The Syndicate - 45. Chapter 45 - Taran

The boys gathered their stuff and said goodbye to Greg at the front of the house. Anxiety thrummed in Taran's chest. Lydia had assured him that Maya was resting comfortably in her room, but it was clear he and Ronnie needed to get back immediately. He hoped they managed to avoid Greg's suspicions despite their sudden exit.

"I've got classes early in the morning," Ronnie explained. "And you need to get to bed at a decent time," He pulled his dad in for a hug. "Promise me you'll call if you don't start feeling better?"

"Right, right, of course," Greg replied.

Taran stood back to let them finish their goodbyes, only to find himself pulled into a hug of his own. "Oh!" he awkwardly returned the embrace, giving Greg's shoulder a timid pat. Such overt affection wasn't something that happened much in the Webber household. Still, Taran supposed it was something he would just have to get used to.

"You boys be safe out there," Greg said, turning back towards the house.

Taran paused. It was an odd farewell, but old cop habits were hard to kill. "Don't worry, Mr. Nolan," he chuckled. "I'll make sure Ronnie stays out of trouble."

"You better do just that!"

With a final wave, Taran followed Ronnie to the curb. The town car blinked to life as he reached for the door handle. "Syndicate Headquarters," he declared, sliding into the backseat with a heavy sigh. The computer chimed an affirmative reply, and the car pulled into the street.

"Listen, before we're back and things get crazy again," Ronnie spoke up. "I just wanted to say how much tonight meant to me. Thank you for being there."

"Of course," Taran reached for Ronnie, who turned to slide in close under his arms. There was heat where their skin touched. It seeped into Taran's bones, loosening the knot of tension in his chest. He had been on edge ever since Lydia's call. Taran leaned in to rest his head on Ronnie's shoulder. It was true — things were going to be crazy — but for now, they had each other.

All too soon, the car rolled into the huge garage back at headquarters. Taran spotted Lydia and Carmen waiting near the end of the row of identical town cars. Carmen rushed towards them as the car was rolling to a stop.

Taran lunged from the backseat to meet her. "What's happened?"

"It's Maya. She's done something crazy!" Carmen tried to explain.

"You're not being fair. Maya didn't think we had any other options," Lydia cut her off. Her expression was stony. "But Taran, you're not going to like it."

"Lead the way," Taran replied. The girls broke into a run, dodging a group of Support techs on their way back into the main building. Taran and Ronnie followed close behind, offering rushed apologies to the people who scattered in their wake. The four arrived at Maya's dorm room. Taran was surprised to find it dark inside, lit only by a ring of small, white candles on the floor. Maya sat in the center of the circle, legs crossed and head bowed.

"What the Hell is she doing?!" Taran said sharply.

"Shh!" A hush came from the far corner of the room. Taran whirled around to see Ari huddled on Maya's bed, arms wrapped around his knees. His large yellow were wide with fright and locked on the candles. "If you disturb her, she might not be able to find her way back. She's been away for a while, and her heartbeat's gone all funny. It's so slow now."

Taran tugged on Lydia's sleeve and pulled her out of the room. "Explain."

"She's astral projecting and trying to find him."

"Who? The Shadowghast?!"

Lydia nodded, her eyes welling with tears. "After the last episode, Maya was convinced that waiting for the new moon was wrong. There was too great a chance that we wouldn't get to the incident in time, that another hero would be taken. If that happened, it would be too late to stop whatever's coming next."

Taran bit his lip nervously. In the hours he had spent pouring over the case files, the same worry had occurred to him as well. Without an idea of where the Shadowghast would strike next, the chances of intervening in time were slim. He never considered there might be a way to find him first. "That's… not a bad plan, actually, but what exactly is she doing?"

"Maya had a hunch that the spirits in her necklace could be used to track the Shadowghast down. He's a personification of death, and they would be inherently attracted to him. She thought if she released one from the necklace, it was only a matter of trailing along until he was found."

"How is she doing that, exactly?"

"That's the part you're not going to like… She attached her soul to the one released."

"What?!" Taran yelped.

"Shh!" Lydia grabbed Taran's arm and pulled him further from the doorway. "That's why we need to be quiet. Once Maya finds the location, she must convince the spirit to bring her back to her body. By any means necessary."

"And if she can't?"

"Then her soul's trapped wherever they've gone."

Taran took a step back to lean against the wall. This had gotten so scary so fast. It was a good plan, but he hated that Maya felt the need to keep it from him. He would have done anything to keep her safe; it was his duty. But he had to trust that the team could handle the job. And if anyone could wrestle a ghost for dominance, it was Maya.

"Let's go back inside," Lydia told him. Taran quietly reentered the room. He noticed that Ronnie and Carmen had taken a spot in the corner by Ari, who continued to look utterly terrified. Taran watched as Ari twitched his head from side to side, clearly hearing things that no one else could. Taran nervously took a spot next to Lydia at the edge of Maya's bed. The group sat in silence for what felt like an eternity.

"Is there a limit to how long she can be gone?" Ronnie whispered.

"I'm not sure," Ari replied. "But her breathing is so shallow. I'm getting worried."

So they waited. Half an hour later, Taran stood from the bed, stretching his tense muscles. He slowly followed the circle of candles, trying to get any sense of where Maya could be. He knelt down close to study her face. Her eyes were gently closed, and it looked as if she were in the middle of a pleasant nap.

"Come on, Maya," Taran said softly. "Come back to us." His words were met with silence. He sighed and took a step back from her. If a fight was happening out on the astral plane, he didn't want to be a distraction.

Taran was startled when he suddenly sensed a wisp of air pass across the room. Instinctively, his mind focused as he felt for the source. The door and windows were closed, but he caught the faintest ribbon of air gathering around the circle of candles. The stream danced around the flames in a looping pattern causing the fire to sputter.

"Ari, do you hear any--,"

"Ahh!" Ari choked out a cry and clapped his hands over his ears. "There's -- there's screaming!" He collapsed into Ronnie's shoulder. "Why is it so loud?!"

Ronnie looked up at Taran, cheeks white with fear. No one else in the room heard a sound.

The flames from the candles roared as they suddenly stretched a foot in the air. Burning with hot white light, the fire vibrated like a plucked string. Everyone shielded their eyes from the sudden bright light. With a final flare, Maya's eyes shot open.

She gasped and was thrown backward toward the floor. Lydia jumped from the bed to help her.

"Stay back!" Maya croaked, her hand grasping at the center of her chest. Her arm pulled away, and a shadowy, purple mass peeled back from her body. As she gripped the shadow in her fist, Maya's necklace began to glow with shimmering blue light. Slowly, the spirit sank into the jewelry, and the light dimmed.

"You're safe now," Maya said, looking up at the team for the first time. Her eyes met Taran's, and she nearly broke into a sob. Taran rushed to her side. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you!" she sniffed. "There wasn't time to wait."

"I'm just grateful you're safe." He offered her an arm. "Let's get you off the floor."

"Woah, dizzy," Maya lost her balance and fell against Taran. "Thanks, boss." She took a seat on the bed. The team quietly waited for her to catch her breath. "That idea was better in theory than it was in practice. I'm probably going to be having night terrors for a while," she said with a dry chuckle. "But, it was worth it. I was able to find the Shadowghast. And the spirits of the taken heroes were there too," She looked up at Taran. "Your mom, she's alive!"

Relief rushed over Taran. "Are you sure?!"

"The Shadowghast, he's put them in some sort of magical stasis. Whatever he's doing, it's taking a lot of energy to keep such strong spirits under his influence. He's weak."

"That sounds like good news," Carmen said.

"I have more good news… I know where he's hiding."