Ghost must have known it, because when Marci looked over, he was already waiting, standing beside her with his head up and his tail swishing back and forth.
Ready?
The fact that he knew what she was going to ask before she asked it was a giant warning flag, but Marci didn’t care. It was amazing how unimportant personal safety became when you had your back to the wall. Besides, at this point, she couldn’t imagine how Ghost could possibly make things worse.
“Ready,” she replied, staring straight into his glowing eyes. “I want power.”
His satisfaction was like a warm caress on her mind.No conditions?
“That depends on if you can give me what I need to beat Vann Jeger,” Marci said firmly. “This is a huge risk for me. I have to know if it’s worth it.”
You help me, I help you, that was always the offer,Ghost said, pawing at her mental hold on the massive circle stuffed full of the magic she’d stolen from Vann Jeger.Give it to me,he whispered, his glowing eyes narrowing to slits.And I will bring him to his knees.
Marci took a deep breath. She’d come into this prepared to do whatever it took, but even for someone with her back against the wall, that was a lot. She wasn’t even sure if shecouldchannel that much power back through herself and into Ghost without permanently damaging her ability to move magic in the first place. And then there was the part where, if she lost control at any point during the transfer, she’d set off the magical equivalent of a nuke. But while both of these possibilities were terrifying, what really worried Marci was the fact that, if she fed Ghost all that magic, she wouldn’t have anything left to rein him back in if he decided to go rogue.
Considering Amelia’s warning, that felt like way more fire than Marci would be wise to play with. As much as she wanted to save Julius and his sister, she didn’t think either of them would thank her for setting off a possible magical apocalypse in the process. Then again, though, there was no guarantee that Ghost was a bad, power hungry sort of spirit, right?
Marci grimaced. She couldn’t even think that last bit with a straight face. Like she’d said to Julius earlier, though, it all came down to risk and reward. Was beating Vann Jeger really worth possibly setting whatever Ghost actually was free on the world?
She wasn’t sure. Couldn’t be, really, without knowing the truth in advance. One thing, however,wasclear: whatever disaster Ghost brought would have to be pretty freaking bad to outweigh losing to Vann Jeger. Also, Marci already had the first inklings of a backup plan, assuming things did go to pot. She could feel Ghost prowling around in her head, though, so she turned her thoughts carefully away, looking the spirit in the eye as she gave her answer.
“Let’s do this.”
The words were barely out of her mouth when she felt Ghost’s claws dig in. It was just like in the alley when he’d yanked the magic through their connection, only this time, everything was multiplied by a thousand. The magic didn’t just burn as it came back in, it was blistering, the most intense pain Marci had ever felt. Likewise, the cold Ghost left behind wasn’t just cold, it was a physical presence, an anchor of ice that dragged her down until she didn’t even feel human anymore. She was just a wire, a conduit feeding Vann Jeger’s magic into something else. Something huge and cold and terrifying that she barely knew anymore.
Marci never knew how long the transfer went on. It felt like forever, but it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, because when she became aware of the outside world again, the evening sky wasn’t yet full dark, and Vann Jeger’s cage of water was still up. Everything was just as it had been before, only now the giant circle stuffed full of power she’d had a death grip on was empty, and Ghost was nowhere to be seen.
I’m here.
Her breath caught. The spirit’s whisper was no longer a whisper, but a voice in her head just as loud and clear as her own. That probably should have been her first concern, but Marci was more pissed that she’d gone through all that only to wake up and find Vann Jeger was still attacking Julius.
It’s not finished.
“How can it not be finished?” she demanded, forcing herself to sit up. “I gave you everything.”
A whisper of amusement floated through her head.You don’t have to talk out loud, you know,the voice chided.You did indeed give me everything I asked, but I can’t help you yet.
Marci rolled her eyes impatiently. Why not?
Because doing so would kill you, too, the presence that had once been Ghost replied.You did it, Marci. You bought my name. But the bond between us is no longer strong enough for what I am now. If we are to continue together, a new pact must be made.
She grimaced. The spell she’d used before was the only binding she knew.
Not a spell,he said, his voice smooth and deep in a way Ghost’s had never been.If I’m to continue as your spirit, I have to be part of you. For that, I need something of yours. A sacrifice.
That word conjured up bloody images of hearts on trays, and the spirit laughed.
I’m not that kind of cat.
“You’re not a cat at all,” Marci reminded him. Out loud, too, because speaking helped maintain the semblance of equal ground. “But if you don’t want blood,”—which was a huge relief—“whatdoyou want?”
There was a long silence, and then,A memory.
“That’s it?” Marci laughed. “You’re already inside my brain. Just take your pick.”
What followed was the strange sensation of someone shaking their head while still inside hers.It doesn’t work like that. The memory is an offering, a sacrifice to forge the bond. I cannot pick what you offer. You must choose what you sacrifice, and you must surrender it willingly.
Fair enough, she supposed. “Any particular kind of memory?”
