Page 62 of Defying the Relic Hunter

“Too many.”My breath came in choking gasps as I fought the mental invasion.

Ethan surged into my mind and tried to stop the spirits from attacking me.“Draw on my power!”

I latched onto him, but hundreds of angry Aztec spirits pressed down on me, smothering me. I thrashed about wildly trying to break free.

“Fight them Kizzy. Fight,”Xenia called urgently, adding her strength to mine.

“Trying. Can’t. Breathe.”

“Strike her,”Granny commanded and chanted,“Crisito deo ojo mirabilis visio.”

Pain erupted in my face. Ten seconds later the screaming ghosts vanished. I sagged against a hard body and sucked in a greedy lungful of air. “Oh, God. Oh, God.”

Ethan wrapped his arms around me tightly and stroked my hair. “It’s ok. It’s ok. I’ve got you.”

Trembling uncontrollably, I clung to him. “They’re. They’re guarding the next clue. A jade snake.”

Ethan placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Another Thunder God or an alien asshole?”

“Ghosts. Really pissed-off ghosts,” I gasped.

“The lakes are guarded by eight-hundred angry Aztec spirits,”Granny added, her disembodied head protruded from the dash.

Quinn grimaced.“Eight-hundred? Are you going to open another portal and send them back to Hell?”

“We open a portal and cross them over,”Granny corrected.

A harsh laugh broke from me.“We get to do the impossible again.”

“If we cast a proper circle, it can be done safely. I need to find the correct incantation.” She vanished.

“Oh, yay,”I said with a shudder.

Ethan scowled, “You take too many risks.”

“How was I supposed to know there were eight-hundred pissed off ghosts guarding the place?”

A worried frown creased Xenia’s forehead. “Who has the power to murder that many warriors?”

“The Thunder God did.”

“The alien asshole is also a prime suspect,” Quinn stated.

Xenia shrugged. “Maybe, but who imprisoned him in the figurine?”

“With my luck, there’s another wannabe God running loose,” I exclaimed.

“How do we kill it?” Quinn wanted to know.

I stared at the stucco statue. “We lure it into the esoteric plane, sic the wraiths on it and hope they suck the wannabe God dry.”

“If they don’t?” Ethan asked.

“Then it’s up to Granny and me to stop it.”

Ethan grabbed the stucco warrior and dropped it in his shirt pocket. “No more spooky stuff until you have the proper safeguards set up.”

“Not gonna be a problem, boss.”

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