13. A storm is brewing #2
I’m about to argue, but then my brain catches up. “What do you mean, which one? There is only one ghost in the basement. The woman who was poisoned. The one spreading toxic mould.”
The Lady in Red’s smile turns mischievous. “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong, love. She’s not the one rotting the house from the inside out. She’s the one keeping him in check.”
Ewan steps up. “Him, my lady?”
She looks at us both, a look of disgust on her face as she says, “The monster who summoned us all here. He thought himself protected from our wrath with his spells and his dark magic, but even evil men have to die one day, and in death, we are all equals. We were waiting. Especially Agnes. He locked her in the basement for days, to try to unravel her secrets. We kept her company. We tried to keep her sane. But eventually he got bored of her, and poison was his easy solution. We could do nothing as we watched her drown in her own blood. He hid her body inside the family mausoleum, in his own mother’s sarcophagus.
Nobody would be surprised to find bones in a mausoleum. ”
“He?” I ask. I have my suspicions, but we need to be sure.
“Earl Lynch...” Ewan whispers.
“Yes,” she growls, her beautiful face now contorted by hatred.
“Agnes refused to move on, even though she wasn’t a prisoner like us.
She hid and and she bid her time. And when at last, the earl died of sickness a few years later, she was ready.
We helped her as she dragged his soul down to the basement and buried it in the foundation of the house.
If we were to be prisoners of this place, so would he. ”
Understanding dawns on me. “So the thing that has been trying to bring the house down is Earl Lynch. The old bastard is fighting back. What changed? Why is he succeeding, after all this time?”
“Something happened four years ago. We spirits, we all became stronger. The energy shifted. The house too, became more alive. The monster grew stronger in the dark, and he found a way to slowly eat at the walls of his prison. If he is unleashed, I do not know what will happen to the house. But at least the others are free, thanks to you. I am, too, and yet I can’t bring myself to leave Agnes to fight him off alone.
I know all about the cruelty of men.” She touches the bruises on her neck.
“She does too. And we’ll be damned before we let him win. ” Her voice takes a threatening edge.
“But she’s not alone anymore,” Ewan says. “We’re here to help. That’s our job.”
The Lady in Red studies him for a moment. “You’re glowing. Did you know?”
“I’m... sorry?”
“To our ghostly eyes, you’re glowing like the moon.
Agnes used to glow, too, before the monster killed her.
You are different, just like she was. You can interact with the veil.
If only we knew it sooner. Agnes could have freed the others a century ago.
But alas, we all stayed here until a new gifted found their way to this house.
You found your way here, by happenstance or by divine design. Maybe you can really help.”
“We can,” I say. “We’ll figure a way to save the house, I promise.”
She sighs. “The promises of men mean nothing to me. I’ll stay a while longer and hold you to that promise.
Help Agnes. She's no longer herself. She’s a mindless jailer.
Rage incarnate. You’ll need to find a way to deal with her before you can face the monster.
Destroy the evil rot eating away at the house, and we’ll be in your debt.
The others haven’t gone, they just went back to their favourite haunts all over the city.
It is a powerful thing to have spirits on your side.
Especially for someone like you.” She looks at Ewan.
He appears shaken, but he nods.
“How do we fight off this evil?” I ask.
She sighs again. “Wish that I knew. You’ll have to figure this out yourselves. I am but a simple whore.”
That, I doubt very much. She must have been a fearsome thing to behold.
“Thank you for your help, my lady,” I say. “Without your guidance, we might have wandered in the dark for a while longer.”
“The pleasure was all mine, boys.” She smiles wickedly. “In the meantime, let me give you a gift. I know you’ll probably enjoy this one more than the first time.” She blows us a kiss, and it feels like a warm breeze caressing my face.
But then the breeze turns into liquid fire burning through my vein.
“Oh...” Ewan says behind me.
The Lady in Red disappears into thin air, but her magic remains. It feels like it just grabbed me by the cock and squeezed.
“Holy shit...” I close my eyes and savour the way by body reacts. It feels like all my nerves are coming alive.
Ewan’s breathing turns ragged, and I look at him. His face is flushed and he looks about to faint, or I guess that’s his oh-my-god-I-need-to-come face.
“Do you want to leave?” I ask him.
He frowns, looking confused. “What..?”
“If you’re unsure about this, we can fight it and go our separate ways until we've calmed down. It’s okay. We don’t have to do anything.” The words physically hurt me, and my control is hanging on by a thread.
He shakes his head, and his bottom lip quivers as he says, “I want you...”
“Oh fuck, thank god.” I launch forward and kiss him.
He moans into my mouth as I devour him. Fireworks explode in my brain and butterflies take flight in my belly. His hands are in my sweatshirt, hanging on for dear life, as I take all that he wants to give me. He’s melting under my touch, always so perfect for me.
I push him gently backwards until we reach the couch in front of the fireplace. His legs give out and he falls, breaking our kiss.
He looks up at me, desperate. “Please... please... please...” His hands wander all over his body, as if he can’t help but to seek friction.