Page 18 of Written in Red

Mercury had hoped the Violet Giant could help him identify the Forever Flame. It clearly wasn’t going to be that easy.

“There are many others who will come here, doing the bidding of the Forever Flame,” the Violet Giant said. “I can likely recognize most if not all of them.”

Mercury stood quite still in the middle of the room. The Violet Giant was willing to help him even more than he already had. Mercury had nothing to offer him in return. “Why? Why are you so willing to help me? I can’t do anything for you. I have never done anything to earn your kindness or your assistance.”

The Violet Giant’s entire air softened. “You remind me of someone I knew long ago. Someone I miss.”

“Is this someone still alive?” Mercury asked.

“I hope so.”

“If we’re able to escape the danger we’re in now,” Mercury said, “I promise I will do what I can to help you find this person.”

The Violet Giant dipped his head. “Thank you.”

Mercury swore to himself that he would one day make good on that promise.

“Make yourself at home while you’re here,” Mercury said. “It’s not as restful of a home as it once was, but at least you’ll be away from the Vanns for a time.”

Something of a smile crossed the enormous face. “I will enjoy that while it lasts.”

The Violet Giant turned to go. But, before he reached the wall, Mercury remembered something.

“If you could speak as quietly as possible at night, that would be appreciated. Your voice has a tendency to rattle Baby Blue and disrupt his sleep.”

“I do remember that from when I was here before,” the Violet Giant said. “I won’t wake the little thing.”

“Thank you. He has been through a lot lately. And, though I don’t understand why he needs to sleep, the fact that he does means I will make sure he gets to.”

“You’re very fond of that tiny ghost,” the Violet Giant said.

“I am,” Mercury said. “And I’ll protect him in whatever way I can.”

8

After a lifetime surrounded by ghosts with a limited understanding of the human need for sleep, Mercury wasn’t overly surprised to be awoken in the middle of the night by a spectral visitor. It happened shockingly often. He did still require a few moments when it happened to reconcile himself to the disruption.

When the all-too-familiar sensation of being watched in his sleep woke him that night, he took a couple of slow breaths, told himself there was a lot happening at Aventine that would have his ghosts on edge, then opened his eyes.

Holly Hock hovered beside his bed. There were few ghosts at Aventine he would have been more surprised to see there. She had never been in his room before. She seldom came inside the house.

“Is something the matter?” he asked, sitting up.

“Why do I keep remembering so many things I shouldn’t know?”

More Phantomic Memories. Mercury took a tense breath. The Scholar had warned him that the unexplained memories would spread.

Mercury flipped back his blanket and slid off the bed. Baby Blue was curled in a ball at the foot of the bed, sleeping. The movement, fortunately, didn’t wake him.

“Have you remembered something else about my life before the orphanage?” Mercury pulled on his dressing gown.

“There were so many ghosts. So many.”

So many ghosts.

“Perhaps you’re remembering the orphanage,” Mercury said. “There were other orphans who had attachments. No one had more than two except for me. But there were quite a few ghosts in total.”

Again, she shook her head. “In your home. Your family. There were so very many ghosts.”