Chapter 8 #3
The shadow monster stopped reaching for the sandwich and pointed at Sky, another rush of sounds coming from it.
“I didn’t bring chips. Only the sandwich. I even got gouda and sourdough this time.”
The creature pointed at Sky’s bag as he continued to argue.
“I’m not hiding chips in my bag. I forgot them. The only thing edible in there is maybe some old Tic Tacs.”
Ryder’s eyes opened wider. He still couldn’t understand a word the thing was saying, but he was pretty sure it laughed at Sky.
“Fuck you! There’s always a chance I can meet someone hot in a cemetery. Just because I haven’t doesn’t mean it’s impossible!” Sky snarled, poking his finger at the creature.
The creature turned its back on Sky and plopped on the floor as much as a smoke creature could plop. Sky groaned loudly and scrubbed his free hand over his face. When he lowered it, he was looking directly at Gideon, who was frozen in Ryder’s arms.
“I know it’s a long shot, but you wouldn’t have any chips or snacky treats in the kitchen, would you?” the witch asked.
“I-I-I haven’t actually bought any food since I moved in,” Gideon stammered.
“What did you expect?” Sky demanded, turning his attention to the creature he’d called Frank. “This is a vampire’s house. They’re not big on snacks.”
“Oh!” Fox suddenly shouted, startling both Ryder and Gideon. “Did you eat those snacks River and I left behind after moving you in?”
“How is it possible there are snacks that River didn’t devour?” Ryder asked dryly.
“No, I didn’t see them,” Gideon replied, and Fox was off like a shot, running toward the kitchen. He returned, proudly holding up a half-empty bag of potato chips and a full bag of cheesy puffs. “We got these.”
“There. Do you want cheesy puffs or plain chips?”
Frank jumped to his feet and started doing this hopping, skipping dance toward Fox while making grabby hands at the cheesy puffs.
“Book first, sandwich and snack after.” Sky had barely finished talking when Frank disappeared. He extended his hand to the bag. “Give me the puffs. Put the chips in the kitchen or he’s going to bargain for all of it. Frank is usually helpful, but he can get greedy.”
Fox had barely left the room to return to the kitchen with the bag of chips when Frank reappeared next to Sky, holding aloft an old leather-bound book bigger than he was. Sky accepted the book, placing it in his lap, and handed over the sandwich and bag.
Ryder watched as the creature sat on the floor next to Sky, eating his sandwich, though he couldn’t make out a mouth.
Frank would raise the sandwich to what had to be its face and a chunk would disappear from it.
Same with the cheese puffs. The thing would stuff a spindly hand into the bag and lift it again with puffs speared on the end of its claws. One by one, they would disappear.
And the entire time, the creature was rocking and wiggling, making these strange noises as if he were humming. It was happy. Almost cute.
Sky paged through the book as if having a humming, munching little smoke minion next to him were a normal, everyday occurrence.
“Okay, I found what I need,” Sky announced as Frank finished his sandwich. “You can take the book now. I’m good.”
Frank didn’t take the book. He wrapped his thin arms around the remains of the puff bag and clutched it to his chest. Sky gave him a look Ryder could only describe as unamused and turned his attention to Gideon. “Do you mind if he takes the rest of the bag?”
“Uh…no. No, that’s fine,” Gideon replied, his voice sounding dazed.
“Thanks.” He glanced at Frank. “I’d tell you to share, but we both know you won’t.”
Frank made one last noise and disappeared with his snack. Half a second later, the book disappeared from Sky’s lap. The witch picked up the paper plate and stuffed it into his bag along with the mustard before climbing to his feet and walking over to them.
“What was that?” Fox asked.
Sky shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks and smiled. “Underworld minion.”
Gideon gulped. “Like a demon?”
Sky’s nose and brow wrinkled. “Not quite. Underworld minions are the basis for humanity’s idea of demons, but they’re also the basis for angels.
Think of the underworld as a different world next to ours.
When living things here die, the souls move on to that world, sort of like how you moved from where you were living to here.
It’s just that some souls, like Elizabeth, get stuck and need help. ”
“Do all the minions look like Frank?” Ryder asked.
Sky chuckled. “Not even close. I use Frank a lot because he’s good at following directions, and most people don’t freak out too badly when they see him.
