She glares at me. “People like that don’t exist anymore, Dante.” She squints. “Is that even your real name? What are you, Italian?”
I try to suppress my frown, but can’t. “Yes, that’s my real name. Dante Banner, I told you. And my family is from the States. Why would you say I’m Italian?”
“Well, I’ve only once heard of a Dante before. He was Italian. Dante Alighieri. Ever heard of him?”
I sigh. I don’t understand what’s she’s getting at. Why won’t she just let me help her with the mausoleum?
“There’s no need to con people. Me and my friends can help you,” I try again.
“Oh, so now it’s you and your friends? Do they love strangers as much as you do? Did you step out of a fairy tale or something?”
A grumble escapes me and I push my hands against my ears. “Why are you so stubborn?”
She blinks. “Dante Alighieri was a writer, amongst other things. He was born in the thirteenth century and his masterpiece, the Divine Comedy, is still famous today.”
“Yeah? So what?” I lower my gaze to my feet, still moving from left to right. To the wall, and back, to the wall, and back.
“The first part of this Divine Comedy is about a man’s journey through Hell.”
My head turns and I stop pacing. “What?”
She smiles. “Oh, you’re interested in Hell?”
“Sure. Can you tell me more about that?”
“About Hell?”
I take a deep breath, trying not to lose my temper. “About the story. What was the writer’s name again?”
“Dante.”
“Yes, I got that!” I’m shouting now, I can’t help myself.
Myah just grins. She’s playing with me. Taunting me.
“Dante!”
Her voice is lower now.
“Dante, wake up.”
I blink. Myah is gone. Her living room has vanished with her. But I’m not alone. A beautiful face hovers above mine. “Dante? Are you awake?”
“Sure.” It comes out hoarse and I cough. I ban Myah from my thoughts. Was that a premonition or just a dream?
Vicky hands me my phone. “It’s Charlie. He sounds freaked out.”
I straighten up and wipe the sleep out of my eyes. “Yeah?”
“Dante, you have to come home right now, man. Your mom is back.”
Suddenly I’m unable to form words. My lips move, but no sound comes out.
I stumble to my feet and bump into the wall.
“Wow!” Vicky stops me and takes back the phone. “What’s going on, Charlie? He almost knocked himself out.”
I rub my head and pull Vicky along, out of the room and down two flights of stairs.
“Where?” she asks Charlie. “Okay, we’ll be right there. Keep an eye on her.”
I can hear my best friend’s offended ‘Of course’ before she hangs up.
The rest of the Shield is already up. They’re sitting in their usual spots around the kitchen table.
“Everybody in the car!” I yell, much louder than necessary.
They obey, but Vicky puts her hand on mine when I open the front door. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to drive right now. Give me the keys.”
My mouth falls open. “You can’t drive. You’re a ghost!”
She snatches the keys out of my hand. “In Blackford I can. I can use the middle roads.”
I’m too worried to argue, so I get into the passenger seat and tell her to hurry.
While Vicky explains what we’re doing to the others, I stare out of my window and silently pray that Mom’s okay.
I’m out of the car before Vicky turns off the engine. The front door is open and I race inside, almost slipping when I step into the line of salt Charlie put there.
Mom is lying in the spot where she was taken. Charlie is bent over her. He stands up when he sees me. “I came to check on the house and found her like this. I can’t wake her up, man.”
I drop down next to Mom and feel for a pulse. “Did you call an ambulance?”
“No, I called Quinn.”
“Then where is he?” My voice echoes through the house.
“I don’t know.” He sounds like he’s about to bawl his eyes out. I can’t blame him. Mom doesn’t look good. Her face is pale, there are dark patches under her eyes and when I roll up her sleeves, I discover gashes everywhere.
There’s a puddle of blood around her, but I can’t find an open wound.
A breeze tickles the back of my neck and Quinn kneels next to me. He moves his hands along her body. “She was healed before they sent her back.”
