Page 64 of Ghostly Touches

She doesn’t stop but heads into the only other guest room in the house. As I turn to follow her in, the door slams shut, preventing me from entering. Snarling, I stand back to kick the door in. Once it's knocked off its hinges, I step inside. There, Willow stands before the dresser. Lying open on top of it is that book of spells. She lifts her hand and places her palm on the open pages.

“Willow! No!”

It’s too late.

The moment her hand makes contact with the pages, her head is thrown back and a scream, devastatingly sharp and full of agony, spills forth from her lips. Beneath her skin, a soft green light begins to glow. Her power billows out into the room. At once, it grows cold and wraps around me. Frost creeps up the walls, and mist forms around my mouth.

Her body glows and shakes. I stand there, unable to move as I stare upon her in horror. The floor shakes, and the mirror in the room shatters. What the hell is going on? Too preoccupied by the sight before me, I fail to see the Shadebroode charging down the hall. Later on, when I have time to process the situation, I’ll probably admit I wouldn’t have seen it anyway. My poor peripheral vision will be my downfall. Despite the sword at my side, I’m not prepared for when it tackles me to the ground. I brace myself for its killing blow as my back hits the hardwood floor.

It doesn’t come.

The creature jumps off me, leaps into the bedroom, and knocks Willow away from the book. The force of the impact throws her against the nearby wall, where the creature pins her body in place. Willow’s power hanging in the air evaporates. I’m on my feet in an instant, raising my sword as I charge in after it. Willow blinks in confusion up at the creature. Her eyes drift behind it, see me, and widen.

“No, Viktor! It’s Jonah!”

Her shriek brings me to an immediate halt, my sword still raised above me. Jonah turns his head to peer at me over his shoulder. He bares his teeth at me before turning back to Willow and rubbing his face against her hair.

“I’m alright.” She pats his face gently.

Right behind them, something slams against the outside of the house. I hurry over to the window, ready to open it and jump out to join the others. My hand goes to the windowsill only to freeze.

“Willow, that book didn’t have you summonthat,did it?”

My words come out strained as a creature with black, flaky skin aglow with a pulsing red light prowls down the driveway. It’s similar to the ones that attacked us at her house, only four times the size of those.

Willow gets to her feet to join me by the window and gasps.

“Oh fuck, another demon.”

A demon? Like… a demon, demon? From—

“Oh,hellno.”

Pulling my eyes away from the creature, I catch sight of Willow’s eyes beginning to glow. Outside, I watch as a dark mist gathers near the top of the driveway. It grows thicker and larger to accommodate the creature. Theodon and Kwil rush forward. Together they jump forward with their swords raised. The demon swipes at the two of them, but they duck out of the way and slice through it with ease. As it tumbles backwards, it falls through the mist, disappearing out of sight.

As the demon is vanquished, the rest of the monsters begin to drop like flies. One minute they are charging at the Ghosts, the next they’re lying motionless on the ground. I gape at the sight. How… I look down at Willow. Her brows are scrunched together in concentration, her eyes still glowing.

“Cut it out,” I snap. “The others are going to ask too many questions about what’s going on.”

Willow blinks. When her eyes open, I note their glowing has gone out.

“Sorry, I wanted to level the playing field so you guys don’t get too tired.”

Tired?Us? Willow has no idea the endurance it takes to be a Ghost. Other warriors envy our stamina.

“Stay here and shut up.”

Without another word, I leave the room. As I hurry out of the house, I trip and stumble over one of the bags the others brought. As I catch myself before I fall completely, I glare at the offending item. I should’ve seen it, but still, it shouldn’t have been in the way. When my eyes land on the sack, I realize it’s open. Peeking out of the bag are purple crystals. I blink, sure my eyes are playing a trick on me. But when I open them, the purple crystal is still peeking out of the bag. These stones are located only in one world, and it isn’t this one.

What the hell? We’re not to bringanythingfrom that world into this one. Who knows what contagions we may bring back with us? Yet, these Ghosts have brought back three massive bags of crystals.

But why?

The sound of fighting outside pulls my attention to the immediate issue. Whatever Jaydon, Boxton, and Campbell are up to, it’s the least of our worries.

I head out without another look back.

Outside, I leap into battle, my sword raised and ready. My blade slices through limbs and necks, and I skewer these monsters left and right. Teeth and claws reach for me. Spit goes flying, as does blood. Screeches bounce around in the woods around us. Each creature has its own strengths and weaknesses. Speed, for one, is a gift the Tanglelings have over the others. Each time they shoot out from the shadows, they are a blur. Even more so with my vision as poor as it is. I let the others handle them. I won’t let my pride cause me to do something stupid, like run into the shadows where they linger and find myself trapped. But the Shadebroode? Those I can handle with no problem. They don’t have the agility or speed necessary to throwmeoff. Exerting energy in this manner feels fantastic. I may have missed this threat initially, but I make sure to wipe out more than my fair share to make up for my mistake. Within minutes, the ground is littered with bodies.

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