The Trial of the Ghost

Chapter 6: The Festival of the Gods

Months kept passing and before any of them knew it, the end of the year and winter holidays approached. For Pathists, that meant the Festival of the Gods, a nine day festival with a day to celebrate each of the eight goddesses and one god, followed by the new year on the winter solstice. For everyone else, well, Rylygists and Ferihjenists didn’t have any holidays at this time of year. As for Wildists and Naturalists….

Kra and Oth had bonded over it. Traditionally, Wildists track the new year through stars and constellations but adopted the Pathist new year as their set new year when Lywolf introduced their calendar. Naturists' new year was the first snow after the leaves began falling but they also adopted that fixed day so they could get the day off in Lywolf's government.

They’d also bonded over everyone confusing their religions. Wildism was native to the M’sailke archipelago, but had gone viral and there’d been a wave of new practitioners within the last decade. Now, Wildism was the religion associated with learning life lessons from trees and animals, when Naturalism was more widely practiced due to having various forms practiced by the majority of the native tribes of eastern Lywolf.

Kra always thought it wasn’t that hard to keep the differences right. Wildism considered trees, the ancients, to be sacred sources of knowledge and so did Naturalism, but they took it a step further and had family trees that housed the souls of their ancestors. They both took lessons from birds (different lessons, obviously) but Wildism didn’t learn anything from large land animals like the Naturalists did with their deer, elk, and moose. How could they? It was founded on an island. They had sea animals instead. Turtles. Whales. Seals. It was different.

Needless to say, Allelosin was getting an earful. It was fascinating to learn, but the best part about it was listening to Kra get frustrated about something. It rarely ever happened and he enjoyed it.

He missed those rants once the holidays were finally there and he had nothing to do. He missed having someone talk at him for hours.

His sister was away at college, staying there over the winter break. His mom had taken on extra shifts so others in her ER could celebrate. Buiyikyuk was celebrating with his husband and their extended family. Rox and Zrayt were occupied with their father on vacation and no matter how many times Rox texted him ‘save me,’ he couldn’t exactly plan a break in on the other side of the continent. Kra and Corla were back on M’sav. Kra with her family. Corla with her grandmother.

And that was his entire social circle. All the ones that would consider spending the holidays with him.

It was…. It was….

It….

Sad. It was kind of sad.

Los sat on his couch. Normally, his thoughts went too fast to keep up, but nothing happened as he stared into thin air. He didn’t like the memories of when his head was last this empty.

His heart ached. He knew the feeling too well. From his childhood. From sobbing into his pillow. From high school. From college. From work.

It had been such a constant in his life, he’d conditioned himself to not let it bother him. He’d been good at it for years. Years he’d lived like this.

He’d been fine. Perfectly fine.

It was almost funny, how used he’d gotten to not being alone these last few months. How Kra had just welcomed him into her life without a second thought and pulled him along often enough that others had eventually welcomed him as well.

He pushed himself off the couch.

He wasn’t used to being alone anymore.

It hurt. The ache hurt. He wanted to talk to someone. To listen to someone. Laugh and smile with someone. Feel a hand jostle his shoulder.

Maybe get a hug.

He wiped away the water pooling in the corner of his eyes.

He missed Kra so much.

“Ghost,” Los whispered, opening the window. “Please. I… I need you. I need your help.”

A second passed.

Two.

Three.

He almost despaired of being heard (of course she was busy, of course she didn’t have time for him) when he felt a rush of air against his back.

“What is it, Mr. La’dyliap?” the Ghost asked, her arms crossed and shoulders stiff.

He turned and smiled. “I….” His smile fell as he tried to form the words. Had he really bothered her over something so trivial? Stupid. “I…. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you to come here. It’s- it’s nothing. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”

The Ghost’s arms fell to her side and her body untensed. “Mr. La’dyliap, what is wrong?” she asked, so concerned, Los had to look away before he began to- “You sounded as if you were about to cry.”

Great. “I-”

“Mr. La’dyliap.” She enunciated each word carefully. “Are you alright?”

“I-” He turned back and looked into her hood. At her hood. Not into. It was seamless. He tried to look where he imagined her eyes were. “No. I’m not.”

“How can I help?”

“I just….” He faltered. How could he explain this hole in his chest?

“Please tell me. Mr. La’dyliap, please.”

He nodded. He didn’t have to explain. Not to her because he knew who would get it instantly. Who he wouldn’t have to explain this to.

