Knight Casefiles Book 1: Revelations

Revelations [Chapter 19]

Chapter 19

Sigrun wasted no time reaching for the lamp. We’d agreed to keep the lights off so far because it hurt my head in my weakened state. The bulb flickered, bright and yellow, for a few seconds before going out completely.

“This can’t be good,” Sigrun said, the dim glow of the laptop screen, now showing nothing but static, deepening the grim set of her face. She tried the light again once before cursing and springing for her suitcase.

“Wait for me,” I announced, setting the laptop down and swinging my legs off the bed. Bad idea. Pain shot up from my wound, setting off aches all over the rest of my body as if some sadistic god just strummed all my nerves at the same time.

Sigrun didn’t miss the grunt, despite my attempt to hide it, and was back by my side, pushing me back on the bed. “I told you to take the pills.”

I glared at her. “Then shut up and give them to me.” Another scream pierced the silence. “Hurry!”

The Valkyrie shook her head, her eyes already burning a fierce blue. “We’ve no time to wait for it to take effect.”

“But-“

“A stray spirit is of no threat to me, Chris.” She squeezed my shoulder in reassurance. “I’ll be back soon. They won’t even know I’m there.”

Sigrun left no room for argument as she stepped away, taking something from her pocket. She brought her closed hand to her chest, her eyelids half-closing as she muttered a silent prayer. A dim red light flowed from between her fingers and slowly crept around the room. For a brief moment, a character alien to me seemed to take form at the foot of the bed before dispersing again.

“Be safe,” I heard Sigrun whisper before her presence disappeared, the creak of the door following in her wake, leaving me alone in the dark room.

“Damn it,” I said through gritted teeth. “Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

There was a good chance Sigrun heard my cursing, but I wouldn’t blame her for ignoring it. She had people to save after all. People that I should have been saving if my body didn’t hurt so much. It wasn’t a matter of envy or pride, if that’s what you’re thinking. It was a matter of me being able to do my job. Sigrun had been training me for years now, and I’ve had my fair share of fights in the dark.

It was one thing to wait in the darkness in silence. It was a whole other to be lying there with a host of muffled sounds – screams, shouts, shuffling feet, the occasional crash of something breaking – echoing through the halls, taunting you. I wasn’t sure which one would’ve been worse, but being in the latter environment just didn’t sit right with me, especially when I knew that I should’ve been the one rushing to people’s aid.

I don’t know how long I lay there, trying desperately to block out the noise, but I knew that it should have been more than enough time for Sigrun to patch things up if it really was just a stray ghost. Not that I’ve seen her handle one before – it was a curious thing that we’d never encountered one during training but that piece of trivia was irrelevant at the moment. I waited a few more moments, but the mixture of uncertainty and annoyance finally got to me.

I tried to sit up. There was less pain than there was from trying to get off the bed but it was still there. Even if I did manage to stand on my own two legs, there was no way I’d be able to make it out of the room before collapsing into a pile of throbbing muscles. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try.

I still had one other card up my sleeve. Sigrun would tear huge chunks off my ass for even attempting it but that was another thing I’d leave for later. Another scream cemented my resolve and I began the ritual.