The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck
The pumpkin blasted away the lower half of its body, but it wasn’t enough. Finney pushed Ember aside just in time, and the ghost hit him with full force, knocking the boy away. Finney’s body rolled until it came to a stop near the iron door. The ghost followed, and began trying to dig its fingers into the young man’s chest. The pumpkin’s mouth widened in alarm, and it turned toward Finney, leaving Ember exposed.
Eerie moaning assaulted her ears as she was quickly surrounded. The manifestations howled, cried, rent their hair, and ripped their clothes. Ember covered her ears and screamed as more and more of them pressed in on her, piling on like ants over a fallen apple. She wrenched back and forth, but they held her in a firm grip. Their moans increased in volume and clarity, as if they were trying to speak to her, but water dripped from their mouths and gushed down their chests. Instead of words, their utterances sounded like the roar of the sea.
She saw white and blue lights pierce the horde of ghosts, and the specters melted away in groups. She allowed hope to bloom. But as many as were driven off, there were others jostling to take their places.
There were too many to fight. As if sensing her desperation, something pressed into her back and seemed to scrape her heart on the inside. She crouched, curling into a ball and wrapping her arms around her legs. It was then that Ember felt a familiar tug, a small burning in the pit of her stomach: Her witchlight.
She drew it up and out slowly, tending to it like she would the first spark of a fire. She took in a slow breath, and her inner power built and began filling her with warmth. Her witchlight strengthened her limbs. She straightened her back, and whatever being had been digging into her squealed and vanished.
Cold spray hit her back as she stood. It reminded her of when she’d stand beneath a tree in the winter and a wind would whip up a freezing cloud of snow that would land gently on her arms and neck. It gave her strength, woke her. She looked at the nearest ghost and pushed her power out and toward the creature. It lit up on the inside. The spectral woman smiled at her, nodded, and then burst into a cloud of ice.
Ember did the same thing again and again. As the beings crowded around her, all she had to do was stretch out her hand and touch their shoulder or arm, and they’d completely dissolve for good.
Through their transparent bodies, Ember saw Jack. He and his pumpkin were decimating ghosts, trying to tear a trail to her, but as soon as he carved out a section, the space was refilled. On the other side, she saw the blue light of Dev’s cane-turned-staff and heard the blasts of Delia’s pistol. They were much closer now than they had been before.
The witchlight inside her burned through whatever drug Dev had given her, gaining momentum. She allowed it to come, to surface, layer after layer, until her whole body glowed with it. Ember held out her arms and threw back her head. Ghosts came, taking hold of her hands, her arms, her hair, and when they did, they lifted their faces to the heavens, smiled, and vanished.
Ember didn’t know how long she stood there, acting as a beacon to spectral oblivion, but the voices soon grew quiet. There were only a few ghosts remaining. Ember opened her eyes and saw Dev, Jack, Frank, Delia, and several crew members, their chests heaving from exertion. They all watched her with mouths open. Finney came close, holding out her pistols, Jack’s pumpkin floating just behind his shoulder.
She shook her head. There were only five ghosts left. The first approached slowly. It was a young girl, maybe ten years of age. She hesitantly reached up and gripped Ember’s fingers. Her mouth shaped into an O as she burst into a white cloud. The next, an old man, came forward and bowed his head. Ember held out her hand to him, and when he took it, he also disappeared.
The next two—twins—came together. The two young men looked at each other, smiled, and touched her shoulders. Then there was only one. It was eerily quiet now. The creaking of the ship and the balloon overhead was the only sound. The last ghost, an older woman, came forward. She hummed. The tune resonated sadness and salvation at the same time, and Ember realized it was the wailing song she’d heard before. The ghosts had been singing for her.
A bit of water trickled out of the ghost’s mouth as she approached Ember. Leaning close without touching her, the ghost whispered something into Ember’s ear and then stepped back and lowered her head.
“Yes, of course,” Ember said. “Fare thee well.”
The ghost’s eyes glistened with damp as Ember pressed her hand to the woman’s cheek. The woman sighed deeply, touched her own hand to Ember’s, and then disappeared in a flurry of light snow that quickly melted away to a puddle near Ember’s feet.
Jack was the first to move. He pushed between Frank and Delia and gripped Ember’s shoulders. His chest heaved and he worked his jaw, but whatever it was he wanted to say, he couldn’t get the words out. Instead, he swept Ember up into his arms. Ember’s body shook as her witchlight drained out of her limbs and pooled in her belly. She was suddenly very, very tired. Was this what had drawn her to the Otherworld? Were the ghosts summoning her from beyond the crossroad?
“They’re gone,” Frank said. “All of them. Even the jumper and my own personal shadow.”
Ember smiled and let her body relax against Jack’s warm chest. On a railing overhead, she saw the golden eyes of Delia’s cat intently watching her and twitching its tail. “I wonder how you got out,” Ember said, her eyes closing.
Turning with Ember in his arms, Jack’s pumpkin floated closer, bathing them in its light. “I’m going to help her get to bed,” Jack said. “We’re not done,” he said to Dev.
