Whispers in the Woods (Firemountain Chronicles Book 1)

by Victoria Lynn Osborne

  The men and women stood up, shaking their heads. Dinah and Jake had not been flung by the eruption, but then they had not been touching the fulcrum of the power of shadows when it was dispelled.

  Janelle turned to them. “Before I release the magical circle, is it gone? Has the circle been consecrated?”

  “It has. There are no more shadows.”

  Janelle released the circle, moving counterclockwise to each of the four quarters and drawing a reverse pentagram. The energy siphoned off to the land and spread out in a wave of healing green light.

  Dinah wavered and stumbled against Jake, feeling suddenly dizzy.

  Jake braced her. “We need to get her back to the mansion. She is still hurt from the previous night.”

  Janelle sprinted to their side and slid her arm around Dinah. Together they returned to the car and eased her into the seat.

  “Good luck and enjoy the rest of your full moon,” Jake said, gunning the engine of the Mercedes.

  Janelle smiled and turned back to her coven while Jake drove Dinah back to the mansion. Dinah sighed and fell back into the cushions. Maybe there is hope, she thought.

  ***

  The next morning dawned clear, and the day crept slowly toward high summer. Dinah pulled up her bandages. Though there were still sores, most of the damage had been healed. Jake’s quick thinking had stopped the shadows from taking root in her arm.

  She looked out the window over the rose garden. Benches lined the path through the different rose bushes. She smiled, enjoying the sweet fragrance of summer.

  She looked in the duffle bag that Jake had packed. She held up a wimpy thong and some sexy underwear, the kind that she would wear on a date. None of her comfy, practical cotton panties were there. Wishful thinking, or perhaps just clueless, she thought as she slipped into fresh clothing.

  She padded down the stairs to the kitchen, where Jake was chatting with Hannah.

  “We need to go to the sheriff’s office tonight. There are more horrors loose on the streets than ever before,” Jake said by way of greeting.

  Hannah slid a mug of coffee under Dinah’s nose, and a plate of blueberry pancakes. Dinah poured maple syrup over the pancakes and took a mouthful. “I want to look at Anna’s house first. To see if her parents are all right.”

  Jake smiled and sipped his coffee. “Good idea. Then let’s go out to Lasher’s Station. I can’t help but think there is something out there. How are you feeling this morning?”

  “Better, and I think ready to go and do more investigating. I am not sure what Anna has to do with Gleebelix, or if she was just a convenient sacrifice, but I feel we must follow up about her.”

  “Agreed. Your Prius is here where you left it, but let’s take my car instead.”

  ***

  A shutter banged on the window at Anna’s house. The lawn was brown, and the rose bushes were not pruned. The yard had a wild look to it, like they were letting it go back to nature.

  Dinah knocked on the door. No one answered, so she looked through the window. Broken furniture was strewn about. A meal sat on a table uneaten.

  Dinah tried the knob. The door creaked open. She met Jake’s eyes and they entered the house.

  “Is anyone home?” Dinah asked.

  Stairs led up to the blackness of the second floor. They crept up the stairs, which creaked under their weight. One door was closed, and the rest open. The drawers in the dresser were pulled open, like someone had been in a hurry.

  They opened the door. “This must be Anna’s room,” Dinah said.

  The room had pink walls and a white and pink quilted bedspread. Stuffed animals lined the shelf. It was a plain room, but the girl had obviously been loved by her parents.

  A sound echoed from the hall behind them. They turned, and a translucent figure floated toward them.

  “That’s a ghost,” Dinah whispered.

  Jake clutched her hand. The spirit hovered before them. Its eyes flashed in the dim light.

  “Who are you? And what do you have to do with Gleebelix?” Dinah got her courage screwed.

  The spirit pointed at the room. It was floating three feet above the ground.

  “It is something to do with Anna?” Dinah stepped forward, emboldened. “Where are her mother and father?”

  The spirit opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She floated into the room and stood over the bed. Compared to the rest of the house, the room was neat and tidy. It was obviously a shrine.

