Freaky Reapers (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 8)

by Amanda M. Lee

  Cotton didn’t look convinced. “Maybe we should run.”

  “No.” I immediately started shaking my head. “You guys need to stay inside. Nothing will get near you. I promise.”

  Kade directed the girls away from our group. I remained silent until I was sure they were out of earshot. “We need to split up,” I ordered. “Something is out there ... and we need to figure out what it is. Nobody is to go out alone.”

  “We’ve got it,” Nellie said. He’d already retrieved his ax, gripping it in anticipation. “We know what we’re doing.”

  “Try to capture it first,” I insisted. “Whatever it is, it might have answers to what’s happening on the street.”

  “No promises.” The delightful glint of mayhem in Nellie’s eyes told me he was already on the hunt. “Let’s move. Our turf is being invaded. Let’s show this crazy SOB exactly what happens when the circus comes to town.”

  Luke made a face. “That was totally over the top.”

  “That’s how I roll.”

  KADE CAUGHT UP WITH LUKE and me as we strode toward the sidewalk across from the cemetery. For some reason, that’s where my instincts told me to go, and I wasn’t disappointed. We were barely past the trailers when I saw movement.

  “What is that?” Kade asked, confused.

  It was hard to make out in the limited light — the clouds had gathered thick and fierce, threatening a storm — and it took me a moment to realize what I was seeing. “Oh, my ... !”

  “There are four of them,” Luke said, awestruck. “They’re all wearing white dresses. I ... don’t understand.”

  That made two of us. The creatures straddling the line of the dreamcatcher — they’d obviously identified it as something to be wary of — were all dressed alike. They had dark hair, long and hanging past their shoulders, and their filmy white dresses lent an ethereal flair to their presence. They looked like stereotypical ghosts, but they were obviously much, much more.

  “Banshees,” I muttered, reaching out with my mind. “All four of them. They’re banshees.”

  As if to prove my point, the women lifted their heads in unison — as if they were all thinking with the same brain — and screeched.

  “Well, that won’t draw any attention,” Kade complained, his gaze immediately going to the corner where the local toughs often congregated. It was deserted, a small blessing.

  “We have to capture them ... or kill them,” I muttered. “We should at least try to get one of them for a reading or something.”

  “That’s easier said than done,” Luke countered. “They’re working together. It’s almost as if they’re operating from a hive mind, like the Borg.”

  The look I shot him was withering. “You watch too much television.”

  “You obviously know what I’m talking about, so maybe you watch too much television.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I focused on the nearest girl. There was something familiar about her features. I was almost certain she was one of the missing girls whose photo I saw in the newspaper. She looked different, more gaunt, but I was positive it was her. “I don’t think our theory that someone is creating banshees is all that far off.”

  “Yeah. I think you were spot-on there,” Kade agreed. “That doesn’t change the fact that we need to get rid of them. All this screaming will draw attention. The last thing we want is the cops showing up to ask questions.”

  He wasn’t wrong. “We have to silence them. Maybe ... .” I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence because a shadow — this one boasting long hair and a sword — detached from the nearby fence line. I hadn’t even noticed him until he was practically on top of us.

  “Cillian?” My confusion turned to horror a split-second before I realized what he was going to do. “Wait!” I took a determined step forward to stop him, but was too late. He arced out the sword, attacked the banshee closest to him, and caused her to scream as the blade cut through her ... and rendered her to dust.

  Shocked terror coated the faces of the other three banshees when they registered one of their own had fallen. As if in slow motion, they all turned on Cillian and started shrieking. That’s when utter chaos descended.

  14

  Fourteen

  The remaining banshees formed a half-circle around Cillian, who had their full attention. They were advancing on him with a clear purpose ... and that purpose was death. One of their own had been destroyed. They wanted to repay the favor.

  “Get out of the way,” I ordered, vaulting past the dreamcatcher line and extending my hands. I meant to slam a debilitating spell into the heads of the banshees. I had no idea if it would hurt them, but it would at least delay the telepathy they were displaying. I didn’t get a chance, though, because a burst of magic blew from behind me and smacked into the nearest banshee, igniting her dress.

  The banshee screamed in distress, her comrades turning to her rather than continuing their pursuit of Cillian. They flapped their hands around the dress to extinguish the flames, which they managed to do ... but not without considerable effort. When they lifted their heads again, they looked between Cillian and Kade, who was standing behind me. They looked right through me and focused on the two individuals who had hurt them. Instinctively I recognized that they were marking them.

  Slowly, they began to slink away. The banshee in the scorched dress walked with something of a limp, but she made good time as she hit the road. I wasn’t surprised when they headed toward the cemetery. They were always drawn there for some reason. They probably had a nest in one of the mausoleums ... but now was not the time to search for it.

  Cillian looked as if he was going to give chase, but I offered him a firm headshake. “Don’t.”

  “They dangerous,” he persisted.”

  “They are, but there’s something else going on here. This isn’t normal behavior.”

  “What was your first clue?” he asked dryly.

  “And you were my favorite until the unnecessary sarcasm,” I muttered under my breath.

