28. Kushiel

When Cassius struck Mammon with a spear, Kushiel could only look on in shock. He had no idea Cassius even had a magical spear, but that must have been his plan to take care of Mammon.

Only it didn't appear to work, because Mammon pulled out the spear and laughed, apparently unhurt.

Kushiel would protect his soulmate above all else. He moved forward, leaving the ghosts behind for now, and stepped in front of Cassius.

Mammon was still laughing, and for some reason he appeared to have taken his human form, because suddenly his horns and wings were no longer visible.

The hellhound stepped toward Mammon, as if he had been waiting for that to happen, and with one swift punch, Mammon's cackle was cut off and the demon fell to the ground. He seemed to be unconscious, which should not have been possible.

"What in hell?" Cass cried out.

"He was annoying me," the hellhound said, shrugging. He looked up then, focusing on the two of them and giving a grunt. He kicked the spear back over toward Cassius. "This is yours, I believe."

Cass looked shocked, staring at the glowing spear. The hellhound picked up Mammon, slung the demon over his shoulder, and turned around.

"Wait! What are you doing with him?" Cass asked.

The hellhound sighed and turned back to them. "You made him mortal with the spear," he said, as if that explained everything.

"But that isn't possible," Kushiel argued. They could not be made mortal. Such a thing wasn't an option.

The hellhound just shrugged, the body of the demon—apparently now a human—shifting with the movement. "Obviously it is. The spear sucked up his immortal essence, so you'll need to do something with that. What's left is a mortal form and a bit of soul. He's evil and hell-bound, though, and thus he falls under my domain. I'll take care of him."

"How—" Kushiel started to ask, but Cass cut him off.

"Best not to ask," his soulmate muttered, giving a bit of a shudder.

The hellhound smiled grimly. "Yes, best not to ask. Not to worry though, he'll find his way to hell sooner rather than later," he stated, then he turned and started walking back the way he came.

"You won't take the ghosts?" Cass called out.

"They're not hell-bound," the hellhound called over his shoulder as he walked, and then he was gone.

"Huh," Cass muttered, looking after the hellhound.

"Yes," Kushiel said. He turned and looked back at the ghosts. "I'm glad he won't be taking them, but it still doesn't answer what we need to do with them."

"Yes. Luce said that ‘strength, wisdom, and justice shall guide the lost ones to a new life,' but I have no idea what that's supposed to mean," Cass said, also turning to look at the ghosts.

"Well, you really ought to," Aunt Ro grumbled.

Cass and Kushiel both looked at her, and she rolled her eyes at them. She then pointed to her dress, which suddenly had trees on it. They looked to Kushiel like the same trees surrounding the clearing.

"Oak trees," Cass mumbled. "Of course."

"Strength, wisdom, and justice. Endurance and protection, too," Aunt Ro explained. "Although these ones were so sorely misused for the ward. I'm not sure how they'll help our ghosts out."

Kushiel looked at Cass, whose eyes had gone slightly unfocused. "Yes, their light is still strong, but they were being slowly killed by the ward as it sucked their life away."

Aunt Ro then walked directly into one of the nearest trees, much to Kushiel's shock. He heard her voice call out, "Yes, poor thing. I can feel what that awful demon did to it. They're strong, though, and enduring." She then popped back out of the tree, patting it. "You'll be ok, dearling," she said to the tree. "I'd give it a couple months and you'll be back to normal."

Kushiel had an idea. It seemed insane, but…

"Cass? Aunt Ro just… What did she just do?" Kushiel asked.

"Oh, she merged her ghostly essence…" Cass started, then he turned and looked at Kushiel with wonder on his face.

"Do you think…?" Kushiel asked, trailing off. He was afraid to hope, but it made a sort of sense.

Cass repeated the message from Luce, saying, "‘The gods have gifted you with a new way forward. You only have to see the light within what surrounds you. Those that represent strength, wisdom, and justice shall guide the lost ones to a new life.' The oak trees. He meant the oak trees will guide the new ones to a new life."

"How on earth will that work?" Aunt Ro questioned. "These are mortal souls, and those are oak trees. They'll live hundreds of years."

"Yes," Cass said wonderingly. "Hundreds of years merged with something that is pure light, something whose very essence is one of protection and wisdom and justice. And after a few hundred years, when the trees pass on, the soul within will pass on as well, and they'll be strong enough and bright enough to reincarnate."

"The trees will teach them?" Kushiel asked.

"Not only that, the trees will give their essence and light to the ghosts, just like you did. Trees are naturally giving. It will be slower than your way, but it will redeem the ghosts," Cass said. "It's a new way forward, just as Luce promised. All the souls from Erebus will be sent here. We can merge them with the trees as they arrive."

