“Yes,” Kushiel said. He turned and looked back at the ghosts. “I’m glad he won’t be taking them, but it still doesn’t answer what we need to do with them.”
“Yes. Luce said that ‘strength, wisdom, and justice shall guide the lost ones to a new life,’ but I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean,” Cass said, also turning to look at the ghosts.
“Well, you really ought to,” Aunt Ro grumbled.
Cass and Kushiel both looked at her, and she rolled her eyes at them. She then pointed to her dress, which suddenly had trees on it. They looked to Kushiel like the same trees surrounding the clearing.
“Oak trees,” Cass mumbled. “Of course.”
“Strength, wisdom, and justice. Endurance and protection, too,” Aunt Ro explained. “Although these ones were so sorely misused for the ward. I’m not sure how they’ll help our ghosts out.”
Kushiel looked at Cass, whose eyes had gone slightly unfocused. “Yes, their light is still strong, but they were being slowly killed by the ward as it sucked their life away.”
Aunt Ro then walked directly into one of the nearest trees, much to Kushiel’s shock. He heard her voice call out, “Yes, poor thing. I can feel what that awful demon did to it. They’re strong, though, and enduring.” She then popped back out of the tree, patting it. “You’ll be ok, dearling,” she said to the tree. “I’d give it a couple months and you’ll be back to normal.”
Kushiel had an idea. It seemed insane, but…
“Cass? Aunt Ro just… What did she just do?” Kushiel asked.
“Oh, she merged her ghostly essence…” Cass started, then he turned and looked at Kushiel with wonder on his face.
“Do you think…?” Kushiel asked, trailing off. He was afraid to hope, but it made a sort of sense.
Cass repeated the message from Luce, saying, “‘The gods have gifted you with a new way forward. You only have to see the light within what surrounds you. Those that represent strength, wisdom, and justice shall guide the lost ones to a new life.’ Theoak trees. He meant the oak trees will guide the new ones to a new life.”
“How on earth will that work?” Aunt Ro questioned. “These are mortal souls, and those are oak trees. They’ll live hundreds of years.”
“Yes,” Cass said wonderingly. “Hundreds of years merged with something that is pure light, something whose very essence is one of protection and wisdom and justice. And after a few hundred years, when the trees pass on, the soul within will pass on as well, and they’ll be strong enough and bright enough to reincarnate.”
“The trees will teach them?” Kushiel asked.
“Not only that, the trees will give their essence and light to the ghosts, just like you did. Trees are naturally giving. It will be slower than your way, but it will redeem the ghosts,” Cass said. “It’s a new way forward, just as Luce promised. All the souls from Erebus will be sent here. We can merge them with the trees as they arrive.”
“Hmmm,” Aunt Ro cut in. “That does present a question, though. How will we merge them with the trees? Whatever Mammon was doing to them made them shells, and I don’t think they’re capable of doing it on their own.” She motioned towards the ghosts, who were still huddled, mostly formless, in the same place in the clearing.
“Hurt… us…” came a whispered voice, and they all turned to look at the ghost that had been staying with them.
“Were you like that when you became a ghost, dear?” asked Aunt Ro.
“No. Was… better.” The ghost motioned to Kushiel. “Helped… me…” they said.
They floated over toward a nearby oak tree, then they looked back at Kushiel. “Help… them…” they whispered, and then they went into the oak tree.
Kushiel could hardly believe what he saw. The oak was darkened and sickly, yet when the ghost walked into it, the tree seemed to glow for a moment, then it faded, but it looked healthier. He thought the leaves looked brighter, and the branches gently swayed, although there was no breeze that Kushiel could feel.
“I’ll be damned,” Aunt Ro muttered. “Well, not literally, of course, because it looks like none of the lost souls who become ghosts will be damned. We can just direct any new ghosts into the trees. Cass, you can attune to this place and you’ll know when new ghosts appear, and you and Kushiel can handle them!”
She seemed excited, but Kushiel looked over at Cass. He was staring at Kushiel, shaking his head. He must have come to the same conclusion that Kushiel had. Yes, new ghosts could probably be directed into the trees, but the ones in the clearing were too far gone. They needed an infusion of light. They needed help before they could do what Luce had said.
“No,” Cass whispered, gripping onto Kushiel’s hand.
“Cassius—” Kushiel said.
“No! You can’t! It will hurt you. It will be agony,” Cass protested.
“Is it not better to slice it open and drain it completely… an agony, perhaps, but then it is done and over?” Kushiel asked, quoting what Cass had told him Luce said.
“How do you know you’ll come out the other side of this whole? I can’t lose you, K. I can’t,” Cass insisted.
