Sisters of Salt and Iron

by Kady Cross

  The door swung open just as I reached for the knob. I knew who stood on the opposite side of the threshold before I even looked up. I knew the moment I saw her bare feet, the toes painted bright blue.

  “Hey, sis,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Can I come in?”

  She looked worried, nervous and a little angry. “Are you crazy? What are you doing here?” She stuck her head out through the wall beside me and looked around. “Did you come here alone?”

  “Yeah. Stick your head back inside. It’s freaking me out.” Seriously, seeing your sister sticking out of a building while her butt was still in it was really, really weird.

  She pulled back in. This time when she looked at me, there was no question as to her emotion. “You are crazy.”

  I shrugged. “You come here alone.”

  “That’s different.”

  I arched a brow. “Really? Because last time I checked, we both played a huge part in ridding this place of Josiah Bent. Are you telling me the ghosts of Haven Crest are playing favorites?”

  Wren reached out her hand and flicked me in the forehead. “Ow.” It stung.

  “They’re not exactly fans of the living here,” she reminded me.

  “Yeah, I met up with one of them already.” I rubbed my forehead. “She’s still in one piece and so am I. I think it’s you who really doesn’t want me here. Don’t worry, I don’t plan to stay long, I just need to talk to Noah.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Noah?”

  I forced a smile. “Yeah. I need some help with something, and I’m hoping he’s the ghost for the job. Is he around?” Since she wasn’t going to step aside, I crossed the threshold and brushed past her. When the door clicked shut, I pivoted on my heel.

  Holy crap.

  The outside of this building might look as run-down and decayed as the rest of the campus, but inside was another story. It was gorgeous—the floor polished and windows clean. There was nice furniture and drapes, plasterwork and fresh paint on the walls and ceiling. This must be what it used to look like once upon a time.

  “Nice digs,” I commented, trying to sound calm. I’d seen places and people through Wren’s eyes before, but normally only when we made contact. I didn’t think this was all to blame on Halloween, either. This was...magic? No. This...this was power. I swallowed.

  “You can see it, can’t you?” My sister was right in front of me; only inches separated us. The dead had little concept of personal space. “You see this place like I do.”

  I nodded. “I wonder why that is?”

  She shrugged. “The approach of All Hallows’ Eve would magnify your sensitivity to spectral energy, but probably because this is how every ghost in this building sees it.”

  I glanced around again. “Like an altered reality?” I wasn’t completely sold. Halloween was becoming an all-too-convenient excuse for anything strange, and this didn’t feel natural to me like other All Hallows’ Eve weirdness had. It felt contrived. Like someone had cast a spell over the entire building. Or maybe, the building itself was responsible. It was so old and full of so many ghosts, it had become something of a wraith itself, able to revert its appearance to a more beautiful age.

  Regardless, it was both weird and awesome to witness.

  “Why do you need Noah’s help?” Wren asked.

  “Oh, we found out the name of the ghost that attacked me and Kevin. I wanted to ask Noah if maybe he knew of him.”

  Wren’s hands went to her hips, elbows out like she was about to do the chicken dance—which would be freaking hilarious. “Because all ghosts automatically know each other?”

  “No.” I scowled at her. “Because the guy was a patient here, and Noah’s been around so long I thought he might know the guy. God! I’m not that much of a bigot against ghosts, Wren, no matter how much you think I hate them. Thanks for that, by the way, because the most important person in my life just happens to be a ghost, so, you know, it’s great to know she thinks I’m a total douche.”

  She made a face. “I hate that word.”

  I threw my hands in the air. “Then you shouldn’t have looked it up!” It was not my fault that she knew nothing about outdated feminine hygiene products. I’d had to look it up myself, and I personally thought it was a fantastic word that rolled easily off the tongue and included a large sampling of the human race.

  I wasn’t going to think about the fact that she hadn’t said she didn’t think I was a douche.

