I snorted. "Coming from the one who calls him 'mister.'"
She knocked her cane against my shin and pointed it at the corner of the ceiling. "Try and find a spirit," she ordered me.
I finished my hopping and let the ache dull to a roar before I obeyed her command. I squinted at the corner and focused on finding a nice warm spot. Maybe somewhere where I could lay down. If I was a ghost, that is, and in pieces.
"I think I see something," I told her.
"What is it?" she asked me.
"Four little circles," I replied. They looked like the blips you'd see on a radar screen, except they didn't go off. They just pulsed bright and dark on and off again.
She grabbed my arm and pulled me to the door. "There's actually eleven blips, but that's good enough. Let's go hunt some ghosts."
CHAPTER 10
We walked arm-in-arm out of the room and into the hall. Ian stood nearby with his arms crossed over his chest and his foot tapping the floor.
"Are you two done with your girl talk?" he asked us.
"We're ready if you are, Mr. Ian," Cecilia shot back.
Ian bowed his head and turned to Cronus and Quinn. "Shout if you see something, and run if you don't think you can protect yourselves."
"Will do," Quinn accepted. Cronus merely nodded.
Ian glanced at me and smiled. "Ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied.
"Should I follow behind you?" Sebastian spoke up.
"Why not, you're used to slinking in the shadows," Ian quipped.
Ian gave me his arm and led our group to the stairs. The darkness met us like a wall of soldiers. I put my foot on the first step and hesitated. Ian squeezed my arm and smiled. I returned the smile with one of my own and decided to unplug the traffic jam behind me.
We walked up the swirling flight of steps. Half our group stepped off at the third floor.
"Good luck," Ian called to them.
"Same to you," Quinn replied.
Ian, Sebastian and I proceeded past the un-searched fourth floor to the attic. The stairs ended at a landing, and at that landing was a door to the attic. A darkness hung over the entrance like cobwebs in the doorway of a mausoleum. I shivered when a chill draft brushed against my skin.
Ian pulled me to the front of our little group. "Do you see what Ceci saw?" he asked me.
I focused as she'd taught me and caught a glimpse of something in the far right corner of the room beyond the door.
"There's some sort of a glow in there, but I can't tell what it is," I told him.
"I'll go in first, you follow me, Enid, and you bring up the rear," Ian commanded us.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Let me go first. It might be might Phantoms."
"And if it isn't then you might be a good squeeze for Mr. Black," Ian pointed out.
Sebastian smirked. "Point taken."
"Stay close, and no unnecessary conversations," Ian ordered us.
He tried the knob. The rusted round knob wouldn't turn. He pushed his weight against the door, but it didn't budge. Ian leaned back and glared at the entrance.
"Is the full moon too far away?" Sebastian teased him.
Ian frowned and shook his head. "No. It feels like there's something on the other side of the door that's pushing against it to keep us out."
"So how are we going to get in?" I asked him.
"The noisy way," he replied.
Ian directed us back onto the stairs and stood at the end of the short landing. He aimed his left shoulder at the door and ran forward. His shoulder rammed against the door. The creaky old wood cracked and broke under the pressure. A large hole appeared in the center. Ian pulled away the large splinters until there was a man-size hole in the door. He turned to me and smiled.
"No unnecessary noise?" I scolded him.
"It was necessary," he argued.
Ian led us through the hole and into the dusty attic. The space was large enough so none of us had to stoop and was devoid of the usual trash and broken furniture. There were only a few old cardboard boxes and an old trunk. To our left and at the end of the house was a small, round window that allowed some light into the area.
I thought I'd be glad for the window, but my feelings were quite the opposite. The light from the round hole cast shadows across the floor, but I couldn't find the source of the shadows. They rose up from the floorboards and stretched towards us. Their long, tendril-like tips were fingers that ached to grab us and drag us into the walls.
Ian stepped close to me and stretched out his arm in front of me like a shield. I noticed his eyes were yellow. His nostrils flared and he curled his lips back in a snarl.
