by Viola Grace
“Exactly. I died furious at my own stupidity. I thought I was protecting Amitra and our child, but that was when things went wrong.”
“Demler.”
Her father blinked. “You know him?”
“Yeah, we have met. He’s a really slimy jerk and tends to prey on those in vulnerable family situations as well as those who are predatory themselves.”
Andrew sighed. “I really fucked that up. I was so desperate to keep my family safe. I would have eaten poison if it would have kept my child from being used.”
“I understand, and you thought Esmy was a boy.”
He shook his head. “Any child. I didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl, but I had a feeling that if it inherited, it was going to die a very early death. I had to leave my family with someone to defend them, so I made another deal.”
He lifted her hand and patted the back of it. “That was you. I needed a protector, a warrior, and someone to carry on the family legacy.”
“Who did you make the deal with?”
“Death. The queen of the dead. A few others were all there in that moment that the truck hit me and began the process of killing me.” He looked down at her and smiled. “They all wanted to keep the Wakeman talents in the works, so they added a little bit extra to me and sent me back to get their champion started. Fortunately, one of the gods dabbled in fertility and that is how you came to be.”
Hecate exhaled slowly. “Why couldn’t there just be a stork, like a normal kid?”
He chuckled. “You were never born to be normal. You were born to be extraordinary. I wish I had been there with you and Esmy.”
“You have been... sort of. I have just been the only one to see you.” She smiled slightly. “My gain is their loss.”
“I am very glad you have become a strong and independent woman. Did you ever reconcile with your stepfather?”
“No. I have tried over the years, but he doesn’t consider me to be family.”
Her dad squeezed her hand. “His loss is my gain. He is missing out on an amazing daughter.”
“Thanks for that. I know that I didn’t fit into his precise idea of a stepchild.”
“No child is to blame for their circumstances. It is up to the adults around them to keep them safe and make sure they are loved.” He led her away from the room of shadows, and they walked slowly through her mind.
“Where are we going?”
He smiled. “I have been given the honour of being your guide to the next phase of your inherited skills.”
“Like the glyphs I used earlier?”
“Yes. Those come from your namesake. She is known for her ghost control. Tonight, we meet with Persephone. She has been eager to talk to you.”
“Wait, these people are all in my head?”
He shrugs. “You are half-ghost, so they are rather all over you.”
She bent her arm and looked down. “I wonder who lives in my elbow.”
He laughed. “If it is a god, it is female. They are the only ones I would allow to offer themselves in that moment.”
“Why?”
“Because you were going to carry them in you for your entire lifespan. I wanted there to be empathy in those who finally had a place to step into the modern world.”
“I mean, why did they come to you? Why did they agree?”
He smiled. “I loved my wife. I loved my family, and I was the last of the Wakeman line, thanks to my deal with Demler. The shockwaves that would have rippled through the world without the next generation would have been devastating. So, the goddesses got together, got Death’s blessing, and sent me back. Oddly, the whole thing only took a few seconds after impact when the debates had taken at least a day in my mind. They gave me their power and sent me home.”
She smiled as they walked into a silvery realm with a woman seated on a throne, waiting for them. “So, that is where I got the magic?”
A clear feminine voice rang out. “It isn’t magic, Hecate. It is far older.”
Andrew led her to the base of the dais, and the woman in the throne was beautiful, but her face was shifting through all of the defined races on earth, each one more beautiful than the next. It was dizzying to watch.
“Persephone, queen of the underworld for far longer than anyone knows. It didn’t start with Hades, it started with her.” When he said her, he bowed toward the throne.
Hecate stood straight and looked the woman in the eye.
Persephone laughed. “You are bold.”
“You are part of me. I grant you respect, but I don’t bow before any part of me.”
“Very wise. Yes, I am part of you, and you are growing to be quite the talented ghost extractor. The demon in your area has made things more complicated.”
“Too much dark power, and I am not developing fast enough.”
Persephone smiled. “Indeed. It is good that you are realistic about that.”
“How much is getting to the next level going to hurt?”
Persephone looked surprised. “It will be the cool surge of wind across the grasses.”
“So, what is the new magic?”
Persephone laughed; the sound was the laughter of spring, the whipping of leaves, and the gurgle of brooks. “This is not magic. None of what you do is magic, it is just energy manipulation. In your case, the energy of the soul. You already have the ability to raise an army or dismiss an enemy, but you need to learn how to use it and that means experimentation.”
Hecate winced. “I hate experimenting on ghosts.”
“I know, child, but it must be done for you to gain mastery. I have observed your little gathering, and it is impressive how much loyalty your ghosts have to you.”
“I am loyal to them, as well. They are all linked to one of the living, and I hope that my intercession is helping them both.”
