Hello, fellow disciples! Today, we bring to you the story by JudeBelinda, our first place contest winner for The Banishing writing challenge!

You can check out JudeBelinda's winning contest entry here ➟➜

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The Spirit Agent

CHAPTER ONE

Tang Shengyi opened her eyes slowly. The last thing she remembered was being hit on the head by something, then falling into the water. She looked around, but the sudden movement made her head pound, and she lifted a hand to prod gingerly at the lump forming on the back of her skull.

Sitting up, she contemplated her current situation. She was lying alone at the edge of the lake she had been attempting to cross by raft earlier. Given that the surface of the water was still, it was highly unlikely that she had simply been carried to the lakeshore by the current. That meant someone must have pulled her out, but there was no sign of life anywhere.

Getting to her feet, Shengyi attempted to wring the worst of the water out of her soaked skirt and considered her options. She had made it to the other side of the lake, at least, even if the method of doing so wasn't entirely to her liking, and the pouch holding her money and most precious belongings was still firmly attached to her belt. The only thing to do, therefore, was simply carry on her journey, and she could thank her saviour at a future date if they ever made themselves known.

She glanced up at the sun. It was high in the sky and its rays beat down fiercely on her upturned face. That meant it was most likely the middle part of the day. Just around lunchtime. While the heat did not make for a good travelling companion, it did mean that her clothing would dry out quickly, and she did not have the luxury of waiting around in her undergarments with her dress draped over a branch for the next hour or so. If whatever hit her had been deliberately aimed, the perpetrator may return at any time to check on their handiwork.

Decision made, Shengyi turned to face east and set out along a faintly visible path leading away from the water's edge. With any luck, she would reach the provincial capital by nightfall.

Tang Shengyi was no sheltered maiden, but neither could she be said to be particularly worldly. After her parents died young, she had been raised by her aunt and uncle in a small community on the outskirts of Jing Province. There, she had learned martial arts alongside her male cousins, and matters of household management in the company of her aunt. While she could not be described as exceptional in any way, Shengyi was content to refer to herself as well-rounded and generally quite self-sufficient, which was why she was now making her way, alone, to the largest provincial city within a few days' walking distance.

It was time to strike out on her own, she had decided. She did not want to be a burden to her aunt and uncle any longer, and she had no desire to marry any of the eligible young men in the surrounding area. Those that devoted themselves to physical exploits were not exactly good conversationalists, and the ones who did focus on their studies believed themselves to be intellectually superior. Neither option was particularly appealing.

When it had become clear that Shengyi's mind was made up, her aunt had suggested that she make her way to the provincial capital and become an apprentice to a distant, but well-disposed relative with a successful herbalist business. The arrangement had been finalised in short order, and the young woman was now on her way to begin her new life.

The rest of Shengyi's journey passed uneventfully, and when she finally reached the inn that her aunt had recommended, she was relieved to find that they still had a room available. Staying awake only long enough to consume a bowl of noodles, she then stretched out on the comfortable bed and was asleep in moments.

Just a few short hours later, Shengyi sat bolt upright. She looked out of the window. The moon was still high. She would not have woken naturally at this hour. Something must have disturbed her. She sat quietly for a moment, and as her eyes adjusted to the dark, a patch of white light appeared a few feet in front of her and slowly began to expand. Before long, the fuzzy shape resembled a person. From the look of it, it was a man, and he appeared to be sitting at the bottom of her bed.

No doubt at this point, most people would have run screaming from the room, but Shengyi was not easily frightened, and possessed a relatively open mind about mystical occurrences and the spiritual world.

Clearing her throat, she spoke.

"Excuse me. I'm not sure it's appropriate for you to be in here."

The apparition turned towards her and, even though its features were hazy, it appeared that it was more surprised to see her than she was it.

"You can see me?" a soft, low voice asked.

"And hear you," she replied. "Who are you?"

"I'm not sure anymore." The shape sighed. "I know who I was until two nights ago, when I died in my sleep in this room."

Shengyi glanced down in horror.

"They changed the bedding," the apparition added, helpfully.

The young woman decided to switch the subject before she had a chance to think too much about the unpleasant revelation.

"Have you been here the whole time?"

"Yes. People have been in and out of this room a few times, but you are the only one who could see me. Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me."

When it was clear that no response would be forthcoming, Shengyi folded her arms and thought furiously. Perhaps she had some sort of connection to this particular spirit, although he didn't seem familiar at all. The other option was that she had developed the power to see spirits generally, although it was unlikely to have suddenly manifested without some sort of trigger, and the only thing of significance that had happened recently was her unexpected dip in the lake.

