Devrie Spaulding's Blog, page 9

A Mystery Deep Below Part 10

Lar was like a mad woman. She went through her hut, throwing this or that into bags. By the time she was done, there were many bags. “Come, come. Grab a few of these.”

 

“Yes, Lar.” I went and looped several through each hand to where I had handles up to my elbows. “What is all this?”

 

“Just some items to help us catch a killer, child. What else?” Lar never looked up at me. She continued to fill even more bags.

 

We lugged them all over to my room in the hut I lived in. She quickly went to work. To my astonishment, it wasn’t just one item she built. She created several gadgets first. Every time I tried to touch one, my hand stung from Lar slapping it.

 

Next, she rebuilt the cage from before. I hadn’t noticed her tearing it down from all the flying parts I had to dodge.  This time, it was bigger and stronger. Lar attached one of the devices to it, and the cage began to hum.

 

“Is that magic, Lar?” It sounded like magic, but not.

 

“No, silly child. It is electricity.” Lar laughed as if it was the funniest joke she had ever heard.

 

“What is eee-lek-triss-itee?” I had never heard of such a thing. It had to be magic.

 

Lar laughed even harder, doubling over from the stomach pain it caused. “We haven’t gotten to that part of your learning yet, Limmeg. It is something Torchal taught me about. Apparently, those who walk above the waters use it.”

 

I glanced at the floor. There were no leftover parts. She had used them all. It was astonishing how Lar could know exactly what she needed in her chaos earlier.

 

“Now what do we do, Lar?” Building all of this was one thing. Using it when needed was another. How could we know when he would come back?

 

As if she read my mind… again… she answered the unspoken question. “He will come tonight. The soul has an expiration date. Both in and out of the body. He won’t be able to leave it behind for long. If he did, then he would have to go through the trouble of retrieving a different one.”

 

“Good point. So, we go back to the warehouse?”

 

“Yes. We go there and wait with these items.” She pointed to several gadgets. “When we get him, then we can bring him here to this cage.”

 

“Those gadgets better be able to hold him till we get here then.” This didn’t sound like a good plan to me but the look on Lar’s face made me rethink that.

 

“It is a perfect plan! These devices will hold him just fine. Then when we have him in the cage, we can station guards until Torchal is ready to sentence him.” Lar’s head was held high. She was definitely proud of her plan. That is until I asked my next question.

 

“What kind of sentence can Torchal give to such a creature? He came from the waters. What can we do to him that would be justice?”

 

“That, my dear, is a very good question indeed. It is not up to us to decide this one’s fate. That is only for Torchal to decide. He knows what must be done and we will do as he bids.” Lar went back to holding her head high. “Now, grab those devices and let us set up an ambush that creature will never expect.”

 

A Pawn of the Devil Part 11

 

“I know it is a lot to ask. You don’t know me, but I am going to need help if I am going to escape him.” It took Sarah quite a large amount of courage to ask for help. Reality was, she needed it. There was no way she could accomplish what she needed alone. Hell, there was still a good chance she would die anyway, but who would really want to live with what she had been through?

 

“Dear, we may not know you, but our hearts break for what you have been through. We don’t know the whole story, but seeing you as you are, that is enough to know you have to do what is best.” Mary looked over at her husband. A simple nod from him was all she needed. “We will help you however we can. You deserve vengeance.”

 

Mary stood and walked over to Sarah. She reached out her arms and waited. It took a little bit, but Sarah finally stood and embraced the kind woman. How could she ever hurt such wonderful people? A tear ran down Sarah’s face. She took one hand off of Mary and touched it, confused. This clearly wasn’t part of Xaphan’s plan to be able to cry and feel compassion. All she felt up until now was rage and violence. All she wanted to do was kill. A smile crept across her face. She would kill alright. Sarah would kill him. There had to be a way.

 

“Thank you so much. It means a lot to me that you are willing to help. I’m not sure how I can kill him, but it will be either him or me.” Sarah removed herself from the hug. They all sat down again, ready to make a plan.