  “Suggesting your sister be less inquisitive is akin to telling the sun not to shine, Miss Noble, but then I’m certain you’re already well aware of that fact.”

  I turned. Standing on the staircase that curved down from the second floor was Noah. He looked like something right out of the pages of Victorian GQ magazine. Any moment I thought someone might come along and challenge him to a duel, or that he might yell for his horse.

  Of course he disappointed me by doing neither of those things. He simply walked down the remaining stairs, then toward Wren and me. I could see more ghosts gathered at the top of the stairs, peering down at us like kids spying on a party during which their parents had made them go to bed. I waved.

  Someone waved back, which made me smile.

  When he stood in front of me—beside Wren—Noah bowed. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Miss Noble.” He straightened. “Have you come to collect your sister, or is this more of a social call?”

  Okay, so maybe I wasn’t completely sold on the guy, but he had an accent that almost made me not care. Seriously. I’d listen to him read the phone book.

  I pulled the page I’d printed off at home out of my pocket and offered it to him. “I was hoping you might know this guy.”

  Long, manicured hands took the paper from me. “Is this the fellow who attacked you and your friend? Because I can assure you, Miss Noble, that none of the spirits in this house are given to violence. Nor are many strong enough to travel to places beyond their own experience.”

  He didn’t really think I’d believe that, did he? The violence part? Most humans were capable of great violence, and ghosts were even more inclined. I wasn’t being racist, that was just a documented fact.

  “I’m sure that’s true,” I lied. “But would you mind looking? Maybe you’ve seen him around.” The moment the words left my mouth, a movement on the stairs caught my eye. I turned my head and smiled at the man standing on the landing, staring at me like he’d just seen...well, a ghost.

  I smiled at him, not the least bit amused. “Hey, Woodstock. Got a minute?”

  Robert Alan Thurbridge, Jr. stared at me. I braced myself for his attack, but then he did the one thing I hadn’t anticipated.

  He ran.

  WREN

  Lark ran after Robert, her boots striking the steps hard. I turned to Noah, who stood beside me holding a piece of paper with a grainy black-and-white photograph of Robert on it. It was part of his patient file.

  He was the one who’d attacked Lark and Kevin. A tendril of anger snaked up my midsection, obliterating the confusion that had been there just seconds before. Running was the act of someone guilty.

  He’d tried to hurt my sister but played friend to me.

  I started after them. Noah grabbed my arm. His eyes were bright. Such pretty eyes.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, frowning. “Surely you don’t believe these accusations?”

  “My sister doesn’t lie.” Lark was a lot of things, and sometimes she made me angry, but she wouldn’t have come here if she weren’t certain.

  “Of course not.” He glanced at the paper in his hand. “But she must be mistaken.”

  I appreciated his loyalty to his friend. Hopefully, he would appreciate mine to Lark. “Robert threatened to rape my sister and kill my friend. The only one who is mistaken is him.” I yanked my arm free
and ran after Lark. Noah was right behind me.

  The ghosts gathered at the top of the stairs had parted into two groups, leaving me an open path. I didn’t need to ask where Lark had gone, I simply followed her energy trail like a hound after blood.

  I found them in the third room on the right, which had probably been Robert’s in life, if he’d chosen it as his refuge. I swept into the room at just the right moment to see Lark kick him hard in the stomach, knocking him against the wall. My sister was bleeding from a cut to her lip.

  He’d hurt her. The realization filled me with rage, and the heightened energy of all the ghosts around me—of the building itself—only made it worse.

  I lunged at Robert, my hand closing around his throat. I lifted him up until my arm was straight, and he dangled above the floor like a fish on a hook.

  “Wren!” Noah cried. He moved toward me, but I held up my hand.

  A hand touched my shoulder. Instantly, I felt a little calmer, not quite so cold. It was Lark. She was the only person—dead or alive—to have such an effect on me when I felt myself starting to lose what little humanity I’d worked so hard to cultivate.

