Chapter 16
We put another salt circle down next to where Beau and Davina were passing ghosts. It was a precaution more than anything, but I wanted Gwyn to have somewhere safe to retreat to. She’d be helping them pass on ghosts, as she had the essentials down and just needed some practice.
I hovered nearby for a moment, watching as they started gathering spirits. Gwyn didn’t do the herding—she appeared too nervous to approach a rando ghost and say hi—but if they cooperated enough to come to Beau’s lit path, then she relaxed enough to help.
Mack leaned in to her to murmur something and she listened before nodding. What was this?
Then Gwyn stepped forward. “Um, Beau? Can I try passing?”
“Sure,” he encouraged, gesturing her forward. “Why don’t you take this gentleman?”
“Okay.” Gwyn seemed fairly confident as she extended her hand. “Sorry, I’m new, but I think I got it. Oh, if I fumble, my master or his master will take over, don’t worry.”
The ghost must have asked if this was all right. I would in his shoes.
But the ghost was okay trying, clearly, as Gwyn started walking along the path.
I had my thermal goggles on, so I could see the ghost’s energy signature without a problem, as it was ice cold and showed up dark blue.
She walked steadily and I could see the ghost form up, become more solid, until he reached the end of the path and stepped through a door without her.
Interestingly enough, I could see the door as it opened, ushering him through.
It was a bright, penetrating light, so bright I had to look away for a second.
When I looked back, it was closed and gone.
Gwyn turned and smiled in satisfaction. “I really do think I have this.”
“You did it perfect,” Mack confirmed. “It’s a great place to practice passing. Do it again, Gwyn.”
“Sure!”
Gwyn passed another, and it was just as quick, just as smooth, and I could practically see her confidence building.
She had this for sure. She was a quick study—a saving grace in this business especially.
She must have been nervous passing these ghosts, as the theater was uncomfortable to be in, but even in this tense atmosphere, she was doing okay.
When Gwyn came back again, Mack paused her. “Gwyn, how do you feel about staying here, helping pass ghosts? I want to back up and support Eli as she goes after those two almost-demonic ones.”
Gwyn’s brows furrowed a little. “I mean, that’s fine, but are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I will have a monster hunter and Exorcist with me,” Mack pointed out dryly. “But I’m the only one who can exorcise aside from Eli.”
“Ohhh. Gotcha. Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“C’est bon. Then keep going.”
Gwyn trusting our comrades enough to split from Mack pleased me enormously. Maybe that was silly to think, since she barely knew me or Mack either, but she’d latched on to us like a little duckling. I was happy she realized the rest of our team could be trusted to safeguard her, too.
Mack and I split from them, moving toward the back side of the basement, where Eli had more or less cornered the truly problematic ghosts. I found Lachlan waiting nearby and asked, “Seals?”
He gave me a thumbs-up. “More impenetrable than plot armor.”
“Perfect. I don’t want anything escaping today.” Mostly because I didn’t want said ghosts to ambush us later. Or force us to chase them down.
We kept walking down the hallway, stepping carefully over any salt circles so as not to disturb the granules.
Eli was right about it somehow getting darker the farther in we went, despite all of the lights being on.
Someone had retrofitted electrical wiring for sockets.
Plus, the cables were literally stapled against the walls.
I knew the building was at least two hundred years old, and the age showed everywhere you looked.
After traversing about two-thirds of the basement, I spotted the trio ahead of me. Quinn was laying down a salt line, interestingly, and two camping lanterns were set nearby. Booker and Eli both peered into the darkness, Eli explaining something.
“—crap is going to interfere with sight lines,” she stated with exasperation.
Then she turned, spying us, and repeated herself.
“Past here it’s all one big room, but I think that’s because all of the mechanicals for the building are in here.
There’s a lot of duct work, plumbing lines, et cetera.
Sight lines are nonexistent. But those two wannabe demons are past here. ”
“Salt line is so they can’t escape?” I guessed. “Or seals?”
“Right. I don’t want them getting anywhere near Gwyn. I think a salt line will hold them.”
Mack grunted. “I do appreciate that. She’s with Beau passing ghosts without help, by the way.”
“Yeah?” Eli grinned, proud as punch. “She’s picking it up quick, then. You came to help me?”
“I did.”
Eli hugged him. “You’re such a sweetie. All right, let’s go kick some ass.”