 

“One second.” Mary went to the other room. When she came back, a laptop was tucked under her arm. “Here. Let’s look some stuff up. You said his name was Xaphan?”

 

“That’s what he said.” Sarah took the offered computer and opened it. Mary helped her log in and get on the internet. It was surprising how much Sarah had forgotten about day to day life during her torture. So, Mary sat next to her, and Michael took notes on what they found. They searched under his name and came up with a ton of information. Nothing in there told her how he could die, however.

 

“Can he even die?” Sarah leaned back in her chair with a huff. She unrolled her sleeve to show the claw. Typing was a very difficult task with one hand. More tears streamed down her face. This time, it wasn’t for good reasons. Where the claw attached to her real arm ached badly.  She rubbed the area with her good hand.

 

Mary saw this and went to the bathroom. She showed back up with ointments and gauze. “Let me see it.” She sat back down next to Sarah. Gently, Mary pulled her claw over and sat it on the table before them. Mary applied the ointment with even more care and snuggly wrapped it with the gauze. It instantly felt better. “It has a fever, dear. We need to keep an eye on it.”

 

“Who knows, maybe after this goes down, I will be dead. Then I won’t have to worry about it.” Sarah was only half joking. It got her a light slap to the back of the head.

 

“Don’t talk like that. Please. We would be happy to have you in our lives forever. I know that might be overwhelming to you or even hard to believe, considering we just met, but we are good at reading people. Call it a gift. Call it a curse. We feel in our bones that you are a good and wonderful person even if the rest of the world doesn’t want to believe it. Even if you refuse to believe it.” Mary patted Sarah’s leg. “Now let’s plan this, shall we?”

 

Sarah finally smiled a true smile. “Yes. Let’s do this. First, we are going to be at that movie.”

 

A Mystery Deep Below Part 9

Lar switched her chanting, and now we followed it after the killing had happened. Everything went from being shown in reverse to going forward. Hurrying in pursuit of the creature’s silhouette, we zipped through our small town. No one questioned what we were doing. Everyone could see what we saw. They gasped at the form dodging from cover to cover. There didn’t seem to be any one direction that the creature picked. For a short while, he went forward, and then he went back. I didn’t dare interrupt Lar’s chanting, however, to ask. We just kept following wherever it led. 

 

A long time passed before we were staying on one path. It ducked into a storage room and stayed there. Lar wasn’t sure if we should enter but I went in anyway so she had no choice but to come with me. By the time we went in, the abomination was exiting yet again.

 

Lar stopped chanting, and all his forward motion stopped. We circled him yet again. Lar scratched her chin. “Do you notice something different?”

 

I stepped closer even though his mist form was repulsive. I gasped when it finally hit me. “His stick is gone!”

 

“Yes. The stick is gone. But where in that storage area did he place it? If we can find it, we can restore the youngling.”

 

“Do you think that is where her soul is kept? In that stick?”

 

“Yes, I do.” Lar didn’t continue her spell. Instead, she entered the storage building. We went over to where he had been to look around. She hovered her hand above the area he had occupied with her eyes closed. “Why didn’t I feel it before?” Lar reached into a large square container holding a recent crop of moss. When her hand came out, she held the stick. It glowed ever so gently in a pale blue.

 

Lar thrust it into my hands. “Here, child. Quickly. Go back to the youngling. This must stay by her body until I arrive. I must gather more ingredients.”

 

I ran as hard as I ever had until I came to my home. Not even stopping to see if anyone was behind the entrance curtain, I pushed through just as quickly. The only time I stopped was when I stood before the small, delicate body. Tears ran down my face. “I have you, dear one. I have you.”

 

I stood there crying, waiting for Lar-Naneth to come. How long could the soul be out of the body without harm? Now that we had her, I was impatient to bring her back. I began to pace but never far from her body.

 

Lar burst through into the room. Her arms were full of containers and other items. She threw them to the ground. Sitting down with them, she started pouring things into a larger bowl. It didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason. Lar would just grab something, not even look at it and then dump it in.

