The Phantom Queen

by Yasmine Galenorn

  What she said made sense. Whisper Hollow called people to it, luring them here if they truly belonged. But if someone didn’t belong here, something would happen that pushed them to leave, and most of them never returned.

  “Then you really do belong here. What are you going to do?”

  “I’m opening a chocolate shop. I’m an excellent candy maker. I create my confections with love, and I truly believe that energy sinks into the food. Kind of like…a form of food magic.” She paused as we stood on the edge of the thicket. “Where should we start?”

  I explained how the humane traps worked and handed her one of the Tupperware dishes and some of the cat food as we approached the tree line.

  Bramblewood Thicket was a dense copse of trees, stretching northwest. It ran from across the street from my house, out to the main highway a mile and a half away.

  The Grey Man had been spotted in Bramblewood Thicket, so I didn’t want to go too far into it, given the Greys were carnivorous, and people were definitely on their menu.

  The thicket was pretty during the winter. The snow fell through the bare limbs of the trees to swaddle the ground in a blanket of white. The firs in the thicket were weighed down, the snow hanging heavy on their boughs, postcard perfect and beautiful.

  It was snowing again, and I stamped my feet, wishing I could just go back home and forget about Frost’s mother. But I couldn’t. The thought of her and her kittens lost in the cold broke my heart.

  “You asked me how I knew the cats were out here. The veterinarian I go to in town is the chief of police’s husband, and he can talk to animals. Dr. Tom talked to Frost—the kitten that I found—and learned that his family was over here. Somehow, Frost crossed the street to my yard and couldn’t find his way back. He’s too little to navigate the snow.”

  Mandy stared at me for a moment, then grinned. “I love it. When I get a dog, I’ll go to Dr. Tom so that I know exactly what’s going on. Ansel wants a pet. I promised once we found a place to move into, we’d get him a puppy.”

  “Sure you don’t want a cat? If we catch mama kitty and the others, they’ll need homes.” I thought I heard something and froze, holding my fingers to my lips. “Lower your voice. We don’t want to scare them away.”

  Mandy nodded. I handed her the other trap and began to look around, peeking beneath the bushes and at the base of the tree trunks.

  I paused as a faint sound emerged from behind a nearby cedar. The tree was young, only about seven feet tall, and its boughs hung heavy to the ground, weighed down by the snow. But that would also provide safe shelter from both the snow and predators, I figured. The noise echoed again—a faint mew that sounded pathetic and frantic. I dropped to my knees and began crawling through the snow, toward the base of the tree.

  The mewing grew louder, and I realized it was actually two separate voices echoing from behind the snow-laden boughs. I glanced at Mandy, who was standing back, waiting for my signal. I pointed toward the base of the tree and she nodded, crouching down in the snow to set the humane trap down. She eased open the door, set one of the Tupperware containers inside, and poured kibble into it. Then she duck-walked backward away from the open trap.

  I set the other one down, realizing I was going to need both of my hands. Mandy eased her way over to put the other bowl inside and fill it, too, then backed away. She gave me a nod, and I turned back toward the tree.

  As I lifted up the nearest bough, the mews grew louder and more frantic. I peeked around, catching sight of three kittens curled together in a pile. They were on dry ground, but it was still incredibly cold. One was a calico, therefore most likely a girl. Another was a red boy, and a third looked a lot like Frost, only the kitten’s hair was more silver than gray.

  They let out tiny little hisses, but didn’t run. Trapped by the heavy boughs around them, their only way out was through me. Perfect, I thought.

  I reached in, making sure my gloves were firmly on, and caught up the calico with one hand and the silver kit with the other. I tucked the silver kitten in the crook of my arm and then scruffed the red boy as he tried to back away. As I tried to back out, I realized I was stuck in my crouching position, unable to turn without falling over.

  “Bring one of the traps,” I called out softly. “I found the kittens.”

  Mandy carried one over to me and I tucked the kittens inside, firmly locking the door. “Now, to find Mama. I doubt if she’d leave her kittens for long, but she probably had to go hunting.” I went back beneath the cedar, looking in every nook and cranny. But there was no sign of the mother cat at all. Finally, I came out. “I don’t see her.”

