The Raven's Chronicles. Rage of the Wraith

Chapter 35. Summoning of Ghosts

Jules crawled to the crushed night pearls and frantically felt the ground between dry leaves. But the pearls were nothing but grains now - golden and glowing, like stardust. He held it in his hands until its light died.

He stood up slowly. The forest swayed before his eyes and he rubbed his throbbing head. He yelped when his fingers met the broken skin on his temple. He looked at his fingers. They were covered in blood.

"Rosalie!" he turned around. "Rosalie, please!"

He climbed the hill and knelt by the cave's mouth. The Circle of Annihilation shone with reddish light, each line and each rune cut like a wound in the stony ground. But it was not enough. It was too weak to harm the wraith.

He scrambled to his feet and stepped into the cave. Inside, the wraith roared, the men fought and their swords clashed - all this sounds vibrated between the walls and made Jules' heart pound.

He had to warn them. Maybe they could escape. But then, the wraith would break free again and wreak havoc in the fief, killing and devouring human blood and flesh, growing stronger and more powerful, becoming unstoppable.

Jules looked over his shoulder at the glowing circle and walked back. He knelt at the ground, brought his palms together as if to pray and took a deep but uneven breath.

"In the name of the Mother of Light, the Highest Goddess Ziva, I call forth the ghosts of the ones who lived and died before me," he chanted in a shaking voice. The air whirled around him, sparkling in magic. It tingled against his skin. "Come to my aid! I call on Ron Acker, raise from the underworld and find your way to my side!"

The cold wind lashed his back, whipped through his clothes and tore at his hair. A little boy, four or five-year-old, appeared at his right, his misty body thickening as the ghost stared at him with a puzzled expression.

"I call on Edmund Acker, I call on Pete Acker, rise from the underworld!" Jules chanted, and two taller figured started to materialize by the smaller one. He opened his mouth, but then something flew into his throat. A fly? He coughed. "I call on Anne Acker, I call on Emma Acker!" his voice grew louder and clearer. His perception shrunk to the circle and the ghosts he summoned. "Raise from the underworld! I call on Cecily Acker and Joan Acker, raise from the underworld! I call on Rosalie Arver! Raise from the underworld and find your way to my side!!!"

He stopped, breathless, and looked around and the ghostly children surrounding him - little boys and girls in ragged clothes. The eldest of them couldn't be more than ten or so years old. And Rosalie, a teenage girl in a white dress, stood between them, embracing them with her arms. Jules breathed with relieve - after she had left, drained of energy, he wasn't sure if he could call her back.

"I'm sorry for waking you up," Jules stood up slowly. His magic was drained, leaving his body weak and shaking. "But we cannot destroy the monster that took your lives without your help. Please. Help me or it won't stop killing!"

The children looked up at Rosalie, and she nodded with a gentle smile.

"They'll do it," her misty body slowly thickened. Her empty eyes locked with Jules. "But you remember about the promise you gave me. Save my brother!"

Jules bit at his lower lip, looked into the darkness of the cave. Only now did he realise he gave two promises - one to Rosalie and one to his master - and that if he kept one, he had to break the other.

"You've sworn," Rosalie reminded. "Go!"

He nodded. You should never give promises to ghosts - Ravin had been right about it - but it was too late to drop out.