 

I began to bring out my notes, but Lars shook her head where she sat. “No time. Just stand as close as you can to her.”

 

When she was finished adding ingredients, Lar splashed her hands into the bowl as well, mixing everything together. It quickly became a paste like substance. As soon as the contents became a bright glowing purple, she stood again.

 

“Take the sheet off of her and remove as much clothing as you can while keeping her modest.”

 

I did as she instructed while Lar spread the paste all over any exposed skin. When it made contact, it glowed even brighter. The stick in my hand began to pulse as well. Lar reached out a goop covered hand towards me. “Here here. Give me the stick.” I eagerly handed it over.

 

Words flew out of Lar’s mouth. These were not in our language at all. I couldn’t even understand any of what she was saying, but both the paste and the stick brightened. A loud, sharp whining sound pierced my ears. It grew and grew, causing pain in my head. Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, the stick ruptured.

 

The blue light spread. As it did, it moved towards the youngling. The paste changed to the same blue when the light was hovering just above her chest. It was almost as if the light and paste started to reach out to each other. When they made contact, all of it, paste and light, sank into her body.

 

The youngling gasped for air. In an instant, Madam was there in the room with us crying and holding her. I ran to the young one and held her as well. The precious child was alive again. I dared a glance over to Lar. She held her head high, but there was no relief in her eyes.

 

I let go and walked over to Lar. “What is it? What is wrong? Are you not happy she is back? You did it.”

 

Lar nodded. “Yes, dear. I am happy she is back. But this is not over. This was a test from the creature. He will be back to kill again.”

 

Shock was clear on my face. “Do you really think he will?”

 

“Oh yes. He will, but we will be ready.”

 

A Pawn of the Devil Part 10

Sarah woke screaming. Maddy was already there trying to help, but Sarah swung her claw back and forth. The inside was razor sharp, but luckily, the outside was not. It was also lucky that there wasn’t anything near Sarah that could break. When she finally settled down, Maddy was instantly by her side, trying to hold her close.

 

“Ssshhh sssshhhh. It was just a dream. A really bad dream. You’re safe here.” Maddy tightened her grip to reassure Sarah of her safety.

 

Muffled in tears and Maddy’s hair, Sarah croaked out with a sore throat. “That’s just it. It is real. It was real.” Sarah jerked away. She was fully crying and could barely breathe. “I… I don’t know what’s real anymore.” She gazed into Maddy’s blue eyes. “Are you truly real?”

 

Maddy tilted her head, letting out a slow sigh. “Yes, dear. I am real. You are truly here and absolutely safe.”

 

Sarah looked away. “I will never be safe. Not while he still lives.”

 

“Who, dear? Who did this to you?”

 

“I won’t speak his name. I’m not sure what that could do. It could summon him here.” Sarah’s eyes shot wide open. She turned back to Maddy. “He could come here and hurt you both! I need to leave. You’re in danger!”

 

Sarah tried to stand but fell back to the soft couch. Maddy reached out and took her hand. “You talk as if he is a demon or something. But whatever he is, we can handle it. You need to get stronger and heal.”

 

“He is a demon…. or something like it. I don’t know. He did things that couldn’t be human.” She looked down at her claw. Maddy did as well.

 

Maddy used her other hand to run it along the outside of the claw. “Like this? Who would do such a thing?” She looked deep into Sarah’s eyes. “Yes, we knew you had it when we offered help. It doesn’t frighten us.”

 

Just then, Michael came down the stairs. “Is it ok for me to come down?”

 

Maddy raised an eyebrow at Sarah, who nodded. “Yes, darling. You can come down.”

 

He descended the last few steps left and entered the living room. “I don’t care what this person is who hurt you, I’ll stand between you and him no matter what.” Michael crossed his arms over his broad chest.

 

Sarah wanted to feel relieved and safe, but she knew she couldn’t. Whatever Xaphan was, he wasn’t human. No one could help her.” She tried to smile at Michael but faltered.

 

He took that opportunity to change the subject. “Who wants waffles and eggs?”