“Then what’s wrong with her? Why isn’t she waking up?” I lift her head so I can slide underneath her. I pull her close to me and whisper in her ear. “I love you, Mom. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you. Please wake up.” I shake her shoulders, but she stays limp in my arms.
Quinn watches me with tears in his eyes. “She might be able to hear you, but she’s still under a spell.”
“Can you break it?”
He puts his hand on her heart and slowly shakes his head. “No.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?”
The Shield has approached silently. Vicky reaches out to me, but I shrug her away.
“Is there a counter spell?” I ask her.
“We can try to lift the curse, but…”
“But what?” I yell. “What are you afraid of? Is it too much work?”
I don’t want to shout at her, but I’m so angry. Mom has nothing to do with our fight, but she got hurt anyway. They took her to get to me.
Vicky touches my shoulder and I let her. “We’ll try the spell, but I don’t think it’ll work. If your premonition was about your mom, the Devil himself put this spell on her. It’s probably too strong for us to break.”
Quinn looks down on Mom with a sigh. “She’s right, but we’ll try everything we can think of, Dante.”
I try to swallow the lump in my throat. “Good. And if nothing works, I guess I’ll just have to pay Lucifer a visit.”
D’Maeo and Maël exchange a worried look. I know it would be stupid to seek out the Devil, but I can’t give up on Mom. I know I should, to save the world, but I would rather die than let her stay like this.
I kiss her on the temple. “Hold on. We’ll save you.”
Vicky stands up. “Okay. Jeep, come with me. Let’s get ready to do this spell.”
CHAPTER 29
I hold on to Mom and keep whispering to her while Vicky and Jeep prepare the spell. Vicky places two mirrors she must have found in the attic opposite each other. “Do you remember how to consecrate them?”
“No, but it’s all in my spell book.”
Charlie is by my side in the blink of an eye. He sits down beside me and holds out his hands. “I’ll take her.”
I softly tap my fist against my heart. He knows I don’t want Mom lying on the cold floor alone.
Carefully, I move her into Charlie’s arms and stand up. I swallow and close my eyes for a second, in an attempt to lose the empty feeling in my stomach.
Then I concentrate on the spells I have to cast. The consecrating doesn’t take long. After that I turn to Vicky. “Okay, tell me what to do again.”
Vicky walks me through every step and I gesture toward the sideboard. “There are pictures of Mom in the second drawer.” I wrinkle my forehead. “But how are we going to get a picture of the Devil?”
Quinn reaches into the air and pulls out a photograph. Without a word, he hands it to me.
My eyes scan it quickly. “He looks so normal. Just like a regular guy.”
“It’s hard to photograph his true form, as it is with me,” Quinn explains.
Vicky comes back with a picture of Mom. I place both between the mirrors and sit down. It takes all my concentration to clear my mind. My eyes are focused on the flame of the candle in the middle. The energy of the curse becomes visibl
e instantly. It’s darker and bigger than what I saw when I freed Mr. Timson from Paul’s curse. When I try to force the black smoke from Lucifer’s picture to Mom’s, it takes on the form of a large skull. The toothless mouth opens wide and thunderous laughter fills the room. Then the skull changes into a claw that reaches for me. I lean back, but it grabs my shirt and lifts me off my feet.
From somewhere far away, I hear Quinn chanting something, while Maël bangs her staff onto the floor. None of it seems to affect the smoke. It chuckles with dark delight and flings me across the room.
I crash into the kitchen wall and land in a heap on the floor. While I scramble to my feet, the grinning skull is sucked back into the picture.
Quinn stops chanting and the Shield relaxes. I glance at Charlie on the floor. Mom is still just an empty body in his arms.
What if we’re too late? What if she’s not in there anymore?
Vicky rushes to my side. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” I rub my elbow. “We’ll have to find another way.”
