Chapter Two

 

 

Instead of little ones, a group of teenagers was there with a harried-looking guide leader and two adult women. Imara grinned. “Benny!”

Benny Ganger came forward and shook Imara’s hand. “When I heard who was doing the tour, I had to come. This is my best buddy, Freddy. Freddy, this is Imara, the Death Keeper.”

Freddy extended her hand, and when Imara took it, she read generations of suffering and torment embodied in the soul of the woman.

Mr. E moved in a blur and sniffed at Freddy’s hand. Instead of growling at the taste of the demon magic, he rubbed his head against her knuckles while perching on Imara’s wrist.

Hellhound. There was pity in his voice.

Don’t you despise magic from the demon zone? she asked him softly.

No, I despise demons and those who traffic with them. Hellhounds are mages bound to draw on the demon zone energy at the will of other mages. She’s a slave.

Imara looked at Freddy’s face, but the other woman was exclaiming how cute Mr. E was.

“He’s adorable!”

Imara released Freddy’s hand and scooped up her familiar. “He really is. Would you like to hold him?”

Freddy nearly snatched him away and proceeded to murmur to him and cuddle him.

Imara ignored the black thoughts coming her way, and she turned to Benny. “So, you are just here for the tour?”

“Yes, and to keep these ladies on track.” Benny jerked her head at the teens who were paying more attention to them than the video screen.

“Well, in that case, we should start the show.” She beckoned, Mr. E squirmed free from Freddy’s kisses, and was back on her shoulder in a bound.

Imara stepped toward the Guide Master, and she introduced herself to Sandy Dale. Once that was done, she turned to the back door, grabbed a staff and lantern before she offered a polite, “If you wish to speak to the dead, please follow me.”

The teens scrambled up off the floor and were at her heels a moment later.

She paused near the door to the gardens. “The doors here are warded. No spectres can pass through without the help of a Death Keeper.”

She turned and addressed them, giving them the basics of what it meant to be a Death Keeper.

A young woman put up her hand. “Isn’t it all the same guild?”

Imara smiled. “No. Death Keepers answer to their own guild before the Mage Guild is allowed near them. It is a specialized position, and the Death Keepers can override a Mage Guild decision. There aren’t enough folk with a talent for death.”

A young woman with blue and green stripes in her hair asked, “Why do we even need Death Keepers?”

“We will figure that out tonight. Now, follow me and we will wake the spectres.”

She fired up the staff and walked through the wards, waiting for her group to step through the glowing glyphs and join her on the other side.

Imara stifled laughter as some rushed, some jumped, and a few closed their eyes and took one giant step. When Benny, Freddy, and Sandy were all on the correct side, Imara continued her lecture.

“When a mage has prepared for their spectre to be generated, they are sent to the crystal at the moment of death. In that moment, their magic transfers instead of simply disappearing into the ether. A copy of what they know, how they know it, and all of their personal memories are placed in the crystal. That crystal is then taken and secured to an obelisk, statue, or headstone of the deceased’s choosing.”

She led them to the recent portion of the memorial garden. “The spectres here are awake, conscious, and able to speak to me normally, and you, if I boost their situation a little.”

“Why can you speak to them all the time?”

“I am a Death Keeper. Speaking to the dead is what comes naturally.” She walked slowly to the nearest monuments, and she activated the spectres to full energy.

The girls gasped as the spectres approached, but when they paused and looked at Imara, she inclined her head. “Thank you. These young ladies are mage guides, and I would like you to speak politely with them or not at all.”

The spectres nodded.

The mage guides looked confused.

“You are welcome to ask them anything. They know how they lived and how they died and are not shy about anything in between.”

With that stated, the bravest of the girls went first, and she spoke to one of the spectres who was a mage that specialized in investment banking.

Benny came up next to her. “There aren’t a lot of high guild spectres.”

