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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Chapter 2 - The Power of Steam Compels You

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CHAPTER 2

Wallace Vance looked down from the zephyr drift's observation deck as it descended towards the mining town of Prosperity. He and the other two Spirit Wranglers -- Joshua Mannix, their researcher, and Hennessy Vance, Wallace's kid sister and the group's tech guru -- had answered a request from a medium for a family in need. The Wranglers were between jobs at the moment, so they had no problem packing up and heading to help right away. From the sounds of it, they were needed posthaste.

"See any Rock Men?" Nessy asked, leaning over the railing further than Wallace liked. He knew not to point that out, though, because if he did, she'd be hanging off the observation deck with one hand next.

"No," Joshua said. "They don't tend to come from gold mines. It's not unheard of, but they seem to prefer iron and copper."

"I guess that proves their intelligence levels aren't very high," Nessy said.

"Who are you kidding?" Wallace said. "You'd choose the building materials any day."

"Nuh-uh. You need the shiny precious metals to fund the good stuff. Get the gold first, and then you can horde the copper and iron."

"In any event," Joshua said, "the monsters eat the rocks, they don't spend them. That's one of the prevailing theories, anyway. It's not like anyone knows much about them."

Wallace suppressed a grin at the disappointment lacing his friend's voice. It was true, though; Rock Men were next to impossible to study. They were one of the main dangers of living on the ground in Zephyria.

"There it is, boys," Nessy said, pointing past the mine to Prosperity proper.

It looked like many small towns in Zephyria. One half was a long main street, filled, no doubt, with inns (brothels), saloons, and mercantile, while the other consisted of a residential area. Most of those homes were shacks and lean-tos, but there were a few larger dwellings for the wealthier residents, their clients, the Fergusons, being of that latter group.

"See the wall?" Joshua said, motioning to the ten-foot high lumber barrier surrounding the town. "They must not see many, if any, Rock Men since it's wood and not stone."

The zephyr drift hitched to the station, and as they stepped onto the platform, Nessy let out an exaggerated sigh. "Nice to be back on solid ground."

"I don't know," Wallace said. "I couldn't tell Phoenix was floating so far up."

"I'd think you'd be enamored with our capital city, Nes," Joshua said. "Those anti-gravity devices are just the things that normally have you blabbing tech for weeks on end."

"Of course I'd love to see the anti-grav devices, but I didn't notice either of you offering the chance to go take a look."

"They wouldn't let us down there, anyway," Wallace said. "The only chance our group had to see the Phoenix underground is if there was a spirit loose, and even that's not a given."

"Hmph. I'd find a way. Besides, my gripe isn't with the city, but with the jobs we had. This one has to be easier than any of those."

"Easier?" Joshua said, his eyebrows raised. "We debunked every case with relative ease."

"I believe my dear sister had no problem with the cases themselves, but rather with our hosts and employers."

"Those rich dandies have a way to belittle anyone and everyone, especially those of us who dress sensibly for our jobs, not for frivolity. Any spirit we encounter is preferable to that lot."

"The Fergusons are rich, too," Joshua pointed out.

"Not capital city rich," Nessy snipped back, bringing out a laugh from Wallace and Joshua. She rolled her eyes at them.

At the bottom of the zephyr drift station, they found their gear already loaded into a cart attached to a machine horse. A servant motioned them on. Joshua hopped up, while Wallace followed after handing the boy a quarter-piece copper. Nessy examined the horse, and then joined them on the bench seat.

"Wonder if they have a machinist who builds them in town," Nessy said, motioning towards the horse.

"I have to admit, I'm much happier with that thing leading us," Joshua said. "Those driverless, horseless carriages in Phoenix were a tad unnerving."

The short jaunt to the Fergusons' proved uneventful. Strangers, especially those loaded with boxed-up gear, weren't an uncommon sight in most mining towns, and Prosperity was no exception. As they went, Joshua filled them in on the family again. Neither Wallace nor Nessy needed the reminder, but a last-minute refresher was never a bad idea.

"The family owns Fergusons' General Goods Mercantile, and mirroring the name of the town, it's been prosperous for them. Bart is the head of the household, with his wife, Rachel. They have two children, Abel and Molly, both of age but still at home and working the shop every day. No doubt one or both are tapped to take over when the parents call it quits. As far as I could determine, the family has never before had any big problems, supernatural or not."

Wallace took over. "Since it was Madam Halifax that contacted us instead of the family, I'm assuming it's a spirit we're dealing with, not overactive imaginations. Be ready to debunk, but keep that in mind."

Once they arrived in front of the Fergusons' house -- a mansion, really, even if it wasn't up to snuff with the richest households in any of the major cities -- servants rushed out and unpacked the cart, bringing the gear directly into the house. This was done at a pace to get the Wranglers inside as quick as possible. Wallace could understand. While a supposed haunted house in Phoenix was viewed as an extra status symbol, in most places it wasn't something to advertise to neighbors.

"All human servants," Nessy said.

"Most of the machines are used in the mines," Joshua said. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few inside."

Once the three stepped in with their equipment, the front door closed. A tall man in a black top hat and suit that wouldn't be out of place in the capitol stepped towards them. "Hello. I'm Bart Ferguson. You are the Spirit Wranglers, I assume?"

"You assume correctly," Wallace said, shaking his hand. "I'm Wallace Vance. This is Joshua Mannix, our researcher, and Hennessy Vance, our tech guru."

