Chapter 23: 23__Thou spirit of hell
Maia was cornered, her ineffective bows and arrows clutched in her hands. She had to do something! *Anything*!
The ghosts were closing in on her, their eyes glowing white, the closer they got.
Maia bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears as she pressed herself against the wall, trying her best to resemble a pancake.
Her mind turned itself upside down, looking for a way out. From a book she’d read, a movie, *anything*!!
With only a small gap of a space left between her and the ghosts, Maia got a sudden lightbulb moment. Of course! That book she’d read! If this didn’t work, she was dead meat!
Pushing away from the wall, Maia shot her hand out, reaching for the closest ghost and screamed at the top of her lungs, “The Spirit of Christ compels you! Be gone, thou spirit of hell!”
“*Creeeeeeeaaiiiii*!!” screeched the ghost, falling back in a sinisterly twisted heap. The sight was like a chilling scene from hell.
The other ghosts rushed to catch the falling ghost.
“*Stewart*! *Stewie*!” gasped one of the ghosts. It raised its gaze to Maia’s in a fierce glare. *“She’s playing dirty! Get her!”*
Maia dashed off running, barely believing that the line form the novel worked! What luck! She sprinted across the front hall, a few of the ghosts hot on her tail.
One suddenly appeared in front of her and Maia shrieked in fright. “The Spirit of Christ compels you!!”
The thing was gone before she’d even finished the chant. Relieved, Maia ran on till she finally reach the kitchen. Darting in, she turned to face the ghosts chasing her and held out a hand through the doorway. “The Spirit of Christ compels you! Be gone, thou spirits of hell!”
With strangled shrieks, the ghosts seemed to clench up with seizures and fell over one another, some of them disappearing completely.
Successfully earning herself some time, Maia rushed over to the table in the centre of the kitchen. The potions were right where Rogan had left them.
With trembling hands, Maia spilled the arrows out of their quiver and laid them all on the table. Now for the potion.
Strangled moans reached her ears and Maia glanced out at the kitchen entrance. The ghosts were stirring. She had to hurry!
Grabbing a random purple potion, she poured it all over the arrows, covering each one from tip to end. There, done.
Maia grabbed an arrow and her bow just as a ghost appeared and slowly approached her.
Wasting no time, Maia aimed at its face and fired. The ghost immediately disappeared, dissipating into the air. Satisfaction filled her heart and Maia breathed a sigh of desperate relief. It barely lasted a second.
She raised her gaze, only to see the very same ghost reappearing, an angry look in its eyes.
“*Stop with the arrrows*,” it rasped, coming for her. “*I’m gonna kill y—*”
Maia lunged for the ghost. “The Spirit of Christ compels you!! Be gone, thou spirit of hell!”
The thing shriek and vanished, leaving a trembling Maia to pull herself up and hurry back to the table of potions. She shook her head. What was happening? She’d used the potion!
Desperately, Maia scanned her gaze over all the potions, wondering what could have gone wrong. Were the potions not effective on this particular ghost? Was he like the boss demon you had to kill after fighting all the little ones? If that was it, Maia was dead.
Reaching desperately over different vials, she tried to read the labels. They were blank.
“Fuck!” Maia muttered, thinking the situation was appropriate for that particular curse.
She reached across the table, knocking over a vial with her elbow in the process. Maia glanced at it as the vial, a blue potion inside the glass cylinder, rolled slowly across the flat table.
Maia gasped, staring at that blue potion even as it rolled.
Rogan had said… drench the arrows in this… *blue potion*!
Diving across the length of the table, Maia reached a desperate hand out as the glass vial dropped of the edge of the table, falling to the floor.
Her open palm barely made it, catching the vial, seconds before it would have shattered against the cold floor.
Ghostly rasps filled the air as they all rose again, closing in on the kitchen entrance.
With tears streaming down her face and her hands trembling, Maia popped out the vial cork and drenched the arrows in the blue potion, praying that it worked. If it didn’t, this would be the night she died.
*“There you are,”* came the whisper of a ghost, leading the others into the kitchen. *“We’ve been loo—”*
“Diieee!!” Maia screamed and, with all the precision of her archery skills, fired an arrow right at the ghost’s chest.
