Stunned silence hangs in the air. She figured there was no way someone from that far back could still be alive, though until now, she would have thought the same of magick. It still surprised her that any of it was real. Her mind began chasing thoughts down different paths. Then something clicked. She gave her head a half turn, squinting at him.

“You’re here with these ‘associates,’ you called them. Who are you? Some kind of ghost hunters or something?”

He lets out a deep breath.

“No, we’re nothing like that. If I’m honest, I’m not sure I’m cleared to discuss this with you. Seeing as you are here and in the thick of it, though, and I suppose I owe you some answers as promised.”

Viktor doesn’t move, but scans the room as if checking for privacy.

“I just know that damn vamp is somewhere, listening. As I was saying. I guess you could say we’re all the superiors of ghost hunters. They often work for us without knowing, but we’re much more than mere amateur hunters. We belong to a group known as ‘The Golden Veil.’ An order some say that’s as ancient as time itself.”

“The Golden Veil?”

“Yes, in its current iteration, that is the name. It’s changed many, many times as I understand it, and is a reference to our mission.”

He reaches his arm out, showing his forearm, and taps a tattoo. It was a rising sun behind a symbol she’d never seen before. Almost tribal, but very arcane.

He taped it again, and this time, it disappeared, catching her off guard.

“Whoa!”

He laughed out loud at her child-like wonder, finding it both cute and entertaining.

“Our order studies the beyond. We never interfere, only study and try to understand. There are other, shall we say, brutish types in the other branches. Our branch is the scholars and scientists. Thinkers.”

“So, you’re here only to think about this place and its mysteries? Seems like you could do that from anywhere. What if you encounter danger?”

“Ah, yes. We can think from anywhere, but can we experience from anywhere? The more data we have, the more we understand. It’s not an if, but when we are in danger in our line of work. The risks are worth the rewards in the end though, there’s nothing like the thrill of discovery.”

“So, what did you hope to learn by coming here?”

“Well, the increase in activity across the globe seemed to center here. I am a field agent, dispatched to investigate. If something can affect change on the global scale, it’s the death knell of something powerful. End of the world as we know it, powerful.”

Her eyes grew wide at that.

“Are you saying it’s the end of the world?”

“Nonsense, I’m not saying that. Just that whatever this is very well could end the world with that kind of power. Which is why we want to be here, now.”

Out of nowhere, a disembodied voice whispered into her ear, causing hair to stand on end.

“You didn’t ask her the right question, Viktor.”

She jerked a bit to her left and looked over her right shoulder. A different man was leaning in over her shoulder, staring at Viktor.

His head gave a slow turn toward her, then the man gave a slow smile.

“Hello, Alis. It’s your lucky day.”

Viktor sighed, rubbing his head.

“Please don’t ask-”

It was too late. Alis had already locked eyes with the new stranger. The whole affair unsettling her.

“Why’s that?”

A smokey streak blew past her face so fast that for a moment, she wasn’t sure what she saw. The smoke landed in front of the old antique desk, piling on top of itself as the man appeared within it.

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The man turned sideways, stretched an arm out to Alis with an elegant flair.

“Because, my darling. I am here.”

He gave Alis a deep bow.

Viktor shook his head and rolled his eyes at the man’s antics.

“I knew you were skulking around here somewhere. Will you please get out of my laboratory?”

The man, unbothered by viktors annoyance, threw out his arms toward Alis, then moved them toward the door.

“Only if Alis comes with me. Besides, Raven just called. It seems there’s more to this than we thought.”

The odd man observes the walls and ceiling for a moment, then looks back at Alis.

“Listen, I know you have many questions and we will take care of those.”

Alis only saw one step, and in an instant, the man was inches from her face.

He brushed a strand of hair out of her face with the back of his hand. It should have made her feel uncomfortable, yet she found the act sweet. Sensual. Almost sexy.

“We need to discuss this deed that you own. Is that okay? Will you allow me to see this deed of yours?”

His voice was but a whisper. She didn’t have any reason to hand over the deed, but she couldn’t help feeling like she could trust this man. As if they were best friends. Lovers even.

