The Phantom Touch

Second Chance

We gathered together on the lowest level of the library. Shelves lined the walls while the majority of the room remained open and free of clutter. The floor, however, had a circular rune etched into the tile, which became more visible as Graham instructed his assisting mages to line the glyph with small candles.

Where Gregory's sponsorship ceremony had been festive and bright, Violet's conversion was solemn and sober. There wouldn't be food carts, carnival games, and kids chasing each other around with balloons in hand. This time only the clan leaders and the Bodies attended the ceremony, and many of us dressed as if we were about to witness a funeral instead of what would hopefully be a happy conversion.

Irene, Will, and Dean took up the left side of the circle, their hands clasped together before them and their heads bowed. On the other side, the clan leaders took position. Kyra wore a formal police uniform while Gregory stood at her side with his toolkit in hand, ready to attend to Violet when the time was right. Beside them was Raid, who wore his same leather bomber jacket as he always did, but also dressed in a pressed pair of slacks and a crisp button down shirt. The zombie leader, however, came with his own escort, who looked bright and hopeful upon his arm — Mercedes.

And it really was Mercedes. No one doubted it for a minute now that she was gleefully eating up the large amounts of human flesh she'd need to recover, only stopping to complain about how she'd really like a treat of bull snout every once and awhile. Thankfully, she appeared to be sticking to her regimen because some of her curves had filled back into her clothes and when she tried to offer a reassuring smile to Violet, she displayed a full set of teeth. Of course the meat diet didn't help with recovering her incisors, those only returned with the help of the mages. They worked around the clock to heal both her and Bungee, with little concern to the expense it would cost. I learned that Raid and Mercedes had a large store of money thanks to Mercedes' former life. Despite that fact, it was not their money that went towards healing the damaged zombies. Instead, the fortunes of the ghosts that had betrayed us were being used to pay for the treatments. They wouldn't be needing those funds anytime soon considering all of the ghosts were trapped in runes and buried deep within the ground with wards now marking their graves.

I sighed. A part of me understood the ghosts' intentions, but what they did to the zombies was unforgiveable, especially when it came to Bungee and Mercedes.

Mercedes may have been taking to recovery well, but Bungee was not. No matter the amount of money, mages could only heal a broken back so fast. However, it wasn't just that that needed to heal. I tried to visit him so we could talk about what had happened, but a zombie would always tell me Bungee wasn't feeling well enough for visitors. I believed otherwise, however, I also respected his wishes and hoped our friendship wasn't a casualty of Trevor's desire.

"You all right?"

My escort grabbed hold of my hand, offering me a soft smile beneath his groomed stubble. Everett cleaned up nicely for the ceremony, wearing a suit and combing his short wavy hair so that it created an elegant frame around his handsome face instead of a shaggy tangle that caught in his lashes and hooked over his ears. Had it not been for the faint white line on his throat, no one could have guessed the trauma he had endured only a week prior.

"Yes, just worried for Violet," I answered, bending my head down so I could rest my forehead on his shoulder. He placed a light kiss upon my hair before whispering softly in my ear.

"You need to be strong for her. This is the most difficult conversion and she'll need to believe in our strength in order to anchor herself here. The more she has to hold on to, the more likely she will succeed."

I couldn't answer him, so I just pulled away and gave him a nod.

"Are we ready, Archmage?" The question came from a large apparition standing at the far end of the circle. The ghost's aura was grander than any I had seen before, her form fully rendered in exquisite detail. Despite the elegant gown she conjured for herself and the long, flowing, ethereal locks that trailed behind her, she still had spiritual energy to spare and the remainder of her aura swirled around her like a cloak.