SEARCH FOR THE LOST SOUL (24 page)

Dominic
pulled Chris backwards, out of sight of the statues. Chris grabbed Kelly,
pulling her along with him.

“We will
rest here until morning,” Dominic stated. “I am too weary to face the Soul
Worshipers at this time.”

Chris
nodded, dropping his backpack onto the ground and bending down to remove the
blankets. He unrolled Kelly’s and led her to it, sitting her down before
turning to Dominic. “You sleep. I’ll stay awake and guard you.”

Chris
realized just how tired the apprentice was when he made no protest. He quickly
untied his blankets and lay down, turning away from Chris immediately. Chris
lowered himself onto Kelly’s blanket, sighing softly as he did so. He had never
felt so tired himself, but it was more important that Dominic be at full
strength than for him to. Once he returned home, he’d have plenty of time to
recover from this ordeal.

Chris had no
idea how much time passed before Dominic woke; for some reason, his watch was
no longer working again. He was grateful when the apprentice rose and offered
to take the watch until morning. Chris lay down and rolled over away from the
apprentice but rolled back after only a moment.

“Will you
answer a question that’s been plaguing me for some time?”

Dominic
sighed. “Very well.”

“I was
wondering how these zealots protect themselves from the souls. Aren’t they
afraid that they’ll be possessed if one escapes?”

“I would
assume that they have some sort of talisman for that purpose.”

“Like that
Angel Charm?”

“Similar but
not identical. They would remain in possession of their own souls so they would
not need as powerful an amulet as the one Kelly requires.”

“Will we be
able to see one of these talismans?”

“That is low
on my list of priorities. But, if the opportunity presents itself, I will see
that you may view one.”

“And what
about us? Don’t we need protection against the souls?”

“Ah, yes.”
Dominic rose from where he had settled against the rock face and moved to his
backpack. He rummaged inside for a moment before pulling out something. He
tossed something to Chris, who caught it in midair.

Chris wished
for more light so he could see what he was holding. Since he didn’t have that
option, he ran his fingers lightly over it. It appeared to be star shaped and
tied to a leather throng of some sort. “What is it?”

“It is an
ancient amulet that will protect us from marauding souls. Although there are
few souls who have the strength to enter a body that is still in possession of
its soul, there is no reason for us to take chances. Put it on so that the
rough side is facing outwards.”

Chris ran
his fingers over the amulet again to determine the rough side before doing as
Dominic requested. “Do you think we’ll meet any of these strong souls?”

“That is
impossible to say. But, places such as this tend to attract them so it is
possible.”

Chris
decided he didn’t want to know any more. “Thanks,” he rolled over again and
fell asleep almost immediately.

Chris
resisted waking when Dominic shook his shoulder shortly after sunrise. But
Dominic kept shaking until Chris finally mumbled that he was awake. He heard a
noise as he rolled over, wincing as he realized that the sound was coming from
his own throat as his muscles protested any movement. He clenched his teeth
together to keep from making more groans as he sat up.

Chris
reached up to rub his gritty eyes but was having trouble raising his right arm;
it felt like it weighed a ton. Sighing, he rubbed this bicep with his left
hand.

Dominic had
moved away but now returned carrying a steaming mug, which he handed to Chris.
“Drink this. It will help with the muscle soreness.”

Chris
accepted the mug with his left hand, raising it slowly to his lips and taking a
small sip. Whatever was inside the mug was slightly bitter and left a gritty
taste in his mouth but Chris decided not to question its identity. “How did you
know I’d need this?”

Dominic
laughed quietly. “I watched you fight after I subdued Vasilis and Baltsaros . I
saw the energy you exerted during the fight. I am most pleased with your
technique.” He shrugged. “Even had I not watched you, I would have known that
you needed a tonic. Actual combat is much more strenuous than practice.”

“I noticed,”
Chris muttered, raising the mug for another sip. He frowned. “How did you heat
this without a fire?”

“Magic.”

Chris shook
his head. “I thought magic was too draining to be used for frivolous purposes.”

“I do not
consider that tonic frivolous. I need you to be in top form when we enter the
monastery. I could not light a fire for fear that I would alert those inside.”