"We need to find the problem here, solve it, and get out quick," he warned us.
Sebastian, his face darkened with worry, stood not more than two feet from us. "You smell my Phantoms?"
"No, I smell death," Ian replied as he glanced over his shoulder at me. "Where was this spot you saw?"
I turned to the right-hand wall at the opposite end of the house from the round window. There was no window in that wall. "It's over-ah!"
Something grabbed my ankle and pulled. I slammed into the ground, but fortunately my arms took the brunt of the blow. I twisted in its grasp and turned over to see my attacker. The fingers of the shadows were wrapped around me. The shadows pulled me towards the round window. An unearthly glow appeared around the frame of the window and gave the appearance of a malevolent eye.
I clawed at the floor, but my fingers couldn't catch anything. Ian lunged for me and grabbed my hands. The shadows and he tugged in opposite directions. My arms and legs felt like they were getting longer.
"Not working!" I yelled at him.
"Hold still!" Ian ordered me. He pulled out his talismans, but Sebastian jumped forward and stretched out his hand.
"No! It's my Phantoms!" he yelled.
Ian didn't put his talismans back, but he didn't use them, either. "Then get them off!"
Sebastian put two fingers in his mouth and blew. A loud, piercing shriek echoed around the room. Both Ian and I flinched against the pain. The shadow around my ankle stopped its pulling. Sebastian blew again, and this time the creature slid off me. The light from the window dimmed and disappeared. The shadows slithered towards the far end of the house and coiled into their Phantom forms.
Sebastian opened his pocket. The creatures shuddered and flickered. He frowned.
"Inside," he ordered them.
The Phantoms stretched their upper bodies towards him, but their non-existent feet were stuck to the floor.
"The darkness in this house binds them to its will," a voice spoke up.
We turned towards the door and found our three friends gathered at the entrance. Cecilia in the lead was who had spoken. Quinn led her over to us with Cronus picking up the rear.
Sebastian glared at her. "Nothing is stronger than my will," he argued.
She sneered at him. "Don't be an ass. Whatever is here has only one focus, and that's not to be found. You try focusing all your energy on one thing and see how many people can stop you."
Ian helped me up and frowned at our friends. "You're supposed to be downstairs."
Quinn smiled and shrugged. "It's hard to work when you guys are making such a racket." His humor fell along with his tone. "Besides, all we found were more parts, so Cecilia suggested we go to the attic and figure out what that blotch was up here."
Cecilia half-turned and pointed at the right-hand wall. "It's there."
"There's nothing there but a wall," Sebastian argued.
"Then it's behind the wall, you idiot," she snapped.
Ian handed me off to Quinn, who didn't mind pulling double-duty with a girl on each arm, and strode over to the wall. Cronus joined him. Ian tilted one ear towards the wall and knocked. He paused and his eyes flickered to Cronus.
"Does that sound hollow to you?" he asked his partner.
Cronus traced his hand over the wall. "There is the outline of a doo
r here. Stand back."
Ian jumped back as Cronus forced his red soul blade from his hand. He gouged the tip of the blade into the wall and used the blade like a giant box cutter to create a door. Cronus' soul blade disappeared. Ian stepped forward and pushed on the center of the outline. The form fell forward into a void behind the wall. The rest of us moved to the opening, and Quinn shone his light into the dark area.
The air was dusty and stifling, but the round window at this end of the house cast some light into the room. It was twenty by twenty feet, and was filled from wall to wall with dresses, dressers, a large vanity with a round, distorted mirror, and trunks. The only open space lay in the center of the room, and even that was occupied by a large rocking chair with its back turned to us.
We slowly filed into the room. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. The strange light floated above the rocker.
"It's there. Above the center of the room," Cecilia spoke up.
Ian glanced at Quinn. "Why couldn't you spot it before we got in here?"
Quinn eyed the area above the chair and shook his head. "I've never seen anything like that before."
"It's because it didn't want to be found," Cecilia told them. She swept her empty eyes over the area. "This room is hidden by its single desire to be left alone with the others."
