Chapter 21

“What did you say?” Bert asked, flabbergasted at what he’d just learned.

“The barrier that was protecting the land had weakened enough to where it was fading...” Sheena reiterated, before Bert cut her off.

“I can’t believe it! It’s impossible!!” the man gasped.

“Well, it is. On top of which, the evil contained there has only festered and become vengeful,” Jason stated. He then launched into a detailed account of their fight with the children and what they tried to do to them. Sophia and Jackson clasped their children, fearful that their babies would become like those beasts.

“So, we need to know what exactly it is that we’re dealing with. Any insight you could give us would be a welcome reprieve from knowing nothing about our enemy,” Sheena said.

“Sadly, I don’t know of any history or people who might know what it is you’re dealing with. These things ... children ... they are the very stuff of nightmares, and I have no idea on how to fight them or what to do about them. I’m sorry,” Bert replied.

“Damn! I guess we’re going to be fighting these things the hard way. They are susceptible to fire, thank Gaia, so we have that on our side,” Jason groaned.

“There ... might be ... something that ... you can try,” Bert suggested.

“Which is what?” Sheena asked.

“To speak to the souls of the Shaman directly,” Bert told the couple.

“Wait, we can do that?” Jason asked, surprised.

“It’s a rare talent from what I understand. I haven’t been able to do it myself, because I have had no one to show me how to do it,” Sheena grumbled.

“How would you speak to the souls of the Shaman directly? Wouldn’t they be one with Gaia right now?” Sophia interjected.

“Normally, they would be. Because of the sacrifice they made to protect the tribe and contain the evil, their souls are still here on this world. It is their souls that help keep the barrier up to keep us all safe from whatever lies in the forest,” Bert replied.

“Because they did that, we could theoretically summon them?” Jason asked.

“Yes. Since you have all empowered the barrier with your magics, it will be easier to commune with the Shaman. There is a catch though,” Bert went on.

“Of course there’s a catch, there’s always a catch,” Jackson mumbled, which earned him a withering look from his wife. Smiling sheepishly, Jackson mimed zipping his lips shut before Bert continued.

“In order to summon the spirit of those who have passed away, but not moved on, one of their blood must be present for the summoning. It’s easier if the summoning is done by their own blood, but being present will also do the job,” Bert stated.

“How do you know this?” Sheena queried.

“It is something that is spoken of among those who were of the Shaman bloodlines. I am among those bloodlines,” Bert replied with a smile.

“You are one of the descendants of the original Shaman who used their lives to cage the evil?” Jason wondered in awe.

“That’s right. The warrior survivor was my great, great grandfather, who was the son of the lead Shaman. The story of what happened back then had been passed down from generation to generation. We were lucky that we held onto that story, with what the whites did to our people,” Bert sighed.

“Maybe Gaia could help you in reclaiming what was once lost,” Jason replied.

“How do you mean?” Sheena questioned.

“If we could speak to the souls of ages past, maybe you could ask them questions of how things were back then. The stories and traditions of your people could be restored. If you were speaking to such a soul, yes?” Jason asked.

“I ... I think it could!” Bert replied, his eyes lighting up in wonder.

“Do you think ... might you be willing to help us commune with these spirits? If you could, we could all benefit from speaking to them. Us, knowing what kind of foe we face, and you restoring your tribe’s lost histories and traditions,” Jason suggested.

“Absolutely! I would be delighted to help!” Bert enthused, sounding like a kid at Christmas. Sophia looked at Jason and chuckled to herself, shaking her head.

“What?” Sheena asked, eyeing her aunt with mild suspicion.

“No, it’s just ironic, is all. Whites put our people through hell with the cultural genocide, and here is a white boy, looking to bring it all back,” Sophia smiled. “You might want to keep him. I know if I was you, I would.”

“Oh, that’s the plan, auntie. Any woman who tries to take him from me will have to pry him away from cold, dead hands,” Sheena grinned.

“Says who they’d be successful?” Jason remarked. “I spent years pining for you, hoping I’d find you again. Now that I have you back, don’t expect that any woman would just take me from you that easily.”

