Geist (22 page)

Holy shit. 

"Geist—we need to get out of here now."
 

Why? 

"That gun—isn't a normal gun. That gun will eject both you and me from Dags in a very painful way." 

Interesting. 

I would recognize one of L-6's guns anywhere. Built by Randall Kemp, it was a snappy little item that could zap a spirit, spook, spectre and Wraith right out of a body...and make life for that creature a bit harsh. I'd been hit with it once. Did not want to be hit with it again. 

But I couldn't leave Daniel! 

"Geist...can you stay with him?" 

Who? With Daniel? No...Inanna would never permit it. If she suspected I was here now...

"They don't like you, do they?" 

No. They do not. But...I can keep an eye on them if you would like. 

"Please!" 

"I said don't move! Another Virtue is on its way, Familiar. The Seraphim's been alerted to what you just did—you will pay for killing a Virtue!" 

I looked at Beefy–Guy-With-Gun and gave him the middle finger. With a look at Daniel I surrendered to the pull of the Familiars' home. Within seconds I was back with Dags; Geist was gone, and the world faded to black. 

-36-

Respite

I blacked out.

When I finally came to, so to speak, Alice was there. We were on the shore again, and the moon was full. I was looking up at her, sort of from where the fire should be. "Uhn...?" 

Wow. That was certainly coherent. 

"Feeling better?" 

I shook my head. "What the fuck hit me?" 

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say a...Geist?" 

"Wha—" 

She was sitting on a log, the ocean behind her. And she kinda had that no-nonsense look she got sometimes. Reminded me of mom. "Zoë—you were told to let everyone know when the Geist came to you." 

I pushed myself up into a sitting position—realizing I was butt-ass naked—and focused on thinking up some clothes. Nice beach wrap. Soft and made of blue cotton. My hair was down and in my face. Eh...screw it. I rubbed at my face before I looked at her. "Is Dags all right?" 

"He's sleeping." 

"Is it a normal sleep or something I did." 

Her eyebrow arched. 

Oh. My bad. 

And then I remembered everything that happened. I was on my feet. I didn't really get up as much as—I was on my ass, and then I was standing in front of her. "Daniel! They took Daniel!" 

"Yes. They have Daniel." 

"We have to get him back!" 

She cut her eyes away from me but didn't speak. 

"Alice...what is it?" 

"Adiran has already contacted us. Well, he contacted your mother. Seems she's the only one he'll lower himself to speak to." Alice finally looked back to me. "They want a trade." 

"Dags for Daniel, right?" The whole idea of doing that pissed me off. And why did it have to be the two men I loved? The man I'd thought I'd
find
happiness with, and the man that
gave
me that happiness. "We can't do that—we can't give up the Grimoire." 

"No Zoë—things have changed. Apparently—" she moved her hair from her face. "Remember your dad's panic? He's let it spread that the Geist is in the Guardian's body." 

Oh that wasn't good. "But they don't know it's me?" 

"No. They haven't put it all together yet, which could work in our favor." She tapped her chin. "Adiran's renewed his fight to gain possession of the Guardian—because he believes he'll get both the
Grimoire
and the Geist."

"I can pretty much guess what he wants now." I ran a hand through my own unruly hair. Huh...even as an astral being I needed cream rinse. "We have to get Daniel away from them." 

"Daniel isn't what's most important—"

Oh she did not just say that. I turned on her and she actually shrank back from me. Not sure what it was about my look that frightened her. "Daniel is just as important to me as Dags is. In case you don't remember, one of the oldest First Borns is a part of him." 

She didn't say anything. Alice just looked...tired. Beaten. "They want to talk to you...and to the Geist." 

"Who does?" 

"Your mom. The rest of them. The Revenants. Apparently she's been in touch with board members of the Society. She's been appointed to speak on their behalf." 

"Mom's speaking for them? What about Rhonda?" 

Alice sat back down and stared into the fire. "She's...speaking for someone else."

Huh? "I'm not sure I'm following that." 

She gave me a worried face. "Rhonda is speaking for the Geist." 