But the underworld creatures are as varied and unique as the humans and creatures in this world.
That’s why I needed Frank to bring me the directory.
One of the great things about the underworld is that they keep a directory of all the creatures there and their specialties.
It allowed me to find the creature that can help me lure Elizabeth on to the underworld. ”
“Um…Frank…” Gideon started and stopped.
Ryder pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Frank can’t come back here anytime he wants now that he’s been to Gideon’s place, right?”
“Oh God, no!” Sky appeared horrified by the suggestion.
“They have to be summoned. That was the symbol I drew on the sandwich. Frank couldn’t find his way here on his own, no matter how hard he tried.
Plus, before leaving tonight, Fox and I are going to sage the fuck out of your entire place.
Make sure we get rid of all this lingering dead essence. You’ll be safe, I promise.”
Gideon sighed heavily, falling into Ryder so that most of his weight was resting on him. “Sorry. I was imagining the little guy appearing suddenly and demanding chips.”
Sky grinned. “Yeah, he doesn’t understand too well why a vampire might not keep a pantry stocked with snacks, but he won’t return until you summon him. Same with the creature I’m going to call for Elizabeth.”
“Is there anything we can do to help you?” Gideon inquired.
“Nah. I’m good. Just taking a small break to catch my breath and to double-check Fox’s work.” The necromancer kneeled next to the circle Fox had drawn on the floor with the red grease pencil.
Fox crouched next to him, his grin a bit crooked. “Not bad, right? Especially since I haven’t practiced it in a few days.”
“Pencil?” Sky held out his hand toward Fox and the redheaded witch placed it in his palm. The necromancer cleaned up a few of Fox’s swirls and lines here and there. “Not too bad. I’m guessing this is Zelda’s influence on you. She apparently doesn’t go in for all the flourishes.”
“Not really. She says that wards and barriers should be neat, tidy, and quick.”
“Agreed, but don’t cut corners until you’ve had more experience.
Some of those flourishes aren’t superfluous.
They can prove to be the hooks that hold everything together and tighten the bonds.
Sort of like the loops and hooks of Velcro.
” Sky handed the pencil to Fox with a smile.
“Keep it. Chalk is good, but this works on the surfaces chalk doesn’t cling to. ”
“Thanks.” Fox accepted the pencil and tucked it behind his ear.
Sky stood and looked at Ryder and Gideon. “You’re both still good?”
Gideon nodded. “I’m good. This has been fascinating.”
Ryder grunted. He didn’t need to say anything else. Gideon was happy and comfortable. That was all that mattered to him.
“All right. Let’s try this.” Sky walked over to his bag and squatted. He pulled out a flat stone and several glass vials. One after another, he sprinkled some of the bottle contents on the stone and returned the containers to the bag. He mixed the concoction with his fingers.
Giving a brief nod, Sky picked up the rock with his right and took a pinch of the mixture with his left.
He sprinkled it on the floor, whispering words Ryder couldn’t make out.
The strange thing was that there was no sign of the stuff hitting the ground.
It was as if it were evaporating in the air.
Sky created a trail from the trunk to the far wall that faced the street.
The path made, he returned the stone to his bag and dusted off his hands. He stood with perfectly erect posture and slowly waved his hands in front of him as he spoke, his fingers creating complicated forms.
“Whoa…that’s beautiful,” Fox breathed.
Ryder blinked and squinted, but he caught the tiniest glimpse of gold sparks trailing through the air after each of Sky’s hand movements.
When Sky was done, there was a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead and some of his hair was damp.
A new slump had invaded his shoulders. Sky might make it appear easy, but this work drained him.
Flashing a wilting smile, Sky crossed to stand near them. “Watch this.”
He’d barely spoken when the first big, fluffy white bunny hopped out from behind the trunk.
Another immediately joined it. Three became a dozen, then two dozen in a matter of seconds.
Rabbits of all sizes and colors crowded around the trunk and hopped across the floor right where Sky had been spreading his mixture.
“Bunnies!” Gideon shouted. He tried to jerk out of Ryder’s arms, but Ryder immediately tightened them. Sky had strengthened the barrier for their protection. He was not letting Gideon out of his grasp.
Gideon blushed and smiled at him. “Oh, right. Ghost bunnies.”