Quinn releases his giant wings. “I hate to say this, Dante, but you have to save Myah first. If you don’t, your mother won’t be the only victim of this war.”
I clench my fists. “I can’t just leave her like this, Quinn. I have to get her back.”
His eyes bore into mine. They seem darker than usual under his white curls. “You have to. Otherwise there won’t be anyone to get her back. Ever.”
I let out a scream of frustration. “Fine!” I grab my keys from the table, where Vicky left them. “Come on. Let’s screw up Lucifer’s plans.”
Quinn blocks my way to the front door and I put my hands on my hips. “What?”
“Don’t be angry at me, Dante. I’m helping as much as I can.”
My scowl fades. “I know. I’m not mad at you. It’s your father I can’t stand.”
His eyebrows shoot up.
“He’s as powerful as the Devil, but he doesn’t do anything to help.”
Now the angel looks hurt. “That’s not true, Dante. He sent me. And he gave you your powers. All of you.”
I wave his words away. “Yeah, whatever. See you later.” If I look at the still form of Mom one more time, I’ll collapse, so I just continue toward the front door and say, “Keep an eye on my mother for me, okay?”
“Don’t worry about that, Dante,” Charlie calls after me.
As soon as the door closes behind us, Vicky grabs my arm. “Are you crazy? You can’t say something like that about God!”
“Why not? It’s the truth, isn’t it?”
At a loss for words, she follows me into the car.
I turn the key, but Phoenix only splutters.
“Come on, baby, I need you.”
I try again, but she just lets out a little cough.
I hit the steering wheel hard, then look up at the sky. “I could use a little help here!”
Vicky gasps and places her hand over her mouth. Jeep, in the seat next to me, is watching the sky intently. He gives me a sideways look. “I don’t think he heard you.”
When I try to start Phoenix again, there’s not even a sound. “Don’t you die on me, too!” I yell. Tears sting behind my eyes.
I turn my eyes back to the sky. “Hello-o? Is anyone there? Since we’re doing all the fighting for you down here, the least you can do is make sure my car starts. Saving the world isn’t easy, you know!”
“Dante!” Vicky cries.
My heart almost stops when Phoenix comes to life with a roar.
I hold up my hands. “I didn’t even touch the key.”
Jeep throws his head back, laughing hard. “Looks like your call finally came through.”
“About time,” I mumble, hitting the gas a bit too hard and making the wheels spin.
We drive in uncomfortable silence for a while and I slowly calm down.
“Sorry about that,” I say. “It was just a bit too much for a moment.”
“We’re not the ones you should apologize to, Dante,” Vicky says without looking at me.
Jeep turns around to face her. “He did have a point. And I guess the man upstairs thought so, too.”
She shrugs.
I glance at Jeep. “I did have a point, didn’t I?”
He grins. “You did.”
Taylar disconnects himself from a sulking Vicky and leans on the back of my seat. “Hey guys, I’ve been thinking. Do you remember the demons vanishing when the Timson brothers made up? What if we can prevent Myah’s death by making sure she doesn’t commit a crime?”
“I tried that in a premonition I had just before I woke up this morning.”
“Did it work?”
“Well, not yet, but my dream was cut short.”
“Even if it didn’t,” D’Maeo chimes in, “we’ve seen before that your premonitions should be considered a warning rather than a glimpse of the certain future. You saw that spider demon kill you and your mother, but you’re both still alive after its attack.”
I ponder on that for a while. When we reach Silverton, I look at the road signs. “Eh, does anyone remember the way to Myah’s office? My brain is a bit of a mess right now.”
“Take a left,” Maël says.
A few minutes later, I park Phoenix in front of the office. It feels quiet. No signs of evil nearby.
“Do you have a plan yet?” Jeep informs.
“I do. Let’s just hope it works.” We get out of the car and I take a deep breath. “Stay invisible,” I instruct my Shield. “And keep an eye out for demons or any other guards. I think they’re gone now, but they’ll probably be back.”
