I immediately thought of the lullaby and gave a tentative nod. “I do.”
“The more you accept it, the easier it will be to understand what the spirits are telling you. The more you’ll realize it’s a good thing, not a scary thing, that they want to talk to you.”
It gutted me, how honest and sincere this little girl was. She was wise beyond her years.
“Thank you,” I said. “I think I needed to hear that.”
“Speaking of, I think the spirits are in distress,” Liza said. “I’ve been visited by my mom a lot lately, and I think that’s what she’s been trying to tell me.”
“What do you mean, distress? Also, spirits? Do you mean there are more besides your mother?”
“She’s not alone. I can’t talk to the others like I do her, but I know they’re there.”
“Do you know what’s wrong?”
Liza shook her head, looking like it grated on her that she hadn’t figured it out. “I haven’t been able to piece it together. But lately, my mom has seemed agitated when she’s communicating with me. Usually, her presence is calming, like a reassuring little cloud beside me. But lately, there’s this urgency to what she’s trying to tell me, and I get the feeling something is wrong in her world.”
“Have other people appeared in your dreams?” I asked. “Any of these other affected spirits?”
“A little,” Liza said. “But they’re lumped together like a fog behind her. I can’t make them out as individuals. It feels like they’re stuck there in the background. Like they can’t get to where they need to go. I think she wants us to help them, but I don’t know how.”
“Maybe it’s not your job to help them.” I rested a hand on her knobby knee. “Maybe it’s just your job to bring the problem to our attention, and let us figure out the rest.”
“Maybe,” she said. “I get the feeling we’ll find out one way or another. Very soon.”
There was a sharp edge to Liza’s words, and I got the feeling she was worried. That she sensed something big was brewing and would come to a head, possibly a very dangerous head, if we didn’t act soon.
“I’m going to ask around and see if I can find out anything,” I said. “I won’t tell anyone about you and your gifts, if you prefer.”
Liza nodded.
“Let me know if you hear anything else?”
“Of course.” Liza stood. “I should head home. Can I bring the basket and food?”
“Of course,” I replied, offering her the whole thing, minus the wine. “Can I walk you home?”
“Oh, Alessia.” Liza just smiled, then scampered off into The Forest.
I couldn’t have followed her if I tried. I put out the bonfire, then strolled closer to the castle, my eyes glancing over the river. My gaze was drawn to the small, shallow pool in front of it that reflected the silver of the moon as it rose into the sky.
I had one more trial left. I could safely assume it involved water. Where, though? This very river? The Great Lake that surrounded us? Somewhere in a distant world through a portal?
It didn’t help to theorize. I knew I wouldn’t be able to predict what would happen, only that it would involve water. I lookeddown at the glassy surface of the river, felt calmed by the mirror-like surface of the pool in front of the castle. Tonight, the waters were at peace.
I wasn’t sure how long I gazed into the river, but it was so long I felt like I’d drifted into a meditative state. That was when I saw them: the faces in the water.
Not human faces, nothing with flesh, but ghostly echoes of human forms. Spirits, maybe? Whispers of them. The more I focused, the harder the faces were to make out. There were many though, maybe a hundred? Flowing and distorted as the water moved over rocks and the faces drifted beneath the surface.
Even as they disappeared, I knew for a fact they had been there. They had existed. Unlike my mother and Simon, these were not illusions—they were real. Not a figment of my imagination.
It was timely, after my conversation with Liza. I had to believe it wasn’t a coincidence, that there was indeed something happening in the spirit realm of this island. Something that was causing anxiety and unrest. Now, the spirits were showing themselves to me. They were reaching out to Liza. They wanted to be heard by anyone who could listen.
As I stared into the depths of the shallow pool of water, it was too late. The faces were gone; there was nothing left but calm water that glistened like marble. I couldn’t summon them back.
My heart pounded. My adrenaline raced. Something was happening. Liza was right. I just didn’t know what to do about it. All I knew was that I needed to find out… before it was too late.
“You smell like a bonfire,” Silas said, as I rushed into his arms. “Everything okay?”