“Oh ... you...” Sheena gushed, before she pasted her mouth to his, kissing her man fervently.

The couple lost themselves in the kiss, enjoying the moment. A polite cough snapped them out of it, and they turned to see Bert, Jackson and Sophia almost laughing at them, while Phalmina smirked. Sophia, though, looked a bit flushed and fanned herself with her hand for a few moments, while shooting smoldering looks Jackson’s way.

“If you two are done? We kind of have some work to do,” Phalmina huffed, while shooting a glance at Jason.

“Aw, come now. No need to be jelly. You get just as much sugar as I do,” Sheena told the fairy while booping her on the nose. The fairy woman wrinkled her nose, but smiled warmly at the Shaman, knowing that she spoke the truth.

“Before we leave, there is a very important matter that needs to be addressed. Your family’s safety,” Jason said, speaking to Jackson and Sophia. He detailed the threat that the wraith represented, which left them fearful, until he mentioned the protection that could be given to them.

“You can ... protect us?” Jackson wondered, awe tinging his voice.

“Yes, we can. Let’s start with some stones,” Sheena stated, before she walked out the front door. She returned a few minutes later, with several smooth, gray stones she grabbed from outside.

Jason started chanting, bringing out the magic of the Earth Mother to empower the stones. Phalmina joined in the chant, and the stones floated out of Sheena’s hands. At that moment, Sheena chanted as well, adding her power to the spell Jason had started. The stones shone and glimmered in the green light that emanated from the three Gaians. As they chanted, the magic of Gaia slowly etched the five stones that hovered there.

It didn’t take long, as all three of them were familiar with the spell. The moment the etchings were complete, magic filled the recesses, feeding the stones the power they needed to protect their bearers. The magic faded, and the stones moved towards Bert, Sophia and Jackson, each one of them receiving one stone each. Sheena’s aunt and uncle got an extra stone each meant for their children.

“That will keep you safe when you’re out and around. Now, we will make sure that your home truly is a sanctuary,” Phalmina told them as she started up the next spell.

The chant on this one was clearer, more strident as the runes came into being around Phalmina. Jason and Sheena joined in, bring their runes to life as they intertwined with the fairy’s. Bert, Sophia and Jackson watched in awe as the magic was worked and brought to a crescendo before it was released. It spread across the house like wildfire, embedding itself into the home so every square inch was protected.

“It is done. Your home is now protected against all who practice Dark Magic,” Jason stated as he took a seat, catching his breath. Sheena sat next to him, taking a beat.

“You two OK?” Sophia asked worriedly.

“We’ll be OK, auntie. Using protective magic like that, it can be a bit draining. Just some water and we should be right as rain,” Sheena told her. Sophia dashed into the kitchen and came back with a trio of tall glasses filled with water. Jason, Sheena and Phalmina accepted the water gratefully, drinking them down in a flash.

“Thank you!” Phalmina said to her.

“No problem,” Sophia smiled.

“Make sure you keep those stones on you at all times. It’s the only way that you and the kids will stay protected whenever you’re outside of the house,” Sheena reiterated.

“We’ll make them into necklaces or bracelets or something. Thank you for warning us about what’s out there,” Jackson replied as he hugged his niece. The couple said their goodbyes to the Gaians and Bert, who promised to stop by later when he got back. As they left, Sophia shook her head, thinking about everything she had learned in the last few days.

“What is it, hon?” Jackson asked.

“It’s just both amazing and terrifying, finding out that the world is more than what we thought it was,” Sophia stated.

“It is. When you think about it, the world always was like this. We just didn’t know how or why. At least now, we know,” Jackson told her.

Sophia smirked as she mulled over her husband’s words, thinking how he wasn’t wrong. Though there was great beauty and amazing things to the world they lived in, there was also a measure of genuine danger. At least, with her niece as a Shaman, she was confident that they, at least, would be safe from any danger that came knocking.

The wraith-child stood in an apartment, standing over a rapidly dying man. He gasped, trying to beg the creature for his life, but the plea fell on deaf ears, as it drained the last of his lifeforce from him. The last of his essence was taken and fed the hunger of the creature, giving it the energy it needed to continue its existence. It breathed, which seemed a strange action to it, but ... interesting, as it surveyed its surroundings.