 

“Great idea, darling. Go on to the kitchen. I’ll be there in a moment.” Maddy never took her gaze off of Sarah. “What’s your name, hun?”

 

“I’m Sarah. Thank you for all you are doing.” Sarah fidgeted with the tassels on the throw blanket.

 

“Here, let me help you to the kitchen. It will do you good to start using your legs again.” Maddy helped Sarah to her feet. She already felt stronger after a good night’s sleep and a meal. “Oh, you heal fast. That’s excellent!” She guided her to the kitchen and let her use the walls for support, never leaving her side. The constant mother hen.

 

At the kitchen table, they ate and drank coffee, chatting about nothing really important. There was a new movie coming out to the theater that the couple wanted to see. As per their personalities, they invited Sarah to come as well. It caused Sarah to have a panic attack, so they changed the subject, yet again.

 

Finally, Sarah became quiet, and nothing they said could bring her out of it. After a time, she looked up from her coffee cup. Thoughts of what she could do to keep these two safe swam in her head. She had to do something and that something needed to be permanent.

 

“I may need your help.” It was the hardest thing she had ever said. All her life, she did things by herself with no help. Sarah was fiercely independent and stubborn. “I know you have brought me into your house, and with that, you are now in danger. I need to fix that.”

 

Maddy and Michael looked to each other, then back to Sarah. Maddy spoke for them both. “What do you need?”

 

Sarah took a moment to think. She swirled her finger in the now cold coffee before speaking. “I’m going to kill him.”

 

Siren’s Mistake

Andrea, or Andy to her friends, walked home from yet another disappointing date. They were all the same. Thinking they could get in your pants just because they bought you a burger and fries. Not even a drink! How can anyone eat without a soda or even water? “Uggggg. What a waste of time.” Andy shook her head.

 

She stopped instantly. “Crap.” Remembering her mistake, she pulled her phone from her back pocket. Andy scrolled through the contacts and found her latest date’s number. Within seconds, she had him blocked. Some might say that is the coward’s way, but after this happening so many times, it was the easiest way. If she ran into him, that would be a different story. Sometimes, they got violent, but she knew how to take care of herself.

 

Passersby started looking at her strangely for just standing there, so she continued on home. She knew better than to make the mistake again. Same mistake, different guy. When would she learn? At this rate, even if a decent guy showed up, she wouldn’t know if he truly liked her for who she was.

 

It was obvious when it happened. They would be talking and having a good time, only making the briefest of eye contact. She would make witty comments. He would laugh at her goofiness. Then he would touch her hand or something like that. She would look into his eyes. Then it would happen. After that, he seemed to have no control. All he wanted to was to be with her in every way possible. He would be obsessed. And this was only in a matter of hours. And then there were times that the eye contact wasn’t even needed.

 

In the beginning, she was rude. When they became strange or too touchy, she would tell them off. Tell them to go away and that she didn’t want anything to do with them. That only seemed to make things worse. They became more and more agitated and obsessed. They would try to hit her or drag her to their cars.

 

Now, she told them what they wanted to hear. Tell them she would talk to them later. Promise to have another date. All of this just to get away. Then, as soon as she was free and far enough away, she would block their number and hope to never run into them again.

 

The only thing she couldn’t understand… Well, there was a lot she didn’t understand…. But this was just about the how of it. How does this keep happening? She knows when it does, but it still never makes sense that it even is happening. Rambling in her mind won’t help, though. Yet again, she shook her head to clear it.

 

Andy finally made it to her apartment building. She put in the code and opened the front door. Waiting for it to close behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was something she did every time. It was in the building rules, but it was her rule as well. Never ever leave the door until it is closed again.

 

Instead of taking the elevator up to her floor, she chose the stairs. It was only five floors, after all. As she walked, she took out her phone to make sure he successfully blocked that man’s number. That’s when she bumped into someone. Boxes fell down the stairs. “Oh my gosh! I am so sorry.”

 

She went to grab at least one of the boxes. A masculine hand got to it before her. “It’s ok. I’ve got it.” He had a deep resonating voice. It seemed to vibrate in her chest.

