Chapter 13 of The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 13

Once Bart headed into the mine, the Spirit Wranglers and the Fergusons headed to the top of the zephyr drift station, the highest point in Prosperity, to watch for his return. Though they couldn't see the opening of the mine well in the dark, the stars put out enough light for them to see no movement in that area. Wallace knew they'd all wait through the night for his return, and when the sun came out in the morning, a search party would be assembled.

After over an hour of nothing, Molly gasped and pointed to the mine. All eyes squinted to see, and a few seconds later, the mechanical horse galloped out. It was Rachel's turn to let out a gasp when there was no sign of Bart. The group hustled down the zephyr drift tower to meet the horse at the front gate.

The guards positioned in front of the town opened the gate, and the horse ran directly to Rachel and her children. As it neared in a slow trot, she put up her hand, and it came to a stop directly in front of her.

"Look, attached to the saddle horn," Abel said.

Wallace saw there was indeed something there, a piece of paper with writing on it. Rachel took the initiative and reached for it.

"Father always kept a pad of paper and pencil in his pocket," Molly said. "He said he never knew when he'd need to note an order or mark what needed restocking."

Rachel, tears brimming her eyes, turned the note for everyone to see. By the time Wallace saw it wasn't a happy ending for the Fergusons, those tears overflowed her eyes and ran down her cheeks. Molly and Abel joined her in that cry.

The note, in a neat but hurried hand, read, "Rachel, Abel, Molly – I'll see you in a séance. Love always, Bart/Father."

The Spirit Wranglers stepped back to let the family hold each other. The guards caught on quick as to what was going on, and one of them hustled over to the nearest inn. A minute later, a dozen or more men emerged, and they headed out of town and towards the mine. Wallace doubted the Fergusons even knew what was going on, but Abel proved him wrong.

"Let's head to the front gate. I want to be there when they get back."

Again, no words were spoken. They waited close to another hour, and this time their vigil was rewarded with a single man hurrying towards them. His body language spoke of him being the messenger, not a sole-survivor. Their group rushed forward to meet him halfway.

The man was huffing and puffing when he got to them, leading Wallace to believe he'd run all the way from the depths of the mine. He shook his head and frowned, catching his breath. By the way Nessy twitched next to him, Wallace knew she wanted to yell at the man to spill his news, but she managed to hold her tongue. The Fergusons likewise waited until he was ready to talk, though they were no doubt bursting for an answer much more than Nessy.

Finally, with one more deep, raspy breath, the man was ready. "I'm awful sorry, Mrs. Ferguson, kids, but there's no sign of him. It's like he vanished into the rocks. But so did those Rock Men, so your Bart might be dead, but he died a hero."

This time Wallace pulled Joshua and Nessy away so they could head back to the house to pack up their equipment. He didn't want to bother the Rachel and the kids any more than necessary in their time of mourning.

*****

The next afternoon, the Spirit Wranglers floated out of Prosperity on a zephyr drift. Rachel wrote them a bank promise for twice the agreed upon amount. When Wallace objected, she insisted, and Nessy smacked his shoulder, telling him not to be rude. His sister later informed him that if Rachel and the kids couldn't afford it, they could send it back later, but since that wasn't the case, it was theirs to keep.

Prosperity's mayor declared that day to be Bart Ferguson Day, and as the zephyr drift rose out of town, they could see the ceremony taking place in the middle of the main street. The three Fergusons, though, were absent. There was a store to run, after all.

"It really is the best way to honor Bart," Rachel said.

"Honestly," Molly said, "he might haunt us worse than Ronald Hart if he knew we kept the store closed for a day."

Right before the zephyr drift carried them out of sight of Prosperity, the three Spirit Wranglers looked back down towards Fergusons' General Goods Mercantile and saw the three proprietors in the street in front of their shop, waving their arms in farewell.

"I think they'll be just fine," Wallace said, and Joshua and Nessy nodded their agreement.

THE END

I hope you enjoyed the story. I'd love it if you let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 12 of The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 12

The Fergusons got Molly to her feet, and though she wobbled a bit, Wallace had no doubt she'd be fine after a natural night's sleep. All four held huge smiles for the Spirit Wranglers, but as they stepped forward to thank them, Bart let out a yelp. He dug the amulet out of his pocket and flung it across the room.

"White hot," he said, looking at where it had flown, disbelief etched on his face.

Everyone else turned to look at it. Where raw energy, almost spiritual magnetic, flowed off it earlier, now Wallace felt nothing but pure evil pulsing from it. It wasn't his supernatural sense that told him that. Judging by the stillness, the uneasiness, in the room, the others felt it, too.

They stood like that for a minute or two, which seemed much longer. Nessy was the first to move. She didn't say anything, but moved over to her equipment and began packing it away. Rachel followed her over.

"Can I help?"

Wallace saw right away it was her way of apologizing for using the capture gun and banishing device earlier. Nessy stared hard into the other woman's eyes for a moment, but then gave a curt nod."

"Sure. Can you bring me those empty burlap sacks?"

That broke the tension in the room, and the other Fergusons moved towards Wallace and Joshua. Bart's hand was extended for a handshake. Before either of the Wranglers could take it, and ear-splitting siren wailed outside.

"What in the world?" Nessy sputtered.

"It can't be," Bart said.

"They always give warning when they test it," Abel said. "And when have they ever set it off at night?"

"What is it?" Joshua asked.

"The Rock Men Alert," Bart said. "But as Abel said, there's no reason for it to be blaring right now."

"Must mean it's not a test," Nessy said.

"Impossible," Molly said. "Prosperity has never seen a Rock Man."

