Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 92996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
I raised a brow. “Colleague?”
“Don’t be fresh,” he groused. “Answer the question.”
All eyes back on me.
“I believe that ghosts, like the ones here, remained on this plane instead of moving on because they were angry or sad or worried when they died, and those emotions were focused on people who were still alive. They stayed, and eventually the people they lingered for died too, and so their numbers grew.”
“This is not at all what I thought it was gonna be,” Meijun said shakily, glancing around.
“Over time, some ghosts stay, some go, but those that remain do so for specific reasons. And while a few stick around to protect their ancestors, watch over them, help where they can, others are angry and lash out and try and scare anyone who crosses their path. For the most part, back here, you have those who are not at peace.”
“What does that have to do with Shelby?”
“It’s because she’s so sensitive,” Liam chimed in. “Because she’s a true clairvoyant, the demons in this graveyard attacked her.”
I wanted to correct him, to say there were ghosts back here and nothing else, but clearly, he liked his narrative better than mine. The thing was, everyone in Osprey knew about the ghosts in this area of the cemetery. And there weren’t nearly as many as there used to be, dwindling every year as more and more crossed over and their descendants returned to lead them to their next incarnation. But there were still enough that if they were to find a clairvoyant in their midst, they would want to talk to her as well as through her. I suspected this was what happened—many, at once, trying to reach her. It had to be frightening, overwhelming, and I could only hope that death wasn’t something that scared Shelby. Being as I was raised a pagan, to revere nature, care for it, see the beauty of the circle of life, I myself didn’t see death as a conclusion, and therefore, had no fear.
The way my grandmother explained it, there was a mortal end and then a spiritual one. If you had lived your best life, you went to Summerland, where you waited to be reabsorbed into the great wheel of time. You were at peace before moving on, awakening in the gloaming where there were others you knew and loved. If you had perpetrated evil, purposely and with malice and intent, interrupted the cycle by taking lives, hurting any living being or the earth, then you went to a plane of nothingness. There one came face-to-face with the consequences of their actions on the mortal plane, and the soul was extinguished.
“Xan?” Lorne prodded, bringing me out of my thoughts.
When I turned to him, he looked down at Shelby, who was finally stirring in his arms.
“There aren’t any demons in this graveyard,” I told everyone as Shelby opened her eyes and looked up at the man I loved like he was the Second Coming. “But there are a lot of ghosts.”
At the word, Shelby turned to me. “Yes,” she agreed, nearly breathless. “I was drowning, and then there was light, and…thank you.”
“Can you speak to the ghosts here and let them know we’re leaving them to rest?” Lorne asked me.
I shook my head. “Not without putting my hands into the ground, like at home, but we don’t have any salt here, so I can’t protect myself while I do that, and opening myself up to all the spirits that lie here is—”
“Stupid. Right?” He grinned at me.
He was such a grounding presence in my life, and I appreciated that so much. “Yes. Very.”
“Okay,” he announced, turning to the others, “you all need to get your stuff and—”
A low snarl came from close by, startling me for the second time that night. Because shrieking and crying were one thing, but growling from the darkness near the trees was a whole other nightmare come to life.
“Get up,” Lorne ordered everyone, and I had to give it to him. He didn’t wait to see what would emerge to attack us, instead scrambling to his feet, lifting Shelby to hers, and right before he bolted, he glanced at me.
“I’m right behind you,” I promised.
“You better keep up, Xan,” he warned, then grabbed Shelby’s hand, yanking her forward, and ran. “You too, Father!”
“Come, children,” Father Dennis directed the paranormal team. “We must keep up with the chief.”
Everybody ran, and I was last because I had to be. Even without the power of my land, there was still some inherent power in me that would, I hoped, protect me. I wished for Argos but knew that, unlike me, he was smart enough to remain where he was safe when he sensed danger.
I thought of throwing the amalgam I’d made, but without first putting it in my hands and releasing it, the mixture wouldn’t do much. I needed to stand still and direct the protection and banishing magic, and right now there was no time.