Midnight Reynolds and the Agency of Spectral Protection

by Catherine Holt

“It’s like you don’t learn,” Dylan drawled as he raised his hands, and once again the pale-pink energy darted to him. Midnight’s mouth trembled as he re-formed it back into daggers. “But hey, we can play this game as long as you want to.”

  Hope leached from her.

  Any thought of her holding on until ASP arrived was shattered. She probably wouldn’t survive another round. She was spent. Suddenly, she understood why it was so dangerous to have unvetted civilians involved. After all, she could see what was happening and still couldn’t stop it. But Tabitha, Logan, and Taylor were blind to it all.

  She stared at the writing on the wall. Dominus. This was all because Dylan had managed to bind the spectral energy to him. They were all going to die because of one lousy word.

  “What’s going on?” Taylor screamed, her earlier bravado fading.

  “Midnight’s trying to stop your crazy boyfriend from killing us all,” Tabitha snapped. But all Midnight could think was that she’d failed. Whatever power Dylan had over the spectral energy, it was stronger than what CARA could do. The weapon sagged in her hands.

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” Taylor spat out as she glared at Dylan. “He’s not who I thought he was. In fact, he’s the opposite. And when this is over, I’m so updating my status. Because I have one word for you—”

  “Liberate,” Midnight suddenly said as an idea hit her. One word. Dylan had used just one word to create so much evil. Dominus. To dominate. Could she stop him just as easily?”

  “Actually, I was going to say ‘loser,’” Taylor snapped, but Midnight shook her head as she looked to Tabitha and Logan.

  “Liberate. How do you say it in Latin?”

  Tabitha’s eyes widened as her fingers stabbed at her phone, but Logan beat her to it. “Liberate,” he called out as he fumbled around in his pocket and produced a piece of chalk. He broke it in half, and he and Tabitha darted to different parts of the wall and began writing.

  “It won’t work,” Dylan snapped, though some of his swagger had gone. “You think I just wrote the word without doing anything else? I had the power of the Black Stream to help me.” As he spoke, he waved his hand, and more daggers appeared, aimed at where Midnight’s friends were frantically writing.

  “Yeah, and I have the power of the Afterglow to help me,” Midnight said as she held up CARA once again. A burst of pink fog slid out from under the plinth. Eliza! Midnight slammed her finger on the lever and aimed as the daggers went hurtling toward Tabitha and Logan.

  White energy wrapped around them like a blanket.

  Dylan raised his other hand, but before he could do anything, a burst of emerald fog slammed into him, knocking him to the ground and trapping him there. Emerald fog? Midnight’s mouth dropped open. The fog had come from George Irongate’s coffin.

  “Okay, someone seriously needs to tell me what’s going on,” Taylor said as the spectral energy that had been trapping her faded away. Her sister might not have been able to see it, but she could obviously feel it leaving and quickly stood up. But before Midnight could answer, the white energy raced out the door, followed closely by swirling pink-and-emerald fog.

  Midnight looked at Dylan, who was knocked out in a crumpled heap of the floor. He wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry.

  She raced outside, closely followed by her friends and sister, and watched as George and Eliza’s spirits burst through the white energy, causing a splintering eruption of light.

  “Whoa!” Logan said, the lights reflecting in his shining eyes.

  “It’s beautiful,” Tabitha said as a blaze of energy funneled up into the sky like a rainbow against the dark night. “And hey, it’s stopped raining.”

  Midnight looked around. The sodden cemetery was now glittering as if it were filled with a thousand diamonds, and the air filled with the sound of night birds and insects, all venturing out now that the rain had finished.

  “Okay, someone seriously needs to tell me what just happened.” Taylor hugged her arms to her chest as footsteps approached.

  “Yes, that’s what I’d like to know,” an English accent agreed, and they all turned around to see a middle-aged man dressed in an immaculate black suit walking toward them.

