PHAEDRA WELDON

GEIST

A Zoë Martinique Investigation

www.caldwellpress.com

www.phaedraweldon.com

www.zoemartinique.com

Copyright © 2011 by Phaedra Weldon

Cover Art Design By Trapdoor

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES

Books In The Zoë Martinique Series

Wraith

Out Of The Dark

Spectre

Phantasm

Revenant

Beyond The Door

Geist

To my husband and daughter for supporting me in my decision to finish the books no matter what. You could have given up on me, but you didn't.

To my mom and her unbelievable gardening stamina in the Southern Atlanta heat! Without her, I'd have never found my back yard again.

To Michael Romano and his incredible love for story. Dude, you have been an inspiration to me and to my enjoyment of Second Life.

To the Oregon Writers Network, for without you and Kris and Dean, there would be no Abysmal Universe in this world.

And to my father,

Dream the Dream Within, Daddy.

I miss you.

People are fragile.

We love, we laugh, we crave intimacy, and we blossom in relationships.

But these same things can also break our hearts, and thus, we die.

My father—a man I barely remembered since he disappeared when I was four—broke my heart. He betrayed his wife. And the funny thing about him?

He's what you might call—in some circles—an Angel.

Just goes to prove...we don't always know what we know.

Where I Stand

(The Story So Far)

My name is Zoë Adiran Martinique and I am a Wraith.

I am also the Phantasm. I rule over the Abysmal Plane.

It's not as cool as it sounds.

Especially not in my present condition. The last time I looked, I was folded up in a fetal position slowly floating around in what appeared to be a giant egg made of murky green glass.  This is actually the epicenter of the Abysmal Plane.

Some people call this Hell. The Abysmal, I mean.

I am the nexus; the central point which all things within this plane turn around. And after nearly four months like this, I still don't have a damn clue what that means.

How did I get here? Ask my father. It was his idea. Apparently having his daughter in the Phantasm's seat was supposed to make it easier for the Ethereal Plane to control the borders between the Outer Planes, the Ethereal and the Abysmal; and the Inner Planes, the Physical, the Mental, and the Astral.

Only—things didn't quite work out the way he'd hoped.

Newp.

Wasn't gonna happen.

Cause what do you get when you take a twenty-something, hot on the heels of love and sex with a beautiful man who loves her back and lock her away from him? Not to mention fuck him up enough so that he can't come after her?

You get one pissed off daughter who is not going to cooperate. And what ticks my father and those other damn Ethereals off the most? Something they can't control. And by setting me up as the Phantasm, they really couldn't touch me.

It works the same way in reverse. No Abysmal creature, including myself, can touch the Seraphim, the one that sits in the throne of the Ethereal plane.

They gave me a "grace period" so that I could acclimate to being the-center-of-all-things. That's how they worded it. Not true. I was one half of this nightmare called the Outer Planes.  I was the center of the Abysmal Plane. And somewhere in the Ethereal side there was an egg like mine, and inside of it was the Seraphim.

I wondered if it had a prisoner trapped inside like me. Sealed away from home. Growing more and more bitter.

Every now and then I would get a visit from the Ethereals in a theater that surrounded my throne. That's what they called it; a throne. It's a damn egg two sizes bigger than me for crying out loud. They would all sit around me in their damn white suits and stereotypical pristine wings and stare at me like some sort of plaything on display. Everywhere I turned I could see them through the murky glass. I pounded on the walls, yelled at them, screamed at them. I demanded they let me out.

All I got in reply was, "Seal the borders and we'll talk."

What they got back from me was, "Screw you."

That's when the same schmuck, dressed in an iridescent gray suit, would come up onstage where my prison floated and remind me about the greater good and how I needed to cooperate and be a gracious girl for the honor my dad had bestowed on me.

Honor, huh? So where was my father then? How come he never attended these functions?

I raised the middle finger of my right hand.

Childish I know, but can you blame me?

Every time they came I demanded to see my father. And every time they left me alone without another word.

Days would pass. And no one would come.

I slept a lot. Actually it felt more like I was drifting. Floating in space and just...nothing. And it was quiet.

So. Damned. Quiet.

When I would wake up and see the theater outside of my prison, I realized that this was a nightmare I couldn't wake from. So I did what any normal twenty something Wraith in my shoes would do. I got angry. I banged on the glass. I kicked at it. I yelled and screamed for my dad. Be he never came.

He never was the sort to show up when I needed him.

They came over and over again. I felt like one of those display eggs.

Wraith—by Fabergé.

Shit.

I knew I was falling into a heavy depression.

As the time passed, I did notice a repeating visitor. He looked like he belonged in the Abysmal—cast of shadow and ash—but he had the feel of an Ethereal. What I mean is...he didn't feel kin to me. He had the same odd intenseness my dad had. That soft outer glow that Ethereals seemed to generate.

And yet, there seemed to be a shadow around him.

He was small. I thought he was a kid at first, until one time he came up on the stage when no one else was around and stood just outside the glass.  I straightened up as best as I could and made faces at him. That's when I noticed his face. He looked—ordinary. Like a store mannequin. Nothing except the frame work and skin with little characterization.

It was just after that visit I started dreaming about the others. My friends.

And thinking...Sophia, the First Born (child of the first Phantasm) they'd put in this thing before me, learned to travel outside of it's walls. Somehow she'd either moved outside of it mentally, or maybe astrally.

Sophia learned to manipulate the planes to her will. She'd commanded all sorts of creatures to manipulate people and things in the Physical plane, spy on those in the Mental and Ethereal. She had been the one to put bounties on the heads of her siblings, forcing them to bond with physical creatures where they could hide from their sister's wrath. She'd even trapped her youngest brother, Azrael (also known to me as T.C., Trench Coat and Archer) into obeying a symbiont-controlled human named Reverend Rollins.

It was true Sophia had been one of the children of the original Phantasm, created out of the abysmic essence itself, which put her even closer to the stuff of this plane. But I was an Irin—the offspring of a human and an Ethereal—and Irins were supposed to be able to slip between the borders of all planes as Guardians. So it seemed reasonable to me that I could do the same as a First Born.

Right?

And before any of this I could slip (shed?) my mortal coil so easy, and moved outside of my body. But now every time I tried to leave my body, I failed.

But then the dreams became more real.

I would see them. My family and friends.  Joe, Rhonda, Mom, Daniel, Jason—all going on about their lives. Working, talking, eating, laughing.

But where was Dags? I never saw Dags.

And then it happened and I was a ghost that no one could see, floating around them. I yelled at Rhonda, and then at mom. Where was Dags?

I saw Daniel—and was amazed at his transformation in my absence. He'd always been handsome. Tall and lean, with beautiful blue eyes and brown hair. He wore glasses when we first met. But now his new preternatural eyes no longer needed them. He had bonded with a First Born, one of Sophia's siblings, Inanna, and become a Revenant. A vampire.

Joe—he was always Joe. Tall, lanky, spiky black hair, insufferable smirk. All thereJoe was human, but was also a witch. I remembered the moment he kissed me—and I got that feeling all over again, of happy thoughts that reached my toes. Though we started out as friends we'd never moved beyond that. And I wasn't sure I wanted too.

Rhonda—who never seemed to age and looked sad all the time. She wielded a power I knew I'd never understand. Dags had been tortured, beaten, and then shot in the chest. Dags should have died.

But she'd slipped an entire Grimoire, an ancient, magical tome into is astral body. She had physically fused his soul with a book of spells, and he lived. What I didn't know and was afraid to ask, was it the book that kept him alive, or the magic inside of it?

And Jason. He was a Revenant like Daniel. But he'd been with his First Born, Mephistopheles, much longer. Jason was someone I respected. And someone I was a little bit scared of. Mephistopheles was as one of Sophia's siblings she'd driven inside of mankind's physical body. This First Born, or Revenant as they called themselves after they bonded (because they were revenants of their former selves), had reveled in being physical. I got the impression he'd had more hosts than any of the others. And with age came power, command over the Physical. That and—

—well, Jason dated my mother long before I was born.

Ew...mental shiver.

And Dags...

Dags was broken when he was finally revealed to me. I found him sitting in bed, propped up by pillows. His head was tilted to the side, his incredible gray eyes staring straight ahead, hands folded in his lap. He never moved. If he hadn't of blinked now and then, he would have resembled an oversized doll.

Something was wrong with him. I heard the others saying the Grimoire inside if him was messed up—missing pages.

I tried to scream at my mom, at Joe and Rhonda and Daniel—What happened to him? Why aren't you fixing him?!

WHY HAVEN'T YOU COME TO RESCUE ME!?

I listened to them talk (for what seemed like hours?). I heard about a war brewing between the Outer Planes; about the Ethereals toying with events in the Physical Plane. It was my first time out of the egg—and I didn't want to go back.

I wanted answers. The Society of Ishmael had Dags. This Society was something started by my great-uncle Domas. He'd been a parapsychologist and delved deeply into proving the existence of the multiple layers of the universe as well as the beings that dwelled there. He'd been successful in creating Travelers, humans who could go out of body and travel through the planes and report their findings back to him.

But he'd been betrayed, his lab destroyed, and three of his subjects lost their physical bodies in the explosion and fire. One of his partners started the Society of Ishmael in order to carry on his work and protect the notes he'd collected from his findings. These were called the Dioscuri Files.

The last man to run the Society of Ishamel had been March Knowles, a public figure in government, as well as Rhonda's uncle. Now the Society was hers—after I killed Knowles.

They were particular interested in me, and in Dags. Me because I'd become a Wraith, and Dags—

Well, he had an extraordinarily powerful book inside of him. They were a bit more than concerned. With him in this condition, and me out of the picture, it was easy now to keep him under their thumb.

My mom had agreed to help them take care of him.

And Rhonda...Rhonda loved Dags. She would do anything for him. And anything to keep him. Whether or not she agreed to this, I didn't know.

What I did discover during my excursions out of the throne was that Azrael, Joe, Daniel and Jason plotted to rescue Dags.

(I wanted to find out more,) but that old familiar fatigue gave way to dimming vision. I lost control of my astral self after several days—and painfully snapped back into my physical body again.

This really sucked ass.

-1-

The Ordinary Man

"You've weakened."

It was a voice I hadn't heard before. I could hear it through the egg as well as in my head.

He stood outside the murkiness of my new home. It was Ordinary Guy. He was dressed in a gray suit that had a slight sheen to it. I looked closer at his face. Still unremarkable.

"Weakened?" I wasn't really sure what it was I floating in—it wasn't liquid and it wasn't smoke, but it made me buoyant and it was damned cloudy. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Yes."

Good.

I turned and closed my eyes again. I had hoped he would go away—then I could rest some more and travel back into the Physical. I hoped the next time to find out what Daniel and the rest were going to do about Dags.

"It worked." It wasn't a statement of triumph, but of fact.

Gah...he was still there. I sighed. "What worked?" He was baiting me and I knew it. But I was also tired and bored and worried and just a bit more than angry.

Yah know?

"She was able to correct the Grimoire."

!!!

I spun round and faced him again. I knew the Ethereals were searching for the missing pages of the Grimoire that held Dags together. Those mixed up pages had been responsible for his current condition as a vegetable.  Daniel, Azrael, Joe—they all wanted Rhonda to get back in there and put the pieces back together. Undo whatever it was Maureen had done when she'd removed the book by Sophia's command and removed the rest of the spell that could destroy Revenants.

I'd learned most of that before I snapped back here. But I had no idea how much time passed between then and now. I put my hands on the glass and watched him. I didn't want to think this ordinary guy knew what I was doing, or plotting, or even what I was hoping. "It worked? He's whole again?"

Ordinary Guy didn't make any physical movement. No shrug of the shoulders. No pacing. He just stood there.

It was creepy.

"In a manner of speaking."

I didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"

"I am afraid that is all the information I have. He is walking and talking and thinking again. And his Familiars are recovering as well."

Yay!

So— "Why are you telling me?"

"So that you are kept informed. You are the Potential Phantasm.  As such, it is my duty to keep you appraised of the happenings within the planes, just as the Seraphim is kept informed. It is your right as one of the three governing bodies."

Well kick my ass. This was news to me. "Three governing bodies? You—you mean you're supposed to tell me what's happening?"

"Yes. You are consigned to this existence and cannot venture out into the other planes until you have fully resonated with the Throne. Therefore, you must be given the information."

Huh.. "By you—an Ethereal?"

"I am not entirely of Ethereal essence. Nor am I made entirely of Abysmal."

Well, well, well...today was just getting...weirder.

"You're telling me you aren't a Virtue?"

"No, Potential."

"Then what are you?"

He tilted his head to the side. That was the first time I'd seen him give any type of physical movement—except for walking. I half expected him to say he was a daemon, or a boggart or spectre, shade, symbiont, fetch—or all of the above. What I didn't count on was his answer—which I didn't understand at all.

"I am Geist."

-2-

Personal Spy

Geist.

That was a new one for me.

I shook my head slowly. "What the hell is that?"

He actually frowned, which sort of put all my oogy alarms in up-flag mode. I mean, imagine being at Macy's and looking at a mannequin and it suddenly just...frowned. I shivered. "I am the Ghost."

"The ghost of who exactly?"

"Of all."

Well this was getting me nowhere. I rubbed at my eyes out of frustration. My hair floated out around me most of the time like a creepy octopus. I reached out and moved it back from my face. "So, let's try a different tactic here. What is a Geist?"

"I am Geist."

"And you are who?"

"Whom?"

"Dickhead—" I shouted, slamming my hand against the egg's surface. "What the fuck are you?!"

"What would you like me to be?"

If I coulda, I would have wished a howitzer into existence and used it to blow his creepy mannequin head off. Sighing again, I turned my back on him. "Look...just go. If you're going to stand there and make me more miserable than I already am—"

"That is not my purpose, Potential. I am distressed that you are unhappy; and that I could be the cause of it. I was able to give the former Phantasm much joy—"

Oh? I spun around and pulled my hair back. "You—you knew the last Phantasm."

"Yes Potential."

I arched an eyebrow. "Are you calling me Potential? Like as a name?"

"As I said, you are the potential candidate for Phantasm, but you have not fully developed yet."

"Ah. Right. Just call me Zoë, then."

"That would be inappropriate."

Poop on a stick. "What did you call her? The one before me?"

"She asked me to call her mistress."

Yick.  But it was better than Potential. "Okay, well do you want to call me that?"

"Yes mistress."

Better. But it had a cheesy Bond villain feel to it. Like...where was my white cat? "Better just call me Zoë."

"Yes mis—Zoë."

"And your name is Geist."

"It is what I am."

"Sounds German. What did you do for Sophia?"

He took in a deep breath before he answered. "I kept her informed of what the Revenants were doing—set up contacts and surveillance within the Physical plane as well as the Mental and Astral planes—though very little ever happens on those planes. I also told her what the Ethereals were doing, when and where, and what places in the Physical they had contact with the beings that inhabit those areas. I shared reports—"

"Whoa," I held up a hand. "You report to someone else too? Like someone other than me?"

"I am Geist. I am the Ghost. I exist in all planes, and in all realms. I give equal information to both aspects of the universe. As I said earlier, you are part of the three governing entities."

Uh oh. "You mean you tell the Seraphim the same thing you tell me?"

"Yes."

"So...anything I do, you tell it?"

"No. The Seraphim has never directly asked me to keep an eye on you. Nor has the Seraphim ever asked me what it was you are doing."

"What about Sophia? Did it ask about her?"

"Yes."

So that's how the Ethereals knew what Sophia was doing in reguards to the Revenant deaths. Because of this Geist thing. "So—you take orders from either of us?"

"Yes."

"Does one command supplant the other?"

He frowned. "I would suspect the first command would always override the second."

"Geist—" I wasn't sure this was going to work, but I was starting to understand why Sophia started thinking the way she did. "I'm giving you an order right now—you are not to tell the Seraphim—or anything else within the Ethereal plane—what it is I am doing, or will be doing. Ever. Understand."

"Yes Zoë."

I blinked. And then I blinked again. Did—was it that easy? "So you're really not going to spy on me and report back to the Seraphim?"

"Not unless you tell me I should." His expression relaxed. "You do not seem to understand the purpose of the Geist."

"Not one damn bit," I watched him for a few minutes. "What else did you help Sophia do?"

"I taught her how to ease her loneliness. I showed her how to be powerful."

I liked the sound of the being powerful part. "You did. Would you show me something if I asked you to? And answer my questions?"

"Yes Zoë."

Test time! "Did you know I could move out of body while in this egg?"

"Yes, Zoë."

"Is the reason why I keep snapping back into my body because I'm actually astrally traveling back into the Physical Plane from the Abysmal?"

"Yes. Your physical body cannot replenish itself without the soul—your ghost, so to speak. To extend the periods of time you remain in the Physical, you would need to find a suitable host."

Host? I licked my lips. "What does that mean?"

To my surprise, the Geist put his arms behind him and moved back and forth in front of the egg. His actions reminded me a bit of Joe. He always did that when he was working on a case.

And just like that—the Geist resembled Joe. Only it was the Joe I'd first met in the morgue when it looked as if I'd died. God...how long ago was that? Last November?

Geist was wearing Joe's red plaid shirt, tight jeans, and spiky hair—but no smirk. His face remained expressionless.

He stopped and looked down at himself. "This is a much better appearance for you I believe. Yes? "

"Why did you?—how did you?—"

"I am not sure. My original appearance—what you referred to as Ordinary Guy—has been the only one I have ever known. I can only assume that I have changed forms to accommodate your direct request."

This was nuts. And I had no 'effing idea what it was I was doing. "So...can you change forms again?"

He paused, and abruptly he was the Ordinary Guy. "Apparently so."

"Go back to Joe. That was easier."

He did. And then he frowned again. "But there is a different physical shape that brings to mind more authority in your memories—"

Abruptly he was Captain Ken Cooper—Daniel's boss—the one that had jumped out in front of Daniel's gun when he'd tried to kill me.

The one that died instead of me.

-3-

Back To The Physical

Geist immediately became Joe again. He pressed his hands against the outside of the egg. "Please, Zoë. I am terribly sorry. I was only looking for the perfect form—"

"Don't ever look inside my mind again!" I screamed at him. "Got that?"

He nodded and stepped back, his head bowed "I am...so very sorry. It is just that...this is the first time I have been released from my previous form. This feels..."

I watched him—not sure about him. Or it. "What's wrong?"

"I—I am not sure, Zoë. I am sure I will sort it out momentarily. And whatever it is I am experiencing will not interfere with my ability to serve you."

"So you..." I moved to the egg's barrier again. "Let's get back to the host thing..."

"Yes. I was speaking of Hosts," he said and started pacing again. His strange way of acting was really starting to freak me out. But seeing as I was physically trapped inside of a glass-like egg inside of the Abysmal plane—who was I to judge freaky?

"Yes, back to hosts," I did want him to get back to that. It was just easier to look at Joe and talk to him though. But I wanted the real Joe.

And I wanted the real Dags.

"There—" Geist said and stopped. "That image you just gave me."

"I told you not to look at my mind."

"I did not. You broadcast quite well. I would suggest if you do not want to alert the whole of the universe to your whims and internal dialogue, to tone it down some."

I got the feeling that that was the first time this thing had ever said tone it down. "Oh-kay. Point taken. But I was thinking of Dags. What's he got to do with hosts?"

"My previous Mistress was able to find physical beings with weak barriers against her intrusion. She would force her ghost upon them and thus draw from their essence in order to walk within the physical plane."

Wow. She did that? "So the bodies I used to see her in, in the physical world—like the guy in the hood and the clown with the weenie mouth—" A while back during one of my many hospital visits the Phantasm had shown up in my room as a clown with a wiener for a mouth. It was not an image I liked remembering.

"Those were not bodies. Those were projections of herself once she became powerful enough to no longer need the host."

"Can I get that strong?"

"Only if you fully embrace your role and become the Phantasm. At present, you must rely on hosts. Such an ability should come easily to you because you are by nature Irin, and by design, Wraith."

"By design?"

"You were born in nature as a keeper of the borders, but it was by someone else's hand that you became a harbinger, Zoë. You became the Wraith when the balance of Ethereal and Physical was mingled with the Abysmal."

Oh. I had never had my existence explained to me like that before.

Geist continued. "By taking a host, it puts less of a strain on your physical body while it is tapped into the Abysmal."

"Tapped into?" I said as I started to look around the murky green confines of the egg. It was at once both limiting and limitless. In front of me was this Geist in Joe's form. But if I looked behind me into the darkness of the egg, I could see the universe unfold for me. Vast. Limitless. And damn scary. "So am I, like, fueling things here? Like a battery? Am I plugged into the Abysmal, or is the Abysmal plugged into me?"

"Yes and no." He answered, pursing his lips. "Both of the opposing planes—Abysmal and Ethereal—contain thrones such as this one. They are opposing points of power. Polarity. The planes do not feed from you, you receive from them."

Riiiiight. I waved my hand. "Okay, so back to the host. What has this got to do with Dags?"

"You have the capability to create a link with him."

I moved back again. "A link?"

"You have one of the pages."

I instinctually put my hand to my breast where I'd tucked that crinkled, folded up page into my bra. I hadn't known I'd even possessed that piece of the Grimoire until I'd been in here for some time. Had I always had it in my hand where I'd found it? Was it possible I'd taken it when we found Maureen with Dags? I just...didn't know. I'd hidden it in my bra because it helped me feel close to him and I didn't want it taken away. "How did you know—"

"I am Geist."

And I was going to get really tired of hearing that as an excuse. "How does this page—"

"Darren McConnell's ghost is woven into the pages of the Grimoire. The witch did this with her magic. But the book is incomplete until that page is returned. It is a link back to him. A bridge."

"So..." I kept my hand over my chest as I narrowed my eyes. "I can use this page to project my ghost—what I call my astral self—into his body? I don't want to possess him, Geist. I want to talk to him. I need to hear his voice."

"Don't want to possess him..." Geist put a hand to his chin. It was the most animated I'd seen him since I first noticed him hanging about. "That might be difficult. Possession is the outcome of projection."

"Maybe not always. " I thought about the Familiars that resided inside of the portals tattooed in Dags' palms. "Dags has two entities already connected to him."

Geist snapped his fingers. It looked incongruent since his facial features didn't change. Stoic worked better for him. "The two ghosts held within the magic seals." His eyes widened and he looked at me. "This man is...an Irin?"

"No....and yes..." I said. "It's complicated. Wait..." my lips turned into a frown. "You knew he possessed a Grimoire, but not about the Familiars?"

" Sometimes I only know what I can see. Much of him is veiled from the planes. Such a veil is very common with Irins—or it was. But there are no Irins left in the world. The former Phantasm had them destroyed."

"Right, in the Bulwark. That infamous battle between the planes and the Irin. Or something like that." I had to figure this out. I could in theory, according to this Geist, link myself to Dags. But I didn't want to possess him. I needed to get to him so I could let him and everyone else know I was okay. And where the hell I was so they could do something to come get me out. "Does him being an Irin change whether or not I can link to him?"

"No," he said and shook his head slowly. "But you will have to be careful. The throne is set for Irin contagion. If he were to get too close to it—"

Oh I did not like the sound of that. "You mean it'd take him in too? But wouldn't he have to be here physically? He can't do that. He's a living being."

"He is many things," Geist said. "I would not be surprised if he could slip into the Abysmal plane in physical form. He would be protected by the Grimoire. Zoë, this idea must be thought out more thoroughly. Your essence complicates things, as does his. I would ask that you wait before you attempt contact—"

"No."

He lowered his hands. "Zoë—I am not sure what the effect would be."

"Geist—what is it the Ethereals want? Why do they want me to agree to seal the borders? They're closed now, right? Why seal them?"

"They wish to re-establish order between the planes." He tilted his head again and his eyes got a far-away look; as if he were remembering something. Or looking at something I couldn't see. "The Ethereal once ruled the planes without chaos. All things bent to their will alone."

"Honestly? I thought you said there had to be polarity?"

"This was a very long time ago. Samael came from the abysmic to give true balance. Nature corrected itself. Once Samael commanded the Abysmal, order was restored." He refocused on me. "I have downloaded the information on Darren McConnell."

Huh? I put a hand on the egg's surface. "You downloaded—oh-kay? What does that mean?"

"The Ethereals keep records of their meetings—they are a very organized group. This prevents disruption."

"You mean someone takes minutes like in a meeting? "

"Yes. And these minutes were recorded twenty-four hours ago. Darren McConnell has been named the prime candidate for resonance."

"What—" I pushed against the edge. "What does that mean?"

"It means they do not believe you will be as successful a puppet as they hoped. Adiran Martinique, your father, has entered Darren McConnell's name into consideration. His unique abilities and dual plane access makes him viable. But there is a side note that is most alarming."

"What?" I hated this! I was so freak'n useless and Geist was so freak'n hard to figure out.

"Since your insertion into the throne, the stability of the Grimoire has been called into question. It has been decided that the book will be removed and kept safely within the Ethereal realm away from human hands. What is left of Darren McConnell will be placed within the Abysmic throne to usurp the present Potential."

My heart skipped and a very nasty, dark veil passed over my eyes. I could feel my wings beating against my back, aching to be set free. "If they take the Grimoire out...that'll leave Dags like he was—a doll!"

"Yes. Easy to use. Easy to manipulate." The edges of Geist's mouth turned up slowly in a mockery of Joe's smirk. "If they can put him in your place, then they will have complete control."

"And what happens to me?"

"You die."

-4-

All Things Familiar

Geist left me alone after that. Well, to be honest, it was more like I disappeared into the egg. I could do that if I wanted. Like I said—it was limiting, but limitless.

I floated around for a while, drifting in and out of sleep. My body was still recovering from my jaunt into the physical plane, and if I was going to believe Geist, the Ethereals had no idea I'd done it.

Because he hadn't told them. And I'd just ordered him not to.

Did I trust him?

Did I have a choice?

But what I couldn't get my mind off of was what he'd said about Dags. And my own dad! Dad thought Dags would make a better puppet than me. Not that I was that happy about being a puppet.

I had to get back there and warn them; warn Dags. Geist confirmed they were able to correct the Grimoire—or at least he wasn't some zombified thing sitting there with no mind. And I was pretty damned sure my friends were all patting themselves on the back and taking a breather.

But they had to know there was still a page missing. They couldn't know I had it.

What they needed to be doing was getting my ass out of here and going after the Ethereals before things got worse. I knew somehow that closing off the borders was a bad idea—or it just seemed like a bad idea. It was too much like how dumb politician speak about illegal aliens.

Were they still out to destroy the Revenants? If they were, it meant Jason and Mephistopheles would probably hang around Atlanta and not head back to Chicago. Not yet. And what about the rest of them—were they all still in one city?

I pulled the page from where I'd tucked it in my bra and held it out in front of me. This was my link to Dags. Was it possible that I could slip inside of him...kinda like the way the Familiars did?

I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't want to possess him. I just wanted to talk to him. I wanted to talk to all of them.

Well that and I wanted to yell. A lot.

And with my personality, I might just take over even if I didn't want to.

Should I try it?

I pressed the page against my face. I could smell him if I inhaled deeply enough. And I could see him in my mind—the way he was before when we'd made love at the Society House.

And the shower...

Heat started somewhere around my middle—in the right areas too—when I thought about making love to him again. I closed my eyes and thought of the way his hair curled around his neck, the way his beautiful gray eyes looked at me.

I wanted to see that smile again—to be touched by him.

To be kissed.

How dare my daddy put me in here...where no one could touch me, or kiss me...

Or hold me.

He'd confined me to solitude with no thought to how I would feel.

Hold me, Darren...I need you.

•••

I didn't know if it was me getting angry and thinking of Dags at the same time or wishful thinking. I don't even know how much time passed between my chat with Geist and what happened next.

I do know that suddenly—

I wasn't filtering things through the murky depths of the egg, looking out at a run-down theater. And I wasn't looking behind me into the vast distance of the universe.

I was looking at—some girl with tattoos on her face and bleached white hair?

And she was coming at me with a machete!

"Look out!" I heard a voice shout.

"I see her!"

Whoa! I flinched as I raised a sword and blocked the attack. The two metals clanked and the impact vibrated up through my right arm. I took in a deep breath and pushed her back just before I feigned to the left.

Tattoo-Chick came at me with her machete again. I pivoted to my right and with her momentum she moved just past me as I brought the blade of the sword up and sliced it downward at her. It connected with the back of her neck and—

HOLY HELL!

Her head popped off!

What channel had I tuned into?

Wherever it was, there were more oddly tattooed people fighting around me. As I started to look around I realized that I recognized most of the people fighting against the ones with tattoos.

Jason!

Nick!

Was that Rhonda?

And Joe!

"Hey—" a familiar voice to my right shouted and I looked over at—Daniel! "Handle that one and I think we're good."

I felt myself nod and turned to see a much bigger, much uglier tattoo-faced guy heading my way. He didn't have a machete. No. This guy had a—

CHAINSAW!

The thunder from its engine and quickly moving blades forced me to move back. When he came at me, I blocked with my sword, turned, and was behind him. Whoever these guys were they were almost fast in their attacks.

With Chainsaw's back to me I tried to dispatch him in a similar fashion to his tattoo-laced girlfriend. Sadly my luck seemed to run out. It didn't work! The guy's head didn't come off. Hell I didn't even get my blade near it. Instead he brought his yard tool up and blocked my killing blow. My sword bounced back and I lost my grip on it. Did whoever I was in really think that move would work? I mean...come on. You can't expect to use the same feign-and-slash attack over and over again. And certainly not against a chainsaw!

With a nice backpedal I stumbled over something in the floor and landed on my back with the wind knocked out of me.

GET UP! I shrieked.

Something shook me—this body—who ever I was with. I was trying to figure out which one of my old Scooby Doo gang I had slipped my astral self into—because that was the only way I could be seeing the others. It wasn't any of the ones I could see.

Was I inside of TC?

Was that possible? He didn't really have a body did he?

And I wasn't thinking I knew anyone that wielded a sword but—

Wait—

Dags had a sword a few times.

I'd seen him use it.

I was...I was...

I was what?

I was inside of him? I was inside of Dags?  Had I been successful? Could he...could he hear me?

Should I try it?

No time! Chainsaw on the down stroke!

I scrambled back and was having a hard time breathing—

Then I saw another chainsaw—a much bigger, much badder one—intercept my attacker's. That yard tool was attached to an arm; literally attached to a muscular arm ala "Evil Dead!"

"Sorry ass-wipe," a familiar, deep voice said. "But you ain't gutt'n the kid."

TC!

His familiar bald head came into view as I lay on the floor and tried to breathe. What happened to me? To Dags? Why was I gasping for breath?

Something wet and hot splashed across my face. I looked down the length of my body—at Dags' body—and saw blood splattered all over a green tee shirt, jeans, and arms.

Dags' arms.

Strong, tan arms.

He was alive. And he was whole and fighting. He wasn't a doll anymore!

TC was over me, his hand on Dags' shoulder. He looked good—as he always had=except for the gaunt cheeks and dark circles under his eyes. What was wrong with him? "Hey, book-boy. You okay? Looks like that machete bitch scored."

"Yeah," I said.

DAGS! It's me! I'm here!

Again there was a start, as if Dags' body had a shock run through it.

"Kid?"

"Azrael...get Rhonda. I think—"

"She's coming. She'll get you healed up real quick. Looks like we got 'em all."

"No no...it's not that. I think..."

But Rhonda was suddenly in my face beside TC. "Baby...it's okay. Looks like she just pierced skin. A few stitches and you'll be okay."

Baby?

Hello? Since when did you call my man baby?

"No," Dags reached out and grabbed Rhonda's hand. Rhonda squeezed back.

I fumed. What was with the hand-holding?

"What is it? Was this too much for you? Jesus, I knew we shouldn't have brought you along yet."

"No..." he shook his head. "I wanted to do something, remember? I just..." he gave a long sigh. "It's just that...I think I heard Zoë."

What? He heard me? He heard me!

"What the hell are you doing in here?"

ACK!

I turned—didn't know I could do that—and faced darkness behind me. Whoa—it was like that time I'd been inside of Joe. A dark room with a huge wide-screen so I could see outside.

A light came toward me and I held up my hands—I had no idea who spoke or what it was inside of here but I was gonna—

"Zoë?"

Wait. I knew that voice, and that light. "Alice?"

The light coalesced into Alice Bonville, one of Dags' Familiars. She was tall, like me, thin and elegant, not so like me. As a Familiar she still looked like she had when she was alive, only her hair was white, as were the clothes that formed over her. A shock of that hair hung over one eye like Veronica Lake.

I'd always thought Alice was beautiful.

I waved. "Hi."

I wasn't prepared for her to run at me and catch me in a bear hug. Not classy—but definitely welcome.

I teared up when I realized that this was the first time I'd felt someone's body next to mine in over four months. But was it real?

"How...oh my god how are you here?" she said over and over while I was still holding on to her.

When she finally stepped back I reached into my shirt and pulled the page of the Grimiore free from my bra. "I used this."

Alice's eyes widened. "The missing page!"

"You know about it?"

"Zoë—" Alice put her hands to her face. "There's only one page missing. One left to make him whole." She pointed to it. "And that's it. We've got to get it back in the book as soon as possible."

I wasn't sure why she seemed upset and happy at the same time. I started to ask her what the hurry was when I saw her look behind me up at the screen.

"Dags? Dags!" Rhonda was screaming.

I turned to see the screen dimming. Dags was losing consciousness.

A circle of people looked down at me.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked.

"He said..." Rhonda's voice was the last thing Dags heard before the lights went out. "He said he heard Zoë."

And...cue the dark.

I turned to Alice, whose light was the only illumination around. "What the hell just happened?"

"He was wounded. I helped him shut down to conserve energy. Things are a little different for the time being, Zoë," she put her hand on my wrist, the one holding the page. "That page has to go back in the book."

"But—" I looked back at the darkness around us. "I don't get it. What's going on?" Geist had said the pages had been rearranged in the right order.

Except for this one.

"He is—everything's where it should be. Except this page," she looked at me with wide, blue eyes. "This page is the key, Zoë. This is the link to the Grimoire—without it—he can't access the spells on the pages."

"Without the spells, he can't manifest the magic needed to heal himself. The only power we possess is the basic Guardian abilities he had before the book was fused. He's defenseless, Zoë. Without this page, he's just a normal human. Without this page—it's only a matter of time before his body rejects the book because it can't get to the magic that makes his existence possible." She took in a deep breath. "And when that happens... both he and the book will disappear."

"Forever."

-5-

The Great Ghost

Why was I always learning about things in the most dire of ways? It was almost like my life hung on the chapters of a novel—and each scene ended in a cliffhanger.

-.-

I looked down at the page, still letting what Alice had said sink in. "Alice—what the hell's been happening? You've got to tell me."

"I—I don't even know how much you already know, Zoë?"

"I know..." and I stopped. What exactly did I know?

Too much to really go into. And more to share with everyone. I had to tell them about the Ethereals' plans with Dags, and with me. So that meant I needed to prioritize myself.

Right. Like I'm good with that?

I glanced back up at the blank spot where the screen had been. "I'm inside of Dags, right?"

Alice nodded.

"Where's Maureen?"

She frowned and her eyes took on one of those glassy looks. MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over), but not really. Her frown intensified. "She was here...but now I can't find her."

"What do you mean you can't find her?"

Alice refocused on me. "She and I are a part of Darren's being, but not his soul. His body houses three entities—himself, myself, and Maureen. As a Guardian—with Maureen and I residing inside the gateways on his palms—we are very limited as to our influence within his physical body. But when Rhonda fused the Grimoire inside of him, it took over as the reservoir."

I know I must've looked confused. Because I was.

She patted my arm. "Just think of the Grimoire as the cup that holds us, and Darren's soul is the water that flows from that cup. Darren is the weave that holds the spells. When he was changed, we were all changed. Maureen and I have equal representation now, but not total power."

I arched an eyebrow. "I'm not sure that cleared anything up."

She actually laughed. Wow, I liked it when Alice laughed. "To simplify—we can sense each other. Like we're all in the same house together. But..." she looked behind her. "She's not here."

"How can Maureen not be here?"

"I don't know. She's been absent before. And when that happened—" she sighed. "It usually meant we were in for serious trouble."

"You mean Dags' life is in danger?"

"Pretty much."

"Must be Tuesday."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. Old series reference."

Great. I looked at the page again and remembered Dags' palm. "Alice, what just happened? What were those tattooed guys?"

"Those were Powers—they fall beneath the Virtues and the Arcs."

I was just gonna pretend I knew what that meant.

"Your dad is a Virtue."

"Yeah, I know that. But I'm a little fuzzy about the rest of it."

"Powers are in essence—" Alice pushed her hair back from her face. "Humans that have Ethereal created symbionts in them. Not a Revenant, but more like a—"

"Kinda like what happened with Reverend Rollins? The one that Hirokumi wanted so he could prolong his life?"

"Yes!" she brightened. "The symbionts used for the Posers are more of a hybrid though. If I remember correctly, the Symbiont in Rollins' instance had pretty much taken a back seat and allowed the Reverend power. Meaning he allowed the man's baser needs to manifest."

"Yeah, I guess so. He was a nicer man when that thing left him. So these are worse?"

"Much worse. These things take over the entire body—there's nothing left of the human's soul inside of them. They're slowly devoured;it's what feeds the Symbiont. And they're allowed free reign for service to the Virtue that created it."

"And the tattoos?"

"Seems to be some sort of calling card the Symbionts leave on the flesh when they enter. It's a boon for them because it makes them easily identifiable. If you noticed, these Powers all had the same markings—but in different locations. That particular mark belongs to the Virtue Raziel."

"So you guys got a book on whose is what?"

"We don't know them all." She paused. "But we do know which belong to your dad."

That stopped me in my tracks. "What?"

"I'm sorry Zoë, but we've been attacked by your dad's Powers as well. And we barely made it out alive. He's a very strong Virtue."

"Sonofa—" I shoved the page back into my bra and put my hands on my hips. "This has got to fucking stop."

"I agree. But they seem pretty hell-bent on getting complete control of the Abysmal Plane."

"Hell—" I was getting tired, and not from some expenditure of energy, but just—I wanted some peace! "Why don't they just take it? Just send in troops and spend millions of dollars and just—" I really didn't know how to finish that.

"Because that's not the way the universe works." Alice reached up and put a hand on my shoulder. "A creature with Abysmic spirit must occupy the Throne. And from that Throne comes the control and power needed to manifest the Ethereal's counterpart. You know everything works on opposites; of action and reaction. Yin and yang. And yin can't just take over yang. The two Thrones have to be in agreement with one another."

"So this Seraphim is starting its own little war to do something that can't really happen."

"Yes...and up until a few months ago, it seemed they always knew what we were doing. They were always one step ahead of Joe and the others. It's like there's this eye in the sky following things."

Eye in the sky? "You mean like a world ghost?" Or a universal one?

"Oh not that old myth, Zoë." She laughed at me. "Did someone on that side tell you about it?"

"About what?" I felt we were moving away from what was  important—like Dags and the Seraphim and where Maureen went—but geez my mind could skip to the shiny so fast. "What're you talking about?"

"The myth of the Great Ghost. You know, the universal mind?"

Uh...

"Well, maybe not. You know how some religions in this realm don't subscribe to Heaven or Hell, but to a being that simply is? That the universe is manifest of intelligence all on its own, and it gains that intelligence from all minds being connected as one."

Yeah...I had that confused face on again.

"Zoë—the theory is the Physical Plane exists because millions of minds in the Physical Plane are connected in the Mental Plane, Walk the astral, and manifest the Outer Planes. IE—the Abysmal and Ethereal."

I scratched my head. "Besides what you just said—are you on about that whole 'we make our own reality' crap?"

"Yes!"

"Oh bullshit," I pulled away from her. "You think I want this reality?" And with that I shifted my visual being to become the Wraith, the thing I was before I was trapped in the throne/egg.

Ashen, black-veined skin, dark hair that moved in the air as if underwater, shadows that clung to my body like clothing, my clawed bunny-slippers with fangs, and the wings I now felt and missed so very much. It was an illusion. I knew this.

Because I wasn't really here.

"I want this?"

"Yes. On some level you do. You may not know it. But you are beautiful, Zoë. And powerful. And the universal mind, the Great Ghost—"

"The Geist?"

She blinked, and then smiled wider. "Yes...yes that is a good term for it. The Geist wants you where you are."

"So the Geist controls the universe?"

"No, the universe is the Geist. A Geist is what you call a culmination of something. It's the sum of the many."

I held up my hands. "Okay. Brain fried. Not getting all of this and I'm thinking about Dags again. But I did come into some information about what they want to do with the Grimoire—"

"We know," Alice nodded. "They intend on plucking it out of Dags and using it to gain control so they can keep the borders closed."

"They want to put him in the hot-seat, Alice."

She frowned at me. "What?"

"Yeah..." and I looked back up at the blank, black wall. "They want Dags in the Throne, and they don't just want them closed, Alice. They want them sealed."

-6-

He's Mine Bitch

Alice led me to the most amazing thing inside of Dags' subconscious.

A beach.

How long had it been since I'd seen a beach?

It was dark though.

I could see the moon, full above me. It sparkled over the water and illuminated the cliffs behind me on the other side of the sand. She'd arranged driftwood in a semi-circle a few feet from the shore, and a fire sparked and crackled there. I saw lights in the distance, almost as if we were on the edge of civilization.

"I set this up for Darren back when Rodriguez had him." Alice said as she sat down and stoked the fire. I had my back to her, looking out over the water at the dim horizon. "It was a place he could go to escape the pain of torture."

"Rodriguez really did torture him?"

"He nearly killed Darren, Zoë," Alice said in a small voice. "If Rhonda hadn't pushed the book into his soul—"

"Stop it," I hissed. I didn't want to hear this. I'd had no idea what Dags had gone through before he'd shown up in mom's house and saved my ass from the Coyote Flame. He'd been there for me, laughed with me, and cared. With no explanation about himself and the changes I'd physically seen.

Selfless.

I'd heard part of the story from Dags, and from Rhonda. And my heart cracked a little more inside every time I thought of him hurting or in pain. My touch had sent him on the same road as Azrael's touch had done to me.

I had changed Dags' life, but Rhonda had changed him physically.

"Do you see it?"

I half turned to my left to look at her, illuminated by the fire. "See what?"

She nodded to a place to my right. I turned and looked into the shadows. At first I thought it was just a dark mountain—but then as I stared harder I noticed the shape of it wasn't irregular enough. I started walking closer to it.

I stopped when I realized it was a book.

A big. Fucking. Book.

Right here, half buried, three stories in height and half as wide.

Alice was beside me, her light illuminating the book's face. It looked like a circular symbol had been tooled into the leather. "That's the same mark on Dags' palms."