  “We should leave at least one of the traps here, then.” Mandy glanced at the one with the kittens in it. “If you have a carrier, we could put them in there and bring the second trap back over.”

  “Good idea,” I started to say, but at that moment, I heard a sudden hiss and turned. There, standing on the other side of the cedar, was a petite cat. A ginger tabby, she was staring at the trap that held the kittens, looking panicked.

  “What should we do?” Mandy whispered.

  But Mama raced toward the humane trap, heedless of the fact that we were standing next to it. She nosed one of the kittens through the mesh, and as she did so, I swooped in, grabbing her up and wheeling to slide her into the other trap before she could fight back. I slammed the door, and dropped, panting, into the snow.

  “Wow, that was quick. She didn’t even scratch you.” Mandy stared at the cage. “She’s a tiny thing.”

  “She barely looks a year old. I wonder if she’s feral or if she was dumped. It’s hard to say until we take her into Dr. Tom.” I picked up the humane trap carrying the mama kitty. “Can you carry the kittens?” I asked. “We better get out of here before we stir up something that we don’t want to deal with.”

  “Sure,” Mandy said. “But what you mean? What’s out here?”

  ‘Your mother told you about all the spirits in Whisper Hollow, right?”

  Mandy nodded. “Some of them. I wish she had told me about the Johnson house before I rented it.”

  “Not all of the denizens lurking in the shadows are ghosts. Some of them are actually very much alive. There’s a specific creature attached to this area. It’s called the Grey Man, and there’s actually more than one. He…she…it isn’t seen very often, but we’ve found the remains of his victims.”

  “He’s a murderer?”

  I shook my head as we plodded through the snow, heading toward the entrance of the thicket. “No, not in that sense. The Grey Man feeds on people as well as on wildlife. From what the doctor was able to ascertain with the last known victims—this happened some years back—he eats them while they’re still alive.”

  Mandy grimaced, glancing over her shoulder. “Then let’s get out of here. My mother did say that she knew of a lot of strange and frightening things in the area.”

  “If you thought the ghosts in the Johnson house were bad? This is worse.”

  As we broke through the trees into the clearing, it began to snow even heavier. The weatherman was right. We were in for one of the stronger winter storms that seemed to come in during January or February in the Pacific Northwest. Most of the snow we got actually fell in January, so while we seldom saw white Yuletides, my birthday was occasionally deluged with snow.

  I unlocked the door and opened it, kicking my feet up against the doorjamb to dislodge the snow from my boots. Mandy did the same, following me in. I glanced down at the humane traps. “You know, that bathroom isn’t all that big for this many kitties. But I think it will do, given they were huddled under a tree out there. I hope mama kitty is happy to see Frost.”

  “Are you going to put them in the same room?”

  I nodded. “The kittens aren’t quite old enough to leave their mama yet, not comfortably. It would do Frost some good to have her around for another few weeks. I’ll call the doctor and take them all in tomorrow, if possible. My three are already curious about who’s h
iding in the bathroom.” I had noticed the Tufty Trio skulking outside of the bathroom door ever since I had put Frost in there.

  Luckily, Gabby, Daphne, and Agent H were snoozing when I made the transfer. I made sure the litter box was clean, hoping that mama kitty would be able to teach her babies how to use it, I added more food to the food dish, and then very slowly unlocked the cage doors and opened them, slipping out of the room and shutting the door behind me. I’d give her some time to calm down and explore her territory and welcome Frost back in. But when I heard an excited squeak, I couldn’t resist peeking back in.

  Mama kitty was nosing Frost, licking his head, while he made an immediate dive for her nipples. Even though he could eat solid food, it looked as though the kittens were still nursing. I shut the door again.

  “Would you like a mocha? It’s cold out there and I think we could use something warm in our bellies.”

  Mandy nodded. “I’d love one. Thank you for inviting me over. I really do want to thank you by taking you out to lunch, but we can do that another day.”

