He had a despondent look on his face. “Are you okay?” I asked. “Did something happen? Did my dad get to Sable before you could warn her?”
Lucky shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid it’s worse than that.”
Confused, I stared at him. Like, what could actually be worse than that?
But instead of saying anything, Lucky lifted his arm. That’s when I noticed that he was fainter than normal, that his whole body was pulsing bright and then dimming with each second.
A sliver of worry snaked down my spine. “It’s starting, isn’t it?”
He nodded. When he spoke, his voice was flat, lifeless. “If you don’t hurry and get my soul returned to me, I’ll fade away and cease to exist.”
I ground my teeth. “Then it’s time we got started.”
Chapter 21
The candles were lit, and we were all seated at the table. I had spread the four of us—Roan, me, Alice and Ruth—between the others for safety purposes. If Lemon was going to slash Luis with a knife during the middle of the séance, I didn’t exactly want to make it easier for her.
The helmet sat in a box in the center. I didn’t know if Zelda would show. She might already have herself a new boyfriend on the other side, one that was occupying all her time.
I’d heard of crazier things.
Lucky Strike stood in the corner for insurance. Let me tell you, he was fading fast. I needed to return his soul to him as soon as this mess with Zelda was over. The problem was, I was still working out how exactly to lure my father in without risking the soul of any more spirits.
I swear, wasn’t there always a problem? It wasn’t like things just happened simply, could they?
“Are you going to put it on?” Lemon asked regarding the helmet.
I snapped back to life. I’d been so deep in my own thoughts that I’d barely noticed that everyone was waiting. I was too busy figuring out how to trap my dad.
“Yes,” I said. “Let me just get it on.”
Roan reached across the table and helped me pull the monstrous beast out. It was all metal discs and bands, with a few stray wires poking the air just for kicks and giggles, it seemed.
As long as the thing worked, I didn’t care what it looked like. I placed it on my head, slipping it over my ears. It weighed about what it looked like it would—heavy with a dose of heavier laid on top.
My head slumped when Roan helped me settle it. “All right?” he asked.
I slowly straightened my neck. It felt like I couldn’t move too quickly or too far in one particular direction or I’d fall over.
This must be what queens felt like, I figured, with heavy crowns on their heads that made it impossible for them to move.
“I’m fine,” I finally answered him. “I can handle this.”
Concern filled his brown eyes. “You’re sure?”
I forced a smile. “Absolutely.”
I just hoped that the proverbial crap didn’t hit the fan while I was wearing this contraption, because I’d never be able to remove it in time to move quickly.
“You look like you’re about to call aliens,” Alice murmured.
“Thanks,” I said dryly. “I appreciate it.”
She spoke over Tex to Ruth. “Seems like that thing is probably hooked up to all those little TVs I saw in the basement.”
“What TVs?” Ruth asked.
“You must not have seen them.”
