“Are you there?” I asked, not releasing this connection. “Let’s start over. My name is Ferris. I am a summoner, and I seek the help of you and the one they call Vaper to do good.” I took a breath, mentally reaching out to ensure she was still there, then continued by simply saying, “Please.”

  A soothing warmth moved through me. At the same time, a faint light appeared in the water, growing in intensity. It rose until it floated in front of me, light blue. It pulsated, the ash falling again and heavier now. As the light grew, it split and formed another, and between them, I noticed the ash wasn’t passing through, but landing on an invisible shape.

  “I sense your power,” her voice said. An almost invisible hand—that could only be seen where the ash fell and reflected from the light—reached out toward me, pressing against my chest over my heart. The hand lingered there, and it was cold but comforting. “I would see into your soul. Would you allow this?”

  “Please.”

  I stared, watching as the ash formed on her body, stronger now so it took the form of her hair, the bridge of her nose, her shoulders, and breasts. At first, I wasn’t sure what “seeing into my soul” meant, but the balls of light fluttered and became one, the form of her vanishing with it. It followed the line that would have been her arm into my chest.

  For a moment I stood there in shock and silence, ash picking up in gusts of wind and moving about me, then I started to see my life portrayed in that ash. It became so thick that it was all I could see, taking on the shape of a small boy—me, running from waves and being swept into my father’s arms. A friend and I running through the woods, stopping to help a dog. I remembered that day well, hoping we could keep the dog, arguing with my friend over who he would stay with, then crying when my mom told me they’d found the owner and the dog had to go. Ash transformed again and again, flashing through moments of my life, until at last, it showed me in my room, finding Kinara for the first time.

  The shapes paused there, then moved faster than I could see until it was all a flurry again before bursting out and away from me, taking with it my energy so I collapsed to the mud on my knees.

  “I see…” her voice said, and the ball of light moved out of me, again becoming two. Only, this time she appeared as they split. Not as a form that the ash landed on, as it was gone, but as a form I could see, maybe even touch, I thought. Only a faint amount of the background showed through where she was still transparent. She stared at me with wide, vulnerable eyes. Her skin was as pale white as the loose kimono she wore, her long, black hair disheveled.

  “Will you help us?” I asked.

  She stood, staring at me a few heartbeats longer, then reached out and took the balls of light, pulling them into her chest. Any semblance of her translucence vanished in that instant, and she seemed whole. The only unnerving part of her, aside from the darkness around her eyes and her pale skin, was the way her kimono fell to the ground, swaying slightly as if she’d never left the water. No feet were visible.

  “You tell the truth, and… you aren’t my first visitor tonight.” She held a hand up, limp at the wrist, but then, with effort, managed to lift the hand to point. “And I see you bring an old acquaintance of mine.”

  I turned with relief to see Ahlaksiz there where I’d last seen her. “Yes, she insisted we search you out. Said we couldn’t do this without your help.”

  “Not easily, at least.”

  “May I… know your name?”

  Her wide eyes stared at me, her expression unreadable. “Some have referred to me as Oiwa, but that was long ago. I had other names even before that, and believe… it doesn’t fit, not anymore. On our journey, you will call me Suiko.”

  “Suiko-san,” I said, bowing, as my core instincts told me was appropriate here.

  She smiled, a strange expression on such an otherwise sad face, then said, “I haven’t committed to helping you yet. But I will go with you to your house, discuss… and make a decision.”

  “Oh. I—we’re staying at a ryokan, not far from here. Will that work?”

  She nodded, then glanced around. “You accept me, yes? Keep me as connected to your soul?”

  Fuck, that sounded intense, but I knew we wanted her along. “I do.”

  “Very well. It is easier for me to travel as such. Others will not see me as long as we are connected, unless either of us wants them to. Trust me, this is for the best. You might… occasionally, hear my thoughts. See visions. Trust me, I do not mean to haunt you. It simply comes with the territory.”

  “Understood.” Not at all, but again, we needed her. Or so I’d been told.

  “Lead the way then, Ferris-san.”

