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Halcon pressed onin my throat, but then, the door behind the throne opened, and I fell into a black hole of fear as Gulakah, the Lord of Ghosts, strode out in all of his reptilian glory

Chapter 18

Fuck It was hier the panacea I needed to keep it together I began to back up, the panic rising I’d been in Gulakah’s er and love of destruction and hunger for power…it was all there, wrapped up inside hi directly behind one and a sadistic delight filled his voice He caught hold of ht you another one," he said in a loud voice as he grasped led and he shovedshifted inside, and as I began to stand up, I realized that the dress was skintight and shorter on h of an attack to break the charasp Gulakah hissed, the snakes on his head waving like crazy He turned to Halcon

"You bring a spy into my lair? I have seen her before! She is the eneht she…" Halcon looked confused, but he didn’t have a chance to say anything else because right then Shade leaped into the roo as the wo directly toward us, and Halcon was scra terrified

"Now--do it, Caht behind you"

"The women--"

"Don’t worry, there are reinforceht now" And with that, Shade gave , petrified, I held out my left arm, palm up, and as Gulakah caainst hi and thunder

The gate was faster than a portal and ainst the Lord of Ghosts At least he see, and by the tiround, in front of the gates to the Netherworld The world was a ray, and spirits passed by, unaware of asped, choking on the stale air that filled the space I didn’t even know if I had to breathe here, but I didn’t want to chance finding out

Gulakah looked around, then swiveled to ed to evade him, there was a soft sound to ht behind therabbed my hand and pulled me off to the side "We have to prepare We can do this The Greater Asa Mordente spell"

I’d brushed up on the spell while waiting to leave for thespell that stripped away life like a torturer flayed away skin It was gruesoed the person who used it too much

"You think we’re ready?"

"Never ue" He nodded to Gulakah, who had engaged Shade, S hi just out of reach of the writhing snakes S in the Netherworld didn’t agree with hi" Vanzir let loose with his feelers, and the neon tentacles writhed toward Gulakah, seeking purchase The Lord of Ghosts laughed and went to swat them away but then let out a snarl as one wrapped around his ar beneath the surface to suck at his energy

Shivering, I turned back to take Morio’s hands "Yes We do this"

As the others kept Gulakah occupied, Morio and I lowered ourselves into trance The energy of the Netherworld was seductive, seeping through everything like the perpetual h the real the purple fire that coiled through the Netherworld, the fire of death, the cleansing fire, the fire of destruction, the fire of the phoenix, the fire that charred to ashes but did not burn My stomach lurched as the icy winds blew past More and ic, the winds would co ers touched his, and a crackle sparked between us

And then, one beat…two…and ere spiraling up together, e with his We were twin flames, two sides of the saer The fla in a wheel of sparks, and ere the hub, around which the circle beca ever faster

"There," Morio whispered, and his words shook the winds

I looked in the direction he nodded and saw the tail end of the phoenix--the spirit of death The spirit of rebirth The cleansing force of the world I cooed to it, coaxing it to join us, and it slowly moved in our direction

"Come here, we have need of one of your feathers Please, if you would find us worthy" I sang to it, char ether ooed the creature

It flew over us, then circled the entire scene Bilocating, both in uys were in a desperate fight with the Lord of Ghosts S at the snakes atop Gulakah’s head Roz was darting in with a serrated short sword His face was bloody, and I caught sight of a gash along one cheek Cripes, he’d been hurt

Vanzir had ed to latch onto him with several of the feelers that spread out froy in , and his eyes spun wildly

Smoky landed another blow to the top of Gulakah’s head, and the Lord of Ghosts let out a screa across the ground, into the mists But thea silver sword, and stabbed at him froer" I turned back to the phoenix "Please, we so need your help We le, the Mistress of Magic, may we please have one of your feathers?"

The bird paused, hovered over us, and then zoomed off, but as it fleay, it shook its tail and one of the feathers drifted down to land on rabbed it

He let go ofit, he dropped the feather inside and shook it up, then handed it to ood-sized swig of the potion I handed the bottle back to hi his hands on my shoulders as I stood in front of him

"I’m ready, my love"

"So am I We must do this You understand?"

"Yes, I do" I raisedfront, as we ed, and there was no beginning, no end to where his fingers touched ht,

Spirits of the dark, spirits of the light

Spirits of the ood, spirits of the bane

Spirits long ascended, spirits who long fell,

Spirits who are fleeting, spirits who do dwell

The fight picked up as Gulakah once again slashed Roz on one of his passes Roz let out a shout as a bloodstain blosso call and the Lord of Ghosts answered, rearing around to engage hih one of the snakes on Gulakah’s head and the serpent fell, slithering and hissing toward Vanzir, who sto another blow, but the god was just too strong for theic to entangle with hian to transforon, with darkened bones that creaked and moaned every time he moved Gulakah let out another hiss and stus toward the Lord of Ghosts, knocking hiy, driving the spell forward, focusing on Gulakah as ove the words, and the words wove the power flowing froy, a skeleton of power, rose into the air in the shape of a fla violet arrow

Spirits of forever, spirits who are no more,

Spirits of the world, we call you to death’s door