-37-

Revival

"Have you lost your mind?" 

It was just me and Geist, face to face. He looked apologetic. Well, he looked like Joe looking apologetic. 

"This is the best way for your mother to listen to me. If I spoke through you, then there would be suspicion I am influencing
you
. But this Society trusts Rhonda." 

I gave him a very hard look. "You mean they trust she won't let you have control." 

"Yes."

I put my hands on my hips. 

He lowered his shoulders. "Zoë—they all need reassuring. And we need their help. We must save your friend. Not just because he is your friend, but because his First Born is important to the Abysmal Plane as well. She is like royalty." 

I watched him, but my mind was on Daniel. Anxiety sat like lead weights on my shoulders and gnawed at my stomach. I was terrified of what they would do to Daniel—and he'd already gone through so much. I owed Inanna for bringing him out of the madness the Horror had caused him. And I...

I was feeling so damn helpless. 

I'd tried to come up with a different solution, like having Geist manifest outside of my astral connection to Dags. But that was a no go. Unlike a First Born—such as TC—Geist hadn't mastered a corporeal or non-corporeal form in the Physical Plane. Every time he'd tried he'd mixed animals and people. The outcome? Crazy Chimeras. 

And no...I'd had enough of those. One was my limit. 

In the end, it really wasn't my decision to make. Rhonda had already volunteered to be the subject. So had Joe, but Geist refused to overshadow him again. 

"I think taking on his form like this is fine—it gives you something to communicate with. But if I were to
become
him—that could confuse things. A great deal."

About an hour later the "meeting" started. 

To make things "safer," and I'm putting air-quotes around that, Joe and Nona had their mojo out. Well that and one of the L-6 guns, in case they needed to shoot Rhonda, which in turn would boot Mr. Geisty from residence. But Geist assured me it would be okay. 

Everyone was there. All of the Revenants still in Atlanta. Joe was uncomfortable with it. He didn't like having all of them in one spot, so he made little muttering comments about "sitting ducks" and "pick'em off one at a time." 

My thoughts were with Daniel. I wanted to go after him right then. Only—I didn't know where he was. 

Rhonda moved into the center of the little group of Revenants. One of the Society members was also there—some chick I didn't know named Roberts. Missy Roberts? Melinda Roberts? 

Alberta Roberts. 

"Geist? You're still with me?" 

Do not worry. 

I felt a slight popping in my ears just as Rhonda lowered her head and then looked up suddenly. Her eyes were—

Gah! 

Her eyes were all black—like black marbles. When she spoke, her voice was like his voice, a miasma of harmonies. 

"Greetings. I am Geist."
Geist/Rhonda looked around at the assembled circle.
"I am honored to be in your presence."
Geist/Rhonda bowed to them.  

"Should we simply call you Geist?" Mom sounded so formal. The Society wench—Alberta—stepped up beside her. 

"Yes. Call me Geist. Zoë calls me this and I am comfortable with it."

Mom clasped her hands in front of her. Oh, that was a tell. Mom was being careful. "You have developed an affinity for my daughter? I understand that she is special to you?" 

Geist/Rhonda refocused those black eyes on mom.
"Yes. Zoë is my friend. She gave me a sense of identity that was denied to me. Until Zoë acknowledged me, I did not understand feelings—sensations—such as touch. Warm, hot, cold, chilled, soft, scratchy, slippery—"
 

"We got it," Joe interrupted and held up a hand. 

Geist/Rhonda smiled.
"Your daughter is a remarkable woman Miss Martinique."  

I slapped my hand on the bar. "Ah! See? That proves that's not Rhonda." Mom gave me a withering look. "Sorry." 

"I am Alberta Roberts, Records keeper of the Society of Ishmael. Throughout our long history there has been no mention of a Geist being formed. Unless you are what is known as the Universal Ghost?" 

"I have been called that as well as Holy Ghost—but the meaning of that moniker has long been diluted."

Yeah that went over well.  

"Why did you come here? Why did you manifest through Miss Martinique's astral form?" 

