Forgotten Ghosts Read online

  Forgotten Ghosts

  Eric R. Asher

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Epigraph

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Note from Eric R. Asher

  Also by Eric R. Asher

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2018 by Eric R. Asher

  Kindle Edition

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Edited by Laura Matheson

  Cover typography by Indie Solutions by Murphy Rae

  Cover design ©Phatpuppyart.com – Claudia McKinney

  ~

  Tamales or chimichangas? Is it a plot clue? Foreshadowing? No, I’m hungry.

  ~

  CHAPTER ONE

  The ocean calmed as we made our seat among the hexagonal structures of Giant’s Causeway. Nixie unwrapped her arm from around my waist and snatched the blue and white cardboard box from my grip.

  “Of all the food we could get here,” I said, “you really wanted a Crave Case?”

  “It’ll be some time before I’m back in Saint Charles,” Nixie said as she popped the box open, and the very foreign scent of White Castle cheeseburgers mingled with the salt of the surrounding ocean. “In fact, I suspect Finn McCool himself would rather enjoy these sandwiches, if they were only a bit larger.”

  A slow smile pulled at the corners of my lips. I took a slider from Nixie and turned my attention back to the shoreline. The causeway had become one of my favorite places to visit. A surreal landscape where you could almost imagine yourself in an alien world. Perhaps not as alien as the Abyss itself, but a more welcoming land, with far more hope than the darkness had.

  “It’s quiet here.” I took a deep breath and sighed.

  “The ocean is quite loud,” Nixie said. “Did I damage you?” She raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, one side of her mouth lifting ever so slightly.

  I barked out a short laugh. “I mean the dead. They’re quiet here. It’s not like the constant roar back home, especially on the battlefields.” I rubbed at my back and grimaced. “But that wasn’t the most comfortable place I’ve ever had sex.”

  Nixie raised an eyebrow. “You were on top almost the entire time.”

  “I’m not as squishy as you,” I said, grumbling.

  “Are you calling me fat?” she asked with a sly grin.

  I snorted a laugh. “I’m not … why would you even … I’m just saying I need pants.”

  A slow smile crawled across Nixie’s face. “Sam was right. You look flustered.”

  I froze. “She told you to say that?”

  Silence.

  “Stupid vampire,” I muttered. My sister had always been a master of the guilt trip.

  Nixie snarfed down a slider before snapping up another one and leaning back with a satisfied growl. “Someone in Faerie needs to learn how to make these.”

  “You just need to visit more often,” I said.

  Nixie looked up from her sandwich and gave me a small, sad smile. “It’s only been six months since the death of Lewena. We defeated her forces in Saint Charles. It was a battle won, but not the war. We have to press our advantage.”

  At that moment, the feeling of things being normal again evaporated. “I know. Nudd and Hern are still in Falias. And still a threat.”

  Nixie nodded.

  “How are the other water witches? Lewena’s witches, I mean?”

  Nixie chewed her sandwich, pondering that question as the shadows of two distant tourists wandered the edge of the causeway far above us.

  I started looking for my pants in earnest.

  “Some have joined us,” Nixie said. “And some of those I trust. But it is a slow process, the aftermath of any battle. Some will harbor resentment for us, for me, until I am dead or dethroned. But some of them will value peace above vengeance. Some will want their children and their families safe from the war Nudd wants so badly. I’m trying to keep them all too busy to get into trouble.”

  A wave peaked high and crashed onto the causeway. A spray of cold, salty water reached us, just enough to remind us it was there. I studied Nixie, the subtle crease in her brow, and wondered how much influence she actually had over the nearby waters. Some stories said the water witches could control the oceans, and I’d certainly seen them control bodies of water before, but the seas themselves were vast, and sometimes terrible. The ocean was a beautiful, deadly thing.

  Nixie hesitated. “We’re making due. What about Sam and Foster? And Frank? They’re still consulting with the military, I assume?”

  I nodded. “They’re good. Frank’s friendship with Sergeant Park paid off. Or I should say, First Sergeant Park, now.”

  “Not to mention your actions in Saint Charles,” Nixie said. “The support you gave Casper’s squad, and that her squad gave our allies in return, was no small thing.”

  Casper and her people had proven themselves invaluable. It had been a risk, giving them the arms Mike had forged that could kill undines. But it was a risk with great reward. Casper had struck a deadly blow against Lewena, and she had saved my ass in the process. But that had turned Casper into the new poster child for the military, and she hated every minute of it. They’d rolled out banners around the base, and even a few billboards in Saint Charles. She didn’t like being a face for recruiters and propaganda.

  The crashing waves drew my attention once more. There was something calming about the ocean, or perhaps it was more the silence in my head. It held a great many mysteries, even from the water witches themselves.

  “You remember me telling you about that video?”

