I took a deep breath and exhaled very slowly, willing the darkness to fall around me in the same way I did back home. Nothing happened. I was still standing in the same place with the same surroundings. Maybe Lavie was right and I couldn’t access it inside this patch.
Relax, relax.
I closed my eyes and sucked in several deep breaths, until my lungs filled with air. The oxygen was thinner in this nightmarish patch, so it took more inhaling than usual. I willed the dark patch to appear and suck me into its vortex. When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t in the dark patch but something had shifted. My feet were still pressed against the dirt and the big-top cage encased me, but I couldn’t see any of the kids or Lavie. The will-o’ wisps were gone too, but in their place were a multitude of shadow monsters. They were everywhere—circling my body, flying overhead so tightly packed they made the shape of the stingray creature we’d seen outside. The shadows writhed like snakes able to defy gravity, and there were so many.
I took a step, but was instantly whipped by one. My cheek burned.
What the hell was I doing? Why was I trying to move my actual body when I could astral project? Seeing so many of these shadows in one place made my skin crawl. They’d been everywhere since the moment we entered their patch—we just hadn’t been able to see them.
Okay, breathe easy and leave your shell.
My spirit rose out of my corporeal body and I felt weightless, floating away from myself until I hovered near the shadows without detection. Their ruby eyes were focused on where I stood, not where my spirit was going.
Turning my attention to the tree, I made my way towards the bizarre contraption gripping the kid. I floated in midair and stared at the rag doll he’d become. His cheeks were shrunken and his eyes shut, but I could detect a heartbeat. I wouldn’t be able to do anything for him. Not until I figured out how to wreck this thing.
On the other side of the kid, the vise branch was wrapped tightly around his head and melded into a thick, clear tube just like the one on the other children. It wasn’t taking blood but a watery glowing substance. I followed the iridescent liquid along the tube as it wound around the thick tree trunk and continued into the ground.
I climbed high enough to reach the wheel still being turned by the shadows.
This is what I need to destroy.
The closer I got, the more I could hear the buzzing of their thoughts intermingling together so quickly I couldn’t detect a single one. Now that I knew what needed to be done, I was sucked back into my body and found myself where I’d started—with all of the shadows back to being invisible.
“What happened?” Lavie rushed to my side. “Are you okay?”
“They’re everywhere. We can’t see them, but the shadows are all around us.”
“Shit, really?” Lavie trembled, wrapping her arms around her midsection. “But did you figure out a way to stop this?”
“I think so.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. I think we’re running out of time.”
“What makes you say that?”
She frowned. “I didn’t want to say anything, but check this out.” Lavie raised a hand in front of me and it looked translucent. “So far it’s just my right hand, but I think I’m starting to fade.”
I looked at my hands, both were still solid.
“I’m not like you,” she said. “It looks like you were made to withstand inter-patch travel.”
I ignored her comment and everything it meant. “Do you still have that wicked axe with you?”
“Yep, I never leave home without it.” She absently ran a hand over the strap of her backpack. “Why?”
“You have to hack the tree down while I distract the shadows near the boy.” I sighed. “They’re using the wheel to suck the kid dry of his essence and are then feeding it to the ground. I think that explains why the roots are alive. The shadows fuel this patch by feeding children’s souls right into it. If we hack down the tree and stop the tightening of the wheel, I’m pretty sure it’ll stop everything. So, are you ready to do a little lumberjacking?”
She smiled, showing her straight teeth. “I’ve got something a little more helpful than my axe.” She took the backpack off her shoulders and kneeled down. “These guys will eat right through that wood in less time.”
I crouched down beside her and watched as the army of imps she’d rescued from the sewers strolled out of her bag. “What the hell? I thought you left them with Saul.”
“I did. But if I need them, they’ll come.” Her smile widened. “Besides, these little guys love anything made of wood.”
I looked at their small, cute frames. “Are you sure they can do this?”
“Watch this,” she said, waving her hands in front of the imps to get their attention. “Okay, my little friends, I’ve found a snack for you. See that tree over there?” She pointed and they all turned as one. “It’s all yours.”
The imps flashed several rows of razor-sharp teeth I hadn’t noticed before and stomped their way towards the tree like a bunch of lemming ants. They marched, encircling the base of the trunk like a demonic magic circle. One of them squeaked and they collectively charged the tree mouth-first. Bits of bark flew everywhere as they munched away like piranhas.
“Um, that’s pretty gross, but impressive,” I said.
“I know.” Lavie yanked her axe from the bag before settling the straps back onto her shoulders. “You better do whatever it is you need to, right away. It won’t take them long to gnaw through that.”
I could already see the bark absent from just about everywhere, and the tree’s inside layers were showing. Some of the acidic liquid spilled from the wood but it didn’t seem to affect the imps.
I ran for the tree, and reconnecting to my childhood tomboy self, it didn’t take long to climb the trunk by using the crisscrossing vines as footholds. Wrapping my fingers tightly around the back of the vise-branch, I tried to turn the wheel the other way but found resistance. I couldn’t see the shadows but felt the assholes pushing against me.
A bunch of will-o’ wisps appeared out of nowhere, flying around my face and doing enough to distract the shadows. I managed to turn the wheel in the opposite direction and saw the grip on the kid slowly releasing. I stopped. If I loosened the crank too much, he’d never survive the fall.
“Lavie,” I yelled, hoping she’d hear me.
The hacking stopped. “Yeah?”
“Catch the kid!” I waited a few seconds, but could already see the vise was open enough that his head was slipping.
“I’m ready!” she called from below.
