Chapter 35 Wraiths and Wards #2
In the mental space, he swears and then crosses the carpet so he’s standing beside me, though the physical form of him still has his back to me.
If you imprint on me here like this, so help me…
he warns, and then he reaches out and takes my hand.
The ice and fire dancing in my veins instantly calm, along with my panic as warmth—like the sun at the beginning of summer—soaks into my skin.
Our gazes race to his left arm, which remains blessedly unmarked.
He releases a long sigh as his hand constricts around mine, so slight, I know it’s a mere reflex as his calluses stamp against my skin.
“We need to kill it,” Griffin says.
“We can’t.” Daire shakes his head. “We don’t have anything holy.”
“In any of your reserves?” Lochlan’s words are a reprimand.
“We’ve never run into an unexpected wraith,” Daire growls.
More than one of them swears.
“If it continues straight, it will hit the mountains,” Kai says.
Holden shakes his head. “That’s a pretty damn big if.”
“I’ll lure it away,” Griffin says.
My heart feels like it’s been kicked. I swallow the objections that tangle in my throat.
“No,” Daire thankfully objects. “Most of these bastards are parasitic, searching for a host. If it catches you, it will possess your thoughts and come right back for us.”
“What are our alternatives?” Griffin asks.
Lochlan shifts, taking a step away from me, but mentally he remains unmoving, his hand still clasped with mine, pouring calmness into my mind. “We let it pass and get far enough away, and then we hunt it.”
His words echo through my head, through my chest as I wait for one of them to object. To suggest an alternative.
They don’t.
It feels like hours pass as we wait, silent as the wraith steps to the very edge of our small clearing.
The stench is so intense my stomach rolls as Griffin grips me tighter in physical form.
In the foreign mental space, Lochlan’s stare zeroes in on me, noting the moisture in my eyes that I can’t stop here in this space, where my emotions and fears have always been harder to hide.
He watches the first tear roll down my cheek, and then moves, his body rigid, before he leans closer, gently resting his forehead against mine, his breath buffeting against my trembling lips.
It’s only pausing because the clearing is suspicious. It can’t see you. You’re safe.
Eventually, the wraith moves, every step agonizingly slow. It pauses twice to sniff the air before it slips into the forest and disappears among the shadows.
My lungs feel hollow. My chest empty.
Holden glances around our circle before stopping on Daire. “Get ready. As soon as it’s past the marker, I’ll drop the wards and you transport us straight into Mysthaven.”
“What’s happening?” I ask.
“I can’t create a passage within the wards. We’re sprinting to that rock.” Daire points, ensuring I understand the instructions as I vaguely nod, not questioning more.
“Now!” Griffin says.
Holden throws his hands up, whispering words too rushed to hear, too strange to understand.
In that mental place, Lochlan’s fingertips draw across the length of my fingers and palm, and then the room fades entirely, and I’m back in my own thoughts, my panic increasing just enough to trip my heart before Daire’s hand finds purchase around mine. “Run!”
We dash the few feet to the edge of the circle, and Griffin grips Daire’s extended arm.
The others follow, and suddenly, a quiet whoosh, similar to the sound of a wave, echoes in my ears.
The ground and forest fall away as the world blurs and shifts, turning every hue and shade before slowing and forming shapes.
My knees jolt. My stomach heaves, and my pulse races as I work to catch my breath and footing, feeling like I just stepped off the biggest rollercoaster of my life.
“Are you okay?” Daire asks, still holding on to me, supporting my full weight as my knees and muscles remain jelly.
I take a ragged breath, recognizing the foyer of Mysthaven as I nod.
“Get ready. We’re leaving in ten. Decide who’s staying to ensure she doesn’t summon another hellspawn,” Lochlan says before heading down the hallway behind us.
Holden heads for the stairs, moving at a slower pace.
Griffin and Daire glance at each other, then at me.
“I don’t know how to call a pizza here, much less a wraith.” I wave a hand toward the front door.
“We can’t afford for either of you to stay,” Kai says.
“Not unless we’re calling in backup, and if we do that, we’re going to be buried in reports and be limited to our primary elements.
We’re better off setting additional wards, locking everyone inside.
We’ll catch up to that bastard, and return before morning. ”
“You’re going to lock us inside?” Prison walls erect in my thoughts, thicker than steel.
“Just until we’re back,” Griffin says.
For a frantic second I consider asking to go with, but I know they won’t—shouldn’t—say yes, especially since I just spent the last undefined amount of time hunkered in Lochlan’s head.
“Guards will surround the perimeter, and we won’t be gone longer than twenty-four hours. You have my word,” Daire says.
What if it comes back?
The question is stuck in my throat, in every damn one of my thoughts.
“It won’t come back. Now that we know what’s out there, we’ll have all of our senses honed to ensure it doesn’t circle back, but if anything else arrives while we’re gone, you shield and Lief will take you to the safe room,” Griffin says, hearing my thought.
Lief steps into the room, his gaze sharp, steps quick. “What happened? Tell me everything.”
“A wraith found us,” Griffin explains. “It’s heading North.”
Lief straightens. “Did it sense her?”
“Initially,” Daire responds. “But she was able to shield, and it passed by us.”
Lief shakes his head, and I swear terror flashes in his gaze, but it’s gone before I can register it. “You have to kill it. It can’t leave these woods.”
“We’re leaving to do that in five,” Daire says with a nod. “We just stopped to grab some holy objects and armor.”
Lief steps closer, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “I’ll set another layer of wards and ensure everyone remains on lockdown until we hear from you.” Without another word or glance, he guides me toward the kitchen.
My steps are leaden, uncertain what to say or do as Daire’s warning about wraiths being parasitic haunts my thoughts.
I glance back, but they’re already gone.
“A wraith?” Disbelief mars Scarlet’s brow from where she sits beside me at the kitchen island. “Are they sure that’s what it was?”
I nod as Gwen slides another cup of tea to me. It’s my third mug, and I still haven’t managed to chase the chill.
Scarlet shakes her head. “Wraiths are incredibly rare, mostly lore.”
“What are they exactly?” I ask.
Scarlet shakes her head. “I don’t know much about them, but they’re believed to be a type of demon. Night stalkers.”
“Night stalkers was just a story to keep Elementals from being too afraid to leave their homes after dark,” Gwen says as she stirs a pot of stew on the stovetop.
Her light brown hair is woven into an intricate and beautiful pattern at the crown of her head.
“It made them feel better to believe the sun kept evil at bay. Wraiths can freely wander at any time.”
Scarlet pales before swallowing her tea.
“Lochlan thinks someone summoned it.” I don’t mention that he accused me.
Gwen turns, her dark eyes meeting mine. “If that’s the case, whoever did will be cursed. A being who calls on a wraith loses their soul along with every bit of goodness and kindness, leaving them purely evil before they too become a wraith.”
I wrap both hands around my cup, trying to warm that space inside of me that seems untouched by heat. “Wait. You’re saying that wraiths originated as something else?”
Gwen nods. “All beings with a soul can be turned into wraiths. Humans, animals, Elementals, even angels.”
“Can the individual be cured?” I ask.
She shakes her head solemnly. “Their souls are fractured.”
That coldness seeps deeper despite an even deeper drink of my tea.
“But they have to kill it,” Gwen says. “Because once a wraith sets a target, it won’t stop.”
“How do we know who the target is?” Scarlet asks.
Gwen turns to look at us. “Based on how long it lingered, it had found its target.”
Chills break out across my skin.