  “Don’t lie. My sister is your favorite.”

  He wasn’t wrong.

  Cillian exhaled on an exaggerated sigh. “Well, that was exciting, huh?”

  I could think of a few other words to describe it. “Not so much,” I countered. “What are you doing here?”

  “Hunting,” he replied simply. “I lost another soul tonight. The banshees took it, absorbed it into what looked to be a pendant of some sort. It was amber in color. They were fast ... and apparently hungry. It was over before I even realized what was happening. I followed them here. They looked to be heading toward the cemetery, but then changed direction and started going for you.”

  Not so strange. The dreamcatcher called to them … or it should’ve called to them. That’s what it was designed for. It was practically impossible for the banshees to ignore it. “We can talk about that later,” I supplied. “We need to talk about a few other things right now.”

  “Like the fact that your boyfriend can shoot fireballs out of his hands?”

  “Actually, that wasn’t on my list.” I cast Kade a small smile. “That was nice. Good job.”

  Kade was sheepish. “I didn’t really plan it. It just sort of happened. I saw you were going to land in the middle of them and ... well ... .” He didn’t finish. He didn’t have to.

  “You raced to my rescue.” I was amused more than anything. “Max was right. You respond better when someone else is in danger. We need to work on that.”

  “Sure. Later.”

  I turned back to Cillian. “Those aren’t normal banshees.”

  He didn’t react to the statement with anything other than curiosity. “How do you know that?”

  “Because I’ve faced off with banshees so many times I’ve lost count. They’re prevalent on the West Coast.”

  “But not here in Michigan?”

  “No. These are the only banshees I’ve ever seen in Michigan. It’s weird.”

  “Life is weird.”


  “This is really weird.” I was adamant. “Banshees don’t usually hunt in groups. They’re solitary creatures. That’s the basic structure of their creation. They’re born out of mourning and human suffering. That almost always means they’re alone. If they had a proper support system they never would’ve turned in the first place.”

  “Fair enough. Can you explain why these banshees are acting the way they are?”

  “I can posit ideas all day, but I need more information. The one closest to me, the one Kade set on fire, I’m almost positive she’s one of the missing girls. She looks like one of the photos from the newspaper. The banshee was thinner, but I’m ninety percent sure it was the same girl.”

  “Thinner doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Kade noted. “She was a street kid. That photo was probably taken before she ended up on the street. She would’ve lost weight because she had less access to food.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at the sound of voices and footsteps. The rest of my crew were descending, and they were obviously curious as they glanced around. “You missed the show,” I called out, relating the tale in a succinct manner. They could ask further questions later. This was enough for now.

  “Should we go to the cemetery?” Nellie asked. “We might be able to catch them.”

  I hesitated before answering. “I’m not sure.”

  Raven’s eyes were shrewd when they locked with mine. “You’re not thinking you can save them, are you?”

  The question irked. “Of course not.” I averted my eyes and turned back to Cillian. “You should probably go home. We’ll handle it from here.”

  “No offense, but I can’t really do that,” Cillian argued. “I have a job that’s separate from what you guys are trying to do. I’m part of this.”

  “I get that, but ... there’s nothing else to do right now. We need more information.”

  “Because the banshees aren’t normal?” he asked.

  “Pretty much.”

  Raven made an exasperated sound. “Oh, geez. You do believe you can save them. What are you thinking?”

  I didn’t want to answer the question, but she’d called me out in front of an audience. “I’m thinking that they showed cognitive thinking,” I replied.

  “They also showed hive activity,” Luke reminded me. “That means someone else was controlling them. That cognitive thinking that you think you saw could be a byproduct of whoever possessed them.”

  Even though I was annoyed that he didn’t take my side — we always sided with each other on issues like this — part of what he said struck me as particularly interesting. “You think they were possessed?”

  He appeared surprised by the question. “I think they clearly weren’t in control of what they were doing. They attacked as a unit, Poet. That means someone else was controlling them. They were returning to the cemetery for a reason ... because that’s what they’re programmed to do. They were waylaid by the dreamcatcher because the lure of it was more powerful than their programming.”

  “What’s the dreamcatcher?” Cillian asked. He had a logical mind and he was obviously curious.

  “Later,” I muttered, never moving my eyes from Luke’s face. “If they’re programmed, we can deprogram them.”

  “And what if there’s nothing left when you strip away the programming?” Raven challenged. “I didn’t see these things in action — although I wish I had — but I would bet that they’re essentially carved-out vessels that someone is using to enact some plan.”

  “What plan?” My temper came out to play. “What could you possibly use banshees to do that would benefit anyone?”

  “You already have the answer,” Cillian interjected. “It’s the souls. They’re stealing souls from us, absorbing them somehow. Maybe they’re collecting them for someone else to absorb.”

  “What can you do with a soul?” Kade asked. “I don’t mean to sound daft, but I don’t understand all of this yet.”

  “Souls are coveted,” Cillian explained, his smile kind. “They can fuel people to live for extended periods of time, but the souls and the individual ingesting them are essentially destroyed in the process.”

  “What eats souls?”