The arrow, slicing through the air, pierced through the first ghost and then flew right through the four behind him, destroying five at once. They all wailed, their ghostly bodies flaring up in bright sparks and disappearing from her sight.
Panting from the trembling of her heart, Maia threw the bag of arrows over her shoulder and darted through the now empty kitchen doorway to retrieve her arrow.
She stood in the centre of the dark front hall, the quiver of arrows across her back and the bow in her hand, eyes scanning the darkness.
With her feet bare, her black curls free down her back and her white nightdress blowing back and forth in the breeze, Maia resembled a young ghost herself. She was ready for them.
They came at her out of the dark, hisses and raspy calls echoing out of their hollow bodies.
Stretching back an arrow, Maia took aim. She counted two and then, with power in the lethal arrows, she unleashed.
Shriek after shriek of terror filled the house and Maia took down the spirits that came at her. Her arm ached from working the strength of the bow, but Maia welcomed the pain. She’d destroy these things that were after Rogan.
She’d kill them good!
When the hall stood empty and the only sound Maia heard was the working of her own lungs, she retrieved her arrows and dropped them into their quiver across her back.
At the front door, a ghoul appeared and Maia immediately took aim, eyes fierce and jaw clenched.
The ghost stood frozen, shocked to see the empty hall. Where were the others who’d snuck in? This girl. This little girl, all by herself, had destroyed them all?
The ghoul stared at Maia. He didn’t stand a chance.
“What do you want from him?” Maia asked in a quietly toned demand.
The ghoul inched forward, cautious.
*“Who?”*
“The Sorcerer!” Maia snapped. The ghosts were annoying, following Rogan all over the kingdom and now coming into his house! “What the hell do you want from him?”
The ghost’s eyes widened with realization. The girl didn’t know. She had no idea they were here for her. That was fantastic. She’d never be cautious and her guard would always be down, making their job perfectly easy.
*“He involved himself in something that has… nothing to do. With him. He’ll pay his price. But you… You come with us. We’ll save you.”*
Maia narrowed her eyes. She drew the arrow back to fire, but the front door burst open, brushing the ghost out of the way.
The ghoul disappeared, escaping her. Maia turned to the open door with an annoyed frown.
Aiden grinned at her from the doorway, the moon glowing in the sky behind him. “Hi, Maia!” he greeted cheerfully, little flames of excitement dancing in his silver orbs. He pointed a thumb at the dark night behind him. “You’ve just missed out on a fun time!”
Slowly lowering her aimed arrow, Maia released a breath. It was over.
“Thank you for helping Rogan,” she said, suddenly feeling fatigue flood through her muscles.
Aiden raised his brows and leaned on the doorknob. “Helping him? Hell, he made me do it all and went off to do something else!”
Maia looked stunned. “What? Where is he?”
Aiden shook his head. “No clue. Anyway, he asked me to take you to that place. So come on.”
Unease crept into her heart, but Maia tried to tramp down on it. She bit her lip, slowly approaching Aiden.
What if Rogan had been carried away by the ghosts? Or if she hadn’t healed him well and his injuries had resurfaced? Was he laying injured somewhere? Maia gulped, her gut feeling heavy with worry.
“There!” said Aiden, pulling the front door closed when Maia stepped out. “Let’s go.”
Grasping her elbow, Aiden led her down the front stairs and towards the gates. Maia stopped, realizing something. Clutching her bow against her chest, she glanced down at her bare feet, aching from the prickly tar beneath them.
“Uhm… your Highness?”
Aiden blinked. “Yes?”
“I need shoes. I didn’t put shoes on. Just one moment, please.”
Maia turned to leave, but Aiden’s grip on her elbow tightened.
Surprised, she looked back at him. “I’ll… only be a minute. Promise.”
Aiden slowly grinned, staring down at her in the darkness. “Oh, nothing’s wrong, cupcake.”
Maia’s skin chilled when Aiden’s grin stretched a little too wide, looking unnatural on his handsome face.
“It’s just that,” he continued. Maia gasped as Aiden’s gorgeous silver eyes suddenly lengthened into yellow, reptilian eyes. “Where we’re going, darling… you won’t need shoes.”