Chapter 19

Krarshe pulled his cloak tighter around him as the cool air crept into his being on an unseasonably cold Sirnus night. While he could tolerate the cold itself, it made him drowsy, and he didn't want to be the only one to fall asleep on the quest. He looked around the dilapidated stable at the rest of the party.

Tomas was gnawing on some dried meat, rations they'd procured for the long nights in this stable. The two girls were wrapped tightly in their cloaks, shoulder to shoulder, chatting away as they tried to distract themselves from the increasing cold. Sverre and Luc had found some kind of bond that Krarshe couldn't even begin to understand. Maybe Luc looked up to him as a father figure, or perhaps an older brother. Regardless, it still amazed him that Luc never seemed to fall asleep before the rest of them.

He must be eager to impress us, Krarshe thought. The boy had been instrumental in finding this secluded stable from which they could watch the neighborhood. And, just as Luc had claimed, it had many children, most of whom were largely left unattended.

The first couple days of the investigation, they'd elected to split up and watch different parts of town, but it was pretty evident that this was the most likely place for a kidnapping. Numerous, uncared-for children, very little guard presence, lots of derelict buildings to hide in, all signs pointed to this neighborhood.

The fact that there had been no incidents for nearly a quarter-cycle, or even hint of wrongdoing of this case's nature, didn't help drum up enthusiasm for aimlessly walking the streets of Courmont either.

"Got any of that left?" Krarshe asked Tomas.

"Ooh, afraid not," he said without releasing the meat from his teeth. "Perhaps I could entice you with this carrot?"

"Knew I should have bought more this evening," he grumbled. Krarshe's only complaint with staying out this late was there were no stores or eating establishments open at this time of night.

"I mean, if you're really hungry..."

"I'm not. Just wanted something to keep me focused."

"Mmm. This not most excitement," Sverre said.

"Teva knows I'm tired of camping in this stable too," Celine said, joining their conversation.

Lycia nodded in agreement.

"But we haven't caught the Snatcher yet!" Luc cried.

"Hunting a ghost story sometimes doesn't find you a ghost, little one," Tomas said, patting Luc's head.

"Not dismiss yet," said Sverre. "New strategy perhaps."

"Maybe we gave up on patrolling the town too soon," Lycia suggested. "Maybe someone has been kidnapped already somewhere else in town and we didn't realize it."

"I check in with the guild every day to see if they've heard of anyone going missing," Krarshe said. "Nothing so far, unless it hasn't been brought to the guild's attention."

"Well... We might need to rethink our situation. This doesn't seem to be going anywhere," said Tomas.

"Got any ideas?" Celine asked.

"Well..."

Krarshe leaned against the stable wall again, the boards creaking and splintering under his weight. He still wasn't keen on joining deliberations. It felt like his voice was rarely heard unless he had something definitive, such as when they first arrived in Courmont. Trying to talk over them didn't seem worth the effort.

Little Luc seemed like he wanted to protest further, but was at a loss for words. He didn't seem to want his first adventure to come to an end so soon.

The clouds rolled in as they debated their next step, casting the dark night into a still darker one. It was like someone had blown out the last candle.

Actually, it seemed JUST like that.

Krarshe stood up and looked around. There didn't appear to be any torches or lanterns lit in the vicinity, no flickering candles in buildings or light from a hearth within. He began to wonder if it was this dark every night they'd been here. That he just hadn't noticed it until this sudden cloud cover blotted out any light from the moons or stars.

As he was about to vocalize his thoughts, he heard something. He strained to hear it better, but there was too much noise. "Shh!"

The party stopped talking and looked at him. "What is-"

Krarshe shushed Tomas again. "Listen," he whispered.

It sounded like... A voice? He could tell it was saying something. Rather, singing something. There was a clear tune to it, almost enchanting, but he didn't understand the words. He could tell they were words, but not a language he recognized.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered.

"... Hear what?" Tomas replied.

"No, hear nothing," Sverre said.

Celine silently shook her head in agreement with Sverre.

Lycia was listening carefully. "Is that a... song?"

"You hear it too?" Tomas asked.

"Y-yeah... I... What is this? What language is it even?"

"I don't know, it's weird. I don't know if it's the song or lyrics, but something feels... strange about this," Krarshe noted. He wasn't sure what it was, but like something pulling at his mind.

"Mmm... Y-yeah... My... My thoughts... They're..." Lycia swayed a bit before catching herself on Celine. "I don't... feel... right... Like... My mind is... Allllllmiiishhhh..."

"Lycia?!" Krarshe rushed over to her.

Celine examined her. She snapped her fingers a few times in front of the elf. "She... It's like she's in a trance."

"What?" everyone said in unison.

Krarshe saw what she meant. Lycia's head bobbed and weaved gently, mouth slightly agape. Her eyes weren't quite closed, and it was clear her gaze was vacant. She wasn't responding to anything, no words or touch. "What is this?"

Celine shrugged. "I don't... Luc?"

Krarshe turned to see the boy in the same trance as Lycia. Unlike Lycia, however, he was mindlessly shuffling out of the stable and into the now fog-covered street they were watching over.

