The Eighth Mage Read online

  While Jeep steers the skeletons out of the kitchen door, the arms reach inside and pull out hands full of debris. Instead of chunking them on the lawn, they stick them back inside.

  “What’s it doing?” Kessley asks, landing behind me and changing back into her human form.

  “I think…” My voice catches in my throat. “I think it’s repairing itself.”

  We can’t see what’s going on inside, since the windows move up and down as arms. But soon, the house starts to pick up roof tiles. The holes in the walls are filled up, followed by the roof.

  By the time it starts putting the roof tiles back in place, I’m smiling from ear to ear. “This house is even more amazing than I thought.”

  Eventually, the arms slide back in place, and the mansion stops moving. After a last creak, silence descends on us.

  Charlie burps loudly. “Sorry.” He rubs his stomach. “I had a bit too much.”

  I can’t help but laugh. With relief, but also from shock. “A bit too much? You devoured a whole aisle of cookies and chocolate! And I’m glad you did, because without you, I’m not sure we would’ve been able to beat those tornado demons.”

  Gisella places her hands on her hips. “Are you kidding? That house could beat Satan himself!”

  I open my mouth to object but realize she might be right. My hand flies to my mouth.

  Gisella frowns at me. “What? What did I say?”

  “You gave me an idea.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I was kidding.”

  “That might be, but you were making a good point.”

  Confusion meets me when I look around.

  “You think Darkwood Manor could actually kill Satan?” Taylar asks incredulously.

  I shake my head. “No, but it could definitely help us. Nobody but us, and maybe Dad, knows what this house can do. So if it comes to a fight…” I pause, still a little afraid to say it out loud. “I think we should lure him here.”

  Charlie shivers. “Lure him to us? Are you crazy?”

  D’Maeo clears his throat, and all heads turn to him. “I think it is the only sensible thing to do.” Mona, standing next to him, nods solemnly.

  “Why?” Jeep asks. “Isn’t it better to have a safe place to return to in case things go sideways? We could harbor a lot of people here, especially if we expand the protection on the house.”

  D’Maeo sends him a sad smile. “If Lucifer escapes Hell and we fail to send him back, there will be no safe place on Earth. If it comes to a face-to-face battle, we’ll have to give it our all. And that includes Darkwood Manor. It can fight with us. It will help us, even if it is only as an element of surprise.”

  “I think your idea sucks,” Vicky says, folding her arms.

  Jeep is also not convinced. “So, you want to stop blocking the portal in the silver mine? Lure him through the porthole and let him enter our house?”

  The old ghost rubs his sideburns. “We will block that portal as long as we can. But if Lucifer breaks through, and reaches Earth, our best option is to fight him here. There will be no non-magical people in our way, and we’ll be on familiar grounds.”

  “He’ll need his back-up plan for sure.” Charlie grins, holding up his hand for a high five.

  I slap his hand and grin back. “Only two more souls to save. And with each soul he loses, he gets more desperate. I say we get some rest and track down their next target tomorrow.”

  Kessley rubs her hands with a worried expression on her face. “What if we run into more of those wind demons? Without the house, we’ll have no chance against them.”

  I gesture at Dylan, who’s been listening silently. “Sure we do. Dylan has a solution.”

  He goes a bit more transparent when all heads turn to him. “I might know of a way, yes,” he says timidly.

  I throw my ball of lightning in the air. “See? Everything will be fine. But now, I order you all to go to bed.”

  “Aye aye, sir!” Taylar and Charlie say in unison. Jeep taps his head with a ‘goodnight’ and vanishes, and soon the other ghosts follow. Except for Vicky, who walks back to the house with me, Charlie and Gisella, and Dylan, who stares at the sky longingly. “I think I’ll stay here for a while, if you don’t mind. It’s great to be outside. I’m finally free, and for the first time in decades, I can be alone again. I’d like to enjoy that for a while.”

