Beacon's Hope (Potomac Shadows Book 2)

by Jim Johnson

  I nodded, then called up my spiral meditation technique, and centered myself. The more I practiced at it, the easier it got, so it took just a moment or two for me to center.

  I reached out a tendril of etheric energy toward the ‘geist, and gently pushed it into the thing’s physical form.

  “What am I looking for?”

  Depending on how the Spinner created these, you should be looking for the soul’s heart-string, connected to the remainder of the poltergeist form. It should look something like a bright ribbon tied to a dark ring or post, with etheric energies binding them together.

  I closed my eyes and sought out that connection. In short order, I found the soul’s bright heart-string, and followed that until it ended in a dark ring attached to the ‘geist form.

  A knot of ugly energies held the heart-string to the ring, black in color, tinged with the Spinner’s yellow-gold aura. My stomach churned just looking and sensing the knot of dark power.

  “This is definitely dark magic, right?”

  Literally. It is a profanation of life to imprison a soul in this manner.

  “How do we sever the connection?”

  Alter your tendril of thought into the form of a scalpel and then cut the heart-string free. You’ll need to focus and to pull on as much ley energy as you can.

  “Any risk to me?”

  Charity paused several breaths before answering. There should not be. Unless the Spinner set a trap within each poltergeist, it should be a relatively simply matter to free them.

  I nodded, then glanced at Malcolm. “We’re about to start releasing them. Keep watch over us?”

  He glanced down at me and nodded, a serious look in his eyes. He focused on his hands, both of which were soon covered in rippling bronze fire. “I got your back, Rachel. Ain’t no one gonna get past me.”

  I offered a smile to him, and then closed my eyes and focused. I sensed Charity’s presence with me as I cut the first one, feeling it release from the ‘geist form and then float away from me with a subtle wave of gratitude floating through the etherics.

  I watched the soul disengage from the ‘geist form, and then after expressing the wave of gratitude, it suddenly streaked away from us, a bright white streamer fading into the gray-tinged sky.

  I frowned. “Charity, what just happened?”

  That soul has moved on. There was a reverent tone in her voice.

  “You mean it took the trip to the next phase of its existence?” I hadn’t actually seen a soul do that yet.

  Yes. It’s a beautiful thing to see, is it not?

  I smiled, and then focused my etheric scalpel on the next ‘geist. I cut the cord on that one as well, and like the first, it expressed its thanks and then streaked off into the sky, in a slightly different direction than the first.

  I felt warm tears running down my cheeks, but I didn’t care. Malcolm glanced at me after watching the second streak disappear. “What’s happening?”

  “We’re releasing the souls. They’re finding way to the beyond.”

  He stared into my eyes, then nodded and resumed his stance as a guardian.

  The glimmer of a thought occurred to me, but I shelved it for later and focused on releasing the remainder of the ‘geists. All but two of them streaked into the sky just like the first two.

  The others uttered forms of thanks as well, and vaguely human shapes, floated away from us and wandered off into the Holding, taking separate paths.

  “Charity, what of those two? Why didn’t they get called to their next phase?”

  Uncertain. It is likely that they were not ready to move on, that their time in the Holding had not yet been complete by the time the Spinner had twisted them into poltergeists. I am confident they will find their way eventually.

  With the last ‘geist freed, I wearily got to my feet and rested a hand on Malcolm’s arm. “I think we’re done here. Thanks for standing watch over us.”

  He willed the fire around his hands to fade away, but not before I noticed that the flames had already all but faded. He glanced at me and nodded. “I was almost out of juice, anyway.” He turned to focus into the distance of the Holding’s slate gray sky.

  “No sign of the Spinner. What do you think he’s up to?”

  I shook my head and stared off into the distance as well. “I don’t know, Malcolm. But the sooner we get out of here and back home, the sooner we can recover and get our hands on some more ley threads.”

  He turned toward me and nodded. “Let’s go.”