"Luc? What wrong? Where going?" Sverre grabbed hold of the child's wrist. "Hmm?"

Luc continued shuffling forward.

"Wait, Luc. In state, dangerous to- WHOA!" Sverre staggered forward as Luc continued to shuffle ahead, dragging the Gaer along with him. "What this?!"

Everyone watched in awe and confusion as this small boy continued to drag a man many times his size out of the stable. Sverre's feet slid along the dirt floor with a grating sound.

"Where... strength... from...?!" Despite all his efforts, Sverre could not stop Luc. "Luc! Wake u... What that?"

Tomas' brow knitted as he squinted. He squeezed his eyes closed and rubbed them before peering out of the stable again. "Never... in a thousand years..." The rest of his words were lost under his breath.

Katia's gaze was firmly locked, muttering as though mesmerized, "... Beneath the shadow of the moon... To take woke babes, she cometh soon..."

Krarshe looked down the road. A hooded woman, frail, decrepit, almost floating silently down the street toward them. The fog appeared to be emanating from her, billowing from her cloak. And, as she got closer, the singing got louder and more distinct.

Luc continued shuffling, straight toward the mysterious figure.

"No, Luc!" Sverre protested as quietly as he could. His muscles flexed as he lifted the child off the ground and held him in a big hug as he dipped behind the beam of the stable.

As he held Luc off the ground, the child squirmed and flailed as he tried to resume his shuffling.

And then, the singing stopped.

"Umm... Everyone..." Krarshe stammered, eyes fixed on the ghastly woman.

She halted, her head turning slowly directly toward the party. The ghoulish face and sunken, dead eyes bore through the flimsy structure at them, with no way to hide from her gaze.

Her face contorted into a snarl as she began to screech and howl, her jaw seemingly unhinged from her skull as it gaped.

Everyone, save Sverre, clutched their ears to save them from the piercing scream.

Swift as a gust of wind, the woman figure surged toward them, sickly thin fingers reaching out toward them. Toward Luc.

Sverre deftly dove to the side, evading her grasp. With lightning reflexes, in one swift movement, Tomas pulled a knife and threw it at the woman.

The knife made a dull thud as it passed through the woman as if through mist and embedded itself in the wooden wall behind her.

"Run!" Tomas shouted as they attempted to escape the enclosure, with Sverre still carrying Luc and Celine and Krarshe carrying Lycia out of the stable.

The woman lunged for Tomas, who narrowly dodged. She passed through the wall of the stable, screeching as she flew into the air. She dove, taking another pass at Luc and Sverre, but another swift move from the swordsman got the child to safety again.

With a roar, Sverre took a swing at her, but, like Tomas' dagger, his greatsword passed right through her incorporeal form.

Now at a distance, it was clear to Krarshe who the ghastly woman's target was: the child, Luc. She'd paid almost no mind to him and Celine as they dragged Lycia away. Even Tomas, who had attacked her, only got a brief retaliatory strike. Furthermore, even as her strikes scored the ground and structures around them, the attacks were never aimed directly at the child.

"This..." Celine looked around, mouthing out something. She froze as though she found what she was looking for. "I know!" She immediately began a prayer.

Once more, the phantom swooped around, crying out in her fury. Her gaze settled upon Krarshe. Or, rather, PAST him, at the still half-conscious Lycia, who now seemed to be drawn toward her.

Realizing her target, Krarshe's temper flared. He drew a sharp breath and held out his hand.

Without a word, a single bolt of lightning came down with a boom, directly through the apparition. She seized for a moment, but recovered in a flash and turned sharply to Krarshe. The rage on her sickly pale face was indescribable. She lunged for him.

"... And let Teva's light shine upon us!" Celine shouted, raising her staff into the air toward the woman.

Light erupted from Celine, illuminating the whole district.

The ghastly woman shrieked and wailed in pain, reeling from the blinding light like a beast from a flame. With one hand, she shielded herself from it, with the other she clawed and grasped at it. With a final cry, she fled, diving into the ground with a concluding puff of fog.

And, as suddenly as she appeared, she was gone without a trace.

The light of the night sky quickly returned, as did the faint lights of the night watchmen.

Followed quickly by the banging of the warning bell.

"Uh oh..." While the light itself was unlikely to cause issues, casting a lightning spell in the middle of town was not as accepted.

"... Wha... What happened?" Luc asked with a yawn.

"... Why am I sleeping on this dirt road?" Lycia asked, stretching.

"No time to explain!" Tomas yelled. "Run!"

The party quickly dispersed. Tomas and Celine made their way between some buildings and down a side street. Sverre had picked up Luc and flung him over his shoulder, more on instinct than to save him from danger.

Krarshe pulled a groggy Lycia along by the arm.

"Wha?! K-Krarshe?! W-where are we- Why is the alarm ringing?!"

"I'll explain later!" Krarshe said as the two of them disappeared into the night.

His heart was pounding. He wasn't sure if it was from the thrill of escaping the guards or having encountered something so beyond his understanding. But this, he felt, was the sort of adventure he'd always imagined.