CHAPTER 174

Naia shouted in alarm, and all three of them ran for the backyard. Once outside, they heard a loud roar from the gate below and saw that Marco was fumbling around with the lock. Some rats had come out to see what the commotion was, but quickly hid once more when Cerberus howled. On the other side of the gate, the forest lit up at the sound of hellfire being blasted in every direction, revealing that a giant castle of black stone now stood menacingly beyond the treeline.

Marco yanked the lock free and pulled the gate open, a look of triumph on his face.

"Is he going in there?" Beth asked.

"No, he isn't." Kisa's eyes widened in terror at the sight of the spectral army that had been waiting on the other side as they stormed into the backyard. There were dozens of them, men and women in antiquated armor that held their weapons high as they marched up the hill. Through the gate itself, she could see columns of hellfire burning in the forest as lost souls continued to file in. "Can't you see them?"

"See who?" Beth looked down at Kisa, then over at Sulyvahn.

"Lass. Things be about to get messy." Sulyvahn grabbed his hair and ripped his head off, black smoke now leaking down his chest and shoulders as his free hand reached down his throat and he pulled out his spine. With a quick flick of his wrist, his whip unfurled to an unnatural length, the bones laying on the grass and causing it to wilt.

The shadow army charged, and as they passed through Naia, the water in the fountain froze up, trapping the nymph in place. At the same time, the features of the spirits temporarily sharpened and Beth gasped, and she took a step back.

"You have your orders," yelled Marco as he slid behind some nearby bushes.

As he vanished from sight, his army broke into a run, and Kisa covered her face and hid against the wall of the house, fearing the worst. She felt a chill as the spirits passed through her, and when she screamed, she could barely hear herself over the roar of rage from Cerberus.

The yard went silent, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Beth lying on the ground, holding a hand to her stomach. Sulyvahn was gone, and Naia's fountain was completely iced over, the nymph missing as well.

"Shit, that felt terrible," Beth said, then looked at Kisa. "Where did everybody go?"

Kisa shook her head and was almost to her feet when she heard the ghastly roar of the Jabberwock. She stumbled over to Beth and helped her up, and the two of them ran back through the house and into the front yard.

"Suly!" Beth cried. The dullahan was trapped in a circle of spirits that assailed him from every direction. With every crack of his whip, a spirit would burst into a puff of light, only to be replaced by two more. The spectral army was everywhere now, but a large concentration of them swarmed the Jabberwock.

No, that wasn't right. They were entering it. One at a time, the spirits were embracing the beast and sinking inside, and the Jabberwock let out a roar as its eyes turned a sinister shade of green. Its movements were jerky as it turned to face the house, and it swayed from side to side as if regaining its balance. Suddenly, it froze up, let out a cry, and then charged the front porch.

"Shit!" Kisa grabbed Beth by the back of her dress and pulled as the Jabberwock slammed into the front of the house, shaking the foundation. Inside the home, the spirits were running from room to room, tossing furniture about and creating mayhem. A spirit near Kisa took a stab at her with a spear, but it passed harmlessly through her, leaving behind nothing more than a dreadful chill that made her want to barf.

The Jabberwock shoved its face through the window and snapped at them with powerful jaws. Kisa and Beth were forced against the wall, pressing themselves flat to avoid the huge sharp teeth that nearly reached them.

The Jabberwock opened its mouth and screeched, forcing them to cover their ears. It scrambled at the window with its front claws, trying to pull itself further inside, and was making progress when the beast suddenly cried out and withdrew.

Large snowflakes were drifting through the air now, and a giant block of ice had pinned the beast's tail to the ground. The Jabberwock was squirming free when Abella dropped out of the sky and slammed into its face, gouging out its eyes with her talons.

"They're back," Kisa muttered in relief. Yuki had appeared between the lions and was summoning a barrage of icicles to fire at the Jabberwock as Abella rode its face, holding on with her feet and raining punches on it.

The front room flooded with darkness, and then Kisa was grabbed by her tail and flung across the room. She landed on her feet and took a swing at her assailant, her claws passing right through it.

"How do you fight something you can't touch?" she hollered.

"At least you can see them." Beth had picked up what was left of a chair and was swinging it around at nothing in particular. The spirits were teasing her now, pulling at her skirt and her hair, and when she stepped forward to swing at empty air, she got knocked onto her butt. "Ow, god dammit! I saw them before, why can't I see them now?"

The temperature in the room was cold but was now dropping drastically, and Beth was breathing out giant clouds of fog. The spirits that swirled about paused and looked around in confusion as thin sheets of ice formed along the walls. At first, Kisa thought that Yuki had come inside, but she could still hear the kitsune shouting out in the yard, swearing in a language she didn't recognize.