  “If we avenge Anna’s death, will that put you at peace?”

  Tears streamed down the ghost’s face, and she faded out of view.

  “Who was that?” Jake whispered for the first time.

  “I don’t know, but at least now we know why the family left. This ghost is tied to what is happening in Firemountain. I am not sure what to do about her, but she obviously terrified Anna’s parents, but not the girl.”

  Jake and Dinah were silent as they drove to Lasher’s Station. That ghost had disconcerted them.

  Half an hour later, they pulled into the gravel lot. The windows were boarded up, and the rusty sign swayed in the breeze reading, “er’s station.”

  “It wasn’t like this before.” Jake bounded out of the car. “Sure, there were some boarded up windows, but the sign was up, and the station was open.”

  Dinah leaned back against the car. “It looked like this when I drove down here.”

  Jake tried to peer through the grime-crusted window. “They were here.”

  Dinah knelt beside the door, studying the ground right in front of it. “I believe you. Here, take a look at this.”

  Jake knelt next to her. “There are marks in the dirt. Like someone has recently opened the door.”

  “And look inside. There is inventory on the shelves. Someone has not been thorough in cleaning up.”

  The rustle of the trees drew their attention to the deep woods surrounding the station.

  “There is a track going through the trees.” Dinah trudged to the woods. “Let’s follow it.”

  The woods were deep, and the smell of rotting vegetation threatened to choke them. It smelled like the manthalla tree they had destroyed.

  Chanting filled the air, and Jake lay a restraining arm on Dinah. “Do you hear that?”

  They crept down the overgrown road. A clearing opened in front of them with a ramshackle shack at the far end. Dinah clenched Jake’s arm. “I see something in the shack.”

  They crept toward the building. Leaves crackled under their feet. They peered through the window.

  “There is no one there,” Jake whispered.

  “But something is happening, I can see energy. It is deep and black, full of shadows.”

  A woman strode into the clearing, radiating bright gold light.

  Dinah jumped. “Do you see her?”

  “Who?” Jake followed her gaze.

  “Over there, across from us. She’s glowing gold.”

  “Sorry, but I don’t see anyone.”

  The shadows slid like an oil stain from under the shack’s door. They oozed into the clearing and grew massive. A being stepped from them, dark and foreboding, clutching a great axe.

  “Glory,” the gold woman whispered. Armor slid from her skin and covered her body. A metal skirt made of gold light covered her legs halfway down her thighs. Bracers, greaves, gauntlets and boots made of golden light covered her, and on her head appeared a helmet with great golden wings. She was beautiful, with long blond hair hanging down her back.

  Dinah hissed in amazement. “What is she?” she whispered.

  “Who?” Jake asked.

  The woman charged toward the shadow. In one hand she carried a long sword; in the other, a golden spear. She ducked under the axe and swung her golden sword up through the giant shadow. The sword shrank to the size of a dagger and slid out of the wound.

  The black shadow made a ponderous swing. The axe whistled in the air.

  The woman slammed her now full-sized sword again into
the belly of the shadow. Golden light flowed from the wound. She danced out of the way as the shadow swung at her once more.

  The two battled, neither one seeming to be gaining on the other. The woman whirled in a blaze of golden light. Finally, she threw her spear, and it pierced the giant’s chest. The giant swayed, fingering the golden spear, then with a cry toppled over, exploding in a flash of black shadows.

  The woman had all her weapons back. The spear rematerialized in her hand, and the next moment her armor and weapons faded out of existence. She looked at Dinah, and their eyes met.

  “Who and what are you?” Dinah whispered.

  The woman smiled and twirled a lock of golden hair. “Door,” she said.

  A frame of golden wood with a door in the middle appeared out of nowhere. The woman opened the door and disappeared into the dark recesses. The door was gone.

  ***

  Jake blinked and shook his head, setting down his glass. “Good, I think we should visit the psychiatric hospital and get some information about why these guys escaped, then meet with the sheriff. We did volunteer to be a part of the hunt.”

  Dinah told Jake what she’d seen. “What was that?”

