by Alexie Aaron
“Um. She was an undead, not just an old woman. And yes, she was burned,” Mia said. “It was the only way to destroy her.”
“That’s the investigation when Burt was trying to kill you by making you climb eight flights of stairs at the asylum,” Ted remembered.
“He was being a real bastard. He was still upset over our breakup, and Whit was there, so I was being doubly punished.”
“Why did you put up with it all?” Mason asked.
“Because someone had to be in charge. In the beginning of the investigation, it was Ted. He asked me to come and help him find missing children.”
“Weren’t you too together then?”
“In my mind, yes,” Ted said. “It took a while for Mia to get aboard the Ted train.”
“In matters of the heart, I’m a little slow,” Mia admitted.
Later, the three decided to walk back. It was a steady climb, but all of them had eaten too much. There was a cool breeze coming off the ocean. Ted took off his jacket and wrapped it around Mia’s shoulders. She stopped and looked up. “The stars are so close. It’s as if I can touch them.”
“Pick one out, and I’ll give it to you,” Ted said.
Mason caught the fleeting look of surprise on Mia’s face. Mason had heard that Ted wasn’t the romantic type from Murphy.
“I want that one,” Mia said, pointing.
Ted leaned over, put his chin on Mia’s shoulder, and followed her hand upward with his eyes and said, “Procyon. The little dog star. Mason, you may be more familiar with its big brother Sirius.” Ted moved Mia’s finger. “That’s Sirius. He’s always near his little brother.”
“Not unlike my brother,” Mason said. “All my life he was hovering.”
“I’d give my right arm to have a big brother, Mason,” Mia said.
“You have Murphy, so don’t be greedy.”
“And before you open your mouth, Martin, you have sisters. Murphy’s told me all about it.”
“He’s got Murphy on his mind,” Mia said sympathetically. “Dear Mason, we will find him. I promise we will do our best. He’s a big ghost. If he doesn’t find his way back across, I will find him and haul his ass back myself.”
“But what if he doesn’t want to come back?” Mason asked.
“Then I’ll let him stay. He’s under no contract to PEEPs.”
Mason glared at Mia. He wanted to say more but realized Mia wouldn’t feel free to respond honestly with Ted there.
Mia turned to Mason and said, “He’s in all of our hearts. I owe him so much. He saved all of you on the boat. That’s the kind of sacrifice he does without thinking. But I also know he makes the best of every opportunity. If he’s on a tall ship right now, he’s imagining how big the tree was that the main mast was cut from. He may even be looking at this sky.”
“Or puking his guts up because he gets seasick,” Ted said.
Mia tried not to smile. Her face screwed up funnily. “There is that…”
“He and his da suffer terribly,” Mason had to admit. “Kevin spent the whole trip over from St. Kitts with his head on Sabine’s lap.”
“Mason, how much was that seasickness and how much was it the Callen gene?” Mia asked.
Mason thought about it a moment. “That sonofabitch.”
“I know it seems like I’m a callous shrew,” Mia started, “but I’ve been around these entities a wee bit longer than you. Remember, they were men once. Just because they die, they don’t suddenly become upright citizens or demonic demons. They are what they were. Stephen Murphy was a man who never had a life of his own. His mother ruled him, and his wife, who was not his choice, rejected him and participated in his murder. I met him at a time when he was more interested in making mischief for any tenant of his farm who didn’t respect it or run it the way he did. He really didn’t talk much, but I could see him, and I guess he was fine with that. But Stephen was always a smart man and continued to be a smart ghost. Smart ghosts adapt and learn. Now he’s as astute and, probably, less socially awkward than I am. He’s also taken on the power of Mother Nature and all that energy from the C4 blast. He will find a way to survive. It’s what he does.”
~
Sabine sipped on her wine, listening to Cid and Nicholai discuss their mutual love of reading.
“I love to discover a book, an overlooked but prolific author,” Cid said. “This way, it’s like the books were written just for me.”