  I bowed again, though this time only slightly, and started toward Ahlaksiz. A strange warmth tugged at me as I went. I paused, looking at my chest, then to her, and realized it was our bond. Like a rope connecting us. She smiled, nodded, and waited.

  Feeling very confused, yet excited that I’d succeeded, I led her back where Ahlaksiz waited.

  “So…?” Ahlaksiz asked, eyeing me with excitement.

  “I mean…” I turned, gesturing to Suiko. “We did it.” Suiko wore a mischievous grin, and I caught on. “Go ahead, show yourself to her. To all of my… friends.”

  “Very well,” Suiko replied, and Ahlaksiz gasped.

  What followed completely caught me off guard. Ahlaksiz dropped to her knees, hands out as she bowed to the ground, low enough that I thought maybe her forehead even touched the dirt.

  “Suiko-sama,” she said, then sat, hands folded in her lap, eyes still lowered to the ground. “It is an honor.”

  “Those days are long gone,” Suiko said, stepping forward and touching her on the head. “Come, embrace me.”

  Ahlaksiz rose and the two threw their arms around each other. A sniffle made me wonder if Ahlaksiz was crying, and I found myself at a complete loss. On the one hand, seeing the ghost had apparently brought back the name and memories to Ahlaksiz, which seemed to be a good thing. On the other, this was a completely unexpected reaction.

  “You have questions, I know,” Ahlaksiz said, turning to me, finally releasing Suiko and taking a step back. “We will return to the room, where I’ll fill you and the others in, and we will plan the next leg of our journey.”

  “Yes, but she hasn’t committed,” I pointed out.

  Suiko held up a hand, eyes on Ahlaksiz. “As of this moment, that has changed. I am fully yours.”

  She had changed her mind because of Ahlaksiz. I couldn’t wait to find out why.

  22

  “I told you we’d be doing some recruiting,” Ahlaksiz said as we returned to the ryokan.

  “Yes, but I thought it would be via summoning.”

  She shrugged. “Recruiting is recruiting. Can’t always go the way you expect.”

  “This is quaint,” Suiko said, floating along at my side.

  Nudging me, Ahlaksiz nodded at the ghost. “What, you’re complaining?”

  I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but as she lifted her eyebrows a couple of times, I got the hint. Following her lead to check out Suiko, I cringed. The thought of looking at a dead person—even if she wasn’t exactly dead by the same standards we thought of when usually thinking of ghosts—felt wrong. If I could ignore that, though, I could see what she meant. Suiko had a stunning figure; her face had that traditional geisha look to it, especially since it was so naturally pure white. The kimono definitely did it for me. Still, the idea was wrong, and we’d recruited her to help with finding Vaper, not… whatever it was that Ahlaksiz was insinuating.

  “I’d never complain,” I muttered, turning my thoughts to the mission at hand.

  We entered and showed Suiko to the room, where, by now, everyone was asleep but Koharu, who was keeping guard. Mizuki opened one eye as we entered, and started to go back to sleep, but instead suddenly sat up straight. Both stared at Suiko in awe, then moved to their knees and prostrated themselves as Ahlaksiz had done.

  “Oiwa-sama,” they said in unison, then blurted out more Japanese that ended in “…onegaittashimasu.”

  I glanced at our ghostly friend, who seemed to expect this, and gave them a gracious nod of her head before saying, “Here I am among friends. Call me Suiko.”

  “Suiko-sama,” the two repeated, then finally sat, looking at us, perplexed.

  “Wh…?” Jalee started, stirring from her sleep. They had pulled out the thick mats from the shelves there and had them all lined up along one wall. When she sat up, it woke Milrae, but Kinara simply snorted, rolled over, and kept sleeping.

  “Everyone,” I said, “allow me to introduce Suiko-sama.”

  Suiko’s eyes flickered over to me, showing surprise at my use of “sama,” but I could tell she appreciated it. She floated forward toward the center of the room, coming to a stop next to the now-cleared table—too bad, because I could have gone for more of that amazing food—then addressed the room.

  “I understand you mean to find the one called Vaper?” Suiko asked.

  “That’s correct,” Ahlaksiz said. “But even after that, we would most certainly welcome you to remain with our group. This won’t be the end of our journey, after all. Only the beginning.”

