Ghost Light

She was on the porch and I crouched inside the house, behind the half-open door.  I could hear her voice shaking, but she stood just out of sight of my hiding spot.  Her hands were the only part of her that I could see clearly.

My father was standing on the front lawn.  He was holding a lantern that shone strangely and cast eerie shadows over his face.  His shoulders were slumped and he looked like he was in pain.  I wanted to run to him and ask if he was hurt, but something about the lantern in his hand frightened me.

I held my breath and listened.

“I must go,” he said.

He lifted the hand that held the lantern to his head, and lowered it with a frustrated groan.  He raised the other hand to run fingers through his hair and let out a lengthy sigh.

“You…you can’t let it go, can you?” my mother asked.

Her hands shook where she clasped them together in front of her.  I didn’t think I’d be able to look at my mother’s hands the same way again.  The woman I knew was hard and solemn.  She’d never looked so weak or upset before, but those hands, shaking and clasping each other over and over, spoke volumes.  My mother was terrified.

My father demonstrated trying to set the lantern down, but could not.  No matter what he tried, the lantern remained in his hand.

“I can’t be rid of the cursed thing,” he said.  “So long as I hold this damnable lantern, I cannot escape the devil’s eye.  I must leave you, or risk the attention of Hell.  I won’t bring that on you and Ivy.  I’d rather die first.”

He looked worn and haggard, as if he’d aged overnight.

“There must be another way,” my mother said.  Her hands fisted.  “What about the fae?  You are a king.  There must be others who can help.”

“I’m sorry, love,” he said.  “Wisps are solitary, usually preferring their own kind.  We are short on powerful allies.  No, I must leave.  But I promise to return when I find a way to break this fool bargain.  Until then, I forbid you to speak of me.  Forget.”

My mother’s hands fluttered, going limp, and the memory blurred.  I thought I heard my father whisper, “I’m so sorry, Sarah, please forgive me,” but I couldn’t be sure.  The memories, and the answers they may have held, were gone.

* * *

I blinked rapidly, leaning against the doorframe.  Jinx hovered, eyes wide.

“Dude, you okay?” Jinx asked.  “What did you touch?”

What did you touch?  The words took a moment to make sense.  Jinx thought I’d had a vision, but this wasn’t the result of my psychic gift.  It was a memory, leaking past the magical barrier my father had cast on my mind.  The spell had been unraveling for months, leaving my wisp abilities exposed.  Now it was giving me a glimpse into my past.

“Ivy?” Ceff asked.

Ceff stood rigid, the knuckles of his fists gone white with the strain of holding himself back.  He still wasn’t used to my lapses of reality and was obviously worried.  He looked like he wanted to scoop me up into his arms, but knew enough to keep away.  Instead, he studied my face intently.

“I’m okay,” I said.  “It wasn’t a vision.  I…I remembered something from my childhood.  It was a memory of my father.”

I gently bit my lip and smiled.  Ceff blew out a long breath and flashed a smile in return.

“A good memory?” he asked.

“Yes and no,” I said.  I struggled to find the right words.  “My father didn’t abandon us.  He left to protect us.”

I explained what I had seen in both memories.

“Soooooooo,” Jinx said.  She lifted a hand and ticked off each point with sparkly tipped fingers.  “Your real dad made a deal with the devil that went south.  He ended up cursed to carry some kind of tainted Hell beacon, and now he’s wandering the earth looking for a cure.  And if he finds one, he’ll come back to you and your mom and maybe lift the memory spell.”

“Yes,” I said.

“So if your real dad comes back, what happens to your stepfather?” she asked.

“I have no idea,” I said.  “I don’t know if my dad will ever come back, or find a way to break the curse.  But now I know that he wasn’t some fae creep who used my mom for sex and tossed her away when he got bored with her.  No offense.”

I aimed the last at Ceff.

“None taken,” Ceff said a wry smile on his lips.

I’d spent the last few months convinced that I had a deadbeat dad who’d used his fae powers to take advantage of my mother.  But now I knew the truth.  My parents had loved each other.  We had been a happy family before my father made a bargain with Hell.  I didn’t know yet if there was a way to break the curse laid upon my father, but one thing was certain.

I was prepared to do anything to get my family back.

Chapter 19

I’m not sure if it was the awakening of my fae blood or the awareness that the place existed, but Club Nexus wasn’t difficult to find.  As soon as we were within a block of the club, I could feel the energies of the place pulling me closer.  In my second sight the nightclub shone like a beacon.