“And why do they think they’re a part of the family?
“Well, this might be a bit technical,” he started, his smiling face transfixed on the dancing spirits, “but the air elementals collect dust as a form of sustenance. This is part of what initially attracts them to a family household. There are plenty of dusty corners to choose from. Most of those contain a very specific dust, which happens to be their favorite meal. Dust filled with the mana of human life. As I am sure you are aware, the majority of dust in human households…”
“Dead skin,” Vix added, disgust in her voice.
“So they’re eating peoples skin?”
“The small bits of mana within, but yes. This process has an interesting side effect however. Because they are feasting on the family mana, they actually start to feel a connection or bond with that very same energy. After a time they literally become part of the family, spiritually speaking, and they choose to stay. It may seem weird to us, but the bond is so strong that should a spirit lose its immediate family they have been known to travel thousands of miles to find even the most distant relative to bond with. In cases where no other family can be found, it is said the air elementals can become so depressed they fade away to nothingness,” Freddy finished.
“So that’s what this is about? Freeing their family servant so it can return home?”
“Apparently,” Freddy shrugged.
“I don’t care what it’s about as long as they hold up their end of the bargain,” Vix added.
I put an arm around her, both of us careful not to stab each other with all the weapons in our hands. We continued to watch the air spirits for a bit and eventually they all sort of flew off. A couple headed up the stairs and vanished. A few headed back down the tunnel towards the trap door and one flew right into the wall behind the sarcophagus. Passing through with no trouble. I gave Freddy a look.
“Well, the spirits small mass makes it easy for them to squeeze through even the slightest crack. Perhaps there is a small air vent behind the sarcophagus?” he tried.
“Sure, I’ll buy that. The Egyptians built escape tunnels for their spirits. Which now that I’m saying that out loud, makes me think they built them for actual spirits. Which makes the pyramids even cooler, if that’s even possible.”
They both nodded. No reason to answer. I wondered about the kidnappers knowing we accomplished our mission in time, but Vix seemed confident they’d know. Apparently they were adamant about it. I guess if what Freddy says is true, the correct spirit will be rushing home even now and they’ll know we succeeded. But as I’m not the trusting type, I was still glad Visine had agreed to go looking for my almost in-laws. As there was nothing else we could do right now, I figured we should just hope for the best. In the mean time, I wanted to see if there was anything else inside of that sarcophagus.
As we approached it, we could make out the shadow of a body inside. Freddy used a lantern to shed more light on the situation, but he was careful to stay behind us as he did. It was a body all right, a human one from the looks of it. Or at least what’s left of one. This corpse looked ancient. It was so dry and dusty and well preserved it almost looked mummified. There was enough dried skin clinging to the skeleton to give us hints about what she might have looked like. And yes, there was enough of a form left to let us know she was a she. Tattered robes covered her body and a large brass crown type helmet sat on her head.
Although the robes were heavily decayed, we could tell they used to be of a very high quality. The crown helmet was tarnished but finely made. In its center was a small green gem, maybe the size of a dime. There were a few scraps of leather lying around the body, remnants of clothing and weapon sheaths it seemed. The only actual weapon however was a long brass dagger, curved at the end with a deep blood grove. Its handle was wood and mostly rotted away. The whole scene was super weird. While I knew this body had been dead for a very, very long time, there was something off about it. Almost a nagging in the back of my mind like I should know what I’m looking at. I just hoped everyone felt that way when they’re looking at a well-preserved mummified corpse. But, Freddy then made a noise that confirmed I should be listening to my instincts.
It was a frightened gasp. The kind of gasp one makes when they’ve just seen something truly terrifying. The sound made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. There was a chill filling the air and I could have sworn I started to see my breath. I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew it was really bad. I looked back towards Freddy to see his face going pale with fear. I was just about to ask him what was going on when I heard something moving inside of the sarcophagus. I spun back around, weapons ready.
