“Well?” Noelle and Cypha crowded her instantly as Evantra returned to the entrance of the junkyard.

  “Uh… It was… good?”

  Cypha’s face fell flat, as she nudged Noelle in the side, tilting her head in Evantra's direction.

  “Preacher who doesn’t know how to use her words. The joke writes itself.” Then, her expression rapidly shifted into one of sheer glee.

  “And I don’t give a strigoi’s arse because the two of you are going to make me rich!” Cypha began to cackle, holding the Nezha drone in one hand and some other electrical components stored in a bag in her other. Noelle gently snatched the drone from Cypha’s grip, as the techrat looked on with mild regret.

  Noelle turned to Evantra.

  “Go on… what did you see?”

  “Well… we fought some earth elementals—”

  “Earth elementals…”

  Noelle’s emerald green eyes were as wide as saucers, as she whispered the name reverently, as if they weren’t creatures of the Veil intent on killing her just half an hour ago.

  “Then a rock golem appeared out of nowhere—”

  “A rock golem…”

  Noelle continued to echo each Veilcreature as Evantra raised an eyebrow.

  “Cut it out you dumbass, you got a fetish for em or something?” Cypha nudged Noelle in the ribs, causing the girl to yelp.

  “Then we saw a wisp.”

  The pair of girls froze, slowly turning to regard Evantra. Cypha took an involuntary step backwards, tapping her forehead, chest and either shoulder with the tips of her fingers, signing the cross as she muttered under her breath. Then, she started hopping on one foot, repeating the gesture.

  “Evantra Wraithmarked… Bad luck, I knew it was a bad idea to associate with you, get away from me—”

  “Oh, shush Cypha. You saw a ghost? And you lived?”

  Evantra nodded slowly, the haunting visage of the towering figure enshrouded by sands that cut like blades, encasing the land around them, as far as her eyes could see.

  “The Dancer, they called it. It was like… a force of nature.”

  Noelle’s eyes went wide as she whispered under her breath.

  “I recognise the name… the Veilsurge led to Egypt?”

  “The Sahara.”

  The girls fell silent before Cypha finally shuddered, shaking off her paranoia. Cypha poked Evantra in the arm as she rounded on her.

  “Preacher, if you want my two cents, stay away from Clark and Elaine Hallewell. Nothing good can come from associating with them.”

  Evantra nodded slowly, watching Noelle’s brow crease into a frown.

  “That’s exactly what I plan on doing.”

  ---

  Cypha dropped them off in front of the church. Some remnants of the Paranormal Investigations Unit were still hanging around Carmen’s home, but it looked like it wouldn’t be long before they left. In her glee at such a fruitful dive, Cypha had agreed to give them the Nezha consumer drone that she had found, which Noelle was itching to fix up.

  “It’s a little strange…”

  Evantra turned to regard Noelle with curiosity.

  “What is?”

  “Oh, you know. So far, you’ve come across teethlings, a gnome, a wind sylph, earth elementals, a rock golem, and salamanders. What do they all have in common?”

  Evantra just shrugged as Noelle let out a sigh.

  “Well… they’re all creatures tied to a single Mythic Veilsurge – Avalon. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Caliburn of all people are in the area.”

  Noelle bit her lip as she fiddled with the drone in her arms.

  “There are theories that each of the Mythic Veilsurges lead to realms which bear some similarity to ones in our myths, as I’m sure you’re aware. It’s hard to get any information on them, the megacorps have a chokehold over anything of substance, apart from the stories and whispers. But what we do know, is that different creatures are associated with each Mythic realm. So far, two Mundane Veilsurges have opened up in Wisptown – that we know of – and both have led to creatures associated with Avalon. We haven’t seen any Youguai, Yokai, undead, bloodspawn or creatures from any of the other Mythic realms. It’s strange.”

  Evantra listened with rapt attention, and she couldn’t help but agree with the girl’s insights.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I’ve been wondering… do you know how the Veilsurges work? I’ve done some digging online, and I’m surprised that some Veilsurges open without a single Veilcreature walking through. They almost seem random.”

  Noelle bit her lip as she considered Evantra’s question.

  “I’ve wondered the same. There have also been reports of Ghostslayers going through and killing all of the creatures they detect, but failing to dispel the tear. Eventually it does disappear, but it lingers around for much longer and causes a headache for everyone involved. Hmm…”

  Noelle shrugged.

  “All we know is that by slaying the right creatures on the other end, the tears close. For some reason, they tend to be tied to those creatures. As for Caliburn’s presence here…”

  Noelle halted before the church door.

  “Ghostcults. You familiar with them?”

  The words sent a shiver up Evantra’s spine.

  “Not intimately,” Evantra said.

  “There are some nutters that worship the paranormal. Information on them is scarce and contradictory, and I was half convinced that it started as an old wives tale online. Bunch of lichdicks trying to stir up hysteria. Still, I’ve always thought, if there was anyone out there, with the power, resources and means to engage in shady practices—”

  “It would be the megacorps,” Evantra completed the girl’s sentence for her, and she watched as Noelle’s expression darkened. The girl briefly met her gaze, before her eyes darted away.

  “Be careful with them. Clark might seem ordinary, nice even, but you can’t ever be too careful with corpos. I know it’s valuable experience but… you should dive with people you—”

  “Trust? You won’t have anything to worry about on that front.”

  Noelle flinched.

  The girl pushed open the church doors, as her shoulders shrank.

