Page 24 of Ghostly Touches

Downstairs, I hear the sound of a door shattering off its hinges.

“Willow Harvest! We have come to discuss your punishment for violating our rules!”

This is going to be bad. I just know it. Well, there’s nothing I can do about what’s about to happen now. I might as well have some fun with it.

Pressing my forehead against the wooden floor, I yell back, “I hope it involves furry handcuffs and paddles!”

Chapter9

VIKTOR

Iache.

It’s a strange pain. One I’ve never experienced before. It encompasses the body, sinking deep into each muscle and every organ. It’s a constant one too. Not a throb or an ebb and flow, just a deep, unrelenting ache that keeps me up at night and distracted during the day. And this ache… it’s been affecting my vision.

Not that it was great before. My vision has been failing these past few years. Things have become blurrier, shadows linger longer than necessary, and sometimes my depth perception is off.

AGhostmust remain of sound mind, body, and soul.

We have five vows, but this one sticks out to me the most. I’m the weak link in our small group. Theodon insists that I’m not, but I know with my failing sight, it’s just a matter of time before I’ll miss something during a fight, and it will lead to my death, or worse: theirs.

And now, with this terrible ache making my vision worse, I worry that our deaths are closer than we think.

At first, I thought if I could figure out where this terrible pain was coming from, I could figure out a way to ease it. For days, I inspected my body only to come up empty handed. The thought I was going crazy crossed my mind.

Until I realized the others were feeling it, too.

Neither of them said anything at first. But I began to notice the frequency at which Theo reaches up to rub the middle of his chest. Right where the pain is the most intense for me. Kwil’s pain seems to be translating differently for him. His body, which is constantly vibrating at some sort of frequency, shakes in hard waves at random intervals. Originally, I dismissed his unusual, hard shivers due to the Shadebroode we have tagging along with us. With Kwil being part Tangleling, it wouldn’t be unusual if his instincts don’t get along with a rivaling monster. But then I caught Kwil shaking hard during a patrol, far away from the Shadebroode. After Theodon and I were making camp for the evening, I went to find Kwil to give him a break only to discover him hunched over, breathing heavily, and vibrating from head to toe. When I approached him, Kwil straightened and said nothing as we traded places. After that, his mood shifted. The past two days he’s been acting more like a monster than a man. He’s become irritated and distant. Kwil’s behavior has raised red flags for both Theodon and myself.

It’s the reason we’ve broken protocolagainand returned to our world.

This is the necromancer’s fault. In her haste to save me from my stupidity, Willow must have done something. It's the only explanation Theodon could give when he finally addressed the mystery ailment. I can’t say I’m excited to see her, but I am eager to see if she can fix this. Whateverthisis.

As we approach her house, however, I know we’re about to be let down. The windows are dark, and there’s a stillness around the property that tells me no one is here. When we approach the front door, we find it off its hinges and lying on the floor just inside.

“What the—” Kwil whispers before his voice vibrates so hard all words are lost. He pushes past Theo and bounds up the stairs. “Willow?”

Theodon sighs and tugs on the ropes around Jonah’s wrist, jerking the Shadebroode to his knees. The creature bares his teeth in warning although he doesn’t get up from where our leader has placed him.

Theodon gets in his face. “Don’t move.”

Our patience with our new pet is at an all-time low. Bringing him back over to our world is an even bigger risk than us being caught. If other Ghosts find us harboring this creature, cursed man or not, they’ll kill us all in a heartbeat. Then again, they’ll do that anyway if they see what’s under Kwil’s hood. Or if they realize that I’m broken, too.

I brought it up to Theodon that we should just kill the Shadebroode. He’s considering it. I know he is. Jonah is a liability none of us want or need. It’s not like we have the ability to reverse what’s happened to him. Not only do we not have any power ourselves, the book has come up empty on answers. Theodon has been carefully studying each blank page, turning them with a stick as he searches for some way to help the guy.

And to figure out its importance.

Theodon’s curiosity will be his downfall, if Kwil’s secret transformation or my lack of vision doesn’t do it first.

Kwil leaps from the top step and lands on the bottom easily. “She’s not here.”

Theodon and I exchange looks.

“She did mention she wasn’t sticking around here much longer,” Theodon muses as he moves from Jonah’s side to inspect the family room.

I glance at the door lying on the ground.

“It doesn’t look like a graceful exit.” I look around the space. “Hopefully, she didn’t run into any more demons or monsters.”

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