 

She didn’t dare look up. This wasn’t going to happen twice in one night. Keeping her eyes lowered, she asked, “Are you new here? I haven’t seen you before.”

 

He chuckled, causing her skin to shiver. “You still haven’t really seen me, have you? Do you normally avoid looking at people, or am I that ugly?”

 

She laughed in response. Her eyes drifted up on their own. They took in the tattered jeans and leather jacket. His tanned skin looked rough like someone who physically worked for a living. Long dark hair shaped his face, slightly covering deep black eyes.

 

She looked into them. “Well, shit…”

 

A Mystery Deep Below Part 8

Once Lar’s last concoction was done and in containers, we headed out. Yet again, it was difficult to keep up with my mother. She made a bee line to where I lived and entered without knocking. Once inside, we went straight back to where the undisturbed body lay covered.



Standing there and seeing that small mound under the cover took my breath away again. A quick slap to the back of my head by Lar brought me out of my stall. “Time is wasting, child.”



Lar stood over the youngling and held out her hand. I knew which item she needed. I set down the bag and rummaged through it until I found the first potion and a spray type device. All through this preparation, Torchal whined in the back of my mind. I could only imagine what Lar was feeling and hearing.



She took the container and device and somehow connected them together. She held it over the body but didn’t use it yet, Instead, she looked at me with piercing eyes. I instantly jumped back but then realized what she was trying to convey. I rummaged again and brought out my notes. When I was ready, she started chanting and spraying. I wrote everything she said.



Mist flowed through the room. I could see silhouettes of Madame and us when we had come in here, but we were moving in reverse. There was a brief moment of nothing happening, but Lar continued to chant and spray. I saw Madame again but this time she carried the youngling. It was just undefined images, but it was clear who we were seeing.



We followed the backward movements of Madame to where she found her. Watching Madame broke my heart. She was a kind woman and truly loved us all. I made a mental note to help her more with everyone and everything.



Now was the time that we needed. I took notes of all we saw, and now we waited for the killer’s image. It had the audacity to appear from the front doorway as it was leaving. When it got to the youngling and crouched over her, Lar-Naneth stopped her chant but didn’t stop the mist. The figure held in place, unmoving. We both walked around and around as Lar told me what to write.



It wasn’t one of us. That was for sure. A hunched back full of some kind of bumps leaned downwards. An oval face, malformed, looked at its victim with its elongated mouth held open and dripping something. Long taloned hands gripped some kind of small stick. It wasn’t the same shape as a spine.



What was this creature, and why was it here doing this? I looked over at Lar, and she could read the questions on my face. A small shake of her head was her only answer.



She began to chant again, causing the still image to move. I had to look away during the time it took her soul. It was too much to bear. When Lar cleared her throat, the creature was on the move again, walking backward. It had taken the little one by surprise and overpowered her with its strength. She hadn’t stood a chance.

A Pawn of the Devil Part 9

They mercifully stopped after a short distance. It looked like a house you would see on TV. Each one slapped right next to the other, short cement stairs leading to a wooden door inlaid with etched glass. She didn’t remember driving to New York, but it sure looked like it.



Michael let go of Sarah and went up the stairs. He unlocked the door and then came back down to help bring Sarah up. It was a very painful experience. They ended up having to lift her the whole way. Once inside, they were met with yet another stairway leading up, but to their left was a short hallway breaking off to a living room on the left and a kitchen straight back.



“We have a spare bedroom up the stairs, but until you are stronger, we should probably keep you downstairs if that is ok with you?” Maddy patted her had on the shoulder she was supporting Sarah with.



The living room was cozy. It had a London style sofa with rolled arms in a floral pattern. A marble coffee table sat perfectly in the center of a round blue rug. There was a large, flat screen tv directly across from the sofa hanging on the wall. In a corner was a plush recliner chair and a lamp. This was going to be her room for now.