With that, Jack headed back to the iron door. Finney scrambled to get there first to hold it open, and Jack carried Ember down the stairs and into the dark hall. She liked the scrape of his unshaven cheek against hers, and how languid and peaceful she felt. Ember also was vaguely aware of the shifting of fabric on her body, clean sheets in a cold room, and the press of Jack’s lips on her forehead.
She fell asleep with a contented smile.
Once Ember was in bed, with Finney guarding her door, Jack headed back to the main deck, fury fueling his footsteps. His pumpkin appeared to prefer staying with Finney, though it had never left his side before unless he commanded it. It seemed the orb had indeed developed its own persona. He wondered how that had happened and if it was a natural progression of the ember inside it or if there was something wrong with the container itself. He’d never heard of such a thing before. Again he wondered if there was something more to it than just removing his soul and placing it inside.
When he burst through the iron door, he found the captain and Ember’s vampire both hovering over a large astrolabe. Dev glanced up and summarily turned his back.
With all the asperity Jack could muster, the lantern channeled his distant pumpkin and gathered his light around him until he knew he looked like a bomb about to blow, then threw his hands out toward the two of them. Lightning shot out, blistering the deck near their feet, but the man just sighed and gave him a long-suffering look while the woman narrowed her eyes and scowled at the score marks on her ship.
“While I understand your impatience with me, I’ll thank you to note that my ship has done you no harm,” the captain said.
Jack retorted, “If I could carry the witch and the human lad away from this vessel, believe me, your ship would have already been riven asunder.”
“Are all lanterns this insufferable?” the vampiress asked Dev.
“All that I’ve come across,” the man replied, dusting imaginary lint from his collar.
Steaming, Jack began gathering his energy to attack, when the captain held up a hand. “We are not your enemy, lantern,” she began. “Your witch will come to no harm.”
“His witch?” Dev said, stiffening.
“Oh, Dev. Come now,” the captain replied. “Isn’t it quite obvious? The lantern didn’t come all this way to report the girl. You saw as well as I did how comfortable they were together. That being sai
“Then what exactly are your intentions?” Jack asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Dev struck his cane against the deck and the witchlight orb glowed menacingly as he pointed it in Jack’s face. “This lantern’s unbearable,” Dev said. “Must we tolerate him? It’s like having water in one’s shoes.”
Jack leaned toward the vampire. “I promise you, vampire, that I’m a lot more dangerous than water in your shoes.”
The captain stepped between them. “Calm yourselves. Both of you. Dev, you know where we’re heading is dangerous. The lantern’s already proved a help against the ghost storm. Who knows what else we’re going to come up against on this crazy path you’ve decided to tread.”
She turned to Jack. “I believe proper introductions are in order. My name is Captain Delia Blackbourne, and this is my brother Deverell. As of this moment, I officially welcome you and the human boy aboard my ship, the Phantom Airbus. I’ll even offer my thanks for helping us navigate the storm safely.”
“That’s right. You flew through a storm of ghosts on purpose!” Jack said.
“You see?” Dev said. “There’s no talking to him! He’s mortal born. Lanterns only understand what they’re taught. Their single-mindedness makes working with them impossible.”
Delia put her hands on her hips. “Clearly you’re wrong about this one. The fact that he’s here shows he has doubts about the establishment. I give all my crew members a chance to earn my trust. So far, he’s done nothing but help. Now, if you want to be helpful, start up the nets so we can get out of here. This empty space where the storm used to be is giving me the shivers. The faster we can vacate this piece of sky, the better.”
Dev threw up his arms and stomped off, hollering, “Frank! Let’s get those nets back up!”
Delia noted their position on the astrolabe and adjusted their heading. Jack frowned, glancing up at the balloon high above. The nets sparked and flickered and then ignited, the power flowing through them growing brighter with each passing second.
“You were navigating the storm without witchlight,” Jack said.
“It’s the only way to survive such a storm. If we hadn’t turned off the nets, the entities would have attacked them.”
“But how did you remain aloft without the nets being active?”
Delia tapped her temple, smiled, and winked, flashing her silver fang. “We’ve got a backup generator. It’s totally encased in a special alloy that is virtually undetectable. It doesn’t last long, though.”
With the storm of ghosts gone, the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, bathing the deck in cool light that glinted off the metal of the ship. “That’s why you locked Ember belowdecks,” Jack said.
“Yes. It was dangerous enough to navigate through the storm even if Ember hadn’t been on board. Dev tamped her power, but we still knew the ghosts might sense her. Keeping her confined was the best option.” Delia eyed the lantern. “She’s a special witch, that one. Never seen one handle a storm like that. She didn’t destroy them, she…” The captain’s words trailed off.
“She saved them,” Jack mumbled.
“Yeah, like I said, that girl of yours is special. But I can see that you already know that.”
Jack’s mouth tightened and Delia’s suspicions were confirmed. The lantern was as sweet on the girl as Dev. Both men were puffing hot air like rival smokestacks. Delia sighed and lifted the corner of her mouth as she allowed herself, ever so briefly, to remember the heady feeling of being in love. Then she remembered how it felt to be betrayed and she sucked in a breath. Whatever the men’s intentions were regarding Ember’s heart, they had a job to do, the first part of which was to get her ship back up and running like clockwork.
