The Final Gift

By Natasha Neuzerling

Hoping for a quiet Christmas following the paranormal chaos of the past two years, psychics Ciarán Darcy and David 'Kastle' Kastellanos head to the quiet south-west town of The Mouth. Sure, the town may be bordered by the Ayanna Forest, a place infamous for unexplained disappearances and supernatural occurrences, but with some of their families joining them for the holiday, the danger of the forest seems far away.

Until Kastle's Tracker cousin Ari is recruited to find a necklace, lost in the forest a century ago when its owner vanished there. Now the spirits are right on their doorsteps, and completing this case will need them to unlock one of the Ayanna's closest-kept secrets... a secret Kastle's family are more connected to than they think...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Natasha Neuzerling
• Release date: Dec 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005261092

Natasha Neuzerling

Hey, I’m Natasha Neuzerling, though I’ve also written under Cinnibar Rose, Rose Irons and Rose Lane (choosing a pen name is hard). I was born and grew up in a relatively normal family and relatively normal suburb – which is lucky, because there is little that is normal about myself. I would describe myself as a cat in human form: I prefer to watch rather than participate, I’m quiet, on the independent side, curious, rather vain, and if I let my body have its way, I’d sleep 12 hours a day. Luckily for my ambitions, I don’t let it do that.I’ve been writing short stories and planning longer projects for as long as I can remember. Though my childhood was primarily focused on fantasy, my current interests lie in mysteries and the paranormal.I hold a Bachelor of Arts, majoring and minoring in writing and children’s literature, respectively, and as of 2019 I’m working towards a Masters in Information Management. When I’m not writing or studying, I’m probably reading Agatha Christie or dealing with the antics of my two cats.Come along on my writing journey with me!

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The Final Gift

Copyright 2020 Natasha Neuzerling

Published by Natasha Neuzerling at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

Salvage Cottage

The Request

The Forgotten Girls

Dredging Up

Echo

The Girl on the Bridge

The Girl from the Water

The Veiled House

Chase Away the Fog

The Final Gift

About the Author

Other Works by Natasha Neuzerling

Connect with Natasha Neuzerling

Salvage Cottage

Ciarán

Would you look at that! Brigid exclaimed as the trees finally gave way to windswept, miserable-looking scrub over the crest of the hill. Some way down, though not far enough for my taste, the scrub turned to sand and then to the vivid blue water of the Ayanna Inlet. Some incredibly good - or bad - fortune had let us book a chalet in the perfect position to see almost all the way around it, from the rivers emptying themselves into the bay to the estuary mouth on the opposite side.

It was almost like the land was taunting me.

The view or the house? I said neutrally, dragging my eyes from the water. The little chalet was not nearly as impressive, though it was homier for a start with rich wooden panelling and wide open windows. The positioning was unfortunate, but I would make do. At least we had a house to ourselves for the holidays, instead of being forced to share with our families.

Speaking of which… our favourite uncle, his husband and teenaged daughter had arrived in Australia from England the night before. They had the chalet next door. Kastle’s family lived in the nearby town of The Mouth.

Well, both, but I didn’t think you would want to stare at the ocean, Brigid said, pulling the car up alongside the house and killing the engine. She twisted around to face the backseat and singsonged Wakey-wakey, Kastle!

Kastle jerked awake, knee connecting with the back of my seat. Wha-?

Good afternoon, sleeping beauty! Brigid said cheerfully. Did Prince Charming get lost in the woods?

With you driving, probably, Kastle retorted, punctuating it with sleepy groan as he stretched. From the quiet ‘mmrph?’ I heard, he woke Persephone up too. A second later, a black cat climbed onto the centre console.

Does that make me Prince Charming? I said, scratching Persephone’s ears.

Always, Kastle said, leaning far enough forward for me to see him wink, smiling brightly. I rolled my eyes fondly and reached back to squeeze his hand. A heavy waft of rose geranium perfume, happiness in scent form, filled the car.

Brigid made retching noises, though she wasn’t as annoyed as she pretended to be. A combination of empathy powers and just plain knowing my twin sister made that obvious. Unbelievable, she muttered, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening her door. Come on, lovebirds, let’s get set up before the others get here and we head into town. I have like, five texts from Ari asking when we’re going to get here.

That sounds like Ari, Kastle said, stepping out of the car. I counted down from three; right on cue, he swore in awestruck-sounding Greek.