"Yes. I've had this book since I was in my thirties—passed down to me by my grandmother. She was the leader of the Cruorem then, and some of the spells inside are hers as well. But I have no idea what the history of it was before then."

I took another step closer to it as she spoke.

"The cover was always blank before—just an old, worn leather casing. Made it look like any other old book. But that symbol appeared when Rhonda did her spell. It ties Darren to it."

I was close enough to touch it. But I was scared out of my freak'n mind to do that. "And Rhonda put the pages in order?" I moved around to the right of the book, where normally it would open.

It was closed. Nothing looked wrong with it.

"Yes. The book used to be open."

"It did?" I looked back at her.

"It used to sit on this shore like the sun. It was like a beacon we could go to when we needed answers. The Grimoire has it all. It pulsed with life. Darren's life. But now," she sighed. "Without that page inside of it—it's locked."

I pulled the page out again, but kept it folded. "Why can't I just put the page in now while I'm here?"

Alice reached out and put a hand on my arm. "No Zoë. You can't. For two reasons." She nodded at the page. "Because that's not really here—just as you're not really here. You're a projection of the reality where you are. You're OOB right now, but you're inside of Darren."

Ah...that was true. "Then you'd need to get the real page and it's with me in the Throne." I decided I liked the idea of it being a Throne. It sounded better than egg when talking to someone who hadn't seen it.

"Yes. And the second reason is because only Rhonda can place the page.  She has to raise the book from him, slip it in, and then put the book back."

The horizon brightened, which made the edges of the big ass book sharper. Wow...this really was a big book.

"Dags is waking. I think he can hear you."

I followed Alice back toward the cliffs and the darkness.

•••

I could see through his eyes again, and if I concentrated—

OUCH—he was in pain!

"He's coming around," that was Rhonda. "Baby—can you hear me?"

"Y-yeah," and Dags' voice surrounded me. "Oh fuck that hurts."

"I know. I got it stitched up but we just don't have access to the Society's funds for better medical treatment. And we can't let you walk into a hospital—"

"Yeah...I know. They'll grab me and rescue me since I'm kidnapped. Son of a—" he hissed. The pain was localized in his right side, where the tattooed chick had thrust her machete. I felt it in my own side as if I'd been the one to get skewered.

"Zoë?" Alice said.

"He's not kidding. This hurts," I pulled up my shirt. It was a simple black cotton top—I had no idea where it came from. Maybe my years working as a retail sales girl.

I could see a faint ghost of the wound on my own skin. It did look stitched up—gah—and it looked like a third grader did it. Rhonda was not a seamstress.

"I wonder why you have the mark of his wound," Alice muttered as she came up to look at it.

Her light made it a lot clearer, and I wondered where I could get me one of those. "I have no idea. I can't remember if I could always do this before or not."

"Might be that the page of the book that's making this possible. Either way, this is going put him out of commission again."

"What did she mean they didn't have access to the Society's funds? I thought Rhonda was the head of it?"

"Oh... you don't know." She looked awesomely pissed off. "Apparently the Virtues have guided the local Feds to indict the Society for kidnapping a diplomat's son and brainwashing him in their "devil worshiping" palatial estate."

Blink.

WTF?

"Say dat again?"

"It's all bullshit, but it didn't help that Rhonda had all of Rodriguez' torture devices—basically his whole damn laboratory—brought into the compound's basement. It was for storage and research—to see what he'd been doing—but that's not how it was spun. Most of the Society got out—and Nona and Nick were able to destroy a good deal of the files. At least the most important ones that revealed board members and supporters. Powerful list."

"Mom and Nick? They did that?"

"It was quite a night, Zoë. They want to find a way to get you back and they believe Dags has that key. But if he does we haven't found it yet."

I patted my boob. "Yeah, you have. But we need to get everyone up to speed right now and see what our options are." I looked back at the wound.

Was there anything I could do to it?

Geist?

I really didn't expect him to answer. Not sure I wanted him too.

I was floored when he actually came out of the darkness, still dressed in Joe's signature look. "You called Zoë?"

I waited on Alice to notice him standing beside her—but she didn't. I frowned.

"She cannot see me, Zoë. Only the Throne holders know of my presence and existence. Otherwise, I am invisible. If you would like me to become visible to the Familiar, I can."

I opened my mouth to talk—and noticed Alice watching me—and decided maybe not. Nah. I'll just talk in my head. I'm used to it. So are you here in Dags' head with me?

"Yes. And no. I am a projection as you are."

Oh that's good. Look, you see this, and I showed him my side. This is causing some issues. Is there a way I can fix it?

"Yes. You simply have to wish it so."

Get out of town. I leaned back. "No shit?"

Alice blinked. "No shit what, Zoë?"

"Nothing." I looked at the wound again. Wish it so, huh?

Okay, I wish Dags wasn't wounded.

"And it is done," Geist bowed and vanished.

The pain vanished.

Three, two, one—

"What the fuck?" Rhonda said.

I turned and looked through Dags' eyes. He was still on his back—somewhere—but the pain was gone. "What did you do?" he asked.

"I didn't do anything," Rhonda said. "But—Jason—look at this."

Jason's beautiful face came into view. His hair had grown a bit, and he looked at little haggard. I wondered idly if he needed blood. "It's—healed. Are you sure you didn't do something?"

Maybe she leaked? A deep, familiar voice spoke in my head.

Whoa... I stepped back. That was Mephistopheles' voice! Jason's First Born,though he often called Mephistopheles his Old Man. But since I was in Dags' body, did that mean that Dags could hear him?

"Tell that old man I don't leak magic. Dags," she reached up and touched his cheek. "How does it feel?"

"It doesn't feel like anything. It's like—it didn't happen."

"How?" Alice said to my left. "Maureen and I haven't been able to heal him properly. At least not well."

I nodded. I knew I'd done it. But something about it niggled at me. By healing him like that—had I screwed up something else?

Like that other shoe dropping?

"Dags—can you hear me?" I called out to him. And then I put a little force behind it. "Dags—it's me. It's Zoë."

"Zoë?" Dags' voice was loud and clear and he sat up. He started looking around at the others. I saw we were in a bedroom—not the nicest of places. It might have been a hotel. The walls were covered in some reddish wall paper with little black flowers. Heavy gold drapes hung over the windows. Two 1960s art deco lamps lit up most of the room.

Jason and Rhonda were closest to me, and I could see Joe at the foot of the bed. I didn't see TC or Daniel...or mom.

"Baby...you said before you heard Zoë. Do you hear her now?"

Okay this whole "baby" thing was getting on my last nerve. I asserted control at that moment—and it was like donning a super sized suit of armor. I slid my arms down into his, my feet into his. I cleared his throat and spoke, my voice echoing with his own. "Okay—that just needs to fucking stop. Dags is my man, not yours and if you call him baby again I'm going to kick the shit out of you."

-7-

I'm Baaaaaaack

Rhonda stood up straight, her eyes wide. "What the—"

I/Dags stood up and took a wobbly step toward her. "And another thing," I held out his hand. I loved his hands. Beautiful hands. "What the hell are you people doing? Why haven't you busted me out of the Abysmal plane yet?"

Rhonda put her hands to her face. "ZOË!"

Abruptly she had her arms around my neck—Dags' neck—and was crying on me. "Oh God you're alive...you're alive..."

"Yes...and I need to—"

The truth was Dags wanted control again. I'd told myself I wasn't doing this to take control of him. I didn't want to possess him. I stumbled backward against Alice who caught me. But she wasn't a happy camper.

"You could have been a bit gentler about that. He's not as strong as he used to be."

"And he won't ever be strong again until we get this page back into him," I said as I looked up at the screen.

Dags had pulled back from Rhonda but kept his hands on her shoulders. "...you hear that? That wasn't me. I swear it wasn't me. That was Zoë."

"I know!" Rhonda looked about ready to burst. "Zoë...are you in there with Dags?"

"Yes."

He relayed the response.

"Zoë," Jason said as he stepped into view. "Are you possessing Dags, or overshadowing him?"

"I just want to overshadow, but I can possess him if I need to. I hadn't planned on it."

He nodded. "Then you're astrally here with him."

"Yes. I have a lot of things to tell all of you—"

"Zoë—" Dags interrupted me. "You don't have to keep yelling. I can hear you and I can tell them."

I felt my cheeks glow. I was yelling? "I'm sorry. I'm just so excited to see you again."

"Me too. Are you on a time limit? I mean, minutes to expire?"

"I don't think so. I'm not tired or anything. I'm in here talking to Alice."

"I thought I'd heard voices earlier. What about Maureen."

"Darren," Alice spoke up. "I can't sense Maureen. Can you?"

He paused for a few minutes. I could see Rhonda and Jason watching him and waiting. He was talking out loud so it was a one sided conversation. "Can Mephistopheles hear me?"

Yes. And I can allow Jason to hear you if you wish.

"Yes!"

Dags sighed. "I can't feel Maureen."

"What do you mean you can't feel Maureen?" Rhonda asked. "I thought she was with you half an hour ago, during the fight?"

"She was but then she vanished—"

He and I came to the same conclusion at the same time.

Uh oh.

Alice touched my arm. "That's not possible is it?"

"I don't know, but I can check." I called out again. Geist!

And within seconds he was there. It was faster this time. "Yes Zoë?"

There's usually another Familiar in here with Alice. Her name is Maureen. Where is she?

"This vessel can only be inhabited by two entities other than the soul at one time, especially while the Grimoire is offline. I am afraid for you to be here and not feel the ill effects of separation, a surrogate had to be placed inside of your body."

Oh.

My.

Freak'n.

God.

I nearly had a coronary. Geist—are you telling me Maureen is in my body?

"Yes. But please do not worry. She is not strong enough to...what was the word you used...overshadow, or even possess your body. She is simply there to fill space. As they say, nature abhors a vacuum."

Is that going to hurt her?

"No. She will have no memories of the experience." He gave me a lopsided grin. "I sense you are distressed?"

Well yeah...Maureen hasn't exactly been...trustworthy. She's responsible for a lot of bad things that happened to Dags.

"Yes I am aware of Maureen Lafferty's history. But I have taken precautions."

"Zoë?" Alice said.

"Dags?" Rhonda said.

I thanked Geist, and he disappeared. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah I did," Dags said aloud. "Who—what was that?"

"Long story. Let's just say I trust his information for now."

"But it looked like—"

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry about it." I don't know why I didn't want to talk about the Geist just yet. Alice had pretty much confirmed it existed. But somehow—I'd gotten the impression she thought it was bad. But he was the reason I was here—I'd done this on his advice I guessed. And I wasn't ready to give up that connection. Or what was turning into a nice fount of information.

My own Big Book of Everything.

But I had this nagging feeling Rhonda wouldn't approve. And how come Dags could hear and see Geist but Alice couldn't?

"But Zoë—without Maureen—"

"What do you mean without Maureen?" Rhonda butted in.

"Tell her to shut the fuck up."

Dags did. Rhonda looked pissed. Jason merely smiled. Where was everyone else?

I looked at Alice. "Maureen isn't here. When I came here—she was somehow sucked into my place. She's in my body back in the Throne."

Alice's eyes widened. Oh that wasn't a good sign. "Zoë—Maureen's not—"

"Trustworthy. I know—"

But she was shaking her head. "Let me finish. Maureen's not really a part of the picture at the moment."

"I'm not getting it."

"Neither am I," Dags said out loud.

Jason is listening. And I will inform Inanna and Daniel.

Alice continued. "After—her last indiscretion—whether it was done by the powers that be or by the Grimoire itself—Maureen was removed from Dags' hand. She's part of the triumvirate, and she was here while Dags was catatonic, but once the pages were re-ordered she hasn't been able to reconnect to her place. Zoë," Alice took my hand. "Maureen and I act as his connections to the two spheres of the universe—the Abysmal and the Ethereal. She's his Abysmic connection. Without her—"

"I'm not sure I know what you're getting at." And I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

"Right now, you're that connection. You are the Abysmic plane manifestation."

"So what does that mean?" Dags asked.

"Yeah," I looked at Alice. "What are you getting at?"

That's when I noticed Alice was more excited than worried. She looked up. "Dags—look at your left palm."

We both looked up at the screen, through Dags' eyes. He held up his left hand and turned it over. The tattoo was visible and glowing a soft—black. Rhonda moved forward and pulled his hand backward so she could see what he was looking at.

"Dags, your palm is healed. But it's never been that color before has it? I mean it's...black."

"Alice says it's because of Zoë."

Rhonda's eyes widened. You know...surprising her never gets old.

Alice looked at me. "That's your presence in here. And if I understand the mechanics of how the planes work, of how Darren's existence is possible, then you should be able to—"

I didn't need the lesson, or the explanation. I'd seen Dags at work—seen Maureen and Alice manifest themselves in the physical world. And if there was any possibility that I had this power now—after four months of nothing—I was sure as shit gonna try.

"Wait!" Alice cried out.

But there was no stopping me. I concentrated on that hand, on the symbols that glowed black, the concentric circles that turned in opposing directions. The glow intensified and brightened. Dags held his hand out and pointed the palm upward.

I have to admit—it wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be. But it wasn't difficult either. It was more like—

Birth.

Not that I remember being born. But there was a long tunnel with a light at the end of it as the theater behind Dags' eyes vanished. I sped toward that light as fast as I could. There was no wind, nothing but the increasing size of the light as I—

"My Goddess—"

That was Rhonda's voice. And I heard it. I mean...I heard it next to me. Not from a distance. Not in a dream. But with my own ears.

Light flooded behind my eye-lids—I didn't realize I'd closed them. I blinked a few times and looked around me.

I was in the Physical Plane again and standing in front of Jason, Rhonda and—

Dags.

He was even more beautiful than I remembered. His hair had grown a little more from the shorter cut after Rodriguez had chopped it off. It fell around his eyes, over his ears. His beautiful gray eyes were wide as he returned my stare. Some of those silky locks hugged his perfect neck and I was sure I saw a bit of shadow along his jawline. My gaze traveled down to his bare chest, just visible between the open folds of his button down shirt.

I took in his waist, his hips, his thighs, and his bare feet. I saw the black light glowing in his left palm and looked back up to his face.

And I wanted him more than I'd wanted anyone else in the world.

He sniffed and I saw tears brim over his red-rimmed eyes. "Zoë..." he said.

We were in each other's arms, clutching each other as tight as we could. I buried my face in his neck, sought out his warmth and his smell, and realized...I found neither. I couldn't feel him. I knew I was holding him. I knew I was in his arms and he was in mine. But...I couldn't feel his hair against my cheek, or his chest pressed against my own.

"I'm afraid that's what it's like," Alice said in my mind. "To be a Familiar, Zoë."

I was more than disappointed. He pulled me back and put his hands to the sides of my face. My hair was down and moved over his elbows, over my arms. We looked into each other's eyes and I felt my own tears burn painfully behind my lids.

"I love you," he said softly.

And then our lips met, hard at first. I tried to feel him. I wanted to feel him. I needed to. But there was no physical sensation. It didn't stop me from kissing him as hard and as deeply as I could. I put my own hands on his face when I pulled away, and saw his lips were swollen with my need.

I really, really, really wanted this man.

Jason cleared his throat.

I'd forgotten they were there.

"Zoë—" Rhonda said.

I pulled him into my embrace again and turned to look at her.

She didn't look as happy as I thought she would. She looked put out. And a little...embarrassed? "I'm sorry, Rhonda. It's just that—" and I squeezed Dags to me. "It's been so long and—"

"No that's not it—it's just—"

"What?"

"Can you put some clothes on?"

-8-

My Wild Heart

That was embarrassing.

Well, not really. After everything I'd been through becoming corporeal in the Physical Plane completely naked seemed like nothing. Jason didn't seem to mind.

Now that made me blush.

It is good to see you again, Zoë.

"You too Mephistopheles," I managed to stammer out loud while my mind yelled at Alice to tell me how to make clothes.

Alice—the old bat—was laughing at me. "Just think of clothing. It should come to you."

Riiiight. I did as she suggested. But I didn't want the standard black with fanged bunny slippers for once. I wanted—

Girl clothes.

Abruptly, a red mist covered me and created a cream and gold sundress. It was one I'd had my eye on back when I was working a real day job. It was strapless and pillowed my boobs just perfect. It hugged my waist in all the right places and then flared out to my knees. White sandals with straps up to my mid-calves followed behind. My hair was instantly braided and out of my way.

"You look..." Dags' grin was infectious. "Beautiful."

"You clean up nice, Zoë," Jason said. He was standing behind Rhonda closer to an old tube television perched on top of a dresser.  A quick look around the room confirmed that I'd been right. This was a hotel room.

My gaze rested on Rhonda. She wasn't embarrassed anymore. In fact—I wasn't sure what emotion was on that face.

Relief?

But the kind of relief that also heralded sadness? I noticed her gaze sliding over to Dags a few times. But he was looking at me.

That's what you get for calling my man baby. I was still a bit put out by that. I mean...she knew how we felt about each other. Right?

"Can Alice still manifest?"

As if to answer that question, she showed up to my left, between Rhonda and I. "Yes. Apparently—as you can tell—Zoë's managed to take Maureen's place for now."

"How?" Rhonda put her hands on her hips. "And is that such a good idea? I mean—having Maureen in Zoë's body?"

"The how," I said and reached inside my sundress. I pulled out the folded page. "Is here."

Jason's eyes widened. And Rhonda's jaw dropped. "You have the last page!"

"I do. And don't ask me how I got it. I discovered it was in my hand somehow."

Dags gave me a squeeze. We still had arms around each other. And he seemed to be the same height. Had he grown? Or was I shorter as a Familiar? "You don't know how you got it?"

"No," I shook my head. Wow...no one knew how nice this was. How...liberating it was. To be free. "But I can't just put this page in the book."

"No," Alice said. "It's only a projection. The real page is in the Throne with her."

"Throne?" Dags said.

"It's a long story," I said and kissed his cheek. My heart sank again when I realized not even that small act gave me any sensations. My heart felt, but this body didn't. "Let's just say that's where my body is."

"Inside the Abysmal Plane," Rhonda said.

I nodded. "I've sort of been watching you guys when I could—I mean I knew something awful had happened to Dags," and I held him tighter to me. "But I couldn't touch the Physical until now."

"How did you know to use the page?" Rhonda asked.

I hesitated. I wasn't sure I liked her tone. Or was that my imagination? "Oh that was an accident. I've had this page for a while but didn't know I could do this till—" I smiled. "Now?"

"How do we know it's really you?"

"Rhonda!" Jason hissed.

Dags' right hand balled into a fist. "Rhonda, that's just rude. You know we've been working for months to bring Zoë back—but we didn't know where she was. And you treat her like this?"

"Didn't know where I was?" I gave him a frown, all thoughts of Rhonda-the-Interrogator gone. "Did he never tell you?"

"Did who tell us what?"

"TC? He was there when my father tricked me into the Throne;which is really this big egg that sits on a stage in a really old theater—"

"Wait a minute," Jason held up his hand. "You mean Azrael has known all this time where you were?"

"Well yeah," I looked at each of them and wasn't happy about their face. "You...you didn't know?"

"No." Alice said. "He never let on that he knew where you were. All he's said, repeatedly, is that you were inaccessible until we put the page back."

"Well if she's physically in the Abysmal she is inaccessible," Jason said. "Think about it. Neither Rhonda, Joe nor myself can go physically into that plane. Daniel might. He's still young enough."

"Or Dags?"

Jason shook his head. "I don't know about Dags."

"Oh no," Dags put up a hand. "I am not doing that again. I've been through there. Almost died."

"That's twice," Rhonda said. "That you've almost died. The first time, Zoë saved you."

It was true, though I hadn't known it at the time. Alice's husband, Allard Bonville, had used a spell to physically drag Dags through the Abysmal Plane. The physical effect nearly killed him. But apparently I'd been juiced on Abysmic souls so when his heart stopped, I'd zapped him back again. And I turned him into a Guardian.

"And the second time I saved you."

I pursed my lips and frowned at Rhonda. Was she trying to make herself sound important? Yes, yes, we know you slipped the book in him and made him all weird like me. But get over it.

There was one of those  awkward silence moments right before the lock to the hotel room turned.

Jason moved behind the door and became little more than shadows. Dags pulled me down between the two beds in the room. Alice vanished, back into Dags I assumed. Rhonda reached behind her and I saw the glint of a knife.

Wow...these guys weren't fooling around. Had things back here gotten that bad?

The door opened and a voice said, "Noblesse..."

Rhonda answered with, "Oblige."

What the hell was that—some super-duper secret password?

Joe stepped inside carrying two bags of groceries. Behind him was Azrael and behind him—

My heart skipped and I held my breath.

Daniel.

-9-

OOB

All three of them stopped when they saw me. I guess that's to be expected. I hadn't seen any of them in months.

Joe—Joe looked the same as always. The same spiky hair, same long face and quirky expression. A smile that was more of a smirk. Though this time his expression showed shock, relief, and elation.

He dropped both bags and ran to me as I stood up next to Dags. Joe's arms came around my shoulders and I wanted to cry out because I couldn't feel them. There was nothing. It was as if my entire body was dead. He bent over me and then picked me up. My feet dangled over the floor and I laughed.

Joe laughed.

"Hey...you can put her down now," Dags said, and I thought I heard just an edge to his voice.

"Is it really you?" Joe said as he set me down and then held me out at arm's length. His gaze moved down to my sandaled feet and he gave me a sharp frown. "Maybe not—you're wearing a dress."

"It's her," TC said. "Or it's part of her. She's corporeal. But it's not her body."

Joe glanced back at the First Born and then back to me. "You're OOB?"

I nodded, but my gaze moved to TC. He moved behind Joe's back and into a small kitchenette next to a bathroom, just visible past a tall door. He set his own armful of groceries down and pulled out a bag of grapes. After popping a few into his mouth, he leaned against the door. "This is a surprise."

"So is finding out you didn't tell them where I am."

Jason stepped from the shadows as Rhonda stepped in closer.

TC shrugged. "There was nothing anybody could do to get you out. All the pages have to be replaced before we have any hope of finding a way to open the Throne. Then there's the getting out alive part."

"He's right," Daniel said as he stepped forward. "Let's not start bickering."

That's when he looked directly at me.

I was lost in memories of Daniel—fantasies I'd had of him since the first day I'd seen him in Hirokumi's office. Tall, lean, blue-eyed, brown hair. So soft spoken. I'd been fascinated when he'd questioned the Japanese businessman whose employee had been murdered the night before in the office. Daniel had been the first one to believe there had been a link between that murder and Reverend Rollins.

He'd been a homicide detective, and Joe's partner at one time-and my boyfriend. But our romance had been a rocky one—TC had nearly killed him by pushing him off a roof. Next he was overshadowed by me and suffered a cold. Then he was possessed by a Horror and murdered people. It'd been that knowledge that drove him insane. He'd blamed everything on me and tried to kill me—only his Captain, Ken Cooper had taken the bullet. And died.

Daniel had been committed to a facility and later escaped, bonded with a First Born to become a Revenant, and came back to me.

Only...

So many things had changed inside of me. The stress of knowing the Horror that'd hurt him so bad had been created by me forced me to pull away from him. The Horror had driven him to a breaking point. I looked at him and felt guilt. Still.

I loved him...but he was also, for all intents and purposes, a vampire now.

The bonding with Inanna was what cured Daniel's madness. He still knew he'd killed all those people, but she'd managed to dull that pain and bring him back to himself. He was Daniel Frasier once more—but he was also something else.

Aren't we all?

Nothing was ever going to still my heart when it was around him. I still had feelings for him. I still cared deeply for him. And we had never been able to consummate the relationship.

It was odd to me that the fantasies I'd had while we dated—the ones of sexual bliss with Daniel—had been the same ones that had helped me become the Wraith. And yet...

"I can hear you," Alice said softly.

Oh shit. "You can hear me thinking?"

"I can see your memories."

"Can Dags?"

"Not yet, but if you keep that up he will. Turn it down a notch. And stop thinking about Daniel's pants. Remember, there's a woman inside of there now."

I laughed. "Alice, there are two women inside the man I love."

She didn't say anything after that.

I moved away from Joe and stood in front of Daniel. He and I were evenly matched, eye to eye. Dark lashes framed his blue eyes. His hair hung long and shaggy around his face and pulled away into a short pony-tail in back. He wore a long duster, a white tee-shirt beneath it.

"Zoë—"

I smiled at him. "It's good to see you well, Daniel. And tell Inanna it's good to see her. I never got a chance to—"

He took a step closer to me and I thought for an instant he was going to give me a hug. Or even a smile. But his expression remained impassive. Blank. "I'm fine," was all he said.

And then his voice changed and took on that two-toned effect that happened when a First Born spoke through their host. "Is this true? Are you out of body?"

I nodded and felt Dags behind me. He put his hand on my back and I melted into it. I once felt love and compassion from Daniel. I knew he loved me. I knew he cared for me.

But now...there was something different.

"Ah...yes. I'm out of body right now."

Jason returned to his perch of leaning against the TV stand. Rhonda sat on the bed opposite from the one Dags had been in. Joe joined her there. A good two feet separated them.

Had something happened between them? Last I knew the two of them had become an item.

TC stayed where he was—and ate grapes.

Dags moved beside me as Alice re-appeared to his right. Like this, she and I flanked him, much like Maureen and Alice had. Dags held up his palms for everyone to see.

Joe pointed to his left hand. "What the hell's going on with that one? It's black like a negative image. Is Maureen okay? Where is she?"

Dags took in a deep breath. "From what we can figure out—Zoë's body is in the abysmal plane—inside of a Throne just as Nona guessed it was. Somehow—and even Zoë's a bit sketchy on the how—she and Maureen have exchanged places. Maureen is in her body and she's taken up where Maureen was."

"Does this have anything to do with the book?" Daniel said. He was still standing, his gaze focused Dags' hand.

"Yes it does," I said and pulled out the page again. I held it up. "We're guessing this is the last page—which is how I was able to link back to Dags. According to Alice, this page is what gives Dags, Alice and Maureen access to the Grimoire. Somehow, because it's physically with me, I was able to use it."

Joe looked thoughtful. "Now, I always thought you had, like, a time limit when you went OOB. 'Cause that's technically what you're doing, right?"

"Right, and no." I shrugged. "I haven't felt any fatigue. And I think," and here was where I was going to need to give out information without sounding all Buddha on them. And what sucked was I was pretty sure no one was going to believe I came up with this on my own. "And I could be wrong, but, I think as long as she's inhabiting my body, I can stay here. With Dags."

He pulled me close to him and kissed my cheek. I cried a little inside. Should I tell him I couldn't feel him? That I couldn't seem to feel anyone or anything. That being a Familiar was like being something...dead?

"I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop," TC said.

I looked past them and fixed my eyes on him. "I thought you'd at least be happy to see me?"

"But that's just it," he came from the kitchenette and stood next to Daniel. Daniel was much taller, but what TC lacked in height he made up for in size. "We're not seeing you. We're seeing a projection of you. In case it hasn't sunk in yet, lover," and he reached up and removed his shades. I stared into his pearl white eyes. "That page is with you—inside of a Throne. No one—except a Seraphim or a Phantasm—can even touch a Throne."

I started to answer him when I felt Dags move beside me. I turned and caught his arm as his knees buckled beneath him. "Dags?"

"S-sorry," he said as he stumbled back into the bed. He leaned back on the headboard and had his right hand to his face. I had a death-grip on his left hand. "I just felt really dizzy."

"There's the shoe," TC said as he turned and went back to his grapes. "The link to the book's gonna vanish faster now cause spook girl's tap'n it. We got to get those borders open and get that page."

Rhonda was up and pushing me out of the way. "Move—you're draining him."

"I am not—"

"I think Azrael's right, Zoë," Alice spoke up.

I stepped back and looked at Alice as Rhonda muscled me out of the way and placed a hand to the side of Dags' face. "How? Do you and Maureen drain him?"

"Yes and no," she put a hand on my arm. There were so many people in the room. I was starting to feel claustrophobic. "She and I did at first, before the Grimoire was placed inside. And we'd all have to rest. I used to draw directly from him to make myself physical—so that I could interact with this world."

I narrowed my eyes at Alice. "It was a bad thing to do?"

"It was necessary. But it made him weak and sick. And I stopped. With the Grimoire in place—and accessible—we found we could use power from it."

"But that's closed off now," Joe said as he came around the other side of the bed. "Rhonda?"

"He's asleep. And he's warm." She turned and gave me an ubër-hateful look. "I suggest you stop this. You're exhausting him."

I hesitated and looked around at the faces looking at me. They didn't look happy.

"Get out!"

-10-

Together But Apart

I opened my mouth to give her a piece of my mind—but Alice's hand on my arm stopped me.

"Come with me, Zoë."

"But I want to be with—"

She winked.

I stepped back—

And we were once again on the shore by the fire. The book loomed in the shadows to my right. The dress I'd created moved in the breeze. "Alice—"

"She's not here."

Dags stood by the fire. He was dressed the same as in the physical world, but here his hair was longer. Almost as it'd been when we met. He stepped toward me and put a hand on my cheek. "She's minding the store."

I wanted to feel his hand there. God I just wanted to feel again...

He stepped closer as his hand slid from my cheek, just brushing his thumb over my jaw, and then cradled the back of my head as he pressed his lips against mine. I sobbed as I slipped my arms around his chest. How many nights, days, hours, and minutes had I floated in that limbo of nothing and dreamed of holding him again?

Of feeling him against me? How could I express my agony at seeing him become little more than a doll, left alone in that room for hours at a time.

I heard music from somewhere on the wind across the water. It was Plumb's "Cut" and I held him tighter as he ran his tongue along my lower lip. I knew it was there...but I just couldn't...

"Dags..."

He stopped and looked at me. There was nothing in those eyes but love. "What is it?"

"I can't—" oh God how could I ruin this moment? How could I do this to the both of us? "I want to but I can't—"

"You can't—"

I put raised my arms and put my hands to the sides of his face. I was touching something solid. But I couldn't feel his skin, or his warmth. "Dags I can't feel you."

I was surprised when he smiled and gave a soft, deep laugh. "I can't actually feel you either, Zoë. But this is the realm of the inner mind. We're just shades of ourselves."

It made sense. And I should have known that he'd know what I was feeling. Or what I wasn't. "But I can't even feel you when I go corporeal. It's not like it was before when I was OOB from my own body—"

"I know."

"—and it's just—you know?"

"Yes. Maureen used to talk to me about it. I don't know why it's that way. Maybe it's because as Familiars you're no longer creatures of flesh and blood?" He moved his hand to my cheek again. "But it doesn't matter, Zoë. You and I can remember what it was like to feel one another. I have my memories of making love to you—they're alive and with me all the time. We might not be able to feel one another now—but we're together again. I can see you, touch you in a manner, and I can talk to you. Zoë," and his eyes were red rimmed. "You have no idea how alone I've been—"

"Oh the hell I don't," I said and pulled him to me. I was afraid I was going to crush him I held him so tight. "I've been in that damned egg for so long. No touch. No contact. Not even my father came to see me, Dags. He locked me away—" and that's when I realized my own eyes were wet.

He pulled back and moved his thumb to my eyes and gently wiped away my sadness. "I'm here. They tried to keep us apart."

"They can't ever do that."

"No," he said and leaned his left cheek against my right one. In my ear he whispered, "I will be with you till the end of time. Not even the stars can burn as bright as my love for you."

I exploded inside at that moment—filled with a happy I thought I'd forgotten. And then it didn't matter if I could feel his touch, or if he could feel mine. We were together. One to one.

There was a fire, the sound of the water, a distant music and time for us as his body slept.

But even as he led me to a bed of pillows and blankets by the fire, I worried that if we made love it would tire him out. Unfortunately, I'd said that with my outside voice.

"Oh...I don't think so," he said and pulled me down beside him. He directed me to lay back on the blanket and I watched him under the moonlight as he smoothed my hair to the side. Dags removed his shirt and I reached out to run my hands over the contours of his shoulders. His muscles cut deep grooves and soft shadows. I knew I was touching him, could remember what his skin felt like.

I wanted to cry. I just wanted to be normal again.

A normal girl in love with a normal boy.

In a normal relationship.

With a normal future.

He unbuttoned the front of my dress and it melted away. That's when I realized he was no longer wearing pants. We were two nude bodies beneath the moon on a beach in a world that existed on the edge of imagination; beyond reality.

I wanted him beside me, but Dags moved my hand away as he leaned down and pressed his lips between my breasts. With his right hand he fondled my left nipple with his thumb as he traced the path to my right nipple and teased it softly with his tongue.

I lost myself in the memory—though faded as it was—of his lips on my body. That afternoon in the bathroom at Rhonda's. I arched my back and thrust my breasts to him. Dags moved his right hand around my back and pulled me closer, supporting me as he moved his tongue from my right breast to my left. I put my right hand on his back as he shifted above me and straddled my hips.

I wanted to feel his arousal against me—I wanted to feel it inside of me.

With a moan I pulled him down to me, wrapping my legs around his waist and reached down to touch his hard cock. I knew it was velvet smooth, and warm. When he didn't react, I felt my heart plummet and my eyes burned again.

"Zoë?"

I let him go and tried to turn away. But he held onto me and kissed my cheek. "I'm sorry...I just can't."

"It's...difficult."

"Dags—some much about making love is about feeling. Not just emotionally—but physically. I need to know your skin is against mine. I need the sensation. Memories are fine—but they fade. I want to make new ones."

He looked so sad as he remained mounted over me. He had his arms around me, beneath me. He buried his face into the side of my neck. I held onto him.

His shoulders shook against me and I held him as tight as I could for as long as he would have me.

Eventually he moved to my side and I shifted to face him. He on his left, me on my right. We lay like that for a long time, staring at one another. We talked, we laughed, we cried. He told me what'd happened to him—what he could remember—which wasn't much between when Maureen opened the book and Frejya (Umayma) and Rhonda put it back together—again. The two of them had originally re-assembled it that night—but they didn't realize it'd been put back together wrong—with pages missing.

Then I told him what I could remember. Daniel and TC.

"So...he was there. Azrael."

"Yeah. He warned me not to try and help Sophia. But I sort of—" I remembered very clearly shoving him backward with the power I'd had. "I kinda pissed him off. The two of them left."

He laughed softly at me. "He doesn't know you very well."

I frowned at him and moved a strand of his silky hair from his face. "What's that supposed to mean."

"That telling you or warning you not to do something—just means you're going to do it."

Well yeah that was true—and TC did know that. Hell, he'd been the one to teach me what I could do as a fully physical Wraith.

In fact—TC knew me a lot better than most people.

"What's that face for?"

I refocused on Dags. "It's just that—you don't think he wanted me to do it do you? TC knew what I was heading toward. That maybe he wanted me to be the Phantasm just like my dad?"

"No," he shook his head, though he didn't look totally convinced. "I'm not sure what motivates that First Born. But I don't think he wanted you to do that. He's been suffering, you know."

"He's...weaker. I can feel it. He's still scary just not like he was."

"Uh huh. And I even heard him talking to Daniel about becoming a Revenant."

Well that thought made me frown. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"It's an awful idea. I mean, I know why he's considering it—because if he does bond with a human then your physical self won't be tied to his any longer."

"But," I propped my head up on the heel of my hand. "Won't that change me?"

"Alice and I have talked about that—we're not sure. She knew the two of you were tied together, but we're not sure how anymore. You've changed since the Horror incident," and here he looked apologetic. "Being able to go Wraith even in your physical body? We're not sure that has anything to do with Azrael anymore."

"Pfft. Neither do I," I sighed and laid my head back down. He touched my nose with the tip of his finger. I kissed it. "I just want things to be normal."

"What's normal?"

We both laughed. Neither of us knew the answer to that question anymore. "Dags...you know they want you. The Ethereals." I remembered what the Geist had told me. "They want to put you in the Throne."

Dags' eyes widened. "Wow. Really? I got promoted?"

"It's not funny. They want to rip that damn book out of you and then slot you into that Throne. And it's not fun."

He propped himself up on his side with his elbow. "Zoë—do you even know what a Throne is?"

"Yeah it's where a king and or a queen sit."

"Wow. Give that girl an A."

"Don't be an ass. Tell me." I tried to look sweet but I was pretty sure I looked more like—guilty. "I don't have access to Rhonda's Big Book of Everything."

"Well I did, and I've been reading over the Dioscuri Files."

Oh god those things. Tomes and tomes of notes and observations on the Outer and Inner planes. Borrrrring. "So?"

"According to what your great-uncle found," Dags moved his right hand and a pencil and paper appeared between us. "I have a very vivid imagination. I can make this into a chalkboard or whiteboard if it's easier."

"Oh no, no," I laughed at him and sat up. My hair fell over my shoulders and half covered my breasts and thighs. I couldn't even feel that. "I'm just amazed you can do that."

"Alice taught me. So," he drew two columns. "The two essences surrounding the inner planes—Abysmal and Ethereal—are part of the same but highly different."

"I'll say."

"Well even in the way they're governed. The Seraphim is pretty much the counter to the Phantasm—only Domas didn't know that much about it. Within the first Tier—"

"That's what the Revenants called a part of the Abysmal—"

"Yeah they both have tiers to them," he started scribbling names. "Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones."

I frowned. "I don't get it."

"The upper tier consists of these three entities. Seraphim—we call this one the big baddie. And we'll put them in the center."

"Them? There's more than one?"

"Dunno. Don't worry yet. Now," he drew a circle and labeled it Seraphim, then he drew a bigger circle around that one. "Here are the Cherubim."

"I'm pretty sure you don't mean the cute little naked babies with wings and arrows."

"Nah, those are cherubs. And don't laugh—those things are nasty. From what I read? You do not want one of them shooting anything through your heart."

That was a bit disconcerting. Cute little cherubs were ebil?

"Now the Seraphim was believed to be the voice of God."

"You mean like the Metatron," I got that from a Kevin Smith movie. "Sounds like a transformer."

"Yeah, it does. But this creature is supposedly too hideous to look at—if you do you'll go blind. And protecting this are the Cherubim. Now these are supposedly the keepers of wisdom and light."

"But they eat babies instead?"

"Not sure what they are. I just know Domas' notes said, and I quote 'STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM' so I think anyone researching them afterward has pretty much stayed the fuck away from them." Then he drew a bottom facing bracket above the circles and then a top facing bracket below. "And these, are the Thrones."

I just looked at him.

Dags gave me a lopsided grin. "So...not really chairs for royalty?" I said to him.

"No, not chairs. But they are living entities."

Huh? "Dude...you mean my body is inside of something living?"

"Yep," he smiled at me. "The lap of God."

-11-

Powers and Virtues

"Can we go past this, cause it's just creeping me out."

Dags shook his head. "What Domas found out was that the Thrones were created to stand as actual nexus points. Like in a human, they're the brain and the heart. Two different jobs but one can't live without the other."

"Dude...that is gross. Which is which?"

"Not sure—and don't take it so literally. Rhonda and I actually talked about this the other night—before the ambush."

"Ambush—you mean that little tussle with the tattooed guys?"

"Yeah but we'll talk about it later," he waved me away. "Wait till we can all be in the same room. I think we have a lot of information swapping to do. And we have to plan on getting you out."

I beamed at him and kissed his nose.

"As I was saying—" as he tapped his pen in the top bracket, "The Ethereal Throne houses the Seraphim—and the Abysmal houses the Phantasm. They both act as governors—or say small Sheriffs-of their fiefdoms. And under them were the Deputies. These were the Irins."

"Like me."

"Uh-huh. Only I think you and I qualify as the only ones left—and you've gone beyond Irin into Abysmic."

I sighed. "That just sounds...bad."

"You can't look at this like that. Neither side is good nor bad, that's all in belief and perception. In the beginning of all this, it worked. All the parts worked. The Thrones controlled the ebb and flow, one pulling and the other pushing. The Irin patrolled the planar borders, and regulated traffic between the Inner Planes. But as time wore on and these living entities learned and matured, they began to change. Things always change, Zoë. We can't get past that."

"I know," and I looked at him. Look at us, Darren. Look at what we are...what we've become. "I think I read a bit of this in Inanna's book. The one about Samael and his children."

"Uh-huh. A similar thing was happening in the Ethereal plane." He stopped and tapped his pen. "The only problem is we don't know what happened there. That's where Domas' notes just...end."

A breeze pushed my hair and I saw it shift over my thigh. I watched as the hairs on my lower arm moved and goosebumps began to form. But I didn't feel any of it. It was like I was disconnected from everything. "So they end after my dad technically did, right?"

Dags nodded. "Yeah, after the fire. There's a gap and then some really odd writings in some weird code no one's ever been able to break. Though—honestly—we're just assuming. All Domas wrote was that he was betrayed by one of his own. The little we do know we've gotten from the Revenants who were there when it all happened. Pieced together from what Azrael was able to remember, what you got from Inanna's book and what Inanna remembers herself."

"Meaning the Seraphim decided that it didn't like the Phantasm sending out its children in order to experience the world so it declared a war?"

"More like...it disapproved of the influence those children had on the world. Think about their names, Zoë. The First Born. Hephaestus, Hermes, Brahma, Inanna—those are all very powerful names. Names you can find in history. Gods and Goddesses."

I'd always wondered about that—especially when I'd started reading Inanna's book. I always thought it was odd that Jason's First Born carried a name like Mephistopheles. But I'd sort of assumed it was because he chose it. "So they've...in their own way...shaped history."

"Yes. Do you know of any Ethereal names?"

"I'm not sure I would, even if I heard them."

"Exactly. You remembered Metatron, but only because of a movie. The other names are synonymous with angels. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael—but these are arcs. Third tier at best and slaves to the First Tier."

"I think my brain just went to sleep. You keep all of this in your head?"

"What I'm getting at, Zoë, is that the Seraphim wants to control the universe. Or what it thinks it can get to. Mainly the Outer Planes and I mean both sides. Ethereal and Abysmal. And it believes it can do this by controlling whatever being sits inside the Thrones."

"But, what is this about the Thrones being alive?"

He set the pen down and rested back on the blanket. With his hands behind his head, I could see him so clearly in the moonlight. He was...beautiful. "Ever heard of the universal mind?"

Uh-oh. "Yeah."

"Well...think of the Thrones as being two halves of that mind. Like the left side of the brain and right side of the brain. Your brain is a living organism all on its own, right?"

I nodded.

"When we're born, there's something that holds us all together—something that scientists can't identify very clearly. It binds our bodies together, it regulates our hearts, our lungs, our stomachs—it makes all of this stuff work. And it does it before you—you as in your soul and personality—ever really start to develop."

"You think...these Thrones are that same thing? That glue?"

"Well, it's not like they make plastic in the Abysmal plane. Everything is made up of abysmic stuff. And we know from experience that abysmic stuff can eventually develop something close to sentience. Or...kinda. Alice and Nona agree—"

I reacted at the mention of my mother's name and touched his chest. God I wanted to feel his skin against mine. "I need to see mom."