Rachel headed out of the great room towards the front entry hall. "Well, let's go check it out."

Everyone followed.

Once outside, one of the servants ran up to them. "We have a cart all set for you, Mr. Ferguson." The young man looked at the Spirit Wranglers. "There's room for you three, as well."

"What's going on, Maxwell?" Bart asked.

"Rock Men, sir. Some of the miners spotted them deep in the mine, headed for the surface. The wall will never hold them, so we need to get you out of town."

"There should be plenty of dynamite locked in the mine storage shed," Rachel said. "If the monsters are still deep underground, there's plenty of time to mount a defense."

The servant, Maxwell, flashed an apprehensive look down towards the main street and the town's front gate. "Maybe so, ma'am, but we still need to get you out to safety. And, to be honest, I'm hoping the rest of us can flee once you're gone."

"Go get the cart," Bart said. Maxwell didn't need to be told twice, and was around the corner of the house in seconds.

"We can't abandon our town," Abel said. He looked as if he was ready to deck his father.

"We're not." Bart turned towards Wallace. "Am I right in thinking something is drawing them here?"

"Yes. I have no doubt about it."

"What?" Molly asked. "What's drawing them here?"

Bart broke from the group and sprinted back into the house. "The amulet," he called over his shoulder as he ran.

"Of course," Joshua said. "With the evil pulsing off of it, what else could it be?"

"But why now?" Rachel asked. "We've had that for quite a while."

"I felt something wrong as soon as we banished the demon," Wallace said. "I couldn't tell you what, but I guess now we know. It either activated the amulet when it left, or imprinted its own evil on top of it."

"Do you think we can capture one of them things?" Nessy said and nudged Joshua. "You can finally study one."

"I can handle a lasso," Rachel said. No one laughed, but the tension in the air died down a bit. Before anyone could comment further, Bart ran out of the house with a thick towel in his hands, no doubt smothering the amulet.

He looked to Abel as soon as he was close enough. "As soon as Maxwell gets here with that cart, help him unhook the horse. As quick as you can."

"What? Why?"

"Please don't argue, son." Then, to Wallace, he said, "If I run the amulet out to Miner's Canyon, those things will still destroy our town before chasing, won't they? It's a rhetorical question, as you don't know any more about those monsters than I do, but that's what I think will happen."

His family objected to him going at all, but he hushed them with a simple raise of his hand. Wallace had no doubt such a move wouldn't usually work on his kids, let alone his wife, but it did in this charged situation. Joshua fielded Bart's query instead of Wallace.

"My best guess is that if you get into the mine before they leave it, they'll chase the amulet without worrying about the town. Otherwise, whatever evil magic is leading them to it will have them destroy at least part of the town before following further."

They could hear Maxwell returning with the cart, and before he rounded the corner, Abel bolted towards him. Seconds later, he came back with the machine horse, sans cart. "I pulled the emergency release. Figured the extra hassle of putting it back was okay this time."

"Indeed," Bart said. He tousled his son's hair. "I have no doubt you'll step into my shoes just fine at the store if I don't make it back."

"Don't say that," Molly said with a moan. "Why do you have to be the one to do this anyway?"

He gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Because all of this is my fault. From taking the amulet in the first place to being a hard-head about it and letting that hinder the Spirit Wranglers."

"Me, too," Rachel said. "But your father is a better rider than I am."

"Mr. Ferguson," Maxwell shouted. "They say the Rock Men are nearing the mine entrance. Are you sure you don't want to hook that back up to the cart?"

"No, Maxwell," he called. Then, to them, he said, "My cue to leave."

"Head as deep into the mine as you can and drop the amulet. When they reach it, my guess is they'll bleed back into the rocks. Let's all hope so, anyway."

"Ride hard and quick, but be careful," Wallace said.

Bart nodded, mounted the machine horse, and looked at his family. "I'll be back soon. I promise."

Molly and Abel nodded, while Rachel said, "I'm holding you to that." As he rode off, the look on her face proved she didn't believe it was one he could possibly keep.

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Chapter 11 of The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 11

Everything was set. With a quick flip of a button, Molly Ferguson would not only die, but be freed from the demon. If Nessy's contraption worked properly, and Wallace had to admit they almost always did, Molly's heart would begin beating again a few seconds later. All they needed was for her ticker to stop, and they could banish the demon without repercussions. If everything went according to plan, and they got a heaping helping of luck on top of it, they Fergusons could go to bed tonight without any supernatural threats to their souls.

Wallace nodded to Nessy, and she moved to power on the device. This was it. Before her hand reached the switch, though, Bart leaped forward.

"You can't kill my daughter!" He grabbed Nessy's wrist and wrestled her away from the device. Before anyone could move forward to separate them, the demon exploded into the room and zipped around as fast as it had the first time when it targeted Molly.

"Protect the family," Wallace barked at Joshua, while he sprinted to the sulfurous circle to turn on the device they hoped would distract the evil demon.

He smacked the button at the same instant the demon broke out of its spin around the room. Like it had done with Molly, it fired right at Rachel's chest, but instead of flowing through her, it knocked into her, sending her flying backwards five feet. It didn't follow up, but rather turned towards Wallace and the device. He leaped out of the circle, careful not to knock any of the salt out of place. He couldn't be in there when the thing arrived.

"Joshua, man the holy water cannon." His researcher had hustled over to Rachel Ferguson, where Abel was already by her side.

He hesitated for a second, but Abel looked up and said, "She's fine. Go."

As he rushed back to the circle and the holy water, he said, "Should we help Ness?"

"You know my sister. She'll get the job done."

