The First Demon (Cards of Death Book 1) Read online

  Vicky glances over her shoulder. “Are you coming, handsome?”

  Tingling all over, but also slightly embarrassed, I follow her. She gestures to the head of the table. “Sit down.”

  I do as I’m told and D’Maeo leans back in his chair, stroking his beard. “So, the gift has passed to you. That means John is dead.”

  “Gift?”

  Vicky leans forward and whispers, “You’re a wizard.”

  I frown.

  D’Maeo gives her a stern look and with a shrug, she sits back.

  The woman with the golden headpiece and cape stands up and glides towards me. “Let us introduce ourselves first. My name is Maël. At your service.” She bows.

  The white-haired boy is next. He holds out his hand. “My name is Taylar. At your service.”

  I shake it. “Taylar?”

  “Yes, it’s like Taylor, but with an ‘a’ instead of an ‘o’.”

  “That’s original.”

  He smiles. “That’s me! Original and handsome!”

  I grin.

  Vicky pushes him aside and bows. “My name is Vicky. At your service.” Before she gets up, she winks at me.

  I’m starting to think this ghost is trying to seduce me. Exactly how screwed up is my mind?

  The tattooed man gives a short bow before sitting down. “My name is Jeep.” He wriggles in his chair as if a thousand ants are crawling around in his pants. “At your service,” he adds with a pained look on his face.

  I nod. “Thank you. My name is Dante, as you all seem to know already.” I turn to D’Maeo, who seems to be the leader of this gang. “So, what’s all this gift-wizard-stuff you were talking about?”

  The old man stands up and starts pacing up and down next to the dining room table. "Well, like Vicky said, you're a wizard. But we don't call them wizards in the real world, we call them Mages. We…" he waves his arm towards the other ghosts, "… are here to serve you."

  "Great, I've got hallucinations to serve me." I rub my face. I should go home and take some of my mother's medication. But before I can even get up, Vicky goes up in smoke and appears right next to me. Without hesitation, she leans forward and presses her lips onto mine. They feel soft and very real, as does the tingling sensation that rushes through my body. For one moment it feels like it's just me and this stunning girl. My whole body wishes this never ends. But then there’s a loud cough and Vicky straightens up. She touches her lips gently and gives me a crooked smile. "Did that feel as real to you as it did to me?"

  My whole body, including my mouth, is numb. I can only nod.

  "So," I say after an awkward silence, "I am a… Mage?" The ghosts just stare at me as if I'm thickheaded, so I continue. "And you guys are my posse?"

  Taylar goes into a laughing fit.

  Once again it’s D'Maeo who gives me a straight answer. "You could say that, but we call it a Shield."

  Well, that sounds much better. "And what does this Shield do? What do I do?"

  “What you do is all up to you. We protect you. We help you.”

  I grin. “So basically, I can go for world domination.”

  D’Maeo rolls his eyes and sits back down. “Don’t get too cocky, son. You’re not the only Mage in the world and we’re not the only Shield.”

  “But you are a good Shield? Strong? Compared to other Shields?”

  When he doesn’t answer immediately, my gaze wanders to the other ghosts. I expect Taylar to brag, but he just looks away, waiting for someone else to reply. The others seem to be thinking hard. Does this mean they suck as a Shield? That would be just my luck.

  “We do okay,” D’Maeo says in the end.

  Jeep lets out a howl which I take to be sarcastic, but when I glance in his direction, my body tenses. The other ghosts jump up as one when they realize something’s wrong. In a flash they are standing over him, holding down his arms and legs as Jeep kicks and curses.

  A shiver runs through me. This reminds me way too much of Mom’s fits.

  “It hurts!” Jeep yells. “Get them out!” His head sways wildly from side to side. “No, don’t let them escape!”

  “What’s going on?” I whisper. My voice is a bit hoarse. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “Don’t worry.” Vicky flashes me a smile over her shoulder. “This happens sometimes. It will only last a few minutes.”

  “Oh, good.” I get up and start pacing. Four steps towards the hallway, four steps back. I don’t want to see what’s happening a few feet away from me, but I can’t leave. Not when I’m so close to finding answers.

