AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her ghostly image appeared. Translucent and wavering, she was like a ghost from Hugo’s past here to rescue his future. He let out a joyous shout.
“Can you see me?” Alice asked as she shuffled onto the couch and sat down.
“I see you; can you see me? Can you hear me?” Hugo asked.
Alice’s face lit up with excitement. “I can see you. I can hear you.”
“I can hear you too.”
Alice’s face turned from a joyous glee to a horrified shock. Her eyebrows arched up, and her mouth became agape. “Hugo,” she said. “Your face. What did they do to your face? And your chest. Did I?—”
Hugo shook his head. “We’ll worry about it later. Get me out of here.”
“Is she the witch you spoke about?” Thaddeus asked as he stood. “How did you make her appear?”
Hugo turned his head to Thaddeus. “Magick.”
“Who are you talking to?” Alice asked.
Hugo turned back. “No one. How does this work?”
Alice held up the ring from her realm. “Place your ring in the exact same spot as mine. It will create an anchor point. Hold on to it tight. I’ll pull you through.”
Hugo turned the ring and matched the exact position of Alice’s ring. A brilliant bluish-white light emerged from the ring, and the two fused together to become one. Alice and Hugo’s fingers touched.
Alice could hardly contain her excitement as she let out a laugh. “I can feel your fingers,” she said.
Hugo shouted with glee. “It’s working. I can feel you too.”
“Take me with you,” Thaddeus said as he stood from the black high-back chair and placed his enormous hand on Hugo’s shoulder. “Don’t leave me here.”
Hugo buckled under the force. He turned to him, scrunching his eyes. “Let go of me,” Hugo yelled. He pulled back, trying to shake Thaddeus off him.
“Stop shaking,” Alice yelled. “You’re interrupting the connection.”
“I’m either coming with you or neither of us are leaving,” Thaddeus said as he yanked back on Hugo’s shoulder.
“Stop moving around,” Alice shouted. “I have to concentrate to pull you through.”
“Make your choice,” Thaddeus said.
Hugo thought of all the witches and wizards Thaddeus killed, the ones he murdered simply because they were magical and he was not. Johanna and her hundreds of years of torment. Thaddeus deserved this fate as his punishment. Why should he save him?
“Who’s he?” Alice asked. “I see a hand and arm.”
Still, Madeline was planning something. He didn’t know what, but her plan wasn’t his concern right now. Hugo needed to get out of there before he joined her army of ghouls. And if Thaddeus joining him was the price for his escape, then at least he could deny another member for the banshee’s army.
Hugo turned back to Alice. “We’re bringing one more with us.”
“I can try. I’ll begin the incantation and then pull you both through. It’ll be slow, but it should work,” she explained.
“We might not have much time,” Hugo said.
“There’s a reason this stuff is done on Sauin if you want to wait until then,” she said in a snarky tone.
“Nope, let’s go,” he retorted.
Alice focused on the ring and recited an ancient incantation from her book. Inch by inch, he was pulled through the veil from the land of lost souls to the mortal realm. Blood pumped through his fingers as they slipped through the veil and materialized on the other side.
