Page 19 of Shadow Prophet (Scythe Grove Academy 2)

"That's not for me to decide." My whole body shakes, but I manage to keep it out of my voice. Somehow.

A white shape floats through the door and makes its way to the point midway between us. It takes a moment for me to realise it's Erica's ghost.

I frown, trying to work out what's happening.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "They made me."

Ms Margery doesn't respond, which I have to assume means she's not a seer. Given that she isn't even looking at the ghost, she's probably not a reaper either.

"Made you do what?" I ask, confident she won't be able to understand me. Mathias says he can only make out what I'm saying to the ghosts some of the time, and that's only because he knows what the conversations are about after the first time.

"They made me trick you."

"You don't have a baby?" I ask.

"I do. Did." She shakes her head. "But they took him so I'd be around to help get you into the right place."

"Ah." How am I supposed to respond to that? She's still a victim, even if it's not quite in the same way as before. "Did they kill you?"

"What are you doing?" Ms Margery snaps before Erica can answer the question.

Oops. I somehow managed to forget she was in the room. "I'm talking to Erica," I say, straightening my back and trying to seem as if I'm not phased by any of this. It's hard, but I'm going to manage. "I presume that's allowed?"

She purses her lips, but isn't able to contradict what I'm saying. From what the others have told me about the Shadow Association, they don't disapprove of supernaturals, they just don't like that we live out in the open. Presumably, they either didn't know I was a reaper, or didn't trust I'd keep it quiet as a child so didn't tell me.

I suspect the latter is most likely.

I turn back to Erica.

She nods once.

Anger fills me. It's one thing to use someone. it's another to murder them and steal their child.

"Why did you use Erica like this?" I demand of Ms Margery. I'm not sure if Erica's unfinished business is still to find her child, or if that's what she was told to tell us. Maybe it's actually to find out why this horrible thing happened to her.

Not that finding her unfinished business will help much. Without Mathias here to port her, she's still stuck unless I can remove her tether myself. I doubt that's going to be possible. Ms Margery won't be here on her own, and reaching for my scythe will have her calling for her guards. While I don't use it that way, it's still a weapon with a lot of power. I doubt they'll want me using it.

"We did it because we had to," Ms Margery responds. "So we could talk to you."

"All right, now you have, it's time for you to step aside and let us go." I move forward, as if expecting her to do as I ask.

Unsurprisingly, she doesn't move.

"We have answers you want, Syxe," Ms Margery says. "You want them, right?"

"Will you tell me where Erica's baby is?"

"Of course," she assures me.

I eye her suspiciously. Do I believe her? I'm not sure.

"Erica signed over the baby's guardianship to us," Ms Margery says.

"No!" Erica shouts, cutting off the other woman. It's useful that the ghost speech problems are only one way. Understanding the living is still possible for her.

But apparently, Ms Margery doesn't know that.

"Are you sure?" I ask.