“No. They are kept at a separate facility until they fade. They are dangerous until they get to the fading point. Then, and only then, are they retired to one of these places to slowly bleed off.”

Benny chuckled. “I should take notes.”

“Why?”

“Because my XIA team and I are coming back tomorrow night for the same tour.”

Imara laughed, but Benny was serious.

After fifteen minutes, she faded the spectres back to their normal states.

The girls drifted toward her, and they were all remarkably enthusiastic.

“Now, for a demonstration of what a Death Keeper can actually achieve, we are going to meet a Mage who passed on over one hundred and forty years ago.”

She led them past the aging stones and to the section where the instructional mage waited. Imara powered her to full physicality and smiled as the woman touched the stone her crystal was embedded in.

The guides gasped in shock, and the woman gave Imara a wry look. “Thank you, Death Keeper. You have made my last night honourable.”

“Thank you, Mage. You are giving these guides a night to remember. Ladies, ask her what you will. Mage Echoheart used to be an instructor, so she can offer you help in a variety of subjects.”

The mage blushed.

The Guides rushed forward to ask questions, and Imara hung back.

Freddy pushed up next to her and whispered, “I have seen Death Keepers work before, but I have never seen them make a solid spectre.”

“You have seen it now. We all have different talents. This just happens to be mine.” Imara stood with her lantern lit, and the darkness pushed back from the gathering.

She had her own question to ask. “Freddy, you are a hellhound?”

Freddy jolted. “I know Benny didn’t tell you.”

“No. Not by name, but now, I know she was referring to you when she mentioned a friend who was an obligated familiar.”

“Yeah, that is me. I found out when I was young. Any moment I can be hauled across the world where my mage is. Lately, she has been using me in familiar battles with other mages. It sucks.”

“She makes you fight?”

“She bets on me. I have always had a strong draw to the demon zone energy, and it gives me multiple forms.”

Imara reached up and stroked Mr. E’s fuzzy head. “Yeah, I know something about that. If there is any way I can intercede with your mage, let me know.”

Freddy looked at her in surprise. “You would do that?”

“Of course. You are a friend of a friend. I will help you any way I can but, please, understand that my skills are limited.”

Mr. E snorted on her shoulder.

Imara smiled. “That said, I do have a knack for getting lucky with things.” She reached into her robes and withdrew one of her business cards. “Here. They can get in touch with me around the clock.”

Freddy looked at the card in surprise. “You have an answering service?”

“Yeah. I am in classes a lot, so if it is urgent, they put the call through. I am free most evenings, though, if you just wanted to get together to discuss stuff. I mean, I know you probably know more about your situation than I do, but I am willing to talk or listen.”

“Thanks.” Freddy looked bemused. “How old are you, anyway?”

“Does it matter?”

“No, I suppose it doesn’t. Thanks for this.” Freddy opened the small purse she was carrying and tucked the card inside.

“You are welcome.”

Freddy blushed. “This is going to sound weird, but can I hold onto your kitten for a while?”

Imara checked with Mr. E, and as he was fine with it, she reached up and handed her familiar over.

Freddy cuddled the kitten and whispered to him, pausing to hear his answers as he nodded and purred.

Imara watched the mage guides interacting with the spectre, and she smiled at the enthusiasm of both parties.

Benny moved close. “Why is she solid?”

“Because I gave her what she needed to become solid.”

“That easy?”

“For me, but that is what I do. My body projects spectral energy, and I passively wake those that I am around. I can also focus it.”

Benny blinked. “That... so that is how you did the trick with the stone?”

“Yeah, I kept draining the energy, and it was burning my skin, so I had to put energy into it, and that just led to a weird cycle. Thanks again for the ride to Ritual Space.”

“No problem. It was nice to have another girl in the car.” Benny grinned and then whispered, “What is Freddy doing?”

“Having a conversation with another familiar. I am afraid that I don’t have clearance to listen in.”

