Part 6 (1/2)

”Why?”

”Because if they're in ghost form, they're likely still keeping track of the castle's comings and goings, and they might know what happened to Heath and Gopher.”

John opened his mouth to say something more, but I shook my head and put a finger to my lips. I needed to concentrate and find my spook because all I could think about was what might be happening to Heath and Gopher at that very minute.

Turning away from John, I flipped my internal sixth sense on, and waited for a particular sensation to let me know we'd hit pay dirt. After a bit, I felt a very light tug on my solar plexus and I moved to the far corner where another opening led us out of the kitchen and into a smaller room.

”What's in here?” John whispered.

”The servants' sleeping quarters,” I told him. In the corner of the room I felt a surge of energy. ”h.e.l.lo, there,” I said, moving slowly toward it. ”My name is M. J.”

The energy s.h.i.+fted a bit nervously and I stopped walking toward it. I waited a beat or two and mentally asked for a name. After a few beats I was rewarded with a name that sounded a bit like Eneey. I asked her to repeat it and closed my eyes to concentrate on the very subtle nuance of the name. She obliged me by saying it twice more, and I was able to hear it fully. Something that sounded like Eanin.

A small bird flew about in my mind's eye, and I understood that this particular ghost was telling me her name meant ”little bird.” ”That's a beautiful name, friend,” I said to her. ”Do you work here at the castle?”

I felt the ghost reply yes. She was a scullery maid.

I nodded. ”It's lovely to meet you,” I told her, doing my best to send her some warm feelings across the ether. Her energy approached me, and I could feel such a lovely connection to this sweet little sparrow.

”I was wondering if you could help me, Eanin,” I said. ”I've lost track of two of my friends, and I was wondering, might you be able to tell me where they are?”

In my mind's eye I saw a small fire, and I knew she was referring to the group still gathered in the front hall around the fire near the door. I also had a sense that Eanin didn't care for the fact that we had started the fire on the stone floor instead of using the hearth.

”I'm so sorry we didn't use the fireplace,” I said. ”We were worried the chimney might be clogged and we didn't want to cause a problem.”

Eanin flooded me with warmth, making me feel like she understood fully.

”My friends by the fire are not the ones I'm looking for, Eanin. I'm looking for two gentlemen. They've gone missing.”

Eanin's energy was quiet for a long moment and through the ether I could feel her wavering. Then, I felt a sentence waft through my mind. It's got one of them. It's got one of them.

My heart raced anxiously. I thought I knew what she was referring to, but I wanted to make certain. ”Do you mean the phantom?”

There was a hissing sound, as if someone had just said, ”Shhhhhhh!” ”Shhhhhhh!”

John gasped and looked in the direction from where the sound had come, and I realized that I'd been so focused on Eanin that I hadn't noticed the other energy in the opposite corner of the room. In my mind I could sense that Eanin became alarmed and sent me the equivalent of a curtsy before darting out of the room. I called after her, but it was too late-she'd gone.

Turning to the approaching spook, I sent out a formal welcome, but this particular energy wasn't at all pleased and I could sense a hostility wafting through the ether. ”John,” I said, quickly moving back to stand near him.

”Yeah?”

”Uncap a grenade, but don't take it out unless I tell you.”

There was a pop and a thunk as John uncorked the grenade and let the cap drop to the floor. The spook approaching us halted abruptly and stood about six feet away, just waiting and watching.

”We are very sorry to have disturbed you,” I told him formally, and at this moment I was quite certain I was speaking to a ”him.”

Who are you? he demanded, his voice harsh in my mind. he demanded, his voice harsh in my mind.

”My name is M. J. and this is my friend John. Might I know who you are?”

I could almost feel the ghost puff out his chest and say, I am Caron, and I demand to know what you are doing in my keep! I am Caron, and I demand to know what you are doing in my keep!

”We're looking for two more of our friends who've become lost within the castle.”

”Leave!” a disembodied voice demanded.

John flinched slightly and he tilted the tube with the spike, ready to drop it out of the canister. I placed my hand on his wrist and turned my attention back to the ghost. ”We will,” I promised. ”The moment you tell us where we can find our friends.”

”Leave now!”

Next to me, I could hear John's breathing become labored. He was starting to get freaked-out by the ghost's verbal command, and I really needed him to pull it together. ”Dude!” I whispered, squeezing his wrist. ”You have to remain calm!”

In the dim light, I saw John swallow hard and give a reluctant nod.

Turning back to the spook, I said, ”We're not leaving without our friends, sir. So please tell us where we might find them, and we'll be on our way.”

The angry ghost standing in front of us was growing increasingly impatient, I could tell, and I figured it was only a matter of time before something bad happened.

I was right, as just a few heartbeats later a wave of fear wafted in through the door behind us.

”s.h.i.+t!” I swore, and turned John's wrist myself, tipping out the spike. I yelled, ”Release all the spikes!”

Within seconds we each held several metallic spikes in our hands and I was by now trembling in fear. From outside something approached. I couldn't hear it as much as sense it, and beside me John gasped and looped his arm through mine. ”What's happening?” he asked, his voice quavering slightly.

I closed my eyes and whispered a protection prayer as waves of fear wafted in through the doorway and all about the room. With dread, I waited for the intensity of the terror to increase and take over my mind, but it never went past the level that had already affected us. ”Stand perfectly still,” I ordered.

My flashlight was tucked under my arm and clenched firmly to my side. It pointed directly at the doorway across the room, illuminating a small section of the kitchen.

The beam was suddenly interrupted by a very very large shadow that darted across the doorway almost too quickly for me to catch ... until the shadow returned and remained in my beam for several long seconds. John stiffened next to me, and like me, he was too frightened to breathe. large shadow that darted across the doorway almost too quickly for me to catch ... until the shadow returned and remained in my beam for several long seconds. John stiffened next to me, and like me, he was too frightened to breathe.

The shadow was at least eight feet tall. It looked a bit like a giant man standing in a cloak with the hood pulled up.

Who am I kidding? It looked like Death. All it needed to complete the ensemble was a scythe.

”Je-Je-Jesus!” John stuttered. I could feel his panic mounting, and I was terribly worried he'd drop his spikes and run.

”Stay still!” I commanded, feeling a bit of anger creep through my own fear. ”John! Pull it together!”

But he was trembling and shaking so hard that I wasn't sure he'd heard me.

I got even madder then. I unloosed my arm from his and took one very bold step toward the phantom. ”Get back!” I shouted, waving the spikes about. ”Get away from us now now!”

A laugh so horrible and so evil that it chilled me to the bone reverberated through the hall and into our room. I felt as if I'd been physically punched by it. In my mind's eye I then saw the image of Heath, running along the side of the castle, dodging the rain. He kept looking over his shoulder-as if he was running away from something-and all the while he got closer and closer to the edge of the cliff without slowing down.

A thousand warning bells went off in my head just as the phantom twirled in a tight circle, and with a whoosh, it was gone.

Moving all my spikes to one hand, I reached back for John and shouted, ”Let's go!”