Eli, I thought, was a little frustrated by this case already. If she chose to work out those frustrations on the ghosts, well, who could blame her?
I only had one question before we dove in. “No good ghosts in there, right?”
“Hmm? Oh.” Eli shook her head and assured me, “No good ghosts in here. Just the troublemakers and wannabe demons.”
“Ah, then let’s not hold ourselves in check.” I was all for breaking a few things. Breaking things made me happy.
Eli and Quinn formed up, heading in first, Booker and Lachlan falling in behind them, with Mack and me bringing up the rear. Much like a raiding party would do. Then again, in this scenario, Eli was definitely the tank. I was just moral support.
Even to my sight, this room was bad. The thermal goggles were going haywire trying to discern one ghost from another. Really, it was just this wash of blue, like someone had taken a brush of cold blue and smeared the room with it. Were these thermal goggles actually going to help or not…?
For that matter, I wasn’t going to be super helpful here. I couldn’t handle the dead, but I could watch Mack’s six. I unhooked my Super Soaker and got ready.
Lachlan sidled up next to me and muttered, “Just me, or does it feel a wee bit stupid to be in here? Despite me being armed.”
“If I had to explain it, I’d say I feel like I’m showing up for a shift as the junior OSHA violator at the accident factory.”
“Mate, couldn’t have said it better.”
Without any real discussion, Eli faced north, with Booker and Quinn bracketing her on each side. Mack put his back to hers, and I guarded his right, Lachlan his left.
I heard Eli’s neck as she cracked it side to side. “Let’s get this party started!”
What was this, a concert?
From the corner of my eye, I tracked it as Eli reached out with her right hand and closed it into a tight fist. I almost heard screaming? Like a man’s voice yelling in protest. Then poof—silence.
Uh, that had been unnerving. Was that the ghost yelling before she exorcised him? I’d actually heard that? Just how much psychic juice was Eli throwing around if ghosts I normally couldn’t sense at all were now audible?
But that first exorcism was like a signal.
All hell broke loose, and every ghost in the room either tried to flee—and was immediately rebuffed by the salt line at the doorway—or they tried to rush Eli.
It was like being on the wrong end of a wave, and I felt the chill as ghosts got in too close.
Shit, shit, shit! Was this plan working or not? !
I mostly had my back to her, but I kept darting glances behind, trying to keep track of her, too.
Eli laughed maniacally and kept punching forward, both hands busy, and I was stunned.
I didn’t know she could exorcise with her steampunk hand!
I’d never seen her do that before. Huh. Crazy.
Now she was twice as lethal. I could see from the corner of my goggles one blue light after another going poof.
Damn, she was on fire right now. I could hear the ghosts screaming at each other, sometimes to move, sometimes trying to coordinate.
I saw a ghost grab a box, which looked weird as hell through the goggles.
I more saw the blue energy of the ghost surrounding this vaguely box-shaped blank spot.
I realized what it meant in the nick of time as he turned to chuck it at us.
I snagged Mack and yanked him sharply back and to the side to avoid my lover taking the brunt of the blow.
We barely avoided a collision with Eli. I knew ghosts were strong here, but come on! There had to be limits!
Should I take the googles off if they were going to be throwing shit? But no, I needed them to have a prayer of seeing what the ghosts were doing.
I heard another crash from the other side, Lachlan yelling something harsh in Gaelic, and the impact of a sword hitting something solid.
There were definitely a few ghosts in here strong enough to really give us grief.
I readied my defense. Clearly, they weren’t going down without a fight.
There were lots of heavy breathing sounds and cuss words, but from voices I didn’t recognize.
Wow, yeah, I was actually hearing the ghosts. Insane.
Mack wasn’t trying to exorcise, which relieved me, but he was grabbing ghosts by the throat and holding them. Then he called, “Eli, two!”
Eli spun like a dancer, reaching over Mack’s shoulder to tap both ghosts in his hands.
I watched incredulously as they winked out of existence.
I knew Eli was strong, I’d seen her in action, but I’d seen her go up against really bad, gnarly things.
Not against ghost-demons like these guys.
She could wink souls out of existence with a little slap? !
Damn. Remind me to stay on her good side.
Lachlan used his sword like a herding rod and scared a ghost into running, all while he singsonged, “Mistress of Death, have another~”
Eli laughed, turned again, and slapped his ghost.