“There’s this small island, M’sav. Have you heard of it?” The Ghost nodded. “Well, I have a friend who lives there. In a village called Lil. She’s there over the holidays with her parents and I was wondering if you could ask her if I could visit. And if you could take me there if she says yes.”

The Ghost nodded. “I’ll ask.”

“Thank-”

But she’d already vanished.

When Kra explained, her parents agreed with only a little hesitation. It took a split second for her to hide anything that could be connected to her alien heritage. It took another split second to leave a note for Corla, warning her about the visitor.

Kra didn’t suspect Los would want to visit Corla, but just in case, she trusted Corla to take appropriate precautions. Including taking a night off as sidekick.

Day off? Kra wondered as she flew back as the Ghost. M’sav was four hours behind Emlytos and much farther south. It was still day there.

Kra slipped back into Allelosin’s apartment and out of superspeed time. Los turned around before she said anything. He grimaced, waiting for an answer.

“She said yes,” Kra said, making sure her Emlytos accent held. She held out an arm. “Let’s go.”

Los didn’t move. “She… she did?” He sounded as if he could scarcely believe it.

“Is that so hard to believe?”

After one more moment of shock, he shook his head and smiled fondly, but not at her. At a memory of a girl he didn’t know stood before him.

“No, not really,” he replied, his voice on the verge of a chuckle. “It’s Kra.”

It was Kra’s turn to be in shock. He’d said her name as if it was explanation and answer enough.

But when he took her arm, she flew, pulling both of them along at superspeed. She didn’t let Los see the world in her time. She landed in her flower gardens, and he stood exactly where she deposited him, motionless. She walked behind him and reverted her appearance to normal.

Kra took a deep breath and reverted to normal time.

“Los!” she called enthusiastically with her M’savian accent and ran to him, pulling him into a hug.

“Kra,” he replied, slightly disoriented, but clearly happier than he’d been before. He returned the hug. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” she said, pulling back. “You’re always welcome here. Welcome to M’sav.”

Los smiled, the same fond smile from before. “I’m glad to be here. I’m sorry it’s so last minute. I…” He looked down.

Kra put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m here.”

He put his hand on hers and squeezed back. “Yeah, I know. I missed you.”

She smiled gently. “I missed you too.” She had. She had missed Emlytos, how the city hummed and moved. Her job, how everything never stopped moving and invigorated her. Missed the life she had built.

She’d missed it all. Except maybe the smell, but definitely everything else. Of course she’d missed her friends.

While she loved every moment she got with her parents and did not regret coming home for the new year, both were allowed to be true. She loved being home. She missed her other home.

Los pulled back and grinned at her. “You know, you kind of blend. I don’t think I’ve seen that one before.”

Kra looked at her blouse and where she’d deposited her friend. The sunflower patch of her garden.

“It… it used to be my stress stitching blouse,” Kra explained, gesturing at the fabric, which had every inch covered in embroidered sunflowers. “When I got, um, stressed or needed something to do with my hands, I would embroider, er,” She held out her arm so he could examine the sleeve, “sunflowers on it. And well…. It kind of ran out of room. Now I’ve got a new one!”

“Still doing sunflowers?” Los teased.

Kra playfully swatted his arm. “They’re my favorite flower!”

Los raised his eyebrows and scanned the garden. “I can see.” The sunflower patch was significantly larger than the others. Kra laughed and he did too. “Come on then, sunflower, will you show me around?”

Kra beamed. “Of course!”

She took his hand and dragged him to the house to introduce him to her parents.

Later, Kra showed Los around the farm.

“What is that?” he asked, pointing to the storm cellar.

Kra glanced at him. Some small part of her wanted to tell him the truth. The storm cellar which had the hidden entrance to their bunker, which had hid her spaceship in her childhood and now had some other Troan stuff now that the spaceship was at her island in the ocean east of Lywolf. The storm cellar, which she had never let Ana go into, which Ana had tried to sneak into in the middle of the night to see what she’d been hiding.

The storm cellar, which had been the breaking point in her relationship with Ana, which had proven to her that Ana didn’t trust her nor did she trust Ana.

“The storm cellar,” she replied brightly, careful to not sound as if she was carefully choosing her words. “It’s forbidden.”

“Oh, really?” Los asked playfully. “Why?”

“Cause it’s family only,” Kra answered.