They took her to the sofa. Maddy helped her take off her shoes and get relaxed while Michael went upstairs for a pillow and blanket. “Here, dear. Get comfortable. I’ll go make you something to eat.” She hugged Sarah lightly so as to not hurt her. By the time Maddy came back, Michael already had her set up with two pillows, a blanket and a throw blanket. He also had a tablet for her and was showing her how to use the remote for the tv.



Maddy at a white tray of food down on the coffee table. A bowl steamed with roast and vegetables while a tall glass of iced tea dripped condensation. Sarah’s stomach growled loudly. She was so confused. Did she trust them to not poison her like he did? What was their reason for helping her? Was this a trap of some kind? She looked back and forth between the two who stood there waiting for her to start eating.



It was very awkward, so Sarah inched out to the edge of the couch and brought the food closer to her. The tray was close enough that she could just take the fork and start in. She hesitated, though. With the fork of meat halfway to her mouth, she looked back up at the couple. They smiled warmly back at her, but Maddy quickly caught on. She shooed her husband away, and they went upstairs. Once they were out of sight, Sarah dug in. She was so hungry that she almost forgot to chew. Several times, the meat got caught in her throat, and she coughed heavily. When that would happen, she quieted herself to see if either one of her hosts would come back down, but they didn’t.



When her meal was done, Sarah crawled back onto the couch. She snuggled under the blankets. Her head sunk deeply into the pillows. Just as her eyes began to close, Maddy came down the stairs.



“Don’t mind me. I’m just going to grab these dishes. Oh, and there is a bathroom down the hall just before the kitchen. Sleep well. You are safe here.” Maddy gently grabbed the tray and walked back to the kitchen. That was all Sarah remembered. She was soon completely asleep with a full belly for the first time in who knew how long. Any sense of rage or violence slept with her quietly.

A Pawn of the Devil Part 8

A week had gone by since Sarah acquired the motel room.  Every time she left in search of food, there was an encounter which almost caused her to lose control. She hadn’t realized it before, but people seemed to have a tendency to bump into each other and then blame the person they bumped into. Most of the time, she could just keep walking and ignore it even though her rage screamed for death. Voices in her head yelled at her to turn back and end their pathetic lives. Who were they to accuse her of being the one at fault? They hadn’t endured what she had. They hadn’t lived through the pain and torture.  They were no one. Ending them would not even affect the world.

 

But then her rational side of her mind would calm her down. They were important to someone. Someone loved them. Sure, they hadn’t been tortured or flayed open repeatedly, but taking that on herself meant they didn’t have to. So, she would keep walking until the next occurrence.

 

The money finally ran out. Panic rose above the rage now. What would she do? Where would she go? When was this test going to end so she could just die in peace? There were shelters, but those were packed with people. That wouldn’t do.

 

Sarah grabbed her belongings and walked the streets yet again. She was hungry and cold now. The weather changed drastically. When Sarah had entered the gave, it was late autumn. Seemed winter was in a hurry to arrive. She walked past yet another grungy ally. This one was empty of any people but was lined with overflowing garbage bins. Instead of going deep into the alley, she stayed near the street but far enough in, to not be noticed by everyone. Here, she could watch the people pass by and test her will.

 

Two days later, Sarah still sat in the same place. Pain shot through her stomach, causing her to double over. Tears streamed down her face. How could this be a test? Whatever this was, it was real. She was really out of the cave and living on the street, hungry and freezing.

There was nothing in her pack that could help her now. This is where she would die. The thought brought her comfort. She looked, yet again, at the claw now attached to her arm. She would never be accepted back into the world looking like this. Even finding a way back home wouldn’t work. No one would want to help her with how she was now.

 

Sarah fell asleep even with the hunger pain still sparking in her stomach. Nightmares of Xaphan cutting her open filled her mind as she slept. One viciously thrust knife to her shoulder had her waking up screaming. Sarah frantically looked around for him. He wasn’t there, though. The alley, with all its dampness and smells, surrounded her. She noticed something affixed to the shoulder Xaphan had stabbed in her dream. A soft sound came from the direction. Sarah was so afraid to look because it could still be him. With the rage surfacing, she braved the chance. Swiveling her head in that direction, she saw a delicate hand on her shoulder. Sarah’s eyes followed the hand, up to its attached arm and further to see a woman’s face full of concern.

