Ghosts of Mateguas, A Mateguas Island Novel

The chant was so soft at first that Jack was unaware of it, but, soon, the ancient song began to swell.

"It must be bad drugs," he mumbled to himself. "What the fuck did they cut this stuff with?"

Rubbing his eyes in disbelief and shaking his head, he took a step toward Terri. Her face was slack as if she were in some sort of trance, but her lips were moving, intoning the mantra that now seemed to be coming from all around him.

"What do you think you're doing, girly?" he snarled, an edge of fear creeping into his voice.

His words hung in the air as the song abruptly ended.

In the stillness, Terri's eyes became alive and filled with a painful white light that pierced him with deadly intent.

"You had better leave now," she whispered. "I don't want to hurt you and I don't know how much longer I can control them."

As she spoke, she glanced down at her hands and involuntarily his eyes followed.

Dancing between her fingertips were tiny balls of cold blue fire and he watched, transfixed, as they jumped and played from one finger to another, swelling and shrinking at will.

"Stop that!" he yelled, pointing at her hands as he took another step toward her, his mouth curled in a vicious snarl.

As if sensing imminent danger, the fiery orbs leaped from her fingers and danced in front of her, hovering menacingly before his eyes.

Jack stopped mid-step. The white light emanating from her had now turned icy blue to match the strange flames that, somehow, she had created and, he knew, she controlled.

She stared at him silently for a moment, her eyes now icy and cold.

"Please don't," he begged, backing away from her.

But it was too late.