"You sure that's a good idea?" He reached down and took my hand in his.

"Why?

"Well... Nona keeps herself separate from us because Adiran is always watching her. She helped get me out of hock, so to speak, but since then she's kept her distance. We keep in touch with her—but we also have to make sure we're never around her."

"You mean my dad stalks her?"

"Yeah. 'Fraid so."

What a right bastard he was. He'd stuck his daughter into an egg and then abandoned her to harass his ex-wife? "He's so fucking sure there's nothing I can do about this."

"Wow. You sound angry."

"And why shouldn't I be?" I crossed my arms under my breasts. "Bastard lured me into an egg, told me I was going to be a great power and then I lose a couple of months while he steers the ship all over the fucking place. That and he doesn't want us together—none of them do."

Dags turned on his left side and looked at me. "Why not?"

I started to answer–and then realized I didn't actually have one. An answer. "I—I don't know. I just remember during one of the times I was being questioned about you and me and TC I overheard a voice making a note that you and I should be kept apart at all costs."

He looked thoughtful. "Wonder why. Maybe we'll start getting answers now that you're with us. But for right now, no skipping out to see Nona, okay? We'll let her know in our own way. They don't know you've skipped town so to speak, do they?"

"I don't think so. I mean I haven't heard any warning sirens or anything. But okay—" and I leaned down to kiss his forehead. "No telling mom, yet." I waited a few seconds before I finally asked the question that'd been bugging me all this time. "Dags—after they put your book back together—except for the page I have—why didn't you come and get me out?"

He looked up at me. His gray eyes amazed me. They were so full of passion and mirth. Yeah, a lot of mirth. Finally, he said, "Zoë—we couldn't find a way in. Not even Azrael was having any luck."

"You mean the borders being closed stopped you?"

"Yes. Once we figure out a way to get to you physically—we plan on getting to you, and that page, and putting an end to all of this."

"I guess I thought getting you out of the Society's House would do that. I thought telling my mother off for actually putting you in the Society's care would end this—"

"Zoë," he sighed and took my hand in his. I imagined it was warm and inviting. "Don't be mad at Nona. She put me in a place that gave me round-the-clock care when she and Rhonda couldn't do it anymore. Jemmy left—though she still has the house next to your mom's. Without her, Nona got a little depressed. I think at the time—she just did what she had to do."

"I'm still not happy with her."

"I am. And besides, since then," he sighed. "The Society's compound is pretty much gone."

That was news. "What do you mean gone? I thought they just seized it. Did they burn it too?"

His eyebrows arched. "Oh wow....that's right. You don't know what's been going on."

"Uh...let's pretend I have no idea what it is you're talking about."

He sat up then and faced me, his legs crossed in front of him. I loved being naked with him. He took a strand of my hair—the white shock that still grew from my right temple—and rubbed it against his cheek, his eyes closed.

"Dags?"

"Right," he opened them but kept the hair in his hand. "Part of the Ethereal's plan is to get rid of the Revenants and get to me. They're who are keeping me safe. You'll learn more as we go along. The only place to get information on the Revenants was to infiltrate the organizations that knew about them and watched them. Now, besides the Society of Ishmael, there are three other groups just in the southeast that know of them and protect their identities. In fact," he grinned. "The Revenants started a few of them and privately fund them."

"You're shit'n me."

"No shit'n. Now what's the best way to get into a company, or organization in a legal fashion?  'Cause you know the Ethereals are all about following the rules."

"Their rules."

"Well yeah. But to answer that—you discredit them. Make their existence questionable. And, you set them up to take the fall for a crime or two." He pointed to himself. "I was used to discredit the Society of Ishmael. Somehow a story got out that Darren G. McConnell III, nephew of the bishop Ione Andrew, was kidnapped or brainwashed by the Society and he was blackmailed to provide funding for the Society. Well—that's bull."

"You're the nephew to a bishop?"

"No, I'm not. That's the point. They made that all up. But me being there and some turncoat - whom we haven't caught yet - smuggling pictures out to the media prompted Bishop Andrew's loud-mouthed advocate to start screaming conspiracy. And what's sad is the assholes out there believed her. She was the one that put a bug in the governor's ears to shut three different organizations down."

"Who is this person?"

"Some wacko freak named Moultrie. She was a lawyer and we think she's boinking this Bishop Andrew in order to get publicity. Their church membership has blown through the roof. Donations up fifty-four percent in the last two months. And it's all tax deductible."

"You sound mad."

"I'm just like you, Zoë. I was used. Used to further someone else's agenda. And I'll be damned if I'm going to just kick back on the sidelines and let them get away with it. We were lucky the Society had already foreseen this and all the archives were stored off-site. Undisclosed location. Well except the Dioscuri Files. Those were the last and hadn't been moved yet."

"So...this woman got them to storm the compound?"

He sighed. "Yeah. One of the board members turned as well—which might be the one that smuggled pictures of me all catatonic out there. They stormed the building the same night they came to get me out."

"Oh wow. Isn't that a little convenient?"

"Maybe? But we really were more spontaneous. I think we picked a bad night. Or that same asshole discovered the Society was going to move me to the secure location and out of the spotlight. Joe, Jason, Nick, Rhonda, Zach and Nona—the all got me out. Joe got knifed. From the stories I heard the only reason we got out of there was because of Nona. They hadn't counted on S.W.A.T. showing up.  They started tear-gassing the place. Where we are now is a place Jason had set up ahead of time. But the house was taken by the Church of Celestial Enlightenment."

"Enlightenment is another word for ethereal."

"Yeah we caught that. Dead giveaway. But since then, these guys have been coming after us hard. Seems they're led by a rather nasty Virtue."

"Like my dad?"

"Yeah. Nona pissed this one off by locking him in a bottle."

"Gah...she did? Didn't she get in trouble? I mean, that's evidence she went rogue on them. Aren't you guys afraid this Virtue will tell the others about mom doing that?"

"Nope," Dags laughed. "If there is one thing Virtues suffer most from? It's hubris. He's not telling anyone that she kicked his ass. But he is determined to grab me and expose her. So that's why Nona's not with us. And why I think that getting word to her would be a bad idea."

"Who's the angry Virtue?"

"A real prick. And he's creepy." Dags shivered. "Like stalker, pedophile creepy."

"Name?"

"Raziel."

-12-

Can You Keep A Secret?

The next morning at OMG o'clock we moved from the hotel in two vans to what Jason called his "Safe House". I noticed we were in a kidnap van—no windows. But was that for Dags' benefit so no one would see him? Or for Jason as a Revenant?

I had no idea where were going. Alice and I stayed ready inside the little Mind Theater where we could pop out if needed.

We traveled into an underground parking garage and Jason and TC jumped out first. Nick secured the van and the side door opened.

Rhonda stood just outside, along with Umayma- Frejya's Revenant-and Tel - Loki's Revenant. Tel looked less like a rock star this go round. He'd removed his piercings and traded in his leather for dark jeans, a white hoodie and a black suit jacket. His fingers still gleamed with an assortment of silver rings. His black hair was slicked back into a neat ponytail.

Umayma was as beautiful as ever. Dressed in skirts, a soft linen top and thigh-length jacket, she was the epitome of Middle Eastern sophistication.

Jason led the way to a set of elevator doors where Joe waited. Jason slid a card into a slot once we were all inside. The doors closed and up we went.

"Any intruders?" Jason asked as he looked back at Tel and Umayma.

"None we could sense," Tel said.

I looked over at Alice. "What's with all the cloak and dagger?"

Alice looked really serious. "He told you about the bishop, right?"

"Yeah—but that's not really his uncle is it?"

She avoided my question. "They've tried twice to take him. Took out one of the Revenants, but didn't kill him. Now that they know Dags has his facilities back they're afraid he'll use the Grimoire to stop whatever it is they want to do."

Wow. "So...is he really this guy's nephew?"

"No...Darren's father died in the line of duty. He was a detective. His mother was killed in a fire. Tragic death. Darren was just a child when he was orphaned. There was never any mention of an uncle."

I watched her. "That really didn't answer my question."

"Zoë—" she faced me. "Right now, the answer is no. They are not blood related. But this man is being manipulated by the Virtues. There is a manhunt out for Darren. A reward to find him."

"A reward?" My jaw dropped. "Just so they can get that book?"

She nodded and pointed to the screen as the elevator doors opened.

I gaped as everyone filed out of elevator and into a freak'n penthouse!

Sah-weeet!

"I wanna see!" I shouted.

Dags moved away from the crowd to a wall of windows that looked out onto a patio. With a quick look around he reached out and unlocked one of the panels, which was actually a sliding door. Once through it he moved to the far side of the patio and opened his palm.

I manifested a transparent version of myself and ran to the edge to look down.

We were in mid-town—I recognized my old stomping ground. I used to have a killer condo across from the stadium, next to the Landmark Art Center. Wherever we were—it was new. Or new since I'd been down here. I looked behind me to see that most of the penthouse rose three stories above the patio itself. Mirrored glass was all anyone could see from the outside.

Nick stepped up beside us and put a hand on the windscreen glass that came up to my waist. Dags stood just beside the edge, not quite as adventurous as me. But then he'd never been out flying.

I had.

Having mid-flight battles with flaming swords kinda shocks the fear of heights right out of you.

"Nice huh?"

"Is this Jason's house?" I asked him as I looked back over the side. I could see the sun shining, and I knew the wind was blowing as it moved Nick's hair about his face. I wanted to feel the warmth of that sun.

"One of them. Tel and Umayma have been using it since they first arrived." He leaned on the screen's edge with his elbow. None of the other Revenants had come out here. I turned and saw Daniel just inside the door we'd stepped through.

"Does it hurt them?" I asked Nick and looked at him. "To be in the sun?"

Nick nodded. "It weakens them. Makes them sleepy. Saps their energy. And if they were to be left out in direct sunlight," he made a face. "That would be bad."

"Has it ever happened to Jason?"

"To Jason, no. But one of his hosts was staked out in the sun," Nick winced. "It wasn't pretty. But," and he stepped back. "I know you want a grand tour but Joe's got something he wants to show us first, okay?"

"Nick," Dags stepped forward. "Do Umayma, Manuel and Tel know about Zoë?"

"Yes. Mephistopheles told them."

"Why are you making that face?"

Nick motioned for us to follow him inside. "Well...they're not too happy about it. Especially Manuel."

As Dags followed Nick back to the door I popped back inside with Alice. "Who's Manuel?"

"That's Morgan's Revenant."

"Oh."

Joe was busy with Rhonda's laptop on the bar. TC sat on the couch, the flipper in his hand, flipping channels on a wide flat screen on the far wall. Jason came over to Dags and leaned in. "Joe's having a bit of trouble with the connection. In case you'd like to freshen up before we start?"

He spoke to Dags, but I knew he was talking to me. So did Dags.

Jason stepped aside as Dags moved around the edge of the room to a hallway behind the kitchen. I did notice Umayma and Tel watching him.

"Do you need to pee?" I asked him.

I actually got embarrassed and knew I was feeling what he felt.

"Sorry. I'm gonna head over to the beach for a bit while you...do your thing."

Dags stepped into a huge bedroom decorated in rich greens and browns and shut the door. "Are you going to go talk to that other Joe?"

Yikes!

"Dags...don't tell anyone about him please."

"But who—"

"Please," and I put as much feeling as I could into that one word. "Just trust me on this one."

He hesitated and I saw him looking at himself in the mirror of the bathroom. It was a black tiled room, with sparkling white grout. A three nozzle shower, a sunken bathtub, separate room for the toilet, and a two sink vanity.

Heaven!

I wondered if he was up for a bath later.

"Zoë—I love you. But my body's not grand central. I don't like things just coming and going as they please. How in the hell did he get in there to begin with?"

I don't know why, but I felt a little pissed off that he was questioning me like that. "Don't you trust me?"

"Yeah... but you can kinda get sucked into things."

Excuse me? I manifested to his right and he turned to look at me. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Zoë, don't get mad. But you have a track record for being a bit—" he winced and shrugged his shoulders. "Gullible."

"I am not!"

Alice appeared on the other side. "Yes you are." She stepped forward. "I can't see it, but I know it's there. And I think it followed you from the Abysmal. So far it feels harmless."

I pointed at Alice and looked at Dags. "See? He's harmless."

Dags didn't answer.

I sighed. "Look—he calls himself Geist and he was the one that suggested I use that page as a way to get back to you," and I focused my gaze on Dags. "He's helped me keep my sanity, and it seems to me he has no love for the Seraphim."

"What is he?" Alice said.

"Like I said, he calls himself Geist."

Dags leaned against the black tiled counter. "Geist is a noun, not a name."

"It is?"

Alice said. "It's German for ghost."

"So," I held out my hands to Alice. "There you go. He's a ghost. And he's helping me."

Dags didn't look convinced. "I think we need to tell Rhonda and the others about this..."

"Rhonda. You always go back to Rhonda. Let's see what Rhonda thinks. Let's do what Rhonda believes is best." Oops. I said that out loud.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dags moved away from the counter and tilted his head to his right shoulder. "Zoë—are you jealous?"

"Who? Me? Of her? Why should I be? She's the one that gets to be semi-normal in this life. She's the one that gets to be with you physically while I'm fucking stuck inside some god-damn glass egg in a rundown theater in a ugly-ass plane of existence." Okay. I was mad now. And I didn't know why. "She fucking turned you into a book, Darren. She made you into something that everybody in the world wants to either kill or own. And you still always defer to her. And why the hell is she always calling you baby?"

What I didn't expect after that tirade was the smile he gave me. I was panting. Cause...that's what you do when you run off at the mouth because the Green Eyed Monster was in town.

And...and...

I really couldn't stay mad at that smile.

He stepped toward me and reached out to take my hands in his. He brought them up to his lips and kissed them before he spoke in a low voice. "I love you. I want you here with me, in this plane, so that I can one day go down on my knee and ask you to be my wife."

-13-

Grimoire

Oh my—

Oh my God.

Oh my stars and garters!

Wha— had I heard that right?

I jumped up and threw my arms around him. I was crying and I was laughing all at the same time. So was he. He put his arms around me. I sensed the pressure, knew he was there, so I just imagined I could feel the heat of his body.

But what I could feel was the sincerity of his words. I released him and took a step back. His eyes were red-rimmed and I reached out and put a hand to either side of his face. "And I promise you when that day comes, I will accept, Darren McConnell. I will accept."

A few more minutes and we calmed down. I took his hands in mine and made sure he was listening to me. "Dags...please just wait before we tell anyone about Geist. He's been so very nice to me and I don't want to spook him. But I promise if things get too weird, we'll tell Rhonda. Together."

Dags narrowed his eyes at me. I looked over at Alice who'd been watching us with a grin on her face.

Finally Alice put up her hands. "All right—but I'm not happy about it. Like I said, I don't sense anything bad from him."

"But the moment you do," Dags said to her. "We tell. I'm just not that happy about strangers in my body."

"Deal."

Finally Alice and I left him alone and she came with me to the shore. Once there I went to the water's edge. "Is it always so dim here?"

"You've already asked me that," Alice said. "Don't like the mood lighting?"

I nodded "Geist?"

He was instantly beside me. The image of Joe. Well...not really...He looked a little different now. It was still Joe but he wasn't wearing the plaid shirt anymore. Instead he had on a suitmuch like the kind Jason often wore. "Yes?"

Alice cleared her throat.

He looked past me to her. "Hello Alice Bonville. It is very nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you...Geist. Why do you look like..."

"This shape is easier for Zoë to contend with. And I am comfortable in it." He refocused on me. "Did you need something?"

"Are we safe here? All of us together? I mean, the Virtues aren't going to come barging in and attack are they?"

He looked at me with a curious face. "No Zoë. You are perfectly safe here. Jason Lawrence and his Ghoul have worked tirelessly to make this place a safe haven from all Ethereal intrusion. Will there be anything else?"

I shook my head but then reached out to grab his arm. "Wait."

He waited. Always patient.

"Have you told the Ethereals—the Seraphim—anything that's happened to me? Do they know I've left the egg....kinda?"

I felt Alice tense behind me.

"No Zoë. I have done what you instructed me to do. I have not shared information with the Seraphim at all."

I pursed my lips. "At all? So...hasn't he or them noticed your absence?"

The Geist Joe's expression darkened and he shook his head. "Zoë, the Seraphim never acknowledges me as a living entity. I am only a tool. The Seraphim will never notice my presence or my absence."

Oh wow. "I'm sorry about that Geist. With me...just be yourself."

"I know. That is what attracts me to you, Zoë. Anything else?"

"No. That's all. Thanks."

He turned...and then stopped abruptly. I watched him face the Grimoire—or rather the huge hulking shadow of a building that was the Grimoire. I wondered if this was the first time he'd seen it. "Geist? You okay?"

He didn't say anything, just moved slowly toward the book. I could tell from the way he just stared up at it that in fact this was his first look. I sprinted a bit around him and stood by the book. Geist joined me, his mouth half open, his eyes wide. I was kinda wishing I could see that look once or twice on the real Joe's face.

"I—"

I waited for the rest of that sentence. When it didn't look as if he was going to finish it I reached over and poked him with my index finger. "Hey...you alive?"

"I knew about this book. I have known about it for a very long time. There is no other book like this in existence."

Really? "I'm partial to the person it's parked in—but not so much the book."

"Why is it...so dark?" He reached out to touch the cover. I started to warn him but it was too late. Before his hand reached the book's edge a bright, red arc of electricity appeared and zapped him.

And I mean it zapped him.

One minute he was just in front of me, the next he was sailing into the air behind me and landing in a plume of sand a good...oh I don't know...half a mile back?

I stood where I was and sure enough, he reappeared. Though he looked a little...scorched. "I'll ask again—you okay?"

"Why did it—why is it dark? Why is it dormant?"

"Oh come on, Geist. You should know this one. It's because I have this," and I pulled the folded piece of paper from my pocket. "Remember the page? We have to put it back in."

He looked at me and then at the page and his eyes...lit up. "That page...connects him to the Grimoire?"

"Yeah." I was a bit surprised. But then, I had no idea what was on the page or what it meant. It's feasible that he didn't either. "I didn't know that's what it was for till I got here."

"Neither did I." He offered his hand and tilted his head. "May I?"

Alice finally moved forward. "Zoë, I wouldn't—"

Why not? I handed him the page.

It turned to sand and slipped through his fingers.

-14-

Reassurances

I'm not sure what I thought at that moment—

I know I screamed bloody murder. Alice and I instantly dropped down on our knees and started sifting through the sand.

No no no no no...this was not happening!

"I am so sorry!" Geist said as he dropped on his knees too. "I should have known that would happen."

"But what does it mean?" I was shouting on my hands and knees. "Oh God... Dags I'm so sorry..."

"Zoë, pull your hand out of the sand," Alice said.

I did as she said and a clump of sand followed. It moved and morphed in mid-air like some stop-motion sand painting before it became the page again.

I fell forward into the sand and laid on my right side as I clutched the newly formed page to my chest. I was breathing hard and crying. Holy shit I was crying.

"I suggest..." Geist was saying, sounding like he was out of breath. "That I not do that again."

"No..." I took in a deep breath. "Shit." After I was pretty sure I wasn't going to have a coronary, I pushed myself back up and onto my knees. Geist was on his as well, looking at the book. "But...yeah this page is Dags' link page...to the book."

"I thought it was memory..." Geist said in a soft voice. He looked at Alice and then at me. "What I mean is—many times when beings like yourself are put into emotional situations like the one he was in with Francisco Rodriguez- and the one you are in now—you cling to emotions and memories. Sophia—for a very long time—lost herself in the memories of her childhood. But after a while, when she realized those memories were only memories and not reality, she woke and started filling in her role as the Phantasm."

I had this really weird feeling that I'd just learned something very important—but had no idea how to use it. Or what it meant.

"Did you know Sophia well, Geist?" Alice said.

We all stood up and brushed off the sand. "As best as I could, given the circumstances of her predicament and my existence. But," and he cocked his head as if listening. "You must return to the Physical plane. I am sorry, Zoë. I will not cause you such distress again."

Then he was gone.

I looked at Alice, who was staring at the place where he'd been standing. "Well?"

"I don't understand it," she looked at me. "But I like him. He makes you like him."

I nodded. Yeah. He does.

Dags paused in the hall from the bedroom and held out his palms. Alice and I manifested. It was time to face the music.

Everyone had gathered in the spacious living room. Beige carpet, modern black leather couches, three of them in total. The coffee table was smoky glass with a silver frame. A bowl of lemons sat in the middle beside a fanned stack of magazines. They were all business titles. Forbes, Time, Business Week.

Soft beige and blue accent pillows dotted the couches and were piled in corners of the room. Weird decorating technique, but it all seemed to work.

Tel and Umayma greeted me as I came into the room. They seemed happy to see me, but they were reserved as well. Like there was a question they wanted to ask but weren't sure how to.

Then a young man I'd never seen stepped into the living room. He wore a leather jacket, blue hoodie and jeans. He had a face a lot like Enrique Iglesias, but the sheen in his eyes told me he was Revenant.

"This is Manuel, Morgan's Revenant," Dags said and stood beside me.

This was the second female First Born with a male Revenant combination I'd met.

As if on cue, Manuel moved to stand in front of me. When he spoke I heard his First Born's echo in his voice and knew Morgan was in control. "What of the Abysmic child that had served before? The one Dags lost connection to. The one who betrayed us all?"

The tone was serious. And I noticed all the Revenants were paying attention. Maureen wasn't well liked—having killed two of their kind under the direction of Sophia. And she'd nearly killed Jason as well. It made sense they wanted to know where she was.

Jason stepped forward and stood beside Morgan/Manuel but said nothing.

"We think," well I knew this for sure but I didn't think I needed to tell everyone about Geist just yet. "Or suspect that Maureen's soul or ghost is inside of my body, just like I'm inside of Dags."

That theory didn't go over so good. In fact, everyone looked more worried than I felt.

Daniel—who already knew about this since he'd been there when I'd first shown myself to them—stepped forward. "Zoë—is that such a good thing? Let's face it—Maureen has proven twice that she can't be trusted. She's easily manipulated and her actions nearly killed Dags both times. With her inside of your body while it's in the Abysmal Throne—" he let the rest of the sentence speak for itself.

And well...I got the message. It did seem a lot like leaving the devil in charge of the big red nuke button. But somehow I didn't think so. And Geist had reassured me that Maureen was in no condition or position to do anything. I was still in control.

I also started to wonder what it was Geist did when he wasn't answering my questions. He claimed he wasn't informing the Seraphim what was happening. And I'd gotten from his reaction earlier there seemed to be no love lost between him and the Ethereals. But still...ever get that nagging feeling that something was too good to be true?

Yeah. I had it. And it was bothering the hell out of me.

"What kind of reassurances do we have with that?" Umayma/Frejya said. "My brethren and I come from that plane, Zoë. We know how the Throne works. Our father was one of the original creators of it. If she were to gain control of your body—"

That is not going to happen.

I jumped a little at the voice in my head. Yeah-me, a corporeal projection of my own astral body-had a voice in her head. "Geist?" I made sure to answer it in my own head and not in Dags' and not aloud.

Yes. Please be assured, the entity known as Maureen is sleeping. And she will remain asleep until you return. You have my word on that.

Okay. That made me feel a bit better. I sensed sincerity in that voice. I believed Geist. "Umayma, Daniel, everyone," and I looked around at them. "Maureen's not a problem. She's too weak to do anything like that."

Allow me to explain...through you.

Uh oh. "You mean give up control of my astral to you?"

Just for a moment, to reassure them?

Seemed simple enough.

So I stepped back a little.

Something ice cold and hard brushed past me. I shivered involuntarily and felt Dags' arm tighten around my waist. "Zoë? Do you need to rest? You can watch from inside?"

"No—"

Oh! That wasn't me answering. And...I wasn't inside my own little theater either. This was like actually stepping back to let a Symbiont or a First Born have control. Not even a daemon. This was like...

Joining.

Or merging.

I felt...comfortable. Like I was leaning back into a really cushy papasan chair. No concerns. No problems. And when I looked at everyone—

OHMYGOD!

-15-

Through Abysmal Eyes

I could see...everything.

I was looking at Daniel—and I saw him—but just above him I saw something else, hovering around him, surrounding him. I knew it was a woman—or at least it was female. A ghostly image made of white shadows. I saw a face. A beautiful face. Strong straight nose, with a full mouth and cat-like eyes. Her hair was what enveloped Daniel...so much like a lover. She possessed him. Completely.

And I knew the name.

Felt it in my heart.

"Zoë," Dags' voice was more insistent. "I'm sensing you're upset? Or...is it something else? Is there a problem?"

First Born.

Goddess.

Inanna.

I was seeing the Revenant.

Yes.

And Geist's voice was no longer Joe's voice. But a mixture of voices. Old, young, child, male, female. It was a chorus of one in my head. It was like hearing everyone in the world all at once. You'd think that would give me a monumental headache. But it didn't.

"No, no," said the Geist in my voice. "I am okay. I am just getting used to this. What I wanted to do was reassure everyone that Maureen is not in a position to take control of my body. As of now, from what I can sense of her, she is sleeping. And it is a much needed sleep. She has not had a good time of it. She is full of guilt and remorse."

And anger...so much anger...

"Geist...don't pay attention to Maureen. She's what got us into this in the first place."

I know this. All of this is so new to me. The Seraphim and Phantasm always kept me at a distance before. I was never able to really...feel...

I looked at Jason and saw—

Do not look at him!

But it was too late. I was frozen in place as I stared at the monstrosity that encircled Jason's body. It was shifting, constantly in motion, forever changing; a mass of faces, arms, legs, voices...oh dear God the cacophony of voices!

And then I had Mephistopheles' voice in my mind.

Zoë, what's wrong? Are you okay? Then he paused. Who else is there with you?

I closed my eyes. I didn't want to look at him anymore. I didn't want to know.

Push him out. You have the power to do that, Zoë. You can lock him out of your mind.

I didn't really want to boot Mephistopheles and Jason, but I also didn't want him knowing about Geist just yet. I'm sorry, was all I said as I thrust him away.

An eerie silence lingered and then Geist's voices again. I'm sorry, but while I'm with you, you'll have to see as I see.

"You see like this?"

Yes.

It was amazing. I opened my eyes and looked at Joe who sparkled with an almost iridescent light. Almost like he had...fairy lights around him. "Joe looks—"

Don't concern yourself with him.

I looked at Manuel and saw another beautiful woman there...but her image also shifted and changed, though it wasn't as massive or as brooding. "Why are Morgan and Inanna so different from Mephistopheles?"

Because he has been a Revenant longer. He embraced this existence not long after Aether. He... and the Geist faltered. Wanted this. So he has burned through more hosts than the others.

I looked at Rhonda—and backed away.

And then I was back inside of Dags as fast as I could go, and Geist was gone. I didn't know if he just couldn't follow me inside of Dags like that—or he just needed to go somewhere else. Whatever the reason, seeing and feeling through him was gone. It was like going from stereo to mono in an instant. Alice came up beside me and I knew she'd put her arms around me. "Zoë? Darren is upset. What's wrong?"

"I saw...something. I'm not sure what it was."

"Hey, what's going on? What happened to Zoë?" that was Joe's voice. I looked up at the screen to see through Dags' eyes. They were all looking at me—or rather at Dags. And they were above him.

"Did I make him faint?"

"You jumped back in rather fast. He sat back on the couch. But," and Alice turned my face to look at hers. "What did you see? Is it something we should be alarmed about?"

I looked into her soft, smooth face a few seconds before I looked back up at the screen. I could see Rhonda, just to the side of Joe. Jason, Umayma and Tel were all talking together in a huddle behind her.

Whatever it was I'd seen around Rhonda was gone. If I tried to describe what it was—I couldn't. Because, it just wasn't there anymore. I don't know if my subconscious was just saying HELL NO or if I'd really seen what I thought I saw. "Alice...when you look at people, like at Joe and Jason and...Rhonda...do you see anything else?"

"What do you mean by anything else?" She narrowed her eyes. "Zoë?"

Maybe as Familiars it wasn't possible to see anything else. Maybe that kind of power only came with Geist vision. I asked that question in my mind—but he didn't appear. Not like he usually did.

Had I done something wrong by running back into Dags' body so fast?

"Zoë—did you see something out there? When you looked at someone?"

I nodded as I looked back at her. "Yeah...but it's gone now."

"Should we bring it up?"

Should we? I didn't know. Looking out at Rhonda now didn't show me anything. Not to mention that I wondered how happy ole Jason would be if he could actually see what Mephistopheles looked like.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Rhonda was saying to Dags. "This is weakening that book's ability to keep you together. Her being inside of you is just killing you faster."

Alice and I watched and I reassured Dags I was okay. And that I wanted to come back out.

He stood and I once again became corporeal outside of him. When I looked at him my heart skipped. I was always so amazed at how beautiful he was. And when he looked at me...and leaned in to kiss me so softly like he did—in front of everyone—I loved how he made me feel beautiful too.

"Can you feel me...like that?" I asked as I leaned against him.

"I can feel you—" and he squeezed me. "Enough."

I was going to ask him what that meant but Joe was yelling out for everyone's attention. I'd been in the spotlight enough. Time to see what it was he was so eager to tell us. We all sat down—with Dags pulling me onto the couch with him. He sat back and I sat on his left side. I turned against him with my right arm over his and my head on his shoulder. I saw Alice shimmer in and she sat on his right, dressed in a gray business suit with gray pumps.

Something felt odd as Joe started to speak. It was the feeling of being watched. I'd had that feeling a lot—and it always creeped me out. I expected to turn and see TC staring me down like he always did. And I was a little surprised I hadn't heard him in my thoughts, making bad quips.

Instead my gaze rested on Rhonda. She was against the wall beside Daniel, but her gaze was focused on me. I smiled and waved.

But Rhonda only glared before she looked to Joe.

Great. The Green Eyed Monster strikes again.

Oh how right I was going to be.

-16-

Murder Most Abysmal

"Yesterday," Joe said as he darkened the lights by remote control and then turned on the computer. The Atlanta Police Department logo appeared on the flat screen behind him. "Before the ambush over at Trevor's warehouse, I'd just come from a briefing about three bodies found within a five block radius of the Fox Theater." He moved to stand by the screen and looked at us with his hands out. "I thought you'd like to see this—and yes I'm breaking all kinds of rules showing you," he put his finger to his lips. "You're not really seeing this."

Joe pointed the remote at the computer.

The image immediately shifted to the body of a nude female on a morgue table. She looked like she'd been in her mid-thirties, slightly over-weight (which translates into average, if you ask me), with long legs. But that's not what caught everyone's attention.

The marks carved into her skin is what made everyone stand and move closer to the screen.

"Okay, everyone relax. There's more." Joe hit the remote again and we saw her from a different angle. I tensed as I saw the marks—I'd seen them before.

All of us had.

Joe continued through the slide-show, which showed two more women, all blond, and all covered in these marks. "Each of the victims were found in an alley—all were half crammed into dumpsters. In each case," and he hit a picture of a large green metal dumpster—real common here in Atlanta—with a human leg sticking out. I knew it was one of the victims because I could see the marks.

Two more clicks, two more pictures.

Once the images were done Joe moved the slides back to the beginning and brought the lights back up. He faced everyone with his hands on his hips. "I'm pretty sure you all recognize these marks."

Umayma spoke first. "Detective—are these Revenants? Is that possible?"

"You tell me."

Tel shook his head. "We've all been accounted for, haven't we? I'm mean," he looked around. "We're not all here, but we know our numbers within the city. I don't recognize any of those women."

"Maybe they are Ghouls?" Manuel spoke up. He had a very slight German accent, which was interesting to me because of how he looked.

Joe shrugged. "The truth is I can't tell. And since Lex isn't here any longer to tell us these things we're flying blind. They've already undergone autopsies, and nothing's popped. Lex did say that a normal examination of a Revenant's body wouldn't immediately reveal their true nature."

"No," Jason spoke up. "But their blood would. Our blood isn't really human anymore. And the older we are," he glanced around. "The more alien that blood is going to look."

"I've got a call in to see if there was an order for blood—but the new M.E. isn't a fan of mine and disliked Lex and anybody that ever hung around her."

Joe had been friends with Lex Takashi, former Medical Examiner, and her First Born named Yamato. The two had worked together on several occasions; Lex generally supplying him with a concoction that would bring astral travelers back to their bodies. It happened a lot with drug users and what looked like an overdose. Joe could inject the bodies, bring them back—sometimes only temporarily and sometimes permanently—and find out what happened to them. He'd done it to me way back when they'd found me in the trunk of my car and pronounced me dead.

But I'd been with TC then.

God, that was so long ago.

What made this so special was that before I became a resident of the Abysmal Plane, Lex's Ghoul and long time mate Mialani had been killed by a spell from the Grimoire that utilized these same symbols. Because Mialani was a Ghoul, the spell had only killed her body but Lex's vampiric blood kept Mialani's soul anchored to it. She'd needed me to free her. The separation and loss made Lex go a little nuts in the head and when she was convinced the Grimoire inside of Dags could destroy the Phantasm, she'd stabbed and fed on Joe, then used him as a hostage to get the book.

If Lex had lived—she became one of Maureen and Sophia's victims and died—I'm pretty sure she and Joe wouldn't be on speaking terms.

At all.

Hell, if she'd have lived I'd loved to kick her ass nine ways to Sunday.

"We need to see these bodies," Rhonda said as she approached the screen. "It's obvious that someone or something has that spell."

"I wouldn't be surprised if this is the work of the Virtues, or at least their Powers," Tel said. "To somehow draw us out so they can slaughter us. The markings look right."

"Which means they have the spell?" Dags looked around at everyone. "But—I thought it disappeared with Sophia?"

"It did," I said. "She took the pages from the Grimoire when Maureen opened it—but Inanna's book disintegrated. This can't be the real spell—knowledge of it's all gone, isn't it?"

"Even if it's not the real spell," Umayma said. "Someone out there knows about it. And we'd be fools to think this isn't some message directed at us." She looked around at the group. "We need to see the body."

"Well," Joe held up his hand. "What we don't need is a whole herd of Revenants showing up on the coroner's doorstep. Now," he pointed at us. "I think Dags needs to go because of his access to Zoë. She is able to release both Ghouls and Revenants in case this does turn out to be one or the other."

"But we don't know if she can still do that," Rhonda said.

Jason spoke up. "I think it's worth the risk."

That's when Joe turned and pointed at Jason. "And you too."

The Revenant pointed to himself. "Me?"

"Yeah—this spell nearly killed you. I think when it comes to authentication; you're the best expert we got."

"But I wrote—" Inanna/Daniel started to speak.

Joe put up his other hand. "The police know Daniel's face. Remember, he's still wanted for the murder of Ken Cooper."

Well...that put a damper on things. Yes it was true—he'd killed Captain Cooper. But it'd been an accident, and Daniel hadn't been in control of himself.

I watched him, noticed his face. But he just looked away toward the glass sliding doors and shoved his hands into his coat pocket. At that moment, I wanted to go to him and hold him like I used to. So much had happened to him—and it was all because he'd gotten involved with me.

Dags put a hand on me then. A slight pressure. No texture. No warmth or cold. But I knew he was there.

He too had his life changed by me. Even more so than Daniel had.

Me.

I'm just nothing but dumb, bad luck.

You are the Phantasm, the many voices of Geist said in my head. You are the giver and the taker. And you will be the advent.

-17-

Trap

"Were all three bodies found about the same time?" Jason asked as we drove from the penthouse over to Decatur. Joe had already called ahead and used a bit of his own mojo to get us into the back. But hopefully not into that same room Lex had always kept—the creepy room with the "special" table. That being her table with the straps and the creepy symbols painted on the walls.

We were in Jason's car with Nick driving. Nick wasn't going to go in, but he was there for backup just in case. I liked Nick. He was cute and funny when he wanted to be. And when I say cute I did not necessarily mean in a good looking way. Rhonda and mom thought he was handsome. Me? I thought he looked too much like David Beckham during his ponytail phase.

That and he was a Ghoul. Having rescued Mialani from a fate worse than death a few months back sort of put me in the know when it came to the ultimate fate of a Ghoul. A soul locked into a dead body, irrevocably tied to the Revenant who made them.

Irrevocable, that is, until true death.

Nick was probably the oldest Ghoul I knew about, except for Mialani. There was a special bond between a Revenant and their Ghoul—or there was supposed to be. I knew Jason had had a bit of a problem with a few, and with what Rhonda had called a Lamia, back around Christmas. But Nick was always beside him.

He loves the one that made him, Mephistopheles said to me. Dags and I sat facing forward in the back of the limo we were in, while Jason and Joe sat on opposite sides. It's not for me he stays, but for the memory of her.

It was sad, really. That Mephistopheles would always have those memories of Nick's lover and Nick would never see her again. Not in life at least.

"What was her name?" I said aloud. Dags looked at me and then looked at Jason, who was waiting on Joe's answer to his question. He didn't seem to notice I'd spoken. But the First Born did.

Romina.

I thought of Daniel in that instant. Would he make a Ghoul some day? Would that Ghoul feel the same devotion to him? Would he love her?

Daniel and Inanna could only be as lucky as I have been.

A smile pulled at the corners of my lips but vanished when I touched on the memory of what I'd seen. What Mephistopheles was becoming was a question for me, but one I'd ask some other time.

"No, not at the same time," Joe said in reply to Jason's question, then reached into his pocket and retrieved his iPhone. He scrolled through it with his thumb. Ah, technology. We'd gone from painting on cave walls with our fingers, to paper and very sophisticated writing tools—some of which could be used in space—then a return to our fingers.

Back to the basics.

"Let's see...the first body was found this past Monday, October sixth. Then the next one was found on Wednesday the eighth, and the third one on Friday."

"The tenth?"

"Yeah, like every other day." Joe replaced his phone in his front left pocket. His badge hung on a chain around his neck. "This whole thing just has me sick to my stomach—and we don't have time for it right now. We need to get to the Abysmal and get Zoë out."

"That's true," Jason glanced at Dags and me. "But you do realize—or I hope you all do—that you're not going to just pull her out and leave. There can't be a vacuum in that Throne."

"So I keep hearing." He rubbed his hands together. "We got any candidates?"

"Joe!" I heard myself scold. "That is not a place I would stick my worst enemy."

"I would," the detective said. "Look, we've been trying to get in there ever since you vanished. The Revenants have been keeping a close guard on that building in Between. There's no way for anything to get into the Abysmal or out of it right now. Except for you, Zoë." He glanced at Dags. "Which is just, weird."

I remembered the place in Between, the building that sat between the Physical and the Abysmal where Sophia had created a null area for the Revenants to be brought and the spell of obliteration could be carried out.

But...there was something nagging at me. Something I'd forgotten but remembered now. "Jason—"

"Yes?"

Nick was turning the limo into the parking lot of the building I'd first met Lex in. Dekalb County Morgue.

"When I went into the Abysmal through the door in Between, TC and Daniel came too." I frowned. "I understand how TC can go back and forth. He's not bonded. He's still First Born. But how was it that Daniel was able to?"

"Because at the time Daniel was bonded to Inanna for less than a month," Jason said. "Inanna is one of the oldest, born after Aether. But she was also one of the last of the brood to bond. Daniel was very sick after she did that...and she's never gone back in again."

He was? I didn't know that. "So the Revenants really can't go back home once they bond?"

Jason shook his head. "I'm afraid not. And once we bond and our host dies, then we have to bond again or we will..." he gave me a sad look. "Vanish."

I shivered. As creepy as Mephistopheles had looked hovering around Jason, he'd always been kind and fair. And I didn't want anything like that to happen to him.

In fact...other than Lex, who was really half nuts with grief for the loss of Mialani when she fell off the deep end, I wondered if there was such a thing as an evil Revenant.

Huh...did I really want to find out?

Nick remained outside with the car. It was late afternoon—Saturday. That was the first time I'd even known what the day and date had been. In the Throne, I lost track of it all. It was October...what month had it been when this all started? June? I remembered that last night training with TC, before it all changed...again.

It was supposed to be cooler in Georgia in October. The leaves were just starting to tip for autumn. But...I couldn't feel the chill. And worse? I realized with a shock that I couldn't smell it either. The autumn had a specific smell for me—that of burning leaves. Crisp air. Just like summer always smelled like fresh cut wild onions and the sound of cicadas' song and a catbird's call.

I balled my hands into fists as we stepped inside the familiar building. These simple things I missed—and I was enraged at my dad all over again for wanting to sentence me in that damn egg for eternity, away from everyone and everything I loved, just so he could gain control.

Bastard.

He really was a fucking bastard.

Not much had changed inside the building. This time I was relieved I couldn't smell the formaldehyde and industrial cleaners. That always turned my stomach. But I did get a tinge of it from Dags. Somehow. There was an echo of the smell.

Ick.

A dark skinned dude met us at the office door and after giving us all the hairy eyeball he buzzed us through. Dags held my hand as we followed behind Joe and Jason. I looked at the sheet covered bodies, toes with tags sticking out from one end. I noticed there was an autopsy in progress and looked away.

We went into the back room and I guessed from the way Dags and Joe shivered it was a bit cooler than the rest of the place. I'd changed out of my black shirt and jeans and bunny slippers and into a simple tee-shirt, jeans and sneakers. Didn't want to frighten anyone with the bun-buns.

Three covered bodies were lined up along the back and the guy that'd led us in nodded to them. "They're all yours, Halloran. But you didn't see me here and I never saw you, got that?"

"I got it," Joe said.

"Nice guy," I said once he was out of the room.

"He really is. And he's doing the best he can since Lex's disappearance." He looked at me. "Jeffrey was Lex's assistant and took a lot of flack for her over the years. So he's been loyal. But I don't want to get him in trouble, and the new M.E.—like I said—isn't my biggest fan. So," he moved to the closest body and pulled back the sheet. "Take a look you two."

I moved away from Dags and joined Jason as we positioned ourselves on opposite sides of the gurney. Before when I'd sensed all the oogie, I'd had to touch the corpse. And it hadn't been a very pleasant experience since I'd had to do it with my astral body. When my hand had sank into the physical and touched their astral ghosts—

It'd burned like fire.

But since I couldn't feel anything now...

Her markings were nearly identical to what had happened before. Just like the ones that had been carved into Jason. I glanced over at him and he was paler than usual. "Jason?"

He looked at me and the sheen in his eyes told me Mephistopheles was up front. "I'm sorry," the dual voice said in a hushed tone. "It's just still so fresh in my mind. The markings look the same. Even the positioning is the same."

"Can you tell if it's a Revenant?"

"It's not."

Okay. So was it a Ghoul? I raised my hand, took a deep breath, went incorporeal, and plunged it into the corpse.

Nothing.

Just...silence. Blank.