  “Charity, we’re ready to leave. Can you create a new portal out of here?”

  Of course. And if you and Malcolm focus as I do so, I can teach you how to do it. You’ll discover that, with practice, you will be able to use this form of woven portal in the Holding as well as in the mortal world, and travel from place to place faster than you could otherwise.

  I frowned. “Wait. We can use these portals back home?”

  Yes.

  Malcolm glanced at the journal in my hands. “So, like, I could create a portal in my bedroom and connect it to, like…the White House?”

  Charity chuckled. To an extent. The greater the distance between your location and your destination, the more ley energy you need to channel into the construction. And some locations are arcanely protected. I have not attempted it, but I suspect the White House is well defended from etheric transport.

  Malcolm grinned at me. “Too bad.”

  Charity and I reached out through the Veil for some ley threads to power the portal, and then she showed us how to weave it together and set it up within an existing door frame.

  You can use a door, a window, manhole cover, whatever you wish that works as a stable portal from one place to another. Then overlay your woven portal on it, anchor it in place, and then travel through.

  She set her woven portal in place. With practice, you will be able to create portals that close the instant you step out of them, or portals that remain open for a period of time. It’s also possible to create permanent portals through the Veil, but the rituals involved are extensive and I would not recommend doing anything like that any time soon.

  I rested a hand on Malcolm’s shoulder. “No worries on that count. We have plenty to practice in the meantime.”

  Of course. Shall we go?

  I nodded and reached out for Malcolm’s arm. With Charity under one arm, and linked up with Malcolm with the other, the three of us approached the glowing portal, and stepped through, leaving the Holding and the Spinner behind.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  EXHAUSTED BUT SATISFIED AT HAVING RELEASED so many souls, I stepped out of the portal through the Veil and out onto the marble floor of the Lincoln Memorial. A glance outside showed that it was night time, and while the lights were still on the Memorial, there were no tourists about.

  Malcolm stepped through along with me, and crouched down to touch the floor. “Glad to be back here. I can feel the ley threads around us.”

  I nodded and reached out for some threads and pulled a little rejuvenating energy from them, and showed Malcolm how to do likewise. “It’s not a substitute for sleep or rest, but it’ll do for now.”

  He smiled as the boost took effect. “It’s like a magical Red Bull.”

  I grinned. “Something like that.”

  I turned around and stared up at the imposing statue of Lincoln, then walked around the base of the statue and focused on the rift carved into the marble. “Charity, we should close this thing while we’re here.”

  Closing rifts is not among my specialities, but I can certainly assist if you wish to take the lead.

  I nodded. “Miss Chin showed me how, though this one is a bit larger than others that I’ve dealt with.”

  I glanced at Malcolm. “We’re going to try and close this rift. Would you stand guard again?”

  Malcolm nodded and then started toward the entrance to the Memorial. “I’ll be here. Do what you need to do.”

  Through my Sight, I saw him tak
e hold of several ley threads and then his etheric form took on a bronze glow. He had all the power he needed if something or someone were to attack.

  I reached out for the ley threads too and adjusted their power so that I could use them as Miss Chin had taught me, as etheric needle and sutures to begin repairing the rift in the Veil here behind the statue.

  I set a simple warding sphere around me and Charity. I didn’t think we’d need it to repair the Veil, but given recent events, I didn’t think I could be too cautious.

  I settled down on the cold marble floor, closed my eyes, and then focused on the task at hand, with Charity guiding me along the way.

  Peripherally I sensed Malcolm’s steady form just outside the Memorial’s main chamber, standing sentinel over us, and again had a thought about that. His talents and demeanor with the etherics reminded me somewhat of Miss Chin. I’d have to consider that further.

  I focused on suturing the wound in the Veil. About halfway through completing it, I felt my energies flag. “Charity, what happens if we don’t finish closing this in one go?”

  It will remain partially closed, though the repairs you are making may well come undone, or something may come through the Veil and undo the work you’ve done. If possible, it’s always better to finish a task than to leave it halfway.