There was the subtle sound of shifting as the body started to slowly squirm side to side. Almost like it was shaking off the effects of a long slumber. Then I noticed something small inside those deep dark empty eye sockets. I had to lean in closer to make it out, but it was a glow. A pinprick at first, but with every second it grew. An eerie red glow, becoming brighter and brighter as it filled the entire socket. Every instinct in my body told me this was very, very bad.
“The gem. Destroy the gem,” Freddy screamed.
This was not the time to ask questions, so I didn’t hesitate. I swung my sword down, handle first, aiming right for the gem. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as I watched my hand descend towards the gem. At the same time the mummy’s head was turning towards me and her mouth opened wide. Her mouth filled with the same red glow and just before my sword made contact with the gem, there was a blinding flash. The next thing I knew, I was flying through the air, my vision spotty at best. I thought I could make out parts of the ceiling as I flew back. Then, there was a loud thud as my body hit the ground hard, the sound of metal bouncing around me as my weapons followed suit.
I tried to sit up, desperately attempting to push against the ground with my arms. But my head was swimming and no matter how much I blinked, my vision was going in and out. I remember hearing Vix screaming and I willed myself on to my side so I could look in that direction. I tried as hard as I could to focus on what was in front of me.
The mummy was standing just outside of its sarcophagus with its hand outstretched towards Vix. She was cocooned in an evil red light, her arms and legs pulled tight together as if she was being squeezed. I kept trying to push myself up with my hands, desperate to get to my feet. But my body was not cooperating. All I could do was watch.
Freddy’s body was lying on the ground to my right, I couldn’t tell from here if he was still breathing or not. The mummy looked my way and I swear she smiled at me. The green gem in her helmet was slowly pulsing. Then, she turned towards the sarcophagus and waved her free hand through the air. A red glow enveloped the stone coffin and slid it to the side and out of the way. Once the path was clear, she pointed her fingers at the wall and it also started to glow red. After the wall pulsed several times, she stalked forward and stepped right through. Vix, still floating in her red cocoon prison, was pulled through as well. Once they were both through, the red light faded away to nothing. They were gone. I tried to cry out, but even that seemed beyond the current capabilities of my body.
It felt like it took me days to drag myself across the floor to Freddy’s body. Slowly my muscles were starting to function again. I grabbed his shoulder and rolled him over, very happy to here him gasp for air when I did. His glasses were broken, but otherwise he seemed unharmed. I was guessing he got caught in the same knockout wave that I did. My mouth finally started working again, albeit it very slowly.
“What…was that?”
“Lich. It was a Lich,” Freddy struggled to say.
Somewhere deep down in my brain I knew what a Lich was. I couldn’t remember why, but I knew it was a badass magical mummy. This was really, really bad.
“Shit.”
“Precisely.”
“It took Vix. I gotta save her.”
“We will need to act quickly, before it completes the ritual,” he said.
>
We were both starting to regain motor function. Slowly and very ungracefully we rose off the floor. There were quite a few stumbles as we talked. It gave me something else to focus on other than my aching body.
“What ritual?”
“A Lich is a sorcerer who has found a way to extend their life beyond the grave. This process requires upkeep and I believe the Lich is planning to drain Vix’s lifeforce to do it.”
“Why take her and not one of us or even all of us?”
“The Lich was a woman. I believe it requires a female sacrifice,” he said.
“How long do we have?”
“I cannot be sure. But not very long.”
With that, I finally got to my feet and swayed back and forth a few times. My vision was improving and my head felt less cloudy. Whatever magical effect had hit us, it was fading. That was good news. Once I felt steady, I helped Freddy get fully to his feet. He wasn’t getting there quite as quickly. But to be fair, he didn’t have a super healing-factor on his side.
Once he was steady, I wandered over and collected my fallen weapons. It took a couple more minutes of moving and breathing, but I was finally starting to feel something close to normal. The spell didn’t seem to have any permanent effects. Freddy was holding his broken glasses in his hand as I walked back to him.
“Okay pal, how do I find her?”