Persephone smiled. “I have a foot in the realm of the dead and the realm of the living. Your interesting methodology is sending a wave of serenity out from this point, and it is having the effect of helping other ghosts across the continent to calm and move on. It is a pleasure to watch.”
“I am glad I am entertainment.”
“It is more like finally seeing a part of the puzzle when the corner has always been in shadow before. If you need the power of the earth and bindings for the demons, call on me.”
“How?”
“Call my name? Think of me? Touch the earth with your skin. I will come for any of those, and I will take over your body to assist in the confinement of any of your attackers.”
“Thank you. It is always nice to have backup.” She wasn’t sure if she should ask, but heck, she was dreaming, so, “May I speak with Hecate?”
Persephone made a small expression where she pursed her lips. “Hecate is with you always, and she is not very chatty. She is with you when you move to control the ghosts, and the glyphs you used tonight are hers.”
“Can she teach me more?”
Persephone chuckled. “She has written the books that Domerik uses. Read them. You will be able to read them after a few moments of adaptation. Oh, and don’t forget to begin your own procedure manual for how you approach ghosts and deal with them.”
“Why?”
“You are the only untrained ghost extractor that has occurred in recorded history. So, share how you figured out what you were, the weapons you use, though I know Nyx stepped in for that one.”
“Nyx?”
“You will meet her later. She believes in the serenity of the night, but also believes in kicking butt. The whip and your skill with daggers are her skills.”
Andrew squeezed her hand. “That is it for tonight. You need to wake up now.”
Hecate’s eyes opened, and she looked down at her shoulder where the stitches were, noting that they were glowing softly. She closed her eyes and murmured, “It was a pleasure meeting you, my lady.”
The stitches glowed green as she got her reply.
<
br /> The light was bright out, and she panicked before she was able to check her clock. She sighed when the display said one. She had time to get her plan in place, and she was prepared to save that wedding.
Chapter Eight
She had a shopping list in her mind, and as she drank a lukewarm protein shake, she walked over to the new sea container, knocking politely on the door.
Domerik looked surprised to see her. She smiled and said, “Hello, I need the charm of Magnal, the crystals of Neffine, and the chain of Hargar.”
Domerik stared at her. “How do you know about those?”
“I had a talk with my father. So, can I get them, please? I have a lot more to eat before I head out today.”
He frowned and nodded. “I will bring them over right away. You go and get ready.”
She nodded and headed back to her house with the silicone straw still clenched in her teeth.
Today, she had the whole oven working for her. She was going to need to eat at regular intervals throughout the process, and that meant a lot of food in thermal containers. Meat pies with plenty of veg in them were the star of the show, fruit pies for dessert. When the oven chimed, she had her thermal packs ready and started loading enough food for two sumo wrestlers and three powerlifters. Calories were going to burn.
She finished off her toaster pastries and made a note to do a lot of shopping the following day; she had enough to get her through a recovery tomorrow but not much after that.
The packs were ready, and when she looked out the window, she saw Domerik walking across the yard with a small stack of boxes in his arms.
She used her right hand to gather her collection of hot food and met him next to the car. She already checked her bag from the night before, and there was only a charred hole in the canister where she had put the groom. He had probably been gone before the ghosts drove her home.
She settled the bags in the back seats of her car and buckled them in.
“What is that?”
“Food. This is going to be an all-nighter, and I am bringing everything I need to keep myself going. That includes dessert.” She smiled.
“How are you doing today? You seem very determined.”
Hecate grinned. “I am. I had a helpful rest and am eager to get this over with. The clock is ticking.”
“You are going to wait for sunset?”
“Oh, no. That was a one-off. I am going to lay my traps and pull them into them. There is no more option for them to sneak up on me. I will have them all in front of me, and I will deal with their curses.”
“Wait... curses?”
She smiled and took the boxes from him, setting them on the floor behind the driver’s seat. She opened them, and he jumped. “What are you doing?”
“I am putting them on.”
He was staring at her in shock. “They are not meant to be used together.”
“That is what you think. I have been assured by someone that these objects are exactly what I need for my project.” She chuckled. “I trust the information. I am impressed you were able to find them so quickly.”
He snorted. “It is what I do. Now, where have you been getting your information?”
“Dreams. Some of the ghosts I have known still return to speak to me in my dreams. Some are very old.” She smiled. “One ghost is exactly as old as I am.”
He looked confused, but he nodded. “If you are sure.”
“I am. My father speaks highly of you, by the way.”
His eyes widened. “Andrew?”
“Yes. My newfound strength has brought him closer.”
“Does Ulysses know?”
She chuckled. “He does now. He and the others jammed into my car the moment I woke up.”
“In your car?”
“Yes. They got worried last night, so they all powered up at the emergency fund, and they piled in the car. I am amazed it isn’t hovering.”
She heard giggles and chuckles coming from her SUV.
