A Flight of Souls
Page 45
At this Sherus nodded, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Yes, you would be very foolish to mess with me. Very foolish.”
“Understood,” I said, even as I squirmed a little inside. I’d better find a way to get the Nasiris freed from the Drizans, or else…
I didn’t even want to think about how impossible the task could be even as a vampire, not to mention as a ghost. But one step at a time. Just one step at a time.
Sherus gripped my shoulder and squeezed hard. He leaned in closer to my ear and whispered, “Go now then. Go fetch your five comrades, but be sure not to dally. We will meet back here in ten minutes. In the meantime, my companion and I will also need to return, in order to retrieve two coffins.”
Yes, sir.
Ben
The three of us moved swiftly toward the main door and entered it. Here we parted ways. The fae headed down the tunnel, while I sank into the wall for fear of being seen. Ten minutes. I had ten minutes. But it was hard to keep track of the time due to the anticipation coursing through my spirit, and there was not exactly an abundance of clocks to be found in The Underworld.
I pushed myself hard, racing with speed I’d thought I had lost. Though I had to be cautious at the same time. Being caught out of my pool by a ghoul now would be catastrophic to the whole plan.
My pool had never been a more welcome sight. I dove in and frantically scanned the water for Kailyn and Lucas. To my relief, they were still down here—huddled in the same corner.
Kailyn immediately perked up on seeing me, and I was glad to see that Lucas’s eyes were still open, even if he did look more drained than a beaten donkey.
“Did the ghouls come round yet?” I asked.
Kailyn shook her head.
That was both good news and bad news. For all we knew, they could be on their way right now.
“I’ve found a way to escape,” I whispered. “The fae, they’ve agreed to help us. We all need to head toward the canal immediately. The fae also agreed to let Chantel, Nolan and Marcilla come with us.” I glanced briefly around at the rest of the poor ghosts in our pool, trying to keep a casual expression—although many of the ghosts had their eyes set on me curiously, after having just returned from yet another excursion. “We’ll have to come back for the rest,” I breathed.
Kailyn looked quite breathless. “Wait, what? Are you sure about this, Ben? What if it’s some kind of trap? A test of our loyalty to the ghouls?”
“Kailyn,” I said sternly. “You just need to trust me on this.” I shot her a glare.
At this, she pursed her lips and nodded. “Okay,” she breathed. “I-I trust you,”
Now I cast my eyes around the pool in search of the other three. They were sitting together on the other side of the pond, along with a fourth ghost I hadn’t spoken to yet. A short young man with caramel skin. I wasn’t sure what he had been before he’d died.
I moved closer to them, but, being unwilling to say what I needed to in front of this fourth ghost, I caught Marcilla, Chantel and Nolan’s gaze and beckoned them over to me. The young man looked curiously at us as they joined me. Turning my back on him, I quickly explained what had to be done.
Chantel looked afraid, but not nearly as much as Marcilla, who had already undergone torture several times. Still, even in spite of her uncertainty, there must have been something about the conviction in my eyes that made her agree to come with us.
We arrived in Kailyn and Lucas’ corner. The werewolf was already standing, and, to my relief, so was Lucas. Both eyed me expectantly. Then all of us began drifting upward at once. Several ghosts called after us in question, but we ignored them.
After checking that the chamber was still empty of ghouls, we lifted out of the pool. As we headed to the tunnel, I was dismayed to see that Lucas’ rest hadn’t done him any good. If anything, he was slower now than he had been before. But, I hoped that the more he moved, the more he would warm up. He had to. He was slowing us all down.
On reaching the mouth of the tunnel, we were about to submerge into a wall when a shout came behind us. I froze in horror.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
It was the young man whom Marcilla, Nolan, and Chantel had been conversing with.
Damn fool!
“Shut up, Keb!” Chantel gasped. “You’ll attract the ghouls!”
“Don’t leave without me!” he yelled even louder.
I wanted to grab Keb’s neck and snap it. Now I feared that it was already too late.
“Into the walls!” I hissed.
The six of us submerged into the walls of the tunnel, and I prayed that Keb wouldn’t follow us—or even if he did, that we would lose him before he managed to catch up with us. Six ghosts in total was what the fae had agreed to. And not a single ghost more. Turning up with seven could put the whole deal in jeopardy, if the fae took offense and thought I was trying to change the terms of the agreement halfway through.
We had to wind the rest of our way through the stone as much as we could, painfully slower since we couldn’t see where we were going. Still, we continued forging forward blindly through the walls until I felt it was about time to check where we were again.
Then another unwelcome sound met my ears. A much more unwelcome sound.
The screeching of ghouls. It grew louder and louder. At least two were coming our way, and fast.
I realized in a panic that I didn’t even know if Lucas was still following us. I could not see through the thick stone walls and now fear gripped me that he had fallen behind. I was forced to emerge into the tunnel to check exactly how much progress we had made toward the main door, and that was when I saw them—three ghouls rushing toward us down the corridor. I immediately sank back into the wall, but it was too late. They’d seen me. Arms shot through the wall and rummaged around, catching my arm. The next thing I knew, all six of us were being dragged out, the ghouls holding each of us with one hand. Lucas was being held in the other hand of my captor, and unlike me, he didn’t instinctively struggle. He was just limp in the ghoul’s grasp.