"If that's what you're thinking, you're right."

Another voice. Also male. She searched around for the owner until her eyes alighted on a small silver dragon flying around near the ceiling. When he was sure he had been spotted, he glided lazily down to circle around Shengyi's head. She frowned.

"What 'that' are you referring to?" she asked the new arrival.

"You almost drowned earlier today, and it triggered your abilities. Near-death experiences will do that sometimes."

"Are you a spirit, too?" she wondered out loud.

"Yes, but not like him," the dragon cocked its head in the direction of the man on the bed. "He's a spirit of the dead. I was born a spirit and cultivated to become what I am now."

Shengyi nodded. It made sense. The dragon's form seemed much more substantial than the male spirit. The question was, why were they here? She opened her mouth to ask the question but, once again, it seemed as though the dragon had read her mind.

"He's here because he can't move on for one reason or another. I'm here to guide you in your new role as a spirit agent."

"Spirit agent?"

"Yes. It's now your job to act as a conduit between the mortal realm and the afterlife, helping spirits who can't move on to cross over, and giving the ones who don't want to go a little nudge, so to speak."

Shengyi decided to inquire about the nudging part at another time.

"How do I do that?" she asked, instead.

"For the ones who want to leave but can't, it's quite easy. You just need to resolve whatever issue is keeping them here. It's usually some sort of unfinished business."

"But that could be anything!" Shengyi exclaimed. "And what if it's something immoral, or dangerous?"

The little dragon thought for a moment.

"You can get creative. You don't have to carry out their wishes exactly. As long as what you do brings them closure, it's enough."

"And what if it doesn't?"

"You make them go," the dragon responded, somewhat grimly.

Rather than continue the conversation, Shengyi decided to test the theory.

"What do you want?" she asked the male spirit, who seemed pleased to be back in the conversation.

He raised a ghostly arm and pointed to the corner of the room.

"I have a twenty-year aged wine hidden under the floorboards over there. I was going to enjoy it on my birthday, which would have been the day after I died. I was so looking forward to tasting it."

Shengyi looked the spirit's almost translucent frame up and down, doubt etched on her face.

"He can't drink it," the dragon confirmed. "Even if he could, he wouldn't taste it."

"He can't," the young woman responded, "but I can."

Getting to her feet, she strode purposefully over to the corner of the room where the spirit had pointed and started pressing on the floorboards.

Sure enough, before long it became apparent that a couple of them were loose. Prying them up, the jar of wine was immediately visible.

Moving over to the table, she pulled out the container's stopper. It was fortunate that her alcohol tolerance was relatively high, she thought. Pouring herself a cup, she prepared to drink.

"Wait!" The spirit glided across to where she was sitting and settled his wispy form in front of her. "What does it smell like? Describe it to me. And I want exact details. Every single thing you smell, taste, feel. I need to know it all."

Shengyi took a deep breath. It was going to be a long night.

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CHAPTER TWO

One week later, Tang Shengyi was firmly established in her new life. Her aunt's relative was a kindly man of advanced years, who was just happy to have an assistant to help out. Consequently, he was more than willing to ignore some of his new employee's quirkier habits, which included dashing off somewhere at a moment's notice and animatedly talking to herself when she thought she was alone.

At the present moment, Shengyi was grinding herbs and simultaneously engaged in conversation with her dragon spirit guide, Shuang, who was in his usual holding pattern of circling around her head.

"So, you're saying that essentially I have to 'slay' the spirits that refuse to move on?" she asked.

"Exactly. They can't stay in the mortal realm. They will eventually try to take over a human's body, and that could be disastrous, and not just for the unlucky human."

"Why?"

"Because spirits of the dead are not supposed to be here. They're no longer compatible with this world. Even if they successfully manage to possess a living person, eventually they will go mad. It's guaranteed."

"I see." The young woman took a deep breath.

"How exactly do I slay these spirits? When I threw a pot at the head of that annoying dead scholar the other day it went straight through him."

If Shuang's face was capable of looking sheepish, now would have been the time.

"I may have forgotten to mention it to you previously."

Shengyi stopped grinding and looked the little dragon right in the eye.

"There's no time like the present," she said.

Her companion's words came out in a rush.

"You need to get hold of a spirit sword. But don't worry. They're really quite easy to assemble. We just need to find a dawn redwood tree and carve a piece of it into a hilt with some runes on it. The sword blade will then manifest whenever you call on it. It's very simple. I'm sure you'll sort it out in no time at all."

Shengyi's eyes narrowed suspiciously. She doubted it was as easy as Shuang was making it sound.

"And then what? I just plunge it into the spirit and, boom, job done?"

