Red Rivers and Nightmares

14. A Barter (Part 2)

This time I approach the bank carefully and slowly sink into the ground. I follow the tiny paths the water has made over decades and inch by inch I prod the world blindly. I move ever closer to that force and the more I do the greater the urge to gag comes upon me. I know I never want to touch this filthy thing with my bare hands because just getting near it with my magic is bad enough.

Eventually, I find it. I cannot discern what it is, buried in the dirt of Weret but I do know that it is rounded on the top and with some oddly placed holes. The various points on the bottom confuses me but I know that this set up has to be person made. Not just because it is a force and not a disease carrier but after exploring around the odd object I can find a bigger pathway to Weret that cannot be from nature and time. Fortunately it is new enough that it is still loose. I breath in and out, like a wave hitting the bank.

I nearly loose focus again as I am reminded of black water but I shove the image away and replace it with a large lake filled with water that is fed by a powerful, rapid river. Nothing happens immediately but as my image solidifies the water begins to rush around the object. It begins to act like that powerful river as it shoves against the loose dirt to reach me, it's lake. As it rushes back and forth it drags the object with it in it's burial. Then, it breaks free from it's resting place to burst forth into Weret.

As it floats into Weret proper more slivers of current are added so it can reach me faster. Distantly, I feel my hands raise from my knees to wait, in the air, to hold whatever it is. The object rushes towards me, carried by its rapid river-stream, pushed forward only by my magic.

I open my eyes as I feel my magical body reach my physical body. I raise an eyebrow as I realize that the globe of water now hovering calmly above my hands is so filled with dirt and silt that I cannot hope to see what is inside. I shake my head as I encourage the now calm water to slowly funnel out all the earthen stuff. The action is only paused when my nose starts leaking warm fluids. I know without looking that it is blood but I push the uncomfortable feeling away to finish this one task, even as I hear footsteps approach Weret.

The water now clear, I can see what it is and I feel a chill all the way to my bones as I recognize it as the back of a humanoid skull. Still, a skull by itself could never have caused this much harm. A decomposing body can carry disease that can be spread by water, but not bones. Ever so slowly I watch as the skull turns in the water by my command. When it is face up with those empty sockets staring at me I finally get a good look at the spell placed on these people.

I scream and fling it away from me, water and skull. Immediately all three men stand and approach it. I yell just as quickly, "No!"

I am too late as Esol already has it in hand. I yell again as I scramble and fall off my raised seat, "Do not touch it!"

Esol has turned it around and pales as his hands jerk from the offending skull. Unfortunately, I did not fling the skull far enough away as it is about to fall back into Weret. I lunge forward on legs that feel half-dead but Akun beats me to it and holds it with his bare hands.

I nearly panic until I remember that he is a vampire and, thus, impervious to this particular kind of spell. However, I feel a whole new level of panic when a splash has me looking to see Rion stepping into Weret. The panic nearly squeezes my throat shut but I manage another yell, "Get out!"

At my voice Esol jerks his head to see Rion and he yanks the shifter clean out of Weret. I am half submerged then with my head swirling and sound dimming as my breathing gets out of control. I cannot think about anything but the black dyed circle and markings carved into the forehead of the skull.

I need to get out. This water is not safe. Not safe. I try to shove myself closer to the bank but I fumble with uncooperative limbs.