Ghosts ⚔️ Blackbeard's Treasure

Chapter 21

"Ancient spirit, we sense your presence. You are safe within this sacred circle. Tell us why you are here?" Her voice rises. "What do you seek? How can we bring you peace?"

As the rum burns down, the fire gutters in the glasses. The silence is deafening. The hexagram flames jump, then flicker, as if an unseen door has opened and then closed.

The Ghost rum turns a verdant green as Blair's face slumps and her eyes go blank. She dips her finger into the liquid substance and begins to write on the table, her fingertip glowing with the effervescence. Dylan moves to stop her, but I grab his hand. "She's channeling. Don't worry, that's ectoplasm—it won't burn her." Blair's hand jerks like a puppet, the wrist loose, as if someone has hold of it. Her hand moves faster. The writing glows liquid white as until an illuminated map forms. The illustration sparks as if it is made of embers. The letters C, E, and Bb form in the center.

Paco whispers, "I recognize that location. It's the same layout as the entrance to the wine cellar."

As is above is below, she says reverently.

Our eyes follow the ghostly diagram as it slowly lifts off the table, rising upwards to float a foot above our heads like a celestial spiderweb. Three points of light shoot down from its edges, piercing the glowing letters on the table. A bell chimes and they scatter into a triangle. A second bell rings and the diagram inverts into a pyramid. I hold my breath as the third bell rings. Inside the pyramid, a large holographic bell forms.

"This is where you hid your treasure?" Blair asks. "Under a bell tower?" All three bells ring simultaneously and the diagram transmutes into a fiery circle of flowers. The effervescent flowers unfold as if they're delicate Japanese water flowers, drifting down onto the table. The floral scent of roses fill me with an aching sadness. Tears flow down my cheeks.

Suddenly, Blair slumps in her seat. Her head falls forward and she loses consciousness.

"What's happening? Dylan shouts. His hand tries to pull out of mine, but I clamp it tight, holding it in place. "We can't break the circle, it's her only protection."

For a minute my mouth is full of cotton. "Blair!" I can't see her face, covered by a curtain of hair. The scent of roses morphs into a pungent decay. Three of the black hexagram candle lights fizzle and die, leaving a simple triad around us. I pull my feet closer to my chair, as the dog scrambles to hurl himself to the edge of circle, his neck bristling with rage.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I hear Blair's strained voice. "Peace, Caesar. She can't enter the circle." Exhausted, Blair moans.

"What's here?" I hiss. "Is it the Bloody ghost?"

"She's reversing the protection hex." Blair mumbles.  She raises her head and chants something. "Mary Ormond— Blackbeard's estranged wife. She's the one who cursed the ship's bells in revenge for his cheating on her."

"Ay Dios!" Paco cries. Ripping his hand from mine, he pulls his cross from his neck. Clasping it, he starts praying in rapid Spanish.

Image of Voodoo Priestess by Ron Weiland Photography.