He reached into his pack, still by the table, and pulled out a pouch. Opening it, he carefully lifted out the ancient object and set it on the table. He also pulled out a cone of incense and a tiny brass disc to set it on.
“So... we have the elements that Chun had when he captured the demon. Do we know the sequence? Is the incense to summon the demon along with the lure or was it used after the demon was captured?”
“If it was after, how did they keep the demon contained?” I asked.
Gavin shifted his gaze to Orielle for that answer.
“I did not see anything in any of the three documents that talked about it,” she said. “If it was integral to the ceremony, I believe it might have been mentioned. However, since it was all related and written down as much as three to five centuries after it happened, it could have been omitted.”
“Best guess?” he asked.
“Given most ceremonies, magical or otherwise, I believe the incense had been used as an offering along with a protection prayer. They were summoning a demon and it makes sense they would ask for protection. Since you found the ashes in the box, they were either moved there or they burned it at the time on the metal disc. But it makes sense to leave them in the box to help hold Belphegor.”
“All right, we burn it first, say a prayer, then summon the demon, which is presumably what the chant does. The lure, in this case, Gillian, is there and we wait. Once he comes, I cast him into the box with a restraint spell and we seal it.”
“How do you know that’s what they did?” I asked now that I heard the plan for the first time. “I thought the chant was the spell?”
“No, I think that summoned him. You mentioned a flash of light directed at the box and that would be the magic that pulled him into it,” Gavin answered.
As we headed to bed, Orielle reminded me to charge my cell phone as she plugged hers into the wall. I scrambled to find my charging cord and plugged it in.
FEELING LESS CONFIDENT now than I had when we started this venture, I worried that we wouldn’t get the sequence right or that it wouldn’t work at all. Given that the chant, and being the bait were my only responsibilities, I had enough on my plate to think about.
We’d left our hotel a little after four, each toting a cup of very strong coffee from a street vendor who had set up for the morning rush. Tasting the bitterness of the drink, I wondered if he provided coffee all night for the vampires of the city and this was the dregs of the pot. Orielle had bought some pastries when they had gone out and we ate those as Gavin navigated through the city, heading to the southwest.
In spite of going to bed early, I didn’t sleep well on the hard mattress. the muffled mumblings coming from Orielle’s bed didn’t help either. She talked in her sleep, mostly in either French or an Asian-sounding language.
We passed through neighborhood after neighborhood, most with village-like main streets offering restaurants, bakeries, and services to the area. As we got further away from the main city area, the buildings began to thin out more and some larger houses lined the streets. About two hours later, we began to leave the city behind and head out into less densely populated areas with fields and farms.
A few had cows wandering in a rich-looking field of green grass. I knew the cow was once considered sacred in India, but with the country being a top dairy producer, they raised them for their milk now.
Mesmerized by the flow of field after field, I drifted off to sleep with my head resting against the backseat window.
I felt the SUV begin to slow and opened my eyes to see the first line of houses as we came into another town. This was Maoli Khader, our destination, more or less. The woods were near the river and that was still about thirty minutes from where we’d come in. I glanced at the dashboard clock to note the time. Almost seven, which meant there would be traffic hitting the streets already.
Gavin spotted a fast food restaurant with a familiar logo. No matter where you go, you can find the arches it seemed. Pulling into the parking lot, we got out for a stretch and a bathroom break. When I came out, I spotted Gavin standing in line at the order counter looking at the menu. Unlike the ones back home, this had a lot of vegetarian choices. I had him order a breakfast sandwich with egg and fried eggplant for me as well as a milky rice dish with seasonings.
I located a table for the three of us and sat. The place had the odd sensation of being the same, but different. Only a few people took advantage of the indoor dining as most were picking food up to take to work with them. A woman with a couple of young children, a boy and a girl, sat near me. She spoke rapidly to the children, encouraging them to eat faster, I guessed, as the two kids seemed to be shoveling their food into their mouths. She was dressed in a stylish business jacket with a long subtly-patterned skirt. By the time Gavin reached us with the food, she was bustling the children out the door.
He watched them hurry past him, smiled, and set the food down. “It’s the same everywhere, isn’t it? Everyone in a rush to get to work or to school.”
Or to go trap a high-level demon.
The thought was sobering and the almost smile on my face faded quickly. I deliberately ate my sandwich slowly, savoring every bite. I hadn’t been sure about the eggplant as a meat substitute, but it was prepared well with a light breading and seasonings. It tasted delicious although not a thing like sausage. The rice dish was not quite a rice pudding but had a delicate spicy taste of cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
When I finished, I realized my two companions had been done for a bit and were waiting for me in order to leave.
“Next stop is the forest,” Gavin said in a cheery voice. “If you’re fortified enough, that is.”
I nodded, nerves starting to kick in. The enormity of what we were about to attempt sat on me like an elephant on a mouse. I felt crushed rather than optimistic.
Gavin must have noticed. “It’s going to work, chica. Trust me.”
I made a pit stop before I met them at the SUV. In spite of his words, I had second, third, and fourth thoughts. But I didn’t have a better plan. This had to work.