They turned to make sure Wallace's trust wasn't misplaced, and she proved right away it wasn't. Bart had size and strength on her, but he couldn't match her tenacity. He had both of her wrists pinned to her side, but instead of giving up, she stomped hard on his toes with her metal leg. Even though there were hollow compartments in it, it was still heavier than a natural appendage. Bart grunted his pain, but didn't let go, so she rammed her forehead into his chin. That did it. He let go and grabbed his face, while she leapt at the button to start the contraption.

Once her palm smacked against it, Molly's body jerked up once, and then went still. Wallace didn't wait to see if she'd draw breath again in a few seconds. He dumped a pile of sulfurous salt down to complete the circle, and not a moment too soon. The demon had been transfixed by the device in the center, but had already begun to lose interest. Joshua let loose with the holy water, soaking the supernatural beast. The water passed through the barrier with no problem, but, as they'd both planned and hoped for, the demon couldn't move through it.

As Joshua emptied the payload from the handheld water cannon, Wallace turned to grab the banishing device. Nessy had beaten him to it, however. She leveled the device at the demon, said, "The power of steam compels you," and blasted the thing back to its own dimension.

Relief traveled through the room as a huge weight lifted. Wallace had no doubt the others could feel it without the benefit of his extra supernatural sense. He turned to make sure everyone was okay and saw they were. Molly Ferguson sat up, and her family stood around her, all chattering excitedly. Rachel looked no worse for wear after the collision with the demon.

"Another job well done, boss," Nessy said, patting him on the back.

"Still think this one was easier than those in Phoenix, Ness?" Joshua asked, a big grin on his face.

Her answer was to stick her tongue out at him. Joshua laughed at this, while Wallace was only able to give a distracted chuckle. He couldn't put his finger on what, but something wasn't quite right.

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Chapter 10 of The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 10

The Spirit Wranglers readied the battlefield, which would take place in the Fergusons' great room. An almost complete circle of sulfurous salt, the demon's soon-to-be prison, lay in the center of the room. It would take only one quick pour to complete the circle. In the center of it lay a device that, once activated, should draw all of the demon's attention. If it didn't … well, Wallace didn't want to think about that possibility. Also within grabbing distance were the hand cannon ready to shoot out holy water, and the banishing device. If all went to plan, once the demon entered the circle, Wallace would pour the rest of the salt, Joshua would blast the evil with holy water, and Nessy would banish it back to whatever realm it came from.

Of course, before any of that could happen, Molly Ferguson's soul had to be freed from the demon. To do that, she had to die. Judging by how much fight the two elder Fergusons had given the Wranglers every step of the way, they wouldn't be too keen on this plan.

"All set except for the last piece," Nessy said.

"Can you sense it?" Joshua asked. "I wonder why it let us set everything up without attacking."

The Fergusons, who were huddled around Molly, perked up at the question and gave Wallace their undivided attention.

"It's close, but still biding its time. I doubt it wants to attack when we're on high alert."

"Good point," Joshua said. "This one isn't one of the geniuses from the demon world, but it's no dummy, either."

"No doubt it'll wait for a moment of weakness from us. It's practically a game for it."

"Some game," Rachel muttered.

"Indeed," Wallace said. "Nessy, hook Molly up to the final piece of equipment."

"What's all this, then?" Bart said, eying the cords which Nessy would paste to Molly's skin.

Joshua saved Wallace the explanation. "When the demon dove through her and caused the coma, it didn't devour her soul, but rather tethered itself to her. If we banish it with her soul attached, she'll go with it, and there will be no way of getting her back. She won't be simply dead, but eradicated. Therefore, we need to snap their connection, and the only way to do that is to stop her heart for a moment."

"But that will kill her, won't it?" Rachel said, going even more pale than she already was.

"Now see here!" said Bart.

This time Abel jumped into the conversation.

"Would you two shut up? We have experts here risking their own souls to help us, and you refuse to so much as listen to them. If you hadn't followed your own greed, Molly wouldn't be in this danger. Both of you swallow your stupid pride and let them save your daughter, my sister."

Wallace hid a smile behind his hand at the look of utter shock and disbelief on both of his parents' faces. He was even more surprised Nessy didn't chime in with a comment. He might have to give her a bit of a bonus for that when this was over. If they made it out alive, anyway.

Bart nodded first at Abel, and then at Wallace and the Wranglers.

"Save our family," Rachel said.

"We will. Nessy, get Molly ready." He hoped his voice carried more optimism than he felt.

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Chapter 9 of The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 9

"Gold dang fools is what you are," Nessy grumbled under her breath as she double and triple checked both the capture gun and banishing devices. She hated when even Wallace or Joshua fiddled with her contraptions, so she was absolutely seething as Rachel Ferguson not only seized both without permission, but used them, too. Wallace was actually impressed at her self-control of not punching Rachel square in the nose. He wouldn't have blamed her one bit if she had. He would have stopped her, of course, but he wouldn't have blamed her.

While Bart, Rachel, and Abel hovered over the fallen Molly, Joshua pulled Wallace aside. "What do we do? It's free to attack them at any time now, and we can't properly fight it without endangering poor Molly even further."

Wallace frowned and let out a sigh. "I have an idea, but no one is going to like it. I don't even like it."

Joshua matched his frown. "I have a feeling I know what you're going to say, and if I'm right, you're absolutely correct about the popularity of it."

Before Wallace could reply, Rachel Ferguson looked up from her daughter and towards the Spirit Wranglers. "I hope you lot have a plan to fix this mess you caused."

