Page 86 of Ghostly Touches

I chuckle though I feel unnerved as well. Today was the first day I have ever heard the man utter the words, “I’m sorry.” Somehow, Willow managed to make a crack in the walls Viktor has erected over the years. I know they spoke in the car, but my own weariness kept me from rousing enough to listen. Whatever our necromancer said to him hit its mark.

“I have a feeling Willow is unnerving tohim,” I muse aloud with a short-lived smile. From the outcome of their conversation, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing.

Kwil snorts. “Yes, well, she doesn’t hold back what she’s thinking, does she?"

I roll my eyes and mutter, “The necromancer is challenging.”

“She’s passionate.” Kwil nods.

“She’s strong willed and outspoken.”

“Yes, Willow is all of that,” Kwil confirms. There is a short pause before he adds, “I like her.”

My head whips around to stare at Kwil. I’m surprised by his confession. Before Kwil joined the Brotherhood, his taste for women was infamous. He was a man whose appetite could not be sated by just one woman at a time. His proclivity leaned toward a particular taste in noble women of high class. Women not known for being challenging, overtly passionate, or outspoken. He raises his hands in surrender as he chuckles.

“She questions you and doesn’t take shit from Viktor. I think it’s what you both need,” he points out.

“Do not grow attached to her, Kwil.” I frown. “And pleasetrynot to stray too far from our vows.”

I never thought I’d have to worry about celibacy being a vow that would ever be an issue. Even with Kwil’s obsession with women. Posted in the Third Realm, the only way to find relief is either from one’s hand or each other. Celibacy has been easier than expected… I try not to think of how Willow’s mere touch can spark a flare of desire.

“I think the vows are nearly moot at this point, Theo,” Kwil replies softly.

Anger and indignation flare hot in my chest. We may have broken a few vows here and there, but that does not mean we give up everything we are. If we stick to the course, we inevitably will find our way back to the path we embarked upon originally. We are Ghosts, men who have vowed upon their honor to keep the world safe. Without vows and without our position, we have nothing. We are nothing. I have worked hard to keep Viktor and Kwil from becoming lost.

“Our vows are important, now more than ever before.Do not forget who and what you are,” I snap. “Stay vigilant tonight.”

With that, I leave my brother and head towards the stables. My quick pace matches my heart as it pounds in my chest. Our vows moot? Psh! Nonsense. Kwil’s just tired. He doesn’t believe that any more than I do. He’s been through a lot. We all have. Sometimes it’s hard to stay the course, but we will. As we always have.

I enter the shabby building as I grind my teeth.

The stalls the horses once occupied are nearly all but gone, leaving a wide-open space. Old, moldy hay lingers on the ground. Space has been made, and blankets left behind have created a makeshift bed to sleep on. Jonah lies there unbothered, or too deep in sleep to hear my entrance. Dust and cobwebs hang from the wooden beams. The loft above is missing many wooden floorboards, and the stairs that lead up to it tilt hazardously. My favorite part of the run-down structure is the large hole in the ceiling that gives us a view of the stars overhead. As I glance up at it, I catch sight of a figure sitting on a beam just beneath it.

Willow.

“What are you doing up there?” I demand softly, hoping not to wake the man lying tangled up in the old horse blankets.

I know she hears me. I also know she’s ignoring me. Her irritation with us is growing old quickly. With a scowl, I make my way over to the stairs, taking each step with great care. At any time, the wooden floorboards could give way. I cross the loft, avoiding the holes, listening to where the weakness in each board lies. How the hell did Willow manage to cross this without falling through?

“Willow!” I hiss, making the leap and pulling myself up onto the beam she sits on. “What are you doing up here? Get down at once!”

Willow doesn’t turn to look at me. Her gaze is pinned up at the stars. Beneath her, her legs swing gently back and forth. I move closer to her.

“Willow!”

“Theodon, shh,” she says finally.

“Willow, if you fall, you die. If you die,wedie. Get down from here—”

“If you just shut up for a moment, you’ll realize that should I fall, it will be into the largest pile of hay I have ever seen. And while it would be gross to fall into it since it smells suspiciously like horse manure and mold, I think I’d live,” she says.

I look down. There, just beneath her, is the pile of hay she speaks of. She’s right, she’d be okay. Still, she shouldn’t be up here.

“You should be sleeping,” I tell her. “You need to be in peak physical—”

“Youshould sleep.” She finally looks over at me. Her frown is soft and full of concern. “You look really tired, Theo.”

“How am I supposed to sleep when the person I’m supposed to be watching over is risking her life to sit here and look at stars? You could have fallen through a hole in the floors or tripped coming up here. Hell, you could’ve cut yourself on a rusty nail and gotten hundreds of different diseases that could kill you. I won’t hold my breath that your luck will hold out on the way down, so let’s go.”

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