  “Of my joining, we shall see. But first, what makes you think I can find Vaper?”

  “Not so much that you can find him,” Ahlaksiz admitted, “but that you can grant us cover and protection while we use another tool at our disposal. The Eye of Ra.”

  “Ah.” She nodded to the monkey guards. “I wondered why they were here. My advice would have been to start there, but I see you are one step ahead of me. Wonderful.”

  “You are able, then?”

  Suiko nodded.

  “This is the one with whom you share a past?” Milrae asked.

  Ahlaksiz seemed to blush at that, then cleared her throat and said, “That is correct.”

  “She was one of my courtesans, once upon a time,” Suiko said. “Of a sort. I had inhabited a certain body, and won over Ahlaksiz’s heart—and I daresay body, when I came to desire her.”

  “The fuck?” I muttered, earning a reproachful glare from Ahlaksiz.

  “I’ve been alive as long as this, and you expect I never had lovers?” Ahlaksiz scolded.

  “Well, men who are possessed by a ghost?” I countered, not even thinking about how this might offend our newest team member.

  “And you think you could withstand my sexual advances?” Suiko demanded with a womanly laugh. “Oh, boy, you have no idea what I’m capable of.”

  “Let’s not find out quite yet,” Milrae said.

  All eyes went to her, but she didn’t know who this ghost was or care one bit if the others showed her deference. She pushed herself up, flailed her skeletal wings, and brandished her claws.

  “Please,” Ahlaksiz stepped over between them, hands up. “This is not the time. Suiko-sama, can you help us, and, at least for now, avoid teaching my dear friend Ferris here any lessons?”

  Suiko eyed Milrae. “And this one? She doesn’t need any lessons?”

  “How about I put you back in your grave—” Milrae started, but with a gust of wind that blew over cushions and sent Kinara scrambling with yelps of confusion as she woke, Suiko transformed into a ghostly vision, black hair filling the area above while she lifted into the air, kimono rippling around her.

  “The fuck kind of alarm clock is this?” Kinara asked, grabbing onto Jalee, who was kneeling, about to intervene if necessary. Considering that I knew her electricity power did damage to spirits, I imagined she wouldn’t be useless here.

  “ENOUGH!” I stepped forward, terrified at the sight of Suiko like this, but not about to let them come to blows. Or… whatever they would do to fight. I didn’t stop there, either, but mentally pulled on the connection I felt to this ghost.

  Her response came faster than I expected, but wasn’t at all what I anticipated. In a flash, she was gone, now a floating ball of light at my chest, pulsating as if struggling to break free.

  “Release her,” Ahlaksiz said, her voice shaky. She hadn’t expected this either.

  I blinked, confused, but mentally thought, Be free.

  Suiko appeared at my side, stunned, back in her human, almost normal form. She shifted, turned to face me, and cocked her head. “Apparently, you’re farther along than you realize. That, or you have a…”

  Her eyes moved past me and she pulled back, hands up as if to defend herself. There, walking toward me, was Basty. He strolled up to my side, looked at me, then the ghost. I knelt and patted his head, lifting him up to set him on my shoulder.

  “This is Basty,” I said.

  She stared at him, eyes narrowing momentarily, then sighed. “I see. I’ve never seen this before, but from what I can gather, he amplifies your powers—at least, in regard to your power over me. We share a connection, but nobody I’ve ever shared a connection with before has been capable of imprisoning me as you just did.”

  “I apologize,” I said with a bow of my head. “I only meant to mentally request you calm down. My emotions got the better of me.”

  “Emotions can be quite strong. Learn to lean on them, and you will grow fast. For now…” She eyed Basty again, a shiver running through her. “Promise you won’t sic that thing on me.”

  “I promise,” I replied. The idea of siccing Basty on anyone had never occurred to me, though now I was curious. It was something we’d have to test at a later date.

  “When do we do this?” I asked.

  “Everyone needs rest, and there’s a spiritual bond that goes best when you’re asleep,” Ahlaksiz replied. “For this reason, I advise we leave first thing in the morning.”