 

“Dear, are you ok? You were screaming.” The woman removed her hand but knelt down beside Sarah.

 

Sarah didn’t dare speak. She hadn’t in a while and didn’t trust her voice. All she could do was shake her head. When she did, the woman’s face saddened. Her frown only showed more concern. Sarah finally noticed a man standing tall behind this woman. His face also reflected that of the woman, but Sarah didn’t trust it. Xaphan would show false concern as well, only to turn around and cut her open or poison her food. This man could be just like him. Hell, it could be him. Sarah scooted away. The thought of this man before her possibly being Xaphan in disguise brought the rage full force. Her entire being wanted to rip him apart. The feeling was freeing. Any fear she had for Xaphan was now gone. Only the desire to hear him scream.

 

The woman made a shhh-ing sound. “It’s ok, my dear. This is my husband, Michael. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. You have nothing to fear from us.  Will you let us help you?”

 

Sarah glanced back at the woman. She pointed her finger at her, scrunching her face. She hoped the woman understood.

Clearly, she did. “Oh, my name is Maddy. Well, it’s Madeline but you can call me Maddy. Would you be willing to come with us? We can get you some food and warmth.”

 

Scooting back again, Sarah looked from Maddy to Michael. Her rage slowly fled. Something about this woman calmed her. She felt safe. Sarah slowly nodded at Maddy, cautiously looking at Michael. She tried to stand but only fell again. Not eating for so many days had made her too weak.

 

“Oh my! Here, let me help you.” Maddy put a tentative arm around Sarah to help her up. Her hard claw arm limply banged against the woman but she showed no signs of fear.

 

The man, Michael, came to Sarah’s other side. “Would you allow me to help you as well?” He didn’t touch her until Sarah nodded. Between the both of them, they carried her near non-existent weight away from the ally. Sarah didn’t know where she was going, but it had to be better. Even if these two turned against her, she would have to find a way to handle it. Thoughts of Xaphan filled her head. A plan began to form. She would find a way to lure him out. When she did, she would finally get to watch him die by the same claw he had given her.

 

A Mystery Deep Below Part 7

I helped Lar the rest of the day with preparations. We mixed ingredients in a large, deep pan carved from fallen spines. She had me write down everything she did so I could learn as well. Lar also ordered me to stay with her until we caught this horrid killer. I wasn’t about to complain. The last thing I wanted was to be a target.

 

“Limmeg! Pay attention!” Lar snapped her fingers at my face.

 

“Sorry, Lar-Naneth.” I lowered my head and kept writing. I had no idea where she found all of these ingredients. They are not from within our domain.

 

As if she was reading my mind, yet again, Lars stopped what she was doing. “I send up a net as the fishers do. Sometimes, I get lucky, and sometimes I do not. And sometimes, I regret what comes in.” She smiled playfully.

 

“I would love to hear some of those stories.” Giggling, I went over to the pot. It smelled horrible but that usually meant whatever she was making would work. “So what does this do?”

 

Lar retrieved some smaller containers made of the same material. These had grooves so you could tighten two pieces together and keep things inside them. She when about filling many. “These will help us track the killer. We shall start where the attack happened. I have a way to turn this into a mist. That will show us a vague impression of whoever did this and which way they went.”

 

“Oh, that is clever.” She motioned for me to move them all to the table, so I did.

 

“Of course, it is clever. I thought it up.” Lar strolled back to her sleeping area and came back with an armful of items. There were spines, seaweed rope, and many other things I could not identify.

 

“What are we doing now, Lar?”

 

“You ask too many questions. If you would simply be quiet and observe, you will learn. Let us go into the entrance room. It is larger.” Even though she sounded cross with me, her lips quirked upward and a playful gleam shown in her eyes.