  Finally, Jeep’s thrashing and screaming stops. The ghosts melt back into their seats and I flop into mine. “Are you okay?”

  The tattooed ghost picks up the bowler hat that has toppled onto the floor. “Yes, I’m sorry about that.”

  I’m afraid to ask, but curiosity makes me open my mouth anyway. “What happened?”

  Jeep slowly wipes the dust from his hat. “It’s a long story.”

  “Tell me the short version.”

  He shoots me a cold glare and I gulp. Then he tells me anyway. One of the perks of being a master, I guess. “Just after I died, my wife was attacked by a bunch of ghosts. I saved her life and had to trap the souls I defeated in my body. Sometimes they try to get out.” He points at the tattoos, and I notice for the first time that they are moving. The mouths of the skulls on his upper arms open wide, letting out silent screams. The large eye in his neck narrows in anger. On his lower arms, bones wriggle and gravestones sway from side to side. Then I blink and everything stops moving.

  “I can’t imagine-“ I start saying.

  He flexes his biceps. “Yeah, you can’t.”

  “I’m glad you were able to save your wife,” I add.

  His expression softens. “Thank you.”

  I turn to the others. “So, I’m supposed to have some kind of power. Do you guys have them, too? Or is it just teleporting and invisibility?”

  Taylar gives me an offended look and I hold up my hands. “Which are great powers to have.”

  In the corner of my eye Jeep is getting up. For the first time, he actually looks amused, happy even. “Can I show him?” His voice is pleading when he turns to D’Maeo. “Please let me show him.”

  “You know that’s not a good idea, Jeep,” D’Maeo grumbles. “We should-”

  “Yeah yeah, be careful with our powers.”

  That sounds reasonable. For a second I was afraid Jeep was going to blow my head off.

  Mumbling silently to himself he sits down again. My ears pick up something like “that only seems to apply to me” but I decide to ignore it.

  I turn to the leader again. “Okay, so if you can’t show me, can you tell me what you can do?”

  D’Maeo nods to Maël, who gets up and pulls a staff from under her robe. It is made from a dark wood, and at the top it splits into several twigs that twine together. It reminds me of Gandalf’s wand, but I keep that comment to myself. Maël actually looks really fierce standing there, banging her staff on the floor. She could probably obliterate Gandalf with a single glare. “I can influence time,” she says. The tip of her staff sparkles.

  My eyes grow wide. “That is awesome.”

  Vicky is next. She stands up, smiling. “I am an empath.”

  I frown. “That’s not a magical power, lots of people can read feelings.”

  Taylar sniggers and gets a dirty look from Vicky. “You are the last person to make fun of someone’s powers.”

  His grin fades and I turn my attention back to the girl with the black-blonde hair, waiting for an explanation.

  “Non-magical empaths can read other people’s feelings. Sometimes so well that they are engulfed by the same emotions. You could call them oversensitive. I am a magical empath, which means I can tune in on someone and see what they are feeling. The emotions don’t bother me, however and I can turn off my gift whenever I want to.”

 
; D’Maeo leans forward. “She can do more than that.” He sounds like a proud father.

  I smile, urging her to go on.

  “I can also make people feel whatever I want. Heartache, depression, joy, anything.”

  “No way.”

  “You don’t believe me?” She narrows her eyes at me and I wriggle in my seat.

  “I… well… sure,” I stutter.

  She cocks her head. “Nope, you don’t believe me.”

  Taylar leans towards me and whispers. “You’re screwed now. She can read your feelings, remember? There’s no fooling her.” Malicious delight glints in his face.

  I gulp. My gaze darts back to Vicky, whose blue eyes are clouding over. And I mean that literally. There are actual clouds in her eyes. It’s creepy as hell.

  I lean back in my chair, and almost tip over, but Taylar pushes me back.

  Fear prevents me from moving. My mouth is dry. Everyone is watching me and Jeep snorts softly.

