\u201cJay?\u201d<\/p>\n
He waved Marin away as he plunged into the dim of the hall, following the faintest sense of silver-gray as it disappeared through a doorway further down.<\/p>\n
Phelan\u2019s room.\u00a0 Dammit.<\/i>\u00a0 He picked up the pace, trying not to let his increasing weariness, dizziness, or the pain in his back from his still-healing wound distract him from his quarry.<\/p>\n
\u201cJay, what are you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
He held up a hand again and she stopped talking, then ducked into Phelan\u2019s cot.\u00a0 Jacqueline startled at his entrance, twisting to look at him.<\/p>\n
The ghost standing at Phelan\u2019s bedside, a slender, ethereal figure in a woolen dress with silver trinkets woven into flaxen hair, didn\u2019t turn.\u00a0 Her ghostly fingertips brushed against Phelan\u2019s forehead and his hair.<\/p>\n
J.T. swore it moved at her touch.<\/p>\n
Hell.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d\u00a0 Jacqueline asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cJac,\u201d he said quietly, \u201cI\u2019ll sit with him for a while.\u00a0 Go and get something to eat and stretch your legs.\u201d<\/p>\n
She blinked at him, glancing back at Phelan and then to J.T. again.\u00a0 For a moment, she hesitated, then nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShut the door behind you,\u201d J.T. murmured as she drifted past him.\u00a0 Jacqueline caught his hand and squeezed, nodding.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll come check on you in a little while,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
He just nodded and waited until the door clicked closed behind her.\u00a0 The ghost remained where she was, silver-blonde curls cascading forward to veil her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe should not have been harmed this day,\u201d <\/i>she said at last.\u00a0 Her voice was soft and musical, carrying a lilt familiar from dreams of long ago, from a life he\u2019d lived a hundred lifetimes ago.\u00a0 Her fingers brushed over Phelan\u2019s hair again and he stirred with a soft moan.\u00a0 She murmured a few words in a musical tongue that J.T. couldn\u2019t understand and Phelan quieted, seeming to drift back toward sleep.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you?\u201d\u00a0 J.T. asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis goddaughter,\u201d<\/i> the spirit whispered.\u00a0 \u201cSuch as I am, such as he was.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 She looked away from Phelan and met J.T.\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 \u201cI knew you.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not\u2014\u201d\u00a0 The words died on his tongue.\u00a0 I\u2019m not the person you remember.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cIt was long ago,\u201d<\/i> she agreed, turning away again.\u00a0 He could hear the chiming of the silver charms woven into her hair, the rustle of her clothing.\u00a0 He\u2019d never heard a ghost so clearly before.\u00a0 \u201cSo many souls in the world again.\u00a0 So many of the lost awakening.\u00a0 It is\u2026sad and frightening.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
A shiver shot down J.T.\u2019s spine.\u00a0 \u201cWhy are you here?\u201d he asked, mouth dry.<\/p>\n
She looked over her shoulder at him.\u00a0 \u201cAll of your ghosts come with warnings, don\u2019t they?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cIs that what you\u2019re here for, then?\u201d\u00a0 J.T. dropped heavily into the chair that Jacqueline had abandoned.\u00a0 His back twinged uncomfortably and he exhaled quietly.\u00a0 \u201cTo warn me so I can warn the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will only get harder before it eases,\u201d<\/i> she said.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the way of things.\u00a0 The way it\u2019s always been.\u00a0 But this ground\u2026this place\u2026it\u2019s like home.\u00a0 Like every home I\u2019ve known.\u00a0 It\u2019s easy to see why so many have come here, come together again.\u00a0 Why the blood is here.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 Her spectral fingers brushed against his cheek and she smiled sadly.\u00a0 \u201cYour eyes see the most of what has been.\u00a0 Others see what will be.\u00a0 While they will see that\u2026most of the warnings may come from you, Spiritweaver.\u00a0 You see souls of those who are here and those who have been.\u00a0 Your touch can heal them the same way the Blessed could.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
His throat grew tight, an uncomfortable feeling blooming in his guts.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure what she meant, but he was fairly certain he didn\u2019t like it, either.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNone who have gone before you did, either.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 She sighed and turned away again.\u00a0 \u201cI wish I could explain.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cThen why don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt must be learned, not told.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 She gave him a sad smile.\u00a0 \u201cBut I can tell you to safeguard this place and its people.\u00a0 He can\u2019t do it alone.\u00a0 None of you can do it alone.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 She looked away again, her fingers against Phelan\u2019s face.\u00a0 Some of the red faded from along the edges of the stitched-up claw marks on his face, the edges firming before his eyes.\u00a0 J.T. sucked in a breath, eyes widening as he watched.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeal the spirit and soul and you\u2019ll often heal the body,\u201d<\/i> she whispered.\u00a0 She leaned down and kissed Phelan\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n
Then she faded away to nothing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cJay?\u201d He waved Marin away as he plunged into the dim of the hall, following the faintest sense of silver-gray as it disappeared through a doorway further down. Phelan\u2019s room.\u00a0 Dammit.\u00a0 He picked up the pace, trying not to let … Continue reading