We all sat quietly, taking in what he said. And man, had Zander dropped a brick-load of new information on us even if it wasn’t detailed or complete.
“We need to go back to that house,” I said. “And, Zander needs to come see. Maybe he’ll recognize these things from the stories he was told or one of us will notice a new clue.”
And so we headed off to possibly confront monsters from another time and place.
4
The house Sterling led us to was too close for comfort. Just a mere ten-minute walk from Lochlan’s house. It was even worse than Sterling described. Calling it “ancient and partially collapsed” was a kindness it didn’t deserve. It was more of a pile of rubble than Lochlan’s wall. Moss and other green plants carpeted the fallen stones that once kept it together.
“How did you even know there was a basement, let alone get to it? I don’t see any entrance,” I said.
“My bear followed the scent and can dig. Come, I’ll show you where I got in. It’s not much of a squeeze for a person. My bear really had to crush himself to get in.”
Sterling led us to a smaller pile of stones, which were still piled higher than me.
“It’s in here, see the opening,” he said, pointing towards a gap in between two of the larger stones.”
I did see it and despite what he said, it would be a tight fit.
“I’ll go first,” said Lochlan. “I can light the way for the rest of you.”
He pushed through the stones and was gone.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Just a minute.”
A light flared out from the hole.
“All clear.”
The rest of us jumped down into the basement, which was surprisingly well-intact considering the condition of the house. The dirt floor was well packed and dry. It was bare of any furniture, decorations, and even rodents and other types of creepy crawlies that liked dark places. The air was still and warm.
There were two doors that led off from the main room we were in.
“I went through those and found the shadows,” said Sterling. “Let’s make sure it’s clear and we can give this place a thorough look over.”
We checked the nearest door. It opened to what could have been a laboratory. There was a wooden table centered in it with bits of glass and containers on it. Rotted cabinets sagged from the walls. Most of their contents were spilled on the floor below them.
“Give me a minute,” said Zander.
“This really isn’t the time,” I said. “And there’s still another room to clear.”
“You don’t have to stay,” he said.
“Have your minute. We can wait,” said Sterling. “I haven’t heard or sensed anything? Has anyone else.”
Everyone else replied with a chorus of “no’s”.
Zander stooped on the ground near the broken bottles on the ground. He picked up a particularly dusty one that held a dull blue liquid in it. He brushed the dust off it and spit into his hand to wipe the remaining dirt off it. He swirled the liquid around and then uncorked it.
“What are you doing? You don’t even know what’s in it.”
He ignored me and sniffed the contents. He reared back and quickly corked it.
“Nasty stuff.”
Zander picked up another bottle and followed the same routine. My foot was tapping with impatience. This was getting old, really old. We hadn’t secured the place and if those shadows were around, this was stupidly dangerous.
“Are you going to do that with every bottle? Because checking all of them takes much more than a minute,” I said.
“Fine, I’ll come back after we see the next room since you’re being such a hag about it.”
“Alright you two, stop,” said Sterling.
We followed him to the other room. The only thing in this room were thick, metal manacles that dangled from the ceiling. A steel grate was in the ground and dark stains spotted it. Something told me that wasn’t rust or dirt that was on it. It looked like blood. I’m really glad we left Callie and Jennica at home. This place was creepy and felt evil, but that could be since I associated it with my dad.
“Can I go back to the other room now?” asked Zander.
“Before we split up, let me give out these,” said Lochlan, who now held two glowing orbs in his hands.
“Nifty trick, fairy boy,” I said.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he said.
“Yes, but shout if you need help,” said Sterling. “If you two want to check out the main room, I can shift and see what clues there might be in here. I don’t see how he disappeared when there doesn’t appear to be a way out.”
“We’ll keep an eye out for hidden exits,” said Lochlan, who took my hand and dragged me out.
I tried to pull free of his grasp, but he wasn’t having any of it, and tightened his hold. So he’s going to be like this? What brought on the handsy version of the fae?
“Stop fighting me. I want to stay close to you, because I agree with Sterling, this place doesn’t feel right. We’re missing something.”
“Fine, but we can investigate without hand holding.”
“Yes, but that is less fun.”
“You’re infuriating.”
“And you’re endearing.”
He cut close to the wall, using one glowing hand to skim it along the wall. Lochlan was a portable fae candle. He had a variety of magical talents. I’d seen him do quite a few different things so far.
“What are you looking for?”
“Exits or anything unnatural. We check the walls first and then see how to best examine the ceiling.”
“That’s helpful. Can you explain more?”
“Shhh.”
We walked in silence with Lochlan stopping every so often to examine areas of the wall. For me, it meant
