Greywalker - Kat Richardson [79]
“Hey . . . I think I did that, in a way, when I was looking for Cameron in his car.”
“Then all you need do now is refine the technique. Don’t look straight on, just peek out of the corner of your eye.”
The first few times I tried it, the Grey just slipped around and disappeared, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly.
As I peered from the corner of my eye while the sensation of the Grey barrier raised the hair on my arms, a tiny slice of the world went cold silver. I could see white shapes squirreling along the floor and up the walls like vines, weaving glowing lattices through the house.
I gasped. “That’s why nothing gets in here! That’s why you weren’t worried about Cameron. The house has a . . . a . . .”
Mara whooped. “Tender’s Lace. It’s a protective charm, just very large. Let’s try the other. This time, you’ll need to sort of grab the edge of the Grey and bend it round you.”
“What? I thought you said I didn’t need to go in there.”
“You don’t. You can do it from either side if you can catch the thing. That’ll be the tricky part.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why would I want to?”
“Because, while the edge of the Grey is no barrier to you, it is to some of them. If you can bend a bit of the edge around you, it’ll act like a shield. Not for very long, I suspect, but it should at least bounce things back from you, if they aren’t too solid. Wouldn’t have much of an effect on Cameron, but should keep a ghost back. You could try it with Albert.”
“I’d rather take your word for it than invite Albert to cuddle up, if you don’t mind.”
“Why? Do you think he’s angry at you?”
“I’d rather not find out today.”
“Try the trick anyway. I can test it, if you prefer.”
“I’m still not so sure. . . .”
I felt around for the edge of the Grey, but since I was trying to grab it, naturally I couldn’t. I could only find it as a rippling wall of here/there. Every time I tried to catch it, it bulged away.
“It’s not physical,” Mara reminded me. “It’s a mental trick. Just push it around.”
I pushed. The cloud-mist in front of me curved, leaving a clear bubble between me and it. I moved my hands to grab it, not thinking. The Grey gleamed like glass in front of my hands and slid a bit, keeping the same distance as before. I stared at it and moved my hands apart.
The gleaming bit of Grey grew. It felt heavy, as if the Grey not-mist had developed weight and was pushing back on my hands. My fingertips went white from the intense cold. I jerked my hands back and the Grey slumped back into its usual roiling storm-light.
I moved around and pushed on it again, feeling the deformation stiffen and grow heavy with cold. I pushed harder and popped through it, tumbling into the chill, instantly swamped in the cold, writhing haze. For an instant I was disoriented and afraid, but I caught my breath and a whiff of weird chemicals and pushed my way back out. Mara put out a hand, as if that would help.
She looked me over. “That almost worked. Try it again.”
I shook her off. “No way. Not right now. It’s wearing me out. I don’t feel so good around this stuff, anyway. It smells bad, it’s cold, and it gives me vertigo. There’s no up and down in there.”
“Is it really that appalling? I had no idea.”
“The difference between theory and practice, I guess.”
She laughed. “Ha! Hoist on me own petard! Still, you should try—”
“I’ll practice, but not right now. Thanks for the tips, though.”
“Glad to. Should help you keep the beasties at bay. And there will be more. You’re making waves, remember.”
“I do, but I have one question. Why do they seem to go away when I’m in my truck?”
“Do they? They never really go away, so if you’re not seeing the Grey, it’s because the truck’s material acts as a filter. It’s got no connection to the Grey. It keeps them out, but it also keeps you in.”
“That’s fine. I can’t start thinking about monsters from the Grey descending on me, or I’ll start screaming. Even if I can make myself believe in them.”
“But Harper . . .”
I waved through her words. “I know, I know, but it’s one thing to say you do and see one or two bits