Chris nodded
and fell silent; he was too tired to pursue the subject further. He realized he
was feeling better by the time he had drained the mug. As he rose, he swung his
arm in a circle to test it. He was a little stiff but he could fight, if he had
to.

“Do you have
a plan?” Chris asked as he fed Kelly.

Dominic
shrugged. “Just to be as quiet as possible when we enter and hope we do not
encounter any of the Soul Worshipers.”

Chris
frowned. “Couldn’t you conjure us up some outfits like they wear. We’d blend in
better and have a more realistic chance.”

Dominic
shook his head. “I have no idea what their robes look like. The last account we
have of someone who escaped alive is sketchy at best and is dated to more than
eight hundred years ago. I would have no way of knowing if they have changed
their design in that span of time.”

Chris fed
Kelly in silence for some time before expressions the idea that was brewing.
“Couldn’t we knock out some of them and use their robes?”

“It is
possible.” Dominic’s voice held no hope of success. “They may have different
levels of Worshipers with each level wearing a different robe. We would have no
way of knowing their system and may put ourselves into more danger by doing
so.”

Chris shook
his head. “I disagree. We won’t be in any more danger wearing the wrong colored
robe than we’ll be in our street clothes. I think we should try to get some
robes. Who knows, we might even get out of there without fighting at all.”

Dominic eyed
him for several minutes before speaking. “You may be right. Very well, we will
try it your way.”

Chris
narrowed his eyes suspiciously; it was almost as if Dominic was certain that
they wouldn’t emerge alive. Was he also looking for a scapegoat in case he
should emerge alive while he and Kelly perished? He had no way of knowing but
he didn’t like it. Dominic had agreed to his plan too easily, and that wasn’t
like the apprentice at all.

Kelly turned
her face away as he tried to put another piece of meat into her mouth. He
sighed as he rose; this was her signal that she was through. Fear settled into
a knot in his stomach as he crossed to his backpack to return the container;
Dominic had only been waiting for him to finish before leading them into the
monastery.

Dominic was
waiting next to Kelly by the time Chris finished rolling up his and Kelly’s
blankets and tying them to the bottom of his backpack. Chris swung the backpack
onto his shoulders and tied the strap that would hold it securely in place,
taking a deep breath as he turned to face Dominic, nodding to indicate that he
was ready.

A sense of
dread spread through Chris as he followed the apprentice around the rock and
into sight of the statues once again. His legs felt like jelly and he wanted
nothing more than to turn around and run as fast as he could in the opposite
direction. If had been anyone but Kelly in this situation, he would have.

Moving
slowly, Dominic led them around the nearest statue. Chris frowned; it appeared
that the statues were lined up against a backdrop of stone. He couldn’t see any
sort of opening anywhere. He looked at Dominic, who had shoved his hand into
one of the crevasses of the statue.

Chris let
his eyes travel upwards; the crevasse appeared to be natural weathering to him.
He returned his eyes to the apprentice. Why was he concentrating on that one
crevasse when there were a multitude of others just like it on both statues?

Suddenly, an
opening appeared behind the statue. Chris stared at it as Dominic moved to
enter, there had been no sound either before or during the appearance of the
opening so, where had it come from? Was it possible that some kind of magical
curtain had hidden it? He shivered as he followed Dominic into the darkness.

It was
deathly quiet inside the mountain. They hadn’t gone more than two feet when the
light behind them disappeared. Panic warred with sanity inside Chris as he
wondered if Dominic knew how to get back out, the panic side said there was no
way he could know where the opening was but the sanity side said that, since he
knew how to get in, he had to know how to get out.

Chris
swallowed with difficulty as he stepped cautiously; in the darkness, who knew
what they might encounter. His breath caught in his throat when he ran into a
body, the terror was dampened almost instantly as he realized that it had to be
either Dominic or Kelly he had run into.

Dominic’s
voice whispered hoarsely in his ear. “I need you to hold onto the back of my
cape so I can lead you. Make certain that you have a firm hold on Kelly. It
would be logical to assume that they would have traps to keep people out of the
monastery.”