  “Sure!” I say, slapping him gently on the back. This time, my hand doesn’t go through him. “Thanks again for your help. Stay inside the circle, where you’ll be safe. And if you want to rest, you can take the room on the upper floor, back of the house. Nobody uses that.”

  “Thanks, Dante.”

  With a nod, I say goodbye. I meet Vicky at the back door. Charlie and Gisella have already gone upstairs.

  I reach out for Vicky’s hand as we climb the stairs, and she takes it.

  “That was…” she searches for words, “… amazing. I knew this house was special, but I never expected anything like this.”

  “Me neither.” We enter my bedroom, and I undress quickly.

  Vicky watches me from under the covers. “Are you sure about your plan to lure Satan here? It sounds too dangerous to me.”

  I hop in beside her and stretch my arm above her head, inviting her to snuggle up to me like she always does. I’m careful to avoid her eyes, since this is a test.

  After a short hesitation, she puts her head on my chest.

  “We’ll be okay. We’re going to win this.”

  Her body stiffens up a bit. Or is that my imagination?

  I kiss her on the temple. “Are you okay? You acted a bit weird earlier.” That last comment slips out, and I bite my lip.

  “I know, I’m sorry,” she says, tracing her finger along my side. “For a moment, I was too angry and heartbroken to function. I should’ve been there to comfort you.”

  She sounds sincere, and I’m too tired to worry about it. If I can’t trust my own girlfriend anymore, who can I trust? When she continues to caress my side and chest, I drift off into a peaceful dream.

  CHAPTER 7

  I wake up feeling refreshed and optimistic. Vicky is still asleep, so I climb out of bed quietly and sneak downstairs. Kessley and Dylan are sitting at the kitchen table, whispering to each other.

  “Is everyone else still upstairs?” I ask them softly.

  They nod.

  I sit down in D’Maeo’s chair, which is closer to them than mine. “What were you talking about? I mean, if you want to tell me.”

  Kess smiles. “Sure, it’s no secret. We were trying to come up with a way to solve Dylan’s unfinished business. Now that he’s no longer imprisoned, he should solve it as soon as possible, right?”

  My finger taps on the table while I think that over. “Yes, I think so. Unfinished business is dangerous. Jeep’s tattoo must have protected you up till now.” I scrutinize him for a second. “Do you feel any different?”

  He scratches his head. “Well, yeah, I feel free and happy, but that’s because I’m no longer a prisoner and because I made some great friends.”

  “True,” I say with a wink, “but is there anything else? Anything that doesn’t feel good?”

  He stares past me. “Well… I do feel a bit restless.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yep, that’s it.”

  “Good. I think that means we’ve got some time left to find the man who killed you… what was his name?”

  “Armando Accardi. His father was Italian.”

  I rub my chin. “We’ll have to see if we can find out where he is.”

  Dylan shakes his head. “You don’t need to do that. You’ve got your hands full already. I’d rather help you instead of the other way around.”

  “That’s so sweet!” Kessley calls out. Immediately, she covers her mouth. “Oops, sorry.”

  About a second later, the table fills up as the rest of the Shield appears one by one.

  “Sorr
y,” Kess says again. “I didn’t mean to wake you all up.”

  Mona, the only one who seems rested and who looks perfect as always, points at the clock on the wall. “I’m glad you did. Have you seen the time?”

  Charlie, coming down the stairs behind Gisella, rubs his rumbling belly. “No, but I’m guessing it’s almost lunch.”

  “Eleven thirty, yes.” Mona walks over to the stove. “I was thinking pancakes. How does that sound?”

  “Great!” several voices call out at once.

  I stand up to make room for D’Maeo and take Vicky in my arms when I reach my own chair at the other head of the table. “You look tired.”

  She shakes me off. “I’ll be fine. You got rid of the curses, remember?” It comes out blunt, and once again, my doubts rise to the surface. Is something going on with her?

  After a big yawn, Jeep slams his fist onto the table. “What’s our next step?”

  Mona raises the spatula in her hand. “After lunch, I want to go see if Shelton Banks is back in prison.”

