He looked at Keira who made no sign she had heard the sound but to him, it was as clear as though the person was in the room with them. He sat up, watching the doorway where it seemed to be coming from but there was no movement, no light or signal there was anything there other than the laughter.
He got out of his bed and walked to the door, glancing at Keira one last time but she was sound asleep, drifting off immediately from exhaustion. With one deep breath, he pushed through the door and stepped out to the hallway expecting to see the source. Immediately there was more laughter but it sounded further than before and it had moved outside. Carefully and with more caution than likely necessary, he walked through the corridor towards the sound. It led him to the front door and against the insistence of his instructors to not leave the building, he pushed through to the world beyond.
A cold wind swept past him making him flinch against the sudden gust but as he looked out to the world enshrouded by the night, he felt calm under its beauty. The sky was clear, stars sparkling above with a moon that was almost full and lighting the world in a silvery tone. It was quiet, with only the gentle breeze and soft eb of the river in the distance which matched the still scene. There were no external lights from the building but his eyes had adjusted to the dark and with the clear sky above he could see clearly.
The laughter broke the silent still world; echoing around him, around the building but it was easy for him to tell where it originated. He paused for the first time, realising what he was doing, that he was going against orders and walking towards sounds that likely weren’t there. But he couldn’t help it, the sound of his sister, the laughter from his memory was pulling him, urging him to follow and so he did.
Every moment he thought he was getting closer, it disappeared into the distance again. It was pulling him around the building and then away from it, leading him towards the river and woodlands beyond. His pace was slow but steady, the grass below crunching underfoot, cold from the night air and untouched by the world. The sound of the river got louder and he could see the edge of the woodlands beyond it. Darkness remained within the trees, while the bright sky lit up the world around him, under the cover of the forest, there was nothing but black.
Walking in the night, with the breeze behind him as though in a trance, he hadn’t noticed the soft heartbeat of the amulet around his neck. A gentle glow illuminated the ground in front of him and without thinking about it, he raised a hand to hold it. The spirit was warm as it always was even though the metal in the cold air shouldn’t be. With that warmth, his mind cleared and he once again realised what he was doing, walking towards an unknown place against the instructions of those there to protect him.
It didn’t stop him, he couldn’t help but walk towards the laughter, the sound of his sister that was coming from beyond the river. As he approached the water another warning came, a thought from somewhere deep within, a place that he recognised was there to protect him. Once before at the sanctuary, it told him not to go in and he ignored it and once again it was telling him to stop.
It’s too soon, turn back.
Too soon? He thought about the words that appeared in his mind; the idea, the warning but it made no sense. It came from him, it was just as it had before but before it always made sense to be something from fear. This was different—as if it had some knowledge beyond what he should. It made no sense, how could he have this thought, where did it come from and what made him feel like this was too soon?
He paused at the bank of the river, looking out at the fast-flowing stream and dark woodlands beyond. The words that came to him, the warning continued to turn around in his mind but he couldn’t grasp the meaning of it. He questioned the spirit in the amulet, but it gave no response and besides, the thought appeared as it had done before, it was his own, his mind warning him.
He didn’t have long to puzzle over his thoughts as while he stood on the riverbank, another figure appeared before him in the direction of the laughter. He could feel his body shudder, the hairs on his skin stood up and with wide eyes and mouth agape, he stared at the smokey, shadow of a figure at the other side of the river.
The black swirl of its arms that weren’t arms, the legless floating body that resembled a person but wasn’t. A wraith, just as the ones that attacked his ship so many years ago floated towards him ignoring the river between. He stepped back, a desire to run filling him but his legs barely able to keep him standing. He wanted to scream, to shout for help but his mouth was dry and no words came out.
The wraith drifted closer to him as though being carried on the wind that opposed its direction. As it got closer, it stretched out those tendril-like arms that had held him as a child and he could feel the tingling sensation along his skin as though it expected to be burned by its touch. But then it looked away from him and up towards the small hill he had come from, where the building stood and at the same moment the wraith separated into two parts.
A screech erupted from the body of the thing that was cut in half and then another slice cleaved it from top to bottom. The spirling dance of smoke drifted into nothing as it disappeared before him. He fell backwards, shock and fear releasing all at once and forcing his body to crumble to the floor.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
Faye had reached him, the red aura around her body bright and her sword still held in hand. She dropped to her knees beside him and looked him in the face but he couldn’t respond, not at first, not immediately. She called his name, tried to get him to answer between looking around and searching for signs of more demons.
It wasn’t her shaking or commands that brought him back but the calming heartbeat that was pulsing in his hand, his spirit’s touch and warmth helped him through the moment and he finally found his voice again.
“I’m sorry, I don’t, I heard something…”
“And you thought you’d just come and see for yourself without telling anyone?”
She was angry but there was concern hidden behind it. He apologised again and stood, his legs were still shaky as though he was trying to walk on ice. He looked around to see that Sara was walking towards them. Faye had called back her spirit and sword, deciding there was no further sign of attack and walked past him to meet the woman.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Are you okay, Finlay?” Sara asked when she reached them.
“Yes, I’m fine, I’m sorry.”
“Fine! You’re not bloody fine, you’re out here in the middle of the night when I specifically said not to leave the building and are doing what exactly with that wraith?!”
“Faye, please calm down,” Sara rebuked. “Let’s get inside and Finlay can tell us exactly what happened.”
