“For sure. I’d really like to have a better understanding of what happened back there. Now, you’re sure those elementals will live? No permanent harm?”
“Oh yes, quite sure. While the damage they suffered was quite extensive, they should fully recover in a matter of days. As I stated before, metal elementals are some of the toughest of all the elemental spirits. It is a tribute to Baxter’s ingenuity that we accomplished our goal so swiftly. A elemental crystal embedded in the sword, if that is in fact the cause of the effect, is pure genius in design,” Freddy smiled.
“While I appreciate having such an amazing weapon, I definitely would have preferred to know how damaging it was going to be before hand.”
“Understandable. As time was in short order for our mission and in general you are not a fan of my long-winded explanations, I kept information as precise as possible. At the time it did not seem prudent to delay our journey discussing the specifics of Baxter’s weapons. In the future I will attempt to better assess what information we need on our missions.”
Freddy was right. I had a bad habit of cutting him short when he attempted to explain things to me. Perhaps life was trying to teach me to occasionally shut my own mouth and listen. There’s a boring thought, a quiet ninja.
“Okay Freddy, I’ll try and be better about not cutting you off when you’re teaching me stuff. Now, how about you teach us the quickest way out of the Veil?”
“Of course. We have already started upon that path. If we follow the river road for another few miles it will fork. The road leading west will take us out of this canyon and to the closet known Veil exit.”
“Sounds good. Pretty sure we’ll be making that walk in the dark however.”
They both nodded as twilight was upon us. Far from the bright illumination of the crystal arena, we were already walking in the complete shadow of the canyon. We couldn’t see it, but the sun was obviously sitting low on the horizon. Just as they had the night before, the moon and stars appeared and helped to light our way. Things felt much darker in the canyon, but as we continued to walk, the mountains and cliffs slowly receded and opened the ravine up a bit. We were still walking in a canyon, but it was much wider and more open and everything just felt a little bit brighter.
Just as Freddy said, we followed the river road up to a fork. There was a wooden sign at the crossroads, but the writing was too faded to make out in the dark. It didn’t seem to matter anyway as Freddy confidently turned left and led the way. We rapidly left the canyon walls for more open plains. Trees were sparse but tall grasses ran along the sides of the road. After another hour of walking, we reached the remnants of an old barn.
While it was quite large, it was a ragged looking thing, with barely more than a frame remaining. A handful of broken boards sat on top of the structure, giving the faintest hints of a roof. Grasses and bushes grew up all along the sides as if they were pretending to be walls. At least three young trees were growing inside of the building and it was only a matter of time before they pushed through the remaining roof. Freddy led us around the barn towards a huge oak tree. It was close enough to be responsible for the young trees inside, while not quite close enough to knock the barn over. Intricate rune carvings on the tree seemed to confirm what Freddy hoped and he nodded before sliding in-between the tree and the barn. He vanished in a shimmer and Vix and I followed.
If the florescent lights in the ceiling were any indication, we were back in our world. It was a small and oddly tall room, maybe ten-foot square, but easily twice that high. I assumed the odd size was to accommodate larger Veil citizens. There were a few dusty breaker panels on the far wall and enough cobwebs to confirm they hadn’t been touched in a while. There was a large double metal door serving as an exit. The doors were creaky, old, and rusted. It took a bit of effort, but I finally managed to swing one of them open. This was obviously not a Veil entrance used very often.
Once we were outside, we could see that we’d exited some type of government substation. A large chain link fence surrounding it and kept people away. I closed the door behind us and a clicking sound let me know it locked. I was guessing there was some type of release to get back in. Freddy spun the combination lock on the gate and let us all out. I didn’t know if all the government locks used the same combination or if Freddy had just planned this so well he knew exactly what we’d need to get out. After seeing how well he handled himself in the Veil, I was betting on the latter. He’d really impressed me on this adventure.
“I assume you know where we are?”
“Absolutely,” he smiled.
Although it was also dark here, it still felt much brighter than the Veil. Probably the feeling of security one gets from standing on home turf. Freddy secured the gate behind us and pulled a cell phone out of his bag. We were standing next to a road, somewhere deep in rural Maryland by the look of things. It was a country road, just wide enough for two cars to pass, but not wide enough for the local government to bother painting any lines down the middle. Trees lined the street and created a canopy so thick it almost felt like a tunnel. As we stood there in the rural darkness, I just kept hoping civilization wasn’t too far away.
It turned out we were just outside of Ellicott City Maryland. Freddy tapped the magic buttons on his smartphone and let us know our ride was about twenty minutes out. I assumed he was using one of those fancy ride hailing apps. I know, I know, I sound like an old man who’s afraid of technology. But to be fair, I’ve spent most of my life living off the grid and trying to be difficult to find. Carrying around a mobile phone whose primary function is to triangulate my position in order to connect me to the Internet was against my upbringing. Maybe one day I’d cave and get a phone so I can play Angry Birds or something. Although, under normal circumstances, I have Vlad, so calling a taxi isn’t really something I need to do. I squeezed the bracer on my left wrist and yet again missed my friend. Snarky self-driving cars are the best. I think everyone should have one.
