Twenty-Five

"The key is in the marks. It's the one advantage we have over the wraith," Janis said. "That and the fact that Jordan can move between both worlds. It won't be expecting that."

"What are you saying?" Bran asked, and I knew no matter what plan Janis had, he wouldn't agree with it.

"I have to go back." I knew it as soon as she started talking. There was no other way for us to reach the wraith without returning.

"No, you can't," Bran said.

"It's the only way," Justice said as he appeared close to Bran. "There's no other way. The only chance we have of crippling the wraith is going at him on the other side."

Bran stared at him for a full minute before he turned to me. "You can't. It's just too risky."

I stepped closer to him as I slipped my shirt back on. "There's no other way. I'll need you here to guide me back, but the only way we have a chance of hurting the wraith is if we can reach it through the veil."

"I know you're right, but I don't think I can sit here while you're there risking your life again. What if you end up like Edith? I'd have no way of getting there to help you." Bran's eyes were frantic as he searched for another way to persuade me not to go.

"I'll go with you," Justice said.

"No!" Bran shouted. "I can't lose both of you." Bran was mostly a loner, and at first, he'd hated that Justice was there all the time, but once he got used to it, they'd become close, and he looked forward to spending time together while he worked. Plus, Justice didn't mind watching while he performed autopsies, something I still couldn't get used to.

"Justice, there's a chance you could be drawn to cross over the veil. But I could come up with a protection that wouldn't allow that to happen. Much the same way the wraith is trapped on the other side," Janis said.

"You're okay with this?" Bran yelled. "Why would you want to risk them both?"

Janis smiled the way she always did. Like a mother comforting one of her children with kindness and love. And lots of patience. Because if I was being honest, we would always need her help and I didn't think she'd ever turn us down. "I would never put any of you in a situation if I didn't think you could handle it. But Jordan is stronger than you realize. His ability to cross the veil will help us to bring the wraith to its knees before it has time to destroy more spirits. You must trust him, Bran. He's ready."

"I know you're scared. I'm scared too. But I don't want to lose everything we could have in the future to a creature that only wants to destroy the world. If there's something we can do I want to do it," I said to him, and took both his hands in mine. "I can't do it without you."

He squeezed his eyes tight before finally looking at me. "Promise me you won't take any chances. We'll put another tether on you and under no circumstance will you take it off or try to cross the veil. Promise me," Bran said. His hands on my arms shook me, and I was shocked at how worried he was.

I reached up and cupped his face. "I'll do whatever I need to do to stay safe. I will always fight to come back to you," I said, and hoped he knew how much I believed it. "You know we'll be connected the whole time. You're the only one who can be linked to me mentally, without you I can't do it." We were all silent for a moment as I waited to hear Bran's next words.

"There may be more I can do," Bran said. "I know you're right, and you have to be the one to go. But I think there might be a way to destroy the wraith without you having to get too close to it."

"What are you thinking?" Janis asked.

"There is a way to mark a spirit that makes it unstable and dangerous to any other spirits or even humans around it. If you were able to mark a few spirits before they went through the veil, then maybe they could wound the wraith without us having to wait to be in contact with it." Bran tapped his lip while he ran through all the different scenarios in his mind. His beautiful mind was part of what attracted me to him.

"What if we mark a spirit that it would choose to feed on?" Janis said. "A mark that would make it toxic to the wraith when it consumes that spirit's energy."

"Like a poison?" Bran asked. "I like how you think. But how would we know which spirits it would feed on?"

"I can tell you. Not all spirits appear the same, some have a brighter light that shows how strong their energy is," Justice said.

"I noticed that when I was there. Not all spirits look alike on the other side." I remembered how some were orbs, and others appeared in human form, but some of them definitely glowed brighter, including Edith.

"Are you sure it's safe for you to go? I don't want you to be pulled across," Bran said to Justice.

"I trust Jordan and I trust Janis. If they say I'll be safe then I won't question that," Justice said.

"There is a way I can temporarily bind your spirit to Jordan's. It'll only last while you're in the spirit world but it should keep you bound to him enough to resist the pull of the veil. Unless you want to cross. I won't stop you if you're ready," Bran said, and waited for Justice to reply.

"Not yet. Maybe someday, but for now I want to stay." Justice looked at both of us before reaching for Buddy who leaned against his leg.

"Then that's what we'll do. I'll need to look at my mother's journal for a binding spell. I know there's one there," Bran said to Janis, and the two of them put their heads together getting the right marks and spells for us.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Justice asked. It was still strange for me to be able to see and speak to him.

"No. But we don't have another choice. I know I can travel there and return, and I know I can keep you safe there. I don't know how I know but I do."

"You really are the seer," Justice said, and smiled at me.

"Yeah, I guess I am." I surprised myself with that response, but after going to the other side twice it was harder for me to deny, and time for me to accept it.

"I think this mark will work," Bran said from where he looked at the journal. We'd learned the hard way how dangerous it was so now he only opened it once he'd placed a barrier spell around it. He could reach in and turn the pages, but he never touched it, preferring to either wear rubber gloves or use something to turn the pages.

"I think you're right, and I found an incantation to give it a little extra punch," Janis said, and showed Bran what she'd found. Edith was right, we were both strong, but together—especially with our friends—we were even stronger.