The apartment itself was a lavish affair, decorated with many expensive things, from classical paintings, to the latest electronics and trendy gadgets. It was also painstakingly tidy, which the wraith-child found as ... odd. When it originally went with the man, it sensed the darkness within him and hoped that the human could lead it to a source, like the Dark Heart, to help its new ally claim her freedom.

Instead, the darkness it sensed was of another nature entirely. The nature of the man was that of a predator, one who preyed upon small children for his own ends. It sensed the stench of death upon him, which told it what he did with the children when he was done with them.

It could have had a use for this man, if he had known its true nature and payed it the respect it was due. Instead, he had thought it was a lost child and had brought her to his home, thinking to use her. Now that he was gone, the wraith-child thought to use this home as its own. It had no other place of safe harbor, aside from the forest, but that was surrounded by a barrier that was ... troublesome to cross.

It would have dearly loved to invoke Dark Magic to place protections that Gaians could not penetrate, but it lacked the power to do so. Still, there was no way the Gaians could know absolutely everything, so the apartment as it was would do. It looked around, not knowing how everything worked, but it was intelligent enough to read. It would learn how to work everything in the apartment, eventually.

But for now, it would have to find a way to blend in and not stand out. If it stood out, then the Gaians would surely come looking for it. Though it had additional power to draw from, the wraith-child would prefer to avoid them if possible. For the moment, at any rate, until it became powerful enough to confront them and win.

The wraith-child searched the apartment, starting with the kitchen and living room, but found nothing of use. It continued its search to the bathroom and spare room, before concluding its search in the owner’s bedroom. It felt a ... strange sensation that felt like emotion, yet not. The creature searched around until it found a curious thing. A box, hidden beneath the bed, stored in a way that made it seem irrelevant.

It pulled the box out and opened it, seeing clothes that were sized for children within it. The wraith-child now knew why this box reeked of emotion. The clothing that lay inside were those of the children the apartment’s former owner had killed. The terror of each child’s final moments lay upon those garments and inhaled the scent, reveling in it.

It wasn’t the soul of the dead children in question, but it would do as a source of comfort for it. This man, whoever he was, wasn’t a true acolyte of the darkness, but a pretender. One who used the darkness for their own ends. They didn’t embrace the darkness and become it, thus they were nothing in its eyes.

The creature rummaged through the clothing, looking for something that fit. After a few minutes of trying on differing clothes, it finally found an outfit that fit and suited its needs. The wraith-child needed to look innocent and harmless, which would keep any of its hunters off its scent. At the bottom, it found several pairs of shoes and after selecting the largest pair; it slipped them on, its disguise complete.

It stood up and left the room, shutting off the light. Though it could have left it on, it knew from what memories it absorbed about what would and would not draw attention. Many of the memories it had found from the souls of its victims were useless, but there were small bits of wisdom here and there.

It walked back to where the corpse of the man was and started breaking it down, snapping the corpse’s limbs like twigs. This bit of information came from the soul it had just consumed; never leave a body lying around. It draws attention and uncomfortable questions. It then hunted for garbage bags, finding them beneath the kitchen sink.

The wraith-child loaded the bags with the remnants of the man. Being a dried out corpse made disposing of him much easier and far less messy than a regular corpse. Once he was stowed in the garbage bags, the creature grabbed the keys and walked out with the bags. After disposing them in the dumpster behind the building, the wraith-child left, resuming its search for any who practiced the dark arts.

“There’s nothing!” Konstantin growled as he watched the footage yet again. Meera Sadeghi cursed in Arabic, angry that the CCTV camera had delivered nothing. There was no one on the recorded video and no sign of their passing.

“How the fuck did he do that?” Meera grumbled.

“He must have had the CCTV on a time loop. Bastard’s quite clever,” Thermopolous rumbled. Sadeghi continued to curse, and had Konstantin been able to understand them, he would have blinked in surprise. As it was, he just smirked at Meera as she kept swearing. Doing this earned him a hard glare, which should have withered his manhood, but Thermopolous just smiled wider.