Alis’s hand crept toward her purse. Her mind felt muddled, as if it were somewhere far away. The voices in the room came slowly and echoed, but she couldn’t understand. Something was on the tip of her mind, something lost and forgotten. An important thing that seemed not so urgent anymore. The air caught in her lungs, her chest growing heavier with each breath. A familiar whisper rang in her ears while the walls shifted like waves around her.

Alis, my lovely Alis. Don’t trust them. They only want to hurt you and take what’s rightfully yours. Don’t let them.

Alis fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The anxiety built higher until she felt a sudden pulse. Like a shock wave running through her.

She lowered her hands as fear sailed through her veins. She was in the same room, but not. The world around her seemed dim, like the edge of twilight before nightfall. Viktor and the unknown man stood before her, completely still, as if frozen in time. The walls and machinery in the room dripped black ichor. Rust spots covered the machinery and decayed holes filled the walls of the room.

There’s no need to be alarmed, my child. You’re here with me now. Come, stand at my side where you belong.

The wall in front of her, directly behind the unknown man, distorted and twisted. Becoming a whirlpool of black and decay. From within the wall, two large human skeletons emerged, their upper bodies appearing on opposite sides of the portal. They shifted their heads slowly, turning the dull red glow that resembled burning embers in their eye sockets on her.

Run.

The word was there in her mind, yet she couldn’t act. Couldn’t move. Something had a hold of her. Something more powerful than the fear and adrenaline pumping through her.

She struggled against the feeling, but no effect.

“Focus your intent on the Aeth. Your resolve flows into your surroundings. Aeth control is a battle of wills. Win the tug of war and you can manifest your will.” Viktor’s words from earlier came into her mind as clear as day and the cloudiness in her mind eased up. She wasn’t sure why she regained some control over her mind, but she was grateful.

Gathering all the mental fortitude she could muster, she focused on freeing herself. Imagining she wasn’t bound and was free to move. With an abrupt snap, one of her arms felt loose. To her horror, she glanced down at her body to see her right arm lying detached on the floor. Panic filled her voice as she screamed for Viktor, then just for help.

The portal on the wall shifted again. This time, an army of corpses shambled into this room from the other side. The bodies were in all stages of decay. They lined up on either side of the portal, as if awaiting someone worthy of high respect to pass.

She continued to scream for help as a corpse missing both legs and one arm pulled itself toward her. Still unable to move, terror had her on the brink of insanity. Her head went light and her body was limp. She was seconds away from fainting until something curious caught her attention. The corpse had… attached her arm to its own socket.

She stared at the creature, completely confused. Pain radiated from her missing arm socket. Blood covered the floor below her. She looked down, then back up to the creature that was now moving toward her again, this time faster and with two arms.

She struggled even harder to get away, to no avail. Once the creature reached her, it looked up at her. Its face contorted into what she could only figure was anger, since the jaw was unhinged and hang off its face, making it difficult to distinguish. Nothing made sense. She was getting faint again and closed her eyes.

Before she had the luck to pass out again, the creature wrapped its arms around her left leg. Pain seared at her left hip as it ripped flesh and bone from her torso. Her screams echoed through the building as blood pooled below her.

As the creature attached her leg to itself, a man dressed in ancient world royalty attire and long black hair pulled into a ponytail with a leather strap appeared through the portal.

He analyzed the room for a second, his eyes landing on the creature that took her limbs.

“Really?”

His arms flailed out toward the creature and his lips pursed into a disappointed parent look.

The creature recoiled from him as he approached, kneeling in front of it.

“What have I told you?”

The man took the hand of the arm it stole into his own. Carefully, sensually rubbing the back of the hand. She could feel the sensations herself, and that scared her even more.

“I love you, you know that?”

The creature gave a slow nod of recognition.

“Good. Now.”

Before Alis could register it, the man tore her arm off the creature. Slapping its face forcefully enough with her arm to send its head flying across the room.

“No one acts without my permission. Is that understood?”

Every undead thing in the room straightened their backs, fearful of this new man. It occurred to her that if he scared the monsters that scared her; she needed to be very cautious.

With a flick of the wrist, the man caused the being to dissolve into dust. Her arm and leg floated behind him as he approached her.

“Now, Alis. Finally, I’m excited to meet the new caretaker of the estate. We’re going to have so, so, much fun together.”