"Yes. The spirit will dissipate immediately."

"Okay. I suppose I'd better not delay the inevitable. Let's go looking for this tree."

A few hours later, Shengyi was trudging through the forest just outside of the city walls. Her patience was wearing thin. She looked up at Shuang, who was gliding along contentedly, basking in the late afternoon sunlight piercing through the canopy of leaves.

"Why couldn't these spirit swords choose a more common tree to attach to?" she complained. "Look at all of these firs. They seem nice and sturdy. Any one of them would do."

The little dragon scoffed.

"Because spirit weapons aren't 'common'. And anyway, you've only been looking for an hour. What you need isn't going to just appear in front of you. You have to earn it."

"That's easy for you to say." Shengyi stopped moving and put her hands on her hips. "Why don't you help out a little? Get up there above the treeline and have a look around. You can at least point me in the right direction."

Shuang huffed a little, but did as he was told, and before long he was back with good news.

"Head south-east. There's a small cluster of dawn redwoods not more than thirty minutes' walk away."

Sure enough, half an hour later Shengyi was hacking away at a branch using a small axe she had borrowed from her employer's woodshed. It was clear that this tree was not going to let go of one of its limbs willingly, and in truth, she felt a bit bad to be damaging a living thing like this. But, she reasoned, it was all for a good cause.

Eventually, with a sore arm but in possession of a substantial piece of redwood that looked to be in good condition, Shengyi set off back towards the capital. If she was lucky, she would reach the gates just before sundown.

***

Shengyi was not particularly talented when it came to woodcarving. Consequently, she had decided to find someone skilled in the art to shape the redwood into a sword hilt. On asking around the local neighbourhood, anyone with any knowledge of woodwork had recommended a small workshop in a quiet corner of the city. As soon as she had finished her morning tasks, and armed with her branch and a drawing she had made, guided by Shuang, of the two runes that needed to be carved into the end product, she set off with purpose.

When she reached the workshop, she wasted no time waiting around outside. She pushed open the door and walked into the building. The room she entered was large and dimly lit, and filled with pieces of wood in various stages of transformation. Through the dust particles in the air, she could just about make out the figure of a man seated at a bench positioned directly in the path of the only shaft of sunlight. He was hunched over, intent on whatever he was working on.

Deciding it would be rude to call out to him from her current location, Shengyi made her way over to where the man was sitting and cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Sorry to bother you, but I wonder if you could help me."

Straightening his back, the man turned around slowly, and to her great surprise, the spirit agent saw his eyes open wide in astonishment and recognition.

"It's you!" he exclaimed. "How did you find me?"

"I'm sorry," said a very confused Shengyi. "Do you know me?"

Ren Yifeng's mind worked furiously. His first thought on seeing the attractive young woman he had dragged from the lake some ten days earlier was that she had somehow tracked him down. But he was sure that she had still been unconscious, but breathing normally, when he had left. Now, given her response to his exclamation, it was clear that she had no idea at all who he was, and this meeting between them was pure coincidence.

"My apologies," he said, quickly. "I mistook you for someone else. It's quite dark in here." He gestured around as if to prove his point.

"It's no problem at all," Shengyi said hurriedly, anxious to skip the small talk. "I was wondering if you could take on a small woodcarving job for me. It's rather urgent, I'm afraid."

Yifeng nodded slowly and indicated that the young woman should take the seat opposite.

Reaching into her bag, Shengyi drew out the piece of wood and the drawing of the runes.

"I need you to carve a sword hilt out of this piece of dawn redwood."

"Who is it for? It will need to be sized exactly to fit their sword hand."

"Me."

"You?"

Shengyi sighed with frustration.

"Yes, me. Is it so unusual for a woman to carry a sword? And why does it matter? I am prepared to pay you over the odds for the work."

Yifeng took a deep breath. The woman in front of him had quite a forthright personality. It was a good thing she didn't know that he had accidentally pitched her into the icy depths when he had launched one of his carvings across the lake in disgust at his handiwork, only to watch in horror as it hit a woman on a raft squarely in the back of the head. He had not hesitated to throw himself into the water to rescue her, but there was no escaping the fact that he was the one who had caused the young lady's predicament in the first place.

Picking up the piece of wood, Yifeng turned it over in his hands. It was good quality. Firm, but not brittle. It should not be too difficult to work with. It was an unusual material for a sword hilt, though. He had only seen it used for that purpose on one other occasion. His eyes narrowed.

Shengyi studied the man in front of her. She supposed he was handsome, in a slightly rugged kind of way, but he did not seem to be aware of it. His demeanour was calm, and his fingers moved over the wood, inspecting it with practised ease. All in all, she decided, he gave off a trustworthy aura, and she was content to leave her future spirit weapon in his hands.