“Why the fuck are you smiling?” she seethed.

“What? You look cute when you get all huffy and angry,” the man chuckled. Meera bristled and rolled her eyes at the comment. Though a part of her did admit that she liked the thought of Konstantin finding her cute like that. The same part of her wondered what he thought of her when she smiled. Meera then put her focus on trying to figure out who had been in the morgue before they were.

“Any ideas on who our mystery guest could be?” she asked.

“None, but I think there is something that we could do to find out. Mind you ... it’s not exactly legal. Per se,” Konstantin offered.

“What’s the idea?” Sadeghi asked, already knowing that she was going to regret asking.

“We bug the morgue. We won’t be able to see who it is, but we will know what they sound like and if we’re lucky, they’ll identify themselves next time they visit,” Thermopolous offered.

“Off the books surveillance? On one of our own? Are you crazy?” she groused, more than a little uncomfortable with the idea.

“Do you have any better ideas? We’re fresh out of leads, have no fresh evidence, and no persons of interest have popped up on our radar. Unless you know something that I don’t?” Konstantin reminded her.

“No, I don’t. If there’s nothing else, then it’s our only option. It’s still a horrible idea, though. If we get caught, it’s our butts in the sling and there will be no coming back from it,” Meera told her partner.

“You don’t have to tell me that. No one else will be looped in on this. Just you and me and that’s the way it’s going to stay,” Konstantin reassured her.

“Good! How are you going to bug the morgue without Randy noticing?” Sadeghi questioned. “It’s not like either of us can just get our hands on the equipment we need without being noticed.”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about that detail. I have a few friends who owe me some favors, so I’ll handle it,” Detective Thermopolous told her.

Meera was a little leery about going down this route, but they had little choice in the matter. They needed to turn up something on this case, as the captain was up their asses on finding any new leads. She only hoped that what they found would help close this case, as it was getting to her. Sadeghi sighed as she couldn’t shake the feeling of a dark presence overshadowing this case.

“That was ... wow!” Bert breathed as the car passed through the barrier to the house.

“I know! I’ve been back and forth through it and I’m still not used to it!” Sheena agreed as she drove the car up to the old building.

“You’ll want to come in and meet up with everyone who’s here then?” Jason asked.

“Um, yeah! It’s not every day that you get to meet beings such as yourselves!” Bert enthused, as he smiled at Phalmina.

“FYI, I’m not the only fairy here,” Phalmina smirked as she got out of the car.

“There are more? I thought your kind were nearly extinct!” Bert breathed.

“Not quite. And there is hope for our kind yet,” she replied as she caressed her belly protectively.

“You have...”

“Yup! I’m not the only one carrying a new life within me either,” she smiled as the quartet entered the house.

“ ... something happened there, but we have yet to determine what exactly. There were traces of Dark Magic, but we have no idea of what happened there,” Emalia finished.

“What happened where?” Sheena asked, startling the chattering group.

“Mina! Glad you are here! Something happened here this morning,” Emalia stated.

She then went into explaining what Xaera had sensed and how they both went to see what it was. What they found at the spot where there was a resonance of Dark Magic, but little else. They had found nothing specific, but if it involved Dark Magic, it couldn’t be good.

“Hearing this kind of news is never good. But we have some news of our own. Everyone, this is Bert Redhead, a tribal elder who will help us in finding out about what lies within the forest,” Phalmina told everyone there.

Bert met everyone there, one by one, and though he was disturbed at the sight of Xaera, he quickly got over his fear. After they made introductions, Bert then explained what he had in mind, so they could learn of their enemy.

“So wait a minute. You’re saying that it’s possible to speak to the souls of those who have passed on?” Karla asked, her interest in the possibility evident.

“Yes, but only if they haven’t become one with Gaia and are still wandering the earth. Only those who still have purpose here or who have refused to move on will still be here,” Bert explained.

“How do you know who is still here and who isn’t?” she pressed.

“That is something I do not know. Only those tied into the primal power of the Great Spirit would know,” Bert replied.