  “It’s hard when you’re in a new town, even if you know something about it. I just returned to Whisper Hollow in October. I ran away when I was eighteen, determined never to come back. But the Crow Man summoned me, and I had no choice.” I paused. “Do you know the rules of Whisper Hollow?” I made our mochas and pulled out a package of Oreo cookies.

  She shook her head. “I saw them posted on the outside of town, but I thought it was more of a tourist thing. My mother mentioned something about them but I didn’t pay a lot of attention to that.”

  “I guarantee you, they’re not meant for tourists. Well, they are in a sense, but they’re very real and not just some gimmick. You should learn them if you live here. That is, if you want to survive. Even then, they’re not always a guarantee against misfortune. Children learn them in the school, along with their times tables. I remember when I was in kindergarten, we recited them every day. My teacher drilled it into us that they were more important than the Pledge of Allegiance.”

  “Can you write them down for me? I assume I should teach Ansel once he can understand them?”

  Grateful she wasn’t taking it as a joke, I pulled out a pen and piece of paper.

  “Rule one: If you hear someone call your name from the forest, don’t answer. This one tends to involve both the Grey Man and Sasquatch. And yes, Bigfoot lives here and he will make house calls at times. Don’t invite him in. He’s dangerous and volatile, and if you ever smell anything that smells like skunk in the woods, run the other way.”

  She nodded, saying nothing.

  “Rule two: Never interrupt Ellia when she’s playing to the dead. Ellia is my lament singer, and she helps me drive the dead back into their graves. On full and new moons, especially the new moons, she will go play to the dead in the graveyard. It soothes them and keeps them in their graves longer. Around here, the dead tend to wander around on their own.”

  “She was with you the other day, wasn’t she?” Mandy asked.

  “Yes. She’s the tall woman wearing gloves. Never offer to shake hands with her. Never touch her if you can help it. She’ll do her best to keep you safe, but there’s always an off-chance for an accident.” I decided that I could leave the rest of Ellia’s story for later. “Rule three: If you see the Girl in the Window, set your affairs in order. There’s one of the Bean Nighe who lives in town.”

  “What’s a Bean Nighe?”

  “An oracle for the Morrígan, the goddess who watches over Whisper Hollow. In this case, the Bean Nighe appears as a spirit—a little girl—who shows up as a reflection in a window. She can show up in any window she likes, though there’s one particular house she’s connected with. Generally, she’s a harbinger of death, but since she appeared to me, we figured out that she can also indicate drastic change in the offing.”

  “Wait! Does she have long dark hair and sloe eyes? And does she wear white?” Mandy sounded excited.

  “Yes, actually she does. Why?”

  “Shortly before I made the decision to move here, I was looking in my mirror and all of a sudden this little girl, about twelve years old, I’d say, was staring back at me. She had long dark hair, and striking eyes that looked…different. I watched her for a few moments before she vanished and for some reason I knew right then that I had to move here.”

  “Then you saw the Girl in the Window.” I took a sip of my mocha, then bit into one of the Oreos. After I finished off the cookie, I cleared my throat with another sip of mocha and continued. “Rule four: Try not to end up in the hospital. There’s a spirit called Diago who hangs out in a copse near the hospital. I’ve had one run-in with him since I’ve been back, where I had to chase him away from the patient. He only skulks around those who are standing on the threshold between life and death—basically those who are extremely sick but still have a chance to recover. He drains their energy. I managed to save the life of someone last month by chasing him off. But there’s nothing you can do to destroy him. So just try not to get too sick.”

  “Noted. He sounds just charming.” She grinned, but I could see she was listening to every word I said.

  “Oh yeah. He’s about as charming as Buffalo Bill.” I laughed, shaking my head. “If you want the truth, he’s one of the most terrifying creatures I’ve seen. He’s also known as the Scuffler Under the Bed.”

  “Noted.”

