Page 81 of Demon and the Raven

“And he told you that this entire area back here predates the town, yeah?”

“He did,” Jeremy confirmed. “And he also said that this part was where most spectral activity had been reported.”

“Which piqued your interest.”

“Yeah,” Liam said, glancing at Lorne and then back to me.

“Well, the part Oliver always leaves out is that most of the people back here died before they should have from disease. Others died because the people they trusted had no idea what to do during the winter, being so far from civilization.”

“Meaning what?” Meijun asked.

“Meaning they died of starvation or froze to death.”

“How horrible,” Liam said sadly, glancing at the headstones now visible because the drizzling had stopped, the clouds had parted, and we had a bright moon shining down on us. Amazing how different everything looked illuminated.

“It was, so you have to think that a lot of folks back here died terribly, and when you all come trampling through, the spirits you disturb are not going to be pleased.”

“Yes, but,” Meijun began, “the souls have moved on to either heaven or hell, so there aren’t any ghosts. That’s why we’re here. None of us believe in apparitions. We believe that what people call spirits are actually demons trying to trick people into giving up their souls.”

“What is with all this demon business?” Father Dennis asked irritably.

“You sound like you don’t believe in demons,” Jeremy said, his tone reproachful.

“That’s because I don’t. What I do believe is that something else altogether is going on here. But as I can’t say for certain what that is, and we do know that the cemetery is haunted, I’ll defer all this ghost business to my colleague.” He gestured to me.

I raised a brow. “Colleague?”

“Don’t be fresh,” he groused. “Answer the question.”

All eyes back on me.

“I believe that ghosts, like the ones here, remained on this plane instead of moving on because they were angry or sad or worried when they died, and those emotions were focused on people who were still alive. They stayed, and eventually the people they lingered for died too, and so their numbers grew.”

“This is not at all what I thought it was gonna be,” Meijun said shakily, glancing around.

“Over time, some ghosts stay, some go, but those that remain do so for specific reasons. And while a few stick around to protect their ancestors, watch over them, help where they can, others are angry and lash out and try and scare anyone who crosses their path. For the most part, back here, you have those who are not at peace.”

“What does that have to do with Shelby?”

“It’s because she’s so sensitive,” Liam chimed in. “Because she’s a true clairvoyant, the demons in this graveyard attacked her.”

I wanted to correct him, to say there were ghosts back here and nothing else, but clearly, he liked his narrative better than mine. The thing was, everyone in Osprey knew about the ghosts in this area of the cemetery. And there weren’t nearly as many as there used to be, dwindling every year as more and more crossed over and their descendants returned to lead them to their next incarnation. But there were still enough that if they were to find a clairvoyant in their midst, they would want to talk to her as well as through her. I suspected this was what happened—many, at once, trying to reach her. It had to be frightening, overwhelming, and I could only hope that death wasn’t something that scared Shelby. Being as I was raised a pagan, to revere nature, care for it, see the beauty of the circle of life, I myself didn’t see death as a conclusion, and therefore, had no fear.

The way my grandmother explained it, there was a mortal end and then a spiritual one. If you had lived your best life, you went to Summerland, where you waited to be reabsorbed into the great wheel of time. You were at peace before moving on, awakening in the gloaming where there were others you knew and loved. If you had perpetrated evil, purposely and with malice and intent, interrupted the cycle by taking lives, hurting any living being or the earth, then you went to a plane of nothingness. There one came face-to-face with the consequences of their actions on the mortal plane, and the soul was extinguished.

“Xan?” Lorne prodded, bringing me out of my thoughts.

When I turned to him, he looked down at Shelby, who was finally stirring in his arms.

“There aren’t any demons in this graveyard,” I told everyone as Shelby opened her eyes and looked up at the man I loved like he was the Second Coming. “But there are a lot of ghosts.”

At the word, Shelby turned to me. “Yes,” she agreed, nearly breathless. “I was drowning, and then there was light, and…thank you.”

“Can you speak to the ghosts here and let them know we’re leaving them to rest?” Lorne asked me.

I shook my head. “Not without putting my hands into the ground, like at home, but we don’t have any salt here, so I can’t protect myself while I do that, and opening myself up to all the spirits that lie here is⁠—”

“Stupid. Right?” He grinned at me.