Cards of Death Box Set

by Tamara Geraeds

  I wave my hand, which looks strangely untouched. “Don’t exaggerate. I just sweet-talked him.”

  “Like a king,” Taylar insists.

  I just shake my head and pick up another slice.

  “Did you get the cameras?” I ask before taking another bite.

  “Sure did. I got loads, so I won’t have to go back again, you know.” He takes out his phone. “But her office will be closed now. We’ll have to wait till tomorrow to plant them.”

  I hand him a slice of pizza. “Not necessarily. We’re going to Silverton now, to the cemetery. So we’ll be close to where Myah works. The Shield can get in without being seen and it will be much easier to plant the spy cams when no one’s there.”

  He licks his fingers. “Good point. I’ll come with you, in case you need to fight more demons or traitors.” There’s venom in his voice.

  It’s hard to piss off Charlie, but Paul and Simon definitely succeeded. I must confess I’ve gone from disappointed to somewhere between angry and livid myself.

  “Thanks, mate.” I hold up my hand and he gives me a high five. “I’m glad I’ve still got you and Quinn.”

  “Me, too, man. And your Shield is awesome.”

  “I know.” I shove the last piece of pizza into my mouth and ignore Jeep’s smug look.

  Taylar waves the tablet above his head. “I’ve deciphered part of the letter on Myah’s desk.”

  “Oh good.” I close the pizza box and shrug when Charlie shoots me a disappointed look.

  “What does it say?”

  The young ghost squints his eyes and starts to read.

  “Dear Ms. Pullus,

  We regret to inform you that the Silverton town board has given us only two weeks to clear out the cemetery and move graves if requested. To meet this deadline, we need all payments for movement to Eastside Cemetery by the end of this week. All overdue payments will be returned and the graves will be removed without further notice.”

  Taylar rubs his eyes. “There’s more, but it’s too blurry.”

  I rub my forehead. “So Myah wants to move a grave, but she doesn’t have enough money.”

  “Graves,” Taylar corrects. “I think it’s about more than one.” He points at the tablet. “This looks like a list.”

  I stretch my arms and legs. “Okay, let’s go to this cemetery and see what we can find out.”

  CHAPTER 26

  When we’re about halfway there, Quinn’s voice pops up in my head. “Dante, can you pull over for a sec, please?”

  I do as he says, ignoring the surprised looks on the other’s faces. As soon as I stop, Quinn appears in front of the car, with Maël at his side.

  The rest of the Shield is out of the car in the blink of an eye. They all hug her and for a moment, I think Jeep is wiping away a tear.

  I walk up to them and wait for my turn to welcome her back. “I’m glad you’re okay,” I say when I put my arms around her.

  “So am I,” she says.

  “You look great!” Charlie chimes in. “Like a queen.”

  “She is a queen,” Taylar says.

  “Really?”

  Maël’s face is glowing beneath her massive halo of spiraling curls. “I was a queen once. But that was a long time ago.”

  Jeep kisses her on the cheek. “You will always be a queen.”

  She blushes a little and adjusts her golden headpiece. I can’t believe how solid she looks. Almost human. Her dark skin is sparkling and her cape seems brighter than before. As it moves in the wind, I wonder where she puts her staff. I never really thought about it before, but there’s not enough room for it.

  “Are you ready to join us?” I ask. “Or do you need more rest?”

  She straightens her shoulders and reaches inside her cape. Out of nowhere, she pulls out her wand and slams it into the ground. “I’m done resting.”

  I jump back a little when the ground below my feet trembles. There’s a light in Maël’s eyes I never saw before. She smiles at me. “I’m ready to fight.”

  The corners of my mouth turn upwards. “So am I. Let’s go.”

  Even without Quinn, who’s gone back to wherever his real home is, the car is overcrowded. But I’m too elated to care. If we can get Maël back, we can get Mom back.

  I turn on the radio and we all sing along to Surfin’ USA, which makes Charlie very happy. D’Maeo and Maël don’t know the lyrics, so they just hum along. We sound like a magical choir.