“I like to go to book signings,” Nicholai admitted. “I watch the author read a bit of his or her book and imagine what it was like to sit and write them.”
“I like them to be anonymous to me,” Cid confided.
“I like personal journals,” Sabine said.
The two men looked her way.
“I like to see how real people react to mundane things, like housework, diapers, and retrieving lost items from the toilet.”
Cid laughed. “Those girls keep you hopping.”
“My plumber warned me that he was going to retire soon. Maybe I should move out of a high-rise where the girls frequently mess up the building’s waste removal systems with their stunts.”
“Why do you stay in the city?” Nicholai asked.
“Because there is so much at my fingertips. Out here, you have to drive almost everywhere. I like being able to walk to the store and get fresh veggies.”
“You could try farming,” Cid suggested. “Just a little organic plot to start with. The girls could help.”
“I’m afraid they would pull the crop and save the weeds,” Sabine said.
This caused Nicholai to laugh. “Cid, give up. She’s a city girl, a townie at best.”
“Where do you live?” Sabine asked Nicholai.
“I was born across the sea in Italy. I lived most of my life there. Victor asked me to come out of retirement and train Mia. I like it here. I have found a place north of here along Lake Michigan. I live in a town that has many restaurants. I like eating out. Although, master chef, I love your cooking too.”
“So, you don’t have a wife?” Sabine asked.
“I did. She died. I’ve lived a long time, Sabine. I’m too old and busy to court another.”
“Do you have children?”
“I had a son. He was killed in battle. His soul rests in another birdman, one who is an academic. I feel better now he is away from harm.”
“Are you lonely?” Sabine asked.
“No, not since I started training again. I thought the birdmen would be needed less and less, but the world has flipped back on itself. I think we are needed more and more. The children need protecting. That’s what we do best.”
“I think you’re very honorable,” Sabine said.
“Thank you, that means a lot,” he said, taking her small hand in his.
Cid smiled. He could learn a lot from Nicholai’s courtly ways.
“Friends, I must leave you. I’d like to rest up and then see if I can get any more information for Mia before she crosses into the GSD.”
“Do you really think she would be so foolhardy?” Sabine asked.
“The Mia I worked with has a brain in that head on her shoulders. She’s not going to fly in. I expect she’s looking at another mode of transportation.”
“Let’s hope it’s not a row boat,” Cid said and then entertained them with stories of her rowing it backward and Murphy trying to teach her and giving up. “Finally, she ended up jumping out of the boat and flutter-kicked it into shore.”
Chapter Twenty
Kevin nudged Mia’s shoulder.
“Ted, cut it out, I’m tired,” she mumbled.
“It’s not Ted. It’s Kevin,” he whispered in her ear.
Mia sat up, grasping her covers to her chest. “Kevin, there are boundaries,” she hissed.
“Fergus and I…”
“Fergus is here?” Mia asked, her eyes searching the darkness. She saw the starlight hit the glint of metal and knew it was his knife blade.
“We really need to tal
k to you.”
“Now? It’s two in the morning,” she said, spying the clock on the bedside table.
“Talk to them, Mia, and then we can get back to sleep,” Ted said. “You two wait on the balcony so she can get dressed in private.”
“Yes, Ted, sorry, Ted,” Kevin said, slurring his words.
When they left, Mia slid out of the covers and stomped into the bathroom. “Friggin’ drunk ghosts come a calling at two-effing o’clock.”
Ted pulled on his boxers and followed her. He dug through Sabine’s suitcase and found a robe. He handed it to Mia.
“Who packs a robe for a treasure hunt?” she asked.
“What if you have ghosties waking you up in the middle of the night…”
“Good point,” she said, jamming her arms in the sleeves as Ted held it out for her. Mia tied it tightly around and looked in the mirror. “It’s pink. Not good.”
“What is it with you and pink?” Ted asked.
“I’ll tell you later. In the daylight. Okay, send in the clowns. I’m as respectable as I’m going to get.”
Ted tapped on the glass. The two ghosts manifested in the room. Ted turned on one of the lights.