“Understood,” I said, even as I squirmed a little inside. I’d better find a way to get the Nasiris freed from the Drizans, or else…
I didn’t even want to think about how impossible the task could be even as a vampire, not to mention as a ghost. But one step at a time. Just one step at a time.
Sherus gripped my shoulder and squeezed hard. He leaned in closer to my ear and whispered, “Go now then. Go fetch your five comrades, but be sure not to dally. We will meet back here in ten minutes. In the meantime, my companion and I will also need to return, in order to retrieve two coffins.”
Yes, sir.
Ben
The three of us moved swiftly toward the main door and entered it. Here we parted ways. The fae headed down the tunnel, while I sank into the wall for fear of being seen. Ten minutes. I had ten minutes. But it was hard to keep track of the time due to the anticipation coursing through my spirit, and there was not exactly an abundance of clocks to be found in The Underworld.
I pushed myself hard, racing with speed I’d thought I had lost. Though I had to be cautious at the same time. Being caught out of my pool by a ghoul now would be catastrophic to the whole plan.
My pool had never been a more welcome sight. I dove in and frantically scanned the water for Kailyn and Lucas. To my relief, they were still down here—huddled in the same corner.
Kailyn immediately perked up on seeing me, and I was glad to see that Lucas’s eyes were still open, even if he did look more drained than a beaten donkey.
“Did the ghouls come round yet?” I asked.
Kailyn shook her head.
That was both good news and bad news. For all we knew, they could be on their way right now.
“I’ve found a way to escape,” I whispered. “The fae, they’ve agreed to help us. We all need to head toward the canal immediately. The fae also agreed to let Chantel, Nolan and Marcilla come with us.” I glanced briefly around at the rest of the poor ghosts in our pool, trying to keep a casual expression—although many of the ghosts had their eyes set on me curiously, after having just returned from yet another excursion. “We’ll have to come back for the rest,” I breathed.
Kailyn looked quite breathless. “Wait, what? Are you sure about this, Ben? What if it’s some kind of trap? A test of our loyalty to the ghouls?”
“Kailyn,” I said sternly. “You just need to trust me on this.” I shot her a glare.
At this, she pursed her lips and nodded. “Okay,” she breathed. “I-I trust you,”
Now I cast my eyes around the pool in search of the other three. They were sitting together on the other side of the pond, along with a fourth ghost I hadn’t spoken to yet. A short young man with caramel skin. I wasn’t sure what he had been before he’d died.
I moved closer to them, but, being unwilling to say what I needed to in front of this fourth ghost, I caught Marcilla, Chantel and Nolan’s gaze and beckoned them over to me. The young man looked curiously at us as they joined me. Turning my back on him, I quickly explained what had to be done.
Chantel looked afraid, but not nearly as much as Marcilla, who had already undergone torture several times. Still, even in spite of her uncertainty, there must have been something about the conviction in my eyes that made her agree to come with us.
We arrived in Kailyn and Lucas’ corner. The werewolf was already standing, and, to my relief, so was Lucas. Both eyed me expectantly. Then all of us began drifting upward at once. Several ghosts called after us in question, but we ignored them.
After checking that the chamber was still empty of ghouls, we lifted out of the pool. As we headed to the tunnel, I was dismayed to see that Lucas’ rest hadn’t done him any good. If anything, he was slower now than he had been before. But, I hoped that the more he moved, the more he would warm up. He had to. He was slowing us all down.
On reaching the mouth of the tunnel, we were about to submerge into a wall when a shout came behind us. I froze in horror.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
It was the young man whom Marcilla, Nolan, and Chantel had been conversing with.
Damn fool!
“Shut up, Keb!” Chantel gasped. “You’ll attract the ghouls!”
“Don’t leave without me!” he yelled even louder.
I wanted to grab Keb’s neck and snap it. Now I feared that it was already too late.
“Into the walls!” I hissed.
The six of us submerged into the walls of the tunnel, and I prayed that Keb wouldn’t follow us—or even if he did, that we would lose him before he managed to catch up with us. Six ghosts in total was what the fae had agreed to. And not a single ghost more. Turning up with seven could put the whole deal in jeopardy, if the fae took offense and thought I was trying to change the terms of the agreement halfway through.
We had to wind the rest of our way through the stone as much as we could, painfully slower since we couldn’t see where we were going. Still, we continued forging forward blindly through the walls until I felt it was about time to check where we were again.
Then another unwelcome sound met my ears. A much more unwelcome sound.
The screeching of ghouls. It grew louder and louder. At least two were coming our way, and fast.
I realized in a panic that I didn’t even know if Lucas was still following us. I could not see through the thick stone walls and now fear gripped me that he had fallen behind. I was forced to emerge into the tunnel to check exactly how much progress we had made toward the main door, and that was when I saw them—three ghouls rushing toward us down the corridor. I immediately sank back into the wall, but it was too late. They’d seen me. Arms shot through the wall and rummaged around, catching my arm. The next thing I knew, all six of us were being dragged out, the ghouls holding each of us with one hand. Lucas was being held in the other hand of my captor, and unlike me, he didn’t instinctively struggle. He was just limp in the ghoul’s grasp.