  Jake shrugged. “I don’t know. She defeated a shadow, so perhaps she is with the angels.”

  “I have seen nothing like it. Not even the coven’s magic is gold.”

  “Well, maybe Father Conrad knows. C’mon, we need to visit the Futhark Institute. Maybe they will shed some light on the escaped inmates. We will also need to get ready for tonight’s hunt.”

  “Are you sure the sheriff is willing to risk a founder?”

  “I think at this moment Laya is happy to take any help she can get.”

  Dinah said, “We need weapons.”

  “That I have.” Jake led her to the weapons locker, a massive walk-in safe with handguns and bladed weapons hanging from the walls. Drawers stored ammo and thrown weapons, including several vials of holy water stored in glass bottles instead of the normal silver flasks. Jake extracted a couple of nine-millimeter handguns.

  “The problem with iron ammo,” Jake said as he loaded the clip with bullets, “is that it’s hard. It destroys the rifling of barrels. However, ammo manufacturers do make it because some hunters would rather not use lead. Do you know how to you use a gun?” Jake asked, handing her a clip and a gun.

  Dinah slammed the clip into the gun and checked the safety. Jake handed her a holster that fit in the small of her back.

  “I’d normally give you a shoulder holster, but I think that would be a bad idea with your burns,” Jake said as he strapped on his own weapon.

  Dinah clipped the holster to the waistband of her pants.

  Jake grabbed various iron swords and loaded a bag with several vials of holy water and more clips of iron ammo. As he slung his bag over his shoulder, he said, “Come on, we need to visit the hospital before eight.”

  The Futhark Institute was a sprawling building constructed of steel and glass. A jungle of plants adorned the lobby, and peaceful paintings were arrayed along the walls. Neutral but nice carpet covered the floors, adding to the calm feeling of the psychiatric hospital. The staff moved through the hospital, wearing street clothes and speaking in gentle, soothing tones to the clients, many of whom were screaming and hitting themselves.

  “I’m Jake Willis; I’m here to see Dr. Blyman. This is Miss Dinah Steele, of the Firemountain Tribune.”

  “Of course, Mr. Willis, your house called and told us you were on the way over,” the receptionist replied. Jake and Dinah waited in the lobby while the woman called for the head of the Institute.

  When Dr. Mathilda Blyman entered the room, everyone noticed. Her straight red hair was swept up in a severe French twist, not a strand out of place. Green eyes peered at them from behind trendy black horned glasses, which were perched on a delicate nose and accented her flawless alabaster skin. She was at least two inches taller than Jake’s six feet, before the slight heel on her Jimmy Choos pumps. Her flawless figure was showcased by the tailored black business suit, and black fingerless gloves disappeared under the long sleeves of her jacket.

  “Mr. Willis, Miss Steele, I’m Dr. Blyman. How may I help you?”

  Jake swallowed, tugged at his collar, and shook her hand, which felt warm and dry against his damp skin. “We’re here about the escaped clients.”

  “Of course. I have spoken with the police about it, but how can I help the paper?”

  “We’d like to know how the clients escaped.” Dinah spoke for the first time. She scribbled notes on her steno pad.

  Dr. Blyman glowered over the rims of her glasses, studying Dinah with obvious disdain. “Apparently, several staff members on LOU let them out. There are several fail-safes in place to prevent the dangerous clients from escaping, including three security doors. However, it appears that the entire staff worked together to release them.”

  “I’m sure the staff is well trained, so why would they work together to release some of the most dangerous people in Washington?”

  “When we found them the next morning, all of them were suffering from auditory hallucinations. The unit was in chaos, and they attacked each other, screaming. The few that have been able to talk coherently say they had an overwhelming urge to let the clients go, as if someone was forcing them to open the doors. Since then, they’ve been admitted,” Dr. Blyman said matter-of-factly. “Ever since that night, they’ve been delusional, having hallucinations, and there have been several suicide attempts.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They continue to rant about something telling them to let the patients go. In fact, one of them tried to jump off the roof, and the rest keep screaming gibberish.”