Hecate finished putting the charm, the chain, and the crystals around her neck, on her wrist, and in her pockets. It was like wearing live wires, but she was willing to put up with it until she could use it.
“So, Domerik. Are you going to stay here or come along?”
She checked her blade and her whip.
“Wait, you are inviting me along on a haunt?”
She quirked her lips. “If you want to come. You would have to hang back and not act unless I fell back and was immobile for more than a minute. Anything other than that is just a fight.”
Domerik looked excited. “You are allowing me on a haunt?”
“An extraction, and yes. You need to see how I do what I do and to learn what skills I need to acquire. My telling you is not going to properly explain what is going on.”
He didn’t need to be asked again. He moved her go-bag from the front passenger seat to the rear, and then, he buckled into the front seat.
She checked that she had everything from the previous day and all of the new additions, and once she confirmed the stones were with her, she was ready to go.
Hecate got into her car and commented, “Someone cleaned up the blood.”
Domerik shrugged. “It was the least I could do.”
“I am going to have to stop next to the house to send a text, but after that, it is an hour in the car. Do you travel by vehicle much?”
His smile was slow. “Not really. I am more of an air traveller.”
“Right. Well, here we go.”
She started the car and rolled up next to her house, nearly touching it. She picked up her phone and sent a text.
Heading to the site. Will let you know when it is clear.
She put her phone down when the message was sent and drove toward the highway. “Okay, here we go.”
“I must confess, this is rather exciting. None of the others have ever taken me with them.”
“I am sure that they might have. But it is an intensely personal thing. You see the ghost, you speak with them, and then, you help them release from the earth or you cut them to pieces and destroy the demonic power letting them prey on the living. There really isn’t that much to it.”
“That is not how it was described by the others. They described it as a life-and-death struggle every time,” Domerik murmured.
“It isn’t. If you take the time to speak to the dead, to let them know what they are and how they are hurting the living, most of them will just leave. They are staying because of love, not malice.”
“What about the ones you refer to as red?”
“They made a deal with a demon to get power over those they loved or those they felt had wronged them. Occasionally, they can be talked around, simply analyzing their flawed logic sometimes works, but if not, I have to extract them with force.”
He nodded. “Like a dentist.”
She snorted and made a right turn onto the next highway, setting the cruise and settling in for a long, straight run. “I agree with the dentist analogy. Sometimes they need a light scraping, and sometimes I have to shatter them to get rid of the nasty effect.”
“Interesting. How often are you injured in this occupation?”
She shrugged. “Not often. About one in ten draws blood.”
“How often do you need stitches? How badly do you scar? I have heard that persons with your complexion can be prone to particularly invasive scarring.”
“Keloid scars. The body reacts violently and seals the wound, overbuilding the protective tissue.” She sighed. “I am not prone to them, but my grandmother was. She had some scars that were nearly half a centimeter above the surface of her normal skin.”
“Is there a treatment?”
She chuckled. “In some cases, more surgery. Lasers are doing some good work as well. It is ironic that a healing action can cause disfiguration.”
“Your grandmother was disfigured?”
“Yeah. My great grandmother
saw some of the local wealthy white boys eyeing her daughter, so she drew a blade across her face. Forehead to jaw on both sides. It was all my great grandmother could think of. It worked for a few years.”
“That is horrible.”
“That was desperation. There has been so much mixing and matching in my bloodline in the last three hundred years, and a lot of it did not involve any kind of consent.”
“I see.”
“Yes, so while I was a child, my gran was protective, now that I am an adult, she is after me a few times a year to find a man of my own, now that I know how to protect myself.”
“Does she live with your mother?”
Hecate laughed, “No, she is dead. She died when I was seven. Until recently, she was my only regular haunt. I learned how to talk with ghosts because of her. That was the easiest part. She told me why she was holding on, but as I was a child, there was no chance of her being able to ease her personal worry. So, she follows me and talks to me now and then.”
“You mentioned that you have been talking to Andrew.”
“Yeah, he is trying to make up for lost time and filling me in on a few bits and pieces of the reason for my existence. It was far from the easy achievement that I thought it was. I thought it was just his Wakeman energy coming back to comfort my mother, but now, I have learned that I was the loophole that could get the grimoire back on track.”
“I don’t understand.” Domerik was genuinely confused.
“Neither do I, but I can tell you what I know. The rest seems to be given to me when I level up.”
“Level up?”
She chuckled. “Achieve a skill level that has been determined by someone else. When they think I am far enough along, I get a new skill to use. I leveled up last night.”
He continued to ask her questions that she verbally danced around during their drive. She distracted him now and then by getting him to hand her some food. It was a rather relaxing drive, and she was warm and humming with energy when she pulled up to the hotel.
At a stop to refuel the car, she had answered Leo’s text, asking if they needed to empty the hotel. She had replied in the negative. If the ghosts were throwing things around during the day, they were manifested enough for her purpose.