Jeep salutes me. “Aye aye, sir.”
CHAPTER 30
It’s much easier than I thought to get to Myah. I tell the receptionist I want to see her about a financial deal and she sends me through.
The woman with the hair bun looks at me suspiciously when I walk in, followed by my invisible Shield. “You’re a little young for a financial deal, aren’t you?”
I close the door and wring my hands together. “Miss Pullus, or should I say Miss Redfeather…” I pause to see if I got her attention.
Her frown deepens.
“I heard about your struggles with Westside Cemetery and came to offer help.”
She leans against her desk. “Why would you help me?”
I show her my gentleman’s smile. “Oh, it’s actually not just you I’d be helping. You see, my father is the head of a heritage organization. I’m currently an intern there.”
“Good thinking, Dante,” D’Maeo compliments me from the corner of the room.
“We want to preserve mausoleums that represent certain eras,” I continue. “Your family’s is a unique one, so we would very much like to save it.”
Myah twirls a piece of paper around in her hand. She doesn’t look convinced.
An image of a collapsed mausoleum shoots through my head. “We were too late to save some of the others we wanted to preserve. Yours is in such a good state and we understand that you’ve been having trouble arranging transportation for it. We can help you with that.”
Myah slowly turns and walks around her desk. She takes place behind it and gestures to a chair.
I sit down and continue before she can name any objections. “We know how to handle what’s inside the mausoleum, don’t worry about that.”
Myah folds her hands together on the desk. “Well, I must say it sounds great. And how soon can you arrange this?”
“Oh, we can move the whole thing by…” I rub my chin and stare intently at the ceiling, waiting for one of the ghosts to help out.
“Tomorrow,” Maël says.
I drop my gaze. “By tomorrow,” I repeat.
Myah stands up and holds out her hand. “I don’t know how I could refuse such a great offer. Thank you mister…?”
“Banner,” I say, shaking her hand. “Dante Banner.”
“Nice to meet you.” She
pulls a business card out of her desk and slides it over to me. “Call me if you need anything.”
Vicky nudges me softly. “Ask for the East Cemetery transfer paperwork, or she’ll get suspicious.”
I follow her advice and a few minutes later we’re back outside.
Taylar holds up his hand for a high five. “That was awesome! What a story.”
I laugh. “I know. It’s hard to believe it actually worked. We’ll have to arrange transportation now, though.”
When I get back behind the wheel, Jeep slaps me on the shoulder. “Leave it to me.”
I push down his hands. “Oh no, you’re not summoning zombies to do this.”
He rolls up his sleeves. “Why not? They’re free!”
I shake my head. “That raccoon wasn’t so reliable, remember? We can’t take the risk of something happening to the mausoleum.”
“I’ve got a better idea,” D’Maeo says when I start Phoenix.
I pull out of the parking place. “Okay, spill it.”
“Our visit to the Black Forest sparked a memory in my head. I know some ents who are used to carrying heavy loads. They normally charge a lot for a special transport like this, but they’re in my debt, so they’ll do this for free.”
“That’s a great idea. Do we have to visit them or can we call them or something?”
“It’s probably better if I talk to them in person. They’ll want to be sure it’s really me.”
My mind spins around Mom, but I know we have to deal with this first. A sigh escapes my lips. “Okay, tell me where to go.”
D’Maeo directs us to a forest just outside Blackford. “Come with me, but let me do the talking. Ents are extraordinary creatures. If you speak to them in a manner they don’t like, they’ll never help you.”
Taylar huffs. “Well, we have nothing to fear then. Dante is a master in the tree language.”
Shaking his head, D’Maeo looks around. “Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Every ent family has its own ways.” He starts walking, but holds still after a few steps. His gaze flickers over the other ghosts. “It might be better if you don’t show yourselves.” He takes off again, with an apologetic wave of his hand. “Just in case.”
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