Geist/Rhonda tilted its head.
"Curiosity. Zoë was different than the last Phantasm. Independent. Intriguing. And...she spoke to me. No other locum had ever done that before. So I wanted to know more. I learned she was the Wraith. I learned about the Guardian. I learned many things." 

"This is getting us nowhere," Tel suddenly blurted out. Yeah, I was thinking it, but he was more vocal. I liked him. "We should be trying to find Inanna." 

Geist/Rhonda pivoted to look at Tel.
"Inanna is not as easily destroyed as Aether was. She has a strong connection to the Abysmal Plane. Stronger than most."
Geist/Rhonda refocused on Jason.
"You have the weakest, Mephistopheles." 

Jason bowed but said nothing. 

"Please understand—I am not here to harm you, reveal who you are, or interfere with the Guardian's purpose. I am not here to harm the Wraith either. I am here to protect the
Grimoire
."

Alberta cleared her throat. "Geist—to whom is your allegiance?" 

"I now serve Zoë, the Potential Phantasm." 

That admission brought up a little murmur. Even I felt a little...proud. Awwww. 

Mom held up her hand so everyone would get quiet. "But she's not really the Phantasm yet is she?"

"No. She has the Potential to be a great Phantasm, but it is not her wish." 

"Geist—does the Seraphim know this?" 

"No. The Seraphim never acknowledges me, or my work. He only expects things to continue running. Items to manifest. Requests to be filled. And I complete these tasks never ending." 

That really sounded like a computer. 

Alberta said, "Geist—why now? Why choose the
Grimoire
?" 

"I am not sure when I developed my own sense of right and wrong. I believe it is simply an understanding of what will work and what will cause chaos. Chaos cannot reign. The
Grimoire's
influence over planar affairs cannot be wielded by one side. Its existence was set in motion by this witch,"
Geist/Rhonda pointed to himself/Rhonda.
"With the intention of saving the life of the young man who now possesses it. The universe would not have allowed such an event if it did not have purpose, if it was not feasible for him to wield its power in an incorruptible fashion." 

You know, I'm not a wordsmith. And sometimes I like the dictionary a lot. But that sounded like Dags was
meant
to have the
Grimoire
and no one else was. And it was the most I'd heard the Geist say since we met. 

It was Umayma that stepped forward. "Geist—are you saying that no one else can control the
Grimoire
?" 

Geist/Rhonda nodded.
"Yes. This man is the balance that will allow the
Grimoire's
potential to be used in a manner fitting its existence. He is both planes, and none of them. He exists between these worlds. We deem him an acceptable possessor of the
Grimoire's
matter."
Geist/Rhonda tilted its head to the right.
"There are discrepancies that can be dealt with, but they are easily repaired. The
Grimoire
must stay where it is. Therefore, the forces that wish to tip that balance must be dealt with." 

I'd noticed Geist had moved from the "I" pronoun to the "we" pronoun. Should that be worrying me? 

Mom pursed her lips. Uh-oh. She was thinking. The hamsters were moving. "So—that means you'll help us stop them from trying to take Dags." 

"Yes." 

"What about Inanna?" Tel asked.

Nona nodded to him as she held up a three ring binder. "Don't worry. Inside of here are the notes taken from the Society's vault earlier. They are part of the Dioscuri Files, a set of diaries written down by my great-uncle on his observations of the Outer Planes. He's more specific when it comes to the Abysmal. I chalk that up to the borders being much more open in the Abysmal during his time." She opened the book to a dog-eared page. "In here we did find references to the Thrones, to their creation as sort of a—" she shrugged. "Best way to describe it is a central processing unit or a dual command center. Two seats on opposite poles." She smiled at him. "That's you, isn't it? You're the CPU." 

"Yes." 

Well that explained the nagging feeling I'd always gotten that I was talking to a machine. But this was an Abysmal machine. 

"You're the spirit of the apparatus the Seraphim and the Phantasm created in order to monitor the Outer Planes." 

"Yes." 

 "Your original function was to police," she took in a deep breath. "You were basically—the Irin supervisor." 

There was a murmur around the room. 

"Yes." 

"When did it change for you?"