Ian lit a cigarette and shook his head. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint Mr. Black, but it's time for him to leave."
CHAPTER 11
While they talked, I followed the left-hand wall of the room towards the round window. Opposite me in tandem with my steps was Cronus. Both of our attentions were locked on the rocker. There was something horribly fascinating about the wooden chair. I couldn't take my eyes off its aged wood and the blanket thrown over the back that hid the front from sight.
I reached its side and my eyes widened when they fell on the arm. A long, bony arm in a silk sleeve lay on the arm of the rocker. The hand and fingers hung over the end in a relaxing position. I knew I should've screamed or said something to the others, but my feet propelled me forward. Cronus and I met in front of the rocker, and the light from the window at our backs cast our shadows on the skeletal figure in the rocker.
It was a woman. I could tell that much from the fancy dress. The faded lace and silk fabrics hung on the body like a billowing sail over the remains of a wrecked ship. The skeleton leaned to one side as though asleep. Strands of long blond hair fell lose from a tight bun held in place by a gold circlet. The high neck of the dress ended a few inches below the bony chin of what remained of the face. A few loose flaps of dried skin hung from the cheeks and forehead. Empty sockets stared back at us with a hatred that matched the silent scream from its open jaw.
My voice returned to me. "Ian?" I called.
"What?" he answered.
I nodded at the skeleton. "I don't think it's Mr. Black we're dealing with."
And it was probably because of my big, fat mouth that all hell broke loose. The floating orb above the skeleton pulsed with life and shot down into the skeleton. The bones sat up straight and the dark color of the orb reflected in the deep eye sockets. The skeleton rose from the chair and a whirlwind burst from the dress and swirled around the body. The wind kicked up the years of dust that lay over the room and trapped all of us in a spinning wall of dirt. The wind blew so hard, and dust rattled and scratched against the walls, floor and ceiling, that shouting was the only way we could hear each other.
Quinn reached out his hand to touch the wall, but Cecilia knocked his hand down with her cane. "Don't touch it!" she snapped.
"Why not?" he yelled back.
She shoved her cane into the wind and pulled it out. The part exposed to the wind had deep gashes in its metal. We were trapped in a dust storm of death.
The skeleton stepped towards Cronus and me.
"Go away!" the skeleton chanted. "Go away!"
Cronus stretched out his arm in front of me and his narrowed eyes glared at the skeleton.
"You no longer belong on this plane!" he yelled over the storm. "Leave it at once!"
"Go away!" the skeleton screamed.
The creature rushed towards us with its bony hands outstretched. Cronus created his sword and swung in an upward stroke, but the skeleton increased its speed and lunged at him. The pair collided and her momentum pushed Cronus backwards into the wall below the window. Cronus' sword disappeared as he grappled with her clawed hands. Her strength was greater than his so that she was able to tear his shirt and leave deep gashes in his flesh.
I sprinted over to them and slammed my shoulder into her side. My speed flung her off Cronus and into the trunks along the right-hand wall. The piles of clothes and jewelry toppled onto the creature and hid all but her shoes and bony ankles. I rolled onto the floor between Cronus and where the creature lay.
Cronus winced and sat up. "Move!" he ordered me.
Too late. The creature burst from the piles of trinkets and lunged at me. Her sharp, bony fingers reached for my throat to finish her earlier attempt. I threw up my hands and prepared for impact.
It never came.
A blinding light erupted from my palms. The lights shot like two beams into the creature. The thing screamed as it was flung backwards and pinned against the trunks and clothes. The light ate away its clothes and bones as it thrashed and squirmed. Its extremities were the last to be consumed by the burning light. The blazing red orbs in its sockets changed to blue before they were swallowed by the brilliance.
The light from my hands vanished. I lowered my arms and turned my palms towards me so I could stare dumbly at them. They didn't look or feel different, but I was sure that was a Blessing that came from my palms. The big problem was I hadn't cried or shed blood, so I shouldn't have been able to do that.