Benny nodded. “Right. Of course. How long are you going to let the kids keep getting spell techniques from the instructor?”

“She isn’t giving them all the techniques. Each is missing a piece. If they try a spell, it won’t come to anything. No flash, no bang, no nothing.”

The guide master gave her a nod, and she stepped forward. “Ladies, please thank the Master Mage for her time.”

The guides filed up to the spectre and gave her bows of respect. The spectre nodded in return and had a smile on her face.

When the guides were filing back toward the welcome centre, Imara looked to the mage. “So, do you still want to fade right now?”

The woman shook her head. “The guide master said she will bring the girls back in a few weeks for a follow-up presentation about what they learned. I want to be here for that.”

Imara smiled. “Then, I will leave you a little less solid than you are now but still able to generate a hug if you want to.”

“Thank you, Master Imara. Is Mirrin your family name?”

Imara touched the woman’s shoulder and thinned the spectre’s density slightly. “It is all the family who would claim me. Enjoy your waking hours. Talk to the other spectres. Your range extends to most of the corners of the gardens, so simply contemplate magic in all its forms.”

“You are surprisingly wise for one so young.”

“I have had good teachers.”

The mage smiled. “That is all that I ever wished for my students. I wished that they thought of me as a good teacher.”

Imara grinned. “I think that you underestimate your impact. Do you remember a mage named Reegar?”

The woman paused. “I do. He was cranky, irritable, and never followed instructions.”

“His spectre remembers you fondly as the best teacher he ever had.” Imara smiled.

The mage gasped and tears formed in the spectre’s eyes. “Thank you.”

Imara inclined her head, and she walked back to the welcome centre where the last of the group was passing through the wards. The moment that Imara passed through, she felt a pressure on the magic around her. She turned to focus on the energy, but it was gone.

The shiver that ran up her spine remained active as she turned and thanked the mage guides for coming.

Sandy made sure that they all gave proper thanks to Imara.

When the young women were gone, Freddy turned to Imara. “Here you go. Thanks for letting me talk to him. Not all mages would have.”

“He sometimes needs to let off a little steam as well. He was not truly impressed with the body he got stuck with.”

Freddy nodded. “I totally get that. I am a hellhound, but I also take on a chihuahua form. It is humiliating, but it gives my mage a leg up when she puts me in a fight. No one expects the second form.”

“That would be an effective weapon. Does the fighting hurt?”

Benny sighed. “Join us down the road at the all-night café, and Freddy can fill you in.”

Freddy nodded. “Please. You look like you could use a cup of coffee.”

Imara consulted Mr. E, and he was in the mood for a pie. “We are in. I just have to finish up here, and I will meet you there. It is to the left of the exit, correct?”

Benny gave her a thumbs-up. “See you in a few minutes.”

Imara looked around and found Connie skulking in one of the rear offices.

“Connie, I am leaving. Feel free to resume your videos or homework or whatever.”

Connie looked around and then focused on her. Imara knew that look. This woman’s name was not Connie.

“Um, great. Thanks.”

Imara smiled and said, “I will just lock up when I leave. I know it can be creepy to be working alone at night.”

“What? Lock up? You don’t have to.”

“Oh, I insist.” Imara turned and walked swiftly to the door. She exited, made sure that the door was closed behind her, and then, she activated the Death Keeper warding that would only allow their kind to come and go.

Did you just lock her in there?

I did. I will make a call before we get to the café and have someone come in to check on her. I don’t know where the regularly assigned keeper is, but they will be needed on duty tomorrow.

Mr. E was chuckling, but then, he was watching the door to the welcome centre.

She is trying to get through the wards with a chair.

Fascinating. That isn’t going to work.

She doesn’t appear to know that.

Imara got into her vehicle and opened her phone. A few minutes of chatting to the dispatch office, letting them know that there was an incursion into their territory and then she was off in search of pie and a cup of coffee. Oh, and a slice of pie for herself.