  It’s growing dark when I park opposite the cemetery.

  “Let’s just pretend we’re visiting our uncle’s grave or something,” I say to Charlie. “Keep your eyes open, everyone.”

  We wander along the paths and nod to a man carrying the sculpture of an angel.

  He’s one of the last people to collect remembrances. Most of the ornaments and picture frames are already gone, but there’s an abundance of fresh flowers. Lots of people have come to say their last goodbyes.

  I take a left, but Maël walks straight ahead. “This way,” she says. “I can feel her.”

  I turn back. “You can feel her? How?”

  She shrugs, making her cape rise and fall like a golden wave. “I don’t know.”

  She leads the way without hesitation and after a few turns, we come to a mausoleum surrounded by turned over gravestones.

  When the door moves, Charlie and I duck behind the bushes.

  Myah steps out, mumbling to herself. “Don’t worry, I’ll do it tomorrow.” She strokes the marble of the burial chamber. “I’ll get the money in time and arrange the appropriate transport.” She wipes a tear from her eye. “I miss you so much, Dad. I’m so lonely.” She rests her head against the cold surface and sighs. “But I’ll be strong, just like you taught me. Only a few more years to go.”

  Then she turns and walks away.

  We get up and I look at the others. “What was that about?”

  D’Maeo walks past me and studies the names carved into the mausoleum. “Just like I thought.” He jabs his finger against the marble. “They changed their name.”

  Maël joins him. “Misha and Mary Redfeather?” She looks stunned. “I heard about them. Didn’t they extinguish the Lake Fires of 1918?”

  D’Maeo gazes at the sky, as if his memories can be found there. “They did. The Redfeather family is known throughout the magical community for saving people, magical and non-magical. There was an outburst of violence amongst fire starters in 1918. The Redfeathers defeated them, but they couldn’t save everyone. Four hundred and fifty people died.”

  “Yes, but if they hadn’t intervened, there would have been thousands of casualties.”

  The old ghost paces up and down between the broken gravestones. “So how can Myah be a criminal?”

  I hold up my hands. “Hold on. I don’t understand. Why is it so strange that Myah is planning some kind of scam? And why is it so important to her to move this mausoleum?”

  Maël points her staff at the names carved into the marble. “The Redfeathers, like your family, are destined to save people. No evil will be born in these families.”

  I bite my lower lip. “So Myah is not evil. Then she must have a pretty good reason to steal money.”

  “She does.” Maël leans on her staff. “The Redfeathers, or Pullus’s as they call themselves now, are phoenixes. If the municipality clears out their graves, Misha and Mary can never rise again.”

  My gaze flickers from one ghost to the other. “So they’re not dead?”

  D’Maeo shakes his head. “No, they’re just resting.” He starts walking back to the entrance and beckons us. Charlie and I exchange a wide-eyed look. I guess he didn’t know about the existence of phoenixes, either.

  The others have already followed the gray-haired ghost, so we sprint to keep up.

  “What do you mean ‘just resting’?” I ask.

  “You know phoenixes can rise from their ashes when they die, right?”

  “
Sure,” Charlie and I say in unison.

  “Well, that only works ten times in a row. After that, they need rest. They have to recharge, so to speak.”

  “I see.” I point over my shoulder. “So that’s what they’re doing in that mausoleum.”

  Charlie wipes his blond hair out of his eyes. “But why don’t they just rest at home? Wouldn’t that be safer?”

  Maël shakes her head. “They have to be surrounded by magical symbols, carved in marble, for a hundred years. No relative can stay in the same place for that long. Non-magical people will notice they hardly age. Moving the sleeping phoenixes is a risky procedure. One crack in the marble, one spot of sunlight, can kill them when they’re sleeping. The safest place to put them, is in a cemetery.”

  I pull my keys out of my pocket so Charlie and I can follow the ghosts into the car.

  “There’s one thing I don’t understand,” I say when I pull away from the curb. “If phoenixes are immortal, how can Myah be the person on the Cards of Death?”

