“You can’t do nothin’ about me, girly.”
Eli marched right up to him, drew her fist back, and punched him dead in the face. The second her fist impacted, I watched his soul scatter to bits. Wow, Eli, not even a warning? Granted, he’d had it coming.
Gwyn startled, then cheered. “Get ’em! Those other guys hassled me too.”
They seemed to realize we were here for business, and I expected them to flee. No, they chose to charge us. Well, fuck, not what I wanted to happen. Grimly, I lifted my water pistol and started firing. I saw more than a few flinch, dissipating briefly before they came back. A little weaker than before, but the fact they could reform that fast was worrying.
Damn limestone and crystals and water in this area was giving them way too much of a boost.
Eli hit them as fast as she could go. Gwyn stayed right between her and me, both of us watching her back. Quinn, Booker, and Brandon were watching over us, firing rock salt with steady aim.
“Gold on an iron horse!” a few chanted, almost like a war cry, before leaping into the fray.
A dark arm reached out, intending to grab Gwyn by the hair. I snatched his wrist, holding him firmly. A ghost didn’t have the natural strength to fight me off, so I just held him, waiting for Eli.
He met my eyes, his mouth twisted in a snarl of pure hate, but something like fear lurked in his eyes.
“Why?” I demanded of him. “Why harass a child?”
“This is our land! Our gold!”
Wait, this dumbass really considered her a threat? Was this territorial instinct to shove any living being out the mob’s motivation? Some part of my brain was spluttering, incredulous, but more than that, I was angry. This stupid-ass reason was how he justified hurting Gwyn? “She has nothing to do withyour gold. And your mines are shut down, have been for over a century!”
He screamed in my face. I winced at the volume, but it was clear there was no reasoning with these ghosts. Their obsession made them deaf to everything else.
Eli turned, grabbed the guy by the head, and then took him right out in a brutal takedown. She caught my eye briefly before turning to face the next lot. “No use, Mack.”
“Yeah.” I sighed in resignation. I had to try, though. Just so I could live with myself later.
I snagged two more, Eli dispatched them like the pro she was, and I turned for the next set, only to find we were down to just three. Oh, wow, we’d been super effective here. Even Gwyn was holding her own. She was a really quick study, this kid.
I helped Eli grab the last of them, and then they were gone too, their souls scattering on the wind. I breathed out steadily. This fight had been a workout; I could feel the sweat dewing on my temples. But the world was a bit safer, so I felt better.
I checked in with people. “Everyone good?”
Got a thumbs-up from Booker, Brandon nodded, but Quinn was staring at us each in turn.
“Uh, their war cry thingy, what was that about?”
“We’re not sure,” Brandon admitted, “but we heard the ghosts say the same thing at the house we were clearing this morning. I know one of the ghosts said there’s a mob but…if they’re all using the same slogan, are they all part of the same mob?”
Booker took off his glasses long enough to rub the bridge of his nose. “I feel the distinct need to go do some research after we’ve cleared the school.”
“I might join you.” I’d be out of juice shortly anyway and useless for anything but research and naps.
Ooh, naps. I could totally go for a nap right about now.
But with the way today had been shaping up, I didn’t know if naps were going to be anywhere near my immediate future. More’s the pity.
13
We’d spent a good portion of the day at Gwyn’s old school, just clearing out ghosts. A few of them had given us a fight. Gwyn had relished seeing her bullies meet a very quick end. Let’s just say, Eli hadn’t spared them.
After, we paused for lunch. Booker split from us, as he had a set meeting with the local historian. I was tapped out for the day, I had no juice left in me, so I retreated to the ranch. Gwyn did as well, but she was in a far better mood after getting revenge this morning. I was happy for her. Damn, wish I’d been able to get revenge on the ghosts who had hassled me as a kid.
When Booker came back about three hours later, he looked grimly satisfied? Not sure how else to describe it. Happy with having information, but the way his brows stayed furrowed indicated it hadn’t been good information, in a way.
I’d been reading when he came in, but I set my phone down. “What did the historian say?”
