Chapter 35

After the wall was fixed and we all settled down to a peaceful breakfast, questions that needed mentioning were finally brought up.

"Alright, so my understanding is that you four are looking for some kind of castle that could possibly be housing Galendale, right?" Vivian asked. "As in, the all powerful, M.I.A. wizard known for his unsettling spells?"

"Oh, so you know him," Odis joked without a smile.

"Yeah, I told you, Vivian. His coin is why Bella is here. We've been traveling for awhile and been through hell just to get her back home," Maeve butted in.

"Are you sure he can reverse a time travel spell? I've heard enchanted items like that are only a one time deal," her aunt answered. "Plus, rumor is that Galendale's screwup was sincere. He had no clue how he did it."

"It's worth trying. We don't know what else to do," I mentioned quietly. The way Vivian talked really lowered my spirits. She wasn't the only one who had serious doubts about the plan.

"I've heard of the castle, but it's one of those places that really gives you the creeps, ya know? Rumor has it that it was built on top of a graveyard, so many spirits decided to house themselves inside of it. It's kind of like a 'sacred ground' or something like that," she said, taking a sip from the glass of wine she had on the table. The red lipstick she wore left an obvious stain on the side.

"Do you know where it is?" Odis asked.

"Uh, no," the witch answered with a huff. "I'm a ghost whisperer but I've never gone looking for the damn castle. I don't have a death wish nor the guts to go somewhere that creepy."

"Well, who would know where it is?" Kade asked, seeming as aggravated as the rest of us.

Vivian looked around at our gang with a strange look. She bit her lip and appeared to trail off into thought, tapping her black nails on the table in an odd rhythm. I could tell she was debating whether or not she should say her answer; I was already sitting on the edge of my uncomfortable chair to hear it.

Finally, she inhaled a deep breath and leaned forward. "The ghosts."

"Uh uh," Maeve said while shaking her head. "We're not confronting them. What you do is already bad enough, but we're not asking them for directions. They always want something in return and it's always something incredibly impossible. If we don't give them what they want in return, bad shit happens." She shifted her jaw with anger, the boys doing the same as they crossed their arms. Maeve even tapped a demanding crimson nail on the table and leaned across as if to make her point clearer.

"First of all, what I do is nothing bad. I help people connect with their dead loved ones. Second of all, 'bad shit' doesn't always happen. It only occurs if you pick the wrong ghost. I have experience with the good ones and the bad ones... you don't," her aunt barked in return. Their faces came closer together, and I wasn't ready for a family fight to break out so soon. I gently pushed Maeve back and tried to meet Vivian's dull eyes.

"I'm in, but only if you're sure that this will work. I don't want... 'bad shit' to happen," I said carefully.

"Of course I'm sure. You're talking to a professional, Bella," she responded confidently. I smiled as she winked at me and pushed away from the table. "Well, we've no time to waste, children! Let's get a move on it. Follow me, if you will."

I was the only one to stand and took a couple steps after the lady when she turned towards a hallway. When no one else decided to follow, I turned around with an eye roll.

"You guys need to be more considerate. This is the only way we'll find Galendale... the only way I'll get home," I mentioned, whispering the last part sadly. Kade was next to stand and gave me a soft but upset look. He quickly brushed by and hurried after Vivian, soon followed by the rest of us. I knew he was sad about me leaving, but he also knew I had to. My family needed me.

We followed Vivian into some kind of seance room, one lit with candles and a round table in the middle. She had the place decorated with witchcraft stuff: books, bones, strange flowers, and such. It wasn't unusual for her, obviously, but it made me feel uneasy, queasy even. She didn't seem like a bad person, though the place did give her an intimidating persona.

"Have a seat," she said as she pointed her black nail at the chairs surrounding the table. There were six, a leftover when we all sat awkwardly in the circle. A large candle burned steadily in the middle and dripped with wax onto a silver tray. It was strangely hypnotizing in a way that made me forget about everything. My eyes stayed fixated on it for the longest time until Vivian spoke and dragged me out of my trance.

"Okay, everybody join hands," she ordered in a raspy whisper as she raised both hands for the people at her sides. It was the guys and they reluctantly took her hands in theirs, then Kade latched his left one onto mine, my left onto Maeve's right, and then her left onto Odis's right. Vivan closed her eyes and so did we, the room becoming blanketed in an eerie silence that made goose bumps spread over my skin. It was so quiet, I could even hear the flames flickering on the candles.

All of a sudden, Vivan started chanting something in an ominous voice, speaking Latin, I presumed. She ceased several seconds later and started groaning with angry disappointment, causing us to open our eyes and let go of hands. Her furious blue eyes looked around at the other three as she shoved away from the table.

"All of you stand up and get away from the table. Bella and I are going to have to do this," she spat. They all looked offended, hesitating until she shooed them away. When I was the only one left, I took the lead and asked the question the others were wondering.