"We caused?" Nessy snapped. She whipped one of her work gloves off and hurled it to the floor. "If you'd have listened to us in the first place and not gone off half-cocked, your daughter wouldn't be lying there hovering near death."

"How dare you," Rachel growled, her face bright red.

Before she or Nessy could descend on each other, Wallace leapt forward to corral Nessy, while Abel moved to stop his mother. Both fell back, but the nasty expressions on their faces remained. Wallace sighed. Everyone needed to be on the same page to defeat the demon, and this wasn't a good start.

Bart Ferguson stepped forward, holding the amulet out as if it were the ultimate prize. "Hart tried to take this. That was unacceptable."

"You don't even know what it does," Joshua said.

"That doesn't matter," Bart sputtered. "You all felt how powerful it is."

"So much so that it's worth risking the life of your family?" Wallace said. He motioned to Molly's supine form. "Your daughter's soul?"

Bart opened his mouth, but just as quick closed it. Wallace was heartened to see the elder Ferguson suitably chastised. Maybe they could all get together on this yet. Of course, Rachel still had the misplaced anger burning inside of her.

"You know how to banish the thing, so get to it, or we'll withhold the rest of your pay. If we don't do so anyway."

"Mother," Abel said, exasperation in his voice. He shook his head and headed over to his sister. Wallace likewise let go of Nessy, but not before angling her back towards her equipment.

"Here's the situation," Wallace said, doing all he could to keep emotion out of his voice. "If we battle this demon, there's a better than average chance it will not only kill everyone in this house, us included, but also everyone in town. Plus, who knows how far it will get into Zephyria before someone is able to stop it? If we do nothing, though, it'll take your four souls and be done with our world. No harm will befall anyone else."

Bart and Rachel blanched.

"You wouldn't dare," Rachel said.

Behind him, Nessy chimed in with, "Pack up, boss?" She didn't wait for any sort of answer, as she began putting her contraptions away. Joshua moved to help her.

Wallace looked over at Abel, who knelt next to Molly, cradling her head in his hands. He stared back at Wallace and nodded. "We did this to ourselves. Go. Don't let Prosperity and Zephyria suffer from our mistakes." He then dropped his gaze and focused all of his attention back on his sister.

"Stop," Wallace said to his team. "We have a demon to banish."

"Whatever you say," Nessy said. The anger had bled off her, but a firm determination remained on her face, even if she was trying to hide it with a look of aloofness. The Fergusons probably couldn't see through her ruse, but he knew his sister too well. Joshua, on the other hand, wore a slight smile, as if he thought Wallace had planned this scene all along. The tension from Rachel and Bart Ferguson also lessened.

Wallace grabbed his team and huddled them in the corner so they wouldn't be overheard. "Ness, we're going to need that contraption of yours that can stop and restart a human heart."

"I knew it," Joshua said, while Nessy leveled him a look that said she was waiting for him to say he was kidding. He wasn't.

"The only way to untether Molly Ferguson's soul from the demon is to kill her."

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Chapter 8 of The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 8

At the mention of them giving the amulet back to Hart, Wallace felt the spirit flitter into the room and appear at the far side. Nessy must have recognized Wallace's stare, because she flicked on the power switch of her contraption that let them see the spirit. The Fergusons didn't realize the spirit was with them for a moment, but they each gasped when they followed the intent looks of the Wranglers.

"Nessy, we need the communication device on, too," Wallace said.

He didn't look at her, but still heard the eye-roll in her voice. "Gee whiz, give me a half-second, will you? These things haven't been primed yet."

While they waited to talk to Ronald Hart's ghost -- it was already chattering away, but none of them could hear so much as a whispered breath -- Bart reached into his inside jacket pocket. It did look like a pocket watch, but supposedly there were no watch mechanisms inside. While the casing was a shiny brass and there were a few sparkling gems decorating it, that wasn't what held Wallace's attention.

The thing shimmered, which had nothing to do with its physical appearance. As the Fergusons had so cryptically mentioned, the artifact was magic. Wallace didn't need any of his supernatural talents to realize that. He wished more than anything at that moment that he could grab it from Bart Ferguson and posses it forever. True, he had no clue what sort of magic the thing carried, but if it were his, he'd have plenty of time to figure it out.

Snap out of it, Wally. He shook his head and noticed everyone else in the room, including Hart's spirit, transfixed on the artifact. It then started to draw him back in, but at that moment, Nessy's communication device screamed to life.

"Well that was weird," Nessy said, her voice breathless. Everyone else in the room gasped for air of their own.

"It's never been that powerful," Bart said.

"Because it knows it's mine," Hart said. "Be a good man, Bart, and lay it down, and then take a step back. Once I have it, I'll banish the demon."

Wallace didn't miss the look that passed between Bart and Rachel, but at that moment, he guessed she was simply giving him the encouragement he needed to set the amulet down. He did, and Hart glided forward. Before the spirit got close enough to touch it, Rachel dived towards the ghost hunting equipment, and grabbed the capturing gun. With the dexterity of one who was used to holding firearms, she leveled the gun at Hart and pulled the trigger.

All three Wranglers shouted at her to stop, but before any of them could reach her, Bart dove forward, knocking Joshua sideways, blocking him into Wallace and Nessy. In the same motion, Bart grabbed the banishing device and slid it to Rachel. At least now Wallace knew how Rachel had talked Bart into relinquishing control of the amulet, and why she'd taken such a shine in Nessy's contraptions last night.

