Psychic

35. Infection

Rai walked up the stone steps of the temple of Ylan, which looked more like a cathedral, with spires risings from its towers. She could hear voices inside but could not understand what was being said. The doorknocker was so massive, she had to pull it up with both hands and let it drop against the door. It made a sound that echoed into the building and made the voices stop. Rai listened and waited for the door to be opened. She was lifting the knocker again when the door opened quickly, yanking it out of her hand. Rai instantly took a step back when she saw that a soldier had opened the door. She was suddenly ready for the worst.

"What?"

"I'm here to pick up Isaac."

"You're going to have to come back tomorrow. We're in the middle of something here."

A female voice echoed from inside, telling him, "open the door. All the way."

At the end of the long aisle before Rai, was an elderly priestess on her knees in front of an altar, looking over her shoulder in Rai's direction. There were four more priestesses standing around the altar, each carrying a large bowl in both hands. Two more soldiers were standing at the foot of the altar. One was in massive metal armor with tubes of glowing light connecting the back to a helmet that covered his head and face. There was an orange visor over where his eyes would be and at the bottom of it was a grille that a gas mask would have.

Aila shuffled around in Rai's hair then whispered in her ear, "they call that elite armor. It's powered by uranium."

The elderly woman slid up to her feet effortlessly. "Come," she told Rai and she stepped in cautiously by the soldier. When she passed him, she took bigger steps, almost running down the aisle. She stopped in front of the priestess and noticed from her pale, foggy eyes that the woman was blind. She took Rai's hand in her wrinkly ones then said softly, "we could use your help."

"You could?"

"You are here for your brother," the woman said turning to face the altar.

"I didn't say that."

"A man's body was left down in the catacombs to be prepped for mummification a few days ago. The wrong oil was applied during the process and the vessel is infected."

"What vessel?"

"The body."

"It's decaying?"

"Infected. The vessel is possessed."

"You want me to fix it?"

"You are telekinetic. It would be easier for you to apply the right oil. When that's done, we will bring your brother to you."

Rai's eyes narrowed suspiciously at how this woman could have known what she was capable of. The woman seemed to sense her concern. "I'm clairvoyant."

Rai's eyes widened and she looked up at the ceiling and sighed out of her nose to hide it. "Uh, okay," she nodded, disinterested in arguing. "So where is the infected vessel? I'll deal with it."

"Tracy, open the catacombs."

"Don't even," the soldier in the elite armor told one of the priestesses when she had taken a step closer to the altar. His voice came through the helmet on his head with a metallic echo. "You're not letting that thing out here."

"So then you are going to go in and finish the rite?" one of the priestesses scoffed, pointing at him.

"We can't just leave it in the catacombs," another priestess added. "It will get stronger if no one goes in to purge it."

"Then I'll go in," the soldier offered.

"Have you listened to nothing we've been telling you?" the blind priestess before Rai said. "Your presence here is worth nothing. All you soldiers, you're only here as a formality. You are useless. You can go in if you like. Riddle the vessel with as many of those burning bullets you like but you're not going to stop it. You people are trained to end the lives of the living. The vessel is not alive!" She finished speaking with a huff as though she had said all that needed to be said to the soldier. She looked down at Rai as though she could see her and took both her hands. "Rai, the vessel is infected with a spirit that was apparently quite mad in life as well. I don't know how it's going to react to you and the marjoram oil you need is down in the catacombs with it."

"It's fine. I'll deal with it," Rai nodded.

"Be careful. Tracy, open the catacombs."

Rai walked up behind the altar to a slanted basement floor door. All the priestesses holding bowls stepped up behind her. She could now smell the various burning incenses in the bowls. Tracy placed her bowl on the altar then went to pull the slanted door open with both hands. She nodded for Rai to head in while she held it open. She entered quickly, stepping down a few of the stone stairs before Tracy dropped the door closed behind her and it echoed loudly.