Page 107 of Ghostly Touches

“We’ve gotten what we need,” he says. “We’ll drop the girl off at some gas station on our way back over.”

“You refer to her as a girl, but I distinctly heard you call her Willow,” the red bearded man, Peeta, says. His eyes slide past me to stare at her. “Get a little friendly with a monster, Theodon?”

The other three turn their attention to Willow too. I move subtly, stretching as if stiff and place myself in front of them to block their view of her.

“We were just talking with her before this mess showed up.” Theodon swings his arm around at the litter of demon bodies on the ground. “Her name is Willow, and she’s a necromancer looking for a place to sleep tonight. We were settling in for the night when we heard her van pull up in front of the house.”

Rowan’s brow raises in surprise. “You were inside?”

Gangory scoffs. “That woman is no necromancer. Trust me, I know. My sister is one. That woman is something else entirely. She was using Death Magic to summon a Veil between the realms of the living and the dead. Magic like that can’t be used on this side, not normally. Magic has rules, and what she just did isn’t natural. No one should be able to do that. Whatever she told you is a lie.”

I blink in surprise as Rowan turns to stare at Gangory.

“Not a necromancer?” I look to Theodon for answers. He looks just as taken back by this as I do. When I look over my shoulder, I see Willow watching us, one foot behind her as if she might run.

“It’s best you kill her now and get it over with. I doubt she’ll submit to our superiors for an examination,” Peeta notes, following my gaze.

“I’m not killing an innocent woman who just helped us,” Theodon states firmly. “That’s not what we do.”

“We protect this realm from monsters. She is one, just as these things are.” Rowan kicks the body of a dead demon. “And the things she sent away. She doesn’t belong here. If you don’t get rid of her, we’ll do it and be forced to report that you three aren’t doing your job.”

Theodon sheaths his sword with a sigh.

“I guess while you’re busy reporting us, we’ll report you for mining raw materials from the Third Realm.”

The quiet threat, spoken with little more care than one would talk about the weather, is directed at Rowan like a dart hitting a target board. Before Rowan can reply, I hear Willow’s footsteps approach us.

“While you’re at it, Theodon, you can report them for murder,” she snaps.

“Excuse me?” Rowan’s incredulousness is as sharp as his eyes, which follow her every moment as Willow steps around me. She places both her hands on her hips. The moment she pops one hip out to the side, I know that Willow won’t make this easy. For anyone. But I’m at a loss for what to do now. I look to Theodon for help. He doesn’t even spare her a glance.

“Do not speak, Willow. It appears everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie.” Theodon looks at the three Ghosts in front of us.

“Take care of this threat and head back to the Third Realm, Theodon. We’ll forget you ever came to visit,” Rowan offers.

He glances at me and then Kwil, who stomps towards us, sheathing his blade in the process. He stops a few feet away from our group, remaining silent.

“I’m not a threat,youare. To these men and to other Ghosts,” Willow snaps as she waves her hand in our direction.

Theodon turns his head to regard Willow with his coldest glare. Usually, he keeps those looks solely for me. Willow meets his glare, however, and doesn’t back down.

“I’m not a threat,” she repeats, this time quieter but still just as firm.

I don’t know if I believe her or not. If she’s not a necromancer, what is she? Gangory says she used Death Magic. This type of magic doesn’t sound familiar, but she has done some incredibly impossible things. Like tying our souls together for one.

“You’ve beguiled these men into believing you’re an innocent necromancer who just happened to be hanging outside an empty house and now you’re trying to convince them thatwe’redangerous?” Gangory glares at Willow. “You sound manipulative.”

“Are you serious?” Willow steps forward to get into Gangory’s face, but he straightens and towers over her easily.

“Deadly.” He promises.

“Watch it,” I warn through clenched teeth. Willow may be a liar, but she has saved my life, and my brothers’ lives several times over on different occasions.

“While LeAnna may have crossed over while I was sending over the Utikyie, there are at least twenty plus urns hidden upstairs in a room with ashes that belong to Ghosts,” Willow declares.

“I spoke with LeAnna too. Willow speaks the truth.” Kwil nods. “These three aren’t to be trusted, Theo.”

LeAnna? The name means nothing to me, and a quick glance at Theodon assures me that he has no idea who that is either. But the three Ghosts in front of us react as if they’ve been tased. Peeta takes a step back as his brows raise. That’s suspicious. Are they shocked because she knows about the contents of a room within the house or simply shocked by her accusations? I’ve been inside the entire time. I don’t recall Willow going upstairs at all while we’ve been here. And if Kwil met the spirit she’s talking about, well then…

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