“A crown and an urn,” said Mery. “Stonegrime’s loss, our gain. Name sound familiar to you, Dulrak? Stonegrime? Don’t think I know any myself.”

“Are we all in agreement?” asked Lund. He didn’t look directly at Alice, but Isa did.

“Yes,” Alice said softly. “OK, I’m with you.”

Isa smiled and ran a finger down Alice’s arm. “Together we’re unbeatable, right?”

“To the left then?” Dulrak held his javelin up, and the ensorcelled cloth shone bright over the hallway. When no one answered he moved forward.

“By all the gods,” Mery sputtered. “Let me go first. Traps? Remember those?”

Mery and Dulrak walked first down the hallway, Mery half a step ahead of Dulrak. Alice and Isa followed right behind, and Lund stayed at the rear, using a javelin as a walking stick.

They came to a sharp corner, and Mery held up a hand to stop the group. She knelt and examined an ornamental knob set into the wall. To Isa, it seemed that Mery took care to keep just behind the ornament. She crouched down to better see what Mery was doing. As she watched Mery’s fingers seemed to walk along the outer edge of the rounded knob. For no reason that Isa could discern a bolt shot from the knob and clattered off the stone wall opposite.

“Well, that’s done.” Mery stood up. “Until the next one, that is.” She turned and smiled at the group. She peeked around the corner and then motioned Dulrak forward.

Another door stood to the right about 10 feet from the corner. Dulrak’s light shone across the face of the door showing deep carvings, words and images sharing space across the surface.

“If this were a video game,” Alice whispered, “the key would be on the other side of the dungeon.”

“This one’s different,” said Dulrak, as he peered over Mery’s shoulder.

“Yeah, but I don’t think it’s trapped.” Mery craned her neck upwards. “I don’t see anything. No trigger mechanisms, no wires.” She looked down. “No trap door…. I’m not saying there’s not a swarm or 3 of beetles on the other side, but….”

“We’re with you,” said Isa. “Go ahead and open it.”

“I’m not even sure I know how.” She reached out with her thumb to push aside a small tile and got a face full of stinking spray. The blast made Isa and Alice cough, but they were far enough away that the puff of putrid air didn’t affect them. Dulrak cleared his throat and said, “You alright there?”

“Yes, damn it,” said Mery. She wiped her mouth and spit to the side. “I hope the whole room doesn’t smell like that.” She pushed a few more tiles, lifted a lever, and softy tapped the center of the door with the end of her dagger. The door swung open noiselessly.

Isa heard Dulrak mutter something, and then, his lantern held high, he stepped into the chamber. Gold glittered everywhere. Gold inlay on the floors, gold moulding on the ceiling, gold-flecked murals on the walls, and most impressively, a gold sarcophagus sitting at the far end of the room.

“Perhaps this is significant,” Dulrak said quietly.

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“I’ll say,” said Isa. She started to step into the room, drawn by the dazzle of gold practically dripping down the wall, but Mery grabbed her arm.

“Wait,” Mery told Isa. “Look.” She pointed at the floor and the deep footprints that Dulrak’s steps had created. “Who knows what sorts of traps they laid upon the room, what curses.”

“Dulrak looks fine. He’s not being shot at or attacked.”

“And I hope to keep it that way,” said Mery. She stepped carefully over the threshold, leaving Isa and Alice almost side by side in the hall.

Lund stood looking over their shoulders. He said, “I don’t think we can carry all that. Gold is heavy.”

Almost the moment Mery’s foot touched the floor a low growl sounded from the far corner. The growl rose to a yowl, and a horrifying creature emerged from the shadows. It was shaped like a panther: massive wedge of a head and huge paws, a long, twitching tail. But it seemed to be made of smoke and ice. Mist steamed off it as it moved toward Mery with slow steps. Its feet didn’t disturb the dusty floor.

Isa froze at the sight of the ghostly animal; her insides seemed to turn to ice and adrenaline flooded her body. She wanted to run, scream, faint, and cry, but she couldn’t even move. Her eyes stayed locked on the panther as it swiped Mery with one of its great paws.

Mery staggered even though it seemed like the shimmering paw passed right through her. For her part Mery slashed back and forth with her sword, parting the misty form twice. The ghost cat hissed and dropped its head lower, ears back and flat.

Dulrak seemed to be trying to move, but his hands seemed frozen at his side. Alice, however, flashed out a hand, and 3 glowing darts slammed into the panther, rocking it slightly as it began to circle Mery. Its ghostly form hadn’t changed, and it still seemed more shadow than substance, but the mist that had surrounded the cat was gone.

That did not make the ghost any less terrifying to Isa, and from her seemingly petrified position, she watched the battle unfold. Mery danced away from a second attack by the shimmering shadow. It growled again, the low grumble rolling into a full battle cry, and oddly enough, that seemed to rouse Dulrak from his frozen state.

With a guttural cry he swung his warhammer down on the back of the panther, and once more the ghostly body seemed to feel the blow, staggering away almost to the wall before coming back. It pounced on Mery, who seemed to anticipate the move. She had her short sword up and braced with both hands so that the panther impaled itself on her blade. Mery fell under the weight of the cat, but even as they both fell, the panther’s form dissolved into golden dust.

As the dust floated to the floor Isa felt like she could finally breathe, and a sigh from Lund told her that she hadn’t been the only one affected by the ordeal. She took a step away from the doorway and stumbled as if her legs had fallen asleep. Alice caught Isa before she could fall.

“Babe, are you OK?” Alice’s eyes seemed to search Isa’s face. “You look….”

“What?” Isa suddenly felt annoyed and embarrassed by how frightened she been by the ghost cat.

“That was something new,” said Mery. She laughed and held her stomach. “Ouch.”

Alice touched Isa’s face, her fingers trailing down her jawline. Isa thought there was a question in her eyes, but Alice didn’t speak it. Instead with her thumb she brushed Isa’s lips and said, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Isa dropped her eyes. “I don’t know what happened. I--” Her words were interrupted by a scraping sound from the room.

The sound of stone on stone drew everyone’s attention. It took Isa only a moment to realize that the lid of the sarcophagus was moving, slowly but steadily, off its base.

Three people spoke at once. Dulrak said, “Fire. Use fire.” Lund said, “True death.” And Mery mumbled something as she wiped her forehead, leaving a smear of blood.

“Wait,” said Isa. “Wait a minute. What’s coming out-- That’s not a mummy. That’s not….” She gripped her quarterstaff and whispered, “Wrath.” Damn it, Ysel, she thought to herself, what have you done?

Beside her Alice quietly cocked her small crossbow. “You have a health potion, right?” she said to Isa.

“Yeah. You?”

“Mmmhmm.” Alice’s lips were closed tight, and Isa could see that her hand trembled a little. Somehow that gave Isa the courage she needed, and she moved into the room to stand by Lund.

The sarcophagus lid was now halfway off, and a perfectly wrapped hand grasped the side of the coffin. Mery, who’d been mumbling to herself now flung out a hand and said, “Curse ye!”

A head rose above the edge of the sarcophagus, and Isa got her first look at King Menesia.