“You know him?”
“No, but he’s human.”
I didn’t know what to say to the wandering soul. He seemed perfectly content as he studied everything. I would’ve assumed he was alive if not for the slight blur around him as well as an innate sense my inner fire gave me that told me he was a ghost.
“What’s your name?” Caleb asked. “I told you mine. It’s only fair of you to share. Not that you have to be fair. I mean, I’m dead, but you’re the first person I’ve had to talk to in cycles. So a name would be nice. I can make one up for you, if you’d like.That might be fun, though your name is probably nice. Is it nice? Do you like it? What does it mean?”
My lips quirked at the rambling. “Zoltilvoxfyn. I’m the fourth prince of the Drakcol Empire. My name means precious gift of the Crystal, and yes, I like it well enough, and yes, it is perfectly nice.”
“You’re Kalvoxrencol’s older brother,” he said.
“I’m three cycles older.”
“Brothers are awesome. Not just brothers. Siblings are nice. I like siblings. It’s fun to see how blood plays out in people’s appearances, you know? My brothers look nothing like me, but one of my cousins is practically identical to me, even though she’s a girl. Weird, right? How can you see me?”
This soul talked. A lot. “My inner fire.”
“What? What does that mean? Are you special? You seem special.”
“My inner fire. Each drakcol has one, but type and strength is determined by family lineage. Mine allows me to see the spirits of those who have died. Kalvoxrencol has the gift of light. My other brother Dontilvynsan can read minds. Serlotminden can create fire. Hallonnixmin is persuasive.”
“That’s sweet,” he said. “I’m jealous. I would love to move things like I had the force.”
What did sweetness have to do with anything and what was this “force?” While he spoke my language, Caleb said things that didn’t make sense. “Why are you here on this plane, Little Soul?”
His shoulders lifted and lowered again. “Just am. Never left.”
Souls always had some idea of why they lingered: loved ones, unfinished business, revenge, or any number of reasons. I’d never met or read about a spirit who didn’t know why they were here. Then again, I’d never met a spirit who’d wandered this far.
“None?” I questioned.
“I stuck around. Why wouldn’t I? There’s too much to see.” Caleb skipped toward my greenhouse. His blue eyes with their strange, round pupils swept the windows. “This place is…” He broke off into human speech.
“I cannot tell from your tone if that is good or bad.”
He beamed at me, which caused the same swooping to occur in my gut. “Good. All good.”
Caleb slid straight through the glass, and I frowned. I didn’t allow anyone in my greenhouse, barring my brothers on rare occasions. It was my sanctuary. A place to be alone with my thoughts when I needed it, though sometimes that wasn’t a good thing. My mind was often my worst enemy.
I followed him inside. The humid air clung to my scales, and the hot temperature pressed against me. Flowers of all kinds, mainly my rarest plants and hybrids, greeted me. Light floral scents mixed with fresh dirt and fertilizer. Caleb raced around, a bounce in each step, as he studied my hard work.
Caleb was like no other soul I’d met. He exuded life. He wasn’t perturbed about the fact he was dead; though from his words, it had been some time now. Also, spirits did not travel the stars.
Apparently, the normal rules didn’t apply to Caleb.
Helping him find peace was my responsibility. I’d never met another medium. It was a rare inner fire—one of the rarest. But there were logs from the previous ones in history, and in them, mediums were mandated to bring restless souls to peace. I hadn’t assisted many spirits in crossing over, since most left without aid, but I would have to help this one. How though?
I had no idea, but it was my duty.
Chapter 4
Is that a smile?
This greenhouse was sweet. Definitely in the top ten of things I’d seen in my journeys. Every plant was alive and flourishing. Pots floated in the air, wandering around the greenhouse on their own, like magic… though knowing drakcol, it was “science” or some shit.
Flowers ranged from the usual reds and pinks, but I spotted flowers that started out as blue in the center and turned violent yellow on the jagged edges. There were ferns with spotted leaves or stripes or both, coming in neon colors to purple so dark that it was almost black. One plant was a deep blue and glittered like it was alive with stars and had blood-red blooms that shimmered in the light.
Everything was new and interesting.