  “There’s no such thing as immortal, Dante,” Jeep answers. “There’s only hard to kill.”

  D’Maeo’s voice responds from a blend of two faces in the back seat. “It’s hard to kill a phoenix, but it can be done.”

  Jeep continues, counting on his fingers. “You can disturb their recharge, kill them right after their tenth rebirth or-“

  “Blow them up?” I say, thinking of the picture on the card.

  “An explosion won’t be enough. You’d have to separate the ashes.”

  I turn left. “Well, I guess we know what to prevent now.”

  CHAPTER 27

  The Shield directs us to Myah’s office. I hand Vicky the cameras, but D’Maeo grabs her arm before she can apparate. “There’s people inside.”

  We all bend towards the building. Lights are on in several offices.

  “I guess they’re working late.” Vicky drops the cameras in her endless pocket. “But I can go see if Myah’s office is empty. I’ll keep myself invisible.”

  I scan the building and all the windows and freeze. “Wait. There’s more.”

  Jeep squints his eyes. “Demons?”

  “Paul and Simon?” Charlie adds.

  “I’m not sure, but it doesn’t feel good.”

  Vicky leans back. “Then we’re not going in. We can try again tomorrow.”

  “I agree,” Maël says.

  Through the rearview mirror, I see doubts in Taylar’s eyes. Before he does something rash, I pull up and drive back to the I-90.

  Everyone is quiet until we reach Charlie’s house.

  “Be careful,” I urge him.

  He just smiles. “Don’t worry, I put up a protection spell around my house a long time ago.” He waves and disappears inside.

  On the drive back to Darkwood Manor, we pass Mrs. Delaney, who’s supported by Mona. I pull over to see if I can help.

  “Oh, hi Dante,” the old woman says. She looks paler than usual and I take her arm. She gives me a watery smile.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, shooting a concerned look at Mona, who’s holding her other arm.

  Mona’s cheerful demeanor is dampened. “They took her power,” she says in a hushed tone.

  I look at her wide-eyed when I realize Mona knowing about magic must mean she has some kind of power, too.

  Mrs. Delaney almost trips, but I catch her just in time. Then Mona’s words hit me. “Someone took her powers? Who did? Why?”

  “We don’t know.”

  It takes some time for me to find the right question to ask. We’ve reached Mrs. Delaney’s front door and Mona is unlocking it when I ask, “What was your power?”

  The old woman leans heavily against me. “I’m a healer.”

  We guide her inside and help her into bed. “That is a great power to have. Don’t worry, I’ll get it back to you.”

  She pats my hand. “That’s sweet of you, Dante. You were always a good kid. I wish I could have healed your mother.”

  Pain shoots through my heart at the thought of her. I swallow the lump in my throat.

  “You tried to heal her?” I ask, stroking Mrs. Delaney’s wrinkled hand.

  She nods, but her eyes are already closed.

  Mona touches my shoulder. “We should let her sleep.”

  I kiss the old woman on her forehead and tiptoe out of the room.

  For a moment, I wonder if I should tell Mona about Mom’s abduction. But she looks so sad already, so unlike herself, that I just can’t say it.

  A thought hits me. What if this is connected to Myah Pullus?

  “Can you tell me more about her powers?” I ask Mona.

  She walks into the living room and lowers herself on the couch. I take the chair opposite her. My Shield steps through the walls. Mona doesn’t look surprised. She just smiles at them, before answering me. “Mrs. Delaney has always used her power to help others, rather than herself. Old age is part of life, she always says, but some diseases are unnatural. Those were the ones she tried to cure.”

  “Did she use herbs to heal?” Vicky asks.

  Mona shakes her head. “She once told me how her power works. If she concentrates hard, she can see every molecule in someone’s body. Then with her eyes, she identifies the ‘evil’ ones and pulls them away from the good ones.”

  Jeep taps his foot on the floor. “So basically, she has the power to separate particles. Or does it only work with sick ones?”