  I nodded. Sage advice for anything, really. “All right. Who needs sleep anyway, right?”

  I got as comfortable on the cold floor as I could and then pushed more ley threads together to try and give myself enough energy to complete the task.

  Stitch after stitch, etheric staple after another, I worked hard to close the rift, though I could feel my attention wandering and my work getting progressively more sloppy.

  About two-thirds of the way through completing the task, I just couldn’t go on. I slumped to the ground and rested my cheek on the marble floor. “I can’t finish this, Charity.”

  I sensed weariness from her as well. We are not Menders. You have done more for this rift than I have ever seen a Beacon repair. Yours is an extraordinary gift, Rachel.

  I managed a shrug. “But I couldn’t finish it. What do we do now?”

  “Could you use some help?”

  I rotated my head to rest my other cheek against the floor and looked toward the entrance to the Memorial. Malcolm walked up the last couple steps with a slouching man in tow.

  The man was dressed in a threadbare coat and a knit hat, mismatched set of gloves on his hands, and a weird smile on his face. He got a good look at me and grinned. “Starlight! What are you doing on the floor?”

  I squinted to look at him through the lights. “Cubes?”

  Cubes nodded, and tapped Malcolm on the arm. “See, she remembered me too!”

  Malcolm nodded and then focused on me. “I was keeping watch and he wandered by. He recognized me and came over. We talked for a few minutes and then I heard your conversation with Charity about the rift.”

  “How...?”

  He grinned and pointed at his head. “We never turned off the three-way etheric communication.”

  I smiled. “Oh, right. I had forgotten.”

  Cubes pushed past Malcolm and scurried across the Memorial floor toward me and the statue. “What you doing here? Ah...”

  He paused near one of the back corners of the Memorial and pointed at the rift. “Bad stuff going on here. A break where there should be none. But...” He paused and stared hard at the rift.

  “Something different here. It’s closed part way!” He focused on me. “Did you fix it?” Then he glanced at it again and shook his head. “No, no, not entirely fixed.”

  I pushed myself up into a sitting position. “I got most of it, but just couldn’t quite manage the rest.” I stared hard at him. “How can you see it?”

  He looked at me and then gestured to his head. “Old lady told me. She sees things and then tells me about them.”

  I focused on his face. “You’ve told us about the old lady before. Who is she?”

  Cubes glanced at me, muttered something in Spanish, then grinned. “No, I can’t tell you about her. She likes her secrets, oh yes, she does.” He gestured to the Veil. “But she saw this rift, she did, and she wants it to be closed.”

  He pointed at me. “You can close it, but you need help.” He inclined his head and glanced at the journal in my hand. “That can help you. Old lady says the old glowing book can help too.”

  I glanced down at Charity and then back up to Cubes. “The book has been a lot of help. What can you do to help?”

  Cubes shrugged. “I can fix this. You’ve done most of the work.”

  I frowned and glanced at Malcolm. “What do you think?”

  Malcolm shrugged. “You look about as beat as I feel. If he thinks he can fix it, what have we got to lose?”

  I shrugged and then turned to Cubes. “Do you want us to help?”

  Cubes glanced at me and Malcolm and then grinned. “Let’s do it!”

  As weary as I was, I couldn’t help but grin at Cubes’s burst of energy. I glanced at Malcolm. “Want to join in as well?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll keep watch again, if that’s all right.”

  “Okay.” I indicated that Cubes should sit with me. He settled onto the floor next to me and then said, “This’ll be easy. No problem.”

  I raised an eyebrow but settled in with the ley threads. I reached out toward Cubes and found that he was already plugged into the ley threads, how I couldn’t say, exactly.

  Through my Sight, I saw him take a thread in each hand, and then, using them as I had, like sutures and thread, he focused on the remaining part of the rift yet unclosed, and took to the task with a will.