“OK. Thank you for answering my questions though,” Karla thanked the man.

“You lot going to head out back to perform this ritual?” Luke questioned.

“Yeah. Why, you bored?” Jason wondered.

“A little and I’d like to see this ritual performed. It’s not exactly something you get to see happen everyday you know,” the young man stated. The rest of the group agreed, and they all asked if it was OK to tag along.

“I don’t see the harm in it. As long as everyone stays quiet and doesn’t interfere. It’s a very delicate ritual that requires absolute concentration,” Sheena told them.

“You don’t have to worry about anything from us. Hell, I’d treat this as a history class from beyond, and I’m sure my auntie will attest to how much I love history!” Karla enthused. The others there echoed her sentiment, and both Bert and Sheena allowed them to come along. Xaera joined them as well, after casting her daylight resistance spell, so she could walk out in the sun.

“So, Bert, where do we start?” Sheena asked.

“According to this book, we have to find the exact spot where the Shaman performed the protection ritual,” Bert replied as he pulled a thick, leather bound tome from a satchel he was wearing.

“May I have a look?” Sheena asked, gesturing to the book that Bert held. He nodded and handed it to her. She looked through it and leafed through several pages, so she understood what it was she was supposed to do.

“All right. Jason, I’m going to need your help with this. It’s going to require a lot of magic to invoke the spirits,” Sheena told him.

The redheaded man nodded and let her start by tapping into the primordial power of Gaia. She directed the flow of it, seeking the spot where the Shaman enacted their spell. The magic slithered along the ground, heading for the spot like a heat-seeking missile. It then stopped, pulsing as it waited for Sheena to come and wield it.

“Bert, if you would join me, please? I will need you as part of the ritual in order to bring them forth,” she asked.

“I would be honored,” Bert smiled as he walked over to the spot where the ball of magic waited.

Sheena was right behind him, as was Jason, who kept his magic handy for when Sheena would need it. The moment they stepped onto the spot, the magic burst outwards, like a firework, lines and runes illuminating the ground. They were flickering slightly, and that’s when Jason took his cue, feeding what magic he had to empower the runes and outlines.

“Wha ... this is ... in the language of our people!” Bert stuttered.

“Can you read it?” Sheena asked.

“Yes ... yes, I can!” he replied excitedly. He looked over at one passage, mumbling to himself, before his face lit up.

“This is a summoning that anyone can do, provided they are of the bloodlines needed to enact it!” Bert gibbered.

“It’s going to have to be you, Bert. Jason and I are doing what we can to hold the runes in place,” Sheena told him.

“Why can’t you let it go?” he asked.

“I can sense the magic here and its purpose. It was hidden and done so for a reason. The only way it stays illuminated is if we keep feeding magic to it!” Sheena replied.

“It’s also taking considerable concentration to keep it illuminated! Almost like it wants to hide again!” Jason replied, straining slightly.

“Ok! Let me find the start of the ritual!” Bert yipped as he scrambled to find its beginning. He found it a few minutes later and followed it around to be sure he was headed the right way. Once he was certain he had the sequence correct, Bert began doing the ritual, chanting in the tongue of his ancestors. He did the motions that went with each sequence, imploring the souls of the lost Shaman to come forth.

Jason kept his focus on the flow of magic, so Bert could see what he had to do. He was watching Bert go through the motions out of the corner of his eye, and what he saw made him smile. It looked like a rain dance of sorts, blended with something almost like a Maori Haka. Though he wanted to watch, Jason had to keep his concentration absolute, if this was to work.

Bert finally moved to the center, calling upon the spirits of the departed to make themselves known to the living. How blood called them and demanded that they show themselves. Moments after the ritual was completed, a deep thrumming sounded from the ground beneath them. The lines brightened, and the runes flared, giving light and life to the ritual that had been completed.

A bluish mist rose out of the runes, climbing upwards to form a humanoid shape. It coalesced, becoming more defined in its shape and form. Seconds afterwards, it finished forming and the soul of the long dead Shaman stood in front of them. He was bare chested, with several necklaces dangling off his neck. He wore deerskin pants, with tassets in the front and back, decorated with ornamental beadwork.