Sky chuckled. “Something like that.” His smile didn’t waver as he caught the collar of Fox’s shirt, holding the witch as he tried to get closer to the bunnies. “They’re not for you.”
“But they’re so cute. I want to cuddle them and play with them,” Fox whined.
“That’s the point, but they’re not for you.” Sky turned his attention to the living room. “Elizabeth. Come out and see the bunnies who want to play with you.”
The trunk lid creaked open. A soft, delighted gasp drifted out, and the lid popped completely open.
Giggles filled the room, and the bunnies jumped about more as if someone had stepped into their midst. Ryder was just wishing he could see the ghost when one bunny rose in the air as if someone had picked it up.
From there, a misty white ghost came into view.
Ryder’s throat tightened to see the little girl, who couldn’t have been more than four or five.
She had long hair with an enormous bow tied to the back of her head.
The style of her knee-length dress placed her in the early nineteenth century.
They watched wordlessly as she cuddled the bunny in her arms, nuzzling its long, floppy ears.
Slowly, the bunnies hopped away from the trunk and toward the wall that now glowed faintly.
Elizabeth trailed along behind them, giggling and talking to the rabbits.
It was only when she was a few steps from the wall that she paused and glanced at her trunk.
Her wide smile slipped, and worry puckered her brow.
“It’s okay. Go play with the bunnies. If your brother comes searching for you, we’ll tell him where to find you,” Sky coaxed.
Elizabeth’s grin returned in a flash, and she nodded once, her bow bobbing. Two more steps and she was completely gone. The last of the straggling bunnies disappeared as well.
“And now your ghost has moved on,” Sky announced with a wave of his arms. He added with a wink, “You can step out of the protective barrier.”
“She’s safe?” Gideon inquired.
Sky nodded. “She’s moved on to where she needs to be. The underworld can handle it all now.”
The necromancer walked across the room and kneeled next to his bag.
He tidied up a few things before pulling out two bundles of sage and a spray bottle.
Gideon took the spray bottle and started cleaning up the grease pencil marks, while Sky and Fox lit the sage and carried the lightly smoking bundles through the apartment, cleaning it of whatever the ghost had left behind.
Ryder wasn’t sure what they were doing exactly, but if it meant Gideon was more comfortable in his place, he supported it.
Ryder put the pillows where they belonged and returned the carpet and trunk to their proper places.
But when the condo was exactly as it should be—with no ghosts—he found Gideon standing in the living room, frowning at the trunk.
“What’s wrong?” Ryder asked as he wrapped his arms around Gideon from behind.
“We went through all of that and now…I’m not sure I want to keep the trunk. I still love it and it’s beautiful, but…” His voice faded and he looked at Sky, who’d picked up his bag. “Elizabeth died in that trunk, didn’t she?”
Sky smoothed a hand over his hair and offered a half smile.
“We don’t know for sure. Yes, it’s a possibility, but there’s a chance that she died a short time after that hide-and-seek game from injury or illness, and the game with her brother was her last good memory.
If you can, I’d focus on the idea that you’ve come into possession of something you know made someone happy. ”
“That’s true,” Gideon murmured.
Fox placed his hand on Gideon’s shoulder and squeezed. “If you’re not comfortable with it here, Winter and I can store it for you.”
“Thanks. Let me try living with it for a while. The way Sky put it, I feel like Elizabeth entrusted it to me. If I still have trouble, I’ll call you.”
The ghost settled, Ryder saw Fox and Sky out, leaving them in Winter’s hands. The sneaky vampire was waiting outside the building to find out the result of the ghost hunting. Ryder was happy to let them go. His primary concern was Gideon.
He ran up the stairs and walked in to find Gideon sitting on the edge of the sofa, his shoulders straight and tense. His smile returned the second he saw Ryder.
“You know, it’s weird having the condo to myself. My ears keep straining to hear giggling and knocking,” Gideon said, laughing tightly.
“If you want…you could come to my place. We still have a few more episodes to watch of that show, and all your stuff is there.”
Gideon was off the sofa in a flash and in his arms. “You sure you don’t mind?”
Ryder happily answered that silly question with a long, draining kiss.
No, he didn’t mind having Gideon in his space, in his bed, in his heart.
And he would keep kissing him and holding him and supporting him in a hundred little ways until he understood that Ryder always wanted him right there in his life.