A Song of Redemption

by Lillian I Wolfe

  I heard the front door open and screamed, “Orielle, if that’s you, shut the door now and check the ward. Attack from the backyard.”

  The door slammed, and she called out, “Hang on. I am on my way.”

  A few moments later, she ran into the kitchen, stopped at the doorway, and gaped at the creature on the other side. It waved its arms madly, trying to whip up enough power to break through. To my surprise, she rushed to the glass doors, pressed a hand against each one, and began to chant a spell of some kind. Then, she slid the right door open.

  Appalled, I grabbed Nygard and started to retreat as the creature began moving to the opening.

  “Try your energy blast through the door now,” she cried out. “The ward should hold it long enough for you to do it.”

  Ward? She’d created a ward on the outside? I didn’t question it, but focused on the yiaiwa and shoved my hand forward. The broad bolt of white and gold-tinged light flew into the creature knocking it all the way to the back fence.

  Orielle started to slam the door shut again, but I yelled at her to wait and wound up another blast, this time directing the power at its head, or what passed for one. Energy shot out in a pointed beam, smashing into it. Like a sheet falling from a clothesline, it crumpled to the ground.

  While the evil thing seemed stunned, we hadn’t destroyed it. It twitched a few times, then pulled itself up and vanished.

  “Not dead,” I muttered. “How do you kill the undead?”

  Orielle’s eyes, much wider than normal, turned to me and she said, “We cannot. We can only banish it from our plane. Drive it back to its own level of existence. That is our task, Gillian.”

  I stroked Nygard’s fur, pushing it down as he settled, and carried him back to the living room where I set him on the floor. I noticed a plastic bag of food on the coffee table and turned to look back at Orielle with an unspoken question in my expression.

  “I picked up dinner,” she said. “I figured with the moving you wouldn’t get to it, so call it a welcome dinner.”

  “Thank you. That’s very thoughtful. I’m glad you arrived when you did.”

  She nodded then slipped off the coat she still wore. “I do not think the yiaiwa could have gotten through the wards; nonetheless, it is worrying, is it not?”

  “Yes. I think it must have followed me here.” Disappointment and fear chilled my bones. I had hoped that the move would at least ditch the occasional appearances of the evil shadows. But one made it clear immediately that it knew where to find me.

  “I believe they have known about this place for a while. They simply have not bothered Gavin as I think Belphegor believes you are the one to be concerned about. Whatever you have appears to be the crux of their attention. So I have to believe that you, Gillian, are the key.”

  Not reassured, I dropped onto the couch and opened the food bag. My spirits lifted as I saw the bacon cheeseburgers with fries and onion rings. Yes, I could use a little comfort food tonight. Orielle stepped back in the kitchen and returned with a couple of paper plates and two cold beers.

  “Great choice,” I said as I crunched into an onion ring.

  As we ate, I asked her what she had been working on today. She’d been tied up most of the morning with some old books and a computer while I’d moved things into the house.

  “I located a fourth-century journal that was recently scanned and entered into the archives at the Istanbul Archeological Research Center. There is an obscure reference that might relate to our project, but the translation is going slowly, and it may be too little to be of help. Still, I must review it to determine its value.”

  “No breakthrough there,” I said between chewing. I swallowed, then said, “We have the face chat in the morning with the people in Rome. I got an email confirming it, and the chat names to connect.”

  “Good. We can set up in here with the computer connected to the television. Gavin has the alternate camera for the laptop so we can position it to show us both before we start. I hope they have information for us and are not just trying to learn what we know.” She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow as she said it as if I should know we might be conned.

  I hadn’t really thought about it, but I agreed. In fact, I hoped the agents might be allies in our fight. Was I being naïve?

  Chapter 14

  “LET’S SEE... I HAVE the email here. The name for the chat is LuckyLucca, with two c’s on the Lucca.” I held my computer in my lap as Orielle typed the name into the chat program on hers, which sat on the coffee table. The camera was positioned just in front at the left and at a slight angle to include us both in the picture.

