“She
thought she was helping someone.”
“Yeah,” Roy said, “well, that someone turned out to be an
asshole. She should have checked into it more.”
“I think she deserves the benefit of the doubt,” Steven said.
“After all, we do owe her.”
Steven thought back to how Eliza had helped him and Roy as
they were trying to get rid of the ghosts at a bed and breakfast in Oregon. Roy
was helping out his friend Pete, who owned the place. The whole thing had been
far more complicated than Roy had anticipated at the start. Things got out of
hand, and many more people got involved before it was solved. So Roy wasn’t the
one to talk.
“What do you think the marchers are, exactly?” Steven asked.
“If they show up every night,” Roy said, “this is either
their natural home, which I doubt, or they were placed here for a reason, which
I suspect.”
“You think Percival placed them here, to keep us in?” Steven
asked, pulling down the sheets from his bed and inspecting them.
“No,” Roy said. “I don’t think Percival has any abilities at
all. He’s been indoctrinated by the writings of his grandfather. He’s little
more than a zealot, and a dishonest one at that. If it turns out we can leave
tomorrow during the daylight, he won’t have been very effective at keeping us
here.”
“Provided we can leave tomorrow,” Steven said. “And
what about the device? What if it completes its drain of your powers by then? Perhaps
all he needed was one night to get it done. Maybe we should be looking for that
device rather than sleeping.”
“You might be right,” Roy said, “but I think Percival was
telling the truth about it taking several days. I can still jump into the
River, can you?”
Steven tried – he slipped in without a problem. Roy joined
him.
See? Roy thought. Still works.
What about a trance? Steven thought. Can you still do that?
Roy concentrated for a few moments. From within the flow,
Steven could see the bubble slowly form around him as his trance deepened.
After a couple of minutes, Roy stopped and the bubble dissolved. Then they
exited the River.
“Trance seems normal,” Roy said. “And I’m not the only one
trying it. Several others were checking that they could still do it, too.”
“Well, I suppose that’s good,” Steven said.
“There is something,” Roy said. “Noticed it just now.
Remember how Percival said to avoid the room on the corner?”
“Yes,” Steven said.
“I believe that’s the room that the ghost woman came out of,
before she went down the stairs,” Roy said. “That’s where a lot of the energy
of this house lies,” Roy said. “The other part I’m more confused by.”
“Other part?” Steven asked.
“Where she went,” Roy said. “I couldn’t see them in the
trance, but I could feel them. The house is full of secrets.”
Chapter Four
The group assembled an hour before sunrise in the dining
room. When Steven came down, he found all the rest except Jonathan sitting
around the table, drinking coffee.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.
“No,” Myrna said. “Thought I might as well get up.”
“Beds were comfortable though,” Roy said. “At least mine was.”
“Did anything happen overnight?” Steven asked. “Anyone see
anything else?”
“No, I didn’t,” said Eliza.
“Me either,” Russell said.
Steven poured himself a cup of coffee from a pot on the
table. “How long until we can leave?”
“Well,” Roy said, “it’s still dark out there. Sunrise is in
an hour. We should be seeing things get lighter soon.”
Steven sat at the table and the group continued to discuss
their situation. They mentioned seeing each other trancing after having gone to
bed.
“I still don’t feel anything,” Eliza said. “If I’ve lost any
ability, I don’t know about it.”
“Maybe that’s part of how the device works,” Russell said.
“Numbs you to the loss, like a Novocaine shot at the dentist.”
“Then I’d
thought she was helping someone.”
“Yeah,” Roy said, “well, that someone turned out to be an
asshole. She should have checked into it more.”
“I think she deserves the benefit of the doubt,” Steven said.
“After all, we do owe her.”
Steven thought back to how Eliza had helped him and Roy as
they were trying to get rid of the ghosts at a bed and breakfast in Oregon. Roy
was helping out his friend Pete, who owned the place. The whole thing had been
far more complicated than Roy had anticipated at the start. Things got out of
hand, and many more people got involved before it was solved. So Roy wasn’t the
one to talk.
“What do you think the marchers are, exactly?” Steven asked.
“If they show up every night,” Roy said, “this is either
their natural home, which I doubt, or they were placed here for a reason, which
I suspect.”
“You think Percival placed them here, to keep us in?” Steven
asked, pulling down the sheets from his bed and inspecting them.
“No,” Roy said. “I don’t think Percival has any abilities at
all. He’s been indoctrinated by the writings of his grandfather. He’s little
more than a zealot, and a dishonest one at that. If it turns out we can leave
tomorrow during the daylight, he won’t have been very effective at keeping us
here.”
“Provided we can leave tomorrow,” Steven said. “And
what about the device? What if it completes its drain of your powers by then? Perhaps
all he needed was one night to get it done. Maybe we should be looking for that
device rather than sleeping.”
“You might be right,” Roy said, “but I think Percival was
telling the truth about it taking several days. I can still jump into the
River, can you?”
Steven tried – he slipped in without a problem. Roy joined
him.
See? Roy thought. Still works.
What about a trance? Steven thought. Can you still do that?
Roy concentrated for a few moments. From within the flow,
Steven could see the bubble slowly form around him as his trance deepened.
After a couple of minutes, Roy stopped and the bubble dissolved. Then they
exited the River.
“Trance seems normal,” Roy said. “And I’m not the only one
trying it. Several others were checking that they could still do it, too.”
“Well, I suppose that’s good,” Steven said.
“There is something,” Roy said. “Noticed it just now.
Remember how Percival said to avoid the room on the corner?”
“Yes,” Steven said.
“I believe that’s the room that the ghost woman came out of,
before she went down the stairs,” Roy said. “That’s where a lot of the energy
of this house lies,” Roy said. “The other part I’m more confused by.”
“Other part?” Steven asked.
“Where she went,” Roy said. “I couldn’t see them in the
trance, but I could feel them. The house is full of secrets.”
Chapter Four
The group assembled an hour before sunrise in the dining
room. When Steven came down, he found all the rest except Jonathan sitting
around the table, drinking coffee.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.
“No,” Myrna said. “Thought I might as well get up.”
“Beds were comfortable though,” Roy said. “At least mine was.”
“Did anything happen overnight?” Steven asked. “Anyone see
anything else?”
“No, I didn’t,” said Eliza.
“Me either,” Russell said.
Steven poured himself a cup of coffee from a pot on the
table. “How long until we can leave?”
“Well,” Roy said, “it’s still dark out there. Sunrise is in
an hour. We should be seeing things get lighter soon.”
Steven sat at the table and the group continued to discuss
their situation. They mentioned seeing each other trancing after having gone to
bed.
“I still don’t feel anything,” Eliza said. “If I’ve lost any
ability, I don’t know about it.”
“Maybe that’s part of how the device works,” Russell said.
“Numbs you to the loss, like a Novocaine shot at the dentist.”
“Then I’d
Similar Books
