knew.
Twenty minutes later, Leon slowed the cab and turned into the entrance of a branching tunnel. Virginia caught a glimpse of another warning sign. Keep Out: UDEM Ahead.
Leon brought the cab to a halt and finally deigned to speak. “The waterfall is down that corridor on the right.”
The announcement was unnecessary. The pulsing, acid-green light of the unnaturally large concentration of ghost energy was already visible. It throbbed at the entrance of the corridor. Virginia gazed at it, amazed. She had never seen that much ghost light in one place in her entire career. She could only guess at the size of the UDEM itself. It was still out of sight around the corner.
Beside her, Sam moved. He got out of the cab and walked toward the entrance of the branching corridor. His hard face was etched in lines of concentration and keen anticipation. He was looking forward to this, Virginia thought. Well, what else had she expected? He was a ghost-hunter, after all, and this was undoubtedly the most dangerous, most challenging energy specter he had ever been called upon to de-rez. She would probably be feeling the same excitement if they were confronting a particularly complex illusion trap.
Sam paused at the entrance of the tunnel. He glanced back at her over his shoulder “Wait here. I’m going to take a closer look.”
Leon draped his arms on the steering wheel and watched Sam disappear around the corner into the pulsing green light. “This won’t take long. Once he sees the size of that thing, he’ll be back. He’d have to be a fool to try to tackle that sucker on his own.”
Virginia did not like his tone. The last thing she wanted to do was wait here with Leon.
“I’m going with him.” She hopped lightly down from the truck.
Leon scowled. “Are you a hunter, too?”
“No, I’m a tangler.”
“This ain’t no job for a tangler,” Leon said. “That’s a ghost in there, not some wimpy little illusion trap.”
Virginia ignored him. She went quickly toward the tunnel entrance. When she rounded the corner, she was nearly blinded by the fierce, oddly cold glare. She narrowed her eyes against the intense glow and saw Sam. He was silhouetted in front of a cascading wall of pure green energy: the waterfall.
It was an astonishing sight. Light tumbled, swirled, and flowed in oceanlike waves that poured in an endlessly circulating fountain from ceiling to floor and back again. The wall of churning energy blocked the entire corridor, which was narrower than most. The interior dimensions were much smaller than those of the outer tunnel where Leon Drummond waited in the truck.
For some reason, the silence of the waterfall struck Virginia as strange, even though she had seen enough ghosts in her time to know that there was rarely much noise associated with them. A few pops and crackles and the occasional hiss of the ice-cold energy constituted the usual range of the sound effects.
“It really does look like a waterfall,” she exclaimed as she went forward to join Sam. “You’d almost expect to see a river or a pool of psi energy forming at the bottom.”
Sam frowned at her. “I thought I told you to wait in the truck.”
“Not a chance.” She gazed at the tumbling green waves. “We’re a team, remember?”
“This isn’t illusion energy.”
“Right. You’re the expert on this stuff. I’ll just supervise.”
He hesitated. “I’ve always worked alone.”
“Not anymore.” She turned toward him. “It was your idea to merge our businesses, remember?”
He gave her an odd look. “Yeah. I remember.”
She turned back to the cascades of green fire. “Well? What’s your professional opinion, Mr. Ghost-Hunter? Can you handle it?”
Sam did not answer immediately, but his eyes gleamed in the reflected glow. His mouth curved slightly.
“Does amber resonate?” he asked with just a hint of old-fashioned ghost-hunter arrogance. “Yeah, I can handle it. But I’ll have to de-rez it one section at
Twenty minutes later, Leon slowed the cab and turned into the entrance of a branching tunnel. Virginia caught a glimpse of another warning sign. Keep Out: UDEM Ahead.
Leon brought the cab to a halt and finally deigned to speak. “The waterfall is down that corridor on the right.”
The announcement was unnecessary. The pulsing, acid-green light of the unnaturally large concentration of ghost energy was already visible. It throbbed at the entrance of the corridor. Virginia gazed at it, amazed. She had never seen that much ghost light in one place in her entire career. She could only guess at the size of the UDEM itself. It was still out of sight around the corner.
Beside her, Sam moved. He got out of the cab and walked toward the entrance of the branching corridor. His hard face was etched in lines of concentration and keen anticipation. He was looking forward to this, Virginia thought. Well, what else had she expected? He was a ghost-hunter, after all, and this was undoubtedly the most dangerous, most challenging energy specter he had ever been called upon to de-rez. She would probably be feeling the same excitement if they were confronting a particularly complex illusion trap.
Sam paused at the entrance of the tunnel. He glanced back at her over his shoulder “Wait here. I’m going to take a closer look.”
Leon draped his arms on the steering wheel and watched Sam disappear around the corner into the pulsing green light. “This won’t take long. Once he sees the size of that thing, he’ll be back. He’d have to be a fool to try to tackle that sucker on his own.”
Virginia did not like his tone. The last thing she wanted to do was wait here with Leon.
“I’m going with him.” She hopped lightly down from the truck.
Leon scowled. “Are you a hunter, too?”
“No, I’m a tangler.”
“This ain’t no job for a tangler,” Leon said. “That’s a ghost in there, not some wimpy little illusion trap.”
Virginia ignored him. She went quickly toward the tunnel entrance. When she rounded the corner, she was nearly blinded by the fierce, oddly cold glare. She narrowed her eyes against the intense glow and saw Sam. He was silhouetted in front of a cascading wall of pure green energy: the waterfall.
It was an astonishing sight. Light tumbled, swirled, and flowed in oceanlike waves that poured in an endlessly circulating fountain from ceiling to floor and back again. The wall of churning energy blocked the entire corridor, which was narrower than most. The interior dimensions were much smaller than those of the outer tunnel where Leon Drummond waited in the truck.
For some reason, the silence of the waterfall struck Virginia as strange, even though she had seen enough ghosts in her time to know that there was rarely much noise associated with them. A few pops and crackles and the occasional hiss of the ice-cold energy constituted the usual range of the sound effects.
“It really does look like a waterfall,” she exclaimed as she went forward to join Sam. “You’d almost expect to see a river or a pool of psi energy forming at the bottom.”
Sam frowned at her. “I thought I told you to wait in the truck.”
“Not a chance.” She gazed at the tumbling green waves. “We’re a team, remember?”
“This isn’t illusion energy.”
“Right. You’re the expert on this stuff. I’ll just supervise.”
He hesitated. “I’ve always worked alone.”
“Not anymore.” She turned toward him. “It was your idea to merge our businesses, remember?”
He gave her an odd look. “Yeah. I remember.”
She turned back to the cascades of green fire. “Well? What’s your professional opinion, Mr. Ghost-Hunter? Can you handle it?”
Sam did not answer immediately, but his eyes gleamed in the reflected glow. His mouth curved slightly.
“Does amber resonate?” he asked with just a hint of old-fashioned ghost-hunter arrogance. “Yeah, I can handle it. But I’ll have to de-rez it one section at
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