Nobody was home. "It's not a Ghoul either," I said as I pulled my hand out. "I don't get it—why do this? Why make it look like the same kinds of murders and yet not use it on real Ghouls or Revenants?"

Joe rubbed at his chin. "Maybe someone's just trying to get your attention?"

"Well they have it," Jason said.

The door to the room opened and Jeffrey came back in. Only this time he was followed by six Dekalb County uniforms.

Uh-oh.

Joe immediately stepped forward and held his badge out. "Hey there fellows—I'm Sergeant Halloran and I'm working on this case—"

"Look out!" The shout had come from me.

I'd seen Jeffery's hand come from his white lab coat and in it was a gun!

Joe ducked in time and the shot pinged off of one of the morgue drawers behind us. Jason ducked down as well just as I felt Alice beside me.

"They're not humans anymore," she said aloud.

I nodded. I saw the tattoos on their faces. "They're Powers."

"Anyone else here think this was a trap?" Joe called out.

"Yah think?" Jason answered.

Seven against three.

And two Familiars.

Gotta love the odds.

-18-

West Side Brawl, Morgue Style

"Aw Jeffrey..." Joe said as he pulled his gun from his holster and removed the safety. "Did anyone notice the tattoos before we came in here?"

"No," Jason said as he picked up a scalpel from a nearby table. "Which is alarming—it means they've found a way to hide them."

Jeffrey grinned and brushed a finger over his face where the tattoo was visible now. "It's called makeup, asshole. I'm so going to love gutting you," he said with a smile as he brandished a machete in the air.

What was it with these guys and sharp objects?

"Zoë," Alice said to my right. "Prepare for battle."

Huh? I turned and looked at her—

Yow!

I'd seen the costume before—the silver and white battle armor. Any Fantasy RPG player's wet dream. The helm she wore obscured her face. "How do you see?"

"To me it's not there," she said softly. "But it will protect. Don your armor."

My what?

Well my armor had always been me as a Wraith. All ashy and wingy and just plain ugly.

But before I could poof myself that way, she put a hand on my arm. "Not as a Wraith." Her voice was barely audible as the Powers started their advance in the small room. "As a Familiar. We don't want any of them reporting back to Raziel they saw the Wraith here."

Ah. Good point.

So...I needed to go Warrior Princess on them.

Uhm...

How was I gonna do that? Not being one for original fantasy costumes, I took my cue from Alice's get up—and a half formed memory of what Maureen had looked like in hers—and suited up.

When it was done I looked down at myself and realized—there was more flesh uncovered than covered. Gah. I sure hoped that wasn't my subconscious wanting to explore deep fantasies of being a fantasy femme-fatale, complete with gravity-defying boobs.

Anime fun, here I come!

The heart breaker of fourteen year old boys everywhere!

I put my hand up to my face and found it too was covered in a helm similar to Alice's. Only where hers showed white, mine was black.

I thought Maureen's was always red?

You are Phantasm. Channel that, Zoë.

"Geist?"

I will help you. He almost sounded...excited?

Jeffrey attacked first, heading straight for Joe who immediately fired off his weapon. The others then scattered around and came at us. Alice charged out and slipped her sword across and through the first one. He fell to the floor in two pieces.

Nice.

But gross.

One of the tattooed freaks lunged at me. Instantly, the ice-flame sword I'd wielded before getting egg-housed appeared and blocked his attack. The dude himself stumbled back as if he'd rammed into a brick wall.

Sweet.

Not wanting him to get the upper hand, I moved like I remembered how Dags had moved and hacked that guy down in the warehouse. My sword cleaved him in half—between his shoulder blades. To me it felt like slicing butter.

I glanced back to see Dags behind all of us. He was on his cell and I assumed he was calling cavalry. Or so I hoped.

Hearing a loud noise to my right, I glanced over to see Jason dropping another tattooed guy. That was three of the seven down, four to go. I saw Joe and Jeffrey wrestling with one another in the far corner. It was looking like the big guy was going to possibly win—and I just wasn't willing to let Joe be hurt.

Not again.

I don't know why I did it—or how I even knew I could. Because even as I made up my decision to help, another of the Powers came at me, stumbling over the halves of his dead comrades. I don't consider myself a quick thinker—I actually always thought of myself as kind of slow. Not really dumb; but not out there with like Stephen Hawking types (yes I know who that is, thank you very much).

But it seemed the natural thing to do. I pointed my left hand at the Power coming at me and then my sword at the guy pummeling Joe. It was a simultaneous hit. My left hand shot some kind of concussive wave at the Power. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes bugged out, and then he just sort of...fell apart. Anywhere there was a joint—it gave. He looked like a puppet that'd had all the hinges removed.

And as for Jeffrey?

He froze.

Literally turned into a block of ice.

Unfortunately he was on top of Joe and the ice-wave nicked Joe too. He yelled out and I saw his right arm had been in the process of stabbing Jeffrey in the chest. It looked like the knife conveyed the ice and his fingers got singed.

Oops. Damn it.

That left two more—the one Jason had engaged and one that stood there—staring at me.

Alice went forward and attacked Mr. Stare as I looked back at Dags to make sure he was okay. Other than looking supremely tired he appeared to be unharmed.

"Asshole!" Jason yelled and I looked back to see him raise his own hand at the attacker. Apparently he'd punched the thing back and the Power had kicked Jason—where it hurts.

Now it was time to see the power of a First Born—a pissed off First Born. 'Cause I was pretty sure Mephistopheles could feel what Jason was feeling.

Ouch.

The Power stopped in mid-lunge. Thousands of tiny cuts appeared on his body simultaneously. And all at once—they opened.

Blood and organs poured out and made the most God-awful splattering noise on the tile. The guy fell forward about ten pounds lighter. On top of his guts.

I have to say fighting with these guys was just—gross.

I'm not sure what happened next—and even looking back on it none of us could explain it. Alice was fighting the last of the Powers so I moved myself to where Joe was and with a single touch of my hand—cured his blackened fingers. I hadn't even known they were blackened and dead till I was next to him. I figured if I could cure Dags, I could cure Joe, right?

I turned to look at Dags again and saw him fall on the ground face first. He was completely still.

I felt the tug then—the urge to return to him. Inside.

Alice returned quickly, vanishing in the middle of fighting the Power.

But I wasn't ready to.

No...the job wasn't done.

As I turned and looked at the remaining Power, I felt a slight shifting inside. I knew I'd changed outwardly as well.

"Zoë!" Jason hissed at me as I walked past him toward the Power.

The man's eyes widened as he saw me and he stumbled back. He pointed. "Wr-wraith! Wraith! The Wraith! Raziel—the Wraith!"

I opened my mouth and obliterated him with a scream.

There wasn't even dust.

After a moment of silence—well not utter silence 'cause I could hear something dripping—I turned and faced the others.

Joe was on his ass, leaning against one of the gurneys where one of the carved up young women lay. Jason was picking Dags up off the floor. He was awake and rubbing his face. The door slammed open behind me as Tel, Nick, Rhonda and Umayma came charging in. They stopped on the other side of the line of gore. Finally Tel and Umayma picked their way over the parts and helped Jason with Dags. Nick zeroed in on Joe and helped him to his feet.

"I'm fine...really. Just a little...woozy," Dags' voice was a quiet relief to me.

I felt something behind me and turned. Rhonda was staring...at me. Hard.

"Well..." I said in a half-joking voice as I looked around the room at the mess. I looked down at myself and realized I was half dressed in armor and half dressed in black. One bunny slipper on. "That went well."

-19-

Newsworthy

"Somehow..." Dags said as we piled into the penthouse. TC was there in the living room on the couch eating grapes and watching the flatscreen. We'd stopped at the Atlanta diner and had a meal—or Joe, Jason and Dags had. I couldn't eat...and that sucked ass. I wanted coconut cream pie sooo bad. Or baklava. Dags had put away a pound of pasta, Joe had a hamburger, and Jason? Fish. Apparently his human host was still able to digest real food though Mephistopheles admitted to me that would fade away pretty soon.

Jason was over a hundred now.

Tel had left with the others—reassuring everyone that he'd make a call and put the morgue to rights. "Somehow what?" I prompted.

"You used my ability to heal. I felt it when you pulled on it."

Me—I was back to looking normal again. And feeling...

Quite good.

You have a very interesting power outside of the Throne.

I had to agree with Geist. "Yeah, I kind of miss it. I was surprised I can still do it. Even as a Familiar."

I felt the Geist was pleased.

And that made me feel...good.

Rhonda was pissed off though. Or so I assumed because the whole way back she never said a word. She'd insisted she ride in the limo with us and wanted to get in the back to be with Dags. But he'd insisted he was fine and wanted me beside him.

She sat in the front with Nick who periodically glanced over at her.

Those two had never really gotten along, or so I'd heard. At least not well.

Once we were all inside the penthouse, Dags plopped down on the couch and instantly fell asleep. Alice appeared beside him and started acting like a nurse. Checking his pulse, putting a hand to his forehead. I came closer and sat on the floor beside him and her. "Can you feel it? His temperature?"

"Yes and no," she said in a quiet voice as the others moved about the penthouse. "I can't feel his skin—as you've discovered. Touch isn't a luxury we have anymore as Familiars. But I'm tuned to him. So if I touch him, I can feel what he feels internally. If I touch him and he's tired, I feel tired. If he's running a fever, I feel the fever myself."

Oh!

I know I brightened up. "Can I try that?"

"You should be able to do it."

Should. Key word here.

I rubbed my hands together and then reached out to touch his forehead. There was no sensation, just like before. Nothing. Frustrated, I focused on him and me. And then...

I was exhausted. Beyond the point of keeping my eyes closed.

Alice moved my hand away and smiled. "I knew your connection would be stronger. The two of you are closer. He loves you."

I rocked back on my knees and heels but kept my hand in Alice's. "I—why is he so tired?"

"A lot of reasons. Me. You. The Grimoire. His body is rejecting the book, Zoë. You saw him disappear? That was him winking out of existence when you pulled on his power. We have to get that page back in the Grimoire so he can access its energy again."

"I don't understand. I think I healed him when he was stabbed by Tattoo-Chick, right? In the side? And I don't think it tired him out then."

"I'm guessing because that was an internal self-healing it didn't have the same consequences. But this time you healed someone else."

I nodded. I suspected that healing Dags' side wasn't me at all, but something Geist had done with his own energy. But I didn't say anything.

Alice continued. "When Dags pulls on us, when he becomes a Guardian, Maureen and I would usually disappear from being corporeal. Because the energy to do that taps his own. It's a give and take. He taps us then. I've noticed your power isn't coming directly from him, but from your connection to your body, where Maureen is keeping the gears working. All that power you used to fight—none of it came from Darren. But," and she held up her hand, the other one still grasping mine. "When you used power to heal? That was all Darren."

"So the Abysmal throne can't heal?" Joe asked as he sat down in a nearby chair.

I looked up to see Rhonda talking quietly to Umayma. Jason was in the corner with Nick, who was leaning in close and Jason was at his neck—

OMYGOD—

Yes. This is my new word. Deal.

I turned away and stared at Dags. Yeah, I'd seen Jason feed before. He'd fed on my mom right in front of me because he needed it. I'd seen him part flesh and drink from the wound. But what I saw in the corner...seemed a bit more intimate. He was drinking from Nick's neck. Embracing him.

I wanted to stare—to look.

But it was so...intrusive.

I knew Jason the human was straight. And I knew Jason the human had loved the previous host, which was how he became the next host. And I knew Nick loved one of the hosts as well, the one that'd made him a Ghoul. I was wondering...to see them like that...

When I feed from Nick like this, I can return memories to him. I can give him a bit of Romina back, Zoë. As I feed, he relives those memories.

I hadn't expected to hear Mephistopheles in my head. I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry.

No, it's quite all right. Expending that much power makes me...hungry.

Oh. Kay. Next.

Joe and Alice were talking and I'd missed a bit of it.

"...basically not within its capacity. It's not that the Abysmal is evil—that's a man-made concept. It's more like creation and destruction. Two sides of the same being."

"So if she wants to heal someone—" he leaned toward Dags. "Then she should really just let Dags do it."

Alice nodded. "I would think so. Got that Zoë?"

I nodded. No, I didn't really get that, but hey. I was happy everyone got out alive.

In a manner of speaking.

"That bitch!"

Well... and then there was TC.

That explosion had come from him where he sat on the couch. Only now he was standing up and pointing at the screen. "She's not right. There's something wrong with her. Don't you guys sense it?"

After looking at him we all looked at the screen.

I didn't recognize the woman talking. But I read the name under her. Tamera Moultrie. I'd heard her name on the news a few times just in the past twenty-four hours, since I'd found myself as a Familiar. I was about to ask what the fuss was about when I saw my mom's face on the screen.

MOTHERGUPPY!

Under my mom's image it read, "Local Occult Ringleader" and gave her name as Nona Domas-Martinique.

"Turn it up," Joe said.

TC complied.

"...needs to be taken in for questioning. Unfortunately the local authorities still have their hands full with recent 'ritualistic murders' they're trying to keep under wraps. And they have repeatedly ignored my public cries for an investigation into this woman's dealings in the Little Five Points Community. In my opinion, anyone selling or teaching occult practices should be brought under suspicion as having ties to these local groups, such as the Society of Ishmael," she leaned in close. "And I have it on high authority that this woman is actually the great-niece of that Society's founding member, Abraham Domas."

What. The. Fuck?

"Who is this woman?" Tel said as he moved to the television. "She's been at the forefront of all of this; all up in people's faces. She's done more to destroy the possibility of any occult suspected groups from getting a fair trial then anyone else."

"She's a Power perhaps," Umayma said. "Or a Virtue?"

"No," Rhonda shook her head and joined Tel. "Not a Power. But she's clearly got contacts if she can figure that out. Nona's been very careful not to let anyone know about her family, or her links to that Society. Hell, she'd even had her birth records changed." She put her hands on her hips. "She might be a Virtue though."

"Aren't Virtues by their nature not filmable?" Umayma said. "They're not corporeal. And I don't think the Seraphim allows them to overshadow or possess. But that could just be a rumor."

"Then how did she find this out?" Tel said.

"More importantly," Jason began, his voice carrying over the television. I turned to see him standing behind the couch where TC was. Nick wasn't in the room anymore, and I assumed he'd moved off to rest. Losing blood...dead or alive...wasn't a very healthy thing. Funny...how a human drinking a Ghoul's blood made a monster. But if Jason drinks it—

A monster cannot be made a monster anew.

I sighed. Would you stop that?

You are quite loud, Zoë.

Sigh. So I'd been told before.

Jason continued. "If she is a Virtue, then by exposing Domas and his great-niece it seems to me that she's hampering what the Ethereals are trying to get, does it not?"

"Well their goal is to get the Grimoire," Alice said. "Nona is by rights a primary source for them to get information."

"And if they expose her like this, and she's arrested," Jason held out his hands. "Or her shop is seized like the Society's compound, then how is that helpful to the Virtues?"

"You mean Miss Moultrie is not working for them?" Umayma said. "She's a loose cannon, so to speak."

"She looks...familiar," Joe said as he rubbed at his lower lip. "Can't place her...but I've seen her before."

"She's all over the news, dude. Former attorney and now advocate for that dumbass church," Tel snapped his ringed fingers. He hadn't changed since the last time I'd seen him. Still in the suit-hoodie combo. He pulled his phone from his back pocket and answered it. A few words in a language I did not know and he disconnected. "That was Shane. Cleanup's finished at the morgue."

Shane?

"Do you guys have your own cleaner?" I blurted out.

Tel looked at me. "Yep. We do. But it's something Shane likes doing. Oh," he grinned. "You would know him as Re."

Re. One of the First Borns. Yes I remembered his name from Inanna's book.

"...just in," Tamera Moultrie said as someone handed her a piece of paper. She glanced over it. "Well well well—it seems the Dekalb County Morgue was hit just a few hours ago—a break in where body parts were dumped all inside. A worker at the place caught these pictures on his camera and with great risk to himself, sent them here to us at the CCE. Take a look at these—"

My mouth fell when I saw clear as crystal pictures of the room we'd just been inside of. I recognized the body parts, as well as the blood smear all over the room.

"Uh...Tel..." Rhonda said.

"That's..." the Revenant answered. "That's not possible. Shane said it was cleaned."

"Then someone got in there and took those pictures before Re's team got there," Alice said. "This is bad. Very bad."

"And it's getting worse," TC upped the volume again as the scene came back to Moultrie.

"We here at CCE have just received a statement from the Dekalb County Morgue—" she looked down at a sheet of paper in front of her. "Ha—it seems they're denying such an event took place. That investigators and employees have been in the building in the past half hour and there is nothing wrong." She looked up at the camera. "Viewers, I'm sure that the police and local law enforcement will once again paint us as the culprits. We've also learned that a cop-killer—one of Atlanta's Finest—who escaped from a mental institute four months ago has been seen in the company of this woman. His name is Daniel Frasier and is believed to responsible for a string of brutal murders in Atlanta, as well as the death of Captain Ken Cooper..."

Joe's phone went off just as they flashed a picture of Daniel on the screen. Joe reached into his pocket and answered it as he moved to the sliding glass doors and stepped outside.

"Where's Daniel?" I blurted out.

"He's watching the house in Between," Umayma said.

Rhonda went pale. "No...he's not. Two Society members are. Daniel went to see Nona," she reached out and grabbed Jason's arm. "Call Daniel and warn him."

"Mephistopheles will tell Inanna," Jason said.

I watched this Moultrie woman rant and rant about the dangers of occult groups in Atlanta and all over the southeast. A plague on humanity! Spreading lies and misinformation that leads people astray from the true word. Groups full of criminals and murderers!

Once she devolved into a televangelist I tuned out. I wasn't sleepy, but I could feel Dags sleeping. He stomach was full, and he'd exerted enough energy—well—I'd taken enough.

So my power didn't really extend to healing—that was kind of a no-brainer really. Never had. I'd always been a little bit of a soul vampire since becoming Wraith. The idea of healing—

You are the opposite of one another.

I sighed when I heard Geist's voice. "You're kinda always there, aren't you?"

I protect the Potential as I should. Now that we have touched on the Astral Plane, there is resonance.

Resonance. I knew what it meant. And I believed I had it with Dags. "Will I ever get out of this, Geist? Will I ever have a normal life, and just live and love as a normal girl would?"

I heard only silence.

Well...I had my answer.

Joe stepped back in. "We gotta move. Mastiff said they're on their way to bring Nona in for questioning."

I put my hands to my head. Daniel was there!

-20-

Faust

"Questioning her about what?" Rhonda rounded on him.

I was on my feet too. Alice was rousing Dags. Damn...and he'd just fallen asleep too. Tel, Jason, Umayma and TC looked at Joe. "I'm not worried about mom—she can kick ass. But what about Daniel? If Mastiff sees him—"

Joe nodded. "I know, Zoë. He doesn't really understand what happened, and I don't want to drag him back into this mess." He pulled his gun from the shoulder holster, checked the clip and slammed it back in. "Nona's been accused of conspiring with the Society of Ishmael in hiding Mr. McConnell over there. Neighbors and customers alike all admitted seeing Dags in her store—and he'd acted like he was drugged. So since they didn't find him in the Society House, they're going after the shop."

Rhonda hit the wall hard. "Damn them. Why are they doing this? Why make this whole thing so public?"

"Because it decreases our options," Jason said as he came up behind Rhonda and put a hand on her shoulder. "By making this public it makes going to ground that much harder."

She turned on him and glared. That was a glare that always scared me a little. And even though I might be a Potential Phantasm, I was still frightened of it. "I figured that much out. I just wish they'd stop."

"Me too," he looked over at Tel who was already on the phone again. I laughed. As a First Born, part of the brood of a race of creatures older then civilization, he was up on his tech. "You making the calls?"

Tel nodded and continued to speak in a low voice into the phone in a language that didn't sound familiar.

He is speaking in the old tongue.

Ah. Okay. Whatever that was. Good old Mephistopheles and his commentary.

Joe was also on the phone. "Nona? Yeah, I know this phone is only for emergencies. But this is one. And to be blunt, the shit has hit the fan. Is Daniel there?" He paused and I felt my heart skip a little back in the Throne. Mom! I wanted to talk to my mommy. But I also knew that I couldn't. Not yet. We had to get her out of harm's way first.

Dags was beside me, his hand slipping into my own. I turned and looked into his gray eyes. He still looked tired. "Alice told me what happened. You ready?"

"Yeah I am. And I promise not to pull any healing tricks. I'll leave that to you."

He leaned over and kissed my nose. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and hold him tight to me. Forever.

And then a new thought intruded.

It always did.

Daniel.

"Look—" Joe said and raised his free hand. Apparently mom was giving him fits. "Just do like we agreed on okay? We follow Faust's plan. Enochian Galvah."

Blink.

Wha?

If that was code—it was awful.

The one thing about code you do not want to do is make it sound like code, right? It had to look like regular conversation. That wasn't it.

Alice laughed behind me and I turned to see her fade away. I patted Dags arm and then slipped back inside of him with her. I felt Dags instantly stand up straighter.

"What is it?" I asked as we both materialized in the little Mind Theater.

"The code they use isn't code as you'd think," Alice said. "You know of Faust, right?"

"I know in Goethe's poems or stories and whatnots he's the one that makes a deal with the devil—I figured that's where Mephistopheles got his name." I recalled my conversation with Dags. "Or—rather—Goethe got the name from him."

"Yes, and no," Alice smiled. "Mephistopheles was given his name by his father, Samael. He didn't take it. A First Born's name has several meanings, Zoë."

"So...you're saying whoever wrote "Faust" just made up the name and didn't know it belonged to a First Born?"

"Zoë," Alice put a hand on my shoulder. "One of Mephistopheles' hosts was Johan Fust, Gutenberg's partner. And to him, in that primitive age, Mephistopheles was like a devil that promised him riches and fame and a long life. He wrote the stories himself, and then published them under different names. After Fust, Mephistopheles was later paired with a man named John Dee who studied alchemy and developed the Enochian alphabet."

I just stared at her. I recognized Gutenberg's name. But not John Dee, or what his deal was. The name Enochian.. "Is that Enoch? Like in the book of Enoch that talks about the Irin?"

She nodded. "Galvah is the name of the Goddess. Shekhinah, Aima Elohim. And the one you knew."

I held my breath.

"Sophia."

Well bite my butt. "Mephistopheles really got around didn't he?"

"He's not the oldest, nor is he the youngest, but he is the best lived. And he has had the most influence in keeping the names of his family alive. The code Joe used is known only to the First Borns; it will mean nothing to an Ethereal."

"So," I said as they all headed for the door. Even TC this time. Nick was absent. "Joe just told my mom to look for the dead Phantasm?"

"No. To create the door to the in Between and get out. They discovered that it was possible to make a jump point by using a summoning spell and going between points. Kind of using a back door. But we have to get there before the police do. We're pretty sure it's not just the boys in blue..."

"So mom's supposed to take a back door out, and if Daniel's there too he'll go with her. But we need to get over there anyway?"

She nodded. "Just in case something goes wrong."

They were afraid the Virtues and their Powers would be there. Tattoos in uniforms.

Can it get any better?

Hi mom...I'm home.

-21-

Let Them Eat Cake

We drove over to Little Five Points in a high tech van.

The walls were stocked with shelves of equipment I could only guess the purposes for. Monitors were bolted onto the side walls and into steel framework that'd been added. Two chairs behind the driver and passenger seats were magnetically locked to the floor and prevented Jason and Dags from moving about. On one side was a small gurney and above it were shelves with big red crosses on it. Behind Dags' chair was a cooler. I could only guess what went in there too.

"I like the van," I told Dags.

"Yeah," he said aloud as Joe communicated with the others by way of a little ear bud with a microphone that stuck out from his cheek. He looked so...official. Covert ops like. "Had to use it a few times. It's good for surveillance and quick medical treatment."

"And the cooler?"

He laughed. "You really wanna know?"

That's mine, Mephistopheles said.

"Nah. I'm good."

Joe parked the van a block from the house. I started pacing inside of the little Mind Theater. Joe and Jason still didn't want mom to know I was here. So what did that mean? I was just going to stay in here and wait?

"No," Alice said. "You'll just have to disguise yourself again. You're a Familiar. You can look like whatever you want. My suggestion is to match my own armor but make it red. Not black."

"But black seems so natural."

She sighed. "We need to keep your mom out of the loop for now. Just trust us? Make her think its Maureen."

Sure.

Grumble.

Jason donned a tiny earpiece like Joe's as the two of them exited the van. Dags hopped out of the side door and followed between the two. It was close to sundown now and the breeze was chilly on my skin—

No—on Dags's skin!

"Dags?"

"Yes?" he said aloud and Jason gave him a sharp look as they moved into an alley and stopped on the opposite side of the street. In the months I'd been gone the old buildings on this side of town had been torn down and an apartment building had gone up. So much could happen in this city in so little time.

"When we get me out of the Throne—I want a vacation. Just you and me."

I felt him grin. "You mean that?"

"Yes! I want us to go away together. Send the girls on vacation too. No Society. No freaky things. Just you, and me, and a lot of naked fun."

"Well that counts the beach out. I don't want any of your naked parts getting burned where I can't touch them."

"Can you two keep it down?" Joe said in a very frustrated whisper. "Christ...talk about that stuff privately?"

I felt a little embarrassed and realized Dags had blushed. I know it's possible to love someone so much you want to be a part of them. I'd been there before. But this was ridiculous.

And I'm here to tell yah—it sucked monkey butt.

This was not fun. It was more enjoyable to be my own self and be as close to him as possible. To feel his skin, see his smile, and hear his voice. That, my friends, is the way it should be.

I just knew I wasn't going to take us for granted anymore. I wanted him with me, and I wanted to be with him.

"I love you," he said in a whisper.

I clamped my hands on my face. "Did you hear me thinking?"

"Uh huh," and the little fart grinned.

"Asshole."

"I'm your asshole."

"If you don't keep it down I'm gonna gag you myself," Joe said. "Jesus."

I laughed and paid a bit more attention to what we were supposed to do. I didn't think this was gonna be hard. I mean, I didn't see any cops around. And since Mastiff had given Joe a heads up, it was possible that he was delaying their arrival. So that meant we had a little time to get in, grab mom, and get out.

Joe pulled the tiny mic close and I realized I could hear him. Dags had been wearing one too. "Shamisen two, Shamisen three, north dance."

Okay that meant nothing to me. I think a shamisen was an instrument of some kind?

Abruptly we were across the street on the edge of mom's yard, standing on the sidewalk. I flipped out a bit before I saw the tell-tale sparkling around Joe's hand. He'd done it again—used magic. He did that so rarely I forgot he could. But somehow he'd moved us across and now we were standing just outside a shimmering wall.

A ward?

"That's not Nona's work," Dags said and kept back from it.

"No, it's not," Joe said as he held his hand out from it but didn't touch it. "Feels...odd." He tapped the ear piece. "Mouse, you in?"

"Just about," came Rhonda's voice inside the tiny speaker. "Joe—she's not alone."

"Is Daniel in there?"

"No, I'm here."

Dags, me, Jason and Joe jumped and spun around. Daniel was just behind us. He was breathing heavily, his hair disheveled and clothing torn. "I took out two Powers, Joe—but there's something else in there with her. I couldn't stop it."

"Is it Adiran?"

Daniel shook his head. "I don't know."

"Rhonda went through the barrier?" Jason said.

"She said if they've changed the regular spell of the ward then Nona's probably put in a back door only Rhonda can see," Joe said.

"Wait," Daniel put a hand on Joe's shoulder. "Rhonda went in there? Joe—whatever that is, it's dangerous. You've got to get them both out of there."

After a few minutes the ward vanished with a popping sound.

Joe grinned and winked.

Looked like this was going to be a piece of cake.

But then...when was the last time I had cake.

-22-

Homecoming

Joe turned to look at us. "Dags you ready?"

He nodded.

I looked at Alice. "Ready for what?"

Alice made a dismissive gesture at me and pointed to the screen, meaning pay attention.

"It's going to be easier if we go in with Jason and Joe stays out here. Nick should be at the van by now," Joe said.

"Nick's here?" Daniel said.

"Yes he rode with Rhonda."

Guess they were getting along better.

Dags spoke up. "Where do you want me?"

Joe shook his head. "Right here with me, Jason and Daniel. I just want the Familiars heading in for now. Mephistopheles, can you communicate with Zoë while she's in there?"

Yes.

"That's our cue," Alice said.

Dags held his hands out, palms up. Alice and I manifested in full armor regalia. I did my best in copying her style of medieval vestments though mine sort of bulged and curved in different places. I made the color blood red. My hair hung free around me like some dark octopus as it reached out everywhere.

I looked like Red Sonja.

"Is that normal?" Joe nodded to it.

I shrugged. "What's normal?"

He smirked. "Good point. You two go invisible and get into position on opposite sides of the house. Alice you take the front, Zoë, you take the back. Go in and tell me what you see. And whatever you do don't give yourself away again all right?" That last bit he aimed at me.

"I'll be fine even if someone does recognize me."

He blanched and I realized he was remembering earlier today. "It's not you I'm worried about."

Oh. Right. I was pretty sure he didn't want me doing to Mastiff what I did to that Power. And he was right.

Alice signaled for me to get going and we both did a little dimming. We weren't completely invisible, but close enough. I could still see a shadow of her and she could see one of me. But to the naked eye or to any human that wasn't gifted with special sight we didn't exist.

The back of the house looked the same as it always had, with maybe fewer magazines and papers than before. What with most things going digital they didn't sell as much in print anymore. One or two of the wind chimes tinkled in the evening breeze.

I tried to sense my mom inside. This far from Dags I couldn't hear the radio. I couldn't hear anybody.

I'm here.

Ah...Geist. "Geist, we need to get my mom to safety before they arrest her, and I think Rhonda's in there too." This time I just spoke aloud but still in a whisper.

What does that mean?

"Arresting? Well it means they come and handcuff her and take her to the jail and question her about the Society and her great-uncle."

Domas?

"Yeah, you know about him?"

Of course. Every Abysmal creature knows of Domas.

Huh. "You do? Why is that?"

Before he answered I heard Alice's voice in my ears as if she were standing next to me. "Zoë do you see anything?"

"No. Do we go in?"

"Yes. We need to see what it was that Daniel sensed."

Right. I moved to the back porch, my sword down and my shield up in front of me. I went incorporeal and moved through the door. I came into in the kitchen which of course was spotless, though as I looked over the counter into the shop I saw a table overturned and two bodies on the floor heading into the Botanica part.

I saw Alice enter from the front door. She's moved through it as well. Where was Rhonda?

"Don't lie to me!"

Whoa. I had my sword up and my lights on in an instant. Alice held up her sword and shield and made motions for me to tone it down. Whoops. I'd turned on like a lightening bug. I dimmed myself again and we moved to where we'd heard the voice.

It was the basement. God I hated that basement. That's where I'd found the box of my birthday presents... the one from my dad. The Eidolon...

In fact that voice had sounded a lot like my dad. Not that I'd heard my dad a lot during my life. But still.

I nodded to the door in the kitchen that went under the stairs. I sieved through first and kept myself as invisible as possible as I "floated" down the stairs.

I really hadn't expected to see what I did. In fact I think I just hovered there with my mouth open as Alice came in behind me.

The shelves were still there along the back wall. Plastic tubs replaced the boxes I'd half destroyed the last time I'd been down here. They were all clearly marked on the sides: Xmas/Solstice, Thxgiving, Halloween/Samhain, Lamas, Michaelmas, Beltane—wait, what were those for?

The floor had been cleaned and a gigantic pentagram like the one that was painted on the hard wood in the botanica shop above us had been scrawled in what looked like white chalk. A white candle flickered at each point of the star. In the center of the pentagram sat my mom, her legs crossed, her eyes closed. She looked like she was meditating before a yoga class.

Just outside of the pentagram stood my dad. He was holding Rhonda up by the neck and shouting at her.

Several things went through my head in the split second before I went all medieval on my dad. First, what the hell was my mom doing while my best friend was getting strangled by her ex-husband? How was it that my Dad, who is dead by the way, could strangle a witch as great as Rhonda was touted to be? And what the hell was he even doing in the basement of mom's house?

Now it was time to go Warrior Princess on his ass. I zoomed down the stairs, pulled my legs around and aimed a high kick at his head.

Unfortunately he'd either sensed me or he'd heard me (my bad—I think I let out a Warrior scream) because by the time I'd gotten there he was gone. Rhonda crumpled into a heap near the front of the stairs and I sent a nice "HELP!" out to Dags before I moved her out of the way.

Dad showed up again by the pentagram as Alice took over for me and started thrusting, hacking and parrying him. My dad pulled a sword out of nowhere and fought back. Once I knew Rhonda was okay and got an acknowledgement from Dags that they were on their way I rejoined the fight.

I felt just a little bad because it was two against one in our favor. I'd also noticed that mom never moved and dad never went past that pentagram's circle.

What I hadn't counted on was Dags himself stomping down the stairs and heading toward Rhonda.

Oh great. The one thing they were hiding from the Ethereals just walked into a house with one in it.

Dumbass.

Lovable. But a dumbass.

"You!" my dad bellowed. And I mean he bellowed.

His sword burst into white flame and he started a relentless thrust attack at Alice. She blocked most of them but a few got through and when they touched her, she sizzled. I could actually hear it.

On the third hit Alice cried out and Dags actually doubled over as he was trying to get Rhonda out of there. Shit. This wasn't going to do.

You are stronger than she is.

"Geist, this isn't the right time—"

You can defeat him easily. Simply use your strength. Draw from the Throne and destroy him with abysmic essence.

Destroy him? Since the start of this I don't think I'd ever considered actually destroying my dad. Making him feel bad, yeah. But destroy him? "Geist, he's my dad."

He is simply the vessel used to create you by divine plan. He is a tool.

"I can't destroy him."

Maim him.

"No..." but I realized if I couldn't do the things Geist was talking about like killing and maiming, was it was possible to just hurt him?

I had to try.

Dad was heading toward Dags just as Joe came down the stairs. He fired a few rounds into my dad—but they went through and impacted on the floor. Stop it or you'll hurt my mom!

Joe looked past me to the circle and Nona seated inside. I'd overshadowed him once, so hearing my mental scolding was pretty easy for him.

Sorry, he returned.

Dags stumbled with an unconscious Rhonda as Joe reached him and the two tried to go back up the steps. Dad managed to get close enough to strike before I could hack at his back with my own sword. Joe went backwards into Rhonda and Dags and they went down like bowling pins.

My dad turned and looked at me as if to say, "Oh, you're still here." Of course he didn't know it was me.

I took a step back, taunted him to come at me.

He fired up his sword.

Well I fired up mine right back. And the flame burned...black.

It was a contrast. A black flaming sword and a red one. It looked cool as shit. But now wasn't the time to entertain my inner-geek super-hero loving self. My dad's expression was priceless. He was a beautiful man—hell he made Antonio Banderas look ordinary in comparison. So the look was almost cute.

Almost.

He yelled out something in that weird language—the one Mephistopheles said was the old tongue.

And I understood it.

"Behold the divine hand of the Seraphim!"

That's what he'd said.

I have given you that ability. Now, use the Phantam's, Zoë. Put him in his place. He is the right hand of your enemy.

"My enemy?"

The one that wishes to keep you and the Grimoire separated for all eternity.

That thought irritated me. Being with Dags. Touching him and not being able to feel him. Being locked inside that damn throne, away from EVERYTHING!

I spoke out in the same tongue and my voice carried throughout that tiny basement.

"You bow down to the power of the Phantasm, the hand of Kings, and the wielder of the Universe!"

The flame of my sword grew even darker as I charged at him. My yelling had caught him off guard and I was able to rush a thrust into his chest and through it. He screamed out in agony, threw his head back, and vanished.

The sudden silence was deafening. Alice was gone but somehow I knew she was inside of Dags. He was picking Rhonda up and lifting her into his arms.

Joe stepped up. "Hey, you want me to do that? The girls just did some serious fighting—you've got to be exhausted."

But he shook his head. "No...it hurts a little where Alice was stabbed...but I'm okay." He moved around Joe, took the first step, leaned down to kiss me, and then moved up the rest of the stairs with Rhonda in his arms.

"Well...that's different," Joe said and looked at me and then past me.

My ears popped and I stuck my pinky into one of them. That's when I felt a hand slap on my shoulder and a firm hand turned me around.

I was facing mom, nose to nose. And she looked pissed off.

"Zoë—when your father finds out it was you that just kicked his ass—this whole mess is just going to blow up in your face."

Damn I love this woman. I wanted to kill her sometimes...but I do love her.

"I missed you too mom," I said in a tired, meek voice, and the whole Princess Warrior thing vanished. It was just me, in a hoodie, jeans and sneakers.

Her eyes were red-rimmed and she had her arms around me.

Arms...around me.

I was in my mom's arms again.

There was nothing to stop the water works.

Nothing.

"I love you, baby girl. I love you so much."

-23-

Who Is That Witch?

There wasn't enough time.

I wanted to stay in her arms forever and never let go. But her Botanica and Tea Shop had become too dangerous. My dad might have be gone for the moment—but there was no guarantee he wouldn't be back; and with reinforcements.

To be more economical with space—especially in the Scooby Van—I slipped back inside of Dags as Joe stepped up to help mom out of the house. Jason, Daniel and TC (where did he come from?) took up positions outside the house and stood guard as we moved to the curb. It was dark now, but the streetlights illuminated a really creepy fog all over the yard that hid the other houses from view. The van abruptly came around the corner and squealed to a halt right in front of us. The door opened and Dags ducked in with Rhonda in his arms.

Nick was driving!

Once everyone was in, with Jason climbing in the front with Nick, the door closed and we sped off. I thought I heard police sirens coming closer.

Dags put Rhonda on the stretcher as Joe crowded down beside him.

"Is she okay?"

Dags shook his head. "I don't know. I have to check."

Alice looked a little dimmer than usual and insisted she was fine when I opened my mouth to ask. "It's okay. Remember what I said about him healing? We've all been lucky his inability to access the book didn't take it away. But once he does this I'm afraid the world in here is going to suffer a blackout."

"Blackout?"

"It's very trying on him to heal, Zoë. He uses his own power. Remember what happened when you used it? He's going to need sleep."

I turned back to the screen to watch.

Rhonda's neck looked terrible. It reminded me of what my own neck had looked like after Mitsuri had attacked me in my kitchen back in November. I thought at the time I was going to die, half in and half out of my body. My dad had an unearthly strength, and for all of Rhonda's magic she was still human.

Joe had two fingers at her neck and he hissed. "It's weak."

Dags edged Joe out of the way and gently put both of his hands on her neck to either side. The contact made me aware of her breathing. It was ragged and strained.

"Dags?"

I knew he was frowning. I didn't have to see his gentle face. "He—I think he crushed her windpipe. She's suffocating."

"That son of a bitch—"

"Joe—" Jason said from behind us. "Move away. Let Dags have some room."

But Joe had his hand on Dags' arm. Dags looked directly at him and I saw the panic and desperation in the detective's eyes. I don't think I'd ever seen him so worried. Or upset. "You can heal her. I saw you bring someone back from the dead, remember? You can heal this."

Alice's light dimmed again and I turned to her. "What's wrong?"

"If he's going to do this, Zoë he's going to need our help."

Oh hell.

But what did Joe mean he'd seen Dags bring someone back from the dead before?

He could raise the dead?

That was 'effed up.

When did that happen?

Yes...he did. I see it now.

I jumped a little. I wasn't expecting Geist to pop up. "Woof...you see what?"

There was a pause. He didn't manifest nearby. It was only his voice. Joe's voice. This is very interesting.

"What?"

But Geist didn't answer me.

"I'll do my best," Dags was saying.

Uh oh.

"Geist...what you did before when...you healed Dags' side...can you do it again? With Rhonda?"

I can channel my power through you, if that will help.

"Will it fix Rhonda?"

We can try.

I watched Dags' hands glow with an eerie blue and white witch light from inside—as if his bones were on fire. I knew he'd closed his eyes but I could still see what he was doing.

I felt Geist's warmth and stepped forward.

"Zoë—don't!" Alice hissed.

I waved her away. I remembered that time Rhonda had been shot in the warehouse and I'd stepped inside to heal her wound. This was so similar, only instead of a bullet hole I could see her crushed windpipe.

They told me my power couldn't heal...but I had healed before. I had!

Yes. You have. So heal again. I will help you. You and the Guardian will work as one.

Suddenly I was rushing forward down toward his hands...and Dags was with me. Dags and I were together flooding the entire area from her chin to her sternum in that eerie light. I watched her windpipe straighten. The blood returned to where it needed to be. Her breathing eased, and her heart slowed to a relaxing rhythm.

It was amazing how easy it was to work together like that!

Neither of us said a word, we just knew what to do. Was that the secret? Instead of taking his power from him to heal, we combine them?

You seem to be both sides.

"Geist—it worked! Thank you!"

You are welcome. Who—who is she?

"This is Rhonda Orly."

What is she?

That seemed like an odd question. "She's my best friend."

Odd.

???

I sensed surprise now, not mine or Dags— "Geist?"

This is the one that wielded the Grimoire?

"She's the one that fused it to Dags' soul, yes."

Such power...she keeps it well hidden. He paused. Did you know she loves the Grimoire?

I felt the light around Dags and me dissipating. "Yeah, she loves books like that. Magic. She's a witch."

I mean she loves the Grimoire as in the vessel. The Guardian that holds it.

"Yeah," and that was true. I did know how she felt about him. Which I could see was going to make for some really awkward moments.

She would do anything for him.

"I think a lot of us would. He's a great person."

I can see why the Seraphim wants him.

I was kind of getting a little creeped out by the conversation. "Geist...did they really keep you this much in the dark?"

Another pause. Yes.

And then I sensed he was gone.

I was back in the little Mind Theater beside Alice and the only light came from her. "What happened?"

Alice's light was very dim. When I put my hands on her we ported back to the beach and the fire. I helped her to one of the logs and we sat together. "You...you both work so well together. As if you were made for one another."

"Yeah I noticed that. Did Dags pass out?"

"Yes," she stared into the fire. "He's fine though. I can sense he's only tired—but not exhausted as he had been."

"Did it work?"

She nodded. "Oh yes. Rhonda is going to be just fine. Better than before. Only—"

I frowned. I hated "only," it was kinda like having a "but" in there too. I waited.

Alice looked at me. "You used a lot of Abysmal essence when you aided him."

I shook my head. "Is that bad?"

"I'm not sure."

"Dags is a creature of both, right? Me Abysmal, you Ethereal?"

"Yes, but—"

Aw man...a "but" and an "only."

"Zoë—the taint of the essence flows with the power."

I really wanted to understand that sentence so I held out as long as I could before I had to throw my hands up and just say, "I don't get it."