  “LuckyLucca,” she repeated as she shook her head. “It does not sound like an investigator, does it?”

  “Maybe they’re not. Father Garrity just said representatives and that doesn’t have to be an agent.”

  A buzzing signal indicated the program was trying to connect, then it stopped mid-way, and an accented voice said, “Yes, hello? Is this America?”

  “It is,” I said. His accent sounded European although not necessarily Italian. “I’m Gillian. Are you Lucca?” Glancing up at the television, I saw the man’s face pop onto the screen. Shortly cropped dark hair and intense-looking eyebrows sat down low over his forehead giving him a rough look.

  “No, I am Ferko Buza. Lucca is getting a glass of vino. One moment. He will be here.” He seemed about as nervous as I was. Perhaps this was strange to him also.

  “And I am Dr. Orielle Chou, anthropologist. I am filling in for Dr. Haines.”

  “Ah, yes, yes. A pleasure to meet you ladies. Lucca is my colleague; we both work for the Vatican. Our department is not too well known, so it is a little secretive if you understand me.”

  “Yes, I think so,” Orielle answered. “My organization is also very private, but I believe we might have some common concerns.”

  Common concerns? Were we going to pussyfoot around the subject? My lips skewed into a twisted frown without me thinking about it until I glimpsed my face on the computer screen. I quickly cleared that expression.

  Another man came into view, mostly from mid-crotch up to mid-chest as he entered the picture, then he sat down. I flat out stared. He was model gorgeous—light brown hair, Aegean blue eyes, and perfect lips. He looked like he should be on the cover of GQ. I blinked and looked down. The last thing I wanted was to gape at the handsome Italian agent.

  As he smiled, it was like a ray of sunshine entered his face. He simply glowed. “Good afternoon from here to good morning where you are. I am Lucca.” His eyes darted back and forth on the screen as he looked at the images on the computer, then he looked directly at me. “You are Gillian, yes?”

  He pronounced it Jillian, but I nodded anyway. “It’s actually Gillian, like a fish gill. But essentially correct.”

  “Gillian,” he repeated, then glanced the other way. “And you are Orielle. Comment ça va?”

  Her voice sounded lighter as she answered, “I am well, merci. I assume you have all the information Gillian sent on our activities here.”

  Lucca’s head bobbed. “Yes, although it was not too detailed. But I think we have information to exchange. If you can tell us a little more...”

  “Let us begin at the start of this. My colleague, Dr. Haines, has been immersed in it for almost two decades, so allow me to give you some background.”

  I sat back and let Orielle do the talking while I listened as she summarized Gavin’s experiences and not pulling any punches about what he might have done to release a demon onto not only Earth but also the interim plane. While Lucca barely blinked when she mentioned the next level, Ferko’s brow lowered and he seemed to have a question. But Orielle continued and led up to the point where I entered the story.

  I told them about my unexpected gift, and my first encounters with the shades that we now knew were called yiaiwas. They showed intense interest in what we said, taking it seriously. I could see Ferko was taking notes although I was pretty sure that t
hey, like us, were recording the whole meeting.

  “We are almost positive the main demon is Belphegor,” Orielle added. “We found some evidence of his interference in the past and attempted to take measures to return him to the lower realm.”

  “Attempted?” Ferko said, looking up from his notes.

  “Yes, it did not work, and that was where Dr. Haines was injured.” Orielle did not go into any detail. “Now your turn. What can you tell us?”

  Lucca took over again. “We have some information that we can share with you and some of what we know correlates with what you report. The name you call the dark spirits is new to us. How did you determine the name?”

  “They may have many names,” Orielle replied. “The one we use is from an old manuscript translated from Malay in Indonesia.”

  “Interesting, yes. We have also had several reports of these shadow creatures, and we have learned some things about them. However...”

