Finding Jade by Mary Jennifer Payne

Author:Mary Jennifer Payne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2016-11-09T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

“We’ve got to get out of here,” I whisper in Raphael’s ear. “There are demons in the crowd.”

He nods, not taking his eyes off of the crowd or the woman. “I know,” he says out of the corner of his mouth. “The fear and anger here is so intense. It’s making them strong.”

“Did all these people die during the plague?” I ask. The elderly couple are slowly making their way to the front of the crowd. More people have gathered behind the original circle. We’re going to have to make an escape through layers of angry spirits.

“No,” Raphael replies. “But once they’re in the Place-in-Between, they forget their previous lives. They hold on to the negative emotions that brought them here, but they can’t remember the specific reasons for those feelings. At the moment, all these souls truly believe they are living in London during the Great Plague.”

There’s a loud rumble coming from the crowd now. Hundreds of voices join in a unified chant: “WITCHES! WITCHES!”

The large woman who started all of this lunges forward and grabs Cassandra by the arm. “I’ve got one!”

“THROW HER IN THE RIVER,” the crowd roars.

Raphael grabs my hand. The crowd is closing in. I smell their breath. It’s the smell of a thousand animals rotting. Apparently, the brushing of teeth wasn’t a big thing during this time period.

Cassandra’s eyes are wild with fear. Not only is her fear giving the demons strength, but it also seems to be allowing the lost souls to interact with us more fully. The woman is now dragging Cassandra away into the crowd. I look around. Lily’s gone. Has she been grabbed without us even noticing?

“We need to help Cassandra.” The words barely leave my lips before I feel something wrap itself around my wrist like an icy snake.

I yelp in surprise and turn. The old woman creature draws back her cracked lips.

“Mine,” it says. The voice is deep and raspy.

It begins to pull me away from Raphael and into the crowd. Terror fills my body. This is how Jade must’ve felt. Tears spring to my eyes. Its grasp becomes stronger, and I feel my other hand slipping from Raphael’s.

I need to stop being afraid. I’m feeding this creature with my fear.

My hand is torn from Raphael’s, and then I’m surrounded by the mob of lost souls. They close in around me like a pack of wild dogs. Their negative energy washes over me, as elbows stab into my ribs and leather boots connect with my shins. The pain is real. I feel like crying, but blink back the tears as I stumble. It takes all my strength just to keep standing. I don’t want to risk being crushed. A shiver runs through me as I remember the bodies tumbling down on top of each other on the subway steps, taking Jade along with them.

There’s sudden movement and a flash of metal from behind the creature dragging me. Its head snaps violently to one side. A guttural roar

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