“I believe she has been taken into the Veil. The Lich will be heading somewhere familiar to perform the ritual. I need…” he trailed off.
Only one of his lenses survived and he was holding it in front of his face examining the sarcophagus. In the meantime, I went over to the wall and tried to find a way through. I was hoping it was just a magical hologram or something, but it felt solid. I searched every crack and crevice looking for a release or secret panel or anything. But I came up empty. Near as I could tell, this was just a plain old solid stonewall. I couldn’t give up, so I just started pushing. I started with a shoulder, which allowed me to holler back Freddy’s way as I worked.
“They walked right through this wall. How did they do that?”
“You are sure they walked right through the wall?” he asked.
I kept pushing against the wall, straining my muscles. In between grunts of exertion, I explained everything I saw in as much detail as possible. I assumed the more Freddy knew the better. He nodded repeatedly, his face showing the strain as he racked his brain for answers.
“Perhaps this is a Veil entrance, but an unstable one. Maybe it fluctuates at certain times or requires a magical jolt to open. Or perhaps the Lich used some type of spell to seal it behind her as she fled?”
“Then how do we get through it?”
“I do not know,” he frowned.
“Not good enough. I’ve gotta get to her.”
I pushed with everything I could muster, focusing every ounce of strength in my body. Freddy didn’t proclaim my efforts to be useless, so I decided that meant there was a chance I could get through. In fact, he rushed over and tried to push with me. Vix could be just on the other side of this wall and I was going to get to her. I wouldn’t…I couldn’t let anything stop me. Nothing existed but my will and the wall. I drove into it with all of my might, losing track of how long we pushed. Then it happened.
It was a very small effect at first, almost unnoticeable. The rock seemed to give a little. That drove me to push harder. Eventually it gave a little more and I realized it wasn’t really the rock moving, but some invisible wall over top of it. It was like the wall was just a picture on a giant screen, flexing as I pushed. The translucent wall bowed further and further inward as I used strength reserves I didn’t even know I had. Every muscle in my body was on fire, but I was too close to give up now. The wall continued to bend until it finally broke.
I’d almost expected it to shatter or even tear, but it just sort of parted. As if we were breaking some thick liquid surface. Freddy and I hit the ground hard on the other side. I looked back to see the translucent wall wobbling behind us. We were in an open field this time, but the effect was the same. The wall seemed to be a screen and it had the world behind it projected into its surface. The wobble slowed until it was complete still and the wall vanished into the real world once more. I got to my feet and reached out with my hand feeling nothing. It was gone. But that didn’t matter. We’d managed to get past the spell or fluctuating reality barrier or whatever had been blocking our pursuit. We were in the Veil.
CHAPTER 22
I helped Freddy to his feet and looked around. It was still nighttime in the Veil and I had no idea where we were. Rolling hills surrounded us and limited our visibility. Wild grasses grew up to our waists and looked yellowish in the moonlight. Thankfully the moon was so bright in the sky, we had no trouble making out our surroundings. But we had no idea which way to go.
The night was filled with the sounds of happy insects and something else we could just barely make out. It was the dull roar of crashing water, like a waterfall somewhere in the distance. The surrounding hills caused the sound to echo and made it difficult to pinpoint a direction. But, the waterfall wasn’t out main concern. I had to figure out where the Lich took Vix. I frantically scanned the ground around us, desperate to find any clue as to where they went. Then, I saw Freddy making his way up the hill. High ground was a great idea, so I followed him.
The hill was high enough to give us a better view of our surroundings. Freddy and I each scanned the area looking for even the slightest hint of their passage. The hills rolled on in every direction, their only apparent break for the waterfall we could just make out in the distance. The moonlight danced across the water making it brighter than the surrounding area. I squinted and focused as best as I could, looking for a road or path or anything. Then I thought I saw something in the distance. I grabbed Freddy and pointed him in the same direction.
“Did you see that?”
Fortunately, Freddy was far sighted and only needed his glasses for reading. So, he focused on where I was pointing and we both waited. After what felt like an eternity, we both saw it at the same time. It was red light.