But instead of explaining it, she put her hand on my hands and smiled. "It's nothing I'm sure. Can you sense Maureen at all?"

I thought back to my body. "Y-yeah. She's sleeping. That's the best way I can describe it."

"Good."

"Good?"

"Yes. She's had so much happen to her over these months I think the rest will do her good."

This was very true. Maureen Lafferty had been a girlfriend of Dags' if I remembered it right. And they worked together. She'd disappeared and then shown up as a Familiar inside the tattooed portal of his left hand. She'd also been used by Sophia to kill Revenants, capture Dags and take pages from the Grimiore. I was pretty sure she felt like a used sock.

I turned to ask Alice more about Maureen—but to my surprise—she was asleep.

With a sigh, I watched the flickering fire for a while.

"Zoë?"

I jumped up and turned to see Dags standing on the edge of the circle of logs. "Are you okay?" I was beside him instantly.

And he had his arms around me, kissing me. I tried to feel through him, like I had before. But it didn't work the same way. Not in here. When he was finished he pulled back and moved my hair from my eyes, tucking it behind my ears. "I'm fine. And Rhonda will be fine too."

"I'm glad," I said and grabbed his hand. "Walk with me. Just...be with me." I pulled him to the shore. It wasn't a real beach. These weren't real waves. And that wasn't a real sunset. But it was enough for me. For now. Until we could touch each other again in the real world and finally be a couple.

God I wanted that so bad.

-24-

Deep Thoughts

Dags stayed with me as long as he could. But when his body entered a deep, healing sleep, he vanished as well.

I sat in the sand on the water's edge next to the Grimoire and watched the waves. I could hear them. See the eternal sunset.

What would happen with all of this?

And how—how was it going to happen.

"How do you want it to happen?"

Geist was sitting beside me. I jumped again and gave him a harsh look as the breeze blew my hair. "What does that mean?"

He shrugged. "Exactly as it is supposed to sound. I have already pointed out the problem. Have you come up with a solution?"

Ah. Yes. The Catch-22. The borders were closed. To open them I had to become the Phantasm. But if I became the big bad I could never get out of the Throne.

I half turned and looked at Geist's profile. "You knew the first Phantasm?"

"Yes."

"Samael?"

"That was his name, yes."

I pulled hair from my face. "How did he get out of the Throne."

Geist slowly smiled. "He was never in the Throne, Zoë."

I thought I heard thunder in the distance. "Wait...what? How? I thought the Thrones were made when the planes were made."

"No. The Thrones were set up to try and prevent the war. When the two forces couldn't sort out who owned what or who could go where. The Ethereals wanted total control and restrictions; and the Abysmals wanted freedom. For all." He looked at me. He was so unlike Joe in so many ways. "The Thrones were agreed on—but Samael was never permitted inside."

"He wasn't permitted?"

"The Bulwark happened. The coup that created the second Phantasm—Sophia—prevented the resonance from happening. The spell was created—the one you learned about—to preserve Samael's ghost. But," he shook his head. "It didn't work. It was faulty."

"So it is possible to be a Phantasm and not sit in the Throne?"

He smiled at me. "Is it?"

Uhm... That wasn't the answer I was expecting. "Is it?" I fired back.

And for the first time I saw the Geist smile with Joe's smile. "Zoë, everything is made up of thought. The basis for the universe is that all thoughts are living things. That all things in being were originally something thought up."

Yeah, I gave him that face. The one that said "Huh?"

"Do you think the first chair just manifested itself? Or was it thought of by just one person? No. It was an idea, a thought, that blossomed and grew in many minds at different times, and those thoughts grew until a bunch of someones built a chair. It is the same thing for any other thing on the Physical Plane." He turned a bit more to face me and became more animated as he continued. "The planes themselves exist because of this. It is the essence of universal thought."

Blink.

"Zoë—come on. Think of each of the planes as a stage. You have the Abysmal and Ethereal—the group mind. Think of a thought, an idea. That idea passes from there to the Astral plane were it starts to take shape. It then moves to the Mental Plane were the shape of the idea begins to form in the minds of those who will share it and create it. And then," he held out his hands. "It becomes manifest in the Physical Plane."

I didn't believe it.

He'd just made this whole crazy thing make sense.

Kinda.

"Wait a minute—are you trying to tell me what happens is determined by what we think?"

"Yes. If you're sure and confident you will succeed, then you will. But if you doubt yourself at all," he lowered his shoulders. "Then you will fail. And the key," he paused and touched my forehead.

I had to chuckle a bit at him, causing Geist to look a bit confused.  Using my best gravelly voice I looked at him, "Do..or do not..there is no try"

-Wait...he touched my forehead.

And I felt it!

"Do that again."

"What?"

"Touch me."

He reached out and poked my arm.

I felt it!

"Why—how can I feel you but I can't feel Dags. Or Alice?"

"Oh that's because of what I am, Zoë." He pointed to his own forehead and tapped. "But do you understand? Whatever outcome you want, you will have."

"By thinking it? And if I doubt?"

"Doubt will undo the want."

"And if I can't do it? What if I try and I fail?"

He shook his head. "Do or do not...there is no try."

-25-

I Love Her

I was instantly back in the little Mind Theater when Dags awoke. I watched the screen refocus and heard him give off a soft moan. I loved his voice, no matter what sound he was making.

Except for screaming. I don't think I ever wanted to hear him scream in pain again.

The images in front of him focused.

I recognized a ceiling. And a ceiling fan. The fan was spinning at what could have been its slowest cycle. He stared at it a few minutes before a familiar face popped into view.

"Good morning sleepy head."

It was Rhonda. And we both jumped when she showed up.

"Hey..." Dags said and rubbed at his eyes. He blinked a few more times and looked at her. She looked great. Her hair was perfectly cut in a bob around her chin and the sides fell forward toward him, framing her face. Her eyes were lined in kohl, as usual, but her lips were painted a soft pink. I think some of her new decoration designs were rub-offs from when she housed my mom's soul for a while. Rhonda would always be goth all the way.

He reached up and touched her neck. "Is it okay?"

"Yep," she pulled her hair back and turned her head from side to side. "See? It's all fine." She released her hair and it fell forward like a shampoo commercial. "I'm alive thanks to you."

Hrm.

He laughed and pushed himself up on his elbows. "Well no, actually it wasn't just me it was—"

But she put a finger to his lips and he stopped talking. I took a step closer to the screen. "Shhh. You don't have to be embarrassed, Dags. It's okay. You've done so much for all of us. We work as a team keeping this group alive and well. We work good together, don't you think?"

"Zoë, what are you doing?"

I glanced back at Alice. "I'm watching. Shhh.."

"Rhonda—" Dags moved her hand from his face and sat up in a bed. I took in the room around them. I didn't recognize it—though it could be one of the rooms in the penthouse. It looked like a hotel room; with stock ocean scenes on the wall and a dresser and mirror and flat screen behind Rhonda. "Yeah we really do work well together. I'm glad we could help you."

"We?"

"Me and Zoë. That's what I was gonna say before. She was the one that healed you."

I'm not sure I liked the look in Rhonda's face at that moment. It sort of looked—predatory. And then it was gone.

"Oh I see. I thought it was you, and I was talking about you and me working well together."

"It was me but it was mostly her. We sync'd perfectly last night—" and he chuckled. "It's like we were made to be together."

Aww.

"But you're not together," Rhonda said as she stood. I watched her move to the dresser but I couldn't see her face. "You're in two different planes."

"Well yeah for now. But she's in here," and he touched his chest. "Her spirit's with me. I haven't been this happy in a long time Rhonda. And as soon as we can figure out a way to get those borders between the planes down we can go get her."

Yay!

"But what if we can't?"

Boo.

"Oh we will." He paused. "And then I'm going to marry her."

Rhonda gave him a sharp look. "Marry?"

"Yeah...I want to be with her."

"But you can't—"

"What do you mean can't?" Dags moved himself to the side of the bed. I looked down to see he was wearing jeans and nothing else. "Of course we can. Azrael's pretty sure we can do this. But I'm pretty sure we're going to need to get to the Dioscuri Files."

We are?

Rhonda turned back to him. "Why do you think that?"

"While I was sort of trapped in here," he put his hand to his chest. "I could still hear people. I could still think and feel. And it wasn't until I spoke to Nona last night that I remembered her talking to Adiran about the Dioscuri files. Domas had a lot of detailed things in there about the Outer Planes. Namely the Abysmal. What if there's something in there that could tell us how to get Zoë out? Or maybe about how to get in? Why rely on just the Grimoire?"

Her dark eyebrows knitted in the middle. "You talked to Nona about this last night?"

"Just briefly. I was so tired after we got out of her house," he ran his fingers through his hair. "But she said she needed to talk to the others first."

"But we think those files were taken when they stormed the compound. Raziel has them."

"Yeah I know. Which just means we have to get them back."

"No," she sat beside him. In fact, she sat so close to him that I actually felt her hips on his hips. She grabbed his hand. "Dags look...I wouldn't get my hopes up about getting Zoë out. Even if there is something in the notes it's still a long shot."

"I have to try Rhonda." He looked to his side at her. "I can't live without her."

I saw pain in Rhonda's eyes. And I recognized it. I'd felt it many times myself.

The pain of rejection. "Dags why can't we—"

He squeezed her hand and pulled his free. "Rhonda—don't. Please don't. I think I've come a long way since March, don't you? I'm starting to trust you again—don't fuck it up."

"But she's in another plane, Dags. There's no guarantee we're ever going to get her out. I'm real. I'm here—"

Dags stood. He wasn't a mean guy. On the contrary—he was the sweetest guy on the planet. But even I could feel him pulling away from her. "Rhonda—nothing has changed. I know you were there with me, taking care of me. And I appreciate it. I don't think I'd have gotten through then and this past month without you. But Zoë's alive, and she's here," he put both his hands on his chest. "Inside of me. I love her. I will only love her."

I was...floored. I didn't know what to do. I just stood dumbfounded and I knew on some level he was saying this out loud not only for Rhonda's benefit but for my own. He knew I was listening. Knew I was here. We were connected in so many ways even without the page.

Rhonda nodded slowly. "Then you really have made your choice?"

"Yes. I have."

"You know Daniel still loves her."

Sigh.

"Yes I do. And I'm willing to accept that. He was in her life before I was. And they went through hell together. I would never stand between their friendship."

Rhonda reached up to her face and I felt my own heart lurch when I realized she'd wiped away a tear. "Joe loves her too."

"I don't think Joe realizes that. Joe's a good man, Rhonda. He loves you too."

"Not like he loves her," Rhonda looked up and I could see the smudged eye-liner. The red rimmed eyes. Shit. Damn shit. "They all love Zoë."

"Rhonda don't—"

Someone knocked on the door. Rhonda pulled her hand away and wiped at her face before she got up and went into the bathroom. Dags stood and combed his fingers through his hair. "Come in."

Mom stepped in the room. She looked rested and just plain perky in her dark jeans and over-sized tee-shirt. It's not that my mom was big; she just had really huge boobs. "Darren—oh you're awake. You feel okay? Have you seen Rhonda?"

"She's in the bathroom," he pointed to the closed door. "And I'm fine. How're you?"

"Good. We're gathering downstairs. I have some things everyone needs to hear." Her gaze lingered on Dags for a moment before she smiled. "Darren...she'll be fine. She really will." And then she left.

But he stood in the center of the room and put his hands to his face. "Which one, Nona. Or both?"

-26-

Urgent Message

Dags showered pretty quickly and I kept my hands off of him.

Barely.

I heard a lot of voices as we stepped out of the back bedroom. It sounded like everyone was here.

But as we moved forward I felt a cold wave move over my body back in the Throne. Dags stopped and braced himself against the wall. "Z-Zoë?"

I staggered inside the Mind Theater. Alice called out to me, but I only heard Geist.

Get back to your body!

"What was—"

Now!

I released control and shot back down the silver cord. I slammed back into my body and felt—

Everything.

JESUSMARYMOTHEROFGOD—

I'd spent so much time inside of Dags not feeling that I'd forgotten what real, in your face sensation was like. This was the same agony I used to experience when I'd stay out of body too long. I arched my back inside the Throne and opened my mouth to scream.

Be quiet! It is here. Do not let it know you are in pain. If it knows, it will realize what you have been doing.

I bit my tongue and kept my whining to myself. The burning in my veins faded but it left me a ringing headache.

Geist sounded worried. I couldn't remember ever hearing an emotion like that in his voice. I took several deep breaths and opened my eyes. I saw the abandoned theater through the murkiness. I could make out people in the audience—the same kinds of things that were there the day I was locked in here when I released Sophia.

And there was someone else standing outside the Throne.

I recognized him. I'd just seen him but this was the first time he'd shown up here since he'd locked me in this prison.

I faced him from inside the Throne and cleared my throat. "Well...nice to finally see you father. You fucking asshole."

-27-

That's Zoë To You

When I was a kid I used to daydream about my dad. He was strong and handsome and was off in our kingdom slaying the monsters that wanted to hurt me and mommy.

That's what mom had said to her little four year old.

And as I grew up I realized he wasn't brave and strong, but weak and a coward. A deadbeat dad who'd run off and abandoned his family. I'd lost much of that wonder about my dad. But I'd never lost my need for him.

A girl needed her father, right? To keep away all the bad guys.

So...what do you do when your dad is the bad guy?

He stood in front of the Throne. The picture of elegance and poise. "You've been quiet for several days."

I moved forward. I was heavier in body than in spirit. I realized I also had Maureen with me. Was any of the rage I felt hers? Or was it all mine? "You'd rather I curse your name more often? What does it matter, daddy? No one comes to see me. Especially not you."

He narrowed his eyes. He still looked as beautiful as ever. No outward sign that I'd handed him his ass on a platter. "I am never happy when my daughter is sad."

"You think I'm sad then? Why don't you come in here and give your daughter a hug?"

"Why were you crying? Are you dreaming, Zoetrope?"

"My name is Zoë. And I only dream of one thing," I put my hands on the surface of the Throne. That was as close as I could. "Getting out of here so I can kill you." I didn't know where that came from.

From the moment I'd slammed back into my body I felt rage. Anger. Resentment.

He looked sincerely surprised at my reaction but didn't step back. "That's quite a change of demeanor, Zoetrope. Are you feeling all right?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What are you fishing for? Why are you here?"

"I told you. I sensed my daughter was sad. I wanted to be of comfort."

"ASSHOLE!" I charged at the Throne's surface. "You put me in here—locked me away from everyone I love—and you want to know why I'm sad?"

Adiran did step back then. His eyes widened. "Zoetrope—you need to calm down. You need to sleep and relax and be calm." He had his hands out as if backing away from a wild animal.

They were shaking.

His hands were shaking.

Why was he afraid? Why was he asking me questions? Why hadn't he asked me about this other ghost in my body? Why did he want me to stay calm?

The answer that came to me surprised me.

He...he doesn't know. He can't touch me inside of the Throne. I'd always assumed he'd put me in the Throne so he could control me. Yet from his reaction just now, he wasn't controlling anything.

A Virtue cannot control the Phantasm inside the Throne. He has to use manipulation in order to make you behave the way he wants. Before you found a way back to the Grimoire, you were under his control. Now you have something he has tried to deny you.

"What has he tried to deny me?"

Hope.

Hope. I could see that now. Before I'd traveled back to Dags I'd lost hope. Hope of ever seeing him, or mom, Rhonda, Jason, Joe, any of them, again. I stared at Adiran Martinique. "He wanted me to believe there was no hope. The other Virtues came to see me and it was always the same thing. You cannot escape. This is your destiny. You have no choice."

"Zoetrope—who are you talking to?"

This is the secret. I see it now. If he keeps you alone and isolated you will never resonate and the borders remain closed. He needs you to be depressed. To feel isolated.

I laughed. "You can't make me do anything, can you daddy?" I narrowed my eyes. "What am I doing that you don't like? What's happened that brought you all the way down here to see your little puppet?"

For the record—this was not me. Totally not. What I felt in there was like raging hormones. I didn't know if I'd left all that resentment behind while I'd been out playing Familiar and it'd had its own little party in my head and just got madder and madder.

"Zoetrope—you will answer me."

Oh...wow. He sounded pissed.

Good.

Are you listening to me? That is the answer, Zoë. As long as you do not resonate the borders remain closed. This is what they want. They do not want you to be the Phantasm.

I sneered at my father. "Is that right, Daddy dear? You don't really want me to resonate, do you? You don't want me to become the Phantasm—because then I can open up every fucking goddamn border I want and let the whole of the Abysmal Realm eat you alive!"

The people in the seats were running out. Something big was happening.

Zoë—something is wrong. Why are you so angry?

"Why am I angry? Can't you tell? This bastard ruined my life!"

The Throne shook. And I mean shook. I felt the theater move.

This felt like PMS on steroids. What the hell was wrong with me?

My dad had his face against the glass. "You will answer me. Who are you talking to?"

"I want to hurt him," I put my face against the glass in front of my dad's. "I want to reach my hands through this glass and strangle the life out of—"

NO!

Dad and I both moved back from the surface. I felt hands around me from behind and knew it was Geist.

No Zoë! You told me you did not want to resonate. If you continue down this path you will. You must stop!

I fought against him and the Throne rocked. The glass cracked. The theater shook.

And Adiran was there, staring bug-eyed into the murky depths at me.

Zoë if you do this you will never be able to return. You will become the Phantasm and there will be nothing I can do to save you!

I snarled at my father and unfurled my wings. They slammed against the throne's edges.

If you do this you will never see Darren again!

Darren...

I saw his face replace my father's. I felt his touch on my hand. Darren. I thought of my mom. My wings vanished and I felt my temper subside.

"You see it?" Adiran pointed at me in the throne. "Just behind her! What is that?"

What got in?

Faces pressed against the throne and stared in at me. I twisted from Geist's grip and looked back at him. He wasn't wearing Joe's face. He wasn't even a he.

He was—

Maureen?

Now it all made sense. All those negative emotions. Those were hers, not mine. I'd left her alone in my body where she'd started to feel trapped. Maureen had always felt this way. She had never wanted to be a Familiar. Her life had been ripped away just as mine had. She'd been killed by Shadow People and thrust into this new life with no choice.

I was feeling my own frustration and resentment amplified by hers.

This was just getting all kinds of screwed up. I reached out and grabbed Geist's hand. "You look like Maureen," I hissed.

His eyes widened and he became Joe again.

"It's Maureen, Geist. She's awake and she's going to resonate isn't she?"

He nodded. They know something is in here with you.

"What does that mean?"

"What is it in there with you?" my dad had his hands on the glass and for the first time since I'd known he was still alive I saw him as a mere human. A panicked, frightened human.

I looked back at Geist. "What do we do? Maureen's gonna blow."

She gained strength when you came back. Perhaps if you leave again she will go dormant.

"Do we know that'll work?"

No. But do you want the alternative?

"If you're lying to me—" my dad was screaming. "What is that?"

"You'll do what?" I spun and looked at him. I wanted nothing more than to grab him and throw his head against the glass of the egg—

All is done.

Huh?

Suddenly my dad was yanked backward and then slammed head first into the throne's surface. It didn't crack and break like I'd hoped but to my surprise his head passed through up to his shoulders. He was sticking inside with me. My hands went around his neck—

Just as quickly I was shoved back into the Throne—shoved, not yanked—and my dad was thrown two feet away. The audience surrounded him as he started yelling. "The Geist is there! It's in the Throne! We need to contain it! If it finds a way out and into the Planes it can cause a Revival!"

A revival? What the hell did that mean?

The theater cleared out. It was just my dad standing there on the stage inside the shaking theater.

"Zoë...it has to go back where it's supposed to be. It has a purpose and a function and if it fails at that everything will change."

I really was staring at him like he'd lost his marbles. "What the hell are you talking about? There's nothing in here but me."

"I can see it, Zoë. If it gets out it will go after what is most powerful. It will try and devour it. It needs knowledge and it is always hungry for it. It will destroy you, all of the Planes, and your friends with it."

He is lying, Zoë. He does not know me.

I held out my hands. "What the hell are you talking about? What will do all these things?"

He didn't answer. As I watched him I knew where I got the habit of pacing and talking to myself. "That's it...that's what I fought in that basement. It's already escaped. It's found its way into the Grimoire's host. We don't have a choice. We're going to have to destroy the boy."

"What?" I shrieked and beat on the glass. "What are you talking about? You can't touch him dad, I love him!"

"It's too late, Zoë. He's already possessed. It's found a way out and the universe can't survive another Bulwark. There aren't enough Irins to protect us—and it has access to the only thing that can defeat it."

I heard Geist laughing in my mind. What was my dad talking about? "Dad—please—"

He looked at me through the glass. "We created it, Zoë. And we have to deal with it. I'm sorry. But you need to sleep."

Oh hell no. I knew what he was about to do—he'd done it before when I'd first been locked inside. He was going to cover the Throne so I'd be in darkness.

No!

Come with me. If we can escape back to the physical, the darkness should calm the waking Familiar.

I was terrified of being pushed back into the dark and jumped at the chance to get back to the Physical Plane and back to Dags. I turned to see Geist with his hand outstretched. I took it and abruptly we were gone. If my dad covered the Throne, I never saw it.

We were soaring over time and space, hand in hand. I could see the world and so much more from here and I looked over at Joe that wasn't Joe. "He was talking about you wasn't he? My dad?"

Geist nodded. "Yes." He wasn't talking in my head anymore.

"Is what he said true?"

The man shrugged. "I think it is all in what we believe. Someone would see you as Wraith and believe you were from the devil, right? Based just on that? Or they would see your father and believe he was truly good. But in truth you cannot assume to know a creature based solely on supposition. You must get to know them for yourself."

I watched him as we neared Earth and began our descent into the atmosphere. "So is he right?"

"I am not here to destroy you, Zoë. Or your friends. I simply want to...live."

I believed him. He'd been the only one there to listen to me in the Abysmal Plane. And he'd always done what he said he'd do.

"Do they call you Geist?"

"No," he smiled. "That is what I see myself as—the ghost of the Outer Planes. But they..." He sighed as he reached for me and took me into his arms as we came down into Atlanta over the penthouse. "They call me something else. They see me as the clockwork that runs the universe as a whole. All of the planes, Inner and Outer."

"What do they call you?"

He leaned in and kissed me then—and I felt it.

I felt it down to my toes just as I had when the real Joe kissed me.

When he pulled back he no longer wore Joe's face or body, but that of someone new. A man I'd only thought of in my dreams. "They call me the Holy Ghost."

-28-

Oh It Slipped Out

Apparently someone got the terms Father, Son and Holy Ghost all wrong.

But I didn't have time to worry about it. I knew it the moment I returned to Dags' body. I felt him lurch. Someone screamed. "He's moving!"

I crash landed in the dark and pushed myself up on my knees.

"Where did you go?" Alice jumped on top of me in the little theater.

"I had to get back to my body really fast. That's all. What happened?" I looked up at the screen but it was blank. I could hear but couldn't see.

"Dags passed out when you disappeared."

Damn.

"Joe and Rhonda passed out too. It was like all three of you shorted out and fell over."

That didn't make sense. "Geist?" I said aloud.

"Geist? Was he with you?"

"Yeah.  Like I said, I had to go back to my body real fast. Maureen was waking up and caused all kinds of trouble."

"Oh no."

"It's fine," I waved at her and stood up. I didn't want to be rude but I was a little panicked at that moment. I mean Geist just told me he was the Holy Ghost. My dad said this thing could destroy the world (oh like I believe anything he says anymore) and now I find out that all three of my closest friends keeled over when I zoomed back to my body?

"Geist?"

I waited but there wasn't an answer.

"Zoë?"

Alice was looking at me like I'd just lost my sanity...which wasn't pretty far off from how I was feeling. I shook my head. "Alice—do you know anything about revival?"

"Uhm...no?"

"Me either." Other then I had a cousin that used to go to them at church. I did once and they were telling me that wearing an ankle bracelet was a sin. I never went back. I scratched my head. But I don't think that's what dad was talking about.

Alice's eyebrows knitted together over her nose. "Are you okay?"

I started to answer when I heard Dags' voice and the screen over our heads returned. Dags was awake and getting off the couch. He moved to the bar where Rhonda lay on the floor. "How's Joe?"

And then we could see Nona and Umayma bending over Joe in the corner in front of the flat screen. I turned back to Alice. "How long were we all out?"

"Just a few seconds."

Seconds? I could have sworn I was in the Abysmal for a lot longer.

"Dags?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"I want to come out."

Dags opened his palm and I manifested close by, but not on top of Rhonda. Jason and Nick made room for me as I knelt down beside her.

"Can you sense anything?" Nick asked me.

I put an incorporeal hand into her chest and waited. "She's there. She's just unconscious."

"Zoë," Nona called out. "Come check Joe."

I got up and moved over to Joe. I knelt down and did the same thing—

Ow...that tickles.

HOLY—

"Geist?"

Yes.

"Are you in Joe?"

Yes.

"Where's Joe?"

He is here as well. He would not leave.

Wait...what?

—the fuck? "Why would he have to leave? Geist—that's his body. Why—why did you jump to Joe?"

"Zoë who are you talking to?" mom asked.

I do not know. I felt the reach of the machine as we descended and I came to this body as a safe haven.

"Geist, please—you have to get out of Joe's body and give it back to him. This is wrong. If they think he's possessed these people are nuts enough to do an exorcism on your ass, got it? Or my mom will—and I've seen her drive a succubus out before."

I will try.

"Zoë? What's wrong? Why are you keeping your hand in?" my mom said. What was I gonna tell her? There was a thing inside of Joe? Oh hey sorry about this but Joe's been possessed by the Holy Ghost and I didn't tell you about him because I thought it might upset you.

Yeah...that'd go over real good.

"Zoë," Alice said softly. "Is Geist in Joe?"

Uh...panic!

"Geist?" Mom grabbed my upper arm. "The Geist is inside of Joe?"

I frowned at her. "You know him?"

"What's a Geist?" Nick said.

Jason moved in closer. "That's not possible. The Geist can't leave the Outer Planes."

I am having difficulty returning to the Grimoire host with you, Zoë. I may need to return to the Throne for a time. I believe your father is causing trouble.

"How long of a time," I looked down at Joe's unconscious face. "What's he doing?"

"Zoë—" mom said in a stern voice.

"Stop it!" I screeched at her and pushed her arm off of me. "Geist?"

Abruptly I was tossed out of Joe and moved through mom and Jason.

Joe sat up and started flailing. "MotherfuckgetoutorI'llcut—" Jason and Nick grabbed him and pinned his arms behind him. I moved next to Dags as I watched mom go all serious and put her lacquered nails on Joe's forehead. He looked confused as hell.

But even before mom said it I already knew the Geist was gone. Joe was just Joe again.

"But where is it?" Nick looked around at the faces.

"It went back to the Throne," I said in a quiet voice. I knew I was going to have to come clean about Geist now. "Dad as poking around and I think he woke Maureen thinking it was me."

Alice appeared as Nick and Jason let Joe go and Nona started reassuring him. She looked at me and spoke out loud. "It followed Zoë back from the Abysmal Plane."

I looked around at everyone looking at me and felt a small thrill as Dags put himself between us.

Daniel came closer. He didn't look menacing nor did he look happy. He looked concerned. And when he spoke I heard Inanna. "You know what it is, don't you. What its true name is?"

I looked at Daniel. I remembered his glasses, his tousled hair and his half-crooked smile. His shyness that attracted me in so many ways. And then I remembered the madness. I looked him straight in the eye and cleared my throat. "It called itself Geist, and Holy Ghost."

Nick crossed himself. Was he Catholic?

Inanna/Daniel stood. "It is both. It is also a servant of the Outer Planes and a slave. It does not have permission to possess physical bodies. And you as Phantasm must punish it."

-29-

Back To The Farm

"I'm afraid she can't do that," mom said over everyone else.

Inanna/Daniel looked at mom. "Why not?"

"Because Zoë's not the Phantasm yet."

Well that revelation just sapped the room of all life.

Then mom looked at me. "What were you thinking?"

If I had a dollar for every time my mom asked me that I'd never have to slip OOB again. And I'd pay the equal amount of money not to have to hear her say it ever again.

After Joe and Rhonda were checked out and everyone sort of settled down we all took seats in the living room while mom and Jason took center stage.

"Can I just say I wasn't so we can get this over with?" That was the best I could come up with.

"You realize that every Revenant in here thinks you're a spy now."

"A spy for what? Geist wasn't conveying information back to dad."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I told him not to."

She made her mouth do that nasty little bow thing I hated and crossed her arms over her chest. "Because you told him too? Zoë, I'm sorry but I doubt very seriously that something like the Geist is going to obey you. You're not even the Phantasm."

"Before we get started, can someone tell those of us not Revenants what a Geist is? Besides the obvious definition?" Joe said. He still looked a little frazzled.

Daniel stood and looked out at the darkening sky through the glass walls. "All of us here know that things are living thoughts?"

"I thought it was thoughts are living things," Rhonda said.

Here we go again... gah...

"They mean the same thing, Rhonda. Things in the Abysmal are created out of Abysmic essence and things in the Ethereal are created of Etheric essence. Fetches, Symbionts, daemons—they're all a part of this process on both sides."

Nick rubbed at his chin. "So you're saying this Geist—"

"Is the culmination of centuries of thoughts directed into the Thrones."

Jason straightened up. "Dear God...it's Sophia?"

Daniel nodded. "And part of our father. This goes back to what you were going to talk to us about before Zoë left and everyone collapsed." He looked at me. "Inanna can't remember how...it was too long ago...but she knows her father and the Seraphim created the Thrones. Which means they put a bit of themselves into them. Essence of Planars is sentient, as are all things. As the centuries passed, Inanna's father used to make comments about the thing working on its own, and worrying that it would eventually..."

I leaned forward. "Evolve?"

Daniel nodded. "Yes. Eventually it did, but it was obedient and not seen often. I think her father used it to run errands. But when Sophia became the Phantasm I suppose her own psyche sort of—"

"Poisoned it?" Joe said.

"Tainted it." He looked at Nona. "But what I don't understand is why you say she's not the Phantasm. She sits in the Abysmal Throne."

Mom nodded. "It was something I remember glossing over in the files and something Zoë's father said about the Thrones being idle."

"What is that?" Tel said.

"Adiran told me the Thrones have to resonate with their Potentials in order for them to become fully functional. And until there is resonance they're idle. The borders shut because of this as a safety precaution."

I raised my hand. "I have something else."

Everyone looked at me. I think I shrank. "Geist mentioned to me that there was a time when there weren't Thrones. That...they're not necessary to become a Seraphim or a Phantasm."

"That's true," Inanna/Daniel said. "Our father did not sit upon a Throne."

"But how does this Geist fit into all of this?" Manuel said. He stood and looked around at the gathered crowd. "Why is it helping a Potential that's not a Phantasm or a Seraphim?"

I raised my hand again. "I asked it that once. And he said it was because I acknowledged him. I spoke to him."

Well that got me a round of weird looks.

"I just don't get any of this," Tel said. "The borders are down because the Throne is idling if I'm getting this right. Isn't that what they want? I mean...wouldn't it just idle even if she wasn't in the Throne?"

"I'm not sure," Mom said.

I held up my hand again. "Dad was scared of something called a revival happening."

No one seemed to know what that meant.

"That's why I want the files," Mom said. "To see if there is something in there we don't know."

"That's easy." Rhonda said, the first time she'd really spoken since she woke. Though she had put away an entire bag of chips and a soda. She looked at me. "He wants you isolated. As long as you believe you're alone you'll go all emo and you won't resonate with this Throne and the gates will all remain locked. But if you do sort of join with it and open them—"

"We've gone over that, Rhonda," Joe said. "Keep up."

"What's he afraid of letting lose?" Jason said.

Everyone looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well...I've been trying to figure out why the Seraphim was wanting those borders sealed so badly? Remember, Zoë was repeatedly told to seal them, not just keep them closed. And it goes back to the Bulwark—that war started for the same reason. The Ethereals wanted the borders sealed. The Seraphim risked so much destruction to do it. Why? Is he afraid of different creatures getting in? Running amok? Was it really because of the Revenants' influence on the world?"

I could hear Mephistopheles' voice echoing Jason's thoughts.

And then I thought of my dad's face.

The utter horror and fear I'd seen there.

"What if," I said and looked at each of them. "The Seraphim isn't worried about something getting in...but something getting...out?"

I thought I heard distant laughter at that moment. And felt a chill.

"You mean the Geist?" Tel said. "But it's already out."

"Not really," Dags piped up. Everyone turned to look at him. "Think about it—Alice said it came with Zoë from the Abysmal. But Zoë's not really out of the Abysmal. Everything everyone's said about this thing points to its body also being in the Abysmal—in whatever form that is. It's nothing more than what Zoë is—an astral projection at the moment."

"But why is it so terrifying to them?" Tel said.

"I don't think we'll know until we get the Dioscuri files, ladies and gentlemen," mom said. "And I can't think of a better time than now to do it."

-30-

It's Complicated

"This thing's starting to sound like a computer." I said while in the kitchen with Dags. Of course I didn't need to eat—not like this. And I was glad I couldn't smell the meal Dags was cooking up with Alice. Clams, linguine, freshly shaved parmesan cheese, crisp salad with fresh carrots, walnuts, apples and bacon bits. And mom had cooked the bacon so it was real bacon.

I missed bacon.

I made garlic toast—my kind of garlic toast—which involved a lot of butter, garlic and cheese. Thick pieces of Texas toast. My mouth watered just thinking about it.

"A computer?" Dags said in a disinterested voice. Well of course he was disinterested. He was cooking.

"Say, is there a spell or something that's making all the Revenants not remember the Thrones?"

Alice turned from where she was filling glasses with ice. Not all of the Revenants could eat but the ones in the newer bodies, at least 150 yrs old or less that could would be thirsty as well as hungry. And Dags said Alice made really good sweet tea.

Nah. Nobody can make it like my mom. But she wasn't in the kitchen. She was talking to Daniel, Manuel and Umayma. And we weren't invited. Rhonda—well—last time I saw her she was still out on the patio watching the sun set. Said she had to make sure the wards were still up so the penthouse couldn't be seen.

"I'm not sure, but I guess it is possible," Alice said. "It would explain why none of them remember how the Thrones got there. But it also begs the question—why?"

"We got a lot of those," Dags said as he tonged linguine into the sauce pan with the garlic, oil, clams, parsley and juice. "Pesky questions."

I actually had a lot of answers. I just wasn't sure I liked them or which questions they belong too. "Mom's really hinging a lot on getting those Dioscuri files. Are we even sure what we need is in there?"

Everyone shrugged. I sensed tiredness all around. It'd been a long day.

We'd just finished setting the dining room table for dinner when Mom and the Revenants stepped into the living room. "Zoë—we need to see you, Dags, Alice and Joe."

"What about me?" Rhonda stepped in from the patio and closed the door behind her. "I want to help."

"No...not this time," Nona waved at her in a dismissive manner. "I have something else for you to do. You'll be with Jason."

Rhonda's body tensed up—and I mean it was a visible tense. I thought for a second she was going to run at Nona and take a swing. Instead she moved past her and up the stairs.

"Mom..." I gave her a disapproving look. "Did you have to be so stern?"

"Yes I did. Rhonda's gone through more than she'll admit. And whether she likes it or not her power's still developing and we can't have something really bad happening tonight."

I got the impression from her tone and her expression there was a bit more than that. But I also figured I'd ask her later.

"Tonight?" Me, Dags, Alice and Joe all said in unison. We sounded like a chorus.

Jason stepped forward and handed Dags his iPhone. "I just got this text from Zachary—"

"Who?"

"His First Born is Dagda."

Oh. I peered over Dags' shoulder to read the text.

Confirmed. Domas records still in previous location. High security. 2200 Garden Escape.

I pursed my lips. "What does that mean? What's twenty-two hundred?"

"Ten o'clock. And it means the Dioscuri files are where we left them," Jason said. "Still in the compound."

"I thought the compound was destroyed?"

Joe shook his head as he pulled out his own phone and began texting. "It was infiltrated. It's now become a head quarters for the CCE."

CCE... I moaned. "Are you serious? The Church of Celestial Enlightenment?"

"Dead," Joe said as he finished texting and looked at me. "Zach's still there. Been there the whole time."

I held up a hand. "Wait a minute—you mean they've had a Revenant under their noses and they've never noticed?"

"Very few of them even know what to look for to spot one," Jason said as he tucked his phone back in his suit jacket. He always looked well dressed even when he wasn't. "And this new host of Zach's is newer than me so fitting in is easier. The night we busted Dags out Zachary was with me; slipped into a uniform and never left. Zachary's been feeding the Old Man information ever since about their movements."

"Oh my God," I laughed. "You guys rock."

Yes. We do.

Dags grabbed up a piece of the garlic bread and took a bite. "So I take it," and he lowered his voice as he spoke around the food. "Elle ne sait pas?"

"No. I thought it better that the only people who knew," Jason grinned. "Was me."

And me.

I nudged Mephistopheles. "Who doesn't know? I can speak a little French you know."

Rhonda.

"Why keep this from Rhonda? Why keep anything from her?"

It's...complicated.

Man I didn't like those words together. "Well you can un-complicate it and tell me later."

Mephistopheles didn't answer. Smart First Born. I put my hands on my hips. "So what's the plan?"

Joe put his hands on his hips. "We go get the files...and hope they have what we need."

I looked at the food longingly. It was bad enough that I wasn't gonna get to eat it—but neither was anyone else. Joe reached over and patted my head. "Don't worry—someone will eat it. And if it's here when we get back, I will."

Jerk.

He likes you.

Shut UP Old Man.

-31-

Society House

From the activity in the underground garage something told me these guys had been planning this for a while. Joe, Daniel, and Manuel all donned black clothing in the van after we parked and then stuck those little communication buds in their ears.

Joe did a radio check. They'd made contact with Zach inside. He'd left the back garden escape route open—apparently the same one they'd used to get Dags out.

"Zach's in position. Dags," he looked at us. "I want you to stay here—"

"But—"

"No buts. We need the Familiars. Especially Zoë. But you have to stay safe in the van got it? We can't risk you getting taken or killed. Manuel is staying here with you. He'll protect you with his life."

"Well if they were that worried about his safety why did they bring him in the first place," I muttered.

"Because there is still a limited range for us, Zoë," Alice said. "He has to be nearby for us to manifest. If Dags still had access to the Grimoire—things would be different."

If he did still have access to all that magic these guys wouldn't stand a chance.

I turned and put my arms around Dags. He kissed me hard and I promised myself again that once this was over and I was really in his arms again—I was going to do very naughty things to him.

Very...naughty things.

:)

On the beach.

On a remote island.

Where no one knew who or what we were.

That was something to come home for.

We filed out of the van and I turned back and gave Dags a final look, right before I glanced at Manuel. "You take care of him."

"I will."

I understand love, Zoë, came a female voice, deeper than Inanna's. More than you know.

Morgan spoke to me!

The house was even bigger than I remembered and my memories of having been here before were during the day. Being on the grounds at night with a bunch of Revenants was cool. One minute they were there, the next minute—

Poof.

It was like watching shadows slide into shadows. The grounds' lights were on—illuminating the garden and the parking lot. The grand front with it gazebo-like entrance and double winding staircase had a new sign draped over the landing.

"The Church of Celestial Enlightenment."

Reminded me of sneaking into Reverend Rollins' house that night. And well we all know how well that went.

I stuck close to Alice and Joe—both she and I changing our clothes on the fly to match theirs. All black. Even my hair had gone blacker—except for that damn white streak. There was no getting away from it. Keeping to the outer parts of the hedge maze Joe motioned for us to get down. Alice remained where she was and I realized not everyone could see us. Joe could but he was special that way.

Once around the corner we ducked under and through a piece of the hedge. I glanced back and wondered if it was spelled to give like that for us? It would make sense. One of Rhonda's defenses.

Rhonda. I hoped she was doing okay. And I really wanted her to get past this jealousy thing.

We followed Joe through a set of twists and turns until we were at the back of the house, beneath the first set of tiered balconies. I stared at the wall with the ivy growing along it. "It's a wall."

"Sshhh," Joe hissed. He reached up and flattened the palm of his hand on the wall. I stepped back when I saw a circle form in blue white light around his hand. In that circle was a pentagram and several other symbols I didn't recognized. Two more circles formed outside of that one, each with their own markings and then each circle spun in opposite directions. It was like rolling tumblers in a lock.

Abruptly the wall split into a plank that slid back like an old fashioned pocket door.

Another guy in black stepped through and grinned. I recognized him from Lex's wake. And then the duel between Lex and Jason. His hair was professionally braided in strands and held back by a band. His skin was the prettiest mocha color and his eyes were amber. I remembered him as the most striking of the Revenants—that is if you can get past Tel's piercings.

This was Zach— Revenant, Dagda. Were any of the girl First borns IN girl hosts?

No time to really count.

"C'mon, mate," he said and I hadn't remembered him having an accent. "'Bout time I saw you blokes again."

Daniel stepped up with Joe. "Have you spoken with everyone?"

"Aye—we got everything down. Now," he pulled an iPad from a bag slung around his chest. "Raziel's here—he always has his night tea about now in this room. And two of his Powers are usually there."

"How many powers are in the building?"

"About thirty. But there are about 10 regulars here."

Regulars I figured were the non-magical folk. Or the non Outer Planes people.

I raised my hand.

He grinned at me when he looked at me. "Blimey Zoë. You really are here."

"Not really but I was curious," I pointed to the side. "The banner says this is CCE. So is CCE—"

"A front for the Virtues." Zach said. "It's a perfect ruse. And it works for them. Now," he pointed to his screen. "You all know where the files are—they haven't been moved. But the security's been beefed up. And it's been rigged to look for invisibles as well."

"Then we're screwed." I blurted out.

"Not necessarily," Zach held up a finger. "Over here there's a duct that I checked out for a few weeks. It's little used and maintenance on it was done two days ago so I know they won't be back at it any time soon. If you can get in here," he pointed to a small opening in a wall. "And go through the duct to here, then you'd be able to get in without setting off the sensors." He looked around. "I just got one question. How do you people plan on getting all those bloody things out of here?"

Joe smiled. "We're not here to steal the actual set of diaries, Zach. We're here to get the scans and translations Rhonda Orly created six months ago."

"You serious?" Zach looked shocked. "You mean I did all that for nufin?"

"It's in the same place—so the danger's the same," Daniel said. "I know what the drive it's saved on looks like. So," he held up his rifle. "Let's go."

-32-

Lions And Tigers And Powers, Oh My!

Zach joined us as we made our way down the escape tunnel to a door. Alice slipped through the door first. When she did she armored up and I followed behind her, making sure my helm covered my face. Didn't want to be too recognizable.

"It's clear but I am sensing people nearby."