Several minutes later Freddy let us know a blue Toyota Prius was almost here and sure enough, one pulled up. The driver didn’t even seem surprised to see us. One of the advantages of those apps I guess. They knew you actually were where you said you were.
Freddy jumped up front while Vix and I took the back. The driver confirmed the address with Freddy and we were heading back towards the Patuxent Refuge to retrieve Freddy’s car. It took us almost forty-five minutes to get there and we mostly rode in silence. Vix put her hand in mine and seemed to relax a bit. If the clock on the dash was correct, we were going to finish our mission with several hours to spare.
We were dropped off in front of the gate on Red Cedar Lane. Once our ride drove off, we unhooked the chain around the gate and headed inside. As the lock was still broken, this was exceptionally easy. We made our way back to Freddy’s car in relative silence. It almost felt weird not to be talking more, but I think we were all just anxious to get to the cathedral. Back in Freddy’s car, we left the refuge, again securing the gate behind us. Traffic was mostly on our side and in less than an hour we found ourselves pulling back up in front of the Sunny Stone Cathedral.
The church looked just as it had before, except now there was some yellow police tape across the front door. The same lone car still sat in the parking lot collecting dust. A quick scan around the property showed it to be just as deserted as it was on our previous visit. Of course last time all of the crazies were hiding in the basement, eating trolls, so it was probably too soon to declare the area safe. We secured all of our Veil equipment in the trunk of the car, as we assumed we wouldn’t need elemental weapons and rations anymore. I handed the key to Freddy and adorned myself with more traditional weaponry. Vix also reequipped herself and Freddy even put his gun back in its holster. He’d left it in a lockbox in his trunk when we entered the Veil since gunpowder was useless there.
Once they were both ready, I took the lead and we prepared ourselves for whatever we might face downstairs. Although, assuming the troop
s did their job after we left, this place should be a ghost town.
We slipped under the police tape and entered the church. It was also in the same state as before, empty pews and plenty of dust. Freddy had a flashlight, but kept it fairly low as to not light the place up and alert the neighbors. We found the release panel and opened the secret door in the wall. There was no noise coming up from the stairs this time, but for the sake of caution, I still took point. Sadly the lack of a bonfire at the bottom meant we had to use our flashlight to light our way. While I enjoy being able to see, it unfortunately meant anyone at the bottom would clearly see us coming.
But it turned out I had nothing to worry about. We reached the bottom and scanned the area to find a giant empty cavern. Being cautious types, we searched the entire complex thoroughly before beginning. Except for the charred remains of the giant bonfire, the place was deserted. Once we confirmed we were alone, we all converged on the sarcophagus. Freddy lit it up and there it sat, nestled into its corner as if it was waiting for us.
While his flashlight was impressive, Freddy decided more light would be prudent before we began. He went into his bag and pulled out a couple of large lanterns. Freddy’s preparation would put a boy scout to shame. The powerful lamps were more than enough to light the area and keep the shadows at bay. We all stood just in front of the sarcophagus and prepared for what we must do. Freddy examined the lock and the key a few more times, referencing a book he’d brought with him. I desperately wanted to make a joke about the worlds leading Wu Xing Key expert needing to reference a book. But, considering what was on the line, I was thankful he was double checking everything before opening the sarcophagus. Plus, when I glimpsed the cover of the book, I realized my joke would have failed horribly. As you might have guessed, he was referencing his own book.
While Freddy worked, Vix and I just sort of stood there keeping our senses peeled for danger. We were lookouts in a place we’d already confirmed to be empty. Honestly, we both felt kind of useless. Finally after a few more minutes, Freddy was satisfied and smiled at us.
“Everything is in order. We are ready to open the lock. But before we do, I ask your indulgence for a moment,” Freddy smiled as he went into his bag and started removing a tripod. He set up an expensive looking camera on top and positioned it just in front of the sarcophagus before continuing.
“I realize it was not a pleasant occasion which brought us together. However, I believe accomplishments in life should be celebrated. Especially with friends,” he smiled wide, “We charged the key and managed to return here relatively unharmed. Victoria, whom you thought you lost BD, has returned and will hopefully stay for a long while. These are the small victories we should always remember. If you will forgive my presumption, I thought we should capture the moment.”
Freddy spoke with as much courage as he could muster. It was clear how much this adventure had meant to him and how much he hoped it meant to us. I couldn’t even claim I was faking it anymore, I considered Freddy a true friend. When someone is willing to drop everything and help you at a moments notice, those people deserve your respect and thanks. I owed Freddy a lot for this and someday I’d find a way to pay him back. If letting him take a picture was part of that, so be it. Although I didn’t have to answer as Vix beat me to it.
“I think that’s a great idea,” she replied, rushing over and thanking Freddy with hug and kiss.
“Okay, let’s picture it up. But I should warn you both, the camera loves my beautiful face. Are you sure you want the pressure of standing next to me?”
“We’re happy to take it without you,” Vix teased.
