CnC 4 A Harvest of Bones by Yasmine Galenorn Page B

bedroom to wake them. The flames were too thick and the fire started in their apartment. We managed to rescue them, but they’re in pretty bad shape. To make matters worse, the family didn’t have any working smoke alarms—the batteries were all dead. I hate it when people don’t bother to check their alarms to see if they’re working.”
    I swallowed a rising swell of panic. “That’s horrible. Do you think they’ll live?” Somebody was going to have to break the news to Randa and I knew it would be best coming from me.
    “Maybe. They’re pretty bad off. If they do live, they’ll need numerous surgeries to deal with the scars. Gunner’s mother’s better off than his father; I’d say she’s got the best chance. Gunner suffered from some smoke inhalation, but he’s going to be okay. The kid’s just lucky he woke up and called 911. He could have slept through it.”
    Joe’s voice cracked. I wanted to take him in my arms, and soothe him. This part of the job was hard on him, I knew that from watching firsthand. Working on the medic unit brought him in contact with so much pain.
    “So when are you going to break the news to Randa?” he asked.
    I blew my nose. “Probably first thing in the morning. They were supposed to go out to the movies together but that’s not going to happen now. It would have been her first date.” I glanced at the clock. 2:00 A.M. I sighed. “I just keep thinking of that poor boy. Does he have a place to stay?”
    “Yeah, his aunt picked him up. He’s pretty shaken up.”
    “I imagine. Man, this is shaping up to be a lousy week.” We talked a little more and then I hung up and went downstairs to make myself a cup of tea. As I heated the water, I heard a rustling on the stairs and turned to see Randa, peeking into the kitchen.
    “Mom? What are you doing up? Is something wrong?”
    My heart fell. I could still send her back to bed and tell her in the morning, but forestalling the news wouldn’t make it any easier.
    “Making tea. I just talked to Joe. Why are you up?”
    She frowned at the table. “I woke up and thought somebody was standing next to my bed. But when I sat up, there was nobody there.”
    Great, so the astral world was alive and kicking.
    “Well, come sit down. I want to talk to you for a minute.”
    I poured water over the bags in my pumpkin-shaped teapot. A delicate whiff of lemon rose up. My favorite tea had, at one time, been Moroccan Mint, but this summer it had been usurped by a new love—the London Fruit & Herb Company’s Lemon-Lime Zest tea. The flavor was delicate, comforting. And within a few minutes, Randa would need all the comfort she could get. As reserved as she could seem, my little girl had a soft heart for her friends and family. I arranged a handful of gingersnaps on a plate and carried the tea tray over to the table. As I slid in beside her, she leaned her head on my shoulder and I kissed her hair.
    “So you had a visitor?” Though I planned on telling her about Gunner’s parents, I wanted to take care of matters at home first. “Did you see who it was? Were you scared?”
    She glanced at me. “You aren’t going to tell me it was just a dream?”
    I gave her a gentle smile. “I could, but I don’t think it was. There’s a lot going on right now on the astral and we’re nearing All Hallows Eve. The spirits are a lot more active this time of year.”
    “All Hallows Eve. Halloween. Your birthday,” she said, grabbing a cookie and nibbling on it.
    “Yes, my birthday.” I shared my birthday with Nanna, my maternal grandmother, whose spirit still showed up every now and then to reassure me or help me get out of one scrape or another.
    Nanna had taught me the family traditions. I learned them at her knee, and one of my most beloved rituals stemmed from an ancient western European celebration that had counterparts in many cultures throughout the world. Samhain, pronounced “Sow-ween,” was the festival of the dead—a time during