“And I’m not?” Los asked, faking offence.

Kra laughed. “Give it time.”

Los laughed with her. “Okay,” he replied back. “Just tell me when I’m allowed to know.”

Kra’s heart swelled.

Ana… Ana had always argued, always insisted Kra was keeping secrets and that she had a right to know. Ana could never let her make decisions on her own time.

No. It always had to be on Ana’s.

Kra reached out and grabbed Los’ hand. “Come on. I want to take you to my favorite place here.”

“What are we waiting for then?” Los prompted and smiled as she led him to the flower garden. “Haven’t we been here before?”

“Well, yes,” she said, laying down amongst the sunflower patch. “But you didn’t know this was my favorite place before. And now you know.”

Los grinned. He laid down next to her. “I can see that.”

“I take care of them, you know.” Fuck. He couldn’t know she still cared for them. “Did. As a- as a kid, you know? I made the flower garden and while I’m gone my mom cares for them. It’s good to be back and see they’re okay. Care for them myself. I miss it in the city.”

“You have a lot of plants in your home.”

“But it’s not the same.” She smiled with melancholy. “I have a different connection to these flowers.” She’d fed her healing magic into them to keep them alive. She’d made them the best flowers on M’sav. “They’re mine. My children. I’ve seen them blossom from a seed.” She smiled to herself. “I’d sing to them under the stars.”

“Okay, sunflower.”

“Is that a thing now? What happened to shepherdess? Islander?”

“That’s for around people.” He thought it was obvious. Was it not obvious to her? “Sunflower is… private.”

“Why sunflower?”

“Well, you know. You’re so sunny and bright. And you always wear that sunflower bracelet.”

“Hmm.” Kra contemplated, her hand unconsciously wandering to the bracelet Los was referring to. The moment she realized she was doing it, she moved her hand away. She hadn’t realized he’d noticed it. “I need one for you.”

“What?”

“A private nickname,” she elaborated. “Not sure yet, but I’ll come up with something.” She nodded to herself. “It’ll be a flower.”

“A flower?”

“Absolutely. Something that represents you.” She sat up and looked around until one snagged her eye. Perfect. “See that one?” she asked as Los sat up. He followed her hand to a small flower with red in the middle of the petals, shaped vaguely like a heart, and yellow outside the red. The colors mixed and melted where they met. The petals looked like solidified flames. “We call it blazing-heart.”

“Blazing-heart?”

“Yes. That’s you now.” She stood properly and walked over to the plant. “You have a big heart, Los, no matter what you think. It’s fierce,” She carefully plucked a flower, “and it burns blindingly bright.”

Kra turned to him and smiled tenderly. “I see you, blazing-heart,” she told him, starting to walk back to him. “I see how much you care about people and the world, no matter how much you try to hide or ignore it.”

He tried to look away as she approached, but she knelt and gently reached out, moving his head back so he had to look at her, see how much she meant every word. “You have so much compassion and empathy, Los. Remember that.”

His eyes began tearing as she tucked the blazing-heart flower behind his ear. “When you think you’re a bad person,” she whispered to him, not breaking eye contact for a single moment, “and don’t deserve any good thing, remember that I see it in you every single day and it makes you a good person. You’re a good person.”

“I… I…”

Kra pulled him into a hug. “You are. You aren’t allowed to argue about it. I forbid it.”

He sniffled. “I think I’m rubbing off on you.”

Kra smiled to herself and detangled so she could look at him. “There are worse things, Los. Get those thoughts about corrupting me out of your head. It won’t happen. You aren’t a corrupting influence.”

“You sure about that?” he asked, far too quiet and hesitant.

Kra laughed softly. “Yes, blazing-heart, I’m sure.”

Los grinned at her. “Whatever you say, sunflower.”

They laid in the grass again and watched the stars. Kra pointed out constellations. It was quiet. Peaceful. Allelosin could see why Kra loved it here. He thought he could too. In small doses. He wasn’t sure if he was made for a shepherd’s life.

He said as much.

Kra laughed. “Yeah, no. I can’t see you living here for long. You’d miss the city.”

Los turned to look at his friend and it dawned on him. “You would too.”

Kra turned. “I’m happy here.”

“I know, sunflower, believe me I know, but you… you can’t just come back here and say you’d be okay with never leaving again.” He gave her a small, half smile. “You have too much ‘save the world’ in you. Trust me. I know.”

