Page 28 of Laid to Rest

Mercury glanced across at the Forever Flame. He was frozen, unmoving. So were the Reluctant Recluse and the few remaining ghosts scattered about. Mercury could see Mrs. Brand. The Bow Street Runner. The Vanns. The Governor. All of them frozen in time. The eye of the storm was not merely a calming of wind but a momentary pause of conflict.

“We are both brokers,” she said. “And we’re both connected to this place; I know we are.”

“You changed your name when you came to live here.” He hadn’t thought of that since shortly after she’d done so. “Your family name is Huddleston.”

She nodded, leaning heavily against him once more.

Huddleston. A surname derived from “hurdle.” Fences made of twigs.

“Yours is the other family,” he said, holding her fast. “My family stole a ghost from yours. This ghost.” He motioned to the Reluctant Recluse. “That broke this place. It broke so many things.”

“Trade him to me,” Tacey said. “Trade him for Zizzy. He will be back with the right family. And yours will make amends for what was done.”

Above their heads, the edge of the storm was drawing nearer. They would be out of the eye in mere moments. That, he felt certain, would unfreeze everyone around them, including the Forever Flame.

“Transferals can take days,” Mercury said. “We have mere minutes.”

“I traded for Zizzy very quickly. You can make Transferals quickly. If we trade together, both of us managing the trade balance and navigating the shift, then we can do it faster.”

“Your undertaking a swap at Aventine nearly drained the life out of you,” he countered. “Doing another so soon and with such speed might be more than you can endure.”

“It is the only way,” she said.

He knew she was right. He knew it. But if they didn’t do this, he was certain he would lose her anyway.

Mercury took her face in his hands. “I love you, Tacey. I need to tell you that before we take this gamble. I need to know that you know that I love you.”

“Tell me that again when we’ve defeated him,” she said. “And then I’ll tell you that I love you too.”

He kissed her, far more briefly than he wanted to, but the wind was picking up again. He took her hand in his. With his other hand, he reached out and slipped his fingers inside those of the frozen hand of the Reluctant Recluse. Tacey stretched her other hand as far as she could until hers passed through the unmoving hand of Zizzy.

“Can this be done without them agreeing to it?” she asked.

“They can’t move or speak, but I’m certain they know what’s happening.”

Either way, they were about to find out.

Mercury focused with everything he had, seizing on the connection to the Reluctant Recluse. He’d only felt it for the first time on that rock. He knew Zizzy’s connection with the familiarity of breathing. It began to re-form on the instant, comforting and reassuring.