  “I’d like to talk to them,” Dinah said.

  Dr. Blyman paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing, and then nodded. “Come with me.”

  Jake and Dinah followed Dr. Blyman down the hall to a smaller room. In the room, five men wore pajamas and were restrained to wheelchairs. They were frothing at the mouth as they screamed at each other. The words sounded familiar to Dinah, as if they were from a dream.

  She gently touched one of them on the arm, and he threw back he head and shrieked. “How are you doing?” she asked.

  He screamed, “Ossa nssa rthhs marrx.” Everyone in the room bellowed the same phrase over and over. It built into a rhythmic chant, filling the room with sound. A faint cackle echoed, and an infinite number of voices joined in, accompanied by hissing laughter. The man clamped his hands over his ears as if he could block it out, but it called to him with promises of power.

  Dr. Blyman backed Dinah away from the men just as the one Dinah had spoken to swung a fist at her. “They’ve been screaming that repeatedly.”

  The men started to chant in harmony, calming down as they sang in an ancient rhythm. “Gleebelix, he comes, he rises, none can stop him, bow down before his might.”

  “We don’t know what Gleebelix is,” Dr. Blyman said over the cacophony. “But they are scared of it.”

  Jake and Dinah looked at each other. This was bad, Jake thought. The patients continued to chant, and Jake’s mind blanked out in white noise. “Do you see anything?” he yelled at Dinah over the noise.

  She shook her head, and with a puzzled stare, asked him, “Why are you yelling?”

  “It’s so loud in here,” he said, realizing she couldn’t hear most of the noise.

  “So have you recovered all of the clients yet?” Dinah asked Dr. Blyman.

  “One is still missing, and one was found on the Chehalis highway, saying he had to get to the gate. In fact, they all seemed to be heading ‘to the gate.’ Except for those strange few that stayed in town and stalked people.”

  “Like Benjamin Walkins,” Jake said.

  Dr. Blyman responded, “We haven’t been able to figure out why some stayed. He wasn’t the only one that stayed to kill. We caught the others before they could do damage, though apparently the one that we didn’t get broke i
nto a boarding house last night.”

  Dinah nodded. “We saw the results of that one this morning.”

  “I’m sorry,” Dr. Blyman said, “but we honestly don’t know what happened. The staff undergoes thorough background checks before they are allowed to work in LOU. It’s like letting the clients go caused them to go insane. Either way, Laya has ordered the dangerous clients to go to Western State Hospital until a full investigation is completed.”

  “Well thank you for your time, Doctor,” Dinah said. “You’ve been most helpful.”

  Jake and Dinah left the hospital and sat in his car.

  “I wonder what that means,” Dinah said.

  “I’m not sure, but people are scared, and demons feed on fear.” Jake started the car. “Come on, let’s grab dinner. We have time before we’ve got to be at the sheriff’s office, and we’ll need our strength.”

  As they ate dinner at Sweeties Diner, Jake savored his burger and fries. Dinah sipped her coffee and devoured a cheeseburger, chili fries, and a slice of apple pie. Jake grinned at her. “Boy, you can really put it away.”

  “This is nothing, you should see my mom eat.”

  “Why don’t you weigh two hundred and fifty pounds?”

  “I’m blessed with an awesome metabolism.” Dinah paused mid-bite. “Does this make you uncomfortable?”

  “No, I’m just not used to seeing women eat so much.”

  When they finished their meal, Dinah insisted on paying this time. “After all, you’ve picked up all the other checks.”

  It was 7:30 when they pulled into the police station. The shadows began to lengthen, but it was still light outside. Jake hauled out his bag with iron weapons, holy water and ammo, and they walked into the squad room after the desk sergeant buzzed them through.

  Laya sat in her office when they knocked on the door. “Come in.”

  The beefy detective Dave Dobrowski sat in one of the chairs. His deep eyes flashed as Dinah and Jake entered.

  They sat down across from the sheriff. “I’ve got some information about Esmae,” the sheriff said, handing Jake a file. “Quite an interesting girl you had there. Are you sure she’s dead?”