Chapter 5 #2
Kieran regains his faculties first. “Yes. Ghosts, one representative. We’ll be…” He glances at Ewan and Daniel. “Can we use your place? Josh’s is a bit tight for us all.”
Since we were all just up there, I have to agree. It’s spacious for a studio, but six humans plus ghosts would not be comfortable for more than a few minutes.
“Of course,” Daniel says, like the golden retriever he is, and Ewan nods.
“I’ll check in with Riss and meet you down there,” Skye volunteers. “Uh, have we worked out where Connor’s staying tonight? I can call the motel and get him a room before the front desk closes.”
That’s not going to work for me. The motel’s in town, and that’s twenty minutes away. If something big and nasty comes through that gateway and I’m twenty minutes away in a comfortable bed, I’ll never forgive myself.
“Your place is the little house Skye was at today, right?” I say to Ewan, and he nods. “Great. I’ve got a tent. I’ll pitch it behind your house, where your guests can’t see me.”
“You wouldn’t rather stay at the motel?” Skye seems doubtful. “A tent is… a tent. You’d be sleeping on the ground.”
Did I say he could rule the world? He’d need someone to explain things along the way.
“That’s right. Gold star for you,” I agree, and get glared at for mocking everyone’s favorite person.
“What I meant,” Skye explains, chuckling, “is why would you rather sleep on the ground than a comfy motel bed?”
Time to make things clear. “I’m not leaving while that gateway is open and unguarded. That means you’re stuck with me.”
“Forever?” Daniel asks. “You’re planning to just live here forever?”
Sighing, I say, “This is all stuff we need to talk about, but I thought we weren’t going to stand around in here for that because of the guests that will be finishing dinner soon.”
“Yes,” Kieran says, jolting. “Skye, don’t worry about calling the motel. We’ll sort something out for Connor.” He meets my gaze, and for the first time since we met, there’s something almost approving in his expression. “Let’s go.”
At the cottage, while everyone’s getting settled and Kieran’s giving orders like a major general, I pull out my phone and send a text.
You still unassigned?
Last time I saw Gabe, he was home, but it’s been a few weeks and I have no idea what time zone he’s in or what he’s doing now, so I don’t wait for a reply before shoving my phone back in my pocket. He’ll text me back when he can, and there’s nothing I can do to speed that up.
“Okay,” Kieran says at last, sitting on one of the chairs scrounged from the kitchen table. “It’s been a big day, and it’s going to be a busy weekend. I’m sorry to keep you all here… especially you, Skye. I’m sure you’re desperate to go home after being here since Tuesday.”
Skye makes a noise that might be agreement or might not.
“Wait,” I interrupt before Kieran can continue his good-management speech. “Skye doesn’t live on the property?” Josh, Daniel, and Ewan do, so I guess I just assumed all the people who’ve been involved in this do.
Kieran shakes his head. “No. Skye lives in town.”
“Do you?” I raise a brow at him.
“Do I what? Live on the property? No. But I’m staying here temporarily until we get everything sorted out.”
That causes frowns all around the room. “I thought you’d go home tonight, since Skye’s not possessed anymore,” Josh says. “You need a proper break and your own space.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” Kieran says.
“That means no,” I tell Josh, then smirk at Kieran.
“He’s staying here because things are coming through the gateway and I’m here.
” I place a hand on my chest. “It’s devastating not to be trusted.
” Nobody rushes to assure me they trust me.
I guess it must be something I said. “Anyway, what can you tell me about the gateway?”
They all look at Joe, who’s apparently the ghost elected to represent the rest. He sighs as though I’m asking him to give me a kidney, then launches into a story about a woman who got screwed over by a man and decided it would be a good idea to summon a demon to teach him a lesson.
It’s a story I’ve heard in one form or another many times before—for some reason I’ll never understand, people think demons make great instruments of revenge.
Those people, who aren’t smart enough to realize how dangerous demons are, usually end up being the first meal for the demons they summon.
Occasionally someone will come along who actually knows what they’re doing and manages to keep the demon contained to serve their will. That’s when the real problems start. Getting rid of an unrestrained demon is one thing. Getting rid of a demon that’s being directed by a human? A lot harder.
But that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
“So the picture you showed me was the circle this Emma woman used to summon the soul-eater?” I ask Josh, remembering the diagram he sent four months ago.
“Yes. And here—I stopped to get her diary out of the archives. I don’t know if it will do you any good, since it didn’t help us any.”
I take the velvet-covered book, still reeling a little that the gateway has been open for fifty years and that the ghosts kept a soul-eater imprisoned in the basement for nearly that long.
I have a new respect for them. “Thanks. I need to track down the boyfriend and his friends and make sure they’re not summoning demons. ”
Kieran’s eyes widen. “We didn’t think of that. Fuck.”
“They’re probably old or dead now after having lived boring lives,” I assure him. “But it’s my job to check on that.”
“We just assumed Emma stole the only copy of the circle diagram.” Josh thumps the heel of his hand against his forehead. “Stupid.”
It is, but saying so won’t get me anywhere. And it’s not like they could have done anything about it anyway.
“It’s a safe assumption to make. Just to be sure I’m clear… the demon you got rid of four months ago was the same one Emma summoned fifty years ago.”
Grumpy Joe huffs. “Are you hard of hearing?”
I think I’m starting to like him. “Great. You’ve mentioned that you weren’t sure how the gateway opened. That was the demon.”
There’s a confused little silence. “So when Emma summoned the demon, she opened the vor—gateway?” Skye asks, frowning.
Oh boy. “No. Summoning a demon doesn’t open a gateway, but it does require a gateway. The way it works is—”
“Here you are! Why are you sitting on your ass when there’s an unguarded gateway a hundred yards away?”
Annnnd of course.
As Josh shrieks and the others leap to their feet, not sure what’s going on, I turn to look at Uncle Norval. Or rather, at the ghost of him.
“You had to choose right now to check on me?”
He puffs up his chest, his bushy beard bristling. “A true hunter is prepared at all times.”
I roll my eyes. “Sorry, everyone. My uncle Norval has decided to visit. He’s the one who started the grand hunter tradition in my family.” My voice is very dry. “Uncle, the gateway can’t be closed. It’s being watched while I arrange to take further steps. Which you’re interrupting.”
Harrumphing in the way only a thousand-year-old ghost can, he shakes his head disapprovingly. “In my day, we never spoke to our elders that way.”
“In your day, you thought bathing regularly would kill you. Things have changed. We’ve learned a lot.” I hesitate, then gesture to the only other ghost in the room. “Meet Joe. I think you two will get along.”
While the ghosts size each other up, I turn back to the other living humans. “Where were we?”
Josh is staring at Uncle Norval. “He’s so old. So, so old.”
Oh. “Yeah, he is. I’ll tell you all about it later, when he’s not around.”
“I wish I could see ghosts,” Skye complains, and Josh and I look at him and speak in unison.
“No.”
“You really don’t.”