  “The propaganda idea?” Nixie looked up from her newly unboxed slider.

  “Yeah that one,” I said. “It’s been making the rounds. From what Park says, a good portion of the military has seen it now. They’ve added a few things to it, like the details on how to strike down a dark-touched. But the basics are still the same.”

  Nixie frowned and swallowed. “I’m still unsure how to feel about this. Training humans to recognize us, and in some cases even how to kill us. And we know we have enemies among their ranks.”

  “We have allies among the ranks, too,” I said. “I only hope that proves more important than the former.”

  Nixie exhaled slowly. “Time will tell. It always does.”
>
  We ate in silence for a while, watching the waters and listening to the cry of nearby birds. I took down seven or eight of the sliders from the Crave Case, and Nixie inhaled the rest. Something squawked over the rolling waves of the ocean. At first I thought it was only another bird, but as it grew closer, I could make out words and something else. Concern.

  “My queen,” a voice shouted.

  It drew our attention as fast as a battle cry would have.

  “Euphemia,” Nixie said. “What is it?”

  The water witch sprinted across the columns of Giant’s Causeway. As I watched her graceful movements across those steps, I wondered how much truth there was to the legend of Finn McCool, and whether a giant had in fact once lived here. Or perhaps still did. And then I remembered I still didn’t have pants on. It was about then I saw the sly grin on Nixie’s face and she lifted the damp denim out of a pool behind her. I snatched my pants back and hurried to pull them up before sitting my wet ass back down beside Nixie.

  “There’s been an incident back in the States,” Euphemia said, and the absence of jabs about our lack of clothing said worlds.

  My back stiffened, and I leaned forward.

  “How bad?” Nixie asked as she magicked armor back onto her body with a wave of her hand. “Casualties?”

  Euphemia shook her head. “Nothing so dire as that. At least not yet. Have you checked your phone today? I was not sure if you would’ve already heard the news.”

  I looked around at the beauty above and below us and frowned. “Why in the world would I look at my phone here?”

  “Because humanity is addicted to them,” Euphemia said.

  I gave a sideways nod of my head. “Fair point. So, what is it?”

  “Search for the phrase ‘Saint Louis dragon.’ I believe it will tell you most of what you need to know.”

  “There is no need for games,” Nixie said glancing from me to Euphemia. “What has happened?”

  But I’d unlocked my phone before Nixie finished asking the question. I’d already typed the phrase in and stared at the impossible image on top of the results. It had been posted by what amounted to little more than a tabloid, but I’d seen dragons. And I had little doubt of what I was looking at.

  I cursed and looked up at Euphemia. “Did they attack? What happened?”

  As the words left my lips, I stared at the silhouette of the dragon gliding through the Arch before my eyes roved down into the article itself. There were no human casualties, but the dragon had been seen fighting with a group of Fae. With such a delicate balance between the military and the Fae, I didn’t like the idea of anyone trotting out a dragon.

  “Goddess,” Nixie said, pulling my phone closer to her. “That’s not Drake.”

  “No,” Euphemia said. “It’s not. Can you think of no one else?”

  “Can’t be,” I whispered. I zoomed in as close as I could, and at the base of his neck, was a lump just large enough to be a young teenage girl. “Vicky?” My mouth felt dry, and a terrible dread climbed its way up my throat.

  Nixie looked from the phone screen to me and back again. “Shit. She’s a risk, Damian. She’s a risk to you, to me, to all of us.”

  “What? I mean, she shouldn’t have flown a dragon into Saint Louis …”

  “No, Damian, you’d do anything to save that child. Too many people know it. She’s a weakness. Your weakness. If she won’t stay hidden, we have to act. Now.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  I grimaced and turned off the do not disturb settings on my phone. The roll call of notifications felt like it was cursing my own carelessness. But I’d needed to get away. Nixie and I hadn’t had much time lately. Between keeping our alliances together, trying to integrate the water witches that had been loyal to Lewena into the society of witches who had struck down their queen, and launching some of our more underhanded campaigns, time had become precious indeed.

  Nixie leaned over and studied the rather intimidating list of missed calls and text messages. “I can see why Euphemia thought we might have already heard. Is that a different Foster?” She pointed to a rather irritated text message.

  “No, that’s our Foster.”

  “And he carries a phone?” Euphemia asked, stepping closer to Nixie. “No device like that can transition with him.”

  I nodded. “He’s with First Sergeant Park today. Sam’s carrying it for him.”

  “I hope their training went better than last week,” Nixie said, referring to an unfortunate incident where Foster had accidentally impaled one of the privates when he’d failed to follow directions.

  “Let’s hope.” I copied and pasted the same response to half a dozen concerned text messages. We saw it. Will be in touch.