  Mona gazes up at him thoughtfully. “No, I think she can do it with anything. But why would you want to separate healthy molecules?”

  It hits me just as Jeep opens his mouth to answer. “Of course! They can use it to kill Myah.”

  Mona’s perfect face scrunches up. “Who’s Myah?”

  I get up and hurry to the front door. “Someone we have to save.” I wave at her before closing the door behind me. “Don’t worry, we’ll get her power back.”

  Back at Darkwood Manor, I almost fall asleep in my kitchen chair.

  Vicky strokes my hair. “You need rest. We can go back to Myah’s office tomorrow and see if we can get Mrs. Delaney’s powers back.”

  “What if they attack her before that?”

  Taylar puts the tablet on the table. “I’ll keep an eye on Myah and wake you when something happens.”

  I’m still not convinced, but Vicky hauls me from my chair and pushes me out of the kitchen.

  “But Taylar-” I start.

  “We’ll take turns watching Myah. Don’t worry.”

  I haul myself onto the bottom step of the stairs and look at the ghosts standing in the doorway to the kitchen. “Thanks guys, for fighting with me.” Leaning on the old banister, I smile at Maël. “It’s good to have you back.”

  When I’m at the top of the stairs, I hear Jeep whisper something like, “Does anyone else have to puke?”

  Vicky’s voice answers. “Oh come on, that was sweet!”

  I lean back a bit to pick up every word.

  “Very sweet, but that’s the problem, isn’t it? He’s our leader, but he’s such a softy.”

  D’Maeo’s low voice joins the conversation. “That’s exactly why he’s such a good leader. That boy is pure good and that’s why he was chosen.” There’s a short silence. “Call when it’s my turn to watch Myah.”

  I take a step toward the annex bedroom, but D’Maeo already pops up in front of me.

  His expression is as serious as always, but I can see a glint in his eye. He knows I heard everything. “I thought you’d already be asleep.”

  “Almost.” I wring my hands together. “Thanks for sticking up for me.”

  “No problem. I just told them the truth.”

  I shake my head. “I know I should be tougher.”

  The right corner of his mouth twitches upward. “Trust me, you’re doing great.”

  He vanishes before I can react and I walk into the annex. The sight of the broken bed post greats
me, and I quickly avert my eyes. But it’s too late.

  Memories of the demon attacking us flash before my eyes and are soon replaced by images of Mom being dragged into the ground. My knees give in and I slide onto the ground with my back against the wall.

  Vicky’s arms are around me in a heartbeat. Her transparent shoulder muffles my sobs. Tears drip right through her onto the floor. “It’s okay. Let it all out.” She rests her head against mine. Her dark locks form a curtain of comfort. Tiny electrical charges shoot from her body to mine. I close my eyes and let them wash over me.

  When a soft breeze tickles my neck, I open my eyes and let go. We’re no longer in the second floor annex. My back rests against a bed.

  Vicky smiles. “I took you upstairs. You can sleep here.”

  “Thanks.” I haul myself onto the bed without taking off my clothes. “What are you going to do?”

  “Get some rest, too, I suppose.”

  “Would you…” I bite my lip. “Would you mind staying here with me?”

  Her eyes sparkle when she leans over me. “Wouldn’t that be a bit too distracting for you?”

  I pull her closer so she loses her balance and lands on me. “I don’t know. Let’s find out.”

  “With pleasure,” she whispers.

  Her lips touch mine and my whole body heats up. The sparks between us make me quiver from head to toe. I can hardly breathe, but I don’t want to let go.

  “Please be mine,” I sigh.

  Her hand moves along my side, making every molecule in my body explode. Her mouth touches my ear. “I already am.” She looks at me and grins. “Master.”

  CHAPTER 28

  “I can help you if you let me.” I shoot Myah a pleading look, but she just folds her arms across her chest and leans against the table.

  “Why would you? You don’t even know me.”

  “Do I have to know people to help them?” I pace up and down the room. “Can’t you just accept that I know how it feels to lose a parent? I couldn’t save mine, but I can save yours.”