  Kinara scoffed. “You want us to try to go back to sleep after that?!”

  Milrae even looked a bit shaken, while Jalee only glared, pissed.

  “Please try,” Ahlaksiz said. “I can assure you that, once you have all gotten to know each other, we will all look back on this moment and laugh.”

  The two monkey guards stood in the middle, tense, but when my team backed off, they relaxed as well. I studied them for a moment as I wondered which side they would have taken had a fight broken out. Considering the subservience they had shown to the ghost, I imagined such a fight would have led to some major issues in terms of keeping the group together.

  “Wait,” I said, turning to Suiko, “you mentioned that I wasn’t your first visitor?”

  “Ah, yes.” Her eyes glistened, and she turned to Ahlaksiz. “Our old friend, Amabie, called on me. I didn’t listen at the time, as her words didn’t make sense to me. I was… lost. But now…”

  The ghostly face transformed, mouth and nose projecting into a beak, face morphing until she resembled Amabie, aside from eyes of pure white at that moment.

  “My dearest Suiko-sama, you will have a guest, shortly,” Amabie’s voice came through. “I do hope you will not reject her, and that you can convey this message—we are on our way, and will meet you at the… to avoid undue attention. Please, ask her to find us at the station where we last met on her previous trip to Japan. We hope to once again see you, as well. We will arrive on the morning of the sixteenth, as Yuki has arrangements to make in order to do her part.”

  At that, Suiko’s face returned to her normal one, and she teetered ever so slightly.

  “There you have it,” Ahlaksiz said. “That would be tomorrow morning. We rest, find them in the morning, then see where this Eye of Ra takes us.”

  My chest was pounding, while complete exhaustion overtook my body. I had advanced my use of this inner power, made love by the onsen, and become a sort of vessel for a ghost. It had been quite the day. Kinara welcomed me to a mat they had laid out for me, and before I knew it, my eyes were closing.

  The last thing I saw before sleep took hold was the ball of light that was Suiko flowing into me. Distant words spoke of bonding or something like that, but my mind was already losing focus, then gone to dreamland.

  What dreams they were. At once I was in an ancient Japanese court, surrounded by generals in samurai armor, then standing on a balcony and watching as invading forces clashed with my own. Colors swam over me like curtains in a heavy wind, moving to show bathing waters, a floating lotus, and a reflection that clearly belonged to Suiko as she had once been, while alive. Her flesh had color to it, but I recognized the features.

  Men and women surrounded me in various states of undress, one man approaching, entering the water as he removed his mokko fundoshi, I think it was—a sort of Japanese underwear. As he did, though, pain took me in the back and I went rigid with it, seeing in the reflection a form behind me, then red taking over the water. Again, the colors came, this time all red, and I was floating over Japanese castles, rice paddies, and bamboo forests. Rage filled me until I came to rest in a temple, where I saw a familiar face—the Monkey Princess. She welcomed me, soothed me, and prayed in a way that allowed me to become one with my surroundings, to lose myself and the thirst for revenge.

  Of course, it wasn’t me at all, but Suiko. Either images she wanted me to see, or flashes of a past that she couldn’t withhold, now that we were in some sense bonded. Not linked, I knew—she wasn’t a monster, not in the same way as the others. This was different, and as I woke in the middle of the night, pondering it, all I knew was that I couldn’t begin to understand what this woman had been through, in life and in death. Kinara lay there, staring at me, and grinned when I met her gaze.

  “You look… stronger,” she whispered. “Sexier.”

  I smiled, leaning over to kiss her on the nose. Before I could think of a response, sleep took me again. This time, I was vaguely aware of dreams of my own life, as if it was my turn to share with Suiko. In comparison to her sharing, it seemed rather uneventful. Dull, even. And in some ways, that was very much a relief.

  23

  Fresh air touched my cheek, and I awoke with a start. The window was open, the others already up and ready. They had most of the mats put away, and a fresh breakfast of eggs, salad, and fish waiting for me. Not my usual breakfast of an egg and bacon burrito—okay, more often than not I ate boring old granola with yogurt and blueberries—but I was in Japan, so I did as the Japanese do.