Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere by Bella Forrest Page 0,140
so close to so many obstacles she could smash us into.
“Would you have my back, if Victoria wanted me gone?” I knew I might not like the answer, but I felt the frost thawing between us.
She tilted her head thoughtfully. “If you get me a new hair dryer, sure.”
“Was that a joke?” I laughed, relaxing slightly.
“Do you know what, I think it was.” Charlotte smirked, the two of us settling into an amicable silence as she continued to put my life and limb at risk, following Boudicca’s rudimentary GPS.
About ten minutes of white-knuckle driving later, we sped past a signpost that read: Killeany. A small fishing village appeared below us, a few orange lights burning in the darkness. But Boudicca didn’t want us to go down there. Instead, she led us around the village and up to a sparse promontory that overlooked the sea, which lay eerily flat and calm tonight, reflecting the moon above. Long grass susurrated in the icy wind, shrouding the bases of what appeared to be… headstones.
They protruded like watchmen, or chess pieces waiting to be moved, adorned with plain crosses, circular crosses, and no crosses at all. And in the center stood the pointed bookends of what might once have been a chapel, or a church.
“Is this it?” I looked to Boudicca, and she nodded.
Charlotte parked the car, and we got out. The sound of the sea whispered upward, giving the impression of murmuring ghosts. The shadows had a mind of their own, my heart pounding with every movement in the corner of my eye. It was easy to feel as though you were being watched here, with so many tombstones to hide behind. However, the only things chasing us were far behind, though catching up with every wasted second.
“Where’s Lorelei’s grave?” I urged, grabbing the sack of bones. At that moment, floating lights appeared on the horizon, gaining ground. We were fresh out of time.
Boudicca roused herself from her grief and fluttered off through the tombstones. I raced after her, wishing I’d brought the spade from St. Finnean’s. I just hoped it wouldn’t matter how closely the bones were buried to one another, as long as they were close enough. Besides, I had Charlotte with me this time. Maybe she could turn into an aardvark and help me out.
Tripping and stumbling over the stubs of ancient headstones, I chased Boudicca to the ruins of the church. She paused, hovering for a moment, as if trying to sense the right direction. And she’d need to be our eyes, because these headstones no longer bore any names at all.
She shot forward, landing in front of a small, curved stone tucked right up against the ruined wall of the church, then stamping her foot and pointing enthusiastically. I guessed she’d found the right spot, and not a moment too soon. The Wisps had arrived, but they seemed to have changed their tactics. No, it was more than that. They seemed to have learned from the pixies. Instead of surging forward to launch a direct assault, they spread out in a square around the graveyard. Shimmering feelers of gaseous light stretched between the orbs, until they were all connected. I felt the pulse of their power throbbing through the air, making my head ache and raising the hairs on the back of my neck. The scent of ozone overwhelmed my senses, stinging my nostrils.
“Get down!” Charlotte jumped on me, sending the two of us crashing into the dirt as the Wisps pummeled their unified energy into the center of the graveyard. As it collided in a deafening crash, a pillar of fire shot upward. In a scene that defied belief, I watched as brooding, indigo storm clouds charged in, conjured out of nowhere. A roll of terrifying thunder cracked, heralding the imminent tempest. Not a moment later, lightning forked down, striking a patch of grass not far from where we’d hit the ground, and I guessed the next strike would be more precise.
“We have to bury these bones, now!” I scrambled to my feet. “Charlotte, I need you to dig. Telekinesis, Bestia, whatever it takes.”
Her eyes widened in terror as another fork of lightning shattered the darkness, striking the top of a headstone about ten yards away. I felt the rumble of the impact beneath the ground, and my stomach lurched. If we didn’t hurry, we’d be toast.
“Charlotte!” I bellowed above the din, grabbing her by the hand. I had to be brave, because no one would be