  Tension inside me is growing. My right foot starts to tap a nervous beat. My hands shake and sweat drips down my temple. My mind keeps telling me I don't want to sing in front of a thousand people. Vicky is still looking at me intently. There is no doubt that she is causing this. I want to tell her she has made her point, but my nerves spin out of control. My breathing goes faster and faster. I know I am about to start hyperventilating, but I can't stop myself. I want to close my eyes, but I can’t. I press my hands against my forehead and swallow. I am no longer in control of my emotions. With all my might I try to speak, to tell Vicky to stop. But I can't remember the words. My thoughts are a jumble of stress and fear. Fear of being made fun of, of losing my face, never being able to walk through town without people pointing and laughing.

  My stomach clenches. The tapping of my foot is driving me crazy.

  Then D'Maeo raises his hand. Vicky nods and closes her eyes. The feeling fades and I take a shaky breath.

  Everyone is silent. It takes me a couple of minutes to recover. They wait patiently.

  I wipe the sweat from my face. "That is freaky."

  She looks proud. "I know."

  "I’m not even afraid of crowds. I have no problem speaking, singing or even dancing in public. But I have never been so nervous in my life."

  "I know," she says again.

  "What did you do to me?"

  She shrugs.

  "You can do that with any emotion?" I ask.

  "Sure."

  D'Maeo waves a hand at the others. "That is one of the powers your Shield can offer you."

  I turn to Taylar. "So, what awesome kind of power can you offer?"

  The boy seems to shrink back a little in his chair.

  I frown. "What? Is it something embarrassing?"

  "No, not at all. It's amazing. It’s the greatest power of all. It’s something everyone dreams of. You see it in the movies and…”

  While he is jabbering away, Jeep rolls his eyes. Vicky is looking more amused than ever.

  “What?” I ask. “What is it?”

  Taylar shoots them an angry look. “Nothing! They’re just jealous. That’s why I don’t want to talk about it. They have great powers, but mine-”

  “Yeah,” Jeep interrupts calmly. “He doesn’t have a power.”

  Taylar stands up, his hands balled to fists by his sides. “I do, I just don’t know what it is yet!”

  “We all had our powers before we died,” Jeep explains. “Mr. Taylar here has never done anything magical in his life, or after. We think he’s just tagging along for the fun of it.”

  Taylar sits down and folds his arms. “Shut up.”

  Jeep opens his mouth to add more oil to the fire, but D’Maeo speaks up before he can. “Enough. Let’s keep it civil in front of our new master.”

  I try not to grin. Master… This still feels like a dream. And although it started out pretty creepy, it’s getting better and better.

  Jeep and Taylar exchange dirty looks, while D’Maeo goes on. “Taylar is part of this Shield as much as we are. He is here for a reason, just like the rest of us.”

  “And what reason is that?” I ask.

  “We don’t know yet.”

  So much for getting all the answers from the wise old man. “So tell me about your powers. What can you do?”

  “I have the power of deflection.”

  I wait for an explanation, and when it doesn’t come, I smile. “Oh, cool.”

  “Rookie,” Jeep mumbles.

  I imitate one of Taylar’s gazes. “Shut up. I’m new to this, all right?”

  D’Maeo steps in again. “Deflection means I can block other people’s powers.”

  I nod in approval, silently hoping I won’t need that power.

  “And Jeep here is a necromancer.”

  I know that word. I’ve heard it somewhere before.

  Jeep folds his arms and lifts his chin. “It means I can bring back the dead.”

  I blink. “That’s a great power. So you can…”

  He shakes his head before I can finish. “No.”

  “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

  He rolls his eyes again. “Sure I do. Everyone asks the same stupid question. Yes, I can bring back the dead. That doesn’t mean I can give you back your grandma or favorite pet. Those I bring back are not exactly alive. They’re still dead, just… walking around.”

  “Oh…”

  “Yeah, I know. Not that great, huh?”

  “Well…”

  “Until I make them fight for us. Try beating an army that’s already dead.” He has a smug look on his face, annoying as hell. Of all the ghosts in this Shield, he is the only one I would trade.