  It was Peter Gallagher. Midnight’s boss.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “Okay, so on a scale of one to ten, how mad do you think he looks?” Midnight clutched the blanket closer to her chest. It had been half an hour since ASP had arrived, and after assessing what had happened, they’d drawn Taylor and Logan to one side for a debriefing. Midnight had the feeling that the word unvetted would be thrown around a lot.

  Peter Gallagher had then commanded Midnight and Tabitha to stay where they were while the ASP team headed into the mausoleum, where they took all kinds of readings and measurements. They’d emerged five minutes ago and were still having an intense conversation.

  “It’s really hard to say. He has a major poker face,” Tabitha said with just a hint of admiration in her voice. “But whatever happens, you know I’ll support you. And if you want to quit ASP, then I promise I won’t stop you.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll have the luxury of quitting.” Midnight sighed as Peter finally walked over to her, his expression grim. “I think I’m about to get fired.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Tabitha growled, her eyes blazing.

  “Tabitha,” Peter said. “Would you mind if I have a private word with Midnight?”

  “Actually—” Tabitha started to say, but Midnight shook her head.

  “It’s okay,” she told her friend, and Tabitha stalked back to the mausoleum, her black skirts billowing out around her. Midnight almost smiled. Despite everything, Tabitha never lost sight of who she was. Unlike Midnight, who seemed to spend her entire life making one mistake after another. Well, no more. If ASP didn’t like the fact that different parts of her life blurred together, then that was too bad.

  She turned to Peter Gallagher and raised her chin. “I’m not going to say sorry.”

  “I should jolly well hope not,” he agreed with a twinkle in his eye. “In fact, before you say anything at all, I want to congratulate you.”

  Wait. What?

  Midnight wrinkled her nose. It had been a long day, and there was a good chance that her brain wasn’t working properly.

  “I did everything wrong, not to mention breaking a gazillion rules. I told Logan and Taylor. And you know what? The only thing I would’ve changed is that I didn’t warn my sister sooner.”

  “Yes, I know.” He nodded, his eyes still twinkling. Now she was downright confused.

  “Why aren’t you yelling at me?”

  Peter led her over to where someone in his team had set up two chairs and a table. He ushered her to sit down and cleared his throat.

  “Midnight, part of being a good field agent is learning discretion. When to follow the rules and when to break them. It takes most of our agents several years to understand what this really means. To weigh up the stakes and make big decisions.”

  Midnight opened her mouth and then shut it again. “So, I’m really not in trouble?”

  “In trouble for stopping a person with the highest levels of planodiume that we’ve ever seen? For dealing with four planodiume ruptures? Not to mention managing to unbind the spectral energy that he’d been using? Midnight, trouble is the last thing you are. In fact, I’m happy to say that I’m promoting you.”

  “A promotion?” She widened her eyes.

  “Does that mean better security clearance on the database?” Tabitha called out in a hopeful voice. Obviously her lip-reading skills were improving.

  “It does. And another rulebook. Though actually, we shouldn’t call it that. It’s more of a skill book than anything. Teaching you how to deal with a whole range of dangers, some of which you’ve already experienced firsthand.”

  Midnight took the book, the leather smooth against her hands. She flipped it open to page one:

  Forget everything you were told in the previous handb
ook…

  “I think I could get used to this.” Midnight grinned before something else occurred to her. “What will happen to Dylan?”

  “We’ve administered the antidote to clear the planodiume from his system, though it will take awhile for that to work. And then he will have to undergo rehabilitation in Europe.”

  “I guess that means he’ll be getting his gap year after all.”

  “I’m not sure it will be that enjoyable for him. Of course we will need to talk to his family. We’re not in the habit of kidnapping people…unlike Dylan. But we’ll also take steps to ensure he can never do something like this again,” Peter said before frowning as his cell phone flashed. “I’m sorry. It looks like there’s an emergency in Greenland. I’ll have to take this.”

  “Of course.” Midnight nodded as Taylor walked toward her. She was clutching a similar blanket, and her face was pale. Midnight had no idea what the ASP agents had said, but she imagined her sister probably had some questions.