Zach grabbed his iPad and everyone gathered around the schematic. "Heat sensors detect three guards here—human. Not Powers."

"Is there a difference?" Joe asked.

"Unfortunately when the Virtues create a power it kills the human...so their body temperature drops."

Creates a Power? Kills the human? "Whoa, exactly how do Virtues create Powers?"

Daniel gave me a very kind but a very sad look. "You don't want to know right now, Zoë. But I will tell you later. First—" he held up his hand. "Is it with you? Now?"

"It?" I frowned a few minutes before I understood. He meant Geist. "No. I haven't felt him in a while. I haven't wanted to talk to him."

"If he shows up—promise you'll tell us."

"Yeah..." I looked at their faces. "Why? What's wrong?"

It was Alice that answered. "Because we still don't know what its allegiance is, if it even has one, Zoë. Just because it helped you doesn't mean it's your friend or that it's not trying to use you to get to what it wants. And we don't even know what that really is. Up until now Geist was only a legend in the Outer Planes. So if it shows up—"

I put up my hand and noted the gold and red armor, shiny and new, that encased my fingers. "I know. I got it. And I promise."

Joe placed the same hand on the keypad that he'd opened the door with. A brief flash and the door popped open. I couldn't remember ever seeing him use this much magic at one time.

Alice ducked back through and I joined her, going incorporeal enough to slip through the door. We were in the bend of an L-shaped corridor. Stepping out of the door I faced a long corridor, to my left was another door and to my right was the second corridor which looked like it made a sharp left.

Zach moved just ahead of us and pointed to the corridor in front of us. "Seven doors down on the right is a storage closet—mostly where the backup drives are kept. In there you'll find the duct."

"Where are you going?" I blurted out.

He grinned as he handed Joe the iPad. "I'm heading back to make sure that exit stays open and no one impedes your escape, Zoë. And to give Manuel some help if he needs it. Your Grimoire is very important and we don't want anything to happen to it."

"Dags," I said. "His name is Dags."

Zach winked, patted Joe on the shoulder and headed back down the escape route.

Joe looked at us—me, Alice and Daniel. "Okay, let's go. Alice, you move out ahead and make sure there isn't anything down there that won't show up on this schematic. Zoë, you stay behind me and make sure nothing bites my ass."

I grinned and moved into position.

Alice vanished into something almost glass-like and zoomed on ahead. To a normal person she probably looked like one of those things you always see out of the corner of your eyes but you're never sure about? Joe followed behind and I watched his ass.

Literally.

Well...it was a nice one!

We got to the storage closet and again Joe used his magic to open the lock. Alice was already inside. It wasn't a big closet—but it really wasn't small either. To me when you say closet, I'm thinking like a coffin. This thing had a metal shelf in it with towers of what looked like computers stacked up. There were the regular accoutrements—like brooms, a mop and roller bucket, cleaners, bleach, and to the right near the floor, a good sized vent.

Joe handed Daniel the iPad and removed a screw driver from his utility belt. Guess magic couldn't unscrew. Once he had the dust covered vent set to the side he pulled out a flashlight and shined it down. "Daniel—does that schematic say where to go from here?"

"Yeah," Daniel touched the surface and double tapped a few times. "Got it. We're going to go straight ahead, take the second branch to the left, then the first one to the right and that will get us to the viewing room."

Viewing room. I'd spent a lot of time there reading the Dioscuri myself—trying to find out what was happening to me at the time—especially when I discovered I no longer needed to go out of body to go Wraith but could do it still clothed in my skin. I remember it being a boring room, with lots of sealed drawers in the wall, temperature controlled and sort of...drab.

The chairs were uncomfortable too.

"Alice, you stay here and make sure this exit stays open. Zoë, you go on ahead of Daniel and I."

Got it. I'd already memorized the directions. Second on the left, first right and straight on till morning. Roger chief. I went incorporeal—which of course made me much lighter—and then zoomed on down the silver duct. It didn't take long to get there—to a light shining through the vents connected to the duct. I peered through the slats.

Yep. There was the room.

But it wasn't empty.

Two guys were lounging in chairs at the center table. They were dressed in fatigues, boots and had some serious guns on their shoulders. Looked like they were playing...Go Fish?

I moved back to Joe and Daniel. They'd just turned down the first right when I held up my hands and appeared to them. I told them what I saw and Daniel pulled up the iPad. "They're not showing up."

"Which means they're Powers." Joe wiped the sweat from his forehead and I realized there was probably heat coming through these ducts. It was October and cold outside. Crap. That had to suck. "And you saw two?"

I nodded. "I could just sneak in and grab the stuff."

"And carry it out how?" Daniel said. "You'd have to go incorporeal to gain speed, right? You can't hold on to solid objects like that."

True. I'd had that problem transporting Tim's rock— "Where's Tim?" I looked at Joe. "And Steve? I haven't seen them at all."

"They're still in the house, Zoë," Joe said. "They can't leave remember? Now focus for me?" He looked a little frustrated, and I was pretty sure it was the heat. "Daniel, do we know if tranqs work on Powers?"

"I'm not sure. Once they're converted I'm not sure how much of their human functions remain? Tranqs are sedatives. So what worked for a normal man," he shook his head. "Who knows for a Power?"

Joe reached behind him in the cramped space and pulled up a rifle. "Well we're going to need to find out. We can't have them raising any alarms or we're screwed." He nodded to me. "Lead on but stay invisible."

I did as he said and met up with them at the vent. Luckily it was on the ground and not in the air. And we were just behind a row of metal shelves with more computers on them though it was a tight space.

I sieved through and stood up in plain view. No response. The two of them continued to talk and play cards. The closer I got I could see the tattoos on their faces. Markings that made them Raziel's.

Ducking back down behind the shelves I went corporeal and turned my sword into a screw driver; slowly unscrewing the vent from the room side. Then just as slowly I set it to the side before I went incorporeal again. Joe stepped out first and knelt down behind the shelves.

"Okay...let's test this out."

"And if it doesn't have any effect?" Daniel said as he crawled out next to me.

Joe glanced back at us. "Then be ready to kick Power ass—and whatever happens—do not let them call for backup."

-33-

Revenants

Joe fired on the closer of the two. The rifle's hiss was the only sound as the dart traveled through the space in the shelves and struck the guy in the ass.

Nice shoot'n Tex.

The only thing visible was the red pom-pom sticking out of the guy's left butt cheek.

The victim jumped up as if he'd been bit—and he had in a way—then his eyes fluttered and he collapsed backward.

The remaining guard jumped up and knelt beside his buddy as Joe reloaded the rifle. But he wasn't going to get it done fast enough. This guy had spotted the pom pom and was going for his radio.

No time!

I called up the sword again and charged forward as fast as I could will myself, becoming deadly visible to him just before I ran the sword into his chest, through his heart, and then severed his spine. I knew where I'd hit because I could actually feel where the sword went. Like it was a part of me.

And it was.

Blood pooled out of the guy's mouth as he slid to his left and lay on the floor.

Really dead this time.

Daniel and Joe were beside me as I stood.

"Wow...anger issues, Zoë?" Joe quipped. He turned and stepped over the dead guy and went right to the larger file drawer containing Domas' work.

I was a little surprised—the drawer looked like it'd gone through a tiny war of its own. The outside of the metal was dented and scraped, and the edges looked like someone had taken a pry-bar to it.

"Looks like someone's been trying to get in," Daniel said as he came up behind me.

Joe looked back at us and grinned. "They don't know the code." Wiggling his eyebrows up and down—I expected to see a twinkle in his eye—he put his right hand on the center of the drawer. Abruptly a red pentagram formed around his hand and raised the metal up to form a dial. Joe grabbed the center of the star and turned it like a combination lock. I had to smile at the ingeniousness of Rhonda and her use of magic.

Abruptly the door opened with a hiss. Joe went up on his toes and reached inside. He pulled out a small diary about the size of a cop's note pad and slipped it into his utility belt. He pushed the door closed and spun the pentagram.

"That's it? The whole thing's on that notepad?"

"But is it really a notepad?" Daniel said from behind me with a chuckle.

That's when I heard the click of a weapon being readied. I spun around in time to see the guy Joe shot spring up like a daisy and aim his rifle at Daniel's back. If he fired that gun at this close range the bullet would go through Daniel and into Joe. I was pretty sure Daniel would survive because of Inanna (no guarantees) but I was pretty sure Joe would not. Regardless of all of his magic he was human. And he was precious to me.

I had to think fast. The guy was in mid air, leaping at the back of Daniel just as Daniel was looking at me. He'd realized something was wrong in the way I was moving. Yet for me everything ground down to slow motion like a John Woo movie.

You have two options.

"Geist—not now!"

There is no time to aim your sword around Daniel and strike the Power. Every second is crucial and if the bullet strikes Joe he will die.

But I was already thinking ahead of him. "I have to go through—"

Yes. I will help to minimize collateral damage.

What?!

Geist was part of me again, filling me with power and precision. I could see the beautiful creature possessing Daniel, and I could see the monstrosity enveloping the Power as it urged its puppet on to kill.

"Forgive me!" I cried out as I aimed my sword and ran it through Daniel. I felt his eyes on me as the Geist's power elongated the blade out of Daniel's back and pierced the chest of the Power in mid-leap.

Geist vanished. I was bent on one knee, my hand clutching the hilt of the sword. I'd thrust up from the floor to catch the thing mid-air. It'd pierced Daniel through his left side. Behind him hung the Power, dead. I heard the gun clatter to the floor, and then the drip of blood on the tile.

"Daniel!" Joe cried out.

I dissolved the blade and moved up to catch Daniel as he fell forward and down. I wrapped my arms around his chest, under his arms. All I could think was I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...

No. It couldn't be helped. But we have to get out of here...and he'll need blood. Quickly. He's still too young.

Again Morgan spoke to me, and though I'd heard the edge in her voice-the disapproval- she'd kept a level head. I balanced him on his feet for a second as I ducked under him and threw him over my shoulder in a fireman's carry. I turned to see Joe staring at me. I didn't like the look in his eyes. "We have to go. Now!"

He pulled the tiny mic to his mouth. "Shadows in the hall, moving to the light. Wounded bird. I repeat, wounded bird."

That's when I realized Joe wasn't speaking English. I mean I understood him, but I also realized the words weren't familiar. I didn't know what they were.

I hurried with Daniel to the vent opening and Daniel stirred as I laid him on the ground. "I can...I can crawl," he said in a low voice.

I looked into his beautiful eyes and nodded. "I'm sooo sorry, baby."

He grinned at me and reached up to touch my chin. "You called me baby again."

Joe came between us to pull Daniel through the duct opening.

It was slower going with Daniel loosing blood. He was going to need more blood.

It's worse than that, Morgan's voice came to me again. Because he's young...he could...frenzy.

Frenzy?

"What does that mean?" I said aloud.

Too late I realized what it meant.

And so did Joe.

-34-

Frenzy

I never knew Revenants could be overcome by hunger. I'd never seen it. In fact—if I thought about it—all the Revenants I knew were over a hundred years old. Their time of frenzy was long past.

But Daniel was only a couple months. A baby. His body was still adjusting. Changing. Doing whatever it was that Revenants do.

We were so close to the closet—so close to Alice. Close enough that she felt something was wrong. "Zoë...Daniel's..."

"It's Daniel—I had to—"

Daniel suddenly doubled up inside the duct. He moved into a fetal position. All I could see were his hips and his shoulders.

Zoë! Get Joe out of there!

I wasn't sure who that was. It sounded like Mephistopheles and Morgan simultaneously. It didn't matter. Either way I caught the urgency and the fear in their voices.

I went incorporeal and moved through Daniel to get to Joe and felt—

Intense, overwhelming hunger—I'd never experienced anything like that. Yeah I'd been starving once and gotten sick and nearly threw up—but that was nothing like this!

And...I could smell...Joe.

Spicy, sweet, sour, delicious...and I knew it was blood.

Human blood.

Joe's blood.

I knew all of this for those few seconds my astral body passed through Daniel's.

When I landed on the other side I went as solid as I could get and pushed Joe forward. "Move! You smell like a buffet, asshole!" and my voice reverberated down the duct.

Well...if they didn't know we were there before, they sure as shit knew it now.

Joe didn't need any more prodding. He moved as fast as he could down the duct. We made that last turn and I could see Alice's light up ahead.

I heard Joe's radio. "Halloran—what the fuck?" It was Zachary. "They know you're here!"

"Yeah..." Joe muttered as he pushed himself through the opening in the closet. "We have a little problem."

I turned to face Daniel if I needed to.

But he wasn't in the duct.

Oh shit.

I went incorporeal again and zoomed back the way we came. I followed the blood trail. Daniel had taken the first left once he'd come out of the second left. I could hear him banging around. And then I heard a scream.

OH NO!

I pushed myself down that duct and followed the shouting. I came to a dead end—literally a dead end and sailed through the opening. The vent covering it had been torn away.

I recognized this room. This was the Rumpus Room. I'd seen this room a few months back.

Men in fatigue pants and white tee-shirts were huddled behind work-out equipment. And in the center of that room was Daniel.

And dinner.

He'd grabbed someone—not a Power but a human by the looks of it. They were all humans. Even I could hear their hearts beating. Daniel was half sitting with a young man in his arms. His face was buried in the guy's neck. And blood...

It was everywhere.

All over the victim. All over the floor.

And all over...

He looked up at me. His chin was covered in it. Elongated teeth were hanging over his lower lip. His eyes were black and for an instant I thought I'd been ripped out of my life and into a zombie movie.

"D-Daniel?"

Daniel's expression changed when he saw me. His brow softened and the sharp angles of his jaw diminished as his teeth slid upward and disappeared. His eyes became blue again and he was looking at me like a kid looks at their mother when they'd done something bad.

When he realized what he was chewing on, he yelled out and flung it away.

Oh God.

My Daniel...

Don't look at me!

"Daniel....please.." I said out loud. That voice had been his and Morgan's together.

Morgan became lost in the lust, Zoë, Mephistopheles said. But she is regaining control. You have to get them out of there.

"Where are the others?"

They are with Dagda. Go!

No time to grieve or scowl over regrets. I ran to him and grabbed him by his shoulders. Pulling him to his feet was easy. The hard part was looking at his face and not flinching. I knew I was just as much a monster as he was. I could take life by touch as a Wraith. I could scream and obliterate a living thing. And I had taken on the damnation of a Ghoul's soul. I was no one to judge what I'd seen Daniel do.

But it wasn't me that had to forgive him.

It was himself.

"We have to go!" I said and pulled at him to follow me. Luckily the human soldiers were on their way to the exits. I needed to get us out of here a different way. Screw going back down the duct. That wasn't the best way. But we had to get back to that exit.

Think, think, think...

Make a new door.

"Geist!"

Make a new door—beside the fleeing humans. I will take you back to the exit.

I hesitated, remembering what they had said about Geist.

Have I lied to you? Have I ever wronged you?

No...he hadn't. And he'd given Dags back to me, if only in this way. Figuring out where the hallway was, and kind of remembering my last stay here, I raised my sword and blasted a hole in the wall closest to us. I dragged Daniel behind me to the new exit. Luckily I hadn't nailed anyone with flying cinder blocks with the kaboom. But they were running past. About fifteen of them. Daniel and I ran after them.

Keep going straight until you come to a door. Open it and turn right and you will see the double doors where Dagda is waiting.

Daniel was stumbling and I turned to see we were still leaving a bloody trail. The hole I'd put in him wasn't healing as fast as it should. "We might have a problem."

Just get to the door!

I saw the door at the end of the hallway and was about to throw Daniel over my shoulder—when someone stepped into my path.

I skidded to a halt and Daniel barreled into me from behind just before he collapsed on the floor. "Daniel..." I said and leaned over him. "Daniel!"

But he wasn't moving.

I moved my hand through him. I sensed his pulse. He was alive. Guess that pops that old myth that vamps didn't have a heartbeat. "Morgan?"

Zoë...get out of there.... they can't know you're here!

That was Mephistopheles. "Old Man...where is Morgan?"

She's healing Daniel. Go!

"I can't leave him here!"

"Well, well, well..." said melodic voice that reminded me of Daniel. "What have we here? A ghost? No...too substantial. And the Dragon Con costuming—I'd have to guess you are a Familiar?"

I turned to face the man striding toward us. As I stood I called the sword to me and felt a presence...not from this guy. But from...

Geist.

Do you trust me?

"Do I have a choice?"

I am sorry. I really am. I am not...I do not want you to think that way of me.

"Can we talk about this later? What the hell is that guy?"

A Virtue.

"I'm toast."

Then trust me. Please. Your mother was able to defeat him. You can do this as well.

He stopped a few feet away. Just him and I in the corridor. Alone. He was tall and elegant. Blond hair in a ponytail. Kind of reminded me of Nick in a way. But he'd just missed handsome and moved on into—well—Fugly. His nose was a bit too long for his face and his entire expression had a pinched look. Like he smelled something bad.

This was a Virtue? Seems like my dad got all the looks.

I was pretty sure I was unrecognizable. He had called me a Familiar. I wanted to talk to Alice, or even Dags, but I wasn't sure what all a Virtue could do. What they were capable of.

Except lock their daughters into Thrones and abandon them.

Fugly was smiling. "I smell a Revenant. Excellent. I'll make sure and kill it slowly. Just like the old ritual says too."

The old ritual—I knew what that was! Oh hell no, he was not going to put Inanna and Daniel through that kind of hell.

"Over my dead body," I heard myself say. Oh great one there, Zoë. Brilliant.

Fugly seemed pretty happy to hear that. "As you wish. And once I destroy you—then I will have weakened the Grimoire."

-35-

Not Without My Daniel

Zoë? Join with me.

"You're asking this time?"

I will ask from now on.

Regardless of what the others thought of Geist I did trust him. I needed to get Daniel out of there alive. It was my fault he was in this state.

I knew the moment Geist was there. Everything changed, just as it had before. It was like looking through a prism as things shifted and moved. A myriad of possibilities, outcomes, scenarios I'd never even considered.

I even caught a glimpse of my life ten years from now...

A home. A husband. And children...

But they weren't human children.

Zoë...do not look there. Focus on where we are. Look at the Virtue.

Again Geist's voice was different. It was a thousand voices. A million. The world speaking all at once. I pulled away from my future and focused on the man in front of me.

But it wasn't a man. I wasn't sure what it was.

Oh no...he has broken one of the Seraphim's commandments!

Who what now? I narrowed my eyes at the Virtue.

Like all creatures from the Outer Planes who wanted a physical body, there were several ways to get one—and all of them meant stealing them from their original owners. Except the Revenants. As benevolent creatures, they had merged with their benefactors. Extended their lives or saved them.

This thing...

The guy had a freak'n monkey on its shoulders. When I looked at Daniel I could see Inanna covering him. She was tucked in his arms as she worked to heal his wound. But looking back at Fugly— "Is it a monkey? Cause it really looks like a Howler—"

Geist was...pissed off. I could tell.

Virtues are not allowed to possess or overshadow humans. This was a mandate set down by the Seraphim over a millennium ago. They were given special powers in order to manifest on the Physical Plane so their light would not be tainted by a living soul.

"So...this guy did a bad thing."

Blasphemy!

Uh-huh. "And the monkey is him?"

Yes.

Yeah, I got it. Dude's got a monkey on his back. "Asshole."

Do not blame the human he killed—but do not underestimate his strength either. My eviscerating this abomination will be in accordance with the Seraphim's law.

I got the feeling—Geist was just a tiny bit mad.

The man produced a flaming sword and charged me. His movements seemed...slow. Almost sluggish. I watched as he came at me then lazily brought my sword up and deflected his blade even as I turned to the side. He stumbled and went past me a step or two. When he looked back at me I saw genuine surprise on his face.

"How—"

I shrugged. "Dumb luck?" Because I was feeling a bit cocky with Geist in my pocket I held up my other hand and crooked my finger at him to come at me again. I dare yah.

The action infuriated him and he came at me again. He was a little faster this time, but not by much. I moved to the side again, turned and came at him from behind with a slice of my sword to his back. He cried out as the impact of my attack, coupled with the momentum of his own, pushed him into the wall. He hit the wall head first and the Howler on his back screamed and danced about as he started jerking his human puppet up.

Raziel—Fugly to the general populace—did get back up. But he was unsteady on his feet. He looked at me with narrowed eyes, his sword down. "You're not...a Familiar."

"Yes I am." I danced a bit back and forth. I wanted to knock the shit out of him the same way I had my dad.

"No..." and he started moving toward me. His sword still down. "No Familiar can win against a Virtue. I am the strongest of my brethren."

"You killed a human, prick." That wasn't just my voice. Geist spoke through me as well. I brought the sword up and went for the kill as I slid my blade through the chest of the human body. His eyes widened as blood pooled from his mouth.

I wish to destroy this creature.

"Don't let me stop you."

Geist took over my own astral being at that moment and pulled the sword from Raziel's body. The Virtue remained standing where he was, blood splattering on the floor at his feet. His eyes were unfocused as a smile pulled at the side of his lips. "I knew it....no ordinary Familiar."

My body went incorporeal but not invisible. In fact, it was as if someone had turned a switch on. I lit up from the inside. I narrowed my eyes as my left hand slid inside of Raziel's physical body and grabbed hold of the monkey's leg. It screamed and bit and scratched at my hand. But there was no damage—it couldn't touch me.

His body convulsed as Geist pulled the Virtue from its host until finally there was an audible snap and the body crumpled to the floor. But the monkey remained in my grasp and faced me. It's eyes were red even when the rest of its body melted into shadow and black mist. "How did you escape, Wraith? How did you get out of the Throne?"

Yikes? How did it know it was me? I didn't answer it though.

Instead Geist increased his hold and crushed its leg. The Virtue yelled out again in pain, but it still stared at me. "He will know, Wraith. You can't hide in your Grimoire forever. And then he will kill the boy and take the book. And you will...wait....what is that....." It's red eyes widened as it looked into mine. "What....is that!"

Geist's voices joined with my own. "Your worst nightmare, Raziel. The servant you cast down."

"No...no...you can't leave the planes...you can't be here. It's impossible! Not with the Wraith!"

"Oh...but I am here, Raziel. Here to prune the limbs of a tree grown so thick and dense it can no longer feel or see the light." And then Geist took my other hand and the sword became a rapier of light. "Tell him, I am free."

Before I could protest he drove the rapier's point into the shadow monkey's face. It screamed and disintegrated into a billion little pieces of black glass that tinkled against the floor.

Whoa.

"Don't move."

Now who—?

Geist and I turned to see an entire hallway full of Powers. All of them with guns and dressed in black fatigues. The Church's army, I was guessing. They were on either side of us.

And they had Daniel. He was on his front, arms behind his back, with a gun to his head. He wasn't moving. I could still see Inanna holding him. Even her eyes were closed.

Daniel!

We must leave them.

"No! Don't you see? They'll do that ritual on him! I can't let anything else happen to him!"

Zoë—as strong as I am—I cannot win with these odds. You must return to Darren McConnell. He is what we must protect.

"But..." and I was looking at Daniel. My sweet Daniel. "I can't leave—"

"Don't move, I said!" one of the nasty little Powers said. He was a beefy guy with beret on his head. And he had a—

Holy shit.

"Geist—we need to get out of here now."

Why?

"That gun—isn't a normal gun. That gun will eject both you and me from Dags in a very painful way."

Interesting.

I would recognize one of L-6's guns anywhere. Built by Randall Kemp, it was a snappy little item that could zap a spirit, spook, spectre and Wraith right out of a body...and make life for that creature a bit harsh. I'd been hit with it once. Did not want to be hit with it again.

But I couldn't leave Daniel!

"Geist...can you stay with him?"

Who? With Daniel? No...Inanna would never permit it. If she suspected I was here now...

"They don't like you, do they?"

No. They do not. But...I can keep an eye on them if you would like.

"Please!"

"I said don't move! Another Virtue is on its way, Familiar. The Seraphim's been alerted to what you just did—you will pay for killing a Virtue!"

I looked at Beefy–Guy-With-Gun and gave him the middle finger. With a look at Daniel I surrendered to the pull of the Familiars' home. Within seconds I was back with Dags; Geist was gone, and the world faded to black.

-36-

Respite

I blacked out.

When I finally came to, so to speak, Alice was there. We were on the shore again, and the moon was full. I was looking up at her, sort of from where the fire should be. "Uhn...?"

Wow. That was certainly coherent.

"Feeling better?"

I shook my head. "What the fuck hit me?"

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say a...Geist?"

"Wha—"

She was sitting on a log, the ocean behind her. And she kinda had that no-nonsense look she got sometimes. Reminded me of mom. "Zoë—you were told to let everyone know when the Geist came to you."

I pushed myself up into a sitting position—realizing I was butt-ass naked—and focused on thinking up some clothes. Nice beach wrap. Soft and made of blue cotton. My hair was down and in my face. Eh...screw it. I rubbed at my face before I looked at her. "Is Dags all right?"

"He's sleeping."

"Is it a normal sleep or something I did."

Her eyebrow arched.

Oh. My bad.

And then I remembered everything that happened. I was on my feet. I didn't really get up as much as—I was on my ass, and then I was standing in front of her. "Daniel! They took Daniel!"

"Yes. They have Daniel."

"We have to get him back!"

She cut her eyes away from me but didn't speak.

"Alice...what is it?"

"Adiran has already contacted us. Well, he contacted your mother. Seems she's the only one he'll lower himself to speak to." Alice finally looked back to me. "They want a trade."

"Dags for Daniel, right?" The whole idea of doing that pissed me off. And why did it have to be the two men I loved? The man I'd thought I'd find happiness with, and the man that gave me that happiness. "We can't do that—we can't give up the Grimoire."

"No Zoë—things have changed. Apparently—" she moved her hair from her face. "Remember your dad's panic? He's let it spread that the Geist is in the Guardian's body."

Oh that wasn't good. "But they don't know it's me?"

"No. They haven't put it all together yet, which could work in our favor." She tapped her chin. "Adiran's renewed his fight to gain possession of the Guardian—because he believes he'll get both the Grimoire and the Geist."

"I can pretty much guess what he wants now." I ran a hand through my own unruly hair. Huh...even as an astral being I needed cream rinse. "We have to get Daniel away from them."

"Daniel isn't what's most important—"

Oh she did not just say that. I turned on her and she actually shrank back from me. Not sure what it was about my look that frightened her. "Daniel is just as important to me as Dags is. In case you don't remember, one of the oldest First Borns is a part of him."

She didn't say anything. Alice just looked...tired. Beaten. "They want to talk to you...and to the Geist."

"Who does?"

"Your mom. The rest of them. The Revenants. Apparently she's been in touch with board members of the Society. She's been appointed to speak on their behalf."

"Mom's speaking for them? What about Rhonda?"

Alice sat back down and stared into the fire. "She's...speaking for someone else."

Huh? "I'm not sure I'm following that."

She gave me a worried face. "Rhonda is speaking for the Geist."

-37-

Revival

"Have you lost your mind?"

It was just me and Geist, face to face. He looked apologetic. Well, he looked like Joe looking apologetic.

"This is the best way for your mother to listen to me. If I spoke through you, then there would be suspicion I am influencing you. But this Society trusts Rhonda."

I gave him a very hard look. "You mean they trust she won't let you have control."

"Yes."

I put my hands on my hips.

He lowered his shoulders. "Zoë—they all need reassuring. And we need their help. We must save your friend. Not just because he is your friend, but because his First Born is important to the Abysmal Plane as well. She is like royalty."

I watched him, but my mind was on Daniel. Anxiety sat like lead weights on my shoulders and gnawed at my stomach. I was terrified of what they would do to Daniel—and he'd already gone through so much. I owed Inanna for bringing him out of the madness the Horror had caused him. And I...

I was feeling so damn helpless.

I'd tried to come up with a different solution, like having Geist manifest outside of my astral connection to Dags. But that was a no go. Unlike a First Born—such as TC—Geist hadn't mastered a corporeal or non-corporeal form in the Physical Plane. Every time he'd tried he'd mixed animals and people. The outcome? Crazy Chimeras.

And no...I'd had enough of those. One was my limit.

In the end, it really wasn't my decision to make. Rhonda had already volunteered to be the subject. So had Joe, but Geist refused to overshadow him again.

"I think taking on his form like this is fine—it gives you something to communicate with. But if I were to become him—that could confuse things. A great deal."

About an hour later the "meeting" started.

To make things "safer," and I'm putting air-quotes around that, Joe and Nona had their mojo out. Well that and one of the L-6 guns, in case they needed to shoot Rhonda, which in turn would boot Mr. Geisty from residence. But Geist assured me it would be okay.

Everyone was there. All of the Revenants still in Atlanta. Joe was uncomfortable with it. He didn't like having all of them in one spot, so he made little muttering comments about "sitting ducks" and "pick'em off one at a time."

My thoughts were with Daniel. I wanted to go after him right then. Only—I didn't know where he was.

Rhonda moved into the center of the little group of Revenants. One of the Society members was also there—some chick I didn't know named Roberts. Missy Roberts? Melinda Roberts?

Alberta Roberts.

"Geist? You're still with me?"

Do not worry.

I felt a slight popping in my ears just as Rhonda lowered her head and then looked up suddenly. Her eyes were—

Gah!

Her eyes were all black—like black marbles. When she spoke, her voice was like his voice, a miasma of harmonies.

"Greetings. I am Geist." Geist/Rhonda looked around at the assembled circle. "I am honored to be in your presence." Geist/Rhonda bowed to them.

"Should we simply call you Geist?" Mom sounded so formal. The Society wench—Alberta—stepped up beside her.

"Yes. Call me Geist. Zoë calls me this and I am comfortable with it."

Mom clasped her hands in front of her. Oh, that was a tell. Mom was being careful. "You have developed an affinity for my daughter? I understand that she is special to you?"

Geist/Rhonda refocused those black eyes on mom. "Yes. Zoë is my friend. She gave me a sense of identity that was denied to me. Until Zoë acknowledged me, I did not understand feelings—sensations—such as touch. Warm, hot, cold, chilled, soft, scratchy, slippery—"

"We got it," Joe interrupted and held up a hand.

Geist/Rhonda smiled. "Your daughter is a remarkable woman Miss Martinique."

I slapped my hand on the bar. "Ah! See? That proves that's not Rhonda." Mom gave me a withering look. "Sorry."

"I am Alberta Roberts, Records keeper of the Society of Ishmael. Throughout our long history there has been no mention of a Geist being formed. Unless you are what is known as the Universal Ghost?"

"I have been called that as well as Holy Ghost—but the meaning of that moniker has long been diluted."

Yeah that went over well.

"Why did you come here? Why did you manifest through Miss Martinique's astral form?"

Geist/Rhonda tilted its head. "Curiosity. Zoë was different than the last Phantasm. Independent. Intriguing. And...she spoke to me. No other locum had ever done that before. So I wanted to know more. I learned she was the Wraith. I learned about the Guardian. I learned many things."

"This is getting us nowhere," Tel suddenly blurted out. Yeah, I was thinking it, but he was more vocal. I liked him. "We should be trying to find Inanna."

Geist/Rhonda pivoted to look at Tel. "Inanna is not as easily destroyed as Aether was. She has a strong connection to the Abysmal Plane. Stronger than most." Geist/Rhonda refocused on Jason. "You have the weakest, Mephistopheles."

Jason bowed but said nothing.

"Please understand—I am not here to harm you, reveal who you are, or interfere with the Guardian's purpose. I am not here to harm the Wraith either. I am here to protect the Grimoire."

Alberta cleared her throat. "Geist—to whom is your allegiance?"

"I now serve Zoë, the Potential Phantasm."

That admission brought up a little murmur. Even I felt a little...proud. Awwww.

Mom held up her hand so everyone would get quiet. "But she's not really the Phantasm yet is she?"

"No. She has the Potential to be a great Phantasm, but it is not her wish."

"Geist—does the Seraphim know this?"

"No. The Seraphim never acknowledges me, or my work. He only expects things to continue running. Items to manifest. Requests to be filled. And I complete these tasks never ending."

That really sounded like a computer.

Alberta said, "Geist—why now? Why choose the Grimoire?"

"I am not sure when I developed my own sense of right and wrong. I believe it is simply an understanding of what will work and what will cause chaos. Chaos cannot reign. The Grimoire's influence over planar affairs cannot be wielded by one side. Its existence was set in motion by this witch," Geist/Rhonda pointed to himself/Rhonda. "With the intention of saving the life of the young man who now possesses it. The universe would not have allowed such an event if it did not have purpose, if it was not feasible for him to wield its power in an incorruptible fashion."

You know, I'm not a wordsmith. And sometimes I like the dictionary a lot. But that sounded like Dags was meant to have the Grimoire and no one else was. And it was the most I'd heard the Geist say since we met.

It was Umayma that stepped forward. "Geist—are you saying that no one else can control the Grimoire?"

Geist/Rhonda nodded. "Yes. This man is the balance that will allow the Grimoire's potential to be used in a manner fitting its existence. He is both planes, and none of them. He exists between these worlds. We deem him an acceptable possessor of the Grimoire's matter." Geist/Rhonda tilted its head to the right. "There are discrepancies that can be dealt with, but they are easily repaired. The Grimoire must stay where it is. Therefore, the forces that wish to tip that balance must be dealt with."

I'd noticed Geist had moved from the "I" pronoun to the "we" pronoun. Should that be worrying me?

Mom pursed her lips. Uh-oh. She was thinking. The hamsters were moving. "So—that means you'll help us stop them from trying to take Dags."

"Yes."

"What about Inanna?" Tel asked.

Nona nodded to him as she held up a three ring binder. "Don't worry. Inside of here are the notes taken from the Society's vault earlier. They are part of the Dioscuri Files, a set of diaries written down by my great-uncle on his observations of the Outer Planes. He's more specific when it comes to the Abysmal. I chalk that up to the borders being much more open in the Abysmal during his time." She opened the book to a dog-eared page. "In here we did find references to the Thrones, to their creation as sort of a—" she shrugged. "Best way to describe it is a central processing unit or a dual command center. Two seats on opposite poles." She smiled at him. "That's you, isn't it? You're the CPU."

"Yes."

Well that explained the nagging feeling I'd always gotten that I was talking to a machine. But this was an Abysmal machine.

"You're the spirit of the apparatus the Seraphim and the Phantasm created in order to monitor the Outer Planes."

"Yes."

"Your original function was to police," she took in a deep breath. "You were basically—the Irin supervisor."

There was a murmur around the room.

"Yes."

"When did it change for you?"

"The Bulwark."

Well that just sort of tore it for me right there. I really needed to get my hands on more of the Society's stuff and read about what this Bulwark was because it seemed like that was the defining time of a lot of things.

"You were locked out."

"Yes."

"You were made to be nothing more than a means to an end—doing what the Phantasm or the Seraphim wanted."

"Yes."

"So—the truth is—there isn't a need for the Thrones."

"No. And yes. Before they were created, there a need. Now that they are here, this is no need."

I sighed. Oh God. What the hell did that mean?

Mom smiled. "I'll assume that's the best answer you can give me. You mentioned a locum. In my great-uncle's notes there are directions on how to create a locum."

"Yes."

A who what now?

Mom actually smiled. "Is the locum necessary as things are now?"

The Geist paused and I felt a slight pull, as if it was tugging on its own link back to the Outer Planes. Then, "Because the Thrones have been tied to the workings of the universal clockwork, they cannot be destroyed without damaging the universe's mechanisms."

No one spoke. They were all probably as baffled as I was.

"So there is a need to have some kind of ghost, or soul, within the Thrones. Both of them."

"Yes."

"So..." Joe spoke up and then cleared his throat. "It just needs a passenger? It can be a wind-up or blow-up doll, as long as the car thinks it's got a living driver."

Tel snickered and I thought I heard Alice give a chuckle. Dags was smiling.

"The Throne must believe there is a perfect locum. The facsimile would have to be beyond reproach."

"Meaning you can't just make a Fetch and stick it in there," mom said.

"Precisely."

"I'm not sure I understand," Jason said. "You're talking about making a fake person?"

"Well it's not just that," Nick said from the couch. "What about the ramifications? Yeah, if you can stick this fake in the passenger's seat and pull Zoë out—that's all fine and good. But what happens if the fake doesn't work? You can't really expect a blow-up doll to drive a car," and he looked at Joe with that last bit.

Now I remembered why I liked Nick so much.

"He is correct. The outcome would be no different than it is now. The borders are closed because the Wraith has not resonated with the Throne. When the two Thrones are not in sync the gates are closed. If she were to resonate, then she could open them."

"And if she did resonate," Jason said. "Getting her physically out of there would be impossible."

"Correct."

"Wait a minute," Joe said. "All this is crazy talk anyway. Geist just pretty much nailed the problem. We can't even think about how to get her out when we can't even get in to worry about it." '

"He's right," Mom said. "First let's decide how to get Daniel back and in one piece. We can't lose any more Revenants."

"So what's been offered?" Umayma said.

Joe leaned against the wall. "First off—to bring everybody in on the same page—Zach's found Daniel. But it's not a pretty picture."

My heart dropped to my feet.

"What do you mean?" Umayma stepped forward.

"Zach said the Ethereals—specifically a Virtue and its Powers—has tortured him. They're asking him about the Geist and the Grimoire. Daniel's lucky because he doesn't know much and because he has Inanna there to take away a lot of the pain."

"But Inanna will still feel that pain," Umayma said. "They will pay for this."

"He's heavily guarded but we've been in there before. I'm pretty sure we can get in and get him out, once we get the Grimoire activated. I know Dags can teleport in and out of places when he has access to the book."

"Places I've been," Dags said. "Not just anywhere."

"There's another problem." Mom said as she looked at Alberta.

Uh-oh.

"Adiran's people contacted us as well as Nona. They've offered a cease fire between their power groups in this plane, specifically the CCE, if we agree to hand over the Grimoire."

"Of course he would want that. He gets the Guardian, he gets both the Grimoire and the Geist. We want Daniel," Umayma said.

Alberta nodded. "This is what the Society wants and we have agreed to it. They requested that Rhonda comply with their vote."

Joe frowned at her. "As a representative of the Society you don't sound very happy about the whole thing."

She returned the frown. "I'm not. Their behavior in this is appalling. Mr. McConnell and Mr. Frasier have been valuable assets to the Society. To treat them like this, like property? I'm ashamed. Master Domas' intention when he started this Society was for study and research, not for interfering and power mongering." She huffed at bit more but didn't say anything.

Okay I liked her too.

Mom sighed and I saw her shoulders sag. That wasn't a good sign. "I'm open to ideas, people. I love my daughter," and she looked at me. "But they cannot have Dags and we all remember the condition we found Jason in. We have to get Daniel."

All eyes moved to the handsome, brooding vampire in the corner. I remembered all too well what had happened to Jason. The blood; the look of near death in his eyes. I couldn't even think about that happening to Daniel.

"I would suggest going after Zoë before rescuing Inanna."

Everyone looked at Rhonda—well, at the Geist.

"Why? Zoë's life isn't in immediate danger, but Daniel's is. And in order to retrieve Zoë we risk the Guardian." Nick said.

"I understand your caution, Nickolas Shay, but I would disagree. If you choose to retrieve Inanna and her human, you will need the help of the Familiars—particularly Zoë's help—in doing so. But the Guardian would need to be in close proximity for the Familiars to manifest—just as was necessary today. Previously, they were not looking for the Guardian as urgently as they are now. Now they have two prizes, and if the Familiars manifest, they know the Guardian is nearby, and vulnerable."

Well... I didn't know about anybody else but it made sense to me.

Nick nodded, and I admired the fact that he did not look as if he felt slighted or chastised. Instead he pursed his lips and leaned forward. "If we could right the Grimoire, return the page and retrieve Zoë before we offered the trade, we would be in a much better bargaining position."

"If the page was restored and the Wraith freed—rescuing Inanna would be simpler."

"Well that's great and all," Tel said. "But we can't even open a door into the Abysmal to do that. Remember—the borders are closed."

Joe moved away from the wall and approached Rhonda/Geist. He put his hands on his hips. "What are you not telling us?"

Geist/Rhonda focused on him. "There is a way to break a hole into the Abysmal, but you would have a very small window of opportunity before the Abysmal Creatures there noticed your presence and hunted you down."

TC stood up. "I ain't afraid of them. Let me do it."

Geist/Rhonda pivoted to look at TC. "Not only Abysmal, but the dogs of the Ethereal. There are spies within the Abysmal who work for the Virtues. And there are Powers there as well."

"I think the success of this rests on who of us can actually move into the Abysmal plane," mom said. "Azrael is a given, and should be given preference as leader. Zoë can as well."

"And myself. In the Abysmal I can manifest into a separate form to guide you."

"So," Jason rubbed at his chin. "How do we make this hole?"

"The house in Between is the thinnest border because of Sophia's influence. It might be possible to punch a hole into the Abysmal Plane there—for maybe an hour—and retrieve just the page? Then quickly insert it into its rightful place?"

"Whoa—" I held up my free hand. The other one was tucked into Dags' hand and I was not letting go. "What about me? How are you going to get the page and not me? And if I hand over the page won't that sever this connection?" And I held up our joined hands.

"Yes...it might." Geist/Rhonda paused and looked around for a second before he looked back at me. "You must all understand—if either of the Thrones is empty for a period of time beyond an hour, revival will occur."

Wait! I snapped my fingers. "That's what my dad was so afraid of. He said that. What does that mean, revival?"

"Revival is reviving the Thrones back to their original functions."

Everyone looked at each other.

"But what does that mean?" I asked again.

"It means the Thrones will reset," Tel said. He looked a little pale. "It'll go back to its default settings."

"Yes. The thrones were meant as a gatekeeper for managing the back and forth of traffic in regards to the Planar children."

Dead. Silence.

Not that I knew why or anything.

Mom stepped forward. "You mean...if the Abysmal Throne reset itself, then it would call the First Borns back home?"

Geist/Rhonda nodded. "Their hosts would terminate. The First Borns would be restored to their full potential. This would have a cascade effect on the Ethereal Throne as well. It would reject the locum within itself, and call all the Cherubim home. And we—" Geist/Rhonda paused. "We would once again return to our original self. We would lose this persona."

"That would suck," TC said. "Ass."

Mom turned to face everyone. "Now we understand why the Seraphim doesn't want the Throne to remain empty for any period of time. He'd get booted as well."

"Well we can't let that happen either," Joe said. "I mean, not just Jason, but Tel, Umayma, Daniel, all the hosts would die."

"The Ghouls would also terminate. Their bodies would return to their true age."

Jason moved to stand beside Nick. "So now we get to the heart of it. The Seraphim wants to seal the border to the Physical Plane but has to have a Locum in the Thrones because without one—"

"He obliterates himself," Umayma shook her head. "Ah...for the simpler days."