  I’d never known what it was like to be a living person, with a sense of morality or compassion. What I knew of any human emotion had come from my sister, and the spirits of Haven Crest had no idea how dark and cold I could be.

  “Why did you attack Kevin McCrae?” Lark asked Robert.

  The man I had thought to be so peaceful and joyful and kind sneered at my sister. “To kill him, you stupid bitch.”

  I gave him a shake. “Watch how you speak to my sister, worm. Kevin McCrae is my friend.” Maybe he’d hurt me deeper than I’d ever been hurt before, but I didn’t wish Kevin any harm. I never would.

  That sneer transferred to me. He must have felt really brave with his brethren behind me. He had no idea what I could do to him before any of them even thought to stop me.

  “We’re not friends with the living, Dead Born. We’re either predator or prey. Which one are you?”

  “She’s the one with her hand around your throat, dickless,” Lark retorted. “And she’s not the one you need to be worried about. I am, because I have no illusions about our relationship status. Who sent you after Kevin McCrae?”

  Robert smiled, and I saw him as Lark must see him—as tainted and stained. Venomous and twisted. “Fuck you.”

  I squeezed harder. I couldn’t kill him this way—he was already dead. But I could hurt him. He struggled against my hold. He might be older than me, but he wasn’t stronger. I tightened my fingers a bit more so he’d learn that lesson quickly. If he wanted to spend the rest of eternity walking about with a crushed throat, that was his prerogative.

  “You tried that once,” Lark said. “Didn’t work out so well for you, did it?”

  The ghost winked. “Tell your sister to let me go, and we can try again.”

  Lark reached out, her hand grabbing Robert between his dangling legs. He cried out, smoke rising from his crotch. Iron. Lark was wearing iron rings.

  I smiled. “That has to smart.” Even a dead girl like me knew how attached men were to their reproductive organs—even after death.

  “Who sent you?” she asked again.

  Robert only whimpered.

  Lark released him, pulled back her hand and wiped it on her jeans like she was trying to scrub the skin right off. If she’d hit him, the iron might have dispersed his energy or marked him. She had an iron rod that would have surely knocked him into the Shadow Lands, but the rings were less potent, and she hadn’t been trying to get rid of him. She was a natural interrogator, my Lark.

  Of the two of us, I was the predator. I was the loose cannon. For all my chastising of Lark for her prejudice against ghosts, I was almost as bad. At least she showed consideration. Mercy. I usually had those things as well, but it was all too easy for me to lose them. At that moment I teetered on the precipice of rational morality and the desire to rip Robert to shreds.

  I could do it. They didn’t know what I’d done to Josiah Bent. Neither did Lark. They hadn’t been there, and I’d had Bent all to myself.

  Robert’s gaze strayed from mine for a moment. Was he looking to Noah to save him?

  “Tell her, Robert,” Noah said. Knowing that he was on my side—on Lark’s side—wrapped me in a rush of joy.

  The ghost in my grip slumped a little as he glared down at me and my sister. “No one sent me. I sought to avenge the spirit of Josiah Bent!”

  There was a chorus of gasps behind me. I knew for a fact that most of the inhabitants of this building hadn’t agreed with Bent or his violence. Bent had been a monster, and Robert... Robert was no better. Yes, he was one of my kind, but I couldn’t let what he’d tried to do to Kevin slide by. And what he’d tried to do to my sister decided his fate.

  “Noah, where are Robert’s bones located?” I knew he’d know. They all knew. A coven of ghosts like this always knew where bones and anchors were. It was part of the hive mentality. The property of Haven Crest knew every inch of itself, and therefore, so did the ghosts that haunted its buildings.

  Silence answered me. I waited, my gaze never leaving Robert’s. It was Lark who turned to address our witnesses. “Noah, I have no problem digging holes above every grave, dousing the entire graveyard in lighter fluid and throwing a match. I’ll light up this building, too, if I have to.”