Before Wallace could fully wrap his head around the situation and shout a warning (he knew what was coming), the demon exploded into the room. Though it flew far too fast for anyone to see, they all knew it was there. The Wranglers left Rachel alone and scrambled to grab their demon-fighting tools. Bart leapt out of their way, while Abel and Molly, who had been so quiet and still that Wallace almost forgot they were there, let out strained gasps. Hart cackled through the communication device, though he was frozen in place due to being shot with the capture gun.

Nessy grabbed a device that they hoped would distract the demon, while Wallace got his hands on the bag of sulfurous salt, and Joshua went for the holy water, already loaded into a water-blasting hand cannon. As they did that, two things happened simultaneously, both of which Wallace wished he could have stopped. First, Rachel swapped the capture gun for the banishing device and obliterated Hart's spirit. Second, the demon ceased its devilish spin around the room and shot through Molly's chest, knocking her off her feet and hard onto her back. Bart rushed forward too late to save his daughter, but he did manage to pull his son out of the way as the demon doubled back.

Rachel aimed the banishing device at the demon, but Wallace couldn't let her hit it.

"No! You'll kill your daughter!"

Joshua was both close enough and nimble enough to leap at Rachel and disrupt her aim as she pushed the trigger button. The banishing beam went well wide of the demon, but it did connect with one of the family's steam-powered lamps, exploding it in a flash of sparks and smoke, but, thankfully, not igniting anything in the room.

When the air cleared, the demon had vacated the vicinity for now, and Wallace could sense they were safe for the moment. Everyone rushed over to Molly's prone body, Abel reaching her first.

"She's breathing," he said, "but it's very shallow."

Wallace shared a look with Joshua, who also at once understood their predicament. Banishing the demon would prove difficult, but exponentially harder would be banishing it in a way where they could also save not only Molly Ferguson's life, but her soul, as well.

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Chapter 7 of The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 7

The books Joshua brought along proved to have the answers they needed, and the Spirit Wranglers made it back to the Fergusons' house not long after supper the next evening. Servants let them in and led them to the great room, where the Ferguson family met them with grim smiles. They made small talk as the Wranglers unpacked the equipment.

Once Nessy had everything laid out to her liking, they explained to the Fergusons what they'd learned about the demon.

"We can banish the evil thing," Wallace said. "Don't believe even for an instant that it will be easy, but we have all the necessary ingredients here to do it."

"Correct," Joshua said. "We should all count the lucky winds that this is a lesser demon. It's still much more powerful than any human spirit could ever be, but we can banish it."

"Do you chant ancient words of power and shoot it with your contraptions?" Rachel asked.

"If only it were that easy," Joshua said. "No, we have sulfurous salt that we will pour out into an almost complete circle. We then need to gain a portion of control over it to force it inside that circle. When we do that, we lock it inside by completing the circle with more salt. It should then hold the demon as if it were in a cage stronger than any physical material available here in our realm of existence."

Nessy held up the spirit-capturing gun. "Once it has nowhere to go, we soak it in holy water, and then zap! After that, a simple banishing with our device should be no problem."

"Exactly," Joshua said.

Burt held up both of his hands. "Wait a moment. How in all of Zephyria do you possibly gain control of a demon?"

"With Nessy's contraptions and a healthy shovelful of luck," Wallace said.

Joshua nodded. "I don't like to rely on luck, but there's no way around it when dealing with a demon."

"Of course, there is an easier way," Wallace said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the children glanced at their parents, who both hardened their faces into frowns.

"Not a chance," Bart said.

"It's been established you can banish it," Rachel said.

Wallace hadn't expected a different answer, but he pressed on anyway. "More can go wrong than can go right. If there are any missteps, there is a chance the demon will not only consume your souls, but break free of its constraints and be loose upon all of Zephyria."

"The thing doesn't even need any missteps," Joshua added. "It may simply prove strong enough in a head-to-head encounter to break free anyway. Our best bet for not only your safety, but for everyone's, is to give the spirit what it wants."

"Listen to them, Father," Abel said, while Molly pleaded with her mother.

Bart would hear none of it, but Wallace felt a bit of hope when he saw it might be possible that Molly was getting through to Rachel. The Wranglers stepped back amongst their equipment and let the family work through it themselves.

After a minute or two, Rachel touched Bart's arm. "A word in the other room."

He looked as if he might decline, but instead grunted and gave a curt nod. They walked from the great room out of eavesdropping distance. Wallace figured Nessy might have a device that could listen in on them, but decided not to ask, especially with Abel and Molly so close.

Wallace was about to press the two younger Fergusons for more information on the artifact that had such a hold on their parents, but before he could even open his mouth, Rachel and Bart returned. They hadn't been gone long enough for Nessy to get out a listening device, anyway.

Before he could ask them for their final verdict, Bart said, "For the good of our family, our town, and Zephyria, we agree to let the spirit of Ronald Hart have the amulet."

A cheer went up from the kids, while the Wranglers shared relieved smiles, though Wallace's feelings of triumph were short-lived. He didn't like the strange gleam in Rachel Ferguson's eyes.

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Chapter 6 of The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 6

"So what is the thing in your jacket?" Wallace asked Bart when everyone had quieted and caught their breath.

Bart's hand went to his pocket, but he didn't answer. It was Abel who filled them in.

"It's an amulet of some sort. It looks like a pocket watch without the watch."

"What's its purpose?" Nessy asked. "Simple decoration?"

"We don't know," Molly said. "It has power of some sort, that's easy enough to tell when you hold it, but we haven't figured out its actual use."

"That's enough, both of you," Rachel snapped.

Joshua put his hand out to silence Rachel, while he made eye contact with Bart to keep him quiet, too. "We need to hear this. Your souls are at stake. You not only saw the thing, but felt it, too. The spirit isn't bluffing."