  His hands and threads moved faster than my eyes or Sight could follow, and in rapid order, the rift got smaller and smaller. I was just along for the ride—he didn’t ask me for help and didn’t seem to need it.

  “Cubes, how are you doing this? How did you learn this?”

  He repairs the rift like a Mender.

  I raised an eyebrow at that. “Cubes?”

  He added a few more rapid sutures to the glittering wound, and then paused to glance at me. “The old lady tells me how to do this and I do it. She showed me the glittering threads and how to fix things like this.”

  He gave me a little sad smile. “Can’t fix myself, not really, but can sure fix this.”

  I wasn’t sure what that meant. He focused on the rift again, and then in a few short motions, closed up the last of the rift and then tied it off. The remnants of the rift glittered and then faded away.

  In moments, there was nothing left in my sight or my Sight to show that a rift in the Veil had been there.

  I turned to Cubes. “That was amazing. I had no idea you could do that.”

  He smiled and then his face split apart into a huge yawn. “Gonna go find a place to sleep now.” He stepped over and gave me an impulsive hug. “Take care of yourself, Starlight, and keep an eye on that Malcolm. He be okay if he be careful.”

  He reached down and patted the journal. “And you be good too, book. Help Starlight.”

  I got to my feet and couldn’t do much more than smile as Cubes walked out of the Memorial and headed down the steps. He traded comments with Malcolm, and then walked off down one of the paths leading away from the Memorial and into the city.

  Malcolm watched him walk away and then looked up the stairs toward me. “Did he finish it?”

  I glanced around the main level of the Memorial. There was no sign of the rift, and the blue energies coursing all around the Memorial’s walls and pillars were soothing, as if they had been hyperactive and were now cooling down. Satisfied, I closed down my Sight, tucked Charity under my arm, and descended the steps toward Malcolm.

  He fell into step with me, and we walked the couple blocks or so to where he had parked his Mustang. I glanced at him over the roof of the car. “Hell of a night. Drive a tired Beacon home?”

  He grinned, but then his expression turned to
panic. I frowned, and glanced over my shoulder.

  A black SUV was parked across the lot from us, filled with unhappy looking men. It was the same crowd Malcolm and I faced off before. Buster Jay’s men.

  The driver’s window was rolled down. The leader of their little band said, “Hey, bitches. Took you long enough to come outta that Memorial.”

  Chapter Forty

  OH, CRAP.

  THE DOORS TO THE SUV opened on both sides, and a handful of guys got out on either side, all armed with weapons as before. And they all looked pissed.

  I glanced at Malcolm and then tried reaching out for some ley threads, but I was so tired from the latest exertions that I just had nothing left. I could have maybe deflected a tennis ball lobbed at me, but not a bullet. Or a bunch of bullets for that matter.

  I suspected Malcolm was tapped out as well. He shot me a defeated look. “I can’t…” He gestured with his hands.

  “Charity?” I whispered.

  Who are these people?

  I sighed. “Friends of someone we made angry not too long ago.” Buster Jay must have been scoping for Malcolm’s car and found it here in the parking lot, and then simply waited for us to return.

  The leader of the group got out of the SUV and approached us. He reached into his coat and pulled an automatic pistol with a long barrel and gestured with it. “We gonna have a chat with you two. Buster Jay’s been looking for you.”

  I found I couldn’t take my eyes off the pistol. “I, uh…what does he want?”

  The man said, “Y’all took something special from Buster Jay. Buster Jay gonna take something special from you.”

  I shot a glance at Malcolm. Malcolm said, “Can…can we talk about this, maybe negotiate?”

  By now his allies had arranged themselves around us. I could run, but I wouldn’t get far. There was no good gap to push through.

  “What you gonna negotiate with, punk? We know where you live and we got your car.”

  Malcolm frowned. “You ain’t got it yet.”

  The leader smirked and then cocked his automatic. “Won’t take long, man.” He aimed the pistol toward Malcolm and said, “Keys, please.”