  “You’re a very cruel young woman,” he replied.

  I glanced over my shoulder at him, my eyes locking with his. “She’s my sister, and he threatened her. Robert is the one in the wrong.”

  “She’s right,” came a small voice from the back of the crowd. It was a young woman whose name I couldn’t remember right at that moment. She looked as though she might be from the same time period as Noah. “Robert’s behavior is abhorrent. It’s clear that he’s become a monster. I know I would no longer feel safe if he is left among us.”

  Noah crumpled the paper Lark had given him in his fist and hung his head. I knew this had to be hard for him as Robert had been his friend for many years, but surely he could see what a danger he’d become?

  He looked up—right at Lark. “I’ll take you.”

  Robert jerked in my grip. “Noah, you can’t!”

  Noah glared at him. “You brought this on yourself. You know what you must do. What must be done.”

  Something flickered in Robert’s wild gaze. I didn’t understand it, but something passed between him and Noah. “As you wish.”

  Lark leaned close to me. “Will you be okay when I go?”

  I nodded. “I’m not in any danger from these people. Or him.” Robert wouldn’t hurt anyone ever again.

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  I turned my head and looked into eyes identical to my own. “I know. I’ll be fine. Go. This has to be done, but I don’t want to drag it out any longer than necessary.”

  She patted my shoulder before walking away. I knew she’d finish this as quickly as she could, and I trusted Noah. His honor was important to him.

  I heard them leave the room. A look over my shoulder, and I realized we were alone. I lowered Robert to the floor, but I didn’t let go. He was still taller than I was, but not by much.

  We stood there for a long time, just he and I. Waiting.

  Finally, he smirked at me. “This won’t change anything. Someone else will take my place. Send me on to the Shadow Lands or the Beyond, it doesn’t matter. Someday I’m going to cross paths with that breather sister of yours, and she and I are going to play.”

  I leaned forward, pushing my hand deeper into his throat. A tenuous thread inside me snapped. I was not prepared for the rush of hunger that followed. It was a wild feeling—like how I imagined birds felt when they realized they could fly.

  I smiled—all teeth. “You know, R
obert, you have lovely eyes.”

  He scowled. “What?”

  I lifted my free hand to his face, tracing the outline of his right orbital bone. Of course, it was all just energy, not bone at all, but why split hairs? It wasn’t the bone that interested me.

  “Wren?” he whispered. “What are you doing?”

  My finger dipped around the edge of his eye. He had really long eyelashes. They weren’t terribly thick, but they were soft, and they tickled my skin like fairy wings.

  “You’re not going to miss it,” I whispered back. “Not where you’re going.”

  His eyes widened—which made my quest all the easier. “Wren...”

  I let go of his neck and slammed my hand over his mouth. Then, I shoved my fingers into his eye socket, where it was wet and warm. Robert jerked, crying out against my palm.

  “Stop struggling,” I commanded. “You’ll only make it worse—and you don’t want it to get any worse, do you?”

  He went still.

  “Good boy.” I curled my fingers and yanked hard. Robert screamed against my palm. I let him go when he stopped making so much noise and stepped back to admire my prize. I turned away, holding it up so I could see it glisten in the light.

  “Beautiful,” I whispered. There was something so incredibly perfect about the human eye. The window to the soul, indeed.

  Behind me there was a flash. I turned just in time to see the flames vanish, leaving nothing but a small, sooty smudge on the wall where Robert had slumped just seconds before.

  It was done. He was gone. For good. Noah had kept his word.

  “Miss Wren?” came a voice from behind me.

  I turned around, hiding my sticky fingers and bloody prize behind my back. It was the girl who had spoken up before. She was a tiny little blonde in a blue Victorian gown. Her hair was piled up on her head in an elaborate hairstyle that I guessed was from her days before Haven Crest. She was pretty and delicate. She looked sweet and gentle. I bet she’d never ripped someone’s eye from their skull.