A staff topped with a wolf skull was in his hands and a larger wolf skull was perched on his head. His features were that of an older man, with weathered lines and sharp eyes that had seen much. His hair was two toned, which suggested that he was graying when he died, but it was difficult to tell, as he was all blue.

“Who has summoned me?” he asked, his voice ethereal and spooky. Bert hesitated and gulped, never having seen, much less performed, a summoning before. Yet he was also in awe that he was in the presence of his ancestor, whom he could speak to.

“I ask again, who has summoned me? Did you, Shaman?” he asked, directing the question to Sheena.

“No, I haven’t. Bert?” she called. The Shaman blinked, then turned to regard Bert, taking the sight of the man in. He then sighed, which sounded odd, coming from a spirit.

“So, my son did go as I told him to,” the Shaman said.

“He did. You know who I am?” Bert asked.

“I do. I can see it in your features. You are descended of my son, who carried news of what we had done to contain the evil here,” the Shaman replied.

“He did bring the news, but it wasn’t known what lay within the forest,” Bert told him.

“That was my son’s duty. To stay behind and tell of the sacred charge that was laid upon him and his children,” the Shaman stated. “I have sensed the lifeblood, which holds the evil, weakening. Why is this?”

“Because the evil you hoped to contain is far more powerful than you thought,” Jason replied.

“That’s impossible! We knew we would be called, but the evil should not be this strong! It hasn’t had enough time to become like this!” the spirit rebuffed.

“Well, it has had over a century to grow its power, and going by the creatures we battled in the forest, I’d say its power is ... considerable,” Sheena told him.

“More than a century?!? Why were we not called before then?? Why was the evil allowed to stay here for so long?!?” the spirit raged.

“So much has changed since those days, honored ancestor. Because of what the whites have done to our people, we couldn’t come back and finish what they started. We didn’t have the power and didn’t know how to find it again,” Bert told him.

“Because of men like him!” the Shaman accused. “Brothers! Join me in expelling this stain upon our lands!”

The Shaman chanted, and the spirits of other Shaman materialized out of the same blue mist. They were all garbed much like he was, but each represented a different animal. One was garbed in raven feathers, while another wore the furs of a bear. The third had the pelt of a caribou draped all over him, while the fourth sported eagle feathers, as part of his motif.

They all joined their fellow Shaman in the chant, building a spell of power to destroy Jason where he stood. Sheena began a chant of her own, leaping to Jason’s defense, but he waved her off. Without a single word, Jason embraced the primordial power of Gaia, letting it flow through him like a river. The sheer might of magic that he commanded got the attention of the Shaman who stopped their chant and stared in awe.

“H ... how??” the lead Shaman gasped.

“It was a gift, bestowed by Gaia herself. It wasn’t just your people who were betrayed. Many centuries before, my own people of ancient Scandinavia wielded this power in Gaia’s name. We were happy, peaceful and in balance with the Earth Mother. Until the missionaries came with their message of conversion. They called us blasphemous and evil, stating how their way and their God was the only true way to believe,” Jason stated.

“A message we know all too well. You lost the fight against them as well?” the Wolf Shaman asked, knowing the answer.

“We did, with much bloodshed on both sides. We were driven to near extinction but were held fast and persevered. Today, the message of these people now rings hollow and the true followers of Gaia can be as they wish to be, without fear of death or persecution,” Jason told him.

“It is heartening to know that the old ways are coming back. We apologize for taking action against you, Great Envoy. Whites had done much to destroy us and our people and are the ones responsible for the calamity you now face,” the spirit apologized.

“It’s all right. You have much to be angry about and you weren’t aware of everything going on out here. Just know that there are more out there like me, who are done with the nonsense of the old world,” Jason told him. This made the Shaman smile, and they bowed to Jason respectfully.

“If I may steer the conversation back to why we’re here?” Sheena asked. “We need to know what lies within the forest, so we can fight it and defeat the evil that resides here for good.”

“You wish to know of the creatures you face and the dark power that gives them ... life?” the Wolf Shaman asked.