“I’m being careful,” Kushiel promised, warmed by Cass’s concern and amazed that he even saw what Kushiel was doing.
The ghost seemed to get a little less hazy and a bit more clear to Kushiel.
“W-w-w..” the ghost stuttered out.
“Wood!” Aunt Ro shouted, startling everyone.
The ghost definitely nodded their head then.
“Ok,” Cass reasoned, “you were in woods? Or near woods?”
The ghost nodded again.
Kushiel looked at Cass, but Cass only shrugged. Perhaps this was not as much of a clue as Kushiel had hoped.
“The problem is that we have tons and tons of forested area around here,” Cass explained. “We have little patches of woods throughout the entire town that can’t be developed due to open space laws, and then there’s a large local park in the vicinity, and there’s also a state park not too far in the opposite direction. So unfortunately it doesn’t narrow down our focus all that much. But it is a starting point.”
“Yes, it gives us someplace to look. Although it doesn’t answer who did this either. I cannot fathom why a demon would do such a thing,” Kushiel puzzled.
Aunt Ro added, “You also don’t know if it’s safe. If a demon went to all this trouble, it’s most certainly up to something. Whether it’s attacking the souls, Kushiel, or the ghost realm, wehave to think of it like an attack. We don’t know what the end game of this demon is.”
Kushiel nodded. “That makes sense. I feel confident that I can handle almost any demon, but that doesn’t mean I want to. And I cannot even begin to guess at the motives behind such a thing. I don’t have any demon enemies that I’m aware of, and why would anyone attack souls or the ghost realm?”
“And,” Aunt Ro added, “the demon obviously knew about the ghost realm, and they aren’t supposed to remember us or think about ghosts since we are more of the mortal plane than the afterlife. The very fact that this demon thought to make the lost souls into ghosts is somewhat concerning. They aren’t playing by afterlife rules any more, so we really can’t make any predictions.”
“That’s true—ghosts should not have occurred to them. It does make sense about the woods though,” Cass said. “The ghosts are obviously being blocked or hidden somehow, and you’d need a lot of energy to do that. Drawing on living things, like trees, would accomplish that, especially if wards are involved.” Cass shook his head, adding, “You’re right in that we can’t begin to guess at motives. It doesn’t really make any sense to do this. It doesn’t accomplish anything.”
Cass was lost in thought, and Kushiel reached out and gently touched his hand. Cass immediately flipped his hand over and grasped Kushiel’s hand, and he had to tamp down the fluttery feeling that flowed through his body at the contact.
Kushiel had held the hands of lost souls before, and he’d held hands with those in Limbo who he was working toward redemption with, but he didn’t think he’d ever held someone’s hand without giving a piece of himself over to them.
It was lovely. Cass’s hand was warm and he could feel small calluses on it, probably from the baking he did. Holding handswas such a simple pleasure, and Kushiel couldn’t help staring at their intertwined hands.
“Well, I don’t know that we’ll do anything but go in circles about it now, so perhaps it’s best if we table this for now. I’ll take the ghost with me and we’ll explore a bit, see if anything looks familiar. You two need to eat and rest, and I think we’ll all think a bit more clearly once we’ve had time for things to sink in. Sleep on it, so to speak,” Aunt Ro chimed in, and Kushiel looked up to see her smiling at him fondly.
She gave him a little wink, and Kushiel had no idea how to respond to such a thing.
“Alright, off we go,” she said, taking the ghost by the hand and leading them away, only they just sort of disappeared instead of walking out.
Kushiel murmured in surprise and looked over at Cass.
Cass was still obviously thinking things through, but he gave a shake of his head, as if to clear his thoughts, and then looked at Kushiel.
“They just… disappeared,” Kushiel said.
Cass laughed. “I forget that you aren’t used to ghosts. It’s amazing you still even remember them, but I suppose we have this to thank for that,” Cass said, reaching out with his other hand and running it along the white scarf. “Lilith really did us a favor in the creation of this.”
“I don’t understand any of this,” Kushiel said. “I feel rather stupid, but the universe has an order to it, and whatever is going on does not fit into that order. It isn’t the not seeing ghosts thing, either. I suppose if we’ve never seen them, then that’s the way it’s supposed to be, and I can see the logic in that. I can’t help but want to guide Aunt Ro to heaven—it’s clear she’s a beautiful soul who belongs there, and I want to see her happy in her afterlife placement. I suppose all demons and angels wouldtry to influence ghosts to get them into the afterlife, so I do understand why we don’t, or can’t, interact with them.”
“Yes. It’s in an afterlifer’s nature to want things ordered and organized, and ghosts are not either of those things. I’m sometimes amazed Limbo is allowed to exist, because it seems outside the order as well,” Cass threw in.
“Limbo does exist inside the order, though. It is a resting place for travelers who are unsure, and it ensures that no one is placed wrong or is unhappy in heaven. That would defeat the purpose. Only having one option would not be satisfactory. It is why reincarnation is also an option, and why ghosthood would be an option, even if we do forget about it. I suppose we don’t forget about reincarnation because we know those souls are bound for mortality, so we do not worry about them until they die again.” Kushiel paused, then asked, “How do you know so much? Your knowledge is beyond my own in many ways.”.
Cass just smiled. “Thousands of years of research passed down through my family. It was like bootcamp. As soon as my family knew I could see ghosts, my path was set. As a kid, my after school activities consisted of studying old journals and diaries from family members, talking to ghosts, and being taught all about this stuff. When I was young and Aunt Ro was still alive she even called in the occasional lesser angel or demon just to let me ask questions. I grew up steeped in this. And if I see more, it’s only because I have the benefit of being an outsider looking in, so I have a unique perspective.”
“You have great wisdom, Cassius,” Kushiel stated.
Cass squeezed his hand, and Kushiel felt a little thrill run through him. He had been wondering if Cass even still realized they were holding hands. The touch was… comforting, but also somehow thrilling.