“I believe I see a red glow,” Freddy confirmed.
“That’s gotta be her. Let’s go.”
I didn’t wait for Freddy, I figured we would be moving at two different speeds. But he knew which direction I was heading and he’d catch up. Or at least that’s what I initially thought. I was shocked to hear him right behind me matching my pace. I guess his tall skinny body is actually the ideal frame of a cross-country runner. Who knew?
Eventually we crossed a small dirt road heading in the proper direction and we took it. It was easier than running through the tall grasses. We passed the occasional small tree, but the majority of the terrain was just hilly plains. Every time we crested the next rise we had a great view of the road up ahead. The hills were becoming less and less prominent as we moved, but still just high enough that we lost view of our prey when we dipped. At the top of each hill, I tried to judge our distance from the Lich. We were definitely gaining on them, the roar of the waterfall getting louder as we got closer. The Lich didn’t seem to be in a great hurry. She was actually fairly casual looking in her march. I guess decades of being locked in a stone prison make you very patient. Her brisk walk was taking them right towards the waterfall. Which I’m sure you’ll agree, feels ominous.
As we neared the waterfall, I was happily surprised to find Freddy still matching my pace. From the moment we hit the road he’d moved up next to me and didn’t seem to have any trouble keeping up. In fact, I was pretty sure he was slowing himself down to match my pace. In my defense, ninjas are natural sprinters. We’re wasted on long distance. Although, if Vlad was going to be down much longer, maybe I needed to perfect my long distance running. I guess Freddy and I could start taking morning jogs before work. Get the whole team involved. Bonding plus helpful cardio. We all win.
We crested the last hill and the Lich was nowhere to be seen. My chest tightened as panic filled my
body. As my eyes darted across the landscape looking for any sign of Vix, I noticed a structure of some kind by the waterfall. It was ancient and huge and clinging to the side of the cliff wall. The closer we got the more detail we could make out. We were seeing the remains of an enormous and highly unusual castle. I’d never seen anything like it. But I figured that must be where the Lich took Vix, so we continued in that direction.
The waterfall itself was several hundred feet high, pouring down over a sheer rock face that looked like a mini El Capitan. But this definitely wasn’t Yosemite. Next to the giant waterfall, carved into and built out of the rock, was a castle. The structure snaked up the side of the waterfall, all the way to the top. There was an even more massive structure at the peak, but from this distance we couldn’t really make it out.
We continued to make out more of the lower structure as we approached. The remains of a large entrance gate sat between two crumbling towers and pieces of what used to be high walls. While there was enough left to let you imagine what it looked like in its prime, there definitely wasn’t enough left to impede our advance. Half of the arch above the main entrance was still intact, but the gate itself was flat out missing. There were small sections of the walls clinging to life, but it was mostly piles of rubble and debris at this point.
Behind the failing defensive walls sat the entrance to the castle. It was a large tower, built right up against the cliff with a giant opening at its base. I imagine long ago there was a massive door to close. Now, there were just scattered rocks partially blocking the entrance. The entrance was huge, but there was enough debris in the way that we’d have to climb up and over to get inside. I continued looking up as we got closer, and the structure above the tower was oddly varied in its shape.
Large parts of the castle were in the neighborhood of thirty yards wide as it climbed up the cliff. But, it wasn’t as uniform as that, seemingly getting skinnier and wider as the natural rock formation dictated. In addition, there were about two-dozen spires and towers on the way up. The castle definitely bloated out at each of these points, I assume because it needed more structural reinforcement to withstand the weight of the towers. The towers were in such a state of decay that they were barely recognizable at this point. This was lucky for us, as the broken towers and holes in the walls, allowed us to see a red glow ascending the structure. My panic subsided as I confirmed we were still on the right path. We’d found the Lich. She was climbing what I’d now named Castle Falls.
G.H.O.S.T. Teams (Book 3) Spirits Page 22
