Everyone was silent. Every one of the Ghosts had been struck down. Some of them lay motionless, while others huddled together, nursing their wounds.
Celeste stood among them. Apart from the minor cut to her arm and some blood stains on her clothing, there was little evidence that she had taken down dozens of the city's most feared fighters.
As she looked around the place, she felt proud of her growing strength. For hundreds of years, the power of the Moon Maidens had been ignored by a truly patriarchal society. She knew that, within a matter of hours, news of this showdown at the cemetery would be all over Baltimore.
Maria stared at Celeste. She had expected the young woman to be slaughtered within seconds. But while the Ghosts lay there—most of them too injured or shocked to move—Celeste appeared rejuvenated.
How could this happen? Maria thought. The Ghosts are so strong, and my family has employed some of the toughest bodyguards in the city. This will not look good for our reputation.
After a moment, she snapped back to reality. It occurred to her that Celeste may not be finished. What if this isn't over? she thought. What if she turns on to the rest of us now? The idea caused her to tremble. She remembered the plan she had made to escape, but it was too late now. With all these men on the ground, she knew there was no way she could get out without being seen. On top of that, her whole body felt weak.
From his corner of the room, Beau was also stunned. He had expected Alex to be their biggest threat, but Alex had barely moved throughout the whole fight. He had merely taken up the role of Celeste's audience, nodding his approval and cheering her on as she overpowered her attackers.
Beau had been thrown off course by this unexpected twist. But now that the dust had settled again, his anger returned. Alex had killed Gabriel, and then he had shown up with this woman, who had injured so many Ghosts. This is far from over, he thought.
As his rage built up, Beau lifted his sword. He looked at Maria, who nodded her head in agreement, and then he moved closer to Alex.
"You'll pay for what you've done here," he warned Alex, shaking with fury. "I didn't want to kill you tonight, but now I've changed my mind. Before I do, though, I'd like you to apologize to the Ghosts. This was an unfair attack."
Before Alex could answer, Celeste stepped forward and met Beau's eyes with a frosty stare.
Maria felt a chill run through her. She had been told that Alex was the most powerful martial artist in the world, and until this night, Maria had believed it. But Alex had stood back like a coward and let Celeste fight off more than fifty men single-handedly. What will everyone think when I tell them about this? she thought. They'll think I've gone crazy. How would anyone believe that this fragile-looking woman could be the world's most notorious warrior?
Beau raised his sword and took a step closer to Alex, but Celeste waved her hand, and without making contact with Beau, knocked his sword to the floor.
Alex remained still. He smiled at Beau, daring him to move again.
Beau knew he needed a new strategy. If he continued to attack Alex, then he would end up wounded or dead. His father had already suffered one great loss, so Beau couldn't afford to bring more heartache to his family.
As he looked around the room, he caught sight of Ricky. The man looked in better shape than many of the Ghosts. If I kill Ricky, then the truth about Gabriel's death will disappear, he thought. The police can deal with Alex, my family will continue their friendship with the Thorntons, and we can work on launching our Ghost hospitals. It's the only way.
Beau retrieved his sword, turned from Alex, and ran toward Ricky. In all the commotion, everyone had forgotten about Ricky, so he had nobody to protect him.
This should be easy, Beau thought. He wondered whether Maria had managed to call the police. If they turned up before he was able to get rid of Ricky's body, then it might ruin his plan.
Alex had been happy to step back and let Celeste show the Ghosts what mediocre fighters they were. But he was aware that this was not over, and that Beau and Maria would not bow out easily. As soon as he saw Beau make a beeline for Ricky, Alex guessed what he was up to.
Within seconds, he chased after Beau, and both men stood over a trembling Ricky.
"Do you really think that I'll just stand back and let you kill this man right in front of me?" Alex asked.
Beau had no answer. Before he could think about making a move, Alex waved his hand gently, and the sword dropped from Beau's hand.
For a moment, Beau was stunned. He realized that there was no time to pick up his sword, so he prepared to kick Alex. When his foot reached mid-air, Alex waved his hand again, and Beau lost his balance, hitting the floor with a thud.
Beau had not been hurt badly, but he felt that his fighting spirit had finally been broken. In all his life, he had rarely lost a fight, but now, he realized that the time had come to make his retreat. I won't rest until Alex is dead, he thought. But that will have to wait for another day.
Without a word, he stood up and walked through the chapel door.
Alex slowly raised his hand, and a tiny ball of light formed above his palm. For a moment, he focused on the light. Then, seconds later, the ball shot forward and struck Beau right in the middle of his back.