It had been an interesting discovery a few weeks ago. They’d been at their desks when Kra he’d noticed Kra looking through files on her computer completely unrelated to any story they’d been assigned.

When asked, she had started ranting up a storm about how many lead pipes were still in Emlytos and how dangerous they could be with the super strong vigilante just popping up whenever she pleased. What if someone got lead poisoning? There were too many neighborhoods with health code violations as it was-

And Los had just sat there in awe.

He’d known Kra for months and he’d never seen her so angry about something before. He’d seen her frustrated, but she’d kept going about how the city didn’t do enough to help its people and how she didn’t understand why people didn’t care, and Allelosin thought this was the closest he’d seen her get to outright hating someone before. It had felt as if something essential about this girl who’d almost literally dragged him into her life had clicked.

Kra sighed. “Yeah, blazing-heart. Probably. I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

Los grinned. “Welcome to the club, sunflower. Meetings are on Ersodays.”

Kra chuckled. “I’ll see if I can make it. So.” She propped her head on her fist. “What’s up, Los? Why did you ask to come here?”

Allelosin felt that his cleverest response was to just flop back onto the grass and groan. “Do I have to talk about it? Is it enough that I missed you?”

Kra gave him a sympathetic look. “It’s the holidays. You should be with your family.”

“Yeah, that’s the thing. I don’t have anyone right now.”

“What? That’s not true! Your mom-”

“Celenbrated with me on Fisserday, you know, Asasej’s day in the Festival of the Gods.” That was five days ago. “We had Buiyikyuk over too with his husband. They’ve spent the rest of the Festival with their extended family and my mom has been taking evening shifts in the ER so people can spend the nights with their families. Siba is staying in school for this break, Rox and Zrayt are with their father in Ivran, you and Corla are here and that’s pretty much my social circle.” He shrugged. “All the ones I’m close enough with to spend the holidays. I’ve been alone for days, Kra, and… you’ve changed me.” He looked into her eyes. “It’s been such a short time, but you’ve made me into someone who can’t ignore loneliness anymore.

“I used to be able to, you know?” He smiled, but it felt false. “It used to be so easy. I was a lonely child, adolescent, teenager, young man. I didn’t have friends growing up–I moved around too much–and by the time I was in high school, it was a little late to learn social skills. Every roommate I had in college despised me until Rox. And then you came along and fucked all that up.” He grinned fondly at her. It felt genuine, warm. “I wouldn’t change it, sunflower, please believe me, it’s for the best, but it’s happened, it’s new, and I just didn’t know how to deal with it. I needed my best friend.”

“What about Rox?”

“I…. It’s complicated.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “It’s not the same. Rox and I…. He only tolerated me for that first year. We got closer after that, but I don’t click with him like I click with you.” His fists clenched. “He doesn’t get me and there are times I don’t really get him.” Los didn’t blame Rox for it. Rox was, fundamentally, a neglected rich kid. “He’s my friend, but only because I’d never known anything else. It’s gotten better since you came into our lives, but he….”

Los sighed, opening his eyes again. He can be rude, insensitive. I sometimes think he doesn’t care about my life outside what I can do for time and never will. “He doesn’t make it easy.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Kra agreed. “But he does care about you.”

“I know.” He laughed to himself, not caring how bitter it sounded. “It’s just closer to the surface than what I have with you or Corla. Even Zrayt. I don’t mind. I’m glad we’re friends, we’re just not really… very close. Honestly, I don’t think we ever will be. Could be.”

Kra squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Los, that must be hard.”

“Sometimes it is, but more often it’s not. Didn’t you hear?” He smiled, warm and bright, a smile full of joy because joy was easy near her. She brought it out in him so easily. “You’re my best friend. I’m not alone anymore, and it’s all because of you. Kra,” He sat up and she mirrored him. Los reached out and gently squeezed her hand, “you have no idea how much you’ve changed me. It’s not just the loneliness, it’s you. Being near you…. It’s easier to be a better person when you’re around. You bring it out in me, make me want to try harder. You’re the best friend I could ever ask for.”

Kra leaned over and hugged him. He hugged her back as hard as he could, hoping she could feel just how much he meant every word.

“You’re my best friend too.”

He pulled back. “What about Corla?”

She smiled softly. “Who ever said I could only have one best friend?”

He returned it. “Kra N’tek, I am honored to be one of your best friends.”

