Fairy Bad Day(61)

“No, the other part. What did you call it?”

“It’s a key to a soul box. Well, I assume it is. I don’t recognize the language of the engravings but I’m pretty sure that these slits are where it’s supposed to fit in. Why are you both looking at me like that?”

“What’s a soul box?” Emma demanded.

Brenda rolled her eyes. “Well, if you guys listened more in Professor Yemin’s class, you might know.” She reached down to her backpack and pulled out a heavy book. She opened it up and pointed to a photo of an ornate box. “Before the Gate of Linaria was shut, some of the elementals—mainly demons, from what I’ve read—that came through couldn’t survive. They were so corrupted and vile that their bodies literally couldn’t stand the purified air of Earth. However, they discovered that if they took out the heart of their darkness—aka their soul—they could survive, and so they created soul boxes. The elemental would come through the gate, lock their soul in the box, and would then go and cause all sorts of mayhem on Earth. Of course, once the gate was closed, the ones that were stuck here died off, and since no more could come through, soul boxes became obsolete. They’re mainly considered a collectible these days. Now, about that book of your mom’s?”

Emma turned to Curtis and stared at him as Brenda cautiously reached out and pried the textbook from her fingers.

Of course.

The answer to the conundrum of how the darkhel could survive on Earth while the Gate of Linaria was still shut. It must have taken its soul and put it in a box while it went looking for the Pure One. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

“So what does the key do?” Emma demanded.

“It opens the box.” Brenda shrugged. “The demon or whatever is using it needs to keep the box somewhere near the gate. If you have the key, you can release the soul and it will go straight back to your demon. Then presto, they will be banished back to the other side of the gate.”

“Banished?” Emma looked up in disappointment. “Why wouldn’t they just die?”

“Because it says so in the book.” Brenda held it up to them both as proof before reading out the passage. “‘Once the creature’s soul is returned, it is automatically banished back to beyond the gate.’ See, all there in black and white.”

“But what’s to stop it from sticking its soul right back in the box?” Emma wrinkled her nose.

“About five dark priests and a lunar eclipse,” Brenda said as she held the book out. “Apparently it’s not exactly an easy—or pain-free—ritual to perform.”

“Er, so how do you know the key will work?” Curtis asked, and Brenda, who realized that she wasn’t going to get a chance to study the textbooks just yet, looked up and let out a resigned sigh.

“It’s like a skeleton key. You have heard of one of those, haven’t you?”

“Of course,” Emma assured her in a tone that let her know that her sarcasm wasn’t appreciated. “So you’re saying that if something has come through the gate and put its soul in a box, then all we need to do is get the soul back out and restore it and it will be banished?”

“Er, yes, like I’ve just told you three times.” Brenda looked at them like they were idiots before narrowing her eyes. “Why are you asking, anyway?”

“It’s nothing. Just something extra that Curtis and I are doing.” Emma gave a casual shrug.

“For the assignment?” Brenda suddenly looked concerned. “I didn’t know we could do anything extra. Man, where’s Loni? I really need to discuss this with her stat.” Then without another word she jumped up and hurried toward the front of the library. The minute she’d gone, Emma started to scoop the books away before turning to Curtis.

“So at least we know how my mom got rid of it. I mean, it all makes sense now. She fought it, couldn’t find the kill spot, so she opened up the soul box instead and banished it.”

“Yes, but you’re forgetting that even if the darkhel has put its soul in a box, we don’t have a clue where the box would be. It will be like looking for a needle in an evil-infested haystack.”

“So, what are you saying? You think we should just forget about it altogether?” Emma demanded. “And maybe while we’re at it, we should go and work on our stupid assignment instead?”

“Hey, Jones, where is this coming from? I’m on your side, remember?” Curtis protested, his dark eyes clouding over. “And of course I don’t think we should go and do the assignment. In fact, I’ll be happy if I never see another fairy again, because—”

“That’s it.” Emma turned to him in excitement. “The fairies. We can go and ask them.”

“Go and ask the darkhel to tell us where his soul box is?” Curtis frowned and shook his curls. “You know, I don’t think he’s going to tell us.”

“No, I mean the little fairies. The annoying ones with too much backtalk. And as for telling us or not, well, who said I’m going to give them a choice?”

“But if what Brenda says is true, then the soul box must be somewhere nearby the Gate of Linaria and apparently that changes location all the time. It could be in Siberia for all we know.”

“All the more reason for us to get going. Now come on. Let’s go and see Mrs. Barnes about a pass-out so we can go to the mall. Because the sooner we talk to the fairies, the sooner this thing is over.”