  “Rule five: If the Crow Man summons you, follow him. The Crow Man is the voice of the Morrígan. He brings news and announcements from her, and he also acts as an oracle. I’ve had a number of talks with him. He talks in riddles, so if you ever encounter him, be aware of that. He can be dangerous, but I think that would only be if you try to attack him. Or if he was sent directly after somebody. He’s a lot like Coyote, a trickster.”

  “I’ve seen a lot of crows around here.”

  I nodded. “In general, the Pacific Northwest has a tremendous number of crows. But yes, they’re thick in Whisper Hollow. Rule six: Remember: sometimes the foul are actually fair. There are some spirits that seem terrifying on the outside, but truly they’re not. Or rather, they’re beneficial. Like Penelope, the Gatekeeper. She helps spirits over through the Veil. And the Lightning Boy. He’s a protector around the Katega Campground. He was a young boy, a long time ago when Whisper Hollow was first settled. He got stuck by lightning. His spirit infused itself into the area in which he died, and he tends to protect it. Sometimes he’ll appear in the visage of a burned boy, but he’s really very helpful.”

  “In other words, don’t judge a book by its cover?” Mandy asked.

  “Precisely,” I said. “And the last rule, number seven: Most important, don’t drive down by the lake at night. Crescent Lake has both a lake monster in it and a spirit called the Lady. She lures people into the lake and drowns them, feeding off their spirits. She’ll keep their bodies for a long time, and some people never do return to the surface.”

  “Not exactly offering Excalibur, is she?”

  “No, she takes rather than gives. And last month, she nearly took my best friend. We had to go through an incredibly complex ritual to free her from the Lady’s mark. Drive too close to the lake at night and she can trick you to run off the road. But truly, nobody in Whisper Hollow is ever safe from her. So, those are the rules of Whisper Hollow, and the reasons behind them. Follow them, and you have a good chance of getting to an old age. If you break them, there’s a good chance you won’t.”

  My phone rang at that moment, and I glanced at it. Caller ID indicated it was Ellia. “I’m sorry, I need to take this.” I walked over by the sink, holding my phone to my ear. “Hello?”

  “I need you over at the Piper’s Copse. Puck asked me to call you since he doesn’t know your number. He thinks there’s one of the Unliving running around his patch of forest, and it’s attacked his latest paramour. The spirit is still there, and he wants us to come drive it back to the grave. Can you pick me up?”

  “I’ll be there in
five minutes.” I turned to Mandy. “I have to go. I’m needed in my official capacity. If you want to, you’re welcome to stay here and finish your mocha, but I have to get out of here and pick up Ellia.”

  “I need to pick up dinner and get back to the hotel. Thank you for inviting me over. I really enjoyed our visit.” She picked up the paper with the rules on it and tucked them in her purse. “I’ll learn these by heart, so thank you again.”

  “I’ll call you soon and we’ll set up a lunch date. I want you to meet my friend Peggin. I think you’d get along.”

  I slipped into my coat and boots again, grabbing my bag of magical tools off of the counter. I escorted Mandy out, and we both got into our cars. As I started my car, it occurred to me that something was off. The Unliving couldn’t walk out in the daylight. Figuring it must be some other kind of spirit—maybe a Haunt—I headed over to Ellia’s house.

  On the way, I realized that Mandy was the first new friend I had made in ages.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “We have to be dealing with a Haunt,” I said as Ellia climbed into my car, setting her violin in the backseat. “The Unliving don’t walk out in daylight.”

  “Puck must be mixing up his dead. It’s been awhile since I’ve heard from him.”

  I couldn’t help but flash back on what Peggin had told us the other night. “Apparently, he showed up at the doctor’s the other day.”

  “STD?” Ellia asked, grinning.

  I nodded. “What else?”

  Puck was our local Lothario. As far as we knew, he wasn’t quite human, and from everything I had heard, his lovemaking mirrored that. He was a charming man, absolutely adorable, and he had been around since I could first remember. He lived in a house in a wooded area called the Piper’s Copse, and nobody really knew what he did for a living. He never seemed to want for money, and he never seem to get into much trouble except with some of the husbands of his conquests. Even then, Puck always came out no worse for wear, and most of the marriages seemed to survive intact.