Ian hurried over to us, and first knelt beside me. His eyes searched my face for the answer to a question I couldn't decipher.
"You okay?" he whispered.
I nodded. I was too deep in shock to properly reply. He glanced over at Cronus and pursed his lips. The man sat with his back against the wall. One hand clutched his chest where blood poured from the shallow wounds. Ian moved over and studied the wounds.
"These need bandages," Ian commented.
"I don't think the lady will mind us taking one of these," Quinn spoke up as he reached for a bolt of fabric.
His fingers touched the fabric and initiated a chain reaction of destruction. The bolt of fabric crumbled beneath his touch, and anything within its contact also crumbled to dust. The destruction spread along the entire wall and leapt across the room to the other wall. In a few seconds the worldly riches were nothing but mounds of dust and twisted metal. The only thing that remained was the rocker.
"Or maybe she does," Quinn added.
Ian ripped apart the remains of Cronus' shirt and wrapped the strips around his chest. I watched until a shadow fell over me. I looked up and found myself staring in to the smiling face of Sebastian.
"That was a very impressive show of mystic abilities," he complimented me.
"I guess," was my nonchalant reply.
His smile widened. "I judge from your reply that you've done it before." I didn't get a chance to respond before he knelt beside me and caught my eyes with his. "How would you like a position at the Paranormal Society?"
Ian whipped his head around and glared at Sebastian. "Hey! Poach for members somewhere else!"
Sebastian gestured to me. "Shouldn't it be the lady's decision?"
"Thanks, but no thanks," I spoke up.
Sebastian turned back to me. "Are you sure? We've got a hell of a dental, and we could get you some training for that unique ability of yours."
"You heard here. Lay off," Ian snapped.
Sebastian stood and held his hands up in front of him. "All right, all right. I just thought she might want some training before she kills herself."
My pulse quickened. "Kill myself? What's that supposed to mean?"
"That ability you have, the Bles
sing of the mystics, is quite volatile. Some day you might intend the blast for someone else, and the energy might decide it would rather force itself inward and destroy you."
My eyebrows crashed down. "But I thought the Blessing could only be done with blood or tears."
"That's what makes your Blessing so unique, and so dangerous," Sebastian told me. "The power may emerge from any part of your body under any stress. You could explode during an argument, or in a traffic stop." I cringed.
Quinn stepped forward. "Stop scaring her," he ordered the man.
Sebastian folded his arms over his chest and shrugged. "It's more of a friendly warning. But if you'll excuse me, I must fetch my Phantoms and make a report to my superiors. Goodnight."
His eyes flickered to me for a moment before he turned and walked out of the room. His footsteps paused for only a moment at the opposite end of the attic before he left through the main door.
Quinn slammed his fist into his other palm. "Damn that guy. I'd like show him some superior punching power."
Ian helped Cronus to his feet and shook his head. "I hate to admit it, but he's right. It is dangerous." He glanced at Cecilia. "Ceci, you ever heard of a Blessing coming from skin?"
She shook her head. "Never."
"That doesn't mean she's going to blow up," Quinn argued.
"How about we talk about this after we figure out if our job's done," Ian pointed out.
"It is. There aren't any more spirits here," Cecilia confirmed.
"Even the servant ones?" Ian asked her.
She nodded. "Even them."
Ian slung one of Cronus' arms over his shoulders and headed for the hole in the wall. "Then let's get out of here. This place still smells like death."
CHAPTER 12
Ian and Cronus led the way towards the second floor. Quinn paused on the landing to the third floor and glanced at the open door that led in the hand room. Cecilia held onto his arm, but he pulled her off.
"Let me go check something," he requested as he handed her off to me. "I'll be right back."
He hurried into the room. We heard Ian's voice rise up from the landing to the second floor.
"What's going on?" he called to us.
"Quinn is being stupid again," Cecilia replied.
Ian's snort echoed up the stairwell. "Any particular reason why?"
"I'm not being stupid," Quinn argued as he popped out of the room. "Cecilia said the ghosts were gone, and I wanted to make sure."