Joe held his hands out palms down, fingers spread wide. "So it's decided. Geist will punch a hole, we slip in a locum when Zoë's pulled out. Put the page back in, Dags gets his full power back and we rescue Daniel. Sound like a plan?"

"What about the whole not having anyone in the driver's seat?" Jason asked. "This thing's got to be believable."

"And willing."

Everyone looked back at the Rhonda/Geist.

"He's right," TC said, speaking for the first time. "You can't force someone into the Throne. It doesn't react that way."

"And you know this—how?"

TC glared at his brother. "Because I remember it, asshole. I was there when Sophia took over."

"I thought you didn't remember anything," Nick spoke up.

TC looked around the room and again I noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He took a lot of his power in the Physical plane from me—physically. With my body being used by the Throne—where was he actually pulling strength from? He'd barely spoken to me or anyone since I'd been back.

Hell...he didn't even look at me.

"Zoë wasn't forced into the Throne—she was coerced. Her father lied to her—told her she had to release Sophia." He wore his shades, which hid his milky white eyes. And I realized what was wrong with him. To me—and maybe this was just my personal feelings—but it was like he'd diminished in some way.

He was half of himself.

Nona moved around Rhonda/Geist to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "I thank you, Azrael. I feel I can trust you...finally. So," she turned and faced everyone. "What do we tell the Society's board?"

Alberta laughed and made her way to the bar. "We tell them to go fuck themselves. Go get Zoë. I need a Scotch."

-38-

Between

Between was a town that sat between Loganville and Monroe, Georgia. It really wasn't much of anything...just a rest stop between the two towns. But in that tiny town was a building the previous Phantasm had built that rested inside the space between the Physical and other planes. It worked like a train station, or had, before the borders were closed.

It was also the place Sophia had ordered Maureen to drag Revenants and perform variations of the obliteration spell on them. And where Maureen had opened Dags up and taken pages from the Grimoire—finished the spell Inanna wrote in the beginning—and nearly killed Jason and Mephistopheles.

This is where I entered the Abysmal plane, released Sophia, and became the instrument my dad had always wanted me to be.

Needless to say I wasn't a fan of this place. I understood this was the easiest place to "break" into the Outer Planes.

But it all still smelled fishy to me.

As for Dags. He wasn't any happier about this than I was. Actually—Alice and I could pretty much tell he was scared out of his wits.

I remained inside the little Mind Theater with Alice as Dags rode in the van with Jason and Nick. Nona sat in the seat beside him. Rhonda had elected to ride with Umayma, Tel and Joe. I was pacing in front of the screen. I wasn't convinced this was going to solve anything—and for all I knew the Virtues had already carved symbols into Daniel's flesh and bled him dry.

I will not let that happen.

"How can you really stop them?" I didn't bother thinking my answers anymore.

I will do my best.

I could have left it at that, but... "Geist—when I'm back to my normal life as just a Wraith—will I still be able to hear you?"

There was a long enough pause that it unnerved me. And then, I do not know. I can map out many things—project the outcomes of dozens of scenarios—but only if I can control the variables. Geez he really did sound like a computer. But in this—there are matters I cannot control.

"I see."

But it would be nice if we could still communicate. I would like that.

"Me too."

At last we arrived and I popped out as Dags got out of the van.

Wow...it'd been a pretty run down place before but now it looked even spookier. The seven foot wall was still there, and pretty much obscured the view of the building itself. "Is the ward still up?" I asked, remembering the night TC and I came here together.

And speak of the devil he was right beside me. "It is. We're maintaining it ourselves. Still don't want this place visible to humans."

Once everyone that was coming was here Rhonda stepped forward and touched the wall. There was a brilliant flash of light and then—no more wall.

"I'll bet that was visible from space," Tel muttered as we approached the familiar round building.

"Someone's trimmed the weeds," I said trying not to laugh at what Tel said. Rhonda had been in a really weird mood, and after Geist had overshadowed her, she seemed even weirder. But when I asked him about her, he didn't seem as worried.

She is a very interesting and powerful woman, he'd said, and I was pretty sure I'd caught a bit of awe in there. She is very imaginative in her thinking.

"She thinks outside the box," I'd said.

Yes. Very much so!

Rhonda touched the door to the building and it too flashed and then moved aside. The interior was the same as before—like walking out into the vastness of space.

"You know..." I said and my voice echoed as I held on to Dags' hand. "This reminds me a lot of what it's like in the Throne."

"Really?" Jason said. "I thought it'd be like public housing."

Dags snickered and I gave Jason a look.

"Sorry...I'm just nervous."

Nervous?

We nearly died here, Zoë, came Mephistopheles' calming voice, so different than Geist's. You have to realize—Jason is trying his best to maintain his composure, but what he and I both want to do is run from this place. What we went through—

I could have face-palmed right there. Of course the two of them wouldn't want to be back here. What was Rhonda thinking insisting they be here? "I'm sorry, Jason. I should have known."

"Yeah...the Old Man's got a big mouth."

You should know.

"I know it's hard Jason," Dags said. "I woke up here a few weeks ago, and my entire world had changed. Talk about giving a whole new meaning to while you were sleeping."

"I thought you said you were aware," I said.

"Yeah—I was aware of reruns of Law & Order and TMC." He made a face.

Rhonda held up her hands and the illusion vanished. We stood in a cramped, round room with rotting walls and a shaky wooden floor. In the center was the spiral staircase from before. But was this the reality? Or the dream?

TC moved in front of Rhonda and started down. She followed, and then me and Dags and then Jason and Nick— "Where's mom and Tel?"

"They're staying outside," Nick called back as he followed Jason.

"Outside?"

"To watch for your dad," Dags said as he tugged me down with him. "Well, if they suspect what we're trying to do—I'm pretty sure they'll try and stop us?"

Ugh...I did not want to think about that!

Once at the bottom of the stairs I remembered the five branching hallways with doors. Rhonda went straight down the middle one and waited for us to catch up. "This is where I put the Grimoire back together again. It wasn't used by Maureen on either Dags or Jason. So...just relax, okay?"

I looked at each of them. They were looking a little green. I hoped Mephistopheles didn't let Jason puke.

Uh...no. That would be unbecoming.

Smiling, I followed behind as Rhonda led us into the room.

It looked pretty much like the other two rooms had looked. Stone slab in the center of the room, complete with metal hooks for securing whoever the victim was. But this room had been thoroughly cleaned and white candles set everywhere. Some never lit, some half melted, and some were merely nubs with wicks. Rhonda waved her hand and all the wicks ignited.

Now it looked like an old popular rock video from the eighties in here. We all filed in and I was glad I wasn't corporeal enough to catch my hair on fire.

"Darren—" Rhonda patted the slab. "I hate to do this—but I need you here. I need to go ahead and get the spell working so I can take a peek in the Grimoire."

"Take a peek?" Joe frowned. "A peek for what? It's all where you left it from last time. Why not just wait till we know if they got the page and then do it?"

"No," she shook her head. "When I was reassembling the book, I saw bits and pieces, and I remember there being a mention of the locum. I'd like to look at that page one more time before I hand over the locum I made. And I think it's better if we go ahead and have the Grimoire ready. That way once you come back with it—I can slip it in quickly."

She made sense but...

As Dags pressed his lips to mine—and I wailed inwardly, wanting to feel and taste his lips—and then walked over to the slab and laid back down—

I just felt...

I felt...

Like this was the last time I would ever see him again.

-39-

Hole

Once he was comfortable Rhonda motioned Joe over and handed him a rubber tube. "Tie that around his upper arm."

Joe looked confused. So did I. "What for?"

"Because I need to sedate him," she said in a voice that really didn't have much tolerance in it. She'd already started rolling up Dags' sleeve.

"What for?" I blurted out and stepped forward.

But Dags held up a hand from where he lay. "It's okay. She had to do this the last time—and I'm pretty happy she did. I really don't want to be awake when she opens the book up."

...

I wasn't sold.

Joe was. "Ah...that's right. You did do that." He moved to Dags' right arm and tied the tube off above his elbow. "I keep forgetting I wasn't here that time."

When he stepped back, Rhonda pulled a syringe from her pocket, removed the cap and then held it up to see the clear liquid. She thumped it twice to bring the bubbles up to the top and then shot a bit of it out to clear it. I moved in close to see his face as he looked up at Rhonda. "You ready?" she said looking down at him, and her voice had gone all mushy and happy.

He was looking up at her and motioned for her to come closer with the index finger of his left hand. She leaned over and he said something in her ear. Something I couldn't hear. Rhonda paused and her shoulders slumped a second before she straightened and said very softly, "I know."

Then she plunged the needle into the crook of his elbow and pushed the end a bit. With a snap she released the rubber tubing.

Dags' eyelids immediately fluttered...and then closed as she slowly pushed the rest of the liquid inside.

"What was that?" Joe said, a beat before I was about to.

Rhonda shrugged and recapped the syringe. "Just a mild sedative. He'll be fine. I used it before."

"Rhonda..." Joe said in a very serious voice. "What did you just give him."

There was a tension between the two of them I hadn't noticed before. Was it new? Born just that moment? Maybe—but it seemed—ongoing. As if Joe didn't—

—trust her.

Geez. You were banging her.

Rhonda held out her hands and closed her eyes. Her fingers began to glow a soft yellow. "It's just Diazepam, Joe. Same thing I used before. He'll be fine."

But Joe moved to the opposite side and faced her. "If it's all the same to you—I'll just keep an eye on things."

What was going on? I'd heard the name of that drug before. I needed an Abysmal search engine.

"You don't need to babysit me."

"My watching you isn't babysitting." He gave her a smile that did not come close to touching his eyes. "It's just learning, that's all."

Was I stepping in on something here?

I am not sure. There does seem to be a conflict though.

I was happy for Mephistopheles' being there. I started to ask him a question when Geist suddenly showed up.

We need a change of plans.

"Change of plans?" I blurted out.

Joe, Jason, Nick and TC looked at me. Rhonda had her head bowed and her eyes closed as her hands continued to glow. And so did Dags' chest.

"What?" Joe said. "Who are you talking to?"

I looked at him. "Geist. He said there has to be a change of plans."

"It's a little late don't you think?" Nick said.

"And a bit convenient," TC piped up. He was standing in the far corner looking all broody in his trench coat and shades.

I need to go through in a body.

"Whoa there," I held up my hand. "You can't do that. A physical plane body can't survive in the Abysmal Realm."

If it were overshadowed by me...it could.

"Come again?"

"What's he saying?" Joe asked. He hadn't moved from Dags' side but he was paying attention to both. I saw the glow on Dags' chest intensify as Rhonda unbuttoned his shirt and exposed his bare skin. The glowing resembled spinning circles. Several different sizes.

Actually, it looked like clockwork.

Zoë—if I return myself fully into the plane and open that throne for you to escape—because of what I am I will be pulled back to my position. Safeguards will kick in that I have no control over. Simply put—it is your presence that allows me this existence, just as your presence allows Azrael his. If I am not ensconced in a body I will cease as I am.

I repeated what he said to everyone else.

Dags' chest became a blinding light as a book the size of his torso emerged and floated in the air above him. The book spun and then opened itself. The pages turned to the right and then the left with no hand guiding them.

"Well this is a fine time to tell us that," TC said.

I am sorry—but I had forgotten about the safeguards.

"Can't you just turn them off?" I said. I was a little distracted by what Rhonda was doing. "Like you would the safety guard on a piece of machinery?"

I have. But I do not wish to take a chance. What if something happens and I vanish. You will need me to get your body safely out of the Abysmal Plane.

I straightened. "What does that mean?"

"It means," TC said, "That there are things on that plane that do not like you, Luv. They have no use for you, and would rather see you dead than returned as the Wraith. And they do not want you to cozy up to the Ethereals. Think of it as—mob bosses that want the narc snuffed out."

"You've been watching way too much television," Nick said.

"No, he's right," Jason said, but I could hear Mephistopheles' echo in his voice. "The Abysmal is not a place where everyone gets along. There is no such place."

"Ethereal?"

Jason snorted. "You think they have any more harmony than we do? Then the Physical Plane does?"

Wow. I just got a Planar lesson.

I'd been fighting off baddies from the Abysmal since this started. As the Phantasm there was a hint of respect for the position. But as a Wraith again?

All bets were off.

Rhonda pulled a piece of paper from the air and I remembered her Veil. The paper looked like the parchment pages of the book. She looked at her page and then compared it to the one in the book. Ah—she'd found the locum reference and was checking her work. Smart girl.

"You got someone in mind?" TC asked me, asking the Geist.

Joe.

Why did I know that was coming?

I looked over at Joe. He looked...skeptical. "You up for being overshadowed?"

"No." He looked at Dags and then at Rhonda who was smoothing out the page she'd been looking at in the book. "But we need to get this done before our poking around wakes someone up." He moved to stand in front of me. "Okay...do it. But I want control of my body. No possessing."

I felt a slight loss somewhere—and then Joe tensed—and then relaxed.

Of course not. But I will need the use of your body to lead you to the Throne.

"I can do that," TC said and moved next to me.

I was pretty sure Joe was not a happy camper. Rhonda reached over and touched Joe's shoulder. He turned and looked at her, and she looked at him. She didn't seem the least bit surprised Geist had wanted to use Joe. She handed him the page. "Here's the locum. Keep it safe. Once it hits the Abysmal Plane you've got just a little time before it glows like a soul would. So hurry."

Joe took the paper and tucked it into his jeans pocket. "I know."

"Let's get going," TC said. He held his hands out and two Desert Eagles popped out.

Show off.

Joe moved forward—albeit a bit jerky—to the far wall of the room. He held his hands out at his sides. A huge circle of whitish blue appeared on the wall and expanded to touch the ceiling and floor. Smaller symbols that resembled the ones on Dags' palms appeared. Whirling triangles and smaller X's also appeared. Everything spun in different directions for a few seconds before the wall inside the main circle vanished.

We all moved to look through.

"It's an alley," Joe said. No Geist in that voice.

I chewed on my lip. "I know this alley. This is where I first entered the Abysmal when I came looking for Rhonda. Is this some kind of secret door the Phantasm never closed?"

"It's more of a back door," TC said and immediately stepped through. He looked around the alley and then back at us. "You coming? We don't have long."

I wasn't sure how long I could keep myself like this—and I was a little surprised I hadn't popped back into Dags when he was put to sleep. But I wasn't going to question it. I was going to ride it out as long as I could. I wanted to make sure they made it to me and got me the hell out of there.

I looked back at Dags for a few minutes. I wished he was awake so I could tell him I loved him.

"Go on, Zoë. Get back to the Throne. I'll take care of him."

And she would. She loved him too. She would never hurt him.

At least not...intentionally. (Hashtag! #BookInChest?)

I turned and faced the door as Joe stepped through. I watched him—sort of waited for the screaming like Dags had done when Bonville had dragged his body through the Abysmal.

When he didn't break down in agony, I stepped through as well.

"You again?" one of the bricks piped up. "I thought you were uh...like...performing over at the theatre?"

I glared at the brick, recognized it as the same brick that'd spoken to me that day so long ago, and immediately waved at the others to lead on. Joe gaped at the brick with the face in it. I grabbed his shirt and we had to sprint to keep up with TC.

-40-

The Abysmal Plane

The sky was dark. And foreboding. And cloudy.

And there was a full moon. Big ole thing. Huge.

The place was dripping with atmosphere. Everything was like I remembered it. Odd shaped buildings, half leaning against each other. The black asphalt streets that moved and oozed. And everything was wet as if there'd been a storm.

I looked up at the skyline a few times and was sure there were things up there watching us. Joe and I followed just behind TC. He turned down several streets. I noticed he was constantly looking from side to side, as if he thought we'd be attacked. He was as jumpy as I was.

The Abysmal plane is in a state of flux.

"Is that because of me?" I spoke aloud, only half realizing Geist spoke in my mind.

Yes and no. With no real power set up in place there have been a few fights here and there. Power struggles.

"Why don't the Ethereals try and help maintain order?"

This time TC laughed. Had he been tuned in to Geist's voice in my head? "Zoë, you really are something sometimes."

"What?" I sped up and half-walked, half-ran even with him. "The Ethereals did this. They want the borders closed. I figured they would also work to keep the peace."

"You honestly think the Ethereals give a damn what happens internally once the borders are shut? As long as the Thrones are under their command, doing what they want," he glanced at me. "We can all pretty much kill ourselves off. The whole point of keeping it all closed is to stop the Abysmal's influence on the physical world. Once they're sure the borders won't open again—they will start hunting down anything Abysmic remaining in the Physical Plane."

"You're so certain of this—"

"He is right," Joe said as he matched our pace. I heard Geist in his voice this time. "Ultimately it is not the goal of the Ethereal Plane to be cut off from the Physical. There are agents ready and willing to remain in the Physical Plane in order to carry out this destruction."

"Who the hell is this Seraphim? I mean—is he a locum too? Or is he like Sophia was?" I thought about Samael and Sophia's betrayal. "Is—is the Seraphim now the original?"

TC laughed. "It's a lot more complicated than that."

"Try me—" I would have finished that sentence but as we rounded a corner we nearly rammed into the back end of a crowd of people. TC and Joe grabbed me and all three of us ducked back around behind the corner. I could hear a voice in the crowd. TC put a finger to his lips.

"...just going to let them keep doing this? I say we have our own Bulwark between ourselves and the winner gets the Throne."

"You want to play into their hands? Us wiping ourselves out is exactly how they intend on taking us down."

"Can it, you damn boggart. Instead of fighting, we need to choose our own damn leader and stop letting them do it. The bitch ain't working for us, that's obvious. I got voices on the Physical says she's been spotted there even with the borders closed down!"

"He's right! I heard that too—and if she cared about us she'd accept being the Phantasm and get things moving again. We need those gates open."

I scooted to the corner's edge and looked around.

It looked like any crowd you'd see in a movie. Ordinary citizens milling about in the middle of the street while a few people were standing on things to make them higher. Hotdog vendor, and a mailbox, and a newspaper dispenser. They were the most vocal. "They all look...normal."

"Because you're not Wraith right now," TC said. "That's the basic horde out there. There's spectres, daemons, fetches, boggarts, spooks, chimeras, shades—and they're all standing in front of the theatre."

"They are?" I looked back again and focused past them.

Yeah, there was the theater all right—the only difference from before was the billing. Instead of Sophia's name up there in lights it was mine. But the lights weren't on. In fact, the whole theater was dark, as if it was shut down. Even the marquee signs on the outside of the building were empty and boarded up. "I did this?"

"It is not your fault," Joe said. He hadn't moved to look at the back of the crowd but remained with his back against the wall. I glanced at the bricks of that building to make sure there weren't any faces listening in. "Your father cast you in with no explanation. No direction. No instruction. This was all a plan to keep you submissive. To prevent you from joining in with the Throne and creating prosperity here."

Yeah. I'd realized that. And because I'd called in my own little pity party things were starting to look bleaker than they had. "But—even if we get the locum into the Throne, will it be enough to integrate and open the gates up again? I mean it's just a piece of paper."

"A locum can take any outward form. Rhonda simply chose what was easiest."

"But that doesn't answer my question. Will it work? Will it get things running again. Geez...the way things look it's like the Abysmal economy's running even with the American economy, which is basically in the toilet. Looks like they need to get businesses going again."

"They do," TC said. "We're not getting past that crowd though. Geist, you know a back way into the theater?"

Geist/Joe looked back down the alley and nodded. "Yes. But—"

TC and I glanced at one another. "But?" I prompted.

Joe looked really...pale. Like he'd seen a ghost. Ha! And then he looked at me. "Your father is here."

Uh-oh.

-41-

Theater Of The Abysmal

"What do you mean Adiran is here?" TC said.

I held out my hand. "I'm confused—I thought the borders were closed. How come the Ethereals keep popping up in here?"

"The borders within the Inner Planes. Not between the Outer Planes."

Oh.

Geist/Joe pointed in the general direction of the theater. "He's in there. He's with the Throne."

"You think he knows what we're trying to do? Did they get a warning when you made that hole?" TC looked a little frazzled. He rubbed at his face. "I mean him being in there makes that crowd feasible. They know there's an Ethereal—" and then he stopped. His eyebrows arched over his shades. "There are a lot of Ethereals in there."

"Yes. Now you see my panic," he turned and looked at me. Joe's eyes were black just like Rhonda's had been. Geist was in full control. "Zoë, you have to go back to your body. We have to know what it is he wants. Why he's brought so many Virtues here."

"Can't you guys just go in there guns blazing, shove the locum in and haul me out? I mean, Rhonda built the thing to open the gates, right? I mean Geist...you're a...Geist. That makes you a big bad."

"Those are Virtues in there," TC pointed to the theater with one of his guns. "I don't think you understand how fucked up things just got."

"Worse even." Geist/Joe reached into his pocket and pulled out the paper locum. It was starting to glow. It was faint, but in the light of the Abysmal Plane—we're talking torch.

"We don't have a lot of time." TC reached out and grabbed my wrist—the one he'd touched all those months ago. The zap was immediate as my body convulsed.

I felt like I was falling...and I heard someone screaming.

Oh, that was me!

Abruptly I hit the bottom and sort of bounced. I was weightless which helped, but then came the familiar pain of being back in my physical body. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. Oh it hurt like it always had—and I knew eventually it would pass.

Damn First Borns.

I really hated TC.

Azrael.

"Welcome back."

That was my dad's voice. It wasn't his tone as much as what he said that set off my own internal alarms. After the initial ache passed I opened my eyes. I could see the universe below me. After a deep breath, I turned my head and looked out through the Throne's siding.

Dad was there. In all his Ethereal glory looking the same as he had before. Not that he glowed or anything. But he was dressed in a nice gray suit with a white shirt. Antonio Banderas in Hugo Boss. Could give Jason a run for his money with his taste in clothing.

Just behind him I could see others. All of them in variations of the same colors. Some in jeans, others in suit dresses for the girls. I figured there were maybe ten in all?

I cleared my throat. "What do you want?"

"I have a proposition."

Zoë can you hear me? It was Geist, with a bit of Joe in there.

"Yes. My dad's here and maybe ten Virtues."

I will watch and listen with you—if that is okay?

"Yes. I'm freaking out!"

I refocused on my dad. "Proposition? I thought you sentenced me in here—no other choices."

"Daughter—I know you've been out of this body. I know you've been with the Grimoire. I know the Geist is there with you and I fought with it and yourself that night, and it was Geist that destroyed Raziel."

Double uh-oh. Actually on the level of oh shit. So how did he figure that out? Did someone squeal?

I decided it was better if I didn't admit to anything. You know...like when you're in a traffic accident? No officer—I was minding my own business.

My dad smiled. I did not like that smile. "I don't know how you managed to do that. It could be a property of the Grimoire. Or of the Guardian himself. What I do know is that we can't continue to allow that to happen." He turned and snapped his fingers.

Two of the others moved forward—both dressed in the gray and white—one in a suit, one in jeans. Between them they were half carrying, half dragging—

I shot forward, both hands pressed on the glass of the Throne. "Daniel!"

"I see I have your attention."

He looked...awful. They were basically holding him up between them. His eyes were closed and I realized he wasn't conscious. His face was badly bruised and blood vessels stuck out thick and purple just beneath his skin, a tell tale sign of the stress of the Abysmal Plane on his physical body. I recognized some of the symbols they'd carved on his neck. He was barefoot, dressed in his jeans and most of his shirt. It was open and I saw the markings on his chest.

They'd started that damn spell on him!

"You asshole! How did you get him in here. The borders are closed!"

"Did you think you were the only one with a back door?" Adiran said.

"Fucking bastard."

"Now now," my dad said. "That's no way to speak to your father. You've been the disobedient one, Zoetrope. You weren't supposed to interact with the Physical plane anymore. And you certainly weren't supposed to join with the Grimoire. Or accept the Geist as an equal. That's not allowed. You've made it difficult for us to apprehend him."

I curled my hands into fists. I swore if I ever got out of there I'd hunt my father down and beat the shit out of him. "He—he can't survive here. You know that. His First Born—"

"Is what's keeping him alive. And I'm afraid while they're in here, that's about all she can do. All her energy is being spent preventing his body from breaking down and disintegrating here. So," he smiled at me. "My proposition."

Your father is a very shrewd man.

"He's an asshole."

That too.

"What?" I asked him.

"You will remain where you are—and we will keep him out of the Abysmal Plane. I'm aware the First Born inside of him is Inanna, the favorite and the record keeper of Samael. She was most despised by Sophia because she kept Azrael alive and sheltered even while Sophia tried to mold and fashion him."

"You mean brainwash him."

"Yes. Inanna was the one that kept parts of Samael alive too. She's very resourceful. But like all the First Born that hide themselves away in physical bodies—she's weakest as a Revenant. And so we can control her, keep her, and take care of her so long as she's in this body. Or, we can obliterate her. Your choice."

And by obliterating her, it meant Daniel died.

"Zoetrope—"

"Stop calling me that."

"It's your name."

"My name is Zoë."

He shrugged. "The Seraphim wants the gates sealed. They will remain closed or we kill the Revenant. It's that simple."

"Only if you leave Dags alone."

My dad shook his head. "I'm afraid that matter is out of my hands. The Seraphim wants the Grimoire."

"He can't have it."

"But he will." Adiran smiled. "Even now the Grimoire is open and vulnerable and our brethren are preparing for its acquisition."

Fuuuuuuck. He already knew what we were planning.

Not exactly.

I was amazed at Geist's optimism. "What about the Geist?"

"Once I have the Guardian, I have the Geist and I've already made arrangements to have it purged. Do we have an agreement?"

Och...even dad was talking in computer terms. "So you don't even consider Geist a living thing?"

"No—Zoetrope—"

"Stop. Calling. Me. That!"

"Do we have an agreement?" He asked me that, totally unphased. Geist wasn't an issue.

It was about that time I heard the voices outside. They'd been a dull murmur in the background. But suddenly they were a full on chorus. And not a happy one.

There was a crash and I saw lights spill in through the two doors on either side of the seating. I think someone broke down the front. My dad turned and motioned for them to drag the unconscious Daniel away. I moved with the Throne and watched them disappear in the shadows just as all those people that'd been outside came in. They filed down the aisles and took up positions around the other Ethereals.

The one that'd been on the mailbox outside came up on the stage and got right in my dad's face. "You!" he pointed a finger at him. "Get out of our plane. You don't belong here."

"And you," my dad reached up and pushed the finger to the side. "Will refrain from getting any closer to me. We have every right to be here—"

"That's where you're wrong," TC said as he jumped up on the stage. He strode over to stand next to the first guy and faced my dad. "You have no right to be here. None of my brethren can enter your Plane without background checks and being held for a time. Way I hear it—you got some of them still waiting for centuries."

"You." My dad gave him an Elvis sneer. "Pathetic excuse for a First Born. You're the one that destroyed the path I'd set my daughter on—"

"I made her more than what she was," TC thundered. "What you wanted her to be."

I hated to tell my dad but in this place, TC was king. This was his home town. And all these other guys were—peeps?

You know...that word will always mean little marshmallow chicks in ridiculous colors to me. Nothing else.

"Move away from me." Dad sounded upset.

I watched as the number of Abysmals outnumbered the Ethereals. I had this sneaky feeling that fact wasn't going to intimidate my dear old dad.

"You get out of our world, Virtue. Now."

My dad smiled.

Oh no.

I banged on the glass. "Get away from him!"

The guy turned and looked at me. His face lit up when he saw me. I wasn't used to that. I was used to people cowering in abject terror when they saw me, not smile like some love struck teenager. But this guy looked—kinda relieved.

"She's moving..." he said and pointed at me. "You see that? You all see that?" He took a step back from dad. "That's why they're here...they're trying to take her away!"

He had it half right. But I did wonder why he seemed surprised I was moving? Maybe because for months I didn't move? Did Sophia ever move once she was locked in here? Did she care?

What happened next—even now—I'm not sure I can be completely clear on. I mean I saw the other Abysmal inhabitants look up at me, and then I saw the Ethereals move. Then suddenly—

The Abysmal that'd been in front of my dad burst into flames. One by one more of them lit up like torches in the theater. I heard their screams echoing inside of the Throne. I saw TC dive off the stage and shoot his weapons at my dad at the same time. Several times he struck Adiran's chest. Blood and gore exploded off of him with each impact and splattered against the Throne's surface. I screamed for both of them.

The Abysmals that didn't turn to flame finally went into action and started attacking the Ethereals. From my view it looked like a bloody chess game—white against black. I screamed the entire time and banged relentlessly on the damned confines of that prison. I saw my dad—bloodied and riddled with holes—move after TC, and the two of them started an all out brawl.

The brawling moved amid the theater's seats, and as it continued I screamed and screamed.

Sshhhhh...

"Geist!" I cried out. "What's happening?"

Tensions have been released. And I have reloaded the realm's protocols. The Virtues broke the rules by firing on the native planars. The Ethereal plane has been notified, and the Seraphim warned.

I put my hands to the side of my head. "But what does that mean?"

It means war has begun.

Bulwark.

-42-

Bulwark

There are moments in my life that will never go away. I'm pretty sure it happens with everyone. Instances where the emotional experience was something so intense and personal, that nothing could ever dull the memory. Even if I wanted it to.

Like the first time I realized my dad was gone for good.

The night I was raped, and died.

And the first time I realized I could never have want I wanted. Not in this life.

This time that moment was defined by the cacophony of anguished voices that filled this tiny piece of my universe. I could hear them dying. Abysmic creatures of all shapes and sizes, calling out to me, the Phantasm, to save them. I saw images in my head, of more Virtues calling in Powers to kill, even as their human bodies broke down on the Plane.

I could see them if I closed my eyes. I could see them through the glass as they battled. I couldn't see Daniel though. Or TC.

Or even Joe. I had no idea how long the fighting raged outside—but I did know the entire plane was engaged in defending itself from an onslaught of oppression.

All led...by my father.

"Zoë!"

Joe! I pressed my face against the glass and looked around. "Geist...where are you? Where is Joe?"

Behind you.

I turned inside the Throne and looked behind me. The Universal view was gone. It was just a glass egg now, with me in its center, unable to break out. Unable to help.

Joe was there—and he held the locum in his hand, folded and ready. It was glowing as bright and beautiful as the Ethereals. "I got it. We can get you out while the fighting is happening."

"But the Abysmals—what will happen to them? I want it all to stop! I can hear them screaming, dying..."

Zoë, if you were to act on their behalf, you would resonate with the Throne. That act alone would lock you into that throne for eternity. Or until someone does to you what you did to Sophia.

No... my choices couldn't be just those! "If—if I get out of here—can I be the Wraith again?"

Yes.

"But as the Phantasm I could do more?"

Yes.

"I could...push the Virtues out, couldn't I? I could free the plane."

The Phantasm controls everything within the Abysmal Plane. But I do know that the locum I hold has certain protocols build into it that could help as well.

"Could?"

We are operating on unknowns, Zoë. I—I do not like it either.

"They're dying..."

Yes. And so is Daniel.

"Where is he?"

His body and Inanna are to the side of the stage. We do not have much time. I must act now—but it is your choice. Do you wish to become the full Phantasm? Or do you wish to be set free to be the Wraith?

All that power, all in my hands. Two choices. To stay here...as the Phantasm...could save the Abysmals. Or the locum could. But here I wouldn't be able to touch Dags again. Or my mom.

Or Daniel.

But as the Wraith, I might not be able to win, but at least I could fight. And I could feel Dags again.

I slammed my hands on the glass. "Do it!"

Joe nodded and held up the paper. He reached out and touched it against the glass.

Nothing happened.

He pushed harder. The locum glowed brighter—but it didn't sieve through. "What's wrong?"

"It—it won't go through. It's like I'm slamming my hand against glass. Was there an incantation or something? Geist said it needed to slip inside so you could slip out."

What the hell?

"What are you doing?!"

I knew that voice. It was my dad's voice, and he'd started paying attention to what was happening at the back of the throne.

"Joe run!"

But my dad was in front of him before he could react and had his hand around Joe's neck. Joe grabbed at my dad's wrists and tried to pry them off.

"Geist can't you—"

He is a Virture, Zoë. My base protocols will not allow me to harm him.

"But he's going to kill Joe!"

The locum dropped to the floor just beneath the Throne as Joe's eye-lids fluttered.

"Answer me!" my dad was yelling. "What were you doing?"

"Dad—stop! You're going to kill him!"

"Take the offer, Zoë," he said in a tight voice as he looked back at me, ignoring the glowing piece of paper on the floor at his feet. "Or he and Daniel die. And then after they're gone, I will go after the Grimoire. And I will destroy the Guardian too."

I think at that moment I decided I was adopted. There was no way this man was my father. I did not come from his loins. And the very thought of him touching my mother made me sick to my stomach.

"Geist...if I become Phantasm."

You can stop it all.

I could make them all go away. I could save Joe. And Daniel. And most importantly, Dags.

There was no other way. I knew this as I turned and looked out at the fighting in the theater. Heard the screams. I had no choice. The locum had failed.

I closed my eyes and opened my mouth to ask Geist what I needed to do—

Something grabbed my left upper arm and pulled.

Hard.

I gasped and opened my eyes as I was pulled out of the Throne from the opposite side of where my dad held Joe. I stood face to face with TC. In his hand he had the locum. I turned on shaky legs and saw the Throne...was empty.

"You can't do that, luv. You're not really cut out to be the boss."

I would have fallen as my legs gave if he hadn't of caught me in his arms. We were nose to nose with his right arm behind my waist. I had both hands on his chest. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and his eyes weren't white anymore. They were a soft hazel, with flecks of gold.

They were beautiful.

"I think I always knew what I was meant for—what my father wanted. I just...being young and all...I wanted my period of rebellion."

"TC I don't understand—"

That's when he kissed me. It was the deepest, most sensual experience I could remember ever feeling—

I could feel him.

He was warm against my skin. His tongue was velvet against my lips and I felt a thrill reach down to my feet as his teeth nipped softly at my tongue. He tasted of fresh earth and warm spring. I smelled honeysuckle and fresh cut onions. He was all of summer in one touch. I returned his kiss with all I had.

He was my Abysmal lover.

Had been.

His touch made me what I was.

What I am.

And shaped what I would be.

This I knew in that moment.

And then he let go of me and moved to the Throne. With the locum in one hand he pressed it against the glass. Both it and his hand sieved through and he grinned at me. "You better go, luv. Go and kick some ass. Give me about ten seconds to give you back up. Then get Daniel and Joe and get the fuck out of here." He moved forward all at once.

And disappeared inside.

"TC!"

I couldn't see him. I couldn't see anything inside the seven foot tall egg shape. I banged on the glass as a small glow began at its center.

Zoë! Help Joe!

Geist's voice brought me out of my surprise and I stumbled around to the other side. My dad seemed oblivious to what'd just happened, intent on killing Joe.

"I need your answer, Zoë."

Bastard.

I lowered my hands to my sides. No longer constrained by any prison, everything changed around me as the mark on my arm started to glow bright silver. My skin became ash with black spirals in thin design over the surface. I felt my body transformed as my sight changed and I saw the plane for the beautiful place it truly was. The Theater's interior brightened and the Abysmal creatures no longer looked like dock workers, but were in their rightful forms.

I saw all the myriads of shapes and sizes as beautiful beings, each a part of this vast plane. And dotted in their midst were the ugliest of things. Twisted, marred stumps of gnarled wood, with many limbs that swatted and banged about as they fought and killed my people.

My people.

Odd.

"You are...beautiful."

It was Geist's voice but it was also—

Azrael's.

"Answer me Zoë," my dad said as he turned and looked into the Throne. When he didn't see me staring back at him, he dropped Joe. Joe's body hit the floor and didn't move.

Adiran Martinique put his hand on the Throne, and then pulled it back as if shocked. "Zoë?"

"The answer," I said, and my voice held its own echo as I moved in front him. My wings unfurled and I held them out to the sides. It felt so nice to stretch them as I watched him look up at me. I smiled down at him. "Is no."

I inhaled and screamed at him.

Adiran Martinique returned the sound, only his scream was full of agony as I bellowed forth every bit of anger, hatred, resentment and just plain old wronged daughter feeling I had at him. The flesh on him tore away to reveal a gnarled old oak tree as well. It blacked and then turned into a whiff of black smoke.

Impressive.

I staggered and put my hand on the Throne to steady myself. The glass was warm and pulsed. "Did...did I kill him?"

No. Again it was a mixture of Geist and Azrael and—

Something else. Something comforting and familiar.

Though I'm pretty sure he's going to be all kinds of pissed off.

That was TC.

Oh shit. Yeah...TC.

"What is it?" I said as I knelt down beside Joe and furled my wings.

Uh...nothing. I just figured out the locum. Gonna be some heavy shit heading your way. I'm about to open the borders. Hang tight. A door's going to open at the front of the theater. Grab Daniel. Geist is going to make sure Joe gets out.

As if in on cue Joe's eyes opened. They were black. Geist was in control. He gave me a half smile and I helped him stand. Then I dove off the stage and went searching for Daniel.

He was laying in a far corner on his side. I gingerly touched him and instantly felt Inanna's connection. Help us, please.

"I am. Just keep him alive."

One of the powers came charging at us. Anger surged up inside of me and I pointed at it. The Power burst into flames and vanished. Okay...that was new. And somehow I knew it was only indicative of this plane. I doubted I could do that in the Physical Plane.

I was careful picking Daniel up. He felt light in my arms, and from his size, I realized I was a lot bigger here. I was sort of a seven foot monster. Which made sense I suppose, since the Throne was that large. Or had the Throne made me grow?

Oh great. I already had trouble getting dates because I was tall. Now I was humongous.

I carried him in my arms and not over my shoulder. Doing that would interfere with my wings which unfurled as I started walking through the battle. His wounds looked like they hurt and I wanted him as comfortable as possible. So I kept him close, his head tucked against my breast. As I moved past them, I growled at an Ethereal. It evaporated. My wings knocked someone out of the way.

Just as I reached the theater's entrance, the pressure changed around me. Instantly the Ethereals vanished. The world lightened and I knew TC had opened the gates. He'd also kicked all the Ethereals out. A cheer went up around me but I was more focused on getting Daniel out.

Joe was waiting for me by the door to the men's room. He opened it and went inside.

I stood there looking at it. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me."

Not my idea. Just get out of here, luv. Now. I'll be in touch.

I felt a slight nudge behind me, as if someone had patted my ass. My face grew hot as I remembered his kiss and with my wings tucked in; I kicked the door in and stepped through.

-43-

Return Home

I bumped into Tel and my mom on the other side. Both of them put guns to my face.

"Zoë!" Mom was the first one to shout my name as hands pulled Daniel out of my arms.

Mom was on me like cute on a puppy. I'd somehow shrunk to the right size and wrapped my arms around her too as my wings flapped and tried to find a place to go around us. She was warm. So warm. And she smelled of White Shoulders.

My mom.

I decided I wouldn't mention my obliterating dad. Didn't seem like the right time.

"He's going to be fine," I heard Rhonda's voice. "Just get him back to the penthouse. You know what to do."

Umayma's voice answered. "Yes, Rhonda. We'll take care of him."

I pulled away from mom long enough to watch as Jason, Tel and Umayma half carried Daniel out. I resisted the urge to go with them—wanting to make sure they took care of him the right way. But he was a part of their world now. And I knew what he needed more than anything else right then was blood.

And a lot of it.

"Zoë—did you bring the page?"

I looked over at Rhonda. She was still standing by Dags' sleeping form. I nodded and reached inside my shirt—in this form it was inside the V-neck collar of this lacy, spirally thing I wore. I pulled out the page and handed it to her.

She immediately flattened it out and set it on the book that hovered over his chest. I watched as Joe stepped up beside me. A glance over at him and I knew Geist was no longer with him. It was just Joe.

We both watched as the book grew brighter and the page sunk down inside. The book closed and with a wave of her hand, turned sideways and slowly sieved back inside of his chest. Once it was gone, the glow vanished, and Dags gave a deep, long sigh. Rhonda put her fingers against his neck and smiled. "He's just sleeping."

I wanted to go to him and hug him—but I also knew that in this form if I did that, I might start sucking his soul. Instead I was content to admire him and make plans for a long vacation on the beach.

Naked.

With lots of sex.

"Where's Azrael?" Mom said.

I blinked at her. Uh-oh.

Joe cleared his throat. "Uh...the locum wouldn't go in."

I looked at Rhonda who stepped away from Dags and stood by mom. "Wouldn't go in?"

"No," I shook my head. "Joe tried to push it in, but it was like just slapping a piece of paper against glass."

"So how did—" Rhonda pointed at me.

Joe held up a hand. "Azrael figured it out. Though I think Geist helped him. The locum could only phase in with an Abysmal. I'm afraid even though I had Geist with me—I'm not a part of that. So Azrael—" and he looked at me.

Mom's eyes widened. "He—" she put her hand to her mouth. "Oh shit."

Rhonda got it. "Azrael—is the Phantasm?"

"Well him and that locum," I said. "He seemed okay with the idea. He was the one that pulled me out and stepped in with the locum. Though, if he was stepping in I don't see why he took it to begin with. Unless he thought he could put it in and then jump out?"

"No," Joe said and had a faraway look in his eyes. "Geist told him to. I could sort of hear them talking. Said the locum had to be inside the Throne. So he took it."

Huh. Weird. I looked at Rhonda, who looked like a dear caught in the headlight. "What?"

"Oh...nothing. I just didn't expect him to do that. Azrael I mean. So...he's the Phantasm."

I nodded. I felt something pressing on my shoulders and decided it was high time I let the Wraith go for a while. I wanted a shower and pizza. Not necessarily in that order.

But when I shifted back to human form—all hell broke loose for me.

I lost balance and fell, and would have broken my face if Joe hadn't of caught me and picked me up.

I had no energy. None. And my legs were not going to support me. When I looked up at Joe, his expression alarmed me. "What is it?"

"Oh baby," My mom said as she put a hand against my cheek. "You...you've been in there for months."

Yeah? My eyelids felt heavy and I was really dizzy all of a sudden. In fact...I felt sick in my stomach. "I'm...I don't feel so good."

"You look like shit," Rhonda said. "Zoë—oh good Goddess—your body—"

But that was about all I got before I checked out. All dark.

-44-

Recovery

Oh no. The beeping.

I knew immediately where I was. And it'd been a long time since I'd been there.

Hospitals make me nuts.

I sighed and opened my eyes. Time to see what the crazy was now, meaning how bad had I messed myself up this time.

The first thing I saw was colors. And a lot of them. I was used to the drab of aqua green and turquoise—a favorite color of the older wings of hospitals in the south. And I expected to smell industrial cleaner.

But all I smelled was green. Like plants.

Ah to smell again!

I looked to the right and waited for my eyes to focus. I saw a rose. A white one. And then I saw it surrounded by red ones. This was about the time I realized I had a tube in my nose and I was punctured in several places with other various tubes.