  “Well, I guess now you know. I really am a freak,” Midnight said in a light voice, but instead of answering, Taylor dragged her into a fierce hug. The tension in Midnight’s chest loosened as they finally drew apart.

  “Trust me, I’ve never been more pleased to see anyone. Freak or not,” Taylor said as she sat down in the chair Peter Gallagher had vacated. She toyed with the edge of the blanket. “I still can’t believe everything that happened today. And that my kid sister can see…spectron energy?”

  “Spectral,” Midnight corrected with a weak smile. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you. I should’ve warned you how much danger you were in.”

  “According to Geoff—who, by the way, is supercute. Plus his English accent is hot—”

  “Taylor.” Midnight coughed.

  “Right, so according to Geoff, even if you’d told me, I most likely wouldn’t have believed you if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Not that I saw all of it. Just the last part. Geoff explained that sometimes when huge amounts of spectral energy are released, even nonsighted people can see it,” Taylor said before breaking off. “Was it as scary as it sounded?”

  Midnight pressed her lips together. She was about to lie and pretend it was fine, but lying was what had put her sister in so much danger. “Yeah, it was kind of terrifying.”

  “My kid sister. A superhero. Hey, is that why you were always out babysitting?”

  Midnight nodded. “It was my cover.”

  “Nice,” Taylor said as her cell phone beeped with another text message from their mom. Taylor studied the screen and then looked up. “They’re going to be in Berry in an hour and want a full explanation.”

  Midnight nodded. As soon as ASP had arrived, Midnight had sent her mom a text message to say that Taylor had come home and was fine. It wasn’t quite the truth, but she didn’t want her mom to worry while she and Phil were on the road. However, when she was home…

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to tell them the truth. Peter Gallagher said I’m responsible enough to make my own decisions, and they deserve to know the truth.”

  “What? Are you out of your mind?” Taylor snapped, looking more like her usual self. “You can’t tell them the truth.”

  “But I have to,” Midnight protested. “You could’ve been killed. I’m not sure you understand just how dangerous Dylan was.”

  “Oh, I understand. Geoff explained everything to me. With diagrams. But that’s not your fault. It’s Dylan’s. And if you tell Mom the truth, you’ll never be able to leave the house again. I mean, can you imagine?”

  “Considering how she reacted to the party you wanted to go to, you could be right,” Midnight admitted.

  “Of course I’m right,” Taylor declared. “And now that I know how important your job is, I also know that you need to leave the house to do it. See where I’m going with this?”

  Midnight blinked. Was this really her sister? They normally couldn’t even agree on pizza toppings. And Taylor was forever teasing her about the smallest thing. And yet now Taylor was actually trying to help her?

  “Okay, but if we don’t tell her the truth, what do we tell her? I mean every other option will get you in trouble.”

  “I can handle that,” Taylor said in a firm voice.

  “You’d really do that?”

  “Hey, you rescued me and never once said ‘I told you so,’” Taylor said, her face softening.

  “Taylor, it wasn’t your fault.

  “No, and it wasn’t your fault either. So, stop blaming yourself. The fact you’ve been doing this for six months is kind of awesome.”

  “Thanks,” Midnight said as an ASP agent came over with the instructions to drive them all home. Midnight got to her feet and smiled at her friends. It really had been some night.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  “And may Thor look down upon this handfasting and strike his hammer to those who may oppose it, bringing to them a painful and brutal death,” the celebrant said as she wrapped the final piece of string around Midnight’s mom’s hand, connecting it once and for all to Phil’s.

  Her mom looked beautiful. Blond curls streamed down her back, all threaded with small beads, shells, and flowers. The blue dress she’d made brought out the sparkle in her blue eyes, while Phil looked handsome, dressed in full leather with smears of black on his cheeks.

  On their fingers were matching silver rings carved with runes on the outside and with their initials engraved together on the inside. It was kind of cute.

  Somewhere a raven cawed, and buttery sunshine shone down on the hillside. Daffodils and wildflowers poked out amid the sea of swaying green grass, just like her mom had imagined. Next to her, Taylor shifted, the fabric from her shield maiden costume brushing against Midnight’s arm. Taylor’s eyes glittered, almost as if she was about to cry, but she wiped them before Midnight could be sure.

