Soul Cage by Phaedra Weldon Read Free Book Online Page B

into view—or rather—Joe Halloran
did. "Wait…you're Geist?"
    "Yes." He tilted his head
to her right. "Oh. Yes. This shape is the one Zoë prefers I
assume."
    Maureen frowned. "Really.
She doesn't want you to look like Dags?"
    "No." His gaze shifted to
something behind her. "Alice—are you well?" he said in a much
louder voice, as to make sure Alice could hear him in the
dark.
    "Yes I am,
Geist."
    "Good. I believe you are
correct that someone should stay with the Grimoire . I will do this while you
join Maureen in central control."
    Central control? Maureen
leaned in close to him. He looked like Joe, but he talked like Sheldon Cooper. What was
it she'd learned while in the Abysmal Throne? Geist was technically
the planar equivalent of a program that ran the day to day
functions of the outer planes?
    Or…something like
that.
    He refocused on her. "I
prefer to think of myself as an ancient consciousness amassed by
the continual use and application of universal principles whose
existence serves a higher purpose."
    Oh. Hell, and he reads
minds! Maureen winced. She had no idea
what he'd just said. "Oh yeah right. Look—"
    The darkness shook.
Maureen was happy she hadn't tried to stand or she'd have fallen
back on her butt. "What was that?"
    "The book is vibrating—"
Alice shouted in the dark.
    "Rhonda is forcing her
power into the book. This is not acceptable. Alice Bonville, please
step through the tear. I will take your place."
    And then he was gone. A
few seconds later Alice tumbled into Maureen and the shaking
stopped. Maureen waited a few minutes before she spoke. The light
Geist had popped into the air, a tiny but powerful firefly,
remained. "So…what just happened?"
    "The Grimoire is dark," Geist's voice
echoed over them. "She has withdrawn the spell. The exchange was
successful. But I am afraid it will not take her long to figure out
what you have done. I have ejected the torn page to prevent her
from trying to open the Grimoire again. If you wish to convey your intent to your
friends, you must take the next opportunity."
    Maureen looked at Alice,
whose white hair was now in her face. "Geist…what do you mean you
ejected the torn page?"
    "Exactly that. The
Grimoire is only accessible as a viable means of information when
all the pages are present, as demonstrated during the time the
Guardian was unable to access the contents due to having a single
page missing. I have duplicated the event once again to prevent the
witch from causing any more damage, or preventing her shadow from
gaining its own foothold into the Guardian's psyche."
    The two Familiars blinked
at one another. "Geist…" Alice said in a cautious tone. "You
ejected the torn page, which has memories of Maureen on it. That's
how she was gaining control."
    There was a pause. "I seem
to have miscalculated."
    Maureen slapped her hands
to her face. "Great. Does that mean I can't control
him?"
    "No, it does not. But in
order for you to gain control enough to present your message to
anyone outside of the Mental Plane…the Guardian must be
subdued."
    "I don't like the sound of
that," Alice muttered.
    Maureen looked at Alice.
"What does that mean?"
    "I will attempt to create
a rise in temperature. Such physical stimulation has, in my
observation, proven to be quite accomplished at softening the
control of the astral form."
    Alice laughed at Maureen.
"That is one confused face."
    "I don't have a fucking
clue what it was he just said."
    "He's going to give Dags a
fever. It'll weaken his astral enough so that you can step
in."
    "A fever?"
    As if on command, the flat
black surface they sat on grew warm. Maureen and Alice stood as the
temperature in the room steadily increased at an alarming
rate.
    "Geist! Stop!" Alice held
out her hands under the light of the firefly above them. "What are
you doing?"
    "Increasing the
temperature."
    "To what?"
    "One hundred and four
point two two—"
    "Geist! Take that back
down or you'll send him into a coma!"
    Maureen wiped at