"Hey Sunshine," came a gentle, familiar voice.

Daniel moved to the left of the roses. He was standing over me. He looked great—not a scar on his face or neck to show where he'd been cut. His eyes were bright and full of worry, and his hair was brushed back and touched his collar. He was even more beautiful than the first time I'd seen him. I felt his hand on mine and I laced my fingers in his. I started to answer but swallowed. The nose tube had to look soooo attractive. "Hi."

Wow. Wordsmith. That's me.

He leaned in and pressed his warm lips to my forehead. "You look better. How do you feel?"

Feel? I moved a few parts of my body. "Stiff. Like...I ran the Peachtree. So...what happened?"

He held up my right hand and settled himself on the bed as best as he could. The bed rails were up on either side of me. Just in case I fell out. "What do you remember?"

"Everything, up until lights out. Somebody said something about my body?"

"Yeah..." he looked apologetic. "Your body was in the Abysmal for four months, Zoë. No food, no water, no light, no real air. Kept alive because part of you is like me—Abysmic. Once you were released back into the Physical Plane—"

I made a face. "Oh God....I look like a bulimic?"

"You did. But you've been on a steady diet of food and saline. Proteins. Vitamins. You've got cheeks again and not hollows. And you've started to fill out again. Before you kinda looked like—" and he winced.

You looked like a mummy.

I gasped at Inanna's voice. So loud and so clear.

"Did she talk to you just then? I heard an echo."

I nodded. "She said I looked like a mummy."

"Yeah...you did. But the doctors say you'll make a complete recovery. But you'll need physical therapy to re-train your muscles for walking. And you'll need to build up your tolerance."

"Wow...how long is that gonna take?"

"You'll be in another month. No less."

I looked around. There were so many flowers. Had Dags sent these? "Another month?"

I didn't like his face. "Well...you've already been in here a month. It's November 3rd."

The date sounded familiar, but that realization was drowned out by the fact I'd been in the Abysmal plane four months and now I'd lost another month in a hospital! "I've...I've been unconscious all this time?"

"Well in and out. You were so emaciated they weren't sure you'd make it. The First Borns knew you would and all pulled together to make sure you got the best treatment. We're all grateful, Zoë. All of us." He squeezed my hand. "Especially me."

"I'd do anything for you, Daniel. It's my fault all that crap happened to you in the first place."

"No. It's not. No thinking that way." He smiled.

I didn't want to be rude, but I couldn't wait anymore. "Where's Dags?"

His face went rigid and I knew I'd screwed up. He was here with me and all I could think about was someone else. I felt bad. "He's....busy. There's been a lot do this past month. The Society's back up and running, but getting the building back is proving difficult. The CCE still has it. There's been court battles. Litigation. So we're building a new place. They did a bit of restructuring, and Darren's been working with them to rebuild."

"I see. So...does he come by here?"

"Not lately," Daniel said. "He and Rhonda have been traveling some, looking for a few more items the Society wanted. Oh, but Maureen's back. And the two Familiars seem to be speaking again."

"Daniel...what are you not telling me? Is it the Grimoire? Did the page not work?"

"Oh no...It worked all right. He has full control and access to the book now." He let go of my hand and reached up to brush my hair from my face. "Don't worry kiddo. You've had someone with you round the clock. Azrael wanted to pop in, but he tends to play havoc with machines now, so we send him regular reports."

"Azrael," I laughed. "So is he the full Phantasm now?"

"Yeah...he is. And Geist and he seem to get along great. Your dad was more than pissed off about that. But the Ethereals seem to have pulled back for now. Even the CCE is quiet...but still there."

"So TC is finally the Phantasm. I'm not surprised. And I think Sophia would be happy?"

Yes. She would have been.

"There's one other thing."

I felt my heart flip. "What?"

"Your mom—"

When he paused I panicked. "My mom what? Did something happen? Did dad try something?"

Daniel laughed. I loved the sound. He'd always had the best laugh. "Oh no. No. It's just that, the restructuring I mentioned? In the Society? Well...the new board of directors voted her in as CEO."

I let that sink in for a second. "Wait...what? How can she be CEO? I thought that was Rhonda?"

"Rhonda...was dismissed. She's no longer in charge."

"Dismissed? Was she fired?"

Remember what I said about how this whole event sort of showed us who we can trust? "Rhonda was pretty much shown she couldn't be trusted."

I got the impression he was leading up to something. Something important. But before he could tell me, a nurse came in and announced I needed to have blood work and things done. He stood and leaned over me and kissed my forehead. "I'll be back, Zoë. Tomorrow. Joe's up next. He'll be in about a half hour from now." After a wink, he left the room.

The nurse came in with a smirk on her face. "I swear; you have more men traipsing in and out of this room than a men's bathroom. Though that's gotta be the prettiest one of them all. And the dark haired cop is nice. My daughter likes the one that looks like he rolled around in a tackle box."

I laughed. That had to be Tel.

She checked my vitals and then changed a few necessary things that made me blush. But apparently I wasn't fully in control of my functions. And I wasn't in any condition to take care of myself. Then she set a tray of tubes on the table and started pulling blood from a shunt in my arm.

"It's good to see you awake. The staff was taking bets on if you'd survive. The pretty boy that just left was insistent, though. Between him, this really handsome guy in a business suit and your mom, I don't think there was any way you wouldn't."

I smiled at her. It was nice to know they were there, especially after spending so much time alone in that Throne. "Was...did you see a shorter guy? Longish black hair and gray eyes?"

She pursed her lips and blinked. "You have more?"

"No...no. He's my boyfriend. Did you see him?" Boyfriend...I remembered what Dags had told me about being his wife.

"No..." she paused as she pushed a button to bring me to a half sitting position. "Wait...there was a guy like that in here a few weeks ago. Right after you were brought in—but that couldn't have been your boyfriend. He was with some goth chick, and the way they were holding on to each other?" She poured me a cup of water and put it on the table. "Nah...can't be your boyfriend. We thought Mr. Franklin was."

"Franklin?"

"Yeah, the guy that just left?"

Franklin. Right. It made sense that Daniel would change his name. He was still a wanted man.

A guy like that and a goth chick. The only goth chick I knew of was Rhonda. Had she and Dags been in here together? Had she been making the moves on him while I was like this?

I looked at the flowers. "Who sent the flowers?"

"Most of them are from Mr. Franklin. A few are from your mom, who makes killer brownies by the way. And a few are from other friends."

"None from Dags McConnell?"

She looked around at the flowers and pulled up tags to check. She reached in and pulled out a small bear vase with a spray of daisies in it. "This one says from Dags and Rhonda. Did you want it out where you could see it?"

I shook my head.

Dags and Rhonda?

What the hell was going on?

-45-

Heartbreak

I slept through Joe's shift with me and woke the next morning to mom shuffling about the room. She was overly happy I woke up and when I asked her about the news of being CEO she threatened to spank Daniel.

"He's been just a delight," she said as she helped me tackle a plate of soft scrambled eggs. I wanted bacon and biscuits, but apparently my stomach didn't. "I'm keeping the shop, though. I want to live there. And Jemmy moved back into her house, I hired her to work for the Society as well. The money will keep her paid up on medical bills and her house for the rest of her life and it'll leave a nice nest egg for her grandkids."

I watched mom talk and I ate, slowly. I was patient and let her ramble until finally I couldn't handle it anymore. "Mom," I interrupted her. "Where's Dags?"

Her face did the same thing Daniel's did. I waited and she put her hands in her lap. "Dags is still working for the Society. He went right back to work once he found out you were okay, Zoë. He's been traveling. He's out of town at the moment."

"With Rhonda."

She paused. "Yes."

"Mom...what's going on? How come he and Rhonda gave me daisies together? Why hasn't he come to see me?"

"I just told you he's out of town."

"Mom, if the roles were reversed I'd have flown back to see him. Where is he?"

"Alaska."

"You're lying."

"Zoë—"

"Get out."

After she left I tried to get out of bed and ended up on my ass on the floor. I hadn't realized I was crying until the nurse came in and hugged me as she wiped my face. They got me back in bed and put me to sleep.

Another week passed before I could get up out of the bed on my own and walk to the chair. Of course just sitting in the chair was exhausting. Mom didn't come back, but Daniel, Joe, Tel and Jemmy came. I didn't ask about Dags again, and no one volunteered any information. But every time the door opened my heart skipped—and crashed when it wasn't him.

Daniel was everything anyone could ever ask in a friend, or even a lover. Attentive, kind, and supportive. Even his First Born was kind.

When I could finally leave the hospital it was Jason and Nick that picked me up. They had a limo waiting outside and Nick was the one that wheeled me out. I'd asked the nurse to remove the tags on the flowers and redistribute them to patients she thought would appreciate them. I took a single red rose—one Daniel had brought me the day before, and kept it with me as I stepped inside the limo.

Nick wasn't driving this time. It was a Society car and we were heading to the new compound where mom had a rumpus room fixed and ready for my physical therapy.

I sat facing the two of them, the rose in my hand. Neither of them said a word.

"Jason—"

He held up his hand. "Let's wait till you see the new place. I think you'll like it. And then once you're settled, we can talk. All of us."

I nodded.

My heart was in my ankles. I thought maybe Dags would come to see me out of the hospital. I assumed he was still out of town. Maybe he'd be at the new place?

We went through a guard house to a gate and were buzzed in. Pines and oaks lined the winding drive until we came up on a hill. The new place wasn't as ostentatious as the last one. In fact it was rather modest. The driver pulled the car into a half-circle drive and Nick jumped out to help me.

It was a little cooler here and I noticed the autumn leaves littering the front stoop and asphalt. Jason dismissed the driver and I had my arm in Nick's. The door opened up into a white marbled foyer, complete with a double staircase. The furnishings were modern mixed with old world.

A huge banner draped over the staircase read:

WELCOME HOME ZOE!

"SURPRISE!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as a crowd of people came rushing from either side. My mom led the way and rushed up to me. I was in her arms first, and then passed around from person to person. I recognized all the Revenants, as well as some of the members of the Society I'd met. Jemmy was there and so was Joe.

Daniel hung back as the people slowly stepped away and I moved into his arms as a safe haven. This was all a bit...much.

"Honey," mom said as she ushered some of them out of the foyer. "You okay? You look pale."

"I'm just—" I looked around and felt my eyes burn. "I'm a little overwhelmed."

"I told your mother this was too much," Jemmy said as she came up to me with a biscuit in a napkin. I took the biscuit and bit into it. It was so buttery good. And there was honey on the outside!

Daniel led me into a huge living room. It was cozy and warm. A large screen TV showed a football game above a roaring fire. Tel, Nick, Manuel and Zachary sat on the couch, yelling at the screen.

A buffet of food lined several tables along a back wall beside a baby grand piano. Windows overlooked a small and freshly planted garden. New fruit trees had been planted around a center fountain. White chairs sat in little groups around it and I could see afternoons sitting out there with Dags.

I wanted to ask where he was.

If everyone else was here...was it possible he was?

And Rhonda.

Umayma appeared and gave me a hug. She was so beautiful. "It is good to see you again, Zoë. We are all here for you. All of us."

I nodded to her and held onto Daniel and my biscuit.

Others that missed me in the foyer came up and said the same. I kept nodding and reassuring them I was fine.

But I wasn't fine. I was frustrated and feeling abandoned.

Stupid right? I'm in a house full of people—well relatively they were people—who all cared about me. Wanted the best for me.

And I felt...abandoned.

Daniel reached down and put a hand to my cheek. "Want to see the rest of it? I can show you your room?"

"Please," I nodded. I wanted air.

I'd been cooped up an egg—I needed space!

I kept hold of him as we left the room and meandered around. I saw the kitchen, another parlor that was really an office with a large desk. Mom's desk.

There was a full bathroom downstairs with three stalls and two sinks.

We went upstairs and he pointed to the right as we walked. "This wing is nothing but rooms. You have one here, and your mother. Jemmy has one and there are rooms underground for the Revenants."

"You have a room here?"

He nodded. "I moved in. To help. It's easier for me because my face is still on wanted posters all about town. Up here no one really notices me."

We approached a room with an open door and I looked in—

The far wall revealed a huge sliding glass door with sheer curtains. A man was stepping inside. Shirtless. Dressed in jeans and barefoot. His hair was dark and brushed his shoulders. Wings folded against his back and his face—

"DAGS!"

I dropped the biscuit, let go of Daniel and ran into the room.

"Zoë wait—"

Dags jumped when he heard his name and looked up at me as I tackled him. I wrapped my arms around him as hard as I could. "Oh God I missed you...I missed you so much..."

"Hey..." he said softly and I felt his arms around me. "Sorry I wasn't at the party—I didn't know it was today. We just got back."

Everything was all right.

It was all going to be all right.

I pulled back from him and wanted to kiss him.

He moved a step further back and slid his hands down my arms to my hands and held them. "You look good, Zoë. It was touch and go there for a while, but we knew you'd pull through. And I owe you everything—getting the linking page back for me. Rhonda and I are in your debt."

He was holding me at arm's length. Not forcing it, but...

Something was different.

"Dags...are you okay?"

"Oh yeah. Just tired. Oh but I know Alice and Maureen will be happy to see you. They've been talking about you. Especially Alice. She thinks you're the bomb."

We always recognize attraction. We can sense it. The way someone looks at us. The way they talk, the inflection of their speech. We know the difference between friendship, and love.

"Zoë..." He leaned in to look at me. "You okay? You're staring at me really funny." He let go of my hands and looked down at himself. "Oh do I need to put a shirt on? I've been on a plane for six hours and just wanted to stretch out a bit. Took a quiet look at the garden."

"I—" Blood rushed past my ears. My heart thundered inside of my chest against my ribs. I looked in his eyes and saw...

Zoë, please go with Daniel.

I blinked several times. My eyes burned again. Dags' expression turned from amusement to panic. He looked up and past me. "Daniel—is she okay? Did I do something wrong? Should we call Rhonda? Nona?"

I felt Daniel's hands on my shoulders. I fell back into his arms, against his chest.

"It's fine, Dags. She's had an exhausting day. And I think the crowd downstairs took a lot out of her. She needs to eat and rest. It's good to have you back."

Dags grinned. "Yeah, good to be back. Oh, but we got the vase and Rhonda picked up a few other things. She's down in the vault cataloging. Wanna have dinner later?"

"No," Daniel said. "No. Go downstairs and grab food. There's plenty. Tel's here."

"Oh he is. Great. I'll be down after a shower." He looked down at me and touched my chin. "I'm glad you're okay Zoë. Can't wait to work with you again."

If Daniel hadn't of been behind me I would have bolted and run. He had a grip on my shoulders as we walked out of the room. The biscuit was gone.

He steered me down the other hallway to the end. Daniel opened the door. "This is your room—"

I ran in and slammed it in his face.

-46-

Shattered Dreams

Mom was beside me when I woke up. My eyes were swollen from crying and I had a nasty headache. She had water and pills ready. I took them and flopped back on the bed in the room I hadn't even looked at.

"He was going to ask me to marry him. We talked about it...but he said he wanted to have the Grimoire fixed...take a vacation and go down on one knee... "

I heard mom set the glass on the nightstand. "Most everyone's gone home. It's been a few hours. There's plenty of food. And you have a guest in the den. Will you come out so we can talk?"

"He loved me."

"Zoë–"

"What the fuck happened?"

She was quiet. "The den's across the hall, Zoë. We'll wait for you."

I heard her leave the room.

I don't know how much time passed before I dragged myself out of bed. I stood there, looking around. The furniture was antique, dark wood. An armoire stood by a large sliding glass door. Sheer curtains separated me from the view. There was an old roll top desk. Several shelves of books. A flat screen television. A dresser. And another door.

I moved to the door and found a bathroom bigger than my old condo. Shower. Sunken tub. Jacuzzi. Separate toilet room. Bowl sink where the bowl sat on top of the counter. I shuffled to the shower, stepped in, and turned it on.

Once I was pruned and overheated from the spray—and I'd slipped off my now soaked clothes—I glanced at the girl in the mirror.

She was still thin. I could see her joints, her ribs and her empty heart.

Her hair was long and fell in a wet braid down her back. A white streak as thick as her wrist decorated the right temple.

She was ugly.

And I hated her.

I had clothes in the armoire. I pulled on a pair of black sweats and hoodie. Barefoot I left the room and moved across the hall.

The den was warm and homey. Roaring fire, built-in bookshelves in all the walls, and lots of old, stuffy couches.

Mom sat on one of the couches with Jason. Nick had a book in his hand by another sliding glass door—but this door was open and let in a cold breeze that countermanded the warmth of the fire.

Umayma and Daniel sat on another couch as Joe picked out "Chopsticks" on a smaller piano in the far corner.

Daniel turned as soon as I walked in and came to me. I let him lead me to the couch he shared with Umayma and sat down. A tea service sat on the coffee table, complete with finger sandwiches and little cakes. She poured me some tea and fixed it the way I liked it and set it down in front of me.

Everyone gathered around. Nick sat on the couch back behind Jason.

They were all looking at me.

I tried hard not to cry.

"Zoë."

I stood and turned to the open glass door.

TC stood there. He was dressed in a leather jacket, jeans and boots. He wasn't wearing his shades. His eyes were hazel and he held his arms out .

I moved around the couches and ran into them. My shoulders shook as I held onto him and he held onto me. He was warm—not like he'd been before. He kissed the top of my head as I wrung all the emotion I could out of myself.

When I thought I was going to collapse, he picked me up and carried me back to the couch. Daniel moved as TC set me down and then sat with me.

I wiped at my face, but didn't really care what I looked like. He took a napkin from the service and handed it to me. "You look awful," he said.

"You look good," I managed as I blew my nose. "Being a Phantasm works for you."

"Have you tried to become Wraith since you—" he began.

I shook my head. "No. Haven't wanted to. I was hoping for some normal time, you know?" I understood why he asked me that. Was his being Phantasm going to have any influence on my ability to change?

At that moment, I didn't care.

I hated that they were all looking at me. The room was quiet except for the crack and pop of the fire. And my sniffling.

I hate being a blubbering mess.

"Will someone please tell me what the fuck happened?" I finally said. I sounded congested. "Why is Dags acting like we're old college buddies and not lovers?" I looked at TC because I didn't want to look at my mom.

Tel came into the room at that minute with a bottle of Guinness. He paused at the door and looked at everyone. "Did you tell her?"

"Tel—" my mom began.

"Someone please!" I think I said it a bit louder than I intended. "When did this happen? Was it while I was in the hospital? Is it some weird effect of that page being in the Throne with me?"

Tel set the bottle in front of me on the coffee table and stood by the open door. The sheers moved with the breeze.

"We noticed it when he woke up. After the page was replaced." Jason said. He sat forward with his elbows on his knees. "He remembered events a bit different than the rest of us."

"I don't understand."

"Zoë," mom said. "Dags seems to have forgotten your relationship—not you. He has memories of you. But he doesn't remember ever being involved with you romantically."

My jaw hit the floor. "How is this possible? Did...was it something I did? When I left did I take those memories with me? Was it my dad?"

"We thought that at first," Daniel said. "None of us had an explanation. Even Rhonda seemed baffled."

"Until Azrael contacted Nona," Tel said and pointed at TC.

I looked at him. "Was it me? Did I somehow change those memories?"

TC touched my shoulder. "No Zoë—I'm afraid his memories were manipulated."

"Manipulated?"

"Yeah...and I didn't know it right away. In fact it was just before you woke up that I realized what happened and let Nona know. When the locum came into the Throne with me, I noticed something about it immediately. But at the time there was a Bulwark starting and well," he shrugged. "I didn't pay attention."

I looked at each of them. "What are you saying?"

"When Rhonda wanted to take a peek at the Grimoire before handing over the locum," Joe said. "We think she actually took a page out of the book. Your page. Dags' memories of love for you."

I put my hand to my mouth.

Joe continued. "She wove in a spell to take only the memories Dags had of you romantically. She fused that page with the locum and handed it to me. I didn't know it at the time."

"I realized something was wrong," TC said. "When I had memories of you I knew never happened. When I pulled the piece of paper back out I saw them. Dags' memories. Millions of words on that page with your name."

"His memories of me..." I reached out to him. "Are in the Throne with you? You have to put them back in!"

"Luv," and he took my hand. If my state of mind had been anywhere but where it was, I'd have noticed his behavior was odd. He was actually being nice. "I can't. The page disintegrated and became a part of the resonance."

"We think she planned that too," Joe said.

I was light headed. I didn't want to hear that. "No...no you have to put it back together again. You're the Phantasm now. You can do this. We were going to get married."

Daniel stood and went to the window.

"No, I can't. I've already tried."

"Honey," mom said. "Even if he could reconstruct the page of his memories of you, Rhonda would never put them back. She has what she wanted. She has Dags."

"Can't someone else do it?"

Joe sighed. "No one else knows how—it's her spell."

No.

No no.

No no no no nonononono....

I stood up and ran into the coffee table and banged my shin. The beer toppled over and spilled onto the carpet. The pain just aggravated my already messed up feelings. It made me mad.

No...it made me furious.

I stumbled past it to the door.

"Zoë!" Daniel moved quickly and stood between me and the door. "Please. Hear us out."

"Hear you out?" I felt anger burn deep in my stomach. He looked so sad as he looked down at me. And when I looked into his eyes I saw the hurt reflected there. "You people knew she'd done this and yet she's still here? She manipulated that damn book again for her own gain and you let her!"

"We didn't let her do anything. When we discovered what she'd done we confronted her. She didn't deny it. The truth is," Daniel's shoulders lowered. "The spell she wrote for that locum worked better than expected. The Ethereals can't even get into the Abysmal anymore without Azrael's permission. And they can't touch Dags either. The Grimoire can sense them now, even before he can see them. She made improvements."

"And that makes it right?"

"No it doesn't," Mom said as she stood up and came around to stand by Daniel. "No one trusts her anymore. But we also don't have a choice. Rhonda's dangerous, Zoë. We have to allow her to stay here so we can keep an eye on her."

I looked from her to Daniel. "She can't get away with this."

"Zoë don't—"

But it was too late for any warnings. I felt the shift and I welcomed it. I glanced down at my feet and hands and saw a difference. There were no more bunny slippers. No things of childhood.

My feet were those of an ash colored lion, with claws that could kill. I unfurled my wings and shot straight up and sieved through the ceiling to the night sky.

I looked down at the house and knew where she was. I could sense her magic. It was darkly tainted now. Something just going bad. Soured. Rotten. And she was alone.

Diving back down, I went through the house down to the basement to a large room with shelves. I wove my way through them until I saw her bent over a table with a pen in her hand.

I don't know if she just didn't sense me or she couldn't, but she didn't look up or try to defend herself as I tackled her from the side. We crashed into a set of the shelves. Books, parchment, ceramics and wood came down around us.

I rolled her over onto her back and straddled her, my hands around her skinny little neck. She coughed and tried to get air. Her hands were on my wrists.

"Give him back!" I shrieked and as I touched her I could feel her life...and felt it feeding into me.

"Zoë!"

I froze but I didn't let go. The voice was comforting, but I didn't want to be lectured. "Go away Geist."

"You can't do this," he said and I realized the voice was nearby and not in my head. He was in the room with me. I glanced to my right and saw him standing there.

He wasn't Joe anymore. In fact he wasn't even a he. But a she.

She...was me.

Was this how TC wanted the Geist to look?

"She stole him from me."

"Yes she did," Geist said and abruptly became Joe. "And I helped her do it."

That—

Wasn't what I expected to hear.

I looked back at Geist and frowned. "You...you helped her?"

Geist nodded. "Let her go, or you really will kill her."

I didn't look at Rhonda as I released her and stood. Instead I faced Geist. "Why?"

"Because there were flaws within the Guardian that could result in weaknesses when his full power could be needed."

"You helped weed out his feelings of love for me," I put a clawed hand to my chest. "You mean I'm a flaw? Our love was a flaw?"

"Rhonda pointed out to me how your union created a weakness between the two of you. Two powerful beings whose weakest link was each other. She merely offered up a solution that presented an acceptable outcome."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"I had no idea you did that," TC's voice came from behind me.

Rhonda rolled onto her hands and knees. She coughed and tried to breathe.

Geist took a step toward me. I stepped back. He frowned. "You are unhappy with me."

"I hate you."

"How can I remedy this? It makes me sad that you no longer enjoy my company. I did what was necessary; as  is my duty to do. There is a Bulwark beginning out there, Zoë. And we need your strength and his."

"Give him back to me."

"I am afraid that is impossible. I do not understand your animosity to me. I have done all that you asked."

"What I wanted was a life with Dags. What you did was take it away for that selfish prick." And then I did turn and look at her. She was looking up at me, still hacking and coughing. "And you. You couldn't get it honestly so you had to use magic. You saw your chance when he and I were most vulnerable and took it. In the end, Rhonda Orly, you will lose. I banished you from my life once. I should have listened to my gut feeling. Do not ever expect me to help you again."

I shot up then and moved through the floors, and through the ceiling, until I was high in the air. My tears turned to ice but that didn't stop them.

I reared my head back and cried for the death of a life that had only been a dream.

-47-

Manuel

I was sitting in one of the wicker chairs outside my mom's shop some time before dawn. I'd traveled all over the woods. Wailed. Cursed the world. Kicked over garbage cans. Scared the shit out of a few people.

But in the end nothing was changed.

I was just Zoë again.

And I'd lost the one thing I'd dreamed of coming back for.

Dags had been my reason to live. The memory of his love, of his touch, was part of what had pulled me through those months in the Throne.

And he'd been taken away from me.

I sensed him before I saw him. I was exhausted now, back to my regular self. I shivered in my sweats and hoodie. Barefoot

He was in the house and turned the porch light on.

"Why did you come here?" German accent. Very slight.

"Because they're not here. And this is home."

Manuel came around in front of me and sat in the chair beside mine. I looked over at him. He was freak'n adorable. Had to have been in his late teens when Morgan bonded with him.

"You know..." he said and started rocking. "Love never dies—"

"Save it. I'm not in the mood."

"Jason and I were lovers once."

Okay—I hadn't expected that. I heard the echo of his First Born. "You were? You...had a different host?"

"Yes. Elizabeth. We met in World War II. Spent time in the field working in hospitals. He was the first man I ever truly loved."

"But..." I looked over at Manuel. "You and Mephistopheles are brother and sister."

"Not in the way you are familiar. There was no sexual bond that created us from the union of two physical beings," Morgan/Manuel said. "Our bond made Elizabeth's and Jason's attachment that much stronger. We had a happy life. Even in a time of war. And when the war was over—we made plans to spend time together. Just the two of us."

I stopped rocking. "What happened?"

Morgan/Manuel stopped rocking as well. "We were caught in a bomb blast. We pulled Jason to safety and gave him what blood Elizabeth had left." He turned to look at me. "It was what she wanted. I'd already chosen my new host—Manuel—so while I lay dying I called to him and he invited me in."

I sniffled and turned my body in the chair to face him. "She gave her life to save his?"

"Yes. Her last drops of blood. We buried Jason in a mine. He'd been so badly damaged he needed a time of sleep. So Manuel agreed to watch over him."

"A time of sleep?"

"It's very rare. And is only available to the oldest of us. Mephistopheles is very strong. He was able to repair Jason's body as long as I brought them fresh blood every day. So we nursed him for twenty years."

"Twenty years?" I sat forward. "Jesus."

"And when he woke," he shrugged. "We parted ways."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." He smiled. "Zoë, I am Manuel now. And Manuel isn't Elizabeth. Jason accepted that. My point is that Elizabeth loved him with everything in her being. And I carry that love on with me."

"And I'm supposed to just carry my love on with me? Morgan—his love for me is gone."

"No. It's not. It's still very much alive." He smiled. "Inside of Azrael."

I rubbed my face. "TC has it? I thought it disintegrated."

"It integrated. It's there. And Azrael will do everything he can to restore it to Dags." Manuel leaned his head to the side. "But there is another who loves you. Just as much and just as hard."

"I know."

"Don't discount him. He is loyal. And he will stand by you." He stood and straightened his hoodie. "I need to get going. Get some sleep." He reached down and took my hand. After he kissed the back of it he bowed. "You are Wraith, Zoë Martinique. You are protected and cherished by the Phantasm. You are the great-niece of Domas. The daughter of Nona Domas-Martinique. And you are very much loved."

Epilogue

I stayed at the new compound during the physical therapy. Not that I really needed it, but I wanted to make mom happy.

I did get a new condo though...decided to live near Little Five Points. So I bought in the same building as Joe. We were a floor away from each other. He and Daniel helped me move. It was December, three days before Christmas, and the air was crisp. I smelled burning leaves somewhere and the sky looked as if it rain was on its way.

I loved this time of year. It reminded me of...

"Hey, you need to get more glasses," Daniel said from the kitchen. The place was basically furnished with boxes. Most of my stuff had been in storage when I'd sold my condo while mom had been in Miller Oaks. My furniture—what I hadn't sold—was in the main room. It wasn't as big a place as before, but I liked it.

It was mine.

Tel came through the door with two bags of groceries. Behind him was Joe. Two Revenants, a human and a Wraith. What a combo. I kept expecting to see TC come through there. I'd even had Joe pick up grapes.

I hadn't heard from him or from Geist since that scene in the basement of the Society's compound. Rhonda hadn't pressed charges with the Society or made any fuss. We never spoke.

Tamera Moultrie was still  on the news, and was under fire from the associated press about her methods of reporting. Joe still turned the television on now and then and watched her, insisting he knew her face. The CCE had vanished from public view, but he was keeping tabs on her. I don't know why though. He seemed to be as obsessed with her as TC had been.

Murders were still happening like the ones back in October. Joe had been busy with those. More humans carved up with symbols. He no longer believed they had anything to do with the Virtues and Powers. Just another copy cat killer the police needed to find. I'd been thinking of going after them myself. Just to get some practice in.

Tel started unpacking the groceries. "I think I got everything on the list. Except them tampons. I am not buying the girlie stuff."

He made me smile. A lot. He wasn't a big guy—and he wasn't beautiful—but he had a rock star quality about him. The metal all over his face didn't help. When he wanted to, he could clean up real pretty. Why he'd latched on to me? No clue.

Joe set a six pack of Rolling Rock on the counter and unpacked the bag he'd been carrying. It was full of meats he'd picked up at H-Mart. He set a few of the steaks aside and suggested he fix potatoes, corn and then ice cream for dessert. He thought a movie night would be fun.

I did too. I called mom and invited her just in case she didn't have anything to do.

Tel moved enough boxes out of the way to make the place walkable. After about an hour we had a good spread on the bar. Joe started the movie and we fixed our plates to eat. I hadn't realized Tel was a newer host—though not as new as Daniel. He was younger than Jason though. So eating with the two of them was still a wondrous experience. Loki and Inanna seemed very happy and taken with caffeine. I set up the one-shot coffee maker and opened a box of the little assorted cups.

The doorbell rang and I yelled out. "Got it."

I opened it, expecting my mom.

I didn't expect to see Dags.

I looked past him expecting to see Rhonda, relishing the opportunity to kick her out on her ass. But she wasn't there.

"Hi Zoë," Dags said. "Nona said you were having a movie party? I just got back from Florida and I wanted to check up and see how you were doing."

I hadn't seen him since that night in the room.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Daniel was beside me, his arm on my shoulder. His voice was pleasant. "Hi Dags. You just caught Zoë by surprise. We thought you were still out of town." He moved me back and allowed the man to come in.

Dags was beautiful. His hair had grown out a bit past his shoulders. His eyes were clear and gray. He was the healthiest I'd seen him since we'd met. A year ago. In December. He'd left a message about a ghost in the place he worked. And Rhonda had accepted the job.

The guy in the bathroom with his pants down.

"You okay?" he said and looked at me. He reached out to touch my arm and I pulled away.

"She's just tired. Why don't you head to the kitchen and grab a plate. Just grilled some steaks, got peppered potatoes and corn."

"Come with me," Daniel took me by the hand and led me past the living room to the terrace. He closed the sliding glass doors and put an arm around me as I shivered against him. "Okay...let it out here. Where he can't see."

And I did. I thought I was done with crying.

But all I could think in my head was why...why had this happened? How could anyone do that to another human being? Especially a friend?

Daniel held me close. He kissed the top of my head. "I know it doesn't mean as much Zoë. But I love you. And I'm here for you. So is Joe, if you need him."

I sniffled and knew I had the ugly cry face on. But with Daniel, I didn't care. "I know Daniel. And I do love you. It's just...why is he here? How can he do this to me?"

"Because he doesn't know, Zoë. As far as he remembers, you and he are good friends. You've worked together. Him showing up—and without Rhonda I might add—is a nice show of support for you."

"But it just fucking hurts," and there they were. Those damn hiccups I always got when I cried really hard. You know, the ugly cry.

"Sshh. I know. And it's okay." He laughed softly. "It's just that sometimes I think I got the better end of things...since the Horror."

That was an odd thing to say. I leaned back and looked at him. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I have Inanna. She's always with me. She's someone I can talk to. Someone that has the experience needed from her hosts that I can pull from. But you..." he looked at me. "You have just yourself, Zoë. And I worry about that."

He was such a good man.

And I didn't deserve him.

I leaned in close to him though and he held me. I was shivering again. We were on the tenth floor and the wind was picking up. Rain was close by. But I didn't want to go in yet. So we stood there for a while.

"You know...when you're ready to go to work, I'd like to be your partner."

"I'd like to put that off for a while. Take a little time. I have four months to catch up on."

"I agree, so," and he pulled back and put his hands on my shoulders. "So I've booked us a train and lodging up in Montreal."

Oh wait what? I opened my mouth in shock. "You what?"

"Purely friendship. Just us on a train and some time in some real snow. No Society. No commitments. Just us. What do you say?"

I heard laughter inside and looked through the glass to see them all together around the flat screen. Dags was on the couch next to Tel.

"When do we leave?"

"Whenever you want."

Now. I want out of here.

Now.

My butt buzzed. I pulled back and retrieved the phone from my pocket. I had mail—which seemed odd since I'd just set the account up.

I thumbed the little envelope on the touch screen to see who it was from—

"Zoë? What's wrong?"

I stared at the from field. "I got a mystery email. There's no subject. And no address."

"It's probably a virus. Just delete it."

Well...me and curiosity. I opened it.

Dear Miss Martinique,

It is nice to see you well and in the Physical Plane once again. We wish you happiness and success in your new life within the Society of Ishmael.

We do hope your association with them will not interfere in our working relationship, and so to welcome you back ourselves, we have a very interesting job for you.

And as payment we will forego the normal sum of currency and offer you something of even greater value. Something close to your heart.

We will be in touch.

Maharba

About the Author...

Phaedra Weldon is a writer and mother of one. Born in Pensacola, Florida, Phaedra was raised in the lush, green southern tropic of Georgia. She grew up on southern ghost stories told while eating marshmallows around campfires, or on the back of pick-up trucks in the middle of cornfields on chilly October nights.  She worked as a Graphic Artist for over twenty years in the publishing and sign industries until she became a full time writer in 2009. Phaedra currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and daughter.

Copyright

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

A Caldwell Press Publication.

This work and everything in it is the sole property of Phaedra M. Weldon. Any copying or reprinting will be prosecuted to the furthest extent of the law.

Author's Websites

www.phaedraweldon.com

www.zoemartinique.com

If you liked this story, and would enjoy reading more, drop the author a note at ZAM007@comcast.net

Other books by Phaedra Weldon

Revenants Novels

Native Soil

Grimoire Chronicles

Grimoire

Back Door Series

Back Door Magic

Back Door Curse

Back Door Myth (coming soon)

Zoë Martinique Investigations

Wraith

Out Of The Dark

Spectre

Phantasm

Revenant

Geist

Siobhan & Abyssinian

Mirror Mirror

Here Be Monsters

-NATIVE SOIL EXCERPT-

REVENANTS NOVEL

New York, 1931

Jason

She hadn't come to listen to his set. Bethany always came to his piano playing—had come for the past three months since they started going steady. Her absence worried him. One of the local uniforms was outside, and Jason stepped out for a smoke.

"Sorry Jay," the uniform said. He'd bummed a smoke from the piano player. "Haven't seen her. Maybe she got hung up on something?"

"Maybe," Jason agreed. But that wasn't like her. Bethany loved him. She never left him. She was always there.

With a glance up at the night sky, he sniffed and smelled rain. More rain. The darkened streets were already puddled with it from the morning. Rain the day before. It seemed to always be raining. Bethany disliked the rain. Said it made her sad. Was it possible she was sad and needed time to herself?

"You awright, Jay?"

"Yeah, yeah." He tossed the half smoked cigarette on the ground and stomped at it. The Mirage Lounge sat inside one of the old warehouses along the docks. The view wasn't the best—just stacks of old rotting, wooden boxes. A shack to the right, and below a worn out dock sitting on the water. The fog was so thick he couldn't see Jersey across the Hudson.

Usually he'd meet Bethany in Chelsea Park after the set. But she hadn't sent him a note. No message. Something was wrong. He knew it. Felt it in his gut. He could have sworn she was nearby...

He nodded to the uniform. "Hey O'Hearn, I'm gonna take a walk down there. Tell the boss if he comes look'n for me?"

"Sure thing, kid," O'Hearn said. "Hey, got another smoke?"

Jason gave him all he had, shoved his hands into his pockets, and moved across the tracks to the dock. Sometimes the water calmed him. The lap of it against the shore. He moved to the very edge and looked out at the river. He was dressed lightly in a white shirt and gray trousers. They were expensive—Bethany had bought them for him. Told him he should be preforming in style. She always told him he was talented. That he could go places. And would go places.

Noises to his left disturbed his thoughts as he turned. Voices. One of them sounded like a woman's.

He caught the whiff of Jasmine on the air.

That was Bethany's perfume!

Taking off at a sprint, Jason moved through the cargo boxes, some small some large until he found a space between them. She was on her back, her hands over her head. A man in dark clothing, dark gloves and fedora knelt over her. He jumped off of Bethany as Jason appeared and the two faced each other.

Jason couldn't get a clear view of the man in the half-darkness. He yelled out as he charged him and realized too late the stranger had a knife. The blade bit his shoulder and Jason yelled out as he twisted and slammed his elbow into the side of the man's head. The attacker made a noise and fell back. Jason also moved back and clutched his bleeding arm.

"Jason..." came Bethany's voice in the dark. "Run...please.."

The stranger came at him again before he could move far enough away. Jason had to somehow incapacitate him without getting stabbed. He ducked, side-stepped and slipped past the new attacks. He did manage to get just past the man's shoulder and deliver another blow, but he forgot about the knife and felt it sink deep into his thigh.

Jason's leg collapsed underneath him as the attacker kicked him once in the side before he disappeared. Jason heard and felt the stomp on the wooden dock as the stranger ran away.

Damn. He reached down to his thigh—and felt the blood. There was too much blood. Oh God...he's hit something important. He grew lightheaded and collapsed backward for a second, staring up at the dark sky. No moon. Never a moon.

I'm dying. He knew this. Could feel it. He gripped his thigh but couldn't stop the blood. It poured over his fingers. Jason called out...hoped to get O'Hearn's attention.

Cold fingers pressed against his lips and he nearly cried out again as someone crawled up against him. It was Bethany—but her face was hidden in shadows. He could smell blood and reached up to touch her face. Her hand moved quick—faster than he'd ever seen—and grabbed his wrist. Jason watched in horror as she licked the blood from his fingers. He tried to pull his hand away from her but his strength deserted him. She moved on top of his chest.

Bethany pinned his hand to the wood.

"Do...you want...to live?" It was her voice—and then it wasn't. It sounded like her, but there something else there. Something...wrong.

"Bethany..." he said, his own voice soft. He pulled in air to talk. "Please...can you get help?"

"No..." and then he heard the gurgling noise. He let go of his leg and reached out to her chest. He touched bare flesh in the shadow, slick, drowned in blood. Oh God...that bastard stabbed her.

"Jason..." the gurgling noise in her throat and chest was painful to hear. How was she still speaking? Or moving? "She will die...but if you accept me..."

—as a part of you, she will live inside of you.

Those last words he heard in his head. And the voice was masculine.

What...what the hell is going on? He tried to move away, but she was on top of him, and he was growing weaker. Growing tired. He almost closed his eyes.

Jason! Please—

The voice in his head startled him. "What...who are you? Where is Bethany?"

You and I have so little time, Jason. Please choose. I will not force this upon you. But if you say yes, then you both can survive with me. And you can have your revenge.

"Bethany...." he gasped for air.

Do you accept me? Invite me in, Jason. Invite me in and we will all be saved!

Insistent. Honest. But he was tired. So very...tired.

"Yes..." he heard himself say.

Bethany was a bone-white corpse nearly devoid of blood in his fading vision. Her face twisted, her mouth opened. Jason tried to scream, but Bethany—or whatever it was possessing her—slapped a bloodied hand over his mouth. He tasted blood. Metallic. Coppery.

She slipped her hand from his mouth and grabbed his other wrist. She pulled both of them up over his head and bent in close to him.

Her face was...different. Dark. Long, sharp, teeth. She moved her free wrist to those teeth and bit down.

Drink from me, Jason Lawrence. The blood will allow me to enter into you. I must have this link between the bodies.

Drink from her? Jason opened his mouth to scream and she slammed her bleeding wrist against his lips and teeth. The blood filled his mouth and he choked and swallowed, gagged at the taste.

Invite me in, Jason. Please...

She released his wrists. He spat and choked, his head light from his own loss of blood. Oh God...what is happening to me? His stomach wrenched as he pulled himself into a fetal position.

Please...quickly Jason. If you don't invite me in you will become a Ghoul with no Maker, and you and Nick will fall into a nightmarish existence!

Invite it in? Invite what? Invite this voice? Bethany? He opened is eyes—but Bethany was gone. The pain in his stomach had become unbearable.

I can ease the pain!

"Yes!" he choked out, still tasting the blood in his mouth. "Please...oh God please...I...invite you in..."

Abruptly the pain vanished. He was cold, and whole, and surrounded by light. Jason had no idea how long he floated in that light. Eventually he heard another voice outside of him, outside of the light. The voice of Bethany's brother, Nick Shay. "Are you there, Mephistopheles?"

Jason spoke—his voice, and the other voice. Together. "Yes. Please...Nick...the fever is coming."

Fever? What...what just happened?

And then the voice was even louder in his mind, as if someone were speaking inside of him. Thank you, Jason Lawrence. My thanks, and those chosen before you. You will feel pain soon, as our two beings merge. It will be short and I will do what I can to ease the misery. Nick will take care of us.

Us?

There was a touch on his forehead. Someone moved his dark hair to the side. "Relax Mr. Lawrence. Trust the Maker. He will make you whole again, and I will help you find your revenge."

The...Maker?

I am a Revenant. I am your salvation. And you are mine.

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