  ---

  Climbing the stairs to the second floor, Evantra heard a soft gasp escape Noelle. Trailing her gaze, she saw him, dimly lit by the single, flickering light above the worn dining table. Silently gesturing for Noelle to return to her room, Evantra slowly walked forwards.

  “Lucas?”

  The boy turned slowly at the sound of her voice. Evantra’s gaze was immediately drawn to the object in his grip.

  The Liberty EZ Defender – the pistol she had bought after her parents’ deaths.

  Lucas' eyes were shadowed as he peered down at the gun tight in his grip. Evantra just walked up to him silently, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. His large, brown eyes met her own. Evantra could glimpse the slightest hint of dark circles under his eyes. Lucas averted his gaze, slowly extending the pistol out to her.

  Evantra gently accepted it, running her hand through his wavy, brown hair.

  “Come with me.”

  ---

  Evantra shut the doors behind her softly.

  Walking out onto the veranda, they were immediately greeted by the cold wind and silence that preceded the ectostorms. Lucas’ warm hand was in her own, as she gently led him to the balustrade.

  Together, they stared out at Elsecaller city, where it lay far in the distance.

  “You were worried about your mama, weren’t you?

  Evantra smiled at the boy next to her.

  “It started when I lost my parents.”

  Evantra’s lips curved into a soft smile as Lucas' eyes widened in surprise.

  “You play the scene, over and over. Thinking about how you could have done something differently. Do you have the dreams too?”

  Lucas nodded slowly. Evantra picked him up and carried him in her arms. She raised her hand, wiping away a stray tear that trailed from his eyes. The boy was shaking slightly, his gaze averted from her own.

  “Are you angry at me?”

  “Oh, Lucas. No.”

  They stood in silence, admiring the vista together. The way the neon lights played across the towering buildings in the distance.

  “The weight, it starts right here.”

  Evantra pointed towards her chest.

  “I remember,” Lucas whispered.

  She smiled and nodded.

  “But there was something I didn’t mention in the sermon.”

  The boy’s breathing steadied, and he finally met her gaze as his curiosity overcame his guilt.

  “The weight gradually builds, suffocating you. But it leaves you with something else, too. Something far deadlier than a pain in your chest.”

  Evantra smiled.

  “Obsession.”

  Lucas’ eyes widened.

  “You understand, don’t you? Better than anyone else.”

  He returned a slow nod.

  “The fear that the teethlings would escape the Veilsurge and get to your mama. Knowing that there was nothing you could do to avert it. It stays with you, and… I won’t lie. It might stay for life.” Evantra’s lips tightened into a painful smile as Lucas' expression fell.

  If there was ever a moment where she understood her parents’ actions, it was now. The pain that carved itself across the boy’s expression. Having to tell him that the world and safety he had enjoyed was a lie. It tore into her like nothing she could ever imagine. Still, she would not make the same mistakes that they did.

  Evantra clutched the boy closer to her chest. She rested her head gently against his own.

  “What should I do? Can I make it go away? Apart from...” Lucas spoke, his voice soft, as his eyes fixed on the pistol in her hand.

  “There is something that you can do.”

  She tapped her chest.

  “That weight on your chest? Never forget why it’s there.”

  Lucas looked at her in confusion.

  “Most people end up forgetting just where the feeling comes from and end up losing themselves.”

  “Where does it come from?”

  “Desperation.”

  Evantra watched as Lucas frowned, puzzling over her response.

  “Why are you desperate, Lucas?”

  He paused, but it didn’t take him very long to arrive at his answer.

  “I want to protect mama. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

  Evantra smiled with a hint of pride, the tension in her expression disappearing, for just a moment.

  “You know Lucas… my mama and papa hid it from me. The scary parts of this world.”

  “That… was nice of them.”

  She let out a small laugh as she ruffled his hair.

  “They certainly thought it was. They did such a good job too, living in Wisptown of all places. But I wish they hadn’t.”

  Evantra returned her gaze to the city in the distance.

  “It makes learning about them, when you eventually do, that much more difficult.”

  The silence stretched on for a moment before Lucas interrupted it.

  “What should I do? About the feeling?”

  Evantra set Lucas down before holding his hands firmly in her grip.

  “There will always be things beyond your control. Ugly, scary things that our parents try to hide from us, hoping that we’ll never have to face them.”

  Evantra crouched so that she was level with him, as thunder rumbled far above them.

  “Confront your fear head-on. That doesn’t mean picking up a gun and running at the Veil. It means accepting that sometimes, things will happen that are out of your control, and that it’s possible to live a good life in spite of it. If you do choose to pick up a gun, that pain in your chest? It will shift to your mama. She’s worried about you, just like you’re worried about her. The cycle will never end.”

  “Then, why do you go out at night?”

  Evantra froze, watching as the boy’s large brown eyes fixed on her, worry colouring his expression.

  Evantra’s smile flickered, and she let out a deep breath.

  “You’re too smart for your own good, aren’t you? I’m still learning. Besides, it’s different. My parents aren’t around to worry about me anymore.”

  After a few more minutes in silence with Evantra softly stroking his hair, Lucas eventually nodded and enveloped her in a hug. Then he broke away, pausing at the doorway.

  “You were wrong, you know.”

  The boy slowly opened the doors, standing at the precipice.

  “I wasn’t worried about mama, just now.”

  He turned to look at her.

  “I was worried about you.”

  Evantra’s breath caught, her eyes widening slightly, as Lucas shut the door behind him.

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