  As he paused, I thought he wasn’t going to tell us anything.

  “...we are reluctant to discuss any details over a computer connection. Just as you have held some specifics back, I am sure, we, too, have some secrets. We are authorized to ask you to come to Rome where we can talk more freely and face to face. Will that be possible, Dr. Chou?”

  “How soon are you thinking?” she asked.

  I pursed my lips wondering if the invitation included me. Rome. I’d love to go to Rome. One of the many dream places I’d never been.

  “Within the week would be ideal,” Lucca replied.

  “I need to check our financial sources to authorize two tickets,” Orielle said.

  “Two? We assumed just you since you are the authority.”

  My heart went from fluttering like a hummingbird to a bat bouncing into my rib cage and crashing. Not me.

  “I think it would be advisable for Gillian to come as well,” Orielle was saying when I recovered my heartbeat. “She has had more experience with the yiaiwa than any of us, and I believe, as I think you will also, that she is of particular interest to the demon.”

  Lucca raised his left eyebrow and looked at me as if I was a curious alien specimen. Probably more like speculating what made me special, I guessed. “Very well, let me verify that is acceptable.”

  He glanced at Ferko, who had been keying information into his tablet and now nodded. “Very well. We will arrange two tickets. Will you be able to fly out on Tuesday?”

  When Orielle glanced at me, I gave her a thumb up. Briefly, I thought about my jingle job. I would just have to get it done and delivered by Monday, I thought with determination. This was Rome we were discussing.

  “That was interesting,” Orielle said as we ended the call. “From their willingness to bring us both to Rome, they must have some good information or they want to know more details about what we know and do not want it to go over a hackable connection.” She shut the computer down and got to her feet.

  “We're going to Italy,” I said. “I can't believe it! Thanks for including me, Orielle.” I started my trip list in my mind and wondered if we'd have any time for sightseeing.

  “If they want to know details, they need to talk to you. Be truthful, but do not tell them everything. So far as your blast ability, keep that a secret for now. It may come up if we get into a discussion of how to defeat the yiaiwa; otherwise, they do not need to know.”

  “Right. Only answer exactly what is asked. Do you think those two will be more forthcoming with their information once we're there?” I didn't imagine they were flying us there just to tell us what they knew, so the...agents?...had to feel that we had valuable information they needed.

  “I hope so. But we will push them as hard as they push us. It may come down to an exchange. They give us one, we give them one.”

  A sly-looking smile formed on her lips as her eyes sparkled with the thrill of the challenge. I had a feeling she could be a tough negotiator. I hadn't credited her enough with her skills when I first met her, but I was learning why Gavin liked her. She was a great asset as well as beautiful and intelligent.

  With that business done, I grabbed my purse, ready to go back to the little house I'd left. More cleaning to be done before I was officially out of there. I started to herd Nygard back to my bedroom when Orielle said, “You can leave him out, Gillian. I like your cat.”

  I nodded, then went out the door as Nygard crouched on the floor near the hallway and watched me. I hoped he'd realized we had moved, and I would be back. With a twinge of regret, I realized I would have to ask Ferris to cat-sit again. Worse, it would be better if he took Nygard to his house than him staying at Gavin's, especially with a yiaiwa already showing up there. That Rome trip just got a little more complicated. On the bright side, if I could call it that, I didn't have to take any time off work.

  As I pulled the Beast into the driveway, I saw Ferris’s van parked along the curb. I wasn't expecting him back today. I thought everything had gotten moved already. Pulling out the cleaning cloths I'd brought, I went inside and looked around the now empty living room. The door to the music room stood open, and I heard the vacuum running in there, so I poked my head in. Devoid of all of my musical stuff, the only things in it now were a black garbage bag and Ferris running the vacuum over the wooden floor to get up the dust and bits of debris that had slid under the piano over the few years I'd been here.

