Page 138 of Summoned
Actually, none of them have caught the Joker. That card doesn’t exist. Yet.
“And how many of you have been caught as the Black Joker?” Laughter erupts, voices call out. “How about we all try to lure him out together? I think you already know the spell, don’t you?” More laughter. “C’mon, then. I summon you, Black Joker, wanderer of shadows, whisper in the abyss. Come forth from the darkness to hear my wish.”
Nicole’s voice rings out first. She’s front and center, standing in the half-circle that has formed. Enthusiastic, she’s rallying those around her to repeat the incantation. Though I control the performance with my thoughts, I can’t tear my eyes away from her.
I summon you, Black Joker, wanderer of shadows, whisper in the abyss. Come forth from the darkness to hear my wish.
Again. And again. Each word cements itself in the air. The space begins to vibrate. The crowd is no longer merely an audience—they’re a conduit. At the hostess’s feet lies an invisible altar, covered in spilled honey and tiny plastic platesstill bearing faint traces of blood. Now, I need ten of the painted faces to speak the words, just once.
I summon you, Black Joker…
The room swells with dark energy. Static electricity rushes over skin like a wave. If these people were alone, they’d tremble in fear. Together… they’re simply exhilarated.
The first tear slides down my cheek. One contract. That invisible rope coils around me again. The curse stirs—not the soul-bond link I share with Nicole, but something else entirely. A craving for spectacle, a hunger for harvest. The Black Joker’s dark magic rises from the depths of my being.
More tears fall. The second, third, and fourth contracts.
The magical lasso of their energy binds my entire body. I know this sensation. It’s the call of several contracts activating simultaneously.
And then, two more. Fifth and sixth contracts.
The dark energy wraps around me like a python. My skin starts to feel too tight. The invisible pull becomes painful. It penetrates beneath the tissue and stabs into my cells.
The crowd cheers, “I summon you, Black Joker, wanderer of shadows, whisper in the abyss. Come forth from the darkness to hear my wish.”
Seventh contract.
The surrounding air thickens to the point of suffocation. Dark energy rips through me like thorns piercing from the inside out. I’ve never made this many deals at once.
Eighth contract. A blazing essence, woven from curse and hunger, engulfs me.
Ninth contract. The Black Joker’s magic pulses through my veins. The voices in the room blend into one chant, but I can no longer understand the words.
Tenth contract. I force myself to focus, directing the magic toward the illusion of the hostess. She shouts intothe microphone, “Thank you for your help, friends! Now take another look at your cards and let the Black Joker come forward.”
Ten people gasp and shout at once, claiming with surprise that they are the Black Joker.
I use the temporary chaos to start the next phase of my plan. I whisper the words I’ve been preparing for nearly five centuries. Not long ago, I dared to think I wouldn’t have to. But I do, and I do it willingly. Each syllable burns my lips. My heart melts into shadow.
The last tear slips.
“Gaetano!” Nicole’s voice reaches me as if through a fog. She leans over me, dark fiery hair brushing my face, her gaze filled with worry. “Gaetano, your eyes… they’re bleeding!”
Beneath the layers of shadow, beneath the pressure of bound souls and the agony of tearing magic, my heart flinches. That special connection to Nicole pulses, trying to ground me, to yank me back.
But I don’t want to come back. If I do, I’ll lose everything.
I grit my teeth and rise, torn between how I feel about her and the only choice I can allow myself.
“Gaetano?” Nicole’s voice dips into a fearful whisper.
My instincts fight me, but I walk past her. The only thing I permit myself is a fleeting touch on her shoulder. One last hint of something real.
“It’s time to harvest,” I say, and step into the crowd, leaving behind everything that ever mattered.
46
Nicole
