Moving away from the Tricksters, Rima came up to Kasper and Felix, with Cody cradled in her arms. Tears were streaming down her face. “She went straight for Cody, like she knew I would stop fighting immediately to save her.”
“Cody is going to survive,” Kasper said. “Look at her, she’s getting better already!”
The fox wasn’t a Shell yet. She was taking in the energy dissolved in the air from all the destroyed ghosts. The Tricksters’ army were still fighting the other students all over the roof, leaving a wide circle around Leah’s bubble. Motionless, Harriet watched them, too.
Rima spat something bloody into her palm. It was a chunk of hair and skin. She held it out, looking proud. “I got this from Norma. We can use it to destroy her using Leah’s ritual, like we were going to do with Harriet’s eyelid. We need to get rid of the other Tricksters and their army first, though. We can’t do anything if the three of them have Leah trapped like this.”
“I can attack Vini first?” If Kasper could get Vini out of the way, that would make it easier for Felix and Rima to destroy Rufus. Leah had said they were strongest as a trio, and Vini was the weakest link.
Rima shook her head. “I have a plan for him. But you two need to be ready to finish him off. Then we’ll go after Rufus. OK?”
Kasper nodded. It was something to do, at least. Better than standing here, watching. “Yeah, Felix? That sounds good, right?” He nudged his arm.
Felix was grinding the base of his palms into his eyes blearily, glasses askew. “Whatever,” he mumbled. “It’s not like we’re going to win, anyway.”
“That’s the spirit!” Kasper said under his breath. “Go, team!”
If they didn’t start this fight now, Felix would probably decide to have a nap instead. Whatever they’d done inside his head, the Tricksters had wiped him out.
Rima laid Cody on the ground, kissing the top of her head. She handed the disgusting lump of hair and skin to Kasper. “Hang on to that. Wait here.”
Then she disintegrated into atoms. No – not atoms – but a cloud of tiny gnats.
One of the flies headed straight for Vini, a little speck that he wouldn’t even notice. He was glowing with a golden light that kept getting brighter. He must be feeding off the fear of every ghost on the rooftop.
Kasper strained his eyes to watch as the gnat hovered by Vini’s ear, then darted inside, quick as a flash. Vini rubbed his earlobe absently, but nothing happened for a long moment.
Then Vini brought his hand up to his ear again, rubbing it hard. He shuddered, and crumpled to the ground. Rima must have done something deep inside his ear.
Kasper lunged forward, grabbing Vini’s head and twisting hard while Felix pinned him down. A ghost from the basement yelled out, turning away from her fight with a second-floor girl to run at Kasper. She engulfed Kasper in crackling flames.
Kasper gritted his teeth and kept pulling at Vini’s head, until the skull came free of the spine with a crisp pop. Rufus ran at Felix, tearing him away from Vini as he disintegrated into atoms. Rima flew at Norma’s face, covering her skin in gnats.
The flames were burning his skin, so Kasper threw himself at the floor, rolling until the searing pain disappeared. He climbed to his feet, smoke oozing from his skin. When he looked up, Felix was dragging Leah away. Kasper gaped at them, confused. How had Felix got all the way over to her while Kasper was on fire? The protective barrier around her and Claudia must have broken during the fight.
Norma swatted the flies away, her face swelling up from bites. She peered out through half-closed eyelids, and her eyes widened when she saw that Leah was free of the bubble shield.
Norma ran towards Felix, knocking him around the head and tearing Leah away. Felix crumpled to the ground and didn’t move.
Norma held Leah by the back of her neck and shook her hard. Something like surprise crossed Leah’s face, like she’d realized what a mistake she’d made. And then Norma took her energy, making Leah and the baby in her arms dissolve into dust.
Rima re-formed, crying out, “Leah, no!”
She jumped forwards, trying to stop them. Kasper grabbed her arms and held her back.
“Let me go.” Rima turned into a bird and slipped free.
By the time she’d reached Norma, it was too late. There was nothing left of Leah except a shred of energy drifting on the floor. Norma tilted her head back in ecstasy as she absorbed it.
Rima cawed, circling the room in long flaps of her wings, screaming as loudly as her raven throat would let her. Felix rolled over, grimacing and climbing to his feet.
“Rima!” Felix said, holding out his hand. She flew to him, curling into his chest as a mouse. He cupped her in his hands as she whined desperately against him.
Kasper wanted to do something for her, but he couldn’t. He stood and watched Felix comfort her in the middle of the battle.
“Rima!” a voice said. “I’m right here!”
Kasper spun around to see Leah was standing in the middle of the roof. She was still trapped with Claudia inside that glowing shield.
Rima stopped sobbing and morphed back into human form. Felix staggered, letting her go.
“What?” She wiped her face. “What?”
Kasper looked around. Rufus was missing.
FELIX
When they had finally defeated Vini, Felix had known that he needed to think fast. The three of them weren’t going to be able to overpower Norma and Rufus together. The only way Felix could think of getting rid of them was to use trickery.
When Rufus had run at him, while Kasper was covered in flames, there had been a moment when Rima covered Norma’s eyes in flies. While she couldn’t see, Felix broadcast a subtle command to everyone on the roof, making them see Rufus as Leah. It looked like Felix was fighting her instead