“Her tea was laced with devil’s breath,” Jack said bluntly, rousing Del from her thoughts.
Delia’s mouth gaped. “Dev wouldn’t,” she began. “He couldn’t.”
“Well, he or someone he knows did.”
“Could it have been a mistake?”
“Devil’s breath is expensive. There aren’t too many who could afford such a thing, let alone make a mistake with it. And the only one I can see benefiting from it is your brother.”
Delia hesitated. “So you believe your witch was coerced into coming here?”
Jack sighed. “Yes and no. She’s wanted to come for as long as she’s known about it. But I’ve kept her away. Someone powerful wants her here. That much is clear. And I think you know who it is.”
Delia bit her lip, then said, “You were right to refuse her entry before. There’s only suffering on this side. She’d be better off in the mortal world.”
“Then let me take her back.”
“Can’t. I owe Dev a favor, and a pirate never reneges on a favor. It’s part of the code. As is the rule of not discussing jobs or employers,” she said, glancing at him meaningfully. “Besides, even if I took you back, odds are someone would find her and follow the trail back to your crossroad. Best you can do for the girl is let Dev use his connections to help her disappear. That’s his true purpose. I can at least assure you of that. Letting him work the system is the only way to protect her from here on out.”
Jack shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
“And what are your other options, then, young Jack? Are you abandoning your duty for a girl?”
He waited a tick before answering. “I suppose the answer to that question is obvious.”
Delia started, surprised that a lantern would give up so much for another human. “I suppose it is.”
When Dev returned with a scowl on his face at seeing his sister engaged in polite conversation with the lantern, he said, “Nets are back up. I’m going to head down now and—”
The captain interrupted him. “Jack’s taking your bunk, Dev. You’ll be sleeping in the quarters adjacent to mine.”
The vampire’s face turned red. “Del, I don’t think you understand the—”
“Believe me, if anyone understands, it’s me.” She patted her brother’s chest and offered him a fond smile. “This is for the best. Trust me. Now head off to bed. I’ll wake you when we pass the meridian.”
Dev stared at his sister, trying to bore a hole through her with his eyes, and then, knowing he’d lost, he powered between the two, shoving Jack with his shoulder as he did. He knew there was no arguing with Delia on her ship.
After he was gone, Jack said, “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, lantern. The duty of protecting this particular witch is not one I’d wish on anyone, especially my brother.” Her face saddened for an instant. “He’s a soft-hearted sort of vampire. A rare thing among our kind. I don’t want to lose him. Do you understand?” she asked, her eyes trained on Jack.
“I think I do.”
“Then, best get below and look after your charge. Or charges, I should say. What on earth would inspire you to bring along a pet mortal?”
Jack shrugged. “The boy is clever. He was able to track Ember when I couldn’t. Your brother hid her particularly well.”
The captain grunted. “Sounds like the glass-eyes is a young man I should get to know.”
“We won’t be with you long enough for that,” Jack said, turning, his mental focus already turned to Ember.
“I wouldn’t count on that,” Delia said.
Jack didn’t reply, but headed downstairs. He found Finney, seated on the floor in front of Ember’s door, asleep, his spectacles ready to fall off his nose. The poor boy was as baked as Jack was. It had been quite some time since they’d slept. Jack eyed his pumpkin, which sat underneath the boy’s arm. It smiled at him, its eyes following him around the room.
He found a blanket for Finney and tucked it around the boy, then shifted him so he lay down on a pillow. The wind whipping through the broken window was calmer now, almost balmy. Changing to fog, Jack s
She sighed in her sleep and mumbled something, then brushed her nose. Jack felt a shift of power. It hit his form, manipulating him and forcing him to transition. He resisted it at first, confused. Such a thing had never happened to him before. Ember stretched up her hand, found his half-formed arm, and tugged.
Her magic worked on him, and he materialized on the bed next to her. Now satisfied, she turned her back to him, and dragged his arm across her side, clutching his hand between hers. Jack thought he’d stay for just a moment, allow her to fall more deeply asleep, and then try to slip away again. He waited, her back pressed into his chest, his nose buried in her hair, but whatever magic she was using to keep him close didn’t wane.
Jack wondered if it was part of her natural defense mechanism. Perhaps she knew that Jack’s presence meant safety and as long as he was close, she could rest. He relaxed, threading his fingers through hers and closing his eyes. He was glad Ember trusted him, even if it was only on a subconscious level. He told himself that their being close was simply an extension of his duty, but deep inside, he knew that wasn’t entirely true.
Lying next to Ember, her fingers entwined with his, her soft body pressed close, felt so right that Jack feared it was very wrong. He listened to her quiet breathing and slipped into a comfortable and deep sleep himself.
Jack was surprised that he slept so long next to Ember—at least double the number of hours he usually did, especially when he didn’t wake naturally. The ship lurched and the two of them were tossed out of bed in a heap of sheets, pillows, and limbs.
* * *
* * *