I skirted the bar, entering the kitchen where I flipped on the lights. When they flooded the room, I was grateful that the power had been restored. I looked around, but the room seemed empty. However, there was a big difference between “seemed” and “was.”
Time to work. I set the lodestone on the counter and then brought out the container of Cleanse-All and the bottle of Protection water, setting them next to me as I waited. The stones should attract the ghosts sooner than later, or so we hoped. I just hoped we had configured them right. When dealing with multiple spirits, it was hard to say how many ghosts’ energy the spirit traps could contain.
The air began to thicken like when fog rolled in, and in fact, I felt water vapor saturating each breath, as though I were standing at the ocean’s edge on a misty, chilly morning. Glancing around nervously, I wondered how long this was going to take.
Then, slowly, a series of knocks began to sound across the far wall. I stiffened, my hand sliding into my pocket as I fingered the switchblade. I wasn’t sure what good it would do against ghosts, but logic wasn’t always my strong suit.
Another series of raps echoed on the wall behind me and I whirled in time to see the walls seem to bend where each knock occurred, as though some giant were actually trying to break through. A cackle echoed behind me and once more, I spun around just in time to see a shadow glide past, quickly sliding out of sight behind one of the stacks holding the pots and pans.
Pressing my lips together, I waited.
A swishing noise caught my attention and luckily I turned just in time to see a cleaver spinning head over hilt toward me. I shrieked and dropped to the floor as it sailed overhead, landing in the wall behind me.
Crap. So the ghost was playing hardball. I crawled behind one of the stainless steel counters and slowly rose, peeking over the top. Pots and pans were spinning in the air, and in one corner of the room, a large metal spoon was beating itself against the bottom of a roasting pan that was hovering in midair. Three pans collided, crashing loudly as they fell to the floor.
Why isn’t the ghost taking the bait?
And then it occurred to me that maybe live bait was stronger than magical bait. I stood, dashing across the room back to where the lodestone was, and I swept it up in my arms, holding it tight.
“You want me, come get me,” I shouted.
The room echoed with laughter, vibrating against each wall, and to my dismay, smoke began to mushroom out of one corner, emerging from the wall as it headed toward me. I forced myself to stand steady, bracing myself as the smoke spiraled down, sparks crackling across its surface.
As it came within reach, I slowly held out the lodestone, forcing all my will into it. My hands shook as the smoke slowed, hovering directly in front of me, and I tried to clear my mind of why I was here so that it wouldn’t pick up on it.
Sshh… A voice echoed in my head and I wasn’t sure if it was Esmara or Druantia, but either way, it calmed me down. Let us shore you up.
I straightened, eyeing the smoke warily, and then once again, I thrust the loadstone out toward the smoke. “You know you want it. You’re hungry, and it has so much juicy energy,” I whispered. “Just take it. I dare you to take it from me.”
The smoke hesitated for a moment, roiling in place, and then coiled into a sinuous serpent, striking faster than I thought possible. It touched the lodestone and I immediately let go, the stone falling to the floor as the smoke surrounded it.
I could see the battle between the stone and the black smoke as a face appeared out of the plume. It was an elderly woman, and she looked ready to eat me up. She began to laugh, but as she tried to come at me, she stopped short. She turned to look at the stone on the floor and her eyes flared red as she let out a howling scream. The next moment, the lodestone went to work, and the smoke began to soak into the stone. With one more shriek, the woman vanished into the stone as well and the room fell silent.
I stared at the lodestone for a moment, but nothing else happened. I carefully picked up the stone and set it on the counter, then glanced around. All the pots and pans that had been hanging midair were on the floor, simply cookware once again.
Turning, I raced through the bar, which was eerily quiet, to the stairs, where I clambered down to meet Rowan.
She was standing by the entrance to the secret room, staring through the open door. As I approached, she held one finger to her lips and motioned me over.
I peeked inside to see what had been an innocuous room was now filled with dark lights. Looking like shining obsidian butterflies, the lights danced in the illumination of the basement light, and there was something about that that scared me more than my encounter with Ida. For one thing, these lights weren’t spirits. They reminded me of the shadow man’s energy. For another, they wavered as they shifted positions.
I glanced at Rowan, wanting to ask what they were, but she shook her head again. As we waited, the butterflies of shiny black shards continued to flicker, their light shifting as they moved. They were beautiful in a way, eerie lightning bugs from some other realm, and with every inch of my body, I wanted to reach out and catch one on my finger.
Don’t touch them. Esmara’s voice came through loud and clear. Whatever you do, don’t touch them, as much as you might want to.
What will happen?
They’ll latch into you. Think of them this way: They’re the bait and you’re the fish.
Then who’s the fisherman? And then I knew. The shadow man. He was using them to lure us in even as we were using the lodestones to lure in the ghosts.
I glanced over at Rowan, and she met my gaze. I could tell she knew exactly what they were. I wondered why they were staying in the secret room, but I didn’t feel safe enough to ask out loud. There was a spell Rowan was weaving, I could feel her spinning it out, and if I spoke, I’d break it.
Oh, that’s what she’s doing, I thought. Rowan was keeping them in the room until we were all down here, ready to tackle the portal.
At that moment, Ari appeared on the stairs. I immediately raised my fingers to my lips, shaking my head in warning. She slowed down, softly coming up to stand beside me. I put my fingers over my mouth and jerked my head toward Rowan, then toward the room.
Ari glanced inside and started to gasp but caught herself before she made a noise. She backed up a couple steps, keeping a wary eye on the fluttering creatures of light. Another five minutes and Teran joined us. I was relieved to see her because I had begun to get worried that she might be having trouble, but she looked fine. She silently joined us, then looked at Rowan and gave her a nod.
Rowan held out her hands to Teran and Ari and they formed a triangle. As I watched, I could see the energy from Rowan shifting over to them. She was transferring the spell holding the lightning bugs back over to them so she could start the next part.
As Teran and Ari, still holding hands, turned their attention to the room, focusing on the barrier, Rowan opened her bag and took out the Hand of Glory. She motioned for me to follow her. We walked over to the edge of the door, which was wide open, and knelt beside it. She placed the Hand of Glory on the floor and then frowned, looking around. I held out my hands, giving her a questioning look. She drew an imaginary pentagram on the floor and then looked at her sword, frowning.
Bingo! Guessing what she wanted, I pulled the switchblade out of my pocket and flicked it open, holding it out. Smiling, she motioned for me to draw the pentagram, so I did, right in front of the door. She then retrieved a little bag of black salt from her messenger bag and carefully laid a trail of the salt around the pentagram, then motioned for me to stand.