Chapter 18 Jem
JEM
Dearest Emma,
Thank you for writing to keep me apprised of the situation at Blackthorn Hall and this haunting in particular.
It means a great deal to me that you’re willing to share what’s going on.
I’m glad we’ve moved beyond the days when you felt you had to conceal your wilder schemes from the older generation, myself included.
I hope you know you need keep no secrets from me, no matter how outlandish those schemes are.
Secrets have caused you and Julian so much heartbreak in the past, and I want you to know that you can tell me anything and I will not judge you.
So you say you are helping a ghost? That could be a noble pursuit, and a compassionate one, but I must urge you to be cautious.
Blackthorn Hall has a history that, at times, involved unsavory characters and sinister magic, and if a spirit truly is haunting the manor, it may not be benevolent.
The fact that Magnus sensed no ill will eases my mind a great deal, but still, I would advise that you be on your guard, and careful about what this ghost asks of you in seeking its freedom.
It may not mean you any overt harm, but that does not mean no harm will come to you.
As for the Devil Tavern, I do indeed know it.
It has been a Downworlder haunt for many centuries, and for some time, at the early part of the last century, it was something of a refuge for people Tessa and I cared about very much.
I do not want to tell you too much about them—it is painful to cast our thoughts back to that time, for it is a reminder of so much that has been lost, and of those we could not save.
But I also think it may not help you— it seems to me best that you go into this search without preconceptions or expectations of what you may find.
Why do I feel this? I can only say that, during my many years of being a Silent Brother, I felt a great kinship for shades: for the dead and those who haunted, and for the memories tethering them to earth.
I, too, was tethered by memories in those times.
They were what kept me human and able to return to this life I have now, that I love so much.
So I will not tell you of names, or personalities.
They may not be relevant to your search at all, but you must go forward to find out.
And that is why I will tell you this— you saw only a little of the Devil Tavern.
There are a set of rather blackened stairs behind the bar, and up those stairs there is a secret room, one that was closed off decades ago.
It is possible whatever your ghost is looking for may be in there.
If you wish to gain entry to the hidden room— and a warmer reception at the Devil in general—show the bartender your family rings.
Say the names: Blackthorn. Carstairs. They will matter.
I would appreciate very much if you would keep me apprised of what you discover and the next steps in your adventure.
I wish to know the answers you find, in spite of the part of me that fears what you might find in that room, and what it may say about the fates of those I loved in the past. I hope my fears are unwarranted.
I hope this tale will have a happy ending.
I do know this much—this ghost is lucky to have determined souls such as yourself and Julian helping it to find rest.
Church has informed me it is, in fact, time for dinner, and naturally I must attend to his every whim.
In addition to my hopes about your quest, I also hope you and Julian are having a good time settling in at Blackthorn Hall despite the restive ghost and the many years of neglect the place has suffered.
You are correct that it does not surprise me to hear a ghost is in residence there.
The past haunts that place, a story of things done and things left undone.
It is possible that, by bringing love and warmth into that place, you will close the chapter of neglect and open a new one of infinite possibility.
I believe in you, Emma. When I see you, I see Carstairs past; I see bravery, and the flame of Cortana.
Remember that you are of the steel and temper of those who have gone before you.
The final hope I will express in this letter: that I will see you again soon, and when I do, I will have the strength to tell you of some of them, of a girl with fire-bright hair, and her brother, and those who came before and after them.
Love,
Jem