"I agree. He's our man," a voice close to her ear suddenly piped up.

Glancing to the side, Shengyi saw Shuang hovering near her right temple.

"How do you do that?" she hissed. "Are you sure you aren't reading my mind?"

The man looked up quickly.

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing at all," Shengyi said, dismissively. "I was just clearing my throat. Carry on."

Without another word, the man returned to inspecting the wood as if nothing had happened. However, in the midst of her relief, the young woman did not notice his jaw tighten almost imperceptibly.

"I told you I couldn't," Shuang retorted. "You just have a very readable face. I can tell everything you're thinking just by looking at you. You must be a terrible liar."

The young woman swallowed the cutting response that had been forming on her lips, and instead fixed her face into a pleasant expression as her human companion looked up.

"I think I can work with this. If you've got some time now, I can shave the wood down and keep checking it until we get the right size. I'll finish off the finer details on my own."

Shengyi smiled.

"That sounds perfect. I also have some symbols I would like engraved on the hilt." She pushed the piece of paper across the table.

The man took only one look at the document in front of him before he shot to his feet.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed, excitedly. "You're a spirit agent!"

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CHAPTER THREE

The young woodworker's sudden statement had startled both Tang Shengyi and her dragon companion. Her first instinct was to deny it, but the man in front of her would not let her get a word in.

"Before, when you spoke, you were talking to your spirit guide weren't you? What is he? Where is he?"

Shengyi raised a hand.

"Hold on a minute."

Ren Yifeng sat back down and smiled to himself. He knew he was right. His mother had been a spirit agent, and he had listened to stories of her adventures with rapt attention as a child. It had never occurred to him to doubt her words. Now, many years later, another woman had come into his life, and she wanted a sword hilt made from the same material as his mother's, she talked to an invisible being just like his mother, and the runes she had requested carved into the wood were exactly the same as those on his mother's sword. The coincidences were too stark to ignore, and he was willing to risk looking a little foolish in order to make his new acquaintance admit the truth.

Shengyi watched the man in front of her carefully.

"What are you waiting for? Deny everything!" Shuang hissed in her ear. She batted him away.

"How did you know?" she said, eventually.

"My mother was one," came the response. It was not really necessary for him to elaborate further.

"You know what I need then?"

"Yes. And don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. My name is Ren Yifeng."

Shengyi smiled with genuine warmth. She suddenly did not feel so alone in the world.

"I'm Tang Shengyi. It's nice to meet you," she said. "And my spirit guide is Shuang. He's a dragon. You can't see him but he's up in the corner of the room over there. He's sulking."

***

True to his word, Ren Yifeng had crafted the sword hilt, and done a beautiful job of it. The smooth piece of wood was now tucked safely inside Shengyi's cloak. She only hoped she did not have much occasion to use it.

Shuang had finally forgiven her for confirming her identity to what he called an outsider, grumpily accepting that Yifeng seemed like a decent sort of chap, and it was probably good for Shengyi to have a human ally she could rely on.

The next few days passed peacefully, other than dealing with the spirit of a woman whose unfinished business was to take revenge on the fiancé who had jilted her. Fortunately, the young man in question was a thoroughly bad egg, and Shengyi had no qualms at all about sneaking into his home and, with the spirit's help, retrieving some highly incriminating account books showing how he'd been overcharging the provincial government for various services for years. It did not take long for the evidence to make its way to the desk of the chief magistrate. Job done.

In truth, Shengyi was becoming a little too complacent. Consequently, it was only a matter of time before she was faced with her first real challenge, and it came in the shape of one very malevolant spirit.

Angry at having his mortal existence cut short, and refusing to accept that it was due to his own poor lifestyle choices, the man in question was determined to recapture his youth by depriving someone else of his.

Shengyi had tracked down the spirit by listening to market gossip. Several traders had described their younger male relatives as having complained of constant feelings of uneasiness, as if someone had walked over their graves, and chest pains. Shuang had confidently proclaimed that it was the work of a spirit who was attempting to take possession of the young men's bodies, but had not yet figured out how to do so.

After a day or so of research, also known as eavesdropping, the spirit agent and her guide had figured out that the deceased was a moderately successful merchant in his late thirties, with a reputation for being a glutton and a drunk. His hunting ground of choice was, unfortunately, the local courtesan house, where Shengyi could not go without attracting attention. Consequently, it was time to call on Ren Yifeng.

"But I've never been to a courtesan house," he protested, as she threw a pile of expensive looking robes at him. "I won't know how to behave."

