A chestnut colored horse trotted up close to the group.

“And there’s my damn horse!” Silas exclaimed. “And my rope’s around the Red Ghost’s neck! Damn it!”

The horse trotted around the group, interested, but cautious.

“Will he come if you call him?” Joseph asked.

“Not that horse.” Silas said. “Especially not with so many people around he doesn’t know. I don't suppose there’s a fancy manesological magic spell you could do to make my horse come over?”

“Does your horse look like a ghost horse?” Joseph asked.

“Why is it that you magic men can do so much to ghosts but next-to-nothing to a living creature? That doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Firstly, we aren’t magic men. Those are thaumaturgists and we’re manesologists.” Joseph answered. “Except for Dr. Glass, he spent a few years training with the thaumaturgists.”

“That doesn’t rightfully make me a thaumaturgist.” Dr. Glass said. “Though I did learn a few tricks from them.”

“Secondly, we do have a few things we can do against the living.” Joseph said. “It’s just that none of them would be appropriate for roping a horse.”

“I could order my thought-forms to grab your horse.” Martin said. “But the poor thing would get startled, and might hurt itself in its confusion.”

“All the power in the whole universe is inside those little candles of yours and you ghost men can’t do anything?” Silas asked.

“There is something we can do.” Mr. Reeves said. He cracked his modified LeMat revolver and revealed its gaeite core. Silvery-white light washed over him.

Silas flinched.

Mr. Reeves touched the olprt radiance with his hand.

A Dyeus architect touched the side of his recently constructed palace. The palace laughed at his tickling touch. The young princess always wanted to be a palace.

The Molvi Operation

The olprt radiance softened and yellowed as Mr. Reeves’ touch pulled metaphysical ectoplasm away from physical photons until a glowing silver rope was around his arms. In a moment, the free photons were bound by fresh ectoplasm from the gaeite core and the olprt radiance was once again its characteristic silvery-white.

“Tell him I can rope his horse with this.” Mr. Reeves said to his friends.

“He’s going to throw that on my horse?” Silas asked.

“It’s just a rope.” Matthew said.

“If it’s just a rope, then give it to me.” Silas said. “Let me rope my own horse.”

“You don’t want to do that.” Joseph said. “Mr. Reeves can pull a rope out of olprt radiance because he knows how to keep the right images and stories in his head. You aren’t a manesologist. If you touched that rope, your mind wouldn’t know what to do with it. It might burn you or even make your hand vanish completely--gobbled up by the Astral!”

“Is this really okay?” Silas asked. “I mean, for him to do it?”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Mr. Reeves is the most dexterous manesologist in the world.” Joseph said. “Of course it’s okay.”

“Alright, but if your nigger burns my horse with that glowing rope of his…”

With deft skill, Mr. Reeves formed a spinning hoop with the ectoplasmic rope and threw it over the horse. The horse didn’t resist. It was used to being led by a rope and Mr. Reeves was used to leading men and animals by a rope.

“Here you are.” Mr. Reeves said as he dissolved the ectoplasmic rope and handed the reins to Silas.

Silas did not thank him.

“If we have any more questions for you, a man in a white cloak will visit you one night.” Joseph said.

“This man wouldn’t happen to be a ghost right? Please don’t send any ghosts after me.” Silas asked.

“Oh no. He’s just as flesh and blood as you or me.” Joseph said. “His name is John Leeds.”

“That’s a relief! I wouldn’t want anything spooky to visit me! I’ve had enough spookiness for a lifetime encountering the Red Ghost.”

Silas mounted his horse. “You all take care.” he said to the Englishmen.

Silas spurred his horse and rode away, muttering about ghosts, nigger marshals, and other things he couldn’t understand.

Shortly after, the manesologists boarded Whisper’s carriage and flew into the sky.

“That man was rather rude, wasn’t he?” Martin said to Mr. Reeves.

Mr. Reeves chuckled. “So?”

‘I’m sorry he made those disparaging comments towards you.” Martin said.

“He was more ignorant than malicious. Not that I care either way.” Mr. Reeves said.

“Mr. Reeves, do you know a place nearby where we can regroup and refresh ourselves?” Matthew asked.