“Mason said you’re going to try and cross over into the realm of the ghosties’ ships tomorrow.”
“Today,” Mia said, yawning. “Wanna come along? Ted can’t go. He’s got to stay with the rental boat, and I’m a lousy rower if the engine on the skiff cuts out.”
Kevin paled.
“I’ll come. I’m an able rower. Me da taught me,” Fergus said.
“You’re a lucky guy,” Mia said, “My dad taught me how to dig up dead people.”
Fergus’s eyes opened wide for a moment and then settled into his half-open stare.
“Mia, me and Fergus was down in bad town, and we were sort of pulled into a place of voodoo. There was a man with white eyes calling for spirits. We thought we’d oblige him, but he wasn’t looking for us, so we sort of hung around and watched,” Kevin said.
“This you woke me up for?” Mia asked.
“Yes, no, yes. The white-eyed man, he starts calling for a Mister Harley. You see, there was a woman whose husband just drowned at sea during the last storm, and she wanted this Harley to pass on a message for her.”
“Mia, this would be good work for you,” Fergus pointed out. “We could split the proceeds.”
“I’m not a clairvoyant, but if things get rough, I’ll look you up,” she said, looking at Ted with a smirk. “Please, Kevin, go on with your story.”
“Anyways, this Harley drifts in, but he’s not a full ghost. He’s more like smoke. The white-eyed man asked if he saw a Billy Bonaventure. He said no, the only new sailor on his captain’s ship was a Stephen.”
“What’s his ship?” Mia asked.
“He didn’t say. He ended up promising to transport the message from Billy’s wife over the veil, and if he met up with Bill, he would deliver it.”
“What was the message?” Ted asked, fully engaged.
“Just that she loved him and regrets hitting him with the fish pan before he left,” Kevin said.
“We came back to get you. I think the white-eyed man was going to be there until the bewitching hour. There was a long line. He’s quite popular. You need to ask him questions. We couldn’t as we have no money.”
“There is a chance the clairvoyant knows Harley’s ship,” Mia said. “He’s going to want silver, but maybe, he’ll take gold.”
“This is a lot of gold,” Ted said, picking up the chain.
“Oh, not the chain. I’m talking about Sabine’s earrings. Who brings eighteen karat gold earrings on a treasure hunt?” Mia asked.
“Give us a moment. We’ll dress and meet you downstairs,” he instructed Kevin and Fergus. “Good job by the way.”
Fergus’s mouth hung open.
Kevin pulled him out of the villa and down to the courtyard to wait.
“Did the bossman just praise me or was I dreamin’?” Fergus asked.
“He praised the both of us. Ted’s a nice feller,” Kevin said. “I’m going to tell my son to stay away from his woman. I like this man.”
“It’s the Callen in Stephen. You’re all notorious skirt chasers. Did you see the tattoo on her chest, matches the one on the boss’s arm?”
“I wasn’t looking at her tattoo…”
“I know. It’s the Callen in you. The tattoo moves when they are together.”
“I think it’s dark magic of some kind,” Kevin said suspiciously. “Mia moves too easily in and out of Hell,” he hissed.
Mia and Ted ran quietly down the stairs.
“Lead the way, gentlemen,” she said.
~
Kai felt her approach the house. She stood patiently on the porch with a tall man and two spirits that were there earlier. Maybe she came to complain about him drawing her spirits away. She was very powerful. He would have to be careful.
Mia smiled at the people who congregated at the seer’s house. They were believers of magic. It was their beliefs that made this man strong.
“What brings you out on this hot night?” a dark-skinned woman asked Mia.
“I’ve come to ask a question.”
“Did you lose someone in the sea?”
“Yes.”
“Kai will help you. You smell like… like the old ones,” she said, backing away.
“Don’t worry, there aren’t any old ones with me,” Mia said quickly. “I did just come from there. I guess the scent never completely leaves.”
“Kai will call Agwe, and he will cleanse you of the old ones,” the woman said confidently and walked off.