"You don't have to do anything," she exclaimed. "Just walk around in an obvious sort of way. Then, as soon as you start to feel strange or uneasy, make your way to the far corner of the rear courtyard. I will be waiting there."

"But what if it's not the spirit?" he asked.

"I'll be able to see it, so I'll know if you're alone, and you can just go back inside and try again."

"But what makes you think it will come after me?"

"You're a handsome young man with a good figure. You fit the physical profile. We just need to make sure you dress the part."

Shengyi was so busy rifling through the pile of clothing in front of her that she failed to notice the slow smile spreading across her companion's face.

"You think I'm handsome?" Yifeng asked.

Suddenly embarrassed, the spirit agent knew that she would be caught in an obvious lie if she tried to backpedal. Instead, she tried to brush it off.

"Some would think so, I imagine."

On hearing Shuang snort loudly next to her ear, she knew that, at best, she had only been partially successful, so she resorted to changing the subject.

"Don't worry. If I spot the spirit early on, I'll make a move immediately, irrespective of how crazy it makes me look. You won't have to do anything at all."

"Hmm." Yifeng bit his lip worriedly. "Perhaps you should cover your face so no one recognises you. It would be easier than having to explain yourself later on."

Shengyi nodded. It was a good idea.

"It would also preserve your reputation," her companion continued. "No man is going to marry a woman who frequents courtesan houses."

Without waiting for a response, Yifeng quickly disappeared into the side room of his workshop to change.

***

Several hours later, Shengyi was crouched in a dark corner of the courtyard of the courtesan house, her presence obscured by the shadow of the wall behind her and some dense shrubbery. She was grateful for the shelter, as the lamps on the veranda of the building a few metres away were burning brightly, echoing the energetic nature of the frivolities within. She peered at the windows intently, but could see no sign of Yifeng inside.

"I'm sure he's fine," Shuang reassured her. "He's not completely incapable."

"I know that," she whispered back. "I just feel that the bait is at a bit of a disadvantage when he can't even see what we're fishing for."

"Well, we can't help that," the dragon responded, matter-of-factly. "You're just going to have to trust him, and make sure you do your part."

"Don't worry, I will." Shengyi's grip on the sword hilt in her hand tightened.

Yifeng moved slowly through the corridors of the large building, ignoring the inviting glances being directed his way. He had a drink clutched in his hand, but it was just for show. He had already made one circuit of the place. He could probably manage one more without arousing suspicion.

As he reached the end of his stroll around the ground floor, he suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He turned around slowly, trying to act as casually as possible. Nothing, but then he hadn't really expected to see anything anyway.

He continued for a few more paces until he felt pressure building in his chest, as if a hand was around his heart slowly starting to squeeze. This had to be the spirit.

Trying to act as nonchalantly as possible, Yifeng made his way through the building towards the exit to the rear courtyard.

Shengyi saw them suddenly appear in the torchlight. Yifeng and a hazy shape following close behind. He'd done it. She forced herself to wait patiently in the shadows until the two got closer. Focussing her mind as Shuang had taught her, she called on her spirit weapon, and a glistening silver blade extended from the redwood hilt.

When the two figures were almost within touching distance, she cried out.

"Move!"

Yifeng didn't need to be told twice and quickly threw himself to the side as Shengyi leapt forward with her sword.

Unfortunately for her, the spirit was unexpectedly limber, and darted back, easily avoiding the thrust. Shengyi swore silently and pressed the attack, grateful that the courtyard was empty.

The spirit tried to take cover behind an ornamental pedestal and, before she knew it, a large vase was flying towards her head. It was only by instinct that she managed to duck and avoid being hit full in the face.

"I thought they couldn't interact with physical things," she shouted up at Shuang, who was circling excitedly above.

"The ones with the strongest desire to stay and become human again can sometimes manipulate objects. Sorry. I forgot to mention it."

Shengyi rolled her eyes. It would have been helpful to know that before she launched herself into the fight.

Fortunately, the skirmish was resolved relatively quickly when she managed to manoeuvre herself into a position where she could deliver a swift but decisive blow and, just as Shuang had said, the spirit dispersed immediately with a howl of indignation.

Shengyi looked around for Yifeng. He was stood with his back pressed against the wall, obviously trying to stay out of the way. She smiled.

"All done. Let's go before someone comes."

Walking to a nearby tree, she swung gracefully up into its branches and stepped across to the top of the wall, with Yifeng following closely behind. Then, they both made their way down the ladder they had placed there earlier and disappeared into the night.

Thus ended the first of many adventures for the two young people.

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