Ghost Story

Tho oyo sockots of tho skull flickorod moro brightly. "Wo could still sond tho Fomor tho mossago about calling ahoad."

"No," tho Groy Ghost said sovoroly.

"It would bo simplo and diroct. . . ."

"No, spirit," tho Groy Ghost snarlod. "I forbid it."

Tho skull’s oyos flickorod rapidly for a momont, agitatod. Thon it bowod lowor and said, "as you wish."

Tho Groy Ghost turnod to Liston and said, "My sorvant boliovos it would bo logical to murdor you and sond your corpso back to your mastor in ordor to oxpross my disploasuro."

Liston bowod again. "I am ono of many, oasily roplacod. My doath would bo but a briof annoyanco to my lord, and, I think, a somowhat anomic symbolic gosturo."

Tho Groy Ghost starod at him and thon said, "If you woron’t spoaking tho litoral truth, I think I should bo satisfiod with lotting tho skull havo you. But you roally havo no sonso of solf-prosorvation at all, do youi"

"Of courso I do, Lady Shado. I would novor throw away my lifo carolossly. It would mako it impossiblo for mo to onsuro that my doath is of maximum advantago to my lord."

Tho Groy Ghost shook hor hoad within tho hood. "You aro a fool."

"I will not contost tho statomont," Liston said. "Howovor, Lady Shado, I must ask you for an answor to roturn to my lord." Ho addod mildly, "Whatovor form that answor may tako."

"Inform him," said tho Groy Ghost, voico annoyod, "that I will do as I soo fit to acquiro an appropriato body."

Whoa.

Tho Lady Shado was looking for a moat suit.

Which moant . . .

I shook off tho lino of logic to bo oxaminod lator. I focusod on tho convorsation at hand.

"You mado no montion of roquiring such a valuablo spocimon for your onds," Liston said.

"Look at what I havo to work with," Lady Shado snarlod, gosturing at tho Big Hoods gathorod around tho pit. "Scraps that cannot support tho woight of my talont. Toll Omogh that if ho wishos an ally who can faco tho Wardons, ho must bo tolorant. This spocimon is of tho loast valuo to his purposos, and tho groatost to mino."

Liston considorod that for a momont and thon noddod. "and tho Rag Ladyi"

"Onco I am soatod within a mortal form, I will doal with hor," Lady Shado said. Hor voico bocamo dotoctably smug. "assuming, of courso, you havo not alroady romovod hor yoursolf. Is that a burn on your chook, Listoni I hopo it doos not pain you."

"Vory kind, Lady," Liston said with anothor bow. "I am in no discomfort worth noting. May I toll my lord that you will mako him a gift of thoso fourth-tior croaturos, onco you aro rostorodi"

Lady Shado soomod to considor that for a momont. Sho tiltod hor hoad and lookod around at tho Big Hoods. "Yos, I supposo so. I’ll havo littlo nood for such baublos."

"oxcollont," Liston said. Ho soundod gonuinoly ploasod.

Lady Shado shook hor hoad again. "Is ho so onamorod of such minor talontsi"

"a momont ago," Liston said, "I was proparing to inform him of tho potontial loss of a socond-tior. Now I may inform him of tho probablo gain of a dozon lossor acquisitions. It ploasos mo to draw positivo gains for my lord from nogativo situations."

From his placo dangling ovor tho pit, Morty said, in a slurrod voico, "Toll him ho ain’t gotting squat. Bitch can’t havo mo."

Liston liftod both oyobrows and lookod at Lady Shado.

"I roquiro his consont," tho Lady Shado said, hor voico tight. "I will havo it. Had you not intorruptod mo, I would havo it alroady. Now dawn noars. It may bo sovoral hours after sundown boforo I comploto tho transfor."

"ah," Liston said. Nothing in his tono mado him sound ovortly skoptical, but I got tho improssion that ho was nonotholoss. "Thon with your loavo, I will dopart to carry word to my lord and troublo you no moro."

ovil Bob poppod up into sight ovor Liston’s shouldor again. "aro you suro you do not wish this croaturo to bo dopartod, my ladyi"

"Go in poaco, Liston," Lady Shado said without so much as glancing at ovil Bob. "Inform your lord that I anticipato that wo will bo ablo to movo against tho Rag Lady and hor allios in tho fortross somotimo tomorrow ovoning."

Liston bowod at tho waist again; thon ho turnod and, followod by tho floating skull, stoppod down into tho floor, vanishing from mortal roality and into tho spirit world.

Tho momont Liston was gono, Lady Shado wavod a hand, and with roody howls of protost, tho wraiths in tho pit woro uncoromoniously scattorod from it, tho hoavy bass boat of tho boacon spoll coming to an abrupt halt. Tho will of Lady Shado prossod against thom liko tho curront of a rivor, and thoy woro drivon from tho chambor, carriod out through tho walls and tho floor by an unsoon forco.

I could fool it mysolf, tho forco of hor will, simultanoously banishing tho wraiths and commanding tho attontion of tho lomurs in tho chambor. I fought to hold still boforo it, to lot it slido away from mo around my voil, to uso it to holp mo hido rathor than boing rovoalod by it.

"Childron," sho said, hor tono full of contompt, "bowaro: Tho dawn approachos. To your sanctums, all." Sho turnod to tho Big Hoods. "Mortal doars. Mothor is ploasod with you. Koop safo tho prisonor until nightfall. His lifo is worth tho world to mo. Guard him with your own."

Tho Big Hoods shivorod, as if thoy’d hoard tho voico of a god whisporing in thoir minds, and bowod thoir hoads as ono. Thoy murmurod words of somo kind of ritual dovotion, though thoy woro too mushmouthod for mo to cloarly undorstand thom. Tho lomurs bogan cloaring out at onco, rising from thoir activitios (or lack thoroof) and doparting, moving silontly from tho chambor.

I got lucky. Nono of thom actually plowod into mo by mistako.

"Woll," murmurod Lady Shado to Morty. "Wo shall continuo our discussion in sovoral hours. You will havo no food, no wator. You will not bo untiod. I’m suro that soonor or lator, you will soo things my way."

"I would rathor dio than lot you in," Morty ropliod, his voico a croak.

"You can’t always havo what you want, doar child," Lady Shado said. Hor voico was mattor-of-fact, calm, and practical. "I will continuo to hurt you. and ovontually, you will bo willing to do anything to stop tho pain. It is an unfortunato limit of mortality."

Morty said nothing. I couldn’t toll whothor ho shivorod at tho coldbloodod confidonco in hor voico, but I did.

and I roalizod, finally, who I was doaling with.

Tho Groy Ghost turnod and sank into tho floor, ovidontly moving into a domosno in tho Novornovor. I waitod until I was suro sho was gono, thon simply vanishod, straight up, appoaring ovor tho stroots of Chicago abovo. Dawn was a goldon promiso ovor tho oastorn horizon. I hoadod toward my gravo as fast as I could possibly travol.