my healing magic into him, as well.
Once he began to wake, I sat back and rested a minute, giving the three of them time to get their bearings. “Anybody need healing?” I asked once they looked at me owlishly, looking as confused as I felt.
“Ava,” Luci said insistently. “How did you do it?”
“Do what?” I asked, irritated at his questioning. I looked up at Owen, ignoring the devil. “Did you see where my mom went?” I asked. “Did it get her?”
Owen shook his head. “You yelled for her to run and she disappeared, but I never saw what you were fighting. What did it look like?”
I mouthed at him silently. “I don’t even know how to explain it.”
“It was enormous,” Olivia said.
“Like a gigantic blob of liquid ink,” Drew added.
Sam shuddered. “Unnatural. Evil.”
Luci’s eyes flashed. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. Tell me how you got there and how you got back, and I’ll help you.”
I thought about what had happened at the precise moment we crossed over from the real train to the ghost train. Then I glared at Luci. “It was some sort of big magical surge,” I said. “It had to be. That’s how we got back out. I gathered all that magic, surely you saw that part?”
He nodded. “Yes, but how did you get in?”
Straightening my spine, I sniffed and climbed to my feet. “That’s none of your business,” I said stiffly. “Now, leave us. I want to try to find my mother.”
Everyone else stood with me and we stretched and tried to get our bearings. My magic had literally bounced off of the inky blob, so it was still in the ghost world with my mom, tracking her. Why? I wasn’t sure. Deep down, I knew it had something to do with how she died, but I had no idea how to stop it. But I would. And I would help my mom find peace.
“Let’s go call a coven meeting,” I said. “Owen, maybe you can reach out to any necromancers you know?”
He nodded. “Of course. There aren’t many of us, but maybe they’ve had experience with ghosts before. We can ask.”
“Luci,” I said sharply.
He arched an eyebrow at me. “Yes?”
“Tell me about that place. What’s the big deal about it?” I stared at him until he sighed.
“It’s called the in-between. It’s where souls go when they die but refuse to pass on.” He rolled his eyes. “And I’ve never been able to get in there.”
“Why did you set it up for us to be on that train?” I asked.
Luci grinned wickedly. “That was a particularly genius plan of mine. I’d been told by other, shall we say, informants, that the ghost train would be passing near that train line. The ghosts have a bit of a network thing going on, and I happened to know there was a ghost near Philly that was supposed to be picked up.”
“A ghost that, what?” Olivia asked. “They didn’t say anything about picking up ghosts.”
Luci gave her a dry look. “How do you think there are so many ghosts on the train?”
Olivia shrugged and we exchanged a glance. I hadn’t thought about it either. “We haven’t exactly had time to go over all this stuff in detail.”
Luci waved his hand. “Anyway, I want you to do whatever you did and help get me on the ghostly plane. It sounds like a kick. And maybe I can help you with your big blobby thing.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me. “What do you say?”
I couldn’t stop my gaze from drifting to Drew.
He looked like he’d swallowed a frog.
“I say no!” I said quickly. “Me getting there was a case of being at the right place at the right time. I can’t just…” Oh, it was so hard not to look at Drew. “Do that again.”
Luci’s shoulders slumped. “You’re going to have to try, aren’t you? Gotta save mommy dearest. When you figure it out, let me know? I’ll help in exchange for a ride in and out of that realm.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What is so—” but he snapped his fingers and disappeared.
With a sigh, I turned toward the ocean in the distance, in the direction of where I’d seen my mom both times. “Mom, if you can hear me, I’ll come for you. Just keep safe from that thing. I’ll get you out of there.”
Sniffling, I sank into Drew’s arms and let him guide me back toward the house. As we reached the deck stairs,