"Sister or wife?" a female voice behind Bart asked. "If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"This is my wife, Rachel," Bart said.

"I apologize for my mother. The ghost has relieved her of her manners." This came from the Ferguson son, Abel. He looked a spitting image of his father, just a couple of decades of youth on him. Behind Abel, offering the Wranglers a shy smile, was the daughter, Molly. She proved an almost perfect match of her mother.

"Pish-posh," Rachel said. "It has nothing to do with the ghost, and all to do with working in a town of gold miners."

Her husband and children groaned, while Wallace and Joshua offered polite smiles. Nessy, on the other hand, burst out laughing.

"I can tell I'm going to like you. The big lug, by the way, is my brother."

With the introductions out of the way, Bart Ferguson handed Wallace a bank promise, made out to the amount they'd agreed on. "As we discussed, I'll make out the second when you rid our house of this spirit, malevolent or not."

"Assuming there really is a spirit," Abel added.

Wallace nodded. "I understand the skepticism, even with what your family has experienced. We usually carry quite a bit of it into our cases. This time, however, there is no doubt." He pointed to the far corner of the room. "Your spirit is standing right there, watching over us."

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Chapter 1 of The Power of Steam Compels You

Welcome to the first installment of my new serial, The Power of Steam Compels you. Please click here if you'd like a quick introduction to this story.

CHAPTER 1

Energy buzzed through the air as if taunting Rachel to stay down and keep her eyes closed. She wasn't quite sure what sort of predicament she was in, but knew Bart and the children were somewhere close. The truth of it all, that memory of the last few minutes, teetered on the edge of her mind, but wouldn't yet move forward into her consciousness. Finally, she forced her eyelids open to make sure her family was okay.

The room looked to be the epicenter of a dynamite blast. She lay against the wall, thrown back from the now-obliterated table in the middle of the tea parlor. Bart lay across the room from her in a similar state, as did Abel and Molly, their almost-adult children, on the other walls. No one looked hurt, merely stunned. After a quick internal evaluation, Rachel realized she, too, was fine.

Whatever had done this wasn't dynamite. She'd heard too many horrific stories of accidents with TNT from the miners that frequented their store, Fergusons' General Goods Mercantile. If it had been that, there would be char marks all around, if not an actual fire with all of the combustible material in the room. Not to mention she and her family would be much worse off. No, this had been something else.

A moan came from the hallway. That had to be Madam Halifax, the medium they hired to perform the séance. Yes. It all came flooding back: the strange bumps in the night, the eerie, inhuman noises, things moving on their own, and many more strange occurrences these past few weeks. When she mentioned these to a few of her friends (as a jest, of course, so they wouldn't find her peculiar), they became excited at the prospect of a spirit and recommended a medium they knew of in Phoenix. The ladies felt it would be such a fun adventure, and they couldn't wait for Rachel to regale them with the stories the séance brought. Rachel kept her own voice light and airy as she talked with her friends, but, inside, her heart grew cold at the prospect of needing a medium at all. Later that day, when she discussed it with first Bart, and then Abel and Molly, it was decided, and she penned a request for the medium, this Madam Halifax, to pay them a visit. The medium got back to her post-haste, saying she'd be there on the next zephyr drift into Prosperity.

Madam Halifax couldn't have arrived soon enough. The family servants -- their human ones, at least, as the machines didn't seem to care a lick about the happenings -- began voicing their concerns, where they had up to then been mum. No one in the household, from family to the servants, wanted to admit to being superstitious in the least, but much relief shone through with the promise of professional help.

Now Madam Halifax was here less than an hour, and this occurred. Rachel couldn't be sure -- she might have sustained a conk to the head, after all -- but her memory told her they'd only just begun the séance when the energy blasted them to the edges of the room, and, in the case of Madam Halifax, out the door into the hallway. Rachel knew their circle had been opened to invite spirits in, but no questions had been queried.

"Is everyone okay?" Bart asked, the first to push himself to his feet.

Abel and Molly stood and answered affirmatively. Bart turned to her and raised his eyebrows, which was his way of making sure she responded.

"I'm fine," she said, and likewise rose. She took a step towards the door to check on Madam Halifax, but before she got there, the medium stepped into the room, a thin trickle of blood from her nose, and on both sides of her head from her ears.

Molly let out a gasp. "You're hurt."

Bart handed the medium his handkerchief and motioned to her nose and ears. Madam Halifax murmured her thanks and dabbed at the blood. Rachel didn't know if it was a guess or some sort of premonition from the strange scene, but she didn't think the injuries had been caused by the tumble through the door.

"What happened?" Bart asked.

Madam Halifax didn't answer. Instead, she went into some sort of trance and muttered what seemed to be a chant, the words such that Rachel couldn't make them out. They certainly weren't in any language she understood. Neither Rachel nor her family interrupted, too stunned to say anything.

After an agonizingly long two or three minutes, the medium opened her eyes. "I will contact the Spirit Wranglers at once. I have no doubt they can be here in the next day or two. Until then, you should be safe. I've cast an incantation on your house that will hold until they get here."

Bart was the first to find his tongue. "What do you mean safe? How? And who are the Spirit Wranglers?"

She waved his questions away and walked towards the front door. Over her shoulder, she called, "You trusted me enough to bring me here, so continue in that trust. The Spirit Wranglers are better equipped to handle this situation. My presence will only cause further trouble."

With that, she was gone. Rachel and her family stared at each other, all with slack-jawed confusion written on their faces.

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