“That was creepy,” Ted said. “What was she talking about?”
“She basically told me she smelled the fallen.”
“Lucifer did hug you,” Ted said.
“But you and I did a lot more than hugging after. I took a bath for cripes’ sakes.”
“Maybe you’re going to have to have this Kai call for Agwe. I have my silver lighter if you need it.”
“How kind,” Mia said and took a step forward as the line moved.
Kai stood up as Mia walked in. He reached out a hand. She took his with her gloved one.
“Take off the glove. I can’t see you.”
“With it off, I can read you,” Mia warned.
“Your honesty is valued. Take off the glove. I have nothing to hide.”
Mia did after she placed all her thoughts, but her intent on finding Murphy, in the secret places in her mind.
“You’re looking for a ghost?” he asked.
“Yes, he may have been picked up by a tall ship,” Mia said.
“Come sit. I will call Harley. Who’s that with you?”
“My husband.”
“He needs protection from the old ones,” Kai said. “Rosie!”
A young woman, dressed in comfortable shorts and top, rushed in. “What is it, Grandfather?”
“Tell your mother to make a bag to ward off the old ones for this woman’s man.”
“Yes, Grandfather. Sir, come with me,” she instructed.
Ted hesitated.
“Go, I’ll be fine. I’m amongst friends,” Mia said.
Ted ducked beneath the doorway and followed the girl.
“So, you’re going to sell my husband a bag of nothing?” Mia asked.
“It will keep him busy while we talk. Where are the spirits?”
“Beside me.”
“Tell them to follow him.”
“It’s because of one of them I’m here,” Mia insisted.
“Send them with your husband, they will scare the others away,” Kai argued.
Mia turned and addressed Kevin and Fergus, “I’ll be alright. Go and keep Ted out of trouble.”
Kevin frowned but allowed Fergus to drag him away.
Kai smiled. “Now tell me why you’re so desperate to have this Stephen returned to you?”
“He was blown into the realm of the ghost ships
in an act of courage. He saved the world from Ruax’s demon lover, Lamia.”
Kai reared back in his seat. “You’re the assassin.”
“I’m the assassin. I killed Ruax.”
“That is why the old one lusts for you.”
“Which old one?”
“A woman that asks that kind of question is a very dangerous woman to know,” Kai said. “I can tell you that your Stephen is on the Devil’s Pride. That is Harley’s, my spirit guide’s, ship. But I want to warn you of something that happens when the ghosts cross into the realm of the ghost ships.”
“Please.”
“The longer they are there, the more they lose any emotional pull to this world. They hardly remember their loved ones, and if they do, there is no more love or hate in their hearts. It’s Nature’s method of easing the way for the dead lost on the sea. No mooning around or wasting away. They eat, drink, and become fit sailors. It’s the way of the sea.”
“Kai, thank you for your information.”
“Do you want Harley to bring a message to Stephen?”
“Tell him, his courage and sacrifice honors his father and, also, the house of Martin.”
“I will send the message.”
“Kai, I can cure your blindness,” Mia offered.
“But then I may lose my sight,” he said. “I value the offer just the same. For payment, I’ll take the blonde cousin’s earrings instead. My daughter has her eye on them.”
Mia took off the earrings and set them on the table. “Where is my husband?”
“He’s leaning against the wall of the house waiting for you. Go in peace, Assassin, and watch out for he that fears you. He is the most dangerous of the old ones.”
“Thank you, Kai. Thank Agwe for me. May his power grow,” Mia said and left the room.
“Harley, you look out for her. She’s not going to let you keep Stephen. Nor should you. He’s needed here to keep the old ones from taking her in the night.”
Mia approached Ted slowly. His long frame had, in recent years, become more fluid and less awkward. Every part of him moved in concert with the other. When he was still, as he was now, Mia saw how handsome and strong he was. His patience was his strength. He didn’t fidget; he used his time to think. His brown eyes were luminous when he looked down at Mia.