Stop,she commanded again, grabbing their connection as tightly as she could.We’ve done our duty here, Ghost. Let them rest.
The Empty Wind’s head snapped around in fury, and then he was right in front of her, towering over her like a falling redwood. “Rest? Do you know how long they’ve suffered? How long they were forgotten?”
Too long,Marci agreed.But—
“You said you’d help,” he growled, grabbing her entire body with one hand, which was now as large as a car. “You promised. You swore to help us get vengeance!”
No, she said calmly, fighting not to panic as his huge, freezing grip lifted her off the ground.I swore to help you do your duty, and this isn’t helping.
“What do you know of duty?” he cried. “I am the Empty Wind, spirit of the Forgotten Dead! Iamthem!”
All the more reason not to do this,she said, staring into the depths of his empty helmet.You’re their spirit. You’re supposed to help them, to ease their suffering and remember them when no one else will. That’s what you told me back in the alley when I first gave you magic. But vengeance doesn’t help anyone. Didn’t you learn anything from watching Estella fall apart?
“Do not compare us to your precious dragons,” he said, his angry blue-white eyes flashing. “We are different. We are human. Algonquin has no idea what she’s unleashed.” He squeezed her tighter. “We are bigger than she could ever be.”
And that’s why you have to stop!Marci cried, pushing on his hand.Algonquin thinks Mortal Spirits are monsters whose rise will destroy the world. I turned her down because I thought she was wrong, but all you’re doing here is proving her right!
“We are punishing her!” the Empty Wind roared. “Stop defending her! The dead deserve justice!”
I’m not defending her!Marci roared back.I’m trying to help you! This isn’t even justice. You’re just smashing things because you’re angry.
The spirit sneered. “That sounds like something your Julius would say.”
It is,she agreed.Because he’s right. A dragon would know better than anyone what lies at the end of that road. All these ghosts, these poor people, they’ve been prisoners to their anger for sixty years now. That’s why they were yelling at you, because they were angry, and you were the only one who could still hear them. But while they have every right to be mad, you’re the spirit of the Forgotten Dead, not the Vengeful ones. Your duty is to remember them, not keep their rage burning. If you really want to serve these people, then we should stop feeding their rage and help them move on. Do for them what you did for that poor boy in the dumpster, and let them find peace. That’s why you’re here: to remember and care for the souls no one else will. That’s the spirit I signed on for, not this.
Her empty voice was sad as she finished, and she gripped his giant, no longer freezing hand with both of hers.Please, Ghost,she begged.This isn’t us.You did exactly what you said you would, and I don’t regret any of it, but it’s over now. Let them go in peace, and we’ll do the same.
As she spoke, the Empty Wind began to shrink. Marci could feel the ghostly rage leaving him at the same time, returning the spirit she knew to his usual self. When it was over, he was back to his normal size and calm, standing beside her at the edge of the bloody pool, which the dead were still attacking.
“Thank you,” he whispered, his deep voice halting, almost as if he was embarrassed. “When I let the dead in, their needs are…difficult to ignore.”
You’re welcome,Marci said with a smile.And I want you to know I don’t blame them. I’d be unstable too if I’d gone through what they have. But I’m certain this is how it should be.
And she was, on more levels than one. The more she worked with Ghost, the more she realized it really was a two-way street. It wasn’t just a spirit and the mage who fed him magic. It was a partnership, a balance designed to help them rein each other in just as much as they lifted each other up. And the more Marci thought about that, the more she liked it.We’re going to be a great Merlin.
“If we survive,” the Empty Wind said, looking out at the dark lake where the spirits were hiding. “She will not let this go unpunished. But if I let the dead go, they’ll move on, and we can never summon this power again.”
Good,Marci said.They should move on. Also, while I certainly appreciated the jailbreak, I really don’t want my power to come from armies of angry ghosts. That’s some evil overlord stuff right there, and I prefer to think of us more as chaotic neutral.
The Empty Wind actually chuckled at that, and the feeling of partnership settled even deeper into Marci’s bones. She was still savoring it when the Empty Wind turned back to his army.
“Stop,” he said solemnly, the command sweeping through the darkened field like a gale. Everywhere it touched, the dead froze, staring at him with eyes as blue as his own. When they were all looking, the Empty Wind opened his arms. “Our work here is done,” he said solemnly. “Your anger is answered. Come now to join me, and be remembered forever in peace.”
The words were still ringing on the wind when the ghosts began to vanish. One by one, they closed their eyes, the angry scowls falling off their faces as their colorless bodies blew away like dust into the wind that swept them back into the open arms of the spirit who’d called them, and who would remember them always. By the time the wind had swept all the way around, every one of them was gone, leaving Marci and her spirit standing alone in the empty field.
Wow, Marci said.That was fast.
“Because you were right,” the spirit said, running a hand over the shadows where his face would be. “They didn’t want to stay. Their anger kept them bound to this place, lost and forgotten. I should have let them go far earlier, but there were so many. I am as much theirs as they are mine, and their feelings overwhelmed me. If you hadn’t spoken when you did, I might have raged with them forever.” His glowing blue eyes found hers. “Thank you.”
Hey, what am I here for?Marci said with a smile.Everyone gets in too deep sometimes. That’s why you need a partner to pull you out. Julius does it for me all the time.And speaking of Julius, it was high time they got out of here.So, she said, looking around at the now-empty mirror world of dark and cold Ghost had taken them to.How do we get out of here? And for that matter, whereishere? Is this your own private reality or something?
“I don’t know,” the Empty Wind said. “But it’s always been mine. This place is how I get around wards and through walls.”
Cool!Marci said.Can I do that too when I’m here?
“Probably,” he said. “But you shouldn’t. This is a place for the dead. It’s not good for the living to linger.”
Marci didn’t know about that. Other than only being able to speak in a disembodied voice, she felt great. Even the cold didn’t bother her. Plus, there didn’t seem to be any other spirits here, which was a huge bonus given how badly Algonquin undoubtedly wanted to kill them right now. But before she could make her case for staying at least until they were out of Rec Land, the Empty Wind put a hand on her shoulder, and the world of the Forgotten Dead vanished on the wind, blowing away to reveal a jewel-bright meadow shimmering with dew in the predawn light, and a great deal of dragon blood.
