Twenty

Iwished once again that I had not inherited these abilities, but then I thought about the fact I probably would have never met Jordan. And I loved Jordan, and wanted to do anything I could to make sure he was safe. If that meant summoning a ghost that had been driving me nuts for months, then so be it.

"I'll need to gather a few things," I said, and walked into the backroom, leaving Jordan to speak to Janis. As spells and incantations went this was one of the simpler ones, but it also invited a spirit into our world, and sometimes that wasn't good. They were not only unpredictable, but they lied and were not all that helpful, too intent on keeping their secrets no matter how trivial.

When I walked back out Jordan was just hanging up the phone and walked over to take some of the items I'd gathered from me.

"Are we doing the same thing we did last time?" he asked.

"Yes, but this time I'll allow her spirit to enter, not just her voice, so I'm putting a stronger barrier around the circle. She won't be able to cross through into this room if she's still on the other side." He nodded and the two of us set about making a circle of salt before I added some ash mixed with some cemetery dirt. Even though my abilities were strong, I was learning from the notebook my mother had left that there were many ways to amplify and hone my abilities. To summon the dead, I needed to add a symbol of death to the circle, and cemetery dirt and ash were both perfect.

I handed Jordan five red candles. "Put these evenly around the circle. It should help to stop her from crossing back here if she tries." Jordan nodded and did as I asked. When we'd both finished, we sat next to each other facing the circle. I wanted him close, not across from me like we'd done last time. This circle was bigger, but so much stronger.

"Spirit, hear me and know it is me that calls you forth. You will obey and appear to me without resistance, I call to you, Edith Byrne, to appear to me now." I said the words I'd memorized and hoped I'd done everything right and it worked like it was supposed to.

A shimmering mist appeared in the circle and slowly started to rotate. Jordan reached for my hand and squeezed it. Justice was not visible, and Buddy stayed behind us. Nearby, but not close enough to be affected by the magic of the circle.

"Why do you summon me, necromancer? I have taught the seer all he needs to know." Edith's voice floated through the barriers, but she did not appear.

"We need more information," I said.

"There is nothing more I can tell you," she said, and her voice began to fade away.

"You cannot leave yet. We need to know if the wraith is once again at the entrance of the veil feeding off spirits." I put as much power into my voice as I could. I wanted her to know in every way how serious I was.

"You hold no sway over me from here, necromancer. My spirit is not yours to control. I choose to help you because I was once a seer, and I will continue to help the new seer, but he will need to learn to deal with the wraith the same as we all have who went before him."

"What does that mean?" I yelled.

"Edith, Bran is here to help. The two of us working together can control the wraith, but we need to know what it's doing. Is it gaining power?"

"It is as it was when you were here. It tests the boundaries daily, and while it hasn't been able to collect more spirits, it does not allow them to cross the veil." Edith's voice wavered and I wasn't sure if her spirit grew weaker or if another power was trying to prevent her from speaking.

"They cannot cross?" I asked.

"No, they wait at the boundary."

"How long since any have crossed?"

"When the seer left, the boundary was closed."

"I have to return," Jordan said.

"No, I won't allow it," I said, not thinking or caring about how that sounded. "I won't lose you."

"It's necessary. Only the seer can guide them across. If they continue to wait between the two barriers, it will create an imbalance and weaken the walls of the veil. If the veil is weakened the wraith will be able to cross into the world of the living and there will be nothing either of you can do to stop him." Edith's voice was no longer calm, now it was full of concern.

Jordan threw his head back and his eyes rolled back but stayed open. He sat unmoving and locked in the throes of a vision.

"The seer will know the consequence if he chooses not to intervene," Edith said, before the circle cleared and her spirit returned to where it had been.

"Jordan!" I turned to him and cupped his jaw in my hand. His eyes were white, and I realized it wasn't that they were rolled back, but glowed with a power I hadn't seen before. He still hadn't moved but he reacted slightly as emotions played across his face. Finally, after what seemed far too long, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were back to normal. "Baby?"

His hand came up and covered mine. "I have to go to the veil," he said, like he was saying he needed to go buy milk.

"It's too dangerous," I said, and hoped he listened.

"If I don't go, the world as we know it will cease to exist. I've seen it, Bran. Everything Edith has been telling us is true. If I don't stop the wraith at the veil and help the spirits that have gathered there to cross, the imbalance will lead to the destruction of the veil, and without that barrier the wraith will be able to exist here without anything to stop it. Once it's here we won't be strong enough to send it back."

"But Wade and Jason sent it back before," I said.

"It has never fully existed in the real world. It's always been tethered to the other side, but if it can cross through the veil, it will be here in every way, and we won't be strong enough to stop it. We cannot allow that tether to be broken."

"We are going to meet with Janis. She'll know what to do. Let's wait until we are with her," I said, and hoped he listened.