  After their mom and Phil kissed, they drank once more from the large horn and everyone in the wedding party started to cheer and stomp, because apparently that’s what happened at Viking weddings.

  “Wow,” Malie said as she raced along the grass to where Midnight was standing. She was closely followed by Logan. Not far behind were Tabitha and Tyson Carl (who, if Midnight didn’t know better, had been holding hands). “Viking weddings are the best. I wish I’d dressed up.”

  “You’ll have to come along to the next party they have,” Midnight said as she smoothed down her own dress. Since using Phil’s armor had helped keep them safe two weeks ago, she now had a new appreciation for it.

  “I’d love that,” Malie said just as Tabitha and Tyson dragged her off to meet Ruth and Elsie, who’d both come along to the wedding looking resplendent in long, velvet gowns and with crowns of flowers in their hair. Which left just Midnight and Logan.

  “Hey,” he said, a tangle of dark hair falling across his face. “That was pretty cool. Your mom seemed happy.”

  Midnight looked over to where her mom and Phil were giggling like kids over something or other. The stress that had been following her mom around like a dark cloud had disappeared as soon as she’d arrived home and seen Taylor. Her mom had immediately hugged them both and declared that it didn’t matter what the weather was like for her wedding. All that mattered was that the people she loved were safe.

  Of course, thanks to the fact that Dylan was no longer wielding the Black Stream and going crazy with planodiume, the weather had instantly improved.

  Something that wouldn’t have happened if Logan hadn’t stepped in.

  “Thanks again for helping,” Midnight said before shyly looking at him. “And for not thinking that I’m weird.”

  “Weird?” His cheeks brightened. “Midnight, you’re the coolest girl I’ve ever met. Your stepdad’s a Viking. Your mom has her own YouTube channel, and you see ghosts. I only wish I could be half as weird as you.”

  Her heart pounded as she began to smile. “You’re pretty weird yourself. Who turns up to a Viking wedding with a deerstalker hat on?” she said,
knowing that several of Phil’s friends had already admired the fact it was an authentic one that Logan had saved for months to buy.

  “I guess we make a good team,” he said before giving her a shy smile. “Which is why I was wondering if you’d like to go on another date.”

  “Really?” Midnight’s eyes widened. On their last date, she’d been so worried that she might slip up and say something she shouldn’t. Or that he’d find out the truth about her and not like her anymore. But this time…“I’d like that. A lot.”

  “Great.” He smiled as Tabitha came flying over to them. Her black Viking dress and armor clattering as she moved.

  “I just had a message from Peter Gallagher,” she announced, her cheeks glowing. “We have a new case.”

  “We?” Logan’s eyes lit up as he looked from Tabitha to Midnight. “As in me too?”

  “Well, yeah,” Midnight said. “I mean, if you want to. Of course, now that you know how dangerous it can be, we would totally understand if you said no.”

  “Are you kidding?” Logan yelped. “That would be amazing. I’d love to.”

  “Yeah, well, the first thing you need to do is get that goofy look off your face,” Tabitha deadpanned. “If you want to work with us, you need to take it seriously.”

  “Goofy?” Logan tried to protest. “This isn’t goofy. It’s just my regular face.”

  Midnight smiled at him as Tabitha held up her phone to show them the message. “It could be worse. Last week she was trying to convince me we should all wear capes.”

  “And I stand by that. Think how handy a cape would’ve been during all that rain,” Tabitha retorted with a smile. “Now, do you want to hear about this new case or not?”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  To the usual suspects, Sara Hantz and Christina Phillips. No books get written without you two by my side, and for that I’m grateful!

  Thank-you to Susan Hawk for being such a fan of this series and for finding it such a great home! A big shout out to the amazing Eliza Swift, who is a story ninja in the very best sense of the word! And to Wendy McClure, Alexandra Messina-Schultheis, the amazing art department, and the entire team at Albert Whitman. Thank-you so much for all the hard work.