“Likewise, Allelosin La’dyliap, likewise.”

Los stayed until new year’s eve. Kra was more than willing to let him leave within a few hours, maybe stay overnight, but when her parents invited him to stay until the end of holidays, he accepted and she said nothing.

She loved Los, she did, he was her friend, but it was harder to be the Ghost when he was around. Normally, she would vanish in the middle of the conversation if she needed to stop a crime, however he didn’t know and that meant there were hours in the day she was completely reliant on Shel and Corla to keep him occupied. They were up to the challenge, engaging him in conversation, bringing Los into Dart to show him around, playing card games with him; it was good though that they only had to distract him for two nights.

On the last day of the year, 36th of Nameless-month, Kra and Corla were set to take a plane back to Emlytos in the morning. They parted at sunrise, waving goodbye and laughing as they set off for the ferry to take them to M’saili, the largest of M’sailke islands and the only one with an airport.

They’d planned it all out in the evening before, after everyone had gone to bed. An hour later on the ferry, Kra slipped into the bathroom and switched into the Ghost. She flew back home and took Los back to Emlytos, where he’d arranged to spend the day with his mother, Leroena. She grinned under her hood when she saw Leroena hug her son tight and welcome him in. For a moment, before returning to the ferry, she listened to their laughter and watched their smiles.

She knew she’d left her friend in good hands. She flew back, switched back, and rejoined Corla.

“Well?” Corla murmured.

Kra nodded and that was that.

In a few hours, they were on a plane and Corla shot her a sympathetic look. Kra hated planes. She loved flying on her own power. Other methods? Not so much.

When she maneuvered herself through the sky, it was wonderful–the breeze in her hair and against her face, magic and adrenaline rushing through her body–it was like nothing else. Corla, after begging to be taken on just one flight, described it as being closest to being on a large roller coaster, after the drop and they were rushing down, the exact moment after her fear of heights and crashing had abandoned her and before the car slowed down.

Corla had taken Kra on a roller coaster once, but Kra wasn’t scared of heights or crashing the way she was so she didn’t agree.

If you were normal, Corla had said with an eyeroll, you’d agree.

Kra had just laughed.

But she never laughed on a plane. She felt trapped on a plane. What if someone needed her while she was on the plane? What if there was an emergency? There was no way to get off it without someone seeing or being hurt. There was no way out.

Kra sighed and tried to relax into her seat. It was daytime. The Ghost wasn’t active in the daytime. And she needed the ticket trail in this digital age.

She sighed again. She couldn’t have crashed a hundred years ago? Before the age of easily accessible and digital records?

“Nightmare’s almost over,” Corla whispered as they got off. Kra nodded. Corla groaned. “I hate our lives.”

Kra smiled a little and nudged her friend. “Don’t say that.”

Another few hours had them back in their apartment in time for sundown. Kra grabbed the takeout from the order and warmly thanked the deliveryman as she always did.

“Dinner!” she called.

Corla scrambled out of her room and grabbed the back. “Thanks Kra. You paid with my card right?”

“Of course,” Kra replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s not like you haven’t yelled at me for paying myself before.”

“Was that sarcasm?” Corla replied with mock shock. “What has Allelosin done to you?”

Kra laughed and swatted Corla’s arm. “He’s my friend, Cor. You ready to get back to work?”

Corla grinned and marched back to her room. “I’m ready. You?”

Kra pulled back her sleeve, revealing a woven bracelet with sunflowers as the design. She dragged a finger across three of the flowers and then touched two others on either end of the middle three at once. Her outfit instantly switched from her street clothes to the Ghost costume.

“Ready!” she called back. “Talk to you soon!”

Corla chuckled. She didn’t need to check their living room to know that Kra had already flown away.

Los grinned from ear to ear. Happy 1557 to him. He’d been so happy to spend it with his mother. She always made him feel loved.

He was tired and probably should have taken her offer to stay with her until the morning, but he’d wanted to crash in his own bed. Now he was crossing the city in the middle of the night all alone.

It was probably okay. It was new year’s. There were people dragging themselves home all across Emlytos and most of them were much more drunk than he was (not drunk at all).

He exited the subway station and sniffed smoke. Something was on fire. His heart skipped. Seeing his mom and a story in one night?

It really was going to be a happy 1557 to him.

Los started running towards the smoke and came to a halt when he saw the building.

It was his.

His home was burning down.