"The book mentioned a guy named Charon..."

"Sharon's a girl's name," Callie interrupted, her train of thought focused on which movie Lucien would prefer between Die Hard and Terminator.

Adie sighed, sensing Callie's conflict and lack of concentration on the subject. She looked over Callie's shoulder. "Neither is a good choice. He should be watching documentaries if he's to learn how the world's evolved, not violent hyperbole." She stretched the short distance and tapped the recommended classic movie at the top of the screen. "There's one about the Wright brothers, that's a good introduction to planes and flying. Otherwise, it's probably best to keep the list to historical fact and technological achievements."

"That's true," Callie agreed. She clicked download on the first five documentaries listed and swung her seat around to face her sister. "What were you saying about Sharon?"

Adie sat in Callie's favourite armchair, swinging sideways so she could tuck her shoe-less feet beneath her on top of the seat cushion. "Charon with a C, also known as The Ferryman. He's the only one who can potentially reunite a soul with the body."

"I sense a but coming."

"But," Adie said in confirmation, "there'll be a price. Before you ask, I don't know what it will be. Passage into the afterlife is a coin that's placed into the mouth of the dead, so I hope it's something similar. I guess our next task is to find out, and in order to do that I need to cross the veil into the Akasha to ask him."

"Akasha is some sort of realm between here and the afterlife, right? I remember it being mentioned in the witch's diary we found in Cork. Can you do that? Cross the veil thing?"

"According to the tomes Harmony gave me, as a Shaman I can. Akasha is more like a void. A vast sea of damned souls trapped beneath it and Utopia on the other side, accessible only by the Ferryman's boat."

"Wait, what if a bad person paid the ferryman, would they be taken across?"

"Yes and no," Adie said with a frown creasing her forehead, "it's sort of complicated. Their destination is determined by their deeds, payment just means they had someone among the living who cared enough about them that they get a second chance and rehabilitation or something. Those who don't get dragged into the sea by the Shadows, or choose not to cross over, end up in the Chamber of Lost Souls."

After a couple of seconds to process the possibilities, Callie asked, "So there could be bad souls in there too?"

"Yeah, hence the warning that not all is what it seems, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. First I need to have a chat with Charon to see what he wants in exchange. While I'm doing that, you can go see Lucien and get something precious from him. Make sure it's something from the time his soul was intact, we'll need to use it to lure his soul to us."

"Can do. When do you plan on leaving to talk to Charon?"

Adie shrugged. "No time like the present. Hopefully I won't be too long."

She disappeared quicker than the time it took Callie to blink. That is weirdly cool, Callie thought, turning her attention to the completed downloads. This lot should be enough for now; at least until the laptop battery needs a recharge.

She closed the lid and made herself comfortable on the seat Adie had just vacated in preparation for her visit to Lucien. Once in his chamber, she called for the laptop, setting it up on a coffee table situated between two armchairs in his sitting room in readiness for his return.

The portrait she found so offensive on her previous visit remained hanging over the fireplace. She took a deep breath to quench the anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Smouldering ashes glowed in the fire grate, echoing the heat rising within her and mocking her with the temptation to dispose of the artwork permanently.

Just breathe, Callie chastised herself, moving to stand in front of it so she could study the portrait closer. Whoever the artist is, they did a great job of Lucien, but there's something a little off about me.

Before she could figure out what it was that irked so much, Lucien entered and made a fuss of using the 'magic box' he called her laptop. Having never seen a moving picture before, he sat transfixed to the screen, often following an object beyond the edge as it moved out of visual range. About halfway through the Wright Brothers film, a scene depicting a plane flying toward the camera caused Lucien to cry out and drop onto his hands and knees on the floor to avoid being hit by it.

Callie laughed. "It's fine. Nothing on this can hurt you. They're just moving pictures remember."

After showing him how to find and play the videos, she explained that Adie needed something his soul would recognise. Without hesitation he reached behind his neck and untied a leather cord with a feminine-looking, silver and pearl pendant.

"It was Herophile's," Lucien said with a warm smile. "She gave it to me for luck when I set out to see her father. It was the last time I saw her."

Fingering it carefully as she took it from his shaking hand, Callie was surprised to find it icy-cold despite being next to Lucien's warm skin only moments before.

"The chill is a constant reminder of her absence," Lucien explained. "Without her by my side, my heart is without the warmth of her love. Please take care of it."