“It can’t be that trivial,” Aisha replied. “Those who helped bind the spirit include an impressive collection of individuals.”
“For all we know, the other guy made a special shard with the souls of earthquake victims or something. But you’re right. He’s probably planning to steal it first and figure it out later, even if that means risking the seal.” Lyssa kicked a pebble into the side of an old general store. It was down to three walls, and judging by the smell, something small and furry had been nesting in it recently.
“You agreed to something that risked damaging your soul?” Aisha asked, genuine surprise in her voice.
“It’s not like I had a choice.”
“The Elders ordered it?”
Lyssa shook her head. “Not exactly. They ordered the silence, and I swear if you go and complain to Samuel that I told you—”
“Enough, Corti,” Aisha interrupted. “I’m not the fool you think I am. I neither implicitly trust nor agree with every action the Elders take. In this case, asking you to endanger your soul?” She snarled. “You agreed to something beyond foolish. We both know there are things worse than death.”
“I just wanted to protect people.” Lyssa lifted her head to watch a small flock of birds flying high overhead. “And nobody had any better ideas. I didn’t think there was a real choice. There were other Illuminated whose regalia and essence combinations might have worked, but they weren’t anywhere nearby, and we couldn’t wait.” She turned to Aisha. “I’m not a Torch just because it’s a family tradition. I’m not a Torch because I’m an adrenaline junkie, or I like fighting all that much. I’m a Torch because there’s a lot of messed-up crap out there and dangerous people who are willing to hurt innocents. What good is having all this power if I can’t use it to protect people who can’t protect themselves? That’s what I was thinking.”
Warm light surrounded Aisha’s regalia. She’d been suppressing it for most of their time together.
“We are Torches,” Aisha said. “We exist to burn away all that is wrong in this world. I understand you better now, perhaps more than I ever did.”
“I hope that’s good,” Lyssa replied. “I just wanted to make sure you understand what was at stake and why you are risking your life.”
“You’re a fool, Corti, risking your soul, but you’re a brave fool. You’re even perilously close to being a good woman.” Aisha inclined her head toward their base. “But we should return before your pet disaster becomes suspicious.”
Chapter Eight
Someone shook Lyssa from her sleep atop her sleeping bag on the uneven floor. She had a gun out and pointed within a second. There was no way she was letting someone kill her in bed. Her ghost would never unlive that down.
Aisha stood over her, her lips pressed in a tight line. Her mask was on, but her light aura was off. Lyssa could only barely make her out without the night vision of her mask.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Lyssa lowered her gun and pulled her mask out of her pocket. She yawned a couple of times before slipping it over her face. “My turn for the watch already? I was having such wonderful dreams about giant worms coming after me to swallow me whole.”
“Listen, Corti,” Aisha whispered. “Listen carefully.”
Aisha murmured a chant under her breath. Her hazy heat shield aura surrounded her. Lyssa worried about the red and white sparks, but there wasn’t a lot of scrubland beyond the ghost town to catch fire. Aisha could burn down the entire town with no great risk to the area.
Lyssa sat up with a frown, hearing the sound of wind mixed with the low rumble of overlapping car engines. She hopped up and pulled on her coat before readying her other pistol. “We can’t shoot until we verify they’re enemies. It might just be tourists. Let’s not make any careless mistakes.”
Aisha scoffed. “I doubt tourists have decided to come to this place at this time of night.”
“They could be stupid college kids filming an internet show.” Lyssa shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. We need to verify before we shoot anything.” She thought for a moment before shoving her gun back into the holster, pulling out her phone, and sending a six-digit code to a memorized number. Ten seconds later, she got a simple response, another numeric code. The Eclipse had acknowledged receipt of her alert message.
Lyssa drew her guns. She was now satisfied with the trap they’d set. “Look at it this way. If it’s college kids, having Flame Deva and Hecate give them a big story about monsters will be enough to scare them off. It’ll also give them something to tell their friends about.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“Just don’t blast them right away.” Lyssa jogged to the door and threw it open. It ripped off its rickety hinges and slammed to the ground. “Huh.” She shrugged. “Not my fault.”
Aisha snickered. “It’s a sign of things to come, Corti.”
“Don’t get mad. This little camping trip isn’t over yet. But I do hope this isn’t just drunken college kids,” she said, holding her guns by her sides. “I want this over as much as you do. Stay hidden until I signal for you. If I do, you’ll know it’s time to start toasting people.”
“You didn’t discuss a signal,” Aisha said.
“Gunshots will be the signal. Clear enough? If you hear any, assume a fight’s starting. I’ll keep them busy while you ambush them, and we’ll win.”
Aisha nodded. “Very well. Try to not die before then. It’d prove a grave disappointment.”
“I’ll do my best not to disappoint you, but keep a low profile until then. You stand out a lot more at night than I do.” Lyssa shook a gun. “This is a good time to be the Night Goddess.”
Aisha nodded. Her heat shield and aura disappeared. “You’re clever on occasion. But only on occasion.”
“I love you, too,” Lyssa