I gave the wheel one last spin and the boy slid out like a deflated balloon. I heard a thump, followed by, “Got him! You better get down now.”
I spun the wheel enough times for it to snap off, and left it dangling before scampering down the length of the trunk as fast as I could. My fingers scraped against the branches, breaking several nails. The imps were doing a fast and thorough job at eating the tree and I didn’t have long to make my way back to the ground.
The tree wobbled sideways but I still had about four feet to drop. I wasn’t going to make it in time, so I wrapped my arms and legs around the trunk like a koala and held on for dear life.
“Sierra, watch out!” Lavie’s voice was swallowed up by the cracking wood.
I closed my eyes and rode the tree trunk to the ground.
A sense of weightlessness engulfed my body for several beats of my heart—
thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump
—as I continued to fall. When my spine hit the ground, the air rushed out of my lungs so fast I thought they were crushed beneath the tree.
My eyes snapped open and all I could see were the dazzling will-o’ wisps fluttering nearby, positioning themselves on either side of the downed tree.
The tiny gurgles of brightness intensified, stretching like bubble gum and exploding to become humans. I recognized every single one of them, especially the one who always smelled like strawberries.
“Am I dead?” I whispered.
“Far from it,” a voice I hadn’t heard in over a decade said.
“Grandma, is that you?” The smell of strawberries swamped my senses and I knew it was her before she smiled at me.
“Hush for a moment, Sierra.” She wore the blue summer dress I still remembered. Her hair hung around her shoulders in a tumble of mostly white curls. She was as beautiful as ever and I wanted to cry because I’d finally found her. Or, she’d found me.
The pressure of the tree trunk was starting to hurt my ribs. It felt like I was being pushed
into
the ground beneath me.
The five spooks grabbed a hold of the trunk and lifted it enough for me to wiggle out. I rolled sideways and got to my knees, doubling over and retching.
My grandfather helped me to my feet and I threw my arms around his neck. I was so happy to see him that it took a while to realize what I was doing. My grandfather’s spirit had lived with me for a long time, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed him until now. I did the same to Mara and the sick girl I’d seen in the hospital months ago, before embracing Professor Spooker.
“I’m so sorry you ended up here,” I whispered in the professor’s ear.
“Don’t be. This is one step closer to freedom.” He no longer resembled the wraith I’d first met in the ghostly patch.
“Is this where all the ghosts ended up after the split closed?”
“No, Sierra, just us,” my grandmother said.
I swiveled around and fell into her waiting embrace. I’d missed her so much and every emotion came crashing down at once, making my heart heavy with grief and happiness. She hugged me tightly, patting my messy braid as she did.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered in my ear.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry I didn’t come looking for you sooner. I didn’t know what happened to you…”
She pulled back, holding me at arm’s length and meeting my eyes. “You’ve blossomed into such a beautiful and strong woman. It’s time for you to add formidable to the list.”
“I can take you back.” I looked around at the catcher, professor, Granddad, and the innocent woman who’d got caught up in this. “I can take
all
of you back with me.”
“No, sweetie, you can’t.” Grandma’s dark eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “We were trapped here, but you’ve set us free.” She swung me around gently to show me the bright light already waiting for them. “Take a look for yourself.”
“I don’t understand any of this…” Will-o’ wisps appeared out of nowhere and morphed into children, who stepped into the glow. There were too many. Where were the shadows?
As if she knew what I was thinking, my grandmother said, “They can’t face the radiance. As long as the portal is open, they can’t do anything. We’ve temporarily faded from their sight.”
“Sierra, what’s going on?” Lavie made her way around the trunk and I held my hand out to her. “I thought you were…”
“I’m fine.”
Her eyes were shiny with tears as she examined the spirits standing around me, and the line of children being engulfed by the luminance.
I was about to introduce everyone when Grandma pulled on my hand. “We don’t have time to explain everything. All I can tell you is that these shadows are dangerous pests with no real purpose but to suck the life out of innocents. You destroyed their main power source, what was keeping everything together in this horrible patch, so they’re as good as gone. Take the children who survived, save them while you can.”
“I don’t want you to go.” As I said that, the sick emaciated girl stepped into the light.
“See you around, Sierra!” Mara called before following her. “I’ll try not to haunt you.”
Professor Spooker waved and said, “Tell my daughter I’m sorry about everything,” before he disappeared into the whiteness beyond.
My grandfather lingered near the edge, waiting for Grandma.
“We were all trapped as will-o’ wisps, and thanks to you we’re free to move on and let the natural order of things continue. The way they’re supposed to.” She ran her hand over my face. “I need to go, so you can get on with your life.”
“Grandma, no, I don’t want to—”
“It’s your destiny,” she interrupted, squeezing my face between her warm hands. “And I’m so very tired of being in limbo. Don’t you think I deserve some peace?”
“Of course you do, but—”
“There are no buts, just time to move on.”
“What about your secret room?”
“Ah, so you’ve found it then? Penny and my grimoire will answer most of your questions. And the others, you can ask Oren about,” she said with a rueful smile. “I’m sorry that I kept so much from you.”
“Grandma, I’ve missed you so much.”
“I know you have. I’ve missed you too but I really need to go. The light’s calling and if we don’t pay attention, we might be lost forever.” She leaned forward and brushed her lips against my cheek. “You’re going to become so strong none of those fools will be a match for you. Don’t be afraid of the power, because I did a lot to ensure you acquire it.”
I nodded, because as much as I wanted her to stay with me for the rest of my life, I knew she was right. “Thank you.”
Grandma held my hand, taking me with her until we met Granddad. She stood beside him, let go of my hand and grabbed his instead.