  Taylar flexes his arms and cracks his neck. “I still feel great, so I think our plan to get him convicted is working.”

  My muscles relax a little. “Well, that’s one less thing to worry about.”

  Jeep twirls his hat in his hands. “I think our first priority should be to find and save the eighth soul.”

  Vicky drops into her chair. “Maybe we can split up again, because I really need to find out how to create the nine circles of Hell. There was something in the book about it, but it was a bit vague.”

  Blank stares answer her, and I realize the others don’t know about Vicky’s ancestor and her powers yet. Briefly, I meet Vicky’s eyes and ask her silently which one of us is going to tell them. She closes her eyes for a second and gives me a small smile. “I’ve got something important to tell you guys.”

  She gives them a summary of what we found out and shows them the picture of Isabel, her great-great-grandmother, when Mona hands her the book. She sounds much happier about it than yesterday, and that only feeds my worries.

  Gisella shakes her head at me. “I can’t believe you didn’t see the resemblance when Charon showed you the memory, Dante. Vicky looks so much like her.”

  I pull my thoughts back to the conversation. “She did remind me of someone, I just―”

  Vicky puts her hand on my leg and squeezes gently, comfortingly. “He was in the Underworld, with the ferryman. He got sucked into a memory about Satan getting trapped in Hell. Anyone in that position would be overwhelmed and confused.”

  I send her a grateful and relieved smile. I’m worrying too much. Vicky is tired, and she’s still processing the responsibility that was dropped on her.

  The werecat-witch nods, her eyes on the book. “That’s true.”

  I pat Vicky’s hand. “At least now I know why Charon showed me that memory.”

  Suddenly, Vicky sits up straight. “Hey, maybe he also knows how it works.”

  I frown. “There’s probably more about that in the book.”

  She shakes her head. “No, there isn’t. All it says is that I need to wake up this power somehow, and then I’ll know what to do.”

  My frown deepens. “How do you know? We only read a couple of pages.”

  She gives me a quick kiss on the lips. “I went through the whole book this morning when everyone was still asleep. When I couldn’t find anything more about it, I went back to bed.”

  Mona puts a plate in front of her, and Vicky breathes in the delicious smell.

  “Eat this,” the fairy godmother says. “It will make up for the lack of sleep.”

  Vicky slides her chair closer to the table and stuffs a forkful of pancake into her mouth. She chews with her eyes closed, and I can see Mona’s magic dancing under her see-through skin.

  “Oh my goodness, this is sooo good, Mona.” She licks her lips several times. “You’ve outdone yourself.”

  A sad longing rises to my throat. I can almost hear Mom singing Abba while she throws the pancakes in the air. Suddenly I have difficulty swallowing. My vision gets blurry.

  “What’s the matter?” Mona places a hand on my shoulder. “I thought you liked pancakes?”

  I wipe my eyes and smile at her. “I do like pancakes. I just wish someone was here baking them with you.”

  “Oh, honey, I miss her too.” She wraps her arms around me, and sparks jump from her hands, spreading over my body rapidly. “She’ll be back with us soon. I feel it in my gut.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “Your premonition was promising, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes and no,” I grumble.

  Mona rubs my back. “We’ll make sure only the good parts come true.”

  When she rises, I grab her and pull her back for a real hug. “Thank you, Mona,” I whisper in her ear. “For taking care of us all, for sticking with me. For everything.”

  “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  Once we’ve all got a pancake under our belts, we discuss our next plan.

  “I think we should go and see Charon,” Vicky says.

  I rub my face briskly to chase away the last of the sadness lingering behind my eyes. “I’m not sure that’s wise.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, he clearly stated he didn’t want to see me in his world again. And he didn’t want me to disturb any other worlds either.”

  “Of course not,” D’Maeo says, standing up to take his empty plate back to Mona and steal a kiss. “It might be dangerous for him to be seen with you. He’s supposed to be neutral.”

  I hand him my plate when he holds out his hand. “That’s the other reason why I don’t think we should see him. He is neutral. All he wants is for the worlds to keep their balance.”