The two elder Fergusons clenched their jaws, but both nodded. It was obvious, however, they would leave the tale-telling to their children. Wallace also couldn't help but notice Bart kept the artifact hidden.

"The guy came in one afternoon needing a good deal of supplies -- food, tools, tarps, and other miscellanies. We figured he was trying his luck prospecting off the Prosperity claim, but we never did learn for certain. He couldn't pay, but promised he would get the money soon if we'd only let him have everything on credit. I'd been the one helping him at that point, but at that age I couldn't make the decision about credit on my own, so I passed him over to Father."

All eyes turned to Bart, who sighed and grudgingly took up the narrative. "Ronald Hart. That was his name. I don't often, if ever, remember names of those we offer credit to after they are all paid up, but he's the exception."

 Wallace heard "because of the artifact" in his tone of voice, and saw him twitch towards it in his pocket, but he left it hidden.

"He offered a family heirloom as collateral. I balked at first, but when he handed it over, I accepted at once. I didn't even draw up a contract like I normally would. Something about the amulet made me realize it wouldn't be necessary."

He paused for a second as a wistful look passed over his eyes, and then, just as quickly, continued.

"Hart came back a month later, to the day, with the full amount, plus a bit extra in interest, though we never discussed that. I sent him away without accepting any of it, telling him he'd already paid in full. He insisted, but I insisted right back. Who do you think won that argument?" Bart smiled an unpleasant grin. The true look of a man-eating business shark.

"Did he ever come back?" Joshua asked.

"Never when Bart was in the store," Rachel said. "He badgered me and Molly rotten one day until I finally sent her to fetch Sheriff Donovan. After that, whenever I saw him, I'd simply mention the good sheriff, and he'd scurry away."

"How did he die?" Joshua asked.

"Don't know," Bart said. "At one point we noticed he hadn't shown his face in a few months, and after that we never gave him any more thought."

"So what does it do?" Nessy said, no doubt hoping her sudden question would this time catch one of them off-guard enough to spill the beans.

"As I said before," Bart said, "we don't know. It gives off a feel of power, but we've yet to discover what that power is." He again declined to pull it out. Wallace decided not to push for it yet, though at some point it would prove necessary.

"At least now we know why the spirit is so agitated," Wallace said.

"We paid for it fair and square," Rachel said.

"The spirit doesn't see it that way," Wallace said.

Rachel firmed up her jaw and looked ready for a fight. "Fair and square."

Wallace put his hands out in front of him in surrender. "We're here to help, not argue. I'm simply telling you that the spirit, this Ronald Hart, doesn't see it as a fair business deal, and he's willing to eradicate all four of your souls to get that artifact back."

"I have a pretty good idea where to look to figure out how to banish this demon," Joshua said. "But think about this. Is that thing that you don't even know what it does worth not just dying for, but not even existing any longer?"

Wallace nodded at Joshua's words, and he saw Nessy do the same. The Ferguson parents puffed up in a stubborn pride, unwilling to listen to the advice, but their two offspring shared a look that proved the words hit home for them. Not for the first time, Wallace realized Abel and Molly were their allies here, the best bet to get everyone through this unscathed. He did feel it necessary to add something, though. "At least promise you'll discuss it when we've left for the night."

"We will," Abel said, while Molly nodded. Both parents frowned even deeper, but didn't say anything.

With that, the Spirit Wranglers moved to begin packing up their equipment. It would stay in the Fergusons' great room overnight and through most of tomorrow, but Nessy needed it packed in boxes to keep wandering hands off while she wasn't there. Most of the time she wasn't even fond of Wallace of Joshua touching her contraptions.

As he and Joshua discussed the best ways to research the demon, Wallace noticed Rachel Ferguson taking an interest in Nessy's inventions. Though he couldn't hear, it looked as if she were asking pointed questions mostly about the capture and banishing devices. Since she wasn't trying to touch anything, she had Nessy happily gabbing all about them and more. Wallace smiled at his sister's enthusiasm, and then put all his concentration back on Joshua and their conversation.

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Chapter 5 of The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 5

Everyone stood in the main great room of the Fergusons' mansion. Nessy figured this would work best for her contraptions, as Wallace wanted everyone together. The entry hall was too cramped. Here all had plenty of room to wander while staying in the same place. Most of the mansions the Wranglers had visited in Phoenix had similar spaces, and Wallace found they always worked well, even if all they did was debunk the various claims in the capital city.

Nessy had a large gadget which would force the spirit to show itself without the need for aetherial devices, and another which would make it possible for them to communicate with it. Both ran on steam, and she had already made sure they were filled with water for continuous use. The contraptions had proved valuable in past investigations when they dealt with actual spirits, and no doubt it would be the same this time. Wallace hoped so, anyway, while Nessy was positive.

"What do we do?" Bart asked. The rest of his family also threw questioning glances towards the Wranglers.

Joshua took up the explanation. "We wait for Wallace to sense that the spirit is with us, and then we let the devices take over."

Nessy let out a big smile, smacked the side of one of her contraptions, and stared explaining how they worked. Before she could build up much of a head of steam, Wallace sensed the spirit. He didn't see it in the room with them, but it was close.

"Time to bring it forth, Nessy," he said.

She rolled her eyes at the interruption, but didn't miss a beat in tossing down a small device, no bigger than a snuffbox. It would draw the spirit to it, and then the bigger contraption would take over to get it to reveal itself. Wallace felt it working right away, and a second or two later, he alone could see the spirit in the room, fixated on the tiny device. He motioned for Nessy to expose it, and after a loud clank of the thing powering on, everyone saw the ghost.