“We can’t
see anything,” Chris whispered back. “How will you detect their traps?”

“Sorcerers
have senses other than the five that most people are aware of. But, I will need
you to remain silent so I can concentrate. Keep your breathing low and even, no
matter what you think you see or hear. Understand?”

“Yes.” Chris
grabbed Kelly with one hand and reached out for Dominic’s cape with the other,
wondering what the apprentice meant by see or hear. Was he expecting something
to jump out at them? He concentrated on his breathing to keep the panic from
engulfing him, wondering what his breathing had to do with Dominic’s senses.

They began
to move slowly once again. Chris thought his breathing sounded too loud in the
silence and tried to quiet it, without success. He closed his eyes; straining
to see in the darkness was giving him a headache. Had he not known that Dominic
was in front of him and Kelly behind him, he would have thought he was alone.

It seemed to
Chris that they had crept along for hours before Dominic stopped with a
suddenness that caused Chris to run into him. Chris wanted to ask why the
apprentice stopped but feared that even a whispered voice would travel for
miles in the silence of this place.

Dominic’s
mouth was so close to his ear that Chris could feel his lips moving as he
whispered. “There is a large pit in front of us. Wait here while I check to see
its dimensions.”

Dominic was
gone. Chris strained his ears to hear where the apprentice had gone but he
heard nothing. A shiver of fear slithered down his spine; he had expected to
hear the rustling of animals or the sound of wind moving through corridors. But
the silence was deafening. Had it not been for the feel of Kelly’s hand in his,
he could have easily been convinced that he’d been magicked into a bubble in
the middle of nowhere.

Time crawled
by. Chris began counting seconds: one-one thousand, two-one thousand … to keep
his mind from concocting wild fantasies of what they were facing. Even though
he knew it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes since Dominic left, it
felt like hours. Despite his best effort, Chris felt panic rising.

Chris felt
like he was jumping out of his skin when a hand touched his shoulder. His
terror eased when he recognized Dominic’s voice in his ear but his heart
continued to hammer in his chest.

“There is a
pit that covers most of the corridor. But, I located a narrow ledge on one
side. You will have to keep a firm hold on Kelly as we cross.”

“How deep is
this pit?” Chris’ voice sounded harsh to his ears.

“I do not
know. I threw in a pebble but I did not hear it hit bottom.”

Great, Chris
thought as he pulled Kelly’s arm through his. A bottomless pit is the last
thing we need right now. He pulled Kelly against his body, wondering just how
narrow this ledge Dominic was talking about was.

Chris
accepted Dominic hand, following him without question; the apprentice hadn’t
steered them wrong yet.

“Here it
is,” came Dominic’s voice in Chris’ ear. “Follow me closely. If I tell you to
do something, you do it instantly, understand?”

“Yes,” Chris
replied through a dry throat. Moments later, Chris felt the edge of the pit. He
allowed Dominic to lead him off to the side. When Dominic moved forward again,
Chris didn’t hesitate to follow him.

Dominic
stopped. Chris leaned forward, somehow knowing that Dominic had some
instructions for him.

“We will be
required to move sidewise because the ledge is so narrow. Make certain that you
have a firm hold on Kelly. In her current condition I do not know if she is
capable of traversing in the necessary manner.”

Chris
considered asking Dominic if they should leave Kelly here and come back for her
but dismissed the thought almost as soon as it was formed; there was no way he
was leaving her alone. After a moment’s thought, he shoved her hand into his
pocket and snaked his arm around her waist; it was the most secure position he
could think of.

Panic
started to build again as he stepped onto the ledge; it was barely wide enough
to allow his heel and a small part of his instep onto it. He shook his head.
How was he to get Kelly across safely? Nevertheless, he moved crablike along
the rock wall, pulling Kelly with him.

Almost
immediately, Kelly pitched forward. Chris pulled her back before she reached
the point of no return. His mind was racing; if this ledge was very long, there
was no way he was going to get Kelly safely across. He didn’t think she had the
capacity to understand their situation, and, even if she did, in her present
condition, she didn’t care.