They laughed quietly together in the dark.
“I hated the dark when I was young because there could be anything in it,” said JC. “Anything at all.”
“How the hell did you people ever get to be professional Ghost Finders?” said Brook.
“Therapy,” said JC. “And pay-back.”
“How’s that working out for you?” said Brook.
“I found Kim, in the dark,” said JC. “And that makes up for everything.”
“Darling,” said Kim. “You pick the oddest times to say the nicest things.”
“Hold everything!” said JC. “Hush, people; let me think this through. It’s just. . dark. Right? Nothing actually there. No physical threat at all apart from the cold. So we’re not in any real danger at all. .”
“I like the sound of that,” said Happy. “Keep talking. .”
“If we stay in the dark long enough, we’ll freeze,” said Melody.
“Or maybe even. . fade away,” said Kim. “I think the dark is erosive to our minds and our souls. No living thing can hope to survive for long in conditions like these.” She paused, as a thought struck her. “JC, the dark followed me back here. Followed me inside the inn. Maybe, if I was to leave the inn again, the dark would follow me out. I could lead it away; and you’d all be safe in the light again.”
“We are not giving anyone up,” JC said firmly. “And especially not after I got you back.”
“But I’m already dead!” said Kim.
“No!” said JC. “We don’t give up anyone on the team to the forces of evil! Not ever! Especially when I’ve suddenly had this really excellent idea. The dark is stronger than any one of us. But all of us together? Do you remember, Happy, when you joined our minds and souls together to make contact with the ghost of the old god Lud, in the dark of London Undertowen? We all glowed so very brightly, pushing back the dark. We all glowed golden, like my eyes.”
“Yes!” said Kim. “I remember! We shone like the sun. .”
“I can’t see your eyes glowing now, JC,” said Happy doubtfully.
“But that’s only me,” said JC. “If you can bind us all together again. .”
“Happy?” said Melody, when he didn’t immediately reply. “Can you do that?”
“I don’t see why not,” said Happy; and they could hear his smile even if they couldn’t see it.
Happy reached out with his mind, forcing it through the resisting dark, jumping from one mind to another, linking them in one formidable thought. He even pulled in Brook’s mind, much to the barman’s surprise. And then Happy led them all in one great shout of defiance against the dark. They blazed with a great golden light, as though some inner fire had ignited their souls. They burned so brightly in the dark, visible to each other at last, despite all the dark could do to stop them. Like living candles, made of light.
The darkness fell back, unable to face this new light.
It retreated back over the counter, and back across the room; and more and more of the main bar returned, visible again. The dark swept back, in full retreat now, unable to face or block the power of this new, overwhelming light. Until, finally, the dark hit the outer wall, and the windows, and disappeared back through them. And was gone. The main bar was back, looking exactly as it had, every detail sharp and clear in the steady electric light. Happy let out a great sigh, and collapsed, utterly exhausted. His esper link disappeared in a moment, and everybody was alone in their own head again. The golden glow snapped off. Melody was there to catch Happy in her arms as he fell and hold him. JC vaulted over the top of the bar-counter and ran across the room to peer out the window.
He grinned back at the others.
“I can see the moon! And the stars! Everything’s back. . and listen! You can hear the storm again! Everything’s back to normal!”
“Well,” said Brook, uncertainly, “I don’t know about that. As near to normal as it ever gets around here, perhaps.” He shook his head, frowning. “Funny; it feels like I’ve forgotten something, but I can’t remember what. A dream of. . glowing, like a star. But it’s already fading.”
“Best way,” said JC, striding back to the counter. “Let it go.”
Kim burst through the bar to meet him, and did her happy dance in the middle of the room, circling JC and stamping her feet and waving her arms. JC even accompanied her for a few steps.
“Since we are now in a winning mood,” he announced loudly, “I say we go upstairs and sort out all the bad rooms. Do something positive about the ghost girl Lydia, and the Timeslips, and find out what’s in the room that eats people and kick its nasty arse. Because that’s what we’re here for.”
“Cocky,” Happy said to Melody, as he got his strength back and his feet under him again. “Definitely cocky. I swear, if I could reduce him to pill form, all my troubles would be over.”
EIGHT
JC and Brook led the way up the backstairs to the upper floor. JC took the steps two at a time, grinning broadly. Brook stomped along behind him, more or less resignedly. It was hard to say no to JC when he had the bit between his teeth, ready to dash headlong into action and to hell with the consequences. JC glanced back at Brook and flashed him his best encouraging smile. Brook looked stonily back at him. JC shrugged and pressed on. He swaggered out onto the landing and waited for the others to catch up. He could hear Happy and Melody and Kim talking quietly together, further down the stairs.
“It does seem to me,” said Happy, “that we are doing this whole joining together thing a little more often than I am comfortable with. Partly because I am, after all, a very private person. .”
“With so many things it’s best to be private about,” murmured Melody.
“And also because this whole shining with a very bright light thing strikes me as not always being a good thing,” said Happy, doggedly.
“It feels easier every time we do it,” said Kim. “As though we’re learning some useful, and perhaps necessary, skill.”
Happy sniffed loudly. “Is there something you’re not telling us, Kim?”
“More than you can possibly imagine,” said Kim, smiling brightly.
“We do blaze very brightly when we join together,” said Melody. “And everyone knows. . the candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long. It worries me, as to exactly what it is we’re burning. Our life-force? Our souls?”
Happy sniggered. “Did you just say. .”
“No I didn’t, and you know it,” Melody said sternly. “Try and keep up with the adults in this conversation, Happy.”
“I have considered the problem,” said Happy. “Nothing like being permanently paranoid to give you a healthy interest in all the things that can kill you. . When we blaze so very brightly, you have to wonder whose attention we might be attracting. Nothing like an unexpected light in the dark to catch Something’s eye. All sorts of Somethings. .”
“Well, we know that the inn, or perhaps more properly the local power source, has been blazing brightly enough to pull in all kinds of Really Bad Things,” said Melody. “Like moths to a flame. .”
“Perhaps we’re drawing the attention of whatever it was that first reached down from Outside and put its mark on JC, in the London Underground,” said Happy. “After all, the light we project when we’re joined does seem very like the light that glows from his eyes. . Anything you’d like to add, Kim?”
“I’m not disagreeing,” Kim said carefully.
“But you’re not answering the question,” said Happy.
“Some questions have no straightforward answers,” said Kim.
“I am changing the subject,” announced Melody. “On the grounds that you are making my head ache even more than usual. Hey, JC! Question. Why are we still messing about with the problems of this haunted inn when we know the real trouble comes from the storm raging outside?”
“Because we can do something about haunted inns,” said JC, not looking back. “Haunted inns are in the job description. We know what to do. We don’t know enough about the storm or the power behind it. Not yet. Happy, talk to me!”