Page 55 of Forsaken Secrets

21

Kaiya

"What if we're passing rooms with relics in them?" I asked as we passed another partially burned down door. I'd have to come back and take a closer look without these two. If I could convince Eli to let me use the tools between hunting trips, that is.

"We aren't. Those were study rooms," Lynk said, voice short.

"I suppose that makes sense … but they could just as easily be cataloging rooms or offices."

He just shrugged.

"Wait! Have you been researching this place, too?" Eli sounded indignant.

"Perhaps," Lynk grunted.

"Ha!" Eli sped up, keeping pace with Lynk. "So you aren't just following us to keep us safe?"

"Whatever gave you that ridiculous idea?" he said. "I don't like anyone enough to follow them around without a reason."

"Could have fooled me," Eli muttered under his breath. I tried not to laugh.

We turned a corner and Lynk froze, holding up a hand. "Stop."

"I thought there was no danger since it's been closed for a thousand years?" Eli said, mimicking Lynk's tone from earlier.

"Shhh," Lynk hissed.

I froze, my hand dropping to the small dagger in my sleeve.

A swirling darkness swept into the orange glow of Lynk's lamp. It stood taller than me, and writhing shadows stretched around it like some sort of cloak, completely obscuring its shape. "A shade?" I yelped. I'd never seen one outside of books and Empire propaganda posters.

Maybe Eli's fears weren't so silly, after all …

Before I could decide whether to stay or run, Lynk pulled a curved blade from the sheath on his back and was whirling it smoothly above his head. Darkness spread from the hilt and coated the blade, melding with the shadows of the shade as it came down in a clean arc. The creature's head rolled towards me with a sickening plop and I stared as the shadows swirled towards Lynk's blade like it was some sort of shadow magnet.

I let my eyes drop to the head and gasped. Now that the shadows were gone, it looked almost … human … ?

My stomach lurched.

Another shade turned the corner, the shadowy form writhing with every step towards us like a cloak in the wind. It was quickly followed by three more.

That was a lot — even for a monster hunter!

My feet moved of their own volition until I was just a few feet behind him.

He moved too quickly for me to do much, though … like he was as much shadow as they, his blade glinting in the lyphos light as it tore through their shadowy forms.

Finally, he paused, taking a deep breath and letting his blade rest for a moment.

A movement to our left caught my eye, and I spun to face it, bumping into Eli in the process. A new human-shaped monster lurched forward with an uneven gait. Pustules covered its body, and decomposing flesh hung loosely from its jaw.

"A ghoul," Eli whispered. "What in the seven hells IS this place to have both spirit and body wraiths wandering around?"

Lynk grunted and stepped past me towards the ghoul.

My stomach lurched as a clump of long, brown hair detached from its skull and fell, making a sickening plopping sound on the floor.

These were SO much worse than the shades.

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