"Hmmm," Aunt Ro cut in. "That does present a question, though. How will we merge them with the trees? Whatever Mammon was doing to them made them shells, and I don't think they're capable of doing it on their own." She motioned towards the ghosts, who were still huddled, mostly formless, in the same place in the clearing.

"Hurt… us…" came a whispered voice, and they all turned to look at the ghost that had been staying with them.

"Were you like that when you became a ghost, dear?" asked Aunt Ro.

"No. Was… better." The ghost motioned to Kushiel. "Helped… me…" they said.

They floated over toward a nearby oak tree, then they looked back at Kushiel. "Help… them…" they whispered, and then they went into the oak tree.

Kushiel could hardly believe what he saw. The oak was darkened and sickly, yet when the ghost walked into it, the tree seemed to glow for a moment, then it faded, but it looked healthier. He thought the leaves looked brighter, and the branches gently swayed, although there was no breeze that Kushiel could feel.

"I'll be damned," Aunt Ro muttered. "Well, not literally, of course, because it looks like none of the lost souls who become ghosts will be damned. We can just direct any new ghosts into the trees. Cass, you can attune to this place and you'll know when new ghosts appear, and you and Kushiel can handle them!"

She seemed excited, but Kushiel looked over at Cass. He was staring at Kushiel, shaking his head. He must have come to the same conclusion that Kushiel had. Yes, new ghosts could probably be directed into the trees, but the ones in the clearing were too far gone. They needed an infusion of light. They needed help before they could do what Luce had said.

"No," Cass whispered, gripping onto Kushiel's hand.

"Cassius—" Kushiel said.

"No! You can't! It will hurt you. It will be agony," Cass protested.

"Is it not better to slice it open and drain it completely… an agony, perhaps, but then it is done and over?" Kushiel asked, quoting what Cass had told him Luce said.

"How do you know you'll come out the other side of this whole? I can't lose you, K. I can't," Cass insisted.

"You won't. I can't leave them like this, though. I will not deplete myself entirely. I would never do anything to hurt you, and I know that would. I love you, Cass. You are my soulmate, and I have faith that we will be together forever. I believe in us," Kushiel said, staring into his soulmate's eyes.

Kushiel did believe, too. Cassius wouldn't let anything happen to him, and he wouldn"t end his existence, not even for this. If he had to come back a hundred times and be in pain to help the ghosts, he would, because that was part of his job. But he wouldn't spend himself entirely for his job.

He had Cass to exist for.

"You'll need to direct them and tell them what to do," Kushiel whispered.

Cass searched his face, and then his lover nodded reluctantly.

Kushiel wasn't sure who leaned forward first, but the two of them were kissing frantically, tongues tangling, lips slanting over each other again and again. It was frenzied and sexy and Kushiel was hard and wanting from the kiss, but Cass pulled back first.

"No, this is not some goodbye kiss. You will not overextend yourself. You will not hurt yourself. Do you understand me?" Cass demanded.

"I love it when you give me orders," Kushiel murmured, leaning their heads together. "I will be careful, my love. I promise."

"Well then," Aunt Ro interrupted. They both looked over, and she was wearing red roses again on her dress. "As lovely and romantic as this is, I think I best leave. I wouldn't want to be caught up in whatever magic you two work and end up tied to an oak tree for a few decades or centuries. I'll see you both later, and I expect all the details. Well, maybe not all the details, because some things can remain private, but all the details regarding this. And don't forget that spear, Cassius. It shouldn't be lying about."

With that, she vanished. Cassius walked over and collected the spear, and then he came back and grabbed onto Kushiel's hand.

He breathed out, then he looked at Kushiel. "I love you, and I know you can do this. Whenever you're ready, K."

"I love you, too, Cassius," Kushiel answered.

He looked at the ghosts, and he let a little of his light leak out. They swarmed him, like moths advancing on a lightbulb in the darkness of night, and he gave to each of them, letting his light pour out. Cassius must have been doing something as well, because as the ones closest to him took shape and developed features, they were pulled away to make room for ghosts that were formless and tattered.

Kushiel didn't know how long it went on. It seemed both an eternity and the blink of an eye. What started as a slow burn became an agony, and yet he worked through the pain, pouring himself into the ghosts. His vision went gray around the edges, and still he poured himself out. He felt like he had given more light than ever before, and yet he knew he was not yet depleted. Eventually he could barely see, barely even process his surroundings, and yet he still knew he would survive. He would see this through, and Cass's hand in his kept him tethered to reality.

It was only when he felt that hand squeeze his tightly and heard Cass's voice, as if from a distance, say, "You did it, my love. You can stop now," that he stopped pouring his light out.

After that, he felt himself sliding into darkness.