  “Hugh is still in Kansas City,” Euphemia said. “The witch coven has gone to meet the pack. I am unsure if they were invited, or if this move is of their own volition, but they continue to hunt the dark-touched.”

  “And the blood mages?” Nixie asked.

  “Elizabeth would likely follow Ashley if she suspected danger,” Euphemia said. “I haven’t been able to reach her or Cornelius, which likely means they’re already there.”

  “Ashley can take care of herself,” I said. “Woman could probably kill more people in one strike than the three of us.”

  Euphemia nodded. “And you have yet to see what the blood mages are truly capable of.”

  I frowned at her. I’d seen enough of their power, and I couldn’t stifle the shiver that rolled down my spine as I remembered the creature they’d summoned from the shadow realm.

  “What about the other wolves?” I asked. “Dell and Caroline aren’t stationed far from the southeastern edges of Falias.”

  “They are charged with the protection of the armory at Antietam,” Euphemia said.

  Nixie glanced between us. “The Utukku are more than capable. Be sure they’re aware we may need the Irish Brigade. I am certain Wahya would not miss a chance to sink his claws into the allies of Gwynn Ap Nudd.”

  I rubbed my chin. “We could ask Caroline outright, see if they’ll stay closer to Falias.”

  “The Obsidian Inn would shelter them,” Euphemia said.

  “See to it,” Nixie said.

  Euphemia gave an informal nod of her head. I liked that, seeing the witches in a more casual exchange. The rituals of Fae were not so unlike those I’d read about in history books, formal ceremonies that almost felt designed to cause discomfort and remind those who served that they were less. To say I didn’t like it would be a bit of an understatement.

  “What of Graybeard and the vampires?” Nixie asked as she turned to me.

  I rubbed my palms together. “As far as I know they haven’t killed each other.”

  Euphemia chuckled.

  “That was just rotten luck,” Nixie said. “Zola turning up that little tidbit in the archives. No one could have foreseen that. I wouldn’t think Vik would hold a grudge that long.”

  “A vampire can hold the grudge of his sire and his sire’s sire,” Euphemia muttered. “They can be most trying. Look at Camazotz if you need further evidence.”

  I smiled and looked at Nixie. “I have little doubt they’ll be able to put aside their differences to help Sam.”

  “But what exactly happened?” Nixie asked. “How did Graybeard, mortal at the time, plunder a ship full of vampires?”

  “He hasn’t told me yet,” I said, “but you better believe I’m working on him.” I leaned forward and looked up at Euphemia. “Speaking of the Obsidian Inn, have you heard from Aideen and Angus?”

  “Yes,” she said with a nod. “Training is going well. Angus is well versed in, shall we say, less-civilized methods of combat.”

  “Isn’t pretty much every Fae?”

  “Brutal combat, yes,” Nixie said. “But his more devious tactics are beyond what even I would have deployed in our darkest hour.”

  Euphemia blew out a breath. “I am afraid the darkness grows bolder every hour, my queen. It may be tha
t the time for more civilized warring has passed.”

  Nixie grimaced, and it sent a chill down my spine. I’d seen how merciless the Fae could be. What in the ever-loving hell were they holding back?

  “Angus won’t rest until Hern and his entire legacy are buried,” Euphemia said.

  “At what cost?” Nixie whispered, running her fingers through her hair.

  I already knew the answer to that question: “Any.”

  The three of us sat in silence for a time, watching the water crash below us as ravens soared above. One, a monstrous bird with slightly off, diamond-shaped tail feathers, swooped low, circling as it went.

  “Morrigan,” Nixie said, frowning at the bird.

  The raven cawed back twice before speaking. “We must leave, Euphemia. Your message has been delivered, now come.”

  Euphemia looked to Nixie, and only when her queen nodded did the water witch take her leave.

  “No judgmental observations today?” I asked. “Just going to be an angry bird in the sky?”

  I could have sworn the raven glared at me before rocketing over the cliff and vanishing on the other side.

  “Good hearing,” I said.

  “She is not the best being to torment,” Nixie said. “She could kill either of us.”

  I smiled, watching the sky where the bird had vanished.

  Nixie frowned and turned to the horizon. She still wasn’t too happy about what the Morrigan had done to me at the Obsidian Inn. Essentially, had I failed her test, I would have died. A small, slightly mad part of me wondered if the Morrigan would have survived Nixie’s response. Being we weren’t dead, I hoped that was a grudge I’d never see play out.

  “Go,” Nixie said. “I must meet with Ward and the Old Man. They’re journeying to Faerie, and I fear the timing could not be much worse with the unrest across the realm.”

  More of the Fae wanted to come live in the new Falias. I couldn’t be sure how humanity would respond to that, but I had a pretty good list of concerns.

  “I fear a civil war between the Fae, Damian. And that I cannot abide. The world may not survive it.”