Page 37 of Ghost
“It can be both.” Julian rolled his eyes. “Besides it’s not all that bad. Relax, you’re supposed to be the grounded one.”
Miles’ face reddened, and his eyes darted away again. “I needed your help. She thought we were monks, Julian.”
“Stop it, please,” I begged, desperate to forget that entire incident.
“You’re the one with the most knowledge on this topic,” Julian said, nodding toward Miles. “You do it.”
“Oh, okay.” The redness faded from Miles face. Now, he was all professionalism.
“Shikigami are powerful spirits, called kami, who reside in another realm. The terminology is Japanese, only because Japanese mythology has come the closest to explaining Damen’s abilities. Despite that, variations of kami exist in every culture. For example, in some cultures they are known as demons…”
I knew it!
I longed to interrupt, but Miles gave me a pointed look. “And sometimes they are called angels, or even gods. All of the above exist, but shikigami are none of those things. They justare. And are unrestricted as those beings might be. Except for one thing. In order to come into our dimension, they have to be bound to an onmyoji.”
Miles paused, and I interjected, “It sounds like a familiar. You’re the witch, wouldn’t that be your thing?”
Miles perked. “I am a witch, but real witches aren’t what you watch on T.V. or read in fictional novels. We don’t have familiars, for examples. We also don’t work within the spiritual realm. Witchcraft specializes in things belonging to this world, and the energy in it. Damen is an onmyoji. His specialty is thingsnotfrom this Earth—creatures and places that lie beyond.”
My mind whirled with this information. I had a feeling there was more to be said, and I wanted to ask a million questions.
“Damen said that he conjured Kasai,” I recalled. “You saidbound. So he’s bound to Damen. So how am I wrong?”
My confidence grew as Julian and Miles exchanged a look, and I held up my finger. “Heismooching off of Damen’s life, isn’t he?”
“It could be described in that manner, but Damen has assured us that it isn’t how it works,” Julian responded. “It’s not in the shikigami’s best interest to kill its summoner. The two of them co-exist. They need each other to survive.”
If that was the case, would something happen to Damen if Kasai disappeared?
“So….” My plan crumbled around me. “It would be bad to exorcise Kasai?”
“It would be very bad.” Julian nodded. “But for you—not Kasai or Damen. You should never attempt to exorcise a shikigami. They are generally peaceful toward the living, unless acting on orders. But if their bond is threatened, they will not hold back.”
We still hadn’t covered why it was unusual for Kasai to talk. But this topic reminded me of a memory that hovered along the edge of my consciousness. Things I tried to avoid remembering.
Recollections of the first time I met Finn—and the spirit who stalked him.
My life changed forever on that day. It had been a scary thing, almost evil. I had known that for certain. It was a formless being, changing every time I went to class.
And as much as I watched it, it watched me. But it never came to me, except once. Which was odd, because spirits generally sought me out if they were aware I saw them.
Now that I was thinking about this, his entire conversation pulled on something in my memory. Something that I couldn’t place.
“What are you thinking about so seriously?” Julian’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, his thumb rubbing circles over my wrist.
“Finn has a shikigami too, doesn’t he? At first, I thought it was something evil. But that’s the spirit that hung around him?”
Miles hissed in a breath and Julian’s thumb froze.
“That’s what was hanging around Finn when we first met. That’s why you weren’t surprised when I said that something was there.” I tore my eyes from my hands, watching the two of them. “Am I right?”
Even back then, Finn had been involved in the paranormal. And not once had he hinted any of it to me.
Miles was frowning. “That’s what doesn’t make sense. Finn does have a shikigami. But he has hardly ever summoned it. And it certainly wouldn’t have feltevil.”
Julian scoffed, not saying anything.
Miles threw him a glance, rolling his eyes slightly, before turning his attention back to me. “At least, not in those days. You know howhighlywe think of Finn. But I knew him before then, and Finn wasn’t always the way he is now.”