"It is him," Bart whispered, and the spirit turned towards him and said something, though none of them could hear it.

Nessy stepped over to the other steam-powered contraption and started it up. Since she'd primed it while they'd initially set up, like the other one, it didn't take long. The first sound they heard, besides the contraption's rumblings itself, was a ghostly laughter.

"That laugh is definitely his," Rachel said, awe in her voice. Next to her, Bart nodded.

"Indeed it is, Madam Shop Keeper," the spirit said. His mouth movements didn't match the words, but there was no doubt they came from it.

Wallace and Joshua shared a look. This was the best voice quality they'd ever received. Nessy would have joined them in their look, but she was transfixed with her gadget.

"Since you remember me, you'll also remember that you possess something of mine," the spirit said.

"We have nothing of yours," Bart said.

"Not even in your coat?" the spirit answered.

Wallace's eyes flickered over to Bart at once, and the man blanched and put his hand over a pocket inside his suit jacket.

"We paid you for it," Rachel said. "It was a legitimate business deal."

The spirit again bellowed out its otherworldly laugh. "It seems we have a different definition of business. But that matters not anymore. What you now need to understand is that I am currently in control of a demon. It wants nothing more than to break free of my restraints, but I can keep hold of it for the time being. Give me my artifact, and I'll banish it back to whence it came. If not, I shall soon lose control, and it will be able to carry out the reason I called it -- to devour the souls of your family."

"We did nothing wrong," Bart barked at the spirit. He turned to Wallace. "Banish it now."

Wallace shook his head. "If we do that, the demon will be free, and we don't yet know how to combat it. That means it'll be free to suck out your souls."

Rachel let out an unladylike curse, one even Nessy rarely uttered.

"Keep your lie, and the four of you will cease to exist," the spirit said.

With that, it disappeared, but Wallace could still sense danger in the room. An explosion of energy erupted from where the spirit had stood, and a monstrous head, easily the size of the machine horse that pulled their cart from the zephyr drift station to the house, hovered before them. It made no move, but it didn't need to. Wallace had seen plenty in his time of hunting spirits, but nothing compared to this … thing, this demon.

The room had been unseasonably cold with the spirit in it, but now it went downright icy. Silence assaulted the great room as everyone lost their ability to breathe. Almost as quick as it appeared, the demon was gone, and when it was, Wallace couldn't remember a specific detail about it other than its huge and horrifying appearance. He supposed that was his mind at work keeping him sane.

The sound of everyone letting out a loud exhale at regaining their ability to draw breath filled the room. Then the pent-up screams started.

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Chapter 4 - The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 4

The Spirit Wranglers sat amongst their equipment in the Fergusons' front entryway, making sure everything was ready. The family had been sent out of the room so the Wranglers could discuss everything and firm up a plan of attack. Usually this was the best time to discuss what they wanted to try to debunk first, but that wasn't necessary with this case. No, they already knew they were facing an actual spirit this time. But was there more?

"They're hiding something," Wallace said. "About what the spirit believes they stole."

"That was easy enough to see," Nessy said, tinkering with one of her contraptions. "If they were innocent, they wouldn't have protested so hard. They looked like they were trying to convince themselves as much as us."

Wallace nodded. "I don't think they told a boldfaced lie, but something is going on. Their son seemed ready to explain. We might want to work on him."

"Whatever the truth is," Joshua said, "we need it. It very well could be the key to banishing this ghost."

"There's something else," Wallace said. "Did either of you find the energy released during the séance to be excessive?"

"The spirit must really want it back," Nessy said. "Whatever they took, legally or not."

"Possibly," Wallace said. "Though it's a rare spirit that has such power no matter the circumstances. Most couldn't pull down that shelf in the cellar even if it wasn't bolted as tight as they claim."

"I see where you're going with this, and I tend to agree," Joshua said. "Though I must admit, I hope we're wrong."

Nessy put the finishing touches on a piece of equipment, and looked over at them both. "Care to enlighten me? Did they somehow project that spirit so it was only visible in the aether? Is it an even bigger hoax than anything we saw in Phoenix?"

"No," Wallace said. "What we're saying is, it could be a demon."

She shrugged. "So? They're basically spirits, right? We should still be able to nab it."

"I do enjoy the optimism, but it's a bit trickier than that," Joshua said. "It'll take more than our normal tactics to banish a demon, no matter what kind it is."

"So what do we do?"

"First, we need to figure out what it really is," Wallace said. "Meaning, we need to discover if it truly is a demon, and then, if it is, what it's classification of evil is."

"I'll then need to read through some of my books to see how we go about wiping it from our plain of existence," Joshua added. To Wallace, he said, "Do you sense it? As Nessy said, we still may only be dealing with a spirit emboldened with strength for what it feels wronged it. Revenge has empowered spirits before."

"Something more is here, but I can't tell what, not for sure." He took a deep breath and reached out with his mind in an attempt to ferret out anything that could help them. He sensed the spirit somewhere in the house, and there was something extra surrounding it. Could it be a demon, or was Joshua correct in downplaying it? Never more than right now did he wish his slight supernatural gift was more powerful.

All at once, there were no longer any doubts this was a demon they were dealing with. The lights in the entryway flickered off and on, and an immense presence filled the room. Though they couldn't see anything, it was there. The pressure grew so fast that Wallace thought his eardrums would burst, and judging by how Nessy and Joshua gripped the side of their heads, they felt the same. He clenched his eyes shut, but images still danced across his vision, ones so disturbing he wished he could pluck his own eyeballs out, though it would do no good. He couldn't decide the best way to describe them -- the hateful dance of the undead was the best he could do, but that didn't do it justice. There were no words anywhere in Zephyria that could rightfully explain it.