  “Wraiths for starters.”

  “Wraiths?”

  I furrowed my brow, my interest officially piqued. “They’re former humans who try to unnaturally extend their lives. To do it, they essentially have to fracture their souls by ingesting the souls of others. They live off the energy of the souls, but it’s not a full life. It’s a depressing half-life.”

  Cillian looked impressed. “You’ve done your homework.”

  “We’ve crossed paths with wraiths before,” Raven volunteered. “They’re easy takedowns and walk right over the dreamcatcher like babies coming for candy. They’re never a threat.”

  “They’re a threat for reapers,” Cillian countered. “We’ve had a real problem with them here in recent years. They hid in a lot of the abandoned buildings, created an army of sorts. They were organized by a charismatic leader who set them against us because she was trying to extend her life.”

  That sounded like a lead. “Who is their leader? Maybe we should go after her.”

  His expression turned sad. “That’s not possible. She’s dead.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because she was my mother, and Aisling killed her.”

  I was flabbergasted at his matter-of-fact reaction. “W-what?”

  Weary, Cillian let loose a long sigh and dragged a hand through his hair. “It’s a long story and I don’t really want to go into the specifics. Suffice to say, we thought our mother died when we were teenagers. In a fire while she was collecting a soul. It turned out she survived, but the people who took her kept her alive at a cost.”

  “They turned her into a partial-wraith,” Raven mused. “I’ve heard of that. It’s been centuries, though.”

  Cillian arched an eyebrow. “Centuries? Are you telling me you’ve been alive for centuries?”

  Raven smirked. “I’ve been around the block a few times. I’m familiar with the process you’re talking about. Are you sure your mother died? If not, using banshees would be a unique way to collect souls.”

  “I’m sure she’s dead. We all saw it.” Cillian took on a far-off expression and then purposely blanked his face until it went neutral. “The thing that came back wasn’t my mother. We got to see her before the end, but the creature was definitely dead. We made sure of that ... and then buried the body in our family mausoleum.”

  I thought of the inscription I’d read. “I’m sorry about your mother.”

  “I am, too. But she’s not responsible for this. That doesn’t mean one of the factions left behind when her regime fell isn’t. We need to ask around.”

  “Do you have any ideas on that front?”

  “A few. I ... .” He trailed off, his eyes darting to the left at the scuff of feet.

  I expected to see one or more of the street toughs returning. They’d conveniently gone missing for the attack, which I filed away to think about later. Instead, it was Logan who appeared out of the darkness. His eyes were keen as they scanned the crowd, not stopping until they landed on me.

  “Do you want to tell me what’s going on here?” he asked gravely.

  That was a loaded question. “Oh, well ... .”

  “What are you doing lurking around here at night?” Kade asked, taking control of the conversation. He pinned Logan with a suspicious look. “Have you been watching us?”

  “Would it be a problem if I was watching you?” Logan asked. “You shouldn’t care if you’re not doing anything illegal.”

  Realization dawned on Cillian’s face. “Ugh. Who invited the Fed?”

  Logan’s expression twisted. “Seriously, how do you people keep figuring out I’m a federal agent?”

  “It’s the suit,” Raven and I answered in unison.

  Even though he was obviously here for a serious reason, Logan’s lips curved. “I gu
ess I’ll have to buy more suits.”

  “That’s probably a smart idea,” Raven agreed. “As for what we’re doing, there’s really not much to say. We were merely giving my new boyfriend a tour.”

  “New boyfriend?” Kade slid his eyes toward the other members of our group who had assembled at the back of the crowd. Percival wasn’t amongst them, which was probably a good thing.

  “Yes, my new boyfriend.” Raven’s glare was pointed as she sidled over to Cillian and linked her arm through his. “It’s a fresh love, but an intense one.”

  I had to swallow my laughter at the expression on Cillian’s handsome face. He looked to be the shy sort — at least more reticent than the other members of his family — and the mortification rolling off him was profound.

  “So ... that’s who you are?” Logan pinned Cillian with a dark stare. “You’re dating a circus woman who is here for a few only days? Does that mean you’re local? I’m pretty sure you weren’t here when I visited yesterday.”

  “He’s local,” Raven answered for him. “We just met yesterday. It was love at first sight ... although we’ve been corresponding over the internet.”

  “You just said you met yesterday for the first time,” Logan pressed. “How have you been corresponding over the internet if you just met?”

  “We just met in person for the first time yesterday,” Raven clarified. She was masterful under pressure and didn’t as much as shiver when Logan cast doubt in her direction. “We’ve been corresponding blindly over the internet for a very long time.”

  “So ... you guys hadn’t even seen each other until yesterday?” Logan clearly didn’t believe them. I couldn’t blame him. It was a ridiculous story. “I guess it’s lucky that you’re both pretty, huh?”

  Raven fluttered her eyelashes. “Oh, agent, you do go on. I’m a loyal woman. You can’t tear me away from my boo.”

  Luke made a choking sound behind me as Cillian blinked several times in rapid succession. This situation was quickly spiraling out of control and there was little I could do about it.