Page 10 of Christmas Spirits

“Yes. That, too,” she said. “There is a small one room apartment upstairs that my aunt, and now I, stay in sometimes whenever we have late nights or early meetings here. You both are welcome to use it.”

That was super kind of her to offer, but I really didn’t want to impose.

“What about you? Where are you going to stay then?” I asked her.

“Don’t worry about me. I can sleep on two chairs pushed together. Or the floor. And I have, too.” She smiled. “Hunting for magical artifacts in underground caves and ancient ruins has made me stay overnight in some pretty unideal places.”

“That’s so cool,” Laurence gushed. “You’re like a real-lifeLaura Croft, Tomb Raider.”

Arianna smiled sheepishly at that. “You and your pop culture references.”

It was nonstop. I couldn’t keep up.

“Although Tomb Raider isn’t one I’ve been called before, I’ll take it. It’s better than what I was calling it. A magical artifacts enthusiast.” Arianna chuckled.

I tried to share in her happiness, but it was hard to rip my thoughts away from the fear humming through me. What was I going to do? We couldn’t just camp out here forever? That was unrealistic.

“Kay, are you feeling okay? You’ve gone pale again,” Laurence asked as he leaned close to search my face.

I looked away and turned to Arianna. If I tried to answer his question, I was afraid I’d lose it and start crying. The tears were already pressing against the back of my eyes as it was.

“You said there is a way to stop this spirit?” I asked her, my throat tight.

“Yes, it’s possible, just not an easy feat. We’re going to need help though. From a necromancer.”

I hesitated, unsure I had heard her right.

Laurence’s eyes widened. “Wait, did you just say…”

“Necromancer. Right.”

“Like zombies?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. Not at all. There’s no such thing.”

Laurence glanced at me. “Really? With everything supernatural in this world, zombies are where they draw the line?” He huffed a laugh. “I don’t believe it.”

I fiddled with the cross around my neck nervously. I wasn’t sure I liked where this was heading.

Arianna turned to me. “Do you not know about this, Kay?”

I shook my head. Why would I? I only knew the general things—whatever were in shows or movies. Necromancers were supposed to be able to raise the dead. Like Laurence had said, zombies. Just thinking about walking corpses made me cringe.

“Hmm…” Arianna rubbed her lips together in thought. “Figured you would, being a Medium and all.”

I stood. Laurence grabbed my arm to help me, but I waved him away. “I don’t understand. What do they have to do with me?”

She stayed quiet for a few tense moments. Conflict flitted across her face as she debated how to say her next words. “Mediums are rare. Necromancers are even more so. And that’s because only the most powerful Mediums can become necromancers.”

The words sank in slowly, and I stared at her until the reality of what she had said hit. Necromancers—people I didn’t know existed until a second ago—were actually Mediums? Not like me. Powerful, super Mediums but still. It was a shocking bit of news to hear.

Another thing my grandmother hadn’t shared with me about my Medium gifts.

I stopped myself from thinking ill on her. It was possible she simply didn’t know about it. That was a real explanation to it. Or maybe, she didn’t want to frighten me further. Having the ability to see dead people was scary as it was. Especially as a child. It took me a while to come to terms with what I was, and after the mishap with my first and last attempt of channeling a spirit through Grandma Abigail’s teachings, there were still parts of my gift I refused to tap into.

“How is being able to raise the dead and communicating with spirits the same thing?” Laurence asked, taking the question right out of my head.

“For one thing, necromancers don’t ‘raise the dead’ in the sense you’re thinking. Remember, no zombies,” she replied. “But when you think about it, it’s actually kinda common sense. Mediums can see, communicate, and channel spirits. A necromancer is just the next step of that. They can force the spirit back into its earthly form—back into its body—where it can then be eradicated by burning or cleansing it with fire.”

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