As quick as it started, it was gone. Wallace and Joshua dropped to their knees, while Nessy, who was already sitting on the floor, slumped to her side. They each gasped for breath and took a few minutes to collect themselves before anyone tried talking. Nessy finally broke the silence.

"Okay, so it seems a demon may be a bit bigger of a deal than I gave it credit for."

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Chapter 3 - The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 3

Joshua pulled his aetherial eyepiece out of his pocket, which allowed him to view the dead, while Nessy had one of her devices handy. Wallace needed no assistance to see spirits. He wasn't a medium, couldn't talk directly to the ghosts, nor could he channel anything, but his special sight came in handy, especially in this line of work.

"Is there truly a spirit there?" Rachel asked.

"See for yourself," Nessy said, moving so the entire family could view her handheld device.

The Fergusons gasped not only in surprise, but in obvious recognition.

"Why, that's the awful man who accused us of stealing from him," Rachel said to her husband.

"Indeed."

Interesting, Wallace thought. Something like that could keep a spirit from not only crossing over, but also drive it to haunt a specific person or family.

"Were the accusations true?" Joshua asked.

Both Bart and Rachel said, "Of course not," while acting scandalized by the question. Acting being the key word, as they were obviously hiding something. Wallace had plenty of practice in reading people's emotions -- it was a necessity when more often than not reported hauntings were hogwash -- and he could see that the two elder Fergusons might not be out-and-out lying, but they certainly weren't telling the complete truth.

What was even more interesting was the reaction of their kids. Abel looked about to say something, but Molly put a hand on his forearm, stopping him. If they couldn't get this ghost captured right quick, maybe Wallace could get Abel alone to learn what he knew.

"We're not here to judge," Joshua said. "We need to know such things to aid our investigation."

"No," Bart said with force. "It was a stark raving mad accusation from a lunatic."

"What is there to investigate?" Rachel said. "We all saw the horrible thing. Capture it and banish it from our lives."

"That'd be ideal," Nessy said. "Except you can see our equipment is still packed up. Can't exactly nab it, let alone banish it, without our goodies."

"Besides," Wallace said, "it's gone for now. I can sense it somewhere close, still in the house, but I couldn't tell you where. That's why we need to investigate. Facts can get us to drive it out here into the open."

"The spirit is the villain here, not us," Bart spat, while his wife nodded enthusiastically beside him.

"Okay, okay, let's all calm down," Joshua said. "We're on your side here. Why don't you folks explain what happened. What did it do to cause you to get in touch with Madam Halifax, and what drove her to contact us?"

Nessy reached into the compartment in the thigh of her metal leg. She lost her real one in an accident when they were children. Clunky prosthetics were a reality of most of her life, but once she had enough skill, she fashioned the leg she now wore. It moved so naturally that most people couldn't tell it wasn't her real appendage. In fact, he had no doubt, based on their lack of reaction, the Fergusons thought she merely reached into a pouch on the side of her work trousers. Instead, she slipped her hand through a concealed slit in the pants and into her leg.

She pulled out a small audio recording device, another of her own inventions. It wasn't much bigger than an average ten-piece copper novel. A thimble-full of water, which turned to steam, fueled it to spin a small wax disc inside. While it did, a special phonographic needle dug into the disc, recording the very sound itself. While the recording time was limited to no more than ten minutes, it usually provided plenty for their interviews. Plus, Nessy always carried a few extra wax discs, and it only took a moment to load a new one, while a refueling of water took even less.

Rachel started. "We first noticed strange occurrences a few months ago, things we all believed to have logical explanations. Unseen footsteps, objects out of place, doors and windows closing on their own, and other such things."

"I couldn't believe how drafty the place was getting, especially since I never felt any of the gusts, just spots of cold," Abel said.

"And I figured the walls and floors were wearing a bit thin," Molly added.

"No chance of that," Bart said. "This place is as solid as the day she was built. I guessed the servants were becoming careless, or the few machines we have were in need of tune-ups."

"This went on for a while," Rachel said. "It came to a point where we couldn't deny what was happening, and a medium was needed. Madam Halifax came highly recommended, but something happened mere seconds into her séance."

"What?" Wallace asked.

The Fergusons looked at one another, as if all were trying to find the right words. Abel was the first to discover his voice.

"An explosion of sorts. It threw us all back from the table, but there were no burns or scorch marks on anything."

"Madam Halifax left post-haste," Bart added. "All she said was that she'd get you here as quick as possible."

"And here we are," Nessy said.

"Has anything happened since the séance?" Wallace asked.

Rachel shook her head. "It's been silent."

"But eerily so," Molly said. "Like the thing is around, but it's doing nothing more than watching us."

As the Fergusons talked, the Ghost Wranglers had unpacked most of their equipment. Wallace was about to start the investigation proper to see if there was anything more when a loud crash sounded from somewhere in the house. They all jumped.

"The cellar," Rachel said, and they all rushed for it. Once down the stairs, they found a large shelf holding pickled and canned fruits and vegetables on the floor, many of the jars shattered.

"Could an explosion in the mine cause shaking enough to do this?" Joshua asked.

"No," Bart said. "It was bolted to the wall. If it were loose, someone would have noticed."

"We do run a successful mercantile, after all," Abel said.

"Yes, we know how to keep shelves sturdy," Molly added.

Wallace studied first the wall, and then the shelf. The unit had definitely been yanked out. This was not the work of a mere spirit. No, not at all. 

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