Gwyn thought over my words for a second, then walked to the side of the stairs and lifted her hands to form a sort of measurement. “So here?”
“Not a bad spot,” Brandon said approvingly. “But I do worry about tripping over it when trying to access the other rooms.”
“I think it’s better on that side than the other,” I said. I pointed to the other side with its catch of random objects some employee had dropped down here. The moldy clown was nightmare material I was trying to ignore. “Too many things to trip over.”
“Oh, agreed, but I don’t want us smudging the circle as we come in and out of rooms.”
“We’ll repair it if we have to.”
With a shrug, he lowered the bag off his shoulder and started pouring it out. “Gwyn, we make circles big enough to hold at least four people standing. Since we have so many in this group, I’m making it even larger.”
“Doesn’t have to be a perfect circle,” I threw in. “Just connected, so if an oval or square works better? Do that.”
“So the shape doesn’t matter at all?” Gwyn pulled her tablet out to make a note of this.
“No, we just generally pour out circles.” I wasn’t sure why, now that she questioned it. Likely one of those things a master had taught an apprentice, and it had gone unquestioned throughout the generations. Many things were like that, or so I’d discovered. I caught a ghost hovering and directed her, “See that older gentleman? Go to him, he can pass you.”
She nodded in thanks, smiled, and immediately zoomed over there.
Brandon got the first circle laid, then we went to the next one. The more we moved in the basement, the spookier it got. Somehow dimmer as well, even though the lights were on down here. The entire basement was carved out of rock, it seemed, and the floor was dirt and stone. I knew the haunting here was out of control, but seeing the environment, it did make me wonder how many of the reported hauntings were residual. With all of this stone about, I’d bet there was many a moment captured in time that still replayed.
From farther down the hallway, I heard Eli’s mad cackle, a good sign she was already exorcising things. Fuck, I was glad Lachlan had sealed the stairwell, as a few ghosts scattered, shoving past us, like they were making a break for freedom. I let them go. I couldn’t wear myself out already, and there was nowhere for them to runto. We’d catch them eventually.
There were two main hallways, with small hallways cutting through every now and again to connect the two mains. I counted about a dozen rooms—some of them small enough to only hold a few shelves—before I stopped counting. This place could get disorienting quick, as all of the walls and doors looked the same.
I kept a close eye on Gwyn because if there was ever a good place for an ambush, it was here. Much as I hated to admit it. Could be why Eli was already exorcising. Someone may havethought they could get the drop on her and learned the hard way you couldn’t.
Gwyn seemed hyperaware of it, too, as she kept looking over her shoulder.
I felt like I should boost her confidence. “Gwyn, don’t know if you’ve realized this, but there’s a reason why ghosts look so solid to us. It’s because our ability makes them semicorporeal, something we can manhandle.”
She blinked up at me. “Whoa, so there’s a reason for that?”
“Yup.”
“Wait! That’s how you got two hands into the chest of the ghost upstairs.”
I nodded in approval. There she went, putting pieces together.
Gwyn’s excitement grew. “Does that mean I can punch a ghost like Eli does?”
“Rather, ma chère, I wish you’d punch the ghosts who rush you. They won’t stand a chance against you.”
Oh, clear as day, this was the right thing to say. The excitement in her eyes was unmistakable, her body language animated and bouncy. I hadn’t realized opening up this possibility was what she needed. I’d been too busy trying to hammer basic core information into her, but I should have given her this knowledge first.
She clenched a fist, cackling like a mad witch. “I’m going to punch ’em in theface.”
I might be creating a monster, but I’d rather her be gung ho. “Don’t try to exorcise just yet. There’s a trick to exorcising ghosts. But you can fight them off, scatter them for a few hours, if it means keeping yourself safe.”
Gwyn froze, head turning by degrees, eyes in danger of falling out of her head. “I can exorcise now?! I don’t have to train up to it?”
I scratched my cheek, not sure why I was getting this reaction? “I told you, you’re about as strong as I am and will likely be stronger in the future. I can exorcise at this level, so of course you can. Er, did I not make that clear?”
“Not one bit,” she breathed, still giddy.
“Rather,” Brandon pitched in as he kept laying down the salt circle, “I had the same question.”
“Oh.” Well, that was my miss, clearly. I’d thought it was obvious, but I should have voiced it aloud. “Well, you can. Once I teach you how to do it. You’re strong enough to do it right now, no training up necessary. But not for this case. Really, you should practice passing ghosts for a good three months before we move on to exorcising.”