She turned and waited for Faye to start walking back to the building before patting his shoulder and ushering him to follow. She walked behind him so they were in a line; he felt awful, guilty for disobeying orders and it was uncomfortable having Faye so angry at him. When they reached the building and entered the main room where they had eaten dinner before, Ronan was waiting for them. He was in the middle of pouring tea into four cups, he greeted them with a wide smile which was completely out of place for the situation.
“As helpful as ever,” Faye said, scowling at the man but she still picked up one of the cups and sat down at the table.
Sara brushed past him and took another cup before sitting beside Faye. “Why on earth are you so angry, normally you’re quite relaxed about these situations?”
“He nearly got himself killed, why aren’t you more angry?”
“Because you’ve taken her role, she doesn’t know what to do other than be motherly now,” Ronan interjected.
Sara snapped him a threatening look but didn’t say anything.
“Please take a seat, Finlay—I suspect you have some things to tell us,” the man said as he handed him a cup.
He sat down with the others at the table and breathed in the smell of the tea, it was a sweet floral scent that he didn’t recognise but found very soothing. The others waited patiently until he started to explain what happened. He wasn’t sure if he should tell them everything but after all he’d been through, decided it was better to be open. He told them that he’d heard his sister laugh as soon as he left the ship and along the way until his spirit calmed him. He told them it tried to help him when he walked to the river but wasn’t able to stop him.
When he reached the point where the wraith appeared, he paused and looked at Faye. She was watching him closely but the anger she had expressed had faded and was replaced only with concern.
“You should have told one of us when it first happened,” Sara said.
“I thought it was just in my head, no one else could hear it, figured it was just my stupid trauma coming back on me.”
“Even if that were the case, you still should have told us.”
She turned to Ronan, Faye was also watching the man as though they both expected him to say something but he seemed lost in thought. He was holding his chin and tapping a finger against his lips while looking down and didn’t respond to them. Sara rolled her eyes and turned back to Finlay.
“You’re not in any trouble here, we’re just looking out for you. If you hadn’t noticed, this place is dangerous and you’re only supposed to be training under the strain of the miasma, not dealing with demons.”
“I know, I’m sorry, I really didn’t think it was going to be anything like that.”
“I could potentially understand him hearing his sister, but what the hell was that wraith doing there?” Faye was still looking at Ronan when she spoke.
“It’s rather puzzling isn’t it,” he replied.
“You’re the expert here—be more helpful.”
He dropped his hand and looked her straight in the eye. “Alright, let’s break it down. Finlay, are you sure you’re okay to talk about this, your past and everything?”
“Yes, I want to know more than anything else, I want to know what’s going on.”
“Alright, we only know a few things. One, you were attacked when you were younger by wraiths. Two, your sister was taken by those wraiths, though she wasn’t necessarily killed.”
“Hold up, what do you mean she wasn’t killed?” Faye exclaimed.
“Everyone else on that boat that was attacked was killed there and then, she was the only one taken.”
He paused and looked at Finlay, Faye followed his gaze.
“The spirit in the sanctuary suggested she might be alive,” he sighed dropping his head. “I’ve never really believed it possible, even if she were, what would that mean being alone out here? But I guess, there’s a part of me that’s wondered.”
Sara pulled her chair around so that she was closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Faye leaned back, her face telling she had no idea what to think about this piece of information. But Ronan continued on as though it was an obvious conclusion.
“Three, you heard her and that drew you to the river where you met a wraith. So, what does this conclude for us?”
“Get on with it,” replied Faye.
“No, I’m quite serious, I have no idea. My only speculation is that there is some connection between your sister and the wraiths, perhaps with you and the wraiths but beyond that, I have no idea.”
“It didn’t hurt me when it grabbed me," he offered though he was unsure why.
“It never reached you, I killed it before it got close enough.”
“No, I didn’t mean that one. When I was younger and we were attacked, I watched as one took my sister away with it, but another picked me up. I watched one attack a woman and the touch alone burned her skin but I felt nothing like that, if anything it was comforting.”
“Interesting,” replied Ronan. “It doesn’t tell us any more, but I do think it confirms that you, as well as your sister, have some kind of connection to the wraiths that attacked your boat and presumably the ones that still infest this island.”
“What does that mean, a connection?”
“As I said, unfortunately, I do not know. But I will continue to think about it and perhaps the answer will make itself known while you are here.”
“I’m not sure if that’s the best thing going forward,” replied Sara.
“Nonsense, it’s the only way we’ll know and I’m quite sure Finlay wants answers.”
He turned to Sara, her eyes were soft and protective but he nodded in agreement with Ronan. If being here was how he’d find out what happened to his sister, what was happening to him and what his connection was with the wraiths, then that’s what he had to do.
“Fine, but we won’t learn any more tonight. Get some sleep, Finlay. We’ll be keeping watch and if anything else happens, you make sure you tell us, alright?”
“Yes, of course, I’m sorry again and thank you, all of you.”
They nodded and he left them still sitting at the table. He knew they’d continue their conversation without him but he was sure they’d tell him if there was more for him to know and given he was the cause, he didn't want to push anything more. He was even more exhausted than he had before he tried to sleep and all he really wanted was to drift into unconsciousness and forget everything that happened.
When he got to his room, he found Keira having a nightmare, as though on queue, her aura radiating outward in a similar way to how it was when this first started. As usual, he walked to her side and placed his hands on her head and the spirit in his amulet responded.
“Sorry for making you work so hard tonight,” he said to the spirit.
Keira calmed but woke and as she looked up at him sitting beside her, she smiled. “I guess my trauma came first, though I’m not sure if that means you win or I do.”
He laughed. “Keira, I’ve definitely got you beat on that one tonight.”