THE TEMPLE FOREST WAS not what I’d expected. I had anticipated an overgrown, vine-filled forest where we might need machetes and axes to cut our way through, not this relatively friendly-looking park of trees and grasses. In places, the foliage was thick, but still navigable without having to get violent.
Gavin had his compass out along with the GPS on his phone to follow the trail he wanted toward the waterfall on the eastern side. People hiked the area all the time, he said, so it wasn’t a wilderness like many digs, although it was less traveled when he’d been here fifteen years earlier.
At the time he’d come, they hadn’t expected to find much and had only pulled a few artifacts from the area with the puzzle box being the oldest and most important of them.
“What did you tell the University about returning their puzzle box?” I asked as we paused for a water break.
“Nothing. They know what I’m doing and why. It’s a loss, yes, but they photographed it, duplicated it in aged ivory, and placed that in their display. Most people will never know.” He gazed around the trees, noting a ground squirrel that had paused to look at us and tossed a bit of trail mix to him. The little rodent eyed him suspiciously before daring to dash out and grab the nuts in it.
I rubbed my ankles, not used to wearing the hiking boots for more than a couple of hours and we were pushing way more than that now, but Gavin said we were close. I hoped we might be able to soak our feet in a pool of clear water when we reached our destination. I pulled my phone, checked for a signal, then sent a text message to Ferris giving him an update. On the way to the target. Long walk, but no problems so far. Love you.
Love you back. We’re fine here, he replied quickly.
As a pleased smile curved my mouth, I wondered what he was still doing up at one in the morning.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Within a few hundred yards, Gavin turned off the path we’d been following i
nto a wooded area to the left that looked more dense and overgrown. He paused to check his GPS, then resumed hiking, stepping over a fallen branch almost immediately.
Orielle shrugged her shoulders and marched behind him with me following at the end and at a slightly slower pace. My head felt stuffy, my sinuses reacting to something blooming in the area. I cleared the branch and kept an eye on the ground for any other hindrances that might trip me. I didn’t want to land flat-faced in a pile of the moist, decaying leaves that littered the almost-path we followed.
Once we entered, the way grew darker, not as much sunlight coming through. A temperately mild day, it felt warmer than I had expected and I took my over-shirt off, tying it around my waist. A few more branches crossed the path and I hopped over them with ease, always aware of the surroundings. Were there snakes in here? Cobras came from India, didn’t they? What other dangerous animals might live in the woods?
I picked up my pace to catch up with Gavin and Orielle. Thus far, squirrels and birds were the only wildlife I’d spotted. Ahead, I glimpsed a break in the forest where sunlight filled up the space and I hoped we were coming to our destination.
I was only about four feet behind the others when I heard the roar of water falling and splashing. The waterfall had to be just ahead, I rejoiced. We turned around a gentle curve and the forest opened onto the water and the river. Gavin glanced back and waved me forward. We’d reached our destination.
Falling from about twenty feet above our forest floor, the waterfall dropped from a higher plateau that I hadn’t even noticed as we’d hiked the lower trail. Close to ten feet wide, I estimated, it had a greenish-blue sheen as it fell into a pool of foaming white and jade-colored water.
“It’s beautiful,” I cried out over the sound of the splashing. “Is it the same as you saw before?”
Gavin grinned. “Yes. A little bigger than that time, so the rainfall has been good upstream.” He spotted a log that had fallen near the edge and sat on it. “Let’s take a break before we go on.”
“Go on?” I asked. “I thought this was the place.”
He laughed. “It’s the waterfall, yes, but the cave is back that way.” He pointed toward the higher rise on the right side of the waterfall.
“Up there?” I waved my hand the same direction.
“Yep. It’s not that bad. About a ten-foot climb up a steady rise, although there’s quite a bit of vegetation.”
Feeling deflated, I sat on the ground and slid my backpack off to relax. Orielle wandered a little further down the river, checking the area and following the water’s flow.
“How safe is this forest?”
“What do you mean?” he countered.
“I mean, are there wild animals? Deadly snakes? Should I be concerned?”
“Well, there are rivercats that are about the size of a puma. A few species of snakes, maybe a deadly one, but it isn’t any more deadly than the desert in Nevada. We have rattlers, mountain lions, pumas, wolves, and hawks. Just keep an eye out. Most of the time, the wildlife avoids people. Especially in a forest where they frequently go hiking. Generally, snakes don’t like company and stay out of sight.”
“Uh huh. With my luck, I’ll find the one that doesn’t shun humans,” I muttered. I pulled out an energy bar, tore the wrapping off, and bit off the end. I was already tired and hungry and we still had to make that trek back once we’d finished our task.
Orielle returned, a big grin on her face. “The water drops again further down into a little shallow pool that would be great for soaking our tired feet. What do you say?”
I raised a hand, “I’m in favor.”
Gavin nodded. “Go ahead, I’ll join you in a little bit.” He pulled out his phone and consulted it again. I watched him for a few moments before rising to my feet and following Orielle downstream a few dozen yards.
