42

Ghost Story

XAVIER

“This was them,” affirmed Jaq, stabbing a finger at a series of Wanted posters. “They just came out of nowhere and grabbed him.”

“Oscha!” the Footrunner, Officer Ringëd, punched the wall. “That’s the Bloody Carter Siblings! Are you kidding me?! Taeux l’ïce, Ôlyowest flouflusé Rin, Gingette…!”

Lilli leaned toward Alexander in a mumble. “Why is an Everlander spouting Marincian curses?”

“I don’t know,” Alexander muttered, his brow knitting at the Runner. “But more pressingly… Officer, do you know these birds?”

Ringëd grabbed a box of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one between his lips, sucking furiously. “They’re a band of arms-thieves. We had some trouble with the siblings in Brittleton before they high-tailed it out of there and moved here.”

Henry grunted and folded his burly arms. “Yeah, the siblings have all of us Blacksmiths leery of new customers these days. They’re a load of trouble, no doubt.”

“Gods, Bloody damn it!” Officer Ringëd hit the wall again. “Mika’s gonna kill me…!”

“Why aren’t the officer’s ears growing?” I asked from the psyche, skeptical. “He’s clearly irate.”

“Not the time.” Alexander combed his fingers through his hair, turning to Ringëd. “I don’t understand. What do thieves want with Octavius?”

“Void if I know.” Ringëd said, rubbing his eyes.

Jaq smeared a hand over his face. “Bloods, I feel like it’s my fault… By the time I realized what was happening, he was already too high for me to catch, I could have…”

“Lament on hindsight later,” said Lilli. “We must focus on finding him first.”

Vendy snorted. “And how do you plan to do that? They could have taken him anywhere.”

Alex’s gaze drifted to the fourth poster on the brick wall. “Wait,” he began, “Jaq, I thought you said there were only three of these birds?”

“There were.” Jaq came beside us to look himself. “This one wasn’t with them. It was just the first three—”

The fourth man’s face suddenly turned white on the paper, and we jumped back when it rose off the page altogether.

“That’s ‘cus I went to follow you three,” the translucent face muttered.

A ghost?

The specter peered at Lilli and Alexander. “Sorry about your friend. I told those idiots not to do nothin’, but it sounds like my sister couldn’t listen for more than two seconds, like usual.”

A wispy, white body came with the head as the ghost phased through the wall, floating in front of us.

His wings fluttered in silence behind his back as he crossed his arms. “Bloody girl thinks she’s the captain, now that I’m outta my body. She’s usually just our distraction, on a project. Dumb as a sack ‘a rocks sometimes, I actually ain’t surprised she did this.”

We all stared at the ghost.

Jaq was the first to throw an incredulous hand at him. “What the Death?”

Officer Ringëd frowned, sweeping his soul-blind gaze over our shocked faces and scratching his head. “What? What’s everyone staring at?”

Henry looked just as perplexed, looking to any of us for an explanation.

Lilli hesitated. “There’s a… a ghost here.” She pointed to the specter’s Wanted poster. “This man’s ghost.”

Ringëd’s face wrench in bewilderment. “Uh… what?”

Alex kept his eyes on the ghost, but rumbled off to the side. “Lilli, would you give Henry and the officer soul-sight for a moment? I don’t have that Evocation.”

Lilli nodded and touched either mans’ shoulder, her hands gleaming violet as her Death mark brightened at her chest.

Ringëd and Henry found the ghost and leapt back in a jolt. Lilli stretched to keep contact with their arms, to keep the Evocation burning. Without an item to hold the Hallows, the men’s soul-sight relied on her touch.

Ringëd pointed a shaking finger at the bird-shifter’s floating soul. “Wh-wh… what the Void?! You’re dead?!”

“No.” The ghost sighed, putting fists at his sides. “I know, I know, ya want an explanation. It’s a long story that I ain’t got time to tell right now. Let’s just say my crew went on a heist in this town, things didn’t go well, and I ain’t in my body no more. The important thing right now is findin’ your friend before my sister does somethin’ really stupid.”

Alex waved back a hand. “But where are we going to find him…” Alex glanced at the poster with the ghost’s face, reading the name. “Dalen?”

Dalen rocked his head to the left. “Our pad’s down that way. My guess is they took him there. Come on, we better hurry—”

A raven’s croaking came from the sky, and Shade soared down to us, screeching.

Lilli gasped. “Shade! He’s free!”

Shade took to the sky again, flapping in the opposite direction Dalen had gestured to. We sped after the messenger on foot.

“Hey—wait a sec!” Dalen floated after us. “I said they’re this way!”

The others went ahead as Alex craned back to him. “Don’t underestimate a messenger’s connection to their Reaper. They’ll know better than anyone where they are. Now hurry up, you’re coming with us to talk to your siblings. And stay close, in case there’s another Fera raid.” Alex rushed after the others. “They’d better not have hurt him, or there will be consequences.”

“You’re telling me!” Ringëd panted as we sprinted, the officer taking out his Shotri. “Bloods, Mika’s going to kill me!”