Smirking, I followed, holding the door open until Persephone jumped out, never mind that she was part spirit and could just walk through the solid door in her own time, and turned to Kastle. He stood at the edge of the driveway, staring over the inlet. You have seen it before, I said. Several times.

It never gets old, he said. Kastle loved the sea, and immense forests and just about every type of nature you could think of. Even a place with such an infamous reputation, like the Ayanna, had his heart. In fact, given the exact nature of the Ayanna Inlet and Forest’s reputation, it probably only made it better.

Myself, I had loved nature in small doses, once. A near drowning and an abrupt transformation into a Veilwalker had done away with that.

I shook my head and helped Brigid pull our bags from the car. Based on the floor plan from the website, the house’s two bedrooms are across from each other, she said. We’re not sharing a wall, thank God, but if I hear anything coming from your room, I’m throwing cold water on both of you.

Kastle made choking noises. I just rolled my eyes. You need to get a girlfriend so we can pay you back for all this mockery. I said, grabbing my suitcase and heading for the front door.

The name ‘Salvage Cottage’ was stamped on a plaque beside the doors, faded blue paint bright against the timber. Potted plants and strange statuary framed the doors and brought life to the deck. Only one thing spoiled the picturesque scene: a small, upright stone, positioned innocuously at the foot of the deck. The outward face was blank, but when I looked at the back, I found it engraved with geometric lines and swirls, inlaid with mosaic tiles in blues and purples.

I’d been around Brigid long enough to know the significance. When you create wards against invasion, you put them opposite the side the invasion will come from. This was especially true of wards against spirits. The ward faced the forest.

Of course no one would be stupid enough to build a holiday park near Ayanna Forest without warding the chalets. The anti-spirit ward was practically the symbol of every town in the vicinity. We were safe enough here.

I shook myself and briskly stepped onto the deck. I have the key, Brigid called.

Don’t care, I said, shutting my eyes. Without my awareness of the real world, I may as well have been a ghost. I stepped forward, feeling the light and temperature change as I passed through the door like smoke.

Then an alarm screeched.

I yelped and flung myself back through the door. Unfortunately for me, Veilwalking required a smidge more concentration than blind panic, and the sensation of passing through a solid object sent a wave of dizziness over me. My legs gave out, I stumbled on the steps and landed with a thump on the grass.

Kastle and Brigid were killing themselves laughing, but at least Persephone seemed concerned. I glared up at my fellow humans as I petted the cat and tried to get my heartbeat under control. Serves you right for not waiting for us, Brigid scolded, fishing a paper from her skirt pocket. A string of numbers was scrawled across the top. She unlocked the door and we heard her hurriedly pressing buttons. The alarm beeped three times and stopped. My ears rang in the sudden silence.

Are you alright? Kastle asked with a barely suppressed giggle.

I let him help me up. Apart from my dignity, you mean?

Apart from that.

I’m fine, I checked my clothes for damage, brushed away the grass and picked up my dropped bags. Wonderful start to the Christmas holiday.

At least we know what the website meant by ‘state of the art spirit-security systems,’ Brigid’s voice said. Thanks for testing it for us! Do you think we should warn Alex?

Maybe, Kastle smothered another laugh. The entire chalet smelled of raspberry.

You are far too amused by my misery, I said stiffly, and marched into the house.

The interior decor was sparse, but by and large I preferred a holiday house without much personality to one with appalling taste. The ceilings were high and the furniture mostly made of recycled timber, hence the name, and the view over the inlet was just as terrifying as I expected. Brigid inspected the kitchen, its red splash-back a vivid spot of colour on the otherwise beige walls.

Bedrooms first. Through the combined lounge and dining room was the hallway to the bedrooms and bathroom. It looked more like a tunnel than a hall, its ceiling a smoothly curved arch rather than a sharply pointed one. It and the polished hardwood floor combined to make a forebodingly echoey space. My gut twisted with each step.

Settle down, Ciarán. Considering the extra tourism a haunted house would get, the website would surely have mentioned if the chalet had a permanent resident. Even if there was one, between the three of us and Kastle’s family, we could handle it. I took a deep breath and tried to settle my nerves. The proximity to the ocean was getting to me. That had to be it.

Hoping to distract myself, I opened the door facing back over the forest. It had a rich green feature wall and two single beds; that would be Brigid’s then. I opened the other door, and immediately my attention was caught between