I laughed and walked over to pose with them. We all had our arms around each other, Vix in the middle, Freddy proudly holding the key forward as the picture snapped. It probably sounds sappy and a bit cheesy, but it was a very nice moment. Before recently discovering I had a brother, I’d lost all of the family I’d ever known. Perhaps, slowly, I was starting to build a new family. It was a nice feeling. Obviously, working for the GHOSTs gave me a purpose, but this was something different. This made me feel needed. Freddy’s fancy camera had a digital screen and he showed us the picture. It was at least twice as cheesy as I thought, which kinda made it perfect.
Now that the fun was over, we needed to get serious. We had no idea what was going to come out of this thing once we opened it. Freddy put his fancy camera back in his bag and cleared the area in case we had to act. I really wanted Freddy to get out of here and let me open the sarcophagus myself, but he wasn’t having it. I got a short speech about not abandoning us now and how I might screw up opening the lock without him. We’d come too far to let me mess anything up now. So, I didn’t really fight him. Vix and I stood ready, weapons drawn. I held a short katana in one hand and a throwing knife in the other while she had a pair of long daggers in her hands and several more in quick draw sheaths across her torso. Freddy looked at us and we nodded our readiness. He took a deep breath and inserted the key.
CHAPTER 21
The key simply clicked into place and Freddy stepped back and out of the way. Apparently, he didn’t even have to turn it. Come on, even I wouldn’t have screwed that one up.
There was a shimmer of multicolored light dancing around the key and it pulsed twice before the radiance started to spread. It moved as if it were alive, slowly snaking across the surface of the sarcophagus until its glittery glowing fingers covered the entire thing. It was actually beautiful to watch. It looked like spectral roots pulsing and shimmering as magical glitter flowed through their veins. After a few moments, the light started to pour into the seams around the lid and glow brighter. Then, after a quick flash, it vanished, breaking the seal.
There was a loud hissing sound as ancient air escaped its prison. After a few moments of silence, we chanced a glance at each other. All of our expressions were silently asking if the show was over. Before anyone tried to answer, the sarcophagus showed us it had one more trick up its sleeve. Slowly the lid started to lift, accompanied by the sound of stone scrapping stone. The top was connected by large internal brass hinges, which allowed it to open fully without falling off. Once it finally stopped, the world grew eerily silent.
Dust and smoke slowly crawled out of the opening, spilling over the edge and falling towards the floor. It was just thick enough to prevent us from seeing inside the sarcophagus. We all stood ready, not knowing what to expect. The unnatural way the smoke moved made it clear it was a supernatural effect. It billowed out like one of those cheap Halloween machines, but this moved like it was alive. It pooled around the base before floating upwards. Slowly it coalesced into a small grey cloud, not much bigger than a beach ball. It regarded us for a moment, as if it was trying to determine if we were a threat. Once it was satisfied we weren’t going to react, it shot up into the air. Then, several more of its friends shot out of the sarcophagus and followed it towards the ceiling.
It was hard to stay tensed and ready for a fight when they didn’t seem to be paying us much mind. They zoomed about the room, moving higher and higher until they were dancing across the ceiling. I counted a dozen or so, but honestly it was hard to get an accurate count as they zipped around each other. Most of them were varying shades of grey, with at least one light blue and another the color of rust. There was a soft pulsing light to them, feeling very much like a heart beat. If I were to make an uneducated guess about the way they were moving, I’d say they were playing. They looked happy. Once I heard Freddy giggling next to me, I figured the threat must be minimal. I was still trying to keep my attention split between the clouds and the sarcophagus, but I spared a glance Freddy’s way.
“Those are air elementals. One of the more playful spirits,” Freddy said.
“Should I be worried we didn’t buy something at J Street to deal with them?”
“Not at all, they are rarely aggressive. I believe we are seeing the celebration of their freedom. They must have been trapped in there for a very long time.”
“
Is it bad that we let them loose in our world?”
“I do not believe so. Many air spirits live among us. I am actually a bit surprised you are not familiar with their legends. Perhaps you came across stories of them in your youth? They were quite popular as spirit servants in magical houses all across Asia,” he smiled.
I shook my head at Freddy as Vix spoke up, “Very interesting. That must have been why they wanted it opened, to free some long lost family servant.”
“That seems like a lot of work for a pet.”
“While pet is an apt description, the air elementals are often considered part of the family. Because they spend so long living with a family, it is often joked they hold all the best family secrets,” Freddy said.
“Okay, should that concern us Freddy? Do we want the kidnappers to get their family spirit back?”
“We have very little to worry about. The air spirits present almost no immediate danger. Like all spirits, they require a corporeal form to exist. In the case of air elementals, that form is mostly fine dust particles. Unlike their much larger wind spirit cousins, the air spirits have very little mass and by extension very little strength. They are primarily used for common household chores. They are also said to have terrific memories and exceptionally long life spans. These spirits are considered great family treasures and handed down generation to generation. It is not uncommon for the air spirits to bond to a family for centuries.”
“So they’re slaves?”
“I do not believe so. While they do act as servants in their respective households, they are not there against their will. The air elementals actually believe themselves to be members of the family. They are happy to work around the house as part of their family duty.”
G.H.O.S.T. Teams (Book 3) Spirits Page 21