 

I helped her move the smaller table aside, and we sat on the floor. Lucky for us, Torchal had a firm yet comfortable skin. Lar set out all the items. She used the rope to connect poles to each other, forming a tall box shape. The rope was also used for affixing a large seaweed net to each wall. 

 

“Oh! A cage for him when we find him.”

 

“Clearly.” Now we have to figure out how to subdue the killer once we track him down.” Lar scratched her pointed chin as she thought.

 

I took that time to tighten any knots that seemed loose and tested the prison’s strength. I swear Lar could create anything out of nothing. She was a genius. I really hope I can fill those shoes.

 

“I’ve got it!” Lar stood up and went back to her kitchen.  She cleaned out the pot that was used for the tracking spell and set it back upon the fire. Lar used her magic to have even more items fly to her waiting hands. That was also something I needed work on.  Torchal granted many gifts to the Naneth. Magic was just one.

 

I sat at the table as she called countless items to her. It was difficult, but I scratched down all of it as fast as I could. I had no idea what she was creating this time, but by the look on her face, it was  going to be a doozy.

 

A Mystery Deep Below Part 6

“Come. We must examine the body.” Lar held out her hand for me. I grasped it lightly, not really wanting to approach the dead youngling. “Stand here and observe.” Lar pushed me to one side of the table and walked over to the other.



She delicately pulled back the sheet. I did my best not to react to seeing that poor youngling laying there unmoving. If you didn’t know any better, you would assume she was sleeping. There were no marks upon her body at all. She lay there with her eyes closed but paler than normal skin.



I watched as Lar-Naneth pulled out the pouch she retrieved from her hut. She withdrew a smaller pouch from within. Lar poured a fine silver powder into one palm, then blew it across the body. The powder began to swirl through the air just above the youngling. It went from her tiny toes, along her legs, up to her chin and then her small head. If the granules were alive, I would have sworn they were confused. They performed several more trips back and forth. Finally, they spun like a water funnel just over her mouth. Another flourish of Lar’s hand had the dust zipping back into the smaller pouch.



“Hmmmmm. Interesting.” Lar-Naneth scratched her chin.



“What is it, Lar-Naneth?” I came around the table and stood beside her.



“I need to make sure, first before speaking of it.”



She pulled out a crystal hanging from some twine. Stepping closer, Lar let is dangle over the youngling’s mouth. The crystal began to swing in a circle. It picked up speed, almost yanking out of her hand. Without warning, the crystal yanked hard towards the ceiling and stayed that way. Lar gentled, tugged it down, and placed it back inside the larger pouch. “Yes. Just as I thought.”



“Oh, come on, Lar! Tell us what you thought.” I was beside myself with curiosity.



Lar looked between me and Madame. “Her soul was stolen.”



My jaw dropped. “Say what? Her soul? Is that even possible?”



“Yes, child. It is. Do we not live on the back of a creature and talk through our minds to him? What makes you think this is not possible?” Lar stared hard at me, causing me to drop my gaze.



“Yes, Lar-Naneth. I am sorry. Please continue.” I kept my eyes lowered in respect.



Lar began to pace. “Whatever did this is not of our kind. Something came in from the waters and took her soul. If it remains and we find it in time, we may yet be able to save this youngling.” She took one finger and lifted my head, making sure we had eye contact. “We have much to do, Limmeg.” Lar then looked to Madame, “Do not speak of this to anyone. We do not want word of it to reach whatever did this. We need to let it know that we are still unsure of what happened.”



Madame bowed slightly. “Yes, Lar-Naneth.” When she looked at us again, there were tears in her eyes. “Please, hurry. Bring her back to us.”



Lar stood tall. “Oh, I will. Be sure of that.”



We strode out of the building, making sure not to speak so no one could hear. Our silence continued until we were safely inside Lar’s hut and in the kitchen. Both of us sat down at the table.



I waited for her to speak, but she didn’t seem inclined to do so. I broke the quiet. “What is our next step, Lar-Naneth.”



She gazed towards where her living room was for a moment, then turned to me. “Next? We hunt a killer.”