He throws himself forward and almost squeezes her to bits. “I love you so much! There are no words to express it, you know.”
She frees her arms and wraps them around him. “I know.”
When they finally let go of each other, I open my arms and wait for Gisella to walk into them.
For the first time, I see a glimpse of shyness, the shadow of a blush on her cheeks.
“You are amazing. A thousand times thank you,” I say while I hug her.
“No problem. You are my friends. I don’t want to lose you.”
“We don’t want to lose you either,” Vicky says, patting her on the shoulder.
Gisella grins and shakes her arms. “You won’t. I’ve got a shitload of powers inside me now. Thanks to you guys. I can’t wait to use them.”
Vicky grins back. “They won’t know what hit them.”
“That’s the spirit!” Kasinda calls out.
She is answered by a handful of frowns and gulps. “I am really sorry for all the trouble I caused you. I mean it.”
Vicky nods. “I know.”
I pull Kasinda toward me and wrap my arms around her. “Come here. You deserve a hug too. It’s not your fault that fate dealt you some nasty cards.”
She slaps my back. “Thank you, Dante. That means a lot to me. And to set things right: you’re a good person and so was your father. I know now that he did everything he could to save Lily.”
“He did,” Maël confirms.
“I am so sorry,” Kasinda repeats.
I release her. “It’s fine. I’m glad you’re on our side now.”
&n
bsp; Her eyebrows move up. “Even without my powers?”
“Sure. Every person on our side is a good thing. Even if it’s only because they won’t help our enemies.”
“True.” She nods at the empty teapot on the table. “Do you want more tea?”
“As lovely as that sounds, we can’t. We need to get going. Like Gisella said, there are lots of other things on our to-do list. And with our luck, probably not a lot of time to do them in.”
Kasinda bends toward me. “Well, maybe your luck has changed now.”
“I hope so.”
We walk to the front door and say goodbye to Gisella’s aunt. The cloud above her house is gone, and the street looks a lot more inviting now.
I breathe in the fresh summer air and perform a sloppy quickstep. The others laugh as Kessley joins me with an excited shriek. “I love dancing!”
She starts singing some song I don’t recognize, because it’s completely out of tune, and throws up her hands. Then she does a good impression of a twerk. Her dress crawls up even further, and I shield my eyes. “Stop! Enough!”
Giggling like a five-year-old, she pulls down the fabric, and we exchange a high five.
She dances around Phoenix several times before getting in, and we watch her with lazy smiles on our faces.
“I like her,” Vicky says.
Taylar nods. “Me too. She lightens up the mood a bit.”
I frown at him. “A bit?”
With a grin, he steps through the car door. “Okay, a lot.”
Once we’ve all settled into the car again, we wave at Kasinda one more time.
“So, what’s next?” I ask while I steer Phoenix around the first corner.
Before anyone can answer, I hit the brakes hard. My heartbeat quickens, and nausea rises to my throat at the sight of the giant hole in the road.
“Wow!” Kessley shouts. “What is that?”
I back Phoenix up a little. “I’m not sure.”
The answer comes in the form of a loud rumbling that shakes the ground so hard that we’re all thrown from side to side. The rip in the road before us grows wider and out comes a familiar figure. Tall, hulking form, glowing red eyes, horns on his head.
The Sixth Ghost: a supernatural urban fantasy action adventure (Cards of Death book 6) Page 12