  Maël gestures to the old ghost that she’s had enough. She readjusts her cape before she turns to me. “Charon is fond of you. That is what he said. And not only that, he knows we need to win this to keep the balance in the universe.”

  I turn the cup of coffee in front of me around and around. “So, you think he won’t mind it if we pay him a visit?”

  The ghost queen wipes a bit of sugar from the corner of her mouth. “I think he will be pleased, but to be honest… you never know with Charon. He can be fickle.”

  “And by fickle you mean…” I pause, and when she doesn’t answer, I finish my own sentence. “He can change his mind about me and lock me in the Underworld?”

  She straightens the golden headpiece that rests on her curls. “Yes, that is what I mean.”

  “So it’s a bad idea,” I summarize.

  D’Maeo suddenly sits up straight. “Not if you bring a gift. Charon loves gifts.”

  Kessley frowns. “How do you know?”

  He smiles. “Stories.”

  “What kind of stories?”

  Jeep leans back in his chair and folds his hands together behind his head. “Don’t you guys know the story of Orpheus and Eurydice?”

  “Sounds like something from Greek mythology,” Charlie voices my thoughts.

  D’Maeo shrugs. “Well, most of those stories are true. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

  “All kinds of stories turn out to be true. Heaven, Hell, angels, the Underworld.” I bring my hands to my head and move them sideways, imitating an explosion with my mouth. “At this point, I’d believe anything.”

  Dylan leans on the table, closer to Jeep. “Tell us about Orpheus and Eurydice.”

  The tattooed ghost unfolds his hands and sits up straight. He takes off his hat and places it in front of him. His fingers follow the rim of the fabric. “The whole story is too long to tell now, but what’s important to us is that Orpheus was a legendary magical singer. His singing could move the earth, literally. Nobody could resist it. When he met Eurydice, a nymph, he fell in love instantly. They got married, but soon after, fate struck. Eurydice was bitten by a snake, and she died.”

  �
��How sad,” Kessley says, taking Taylar’s hand and squeezing it.

  “It was very sad. But Orpheus couldn’t accept her death, so he went after her.”

  “He went to the Underworld?” Gisella asks.

  “Exactly. And there he asked Charon to let him pass so he could get his wife back.”

  “And Charon said yes?” Vicky asks incredulously.

  Jeep laughs. “Of course not. But then Orpheus started to sing.” He raises his eyebrows at me, urging me to come to my own conclusions.

  “His singing enchanted Charon?” I ask.

  “Not literally. But Charon was so touched by his song that he decided to grant Orpheus passage.” He raises a finger. “But only once. He had to find his own way back.”

  When he falls silent, I finally understand what he’s saying. “You want me to sing to Charon?”

  “Yes. He likes gifts, especially ones that come from the heart.”

  “I can sing from the heart, but it won’t sound good.”

  “Sure it will,” D’Maeo says. “You can cast a spell.” He grins.

  I slam my hand on the table. “Jeep! You’re a genius!”

  He points his thumb at D’Maeo. “Actually, he is. He’s the one that came up with this.”

  “You’re both genius!”

  My eyes fall upon Maël sitting quietly next to the old ghost. She doesn’t look very happy, and my elation fades quickly.

  “Do you think it will work, Maël?” I ask her.

  She looks up, startled. “Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment. Yes, I think this will improve the odds of him helping us.”

  I take out my Book of Spells and flip to an empty page. “Okay… a spell that makes me sing like a nightingale.”

  “Not literally,” Vicky warns me.

  I snort at the thought of me chirping like a bird. “Don’t worry, I’ll phrase it well.”

  Gisella clears her throat. “You should probably sing together.”

  I exchange a quick look with Vicky, and when she slowly nods, I turn back to Jeep and D’Maeo. “Okay, and what do we sing then? Somehow I doubt a simple pop song will do the trick.”

  Charlie’s lips form an amused grin. “It sounds like Charon is a sucker for a good love story, you know, so you should probably sing about yourselves.”