The pooled water swirled gently in an outcropping of rocks that allowed water to flow in from the main rush of water that mostly bypassed it. With the rocks affording easy access, it made a natural tub we could either slide into or sit on the edge and soak our feet. I opted for the latter, removing my boots and socks and dropping my tired tootsies into the foaming flow. Cool water swirled around them and felt heavenly, massaging my feet with the swirling ripples.
Orielle slid forward enough that the water was up to her knees where she’d rolled her hiking pants up. “Enchanting,” she said. “Is this not wonderful?”
“It is.” It was beautiful and mostly secluded. I would have expected to see more people along this area. Although it lacked an actual path, it had been an easy enough hike and this treasure was worth the diversion. I pulled out my phone and snapped a few photos, then sent them on to Ferris.
As Gavin joined us, sitting and dipping his feet into the water also, he said, “We’re not far away from the cave where I found the box. Maybe another ten minutes should bring us to it, so if you want any more of a break, do it before we head off to it.”
I knew what he meant. Go find a private location and take care of any business. Yeah, I probably should do that, I decided and reluctantly withdrew my feet from the water, and looked for a place to relieve myself in semi-private.
As I squatted, I became aware of how quiet the forest was. The sound of the water was clear, but birdsong was missing and I didn’t hear the rustle of any little animals. Nervous, my mind picturing other creatures that might rustle through the grass and scare off the less dangerous ones, I finished up and moved out of the wooded zone quickly.
As soon as we all pulled our backpacks on again, we set out toward the rise that would lead us part-way up the bluff to the cave. The easy climb was a little on the steep side, but not difficult except for the debris we needed to climb over.
Dead tree limbs, grasses growing through and around them, made the hike more challenging and a couple of times, we had to clear the limb out of the way, which upset dozens of little bugs—some of them wicked-looking—and sent them scurrying away from us. Harmless or not, I didn’t want to meet any of those little beetles with pinchers.
Soon, we came to the higher bluff area and turned to the right, following it for about fifteen feet. Gavin consulted his phone, then ran his hand along the vine-covered wall area, stopping and rubbing against the stone.
“Here,” he said. “I can feel the mud-and-branch plaster we used to close it off.”
Curious, I pressed my hand against the wall and felt a tingle of power of some kind behind it. But something else thrummed behind the wall, something with a dark energy that made me yank my hand away.
“What?” Gavin asked, noticing the sudden jerk.
I rubbed my hand against my jeans, sliding it down my thigh like I could wipe the sensation off. “I’m feeling something unsettling behind this. Is there a residue of vile energy left here?”
Raising an eyebrow, he pressed his hand against the plaster again, then slid it across to where it met the edge of the stone. “I’m getting a little bit, but it’s spelled.”
“Spelled?” Orielle asked before I could.
He nodded, stepping back and shrugging his pack off his shoulders. “When we replaced the exterior seal on it, I set a concealment spell. We didn’t want anyone to find it and break in. Even though I’d removed the box, the cave still had those valuable glyphs in it.”
He pulled a hand pick out of his pack, large enough that I wondered how he’d fit it in the bag. Moving with caution, he began chipping away at the edges where plaster met stone.
“You didn’t mention that before,” I said as I stood to one side and watched him tap at the seams. Why didn’t he just break into it?
“Didn’t I?” he said with a chuckle. “Got to keep some secrets, don’t I?”
He’d said it as a joke, but I wondered. “What other secrets are you keeping, Gavin? How much magic do you have?”
He paused for a second, his shoulders tensing just a bit, then resumed tapping. “Enough for what I have to do. The spells I know are simple and st
raight-forward. Nothing ominous in them if you’re worried.”
Orielle arched an eyebrow, then dug into her pack for another small pick. “Where do you want me to start, Gavin?” she asked.
He pointed to the edge of the other side. “Other there. If we can remove this in mostly one piece, it will be easier to reseal when we’re done here.”
She started over, ready to begin chipping away.
“Am I the only one without a pick?” I complained. Why didn’t anyone tell me?
“Looks that way,” Gavin said as he continued down the edge. “But your job will be to try to hold the mud wall stable once it begins to come down. Hari and I put stick braces inside the mud, which help to stabilize it and give it structure, but if it falls, it could shatter.”
Oh, great. I get to hold up the heavy wall.
I spotted a rock, set my pack against it, and settled down to wait while the experts chipped at the plaster. I ran through the chant in my mind over and over, making sure I could get it out smoothly.
Within a surprisingly short time, the plaster edges were cleared on Gavin’s side and Orielle was mid-way through. Gavin started on the top edge and called me over to brace my hands against the plaster.
“If it starts to fall, let me know so I can help to brace it. I don’t know how much of the weight you can hold and we’ll want to wait until Orielle finishes that side before we let it get far or it might break that side.”
“Got it,” I said, pulled on a pair of heavy gloves I’d brought in case we had to do any digging, then placed my feet in a wide stance and pressed my palms against the wall, ready in case it suddenly fell forward.
Gavin made it to about the midpoint when I felt the first shift of the heavy mud section.
“That’s it,” I said. “It’s starting to give.”
He stopped chipping as soon as I said it, then stepped over to where I was and braced his hands against it. “Let go for a minute,” he instructed.
A Song of Forgiveness Page 27