  Vicky appears next to me and whispers in my ear. “Don’t worry about Jeep. He’s always like this with new people. He’ll come around. Meanwhile, we could have a little fun… if you want to…” She winks at me again, her blue eyes glinting.

  I still can’t make up my mind about her. She is so beautiful, but so scary at the same time. My mind hasn’t forgotten what she did to it yet. And the fact that I can see through her still makes the hairs on my whole body stand up straight.

  “Yeah,” I stutter. “Maybe… maybe later, okay?”

  She fades and appears in her seat again.

  My head is spinning with all the information. I want to ask what they know about my father, but I’m not sure my mind can take much more. I mean, my dad is gone, I inherited a large creepy house, ghosts are real and to top it all off, they tell me I am some sort of wizard, a Mage, and I have a Shield to fight for me.

  Suddenly all I want is to get out of here. I push back my chair and stand up. “I should go. I need to go to the store. I’m having a party tonight. And I have to check on my mom.”

  D’Maeo nods calmly. “You do that. We’ll be here.”

  I glance around the kitchen. “Is there any way you can…” I wave my hands through the air as if I’m the Wizard of Oz or something. I probably am. “Can you fix this, like… magically?”

  Jeep snorts. “I don’t remember any of us telling you we have the power of redecorating. Although…” He turns his head slowly, “maybe Taylar does.”

  The boy shoots up from his chair and throws himself at the tattooed ghost. Jeep dodges him easily and Taylar falls right through the floor, only to fall down from the ceiling, right on top of Jeep.

  My mouth must have fallen open, because Vicky is giggling hysterically at me.

  “Stop showing off,” D’Maeo grumbles and the fighting ghosts fade away into different corners of the kitchen.

  “Yeah,” I sigh. “It’s definitely time to go.” I turn and walk into the hallway. “Thanks for the chat. See you all later.” Or not.

  CHAPTER 5

  Outside it’s quiet now, but when I reach the bottom of the stairs a gust of wind slams the still open front door closed. Still on edge, I jump. "Not funny, guys."

  The five ghosts appear n
ext to me out of thin air. D'Maeo frowns. "That wasn't us."

  His words are like a punch in the stomach. If they didn't do that, then what was it?

  Maël points to the stairs. "Look."

  There is no wind anymore, but a white envelope is blown up the stairs. We all watch it until it settles with a soft rustle about half way up.

  Jeep nudges me. "It must be for you. We never get strange mail."

  Since – apparently – I’m their master, I don’t want to seem like a wuss. So I walk towards the envelope and pick it up. It feels just like the one I received this morning, soft and light. It has the same lines on the back and my name on the front. I grin. When Dad vanished he left us enough money to last for the next ten years - of which only five are left now. He left me a large mansion this morning. Did he leave me something else? Maybe a nice ride? I could use one. My ’61 Dodge Phoenix is all rusty and squeaky. My friends call her a ramshackle car, I just call her grumpy. But who am I kidding, I wouldn’t want to sell her. I love my old car.

  “Ahem,” Jeep coughs from below.

  Five transparent faces look up at me expectantly. It is all so surreal.

  I shake my head to return to reality and open the envelope. There are two cards inside. Bright blue symbols and skulls embedded in black smoke swirl on the back. They are actually moving, making me nauseous.

  “Let me see.” Vicky is suddenly standing next to me. Her hand brushes against mine, and she takes one of the cards from me. After examining it, she holds it up to the others. “This can’t be good, right?”

  D’Maeo shakes his head solemnly.

  Vicky sighs. “Well, at least we have a good Mage as a master now.” Her gaze bores into mine, her eyes narrowing slightly. “I think.”

  I lean back a little. “What does that mean?”

  “It means-”

  She is interrupted by D’Maeo. “Maybe we should sit down again.”

  In the blink of an eye they are all gone. I stare at the card in my hand. It has the same creepy symbols on the back. The other side is covered in frost flowers. When I touch them, it feels like I put my hand in a freezer.

  At the bottom of the stairs my feet want to pull me in different directions. One wants to go to the kitchen, the other wants to get the hell out of here.