Father Santos hit his forehead. “Of course.”
“Why would they need a compass?” Carl asked.
“Demons travel in many dimensions. What we take for granted as being north may actually be west in another dimension. Down may be up and so on.”
“Why would knowing where north is be important?” Carl asked.
“Many spells use true north. Alchemists use magnetic north in their conjuring,” Father Santos explained. “I’m betting this is true north.”
“I hate to be the D student but why north?” Carl asked.
“Power,” Father Santos said. “North is the most powerful direction in the demon world. There was once talk that perhaps the primal demons came from Polaris, also known as the North Star. Mia disputes that theory. She has a blasphemous theory that God made demons.”
“And angels at the same time,” Cid told Carl. “Mia sees God as someone bigger than Father Santos is comfortable with.”
“But she still believes in God, and that’s fine for right now,” Santos conceded.
“I take it your friend Mia studies demons,” Carl said.
“Sort of,” Murphy said. “But that’s a story for another time. Father Santos, have you figured out how to render the circle powerless?”
“Why?” Cid asked.
“It feeds Gadus and maybe Arnold too. If it falls into August’s hands, then I feel that no good will come out of that pairing,” Father Santos said. “It’s best to break the spell and offer the sacrifice victims a way into the light. Or if they refuse, I will call for the reapers.”
“What do reapers have to do with ghosts?” Carl asked.
“When a ghost goes against the rules, the reapers are called, and the ghost is taken to the dark world where it walks alone in the dark forever. Never meeting another spirit, always alone,” Father Santos said.
“Now I’m going to have to ask you gentlemen, what are the rules?” Carl asked.
“A ghost may not interfere with living humans. That means no hurting, killing, or having marital congress with the living being. They may not possess a living person unless requested to do so,” Murphy said.
“They may not consort with demons,” Father Santos added.
Murphy didn’t comment. He had consorted with quite a few fallen and demons when they fought a war together with the frost giants.
“So what is the game plan?” Cid asked.
“I’m not sure?” Father Santos realized.
“Pull the north stone out,” Carl said impulsively. “If the power comes from Polaris, then you’ll be able to disconnect it this way. I’m not one of you guys, but I know my power systems,” Carl said.
“He’s the best,” Cid said. “I’ll get the guys. Maybe we can hook up Pete’s truck and pull it out?”
“Why? When we can simply lift it out,” Carl said.
“I think you’re overestimating your strength.”
“No, he isn’t.” Father Santos explained, “While we’ve been standing here, we’ve been growing stronger.” Santos walked over to take one side of the stone.
“But it’s been set in the ground, and the ground is frozen,” Cid argued.
Murphy took a swing and sank his axe into the ground in front of the stone and then in back of the stone. “That should loosen the ground.”
Carl and Father Santos wiggled it like a loose baby tooth and pulled upwards. The stone only had three feet showing of its six feet. The men lifted and set it down outside of the circle.
A rush of wind came through the trees from the lake. It first hit the west side of the circle and then moved around and entered the circle where the stone was absent. The ground shook underneath their feet.
“Move away from the graves,” Murphy warned.
The men backed away from the center of the circle and watched in amazement as the four stones that covered the graves pushed upwards as if lifted by an unseen hand before they fell over and away. One landed a few inches from Father Santos’s feet.
Carl drew the sword out and handed it to Cid. “I’ve never played with swords. I suspect you have.”
Cid took the dagger and watched as the dirt moved away from the wooden boxes as if scooped up by a phantom hand. Murphy jumped down and planted an axe into the center of each lid and pulled upwards, exposing the iron-chained remains inside.
After a few moments, it became apparent that whatever had uncovered the graves could not interfere with the iron locked chains.
Cid pulled out the keys and inserted the one he was sure fitted the north box in the attic into the north-facing grave. He first brought his fist down hard and knocked off as much rust as he could before fitting in the key. He turned it. With a scream worthy of a female fox calling for her mate, it opened. He looked at Carl.
“The south grave, then east, then west,” Carl instructed.
Cid did so. He then moved away from the graves. Light was quickly leaving them. Cid was about to pull out a light disc when a greenish mist rose out of the north box. It formed into a ghostly representation of a hooded individual. The sex of the deceased was not immediately apparent.
Father Santos greeted the spirit in Spanish. He asked if the spirit wanted to confess its sins. The mist wavered and an armlike appendage moved out of the swirling mass. Its hand opened, and a black crystal dropped on the ground in front of the priest. The black seemed to drip off the crystal until it reverted back into the original white.
“Gentlemen, stand back. This indicates that the spirit is evil. The white crystal was put in the mouth of the dead acolyte in order to absorb any latent evil and, in doing so, rendered the man or woman powerless.”
“Yet their sacrifice gave another