  “You're cleaning,” I said. “I didn't expect you to do that.” I stepped to him as he straightened and turned the vacuum off. As I reached to hug him, he pulled me into his tight embrace.

  “Yeah, I figured I'd help you out a little with this. There was a lot of stuff under the piano—potato chip bags, chewing gum wrappers, music sheets, and scribbled notes. I put the music sheets in the kitchen, the rest of it went in the bag.”

  “You're awesome.” I squeezed him and planted a thank-you kiss on his smug-looking lips. “I'll get started on the upstairs bathroom, then I'll do the one down here.”

  Upstairs, I found he'd already vacuumed the carpeting in the bedroom and hall, so the bathroom was the only thing to worry about there. Reasonably clean, I decided and just scrubbed down the tub and shower, brushed out the toilet, and added a new sanitizer. A quick swipe of the sponge mop over the tile cleaned it up in no time.

  As I hurried through my chores, my mind worked on the trip to Rome, so it startled me when I turned to leave the bathroom to find Zoe standing in the hallway staring at me, her eyebrows lowered in a frown.

  Catching my breath, I choked out, “You startled me! What are you doing here?”

  “You're moving.” It sounded like an accusation.

  “Yes. I have to. Is that why you came?”

  “No. Well, not entirely. I just noticed that your house was empty when I popped in to check on the progress with Nick. Why are you moving?”

  “Financial reasons,” I answered shortly. “I don't have anything new on the hunt for Nick. I passed the information along to the authorities. They're working on it.”

  “Not fast enough,” she complained. “I will not be satisfied until Nick pays for his crimes. I definitely don't want to have to wait for him to enjoy a life of luxury that he doesn't deserve in order to confront him on this plane. I don't care that he might be punished for his crimes in the afterlife. I want him to face it in his mortal life. I want him to have time to dread the poison that will take his worthless life. Is that so much to ask?”

  I stepped around her to take my cleaning things out of the bathroom. “No, Zoe, it's not. But there's only so much I can do.”

  She leaned toward me, a strange sensation when the person doing it is partially transparent. “You can lure him back here. I've told you that. He'd fall for it. I know he would.”

  “That would piss off Moss, something I don't want to do. He's warned me to stay out of it. Why don't you go haunt Nick?”

  A pout formed on her face, lips in a sad, downward turn. “I've tried, but it's hard to get through to an egotistic bastard whose drunk h
alf the time.”

  “Really?”

  “He's partying all the time. Women, alcohol, and drugs. He doesn't even notice me. Kind of like how he treated me in life.”

  “I'm sorry, girl. Look, I'll check with Moss on Monday to see if anything is progressing and suggest the trap idea again. I don't know that he'll go for it. He's trying to keep me out of trouble, and I'm already tangled into another case of his.”

  She brightened a little at this concession. “Thanks, angel-girl. I'll find you at your new place.”

  “Do you even know where it is?” I asked, feeling the lines on my forehead form.

  “I don't need to. My connection is to you, so wherever you are...” She grinned, whooshing her hands in front of her, “...I'll find you.”

  “Great,” I said flatly. Not only did I not get away from yiaiwa, but I couldn't even ditch my ghost.

  As we finished up the cleaning, I handed Ferris the last beer from the refrigerator and grabbed cold water for myself. We leaned back against the counter and looked around the room. I hadn't washed the curtains, but the new renter could do that.

  “You sure you don't want to leave this as a welcome to the next tenant?” Ferris asked.

  “No, drink it. You more than earned it. Thanks, honey.”

  “I still wish you were moving in with me. But I have hopes it will happen soon.”

  My smile was touched with regret, but I hoped that once everything settled, I would feel ready to make that move. Now, I had to ask him for a favor... again.

  “Maybe. In the meantime, something has come up. I need to go out of town for a few days next week. Orielle and I both are going, so that leaves Nygard...”

  Ferris picked up on it, of course. “You need me to watch him.”