"Now what?"

"Now," Abigail says, "we pull a little harder, and see what comes out."

The candles all around flare an ethereal blueish-purple and a phantom wind pushes Abigail's hair back as her hands on the sword burn with the same ghostly power.

And an uncanny wail splits the air to reveal a translucent figure concealed by a thick orange haz-suit, glass visorpane fogged too heavily to see into. "Yyyyyyooooouuuu- damnable wizards!"

- Oh fuck she thinks she knows who this is, actually this is really bad she can't let that woman spill the Ninth's secrets (spill Gideon's secrets - no matter how many questions she has about the truth of her origin, no matter how much she wants to know - if she's right, there's so many damaging things this woman could say - and Ellyn's secrets matter so much more than Gideon's curiosity - )

"Fucking - I don't have any questions just exorcize her!"

"Wretch! Traitor of the blood, unholy affliction-!" The ghost lunges forward at Gideon, caught up short only by the wards and a hasty reaction from Abigail. "Gideon! Where did you go?"

She takes a reflexive step back - her throat closes up - her gaze darts first to Ellyn - then away, searching - 

(For the Body, who Gideon has gone to a thousand times when it's all gotten to be too much, sat beside and spilled her blood in useless theorems against the ice - )

(Her mind goes to the Tomb, to secrets they can't let slip.)

"G- go away," she shouts, taking another step back. "You died!" She almost says 'you failed' except if this woman came to the Ninth for what Gideon thinks she did - if she came to open the Tomb with Gideon's blood, she succeeded. "Your purpose - it's over, it's done, so leave me alone!" A third and final step in retreat. 

(But she doesn't have necromancy, and she can't defend herself against spirits.)

"No. No! I will not go, you imperialist, colonizer. I will have justice."

Ellyn begins to raise constructs, and Abigail starts on a theorem of her own-

The revenant takes a step back, then charges forward to slam into the invisible barrier confining it shoulder-first. A crackle of breaking glass, and the ward on the ground poofs into dust.

The ghost takes a step forward, drawing out a black metal rod, shaped with a grip to fit in a hand.

Then

the Body appears, standing

between Gideon and Ellyn, and the ghost advancing on them. The ghost halts. "What-"

For the first time, the Body speaks. It says

No.

And it says

I am sorry.

The candles around the group all wink out in an instant, Ellyn's constructs crumbling to powder and the ghostfire in Abigail's palms vanishing.

The Body gathers the revenant into its arms and

sends a dearly departed soul on its final journey.

And then the candles are relit, the blood around the sword is gone, and there are no more ghosts in the room.

Gideon falls to her knees, weak, and whispers only a broken - 

"Mom."

"Gideon!" Ellyn turns to embrace her cav.

Cling!!! (Oh no, why is she crying.)

"Shh, shh, it's okay. I've got you."

...Yeah she maybe needs to be not in front of strangers right now.