Geist (24 page)

"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.