"Why exactly can't they be at the table?"

As Vivian sat down and brushed off her skirt, she pushed herself closer to me and took my hands in hers. "Ghosts can't be summoned by people without open hearts. They'll feel unwanted and scared to converse," she said, closing her eyes and asking me to do the same. I followed her lead and waited while she began chanting again, this time a bit tamer and gradual.

At the end of the foreign tongue, she inhaled a civil breath and cleared her throat. "Delilah, would you please show yourself?" she requested calmly. There was a sudden drop in temperature and a small breeze as the feel of another presence entered the room. I opened my eyes to see a transparent little girl standing next to the table, smiling daintily. I smiled back when I realized it was the one who willingly gave us guidance to the BnB, the one I actually took the time to thank against the wishes of the others.

"You're Delilah?" I whispered to her as she took notice of me. Her smile brightened dramatically then and she leaned closer to me.

"Oh, my! It's you! I never got to thank you for acknowledging me," she said. Her long brown hair still didn't surface the bullet hole in her chest. It took everything in me not to look.

"I don't like being ignored so why should I ignore others?" I replied. She nodded quickly with wide eyes.

"That's a great way to look at it! People ignore me and the others because we're ghosts, though," she mumbled a bit dejectedly.

"Delilah, honey, this is Bella. Now that I see you two have met, this should be a bit easier," Vivian butted in carefully. "We need your help with finding a certain castle. Do you possibly know where it would be? It's the one that the others say could be housing Galendale."

"Oh, yes! There's never ending talk about it among the spirits. But they say it's been warded, so now nothing can get in and nothing can get out," Delilah murmured. I didn't like how she said "nothing" instead of "no one". It made me intensely uncomfortable and caused me to get a choking sensation.

I couldn't possibly begin to imagine what classified as a "nothing" in this case.

Vivian's face twisted with confusion as she studied the dead girl with unsettled curiosity. "Sweetie... who warded the castle?" she whispered fearfully. Her eyes seeped with worry when she leaned forward. Based on her tone, it sounded as if she knew what the response would be. I could see her fingers twitching with apprehension and started to fret myself. Delilah leaned closer to us like she was about to spill a juicy secret.

"The angels."

"Angels?!" I exclaimed, nearly choking on air at the mention of them. I didn't know why I was so shocked by it but it caught me extremely off guard. If there were demons then why wouldn't there be angels?

I glanced over at the others who were just as surprised as I was.

"Yes, the angels grew tired of the spirits roaming in and out of the castle so they put it on lockdown. If Galendale is in there... he's not getting out," Delilah said delicately. She seemed baffled by my reaction for some reason but said nothing of it. On the other hand, I couldn't understand how she was so calm unlike the rest of us.

"Are you saying the angels have returned? If so, then for what reason?" Vivian asked frantically.

"They left because of the war lost between the gods hundreds of years ago, right?' Delilah asked. The witch confirmed her statement with a head nod. "According to the other ghosts, they've noticed unusual behavior coming from the Abominations. They're worried about what they might do." She paused for a moment and flashed us a debating look. Then, in a low whisper, she said, "They heard about the new god... and they want to claim it as their ally."

"That must be you, Bella," Maeve pointed on. I shook my head and looked around at the faces of the people around me.

"W-what... wait, so now Heaven's after me too?" I stuttered. It didn't sound as bad as being hunted by Hell, but I still didn't like it whatsoever. Beings such as angels could probably take me down in an instant.

"They don't want to hurt you. The gods were the mightiest beings that ever walked the earth. That's why Heaven and Hell started allying with them in times of war. But when the greatest war of all took place, they were all wiped out and both sides went into hiding for awhile. So now that there's talk of a new god, they're both rushing to claim it, or in this case, you," Vivian explained. Claim me? I didn't like the sound of that.

"But I don't want to ally with either of them. I'm not some war god who's ready for battle anytime, anywhere. I just want to go home," I insisted bluntly.

"They don't care," Odis butted in. I found it funny how no one wanted to back me up or reassure me... because I was definitely not enjoying this conversation.

"Delilah, is there anyone who can remove the wardings on the castle?" Vivian asked the ghost quickly. The little girl shook her head slowly in thought.

"No one other than an angel," she answered. Everyone looked to Vivian as she looked at me assuredly. I could almost see the plan she was scrambling up inside of her head, but couldn't at all begin to imagine what it was. I started to get worried when she flashed me a crooked smile and settled her hands onto the table. The black nails went great against the dark wood.

"Okay," she whispered. "Let's summon us an angel."

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Did you think I wouldn't include angels in this story? ≧∀≦ Of course I would! I've been looking forward to this moment!

By the way, new cover! (＾▽＾*) It took me forever to get it finished but I like it way better than the other one.

Also, I want to start adding little author notes at the end or beginning of each chapter. I don't know why, just being sociable for once, I guess. ≧∀≦

-Ash