“Need to take a break from the search?” Mr. Reeves asked.

“Though some water and food would be nice, I want to stop so I can use the Zacare Operation to summon an old Confederate friend of ours, a manes named Theodore.”

A look of realization flashed in Mr. Reeves eyes. “Ah! The haunted Confederate buggy ghost! I remember him. You think he can help us?”

“For some reason, the Red Ghost spared Mr. Johnson when he trampled Ms. Richards to death. I have a hunch that his big CSA belt buckle might be the reason. I think we may be dealing with the ghost of a Confederate. Maybe the shape of the monster means something to old Confederates? Maybe it was some sort of symbolic figure, like something they put on one of their flags?”

“Would Theodore know?” Mr. Reeves asked.

“Teddy was an operator in the Confederates armored cavalry. They were going to send an attack force up the Mississippi to attack Washington as soon as they finished building a pillbug shaped version of the electric buggy that could go underwater. Theodore is rustic in his attitudes and speech, but he was a capable engineer, and well-connected with the Confederate military. If the Red Ghost is some sort of esoteric Confederate symbol, Teddy would know.”

“Then let’s go.” Mr. Reeves said. “But we might as well head back to that station. It’s not that far away, and we don’t have to worry about people asking us if they can touch our ghosts.”

“Oh, don’t you just hate when they do that? I can’t tell you how many times people have asked if they could touch Nick.”

“Isn’t Nick made out of fire?”

“Yes. You think that would deter them, but it doesn’t.”

Back at the station, the manesologists found that Mr. Leeds had gone. He had left behind his white clothes, which were, as usual, neatly folded, and a note.

“Fort Bowie sent an electrogram.” Mr. Reeves read. “There were reports of the Red Ghost near Clifton. I have gone to investigate. Will be back soon.” Mr. Reeves placed the note down. “They saw the Red Ghost all the way out in Clifton? The damn thing is running circles around us!”

“Truly a formidable adversary.” Joseph said.

“Hopefully Teddy will be able to provide us with a lead.” Martin said.

“I’ll carry out the Operation.” Matthew said. He unclipped his gaeite candle from his belt and turned it on.

“Summon Teddy above the stuffed goat sucker.” Joseph said. “It’ll be funny!”

“It would, but he’s already doing us a favor by coming.” Matthew said. “Let’s not antagonize the man that might be our only lead. Summon him right in that clear spot next to the Snallygaster tentacle, Martin.”

The Dyeus warrior snapped his fingers. He wanted his old swordmaster to see this--his wedding. He had only survived this long thanks to his tutoring.

The Zacare Operation

A pile of metal scrap that was once one of the CSA’s finest mechanical buggies materialized in the center of the station. Sitting comfortably in the fractured driver’s seat, unphased by the metal jutting from his body, was a smiling man.

“Ah, it feels good to be back in America!” Teddy exclaimed. “Thanks for calling me over, sirs. As fun as it is driving buggies for Hermes Transportation, Blackwall is just so…wet.”

“He doesn’t drive those buggies looking like that, does he?” Mr. Reeves asked.

“No. He alters his appearance when he’s on the clock.” Matthew said. “He wouldn’t be a very good driver if his passengers saw that metal rod sticking all the way through the back of his head.”

“So you’re the famous Bass Reeves!” Teddy exclaimed. “The man with over a hundred arrests--and that’s just the living men, am I right, sir?” Teddy extended his hand--the one that didn’t have nails and screws sticking out of it.

Mr. Reeves shook his hand, being careful not to squeeze the ectoplasmic limb into mist. “I have brought many men to give an accounting of themselves before Judge Parker. A few men I’ve brought before St. Peter.”

“Strange that I’d be helping a Federal Deputy Marshal. “Teddy said. “To think, only a few years back, I'd have been shooting at you Federals. But I guess time heals all wounds, as they say, sir.”

“I hope you don’t begrudge me for preferring the Union to the Confederacy.” Mr. Reeves said. “My employment opportunities were rather limited in the Confederacy.”

“It’s all water under the bridge, sir.” Teddy said.

“More like blood under the bridge.” Mr. Reeves said. “But the war was then, and this case is now.”