The Enchantments: Book 3 - The Key of Sorcen

Chapter 42: Voodoo Man

Although the air was clear and warm with only a hint of a breeze Simeneon felt a chill run up her spine. The darkness enveloped her like a cloak and everywhere she looked shadows seemed to move as if someone had been watching from the gloom. She felt vulnerable here standing just inside the graveyard and the images that were brought up made the cemetery more intimidating.

Since she had walked up to the gates of the bayou cemetery she knew that this place was much different then any other cemetery she had ever ventured into before. She peered up at the sign and blew a troubled breath.

Cemetery of the Eternal Futures

There was that name again. Whenever eternal futures came into the equation, it always seemed to bring up minions and horrible smells. Why couldn't it be called Pleasant View Cemetery? That was a better name, one that didn't bring up such evil thoughts.

Simeneon felt the urge to run but she knew that would only delay the inevitable. So she gathered her self and began her trek through between the tombstones.

The last few months had let her forget about her time in the graveyard looking for the the Tablet of the Pyramids. Yes, this cemetery was the exact one she and the others had been transported to find those artifacts oh so long ago. This was also the same place they were attacked by the walking skeletons.

The leaves above her head began to rustle gently from an unseen wind and she knew that things would be getting worse before they had a chance to get better. Picking up the pace she shuffled through the grass taking direct aim to a torch that was glowing in the distance. She knew it would only take her to the mausoleums that stood menacingly on the far side of the yard but she figured she would have to make the journeys one step at a time.

The light was like a beacon and she never took her eyes from it. She had forgotten to get her self a torch before she had entered this eternal resting place and she cringed at her forgetfulness, but she knew dwelling on the past would only slow her down. She needed to focus on where she was going and try not to hit any old grave markers that were scattered everywhere in the ancient grounds. Her only problem was she forgot about the holes. She stepped forward, at the last moment realized there was no step to take, and she fell hard inside a hole.

"What the-" She yelled.

She tried to stand inside the hole but found her self only a head above the line where the grass had begun. She looked around at the even sides cut through the moist soil and instantly felt ill. She was in no hole; she was inside a fresh grave.

Simeneon tried to scramble from the burial plot but the sides were too smooth. Every time she grabbed a handhold she slipped back in as the dirt around the interior fell in clumps at her feet. She had never felt so revolted before in her life. Of all the adventurers she had been on, and all the things she had seen, the sight of a fresh dug grave made her skin crawl.

Panic was not far off as she started to gasp for air. The feeling of being closed in was strongest here; thought of being covered filled her with an urgency she had not yet experienced. She jumped as high as she could and with a fistful of grass began slowly pulling her small frame over the point of no return towards the grass.

The thunder in the distance filled the yard with an ominous presence that echoed off the many tombstones bouncing around like a pinball. The rain, which had held off this far, slowly began to fall, lightly at first then harder as she crested the grave.

Simeneon finally pulled her self forward and out as the rain hit its zenith. She lay on the wet grass breathing heavily trying to get her wits about her when the lightning flashed across the sky. This made her jump and she caught sight of something in front of her. She waited for another flash staring intently at the huge object before her.