The Vessel of Ra

Chapter 21: The Exorcism

"Welcome to my home," Lucy said. She blasted the front gates off their hinges.

Khun sniffed the air. "Blood. Plenty of blood." He bounded up the stairs to the garden two at a time. Lucy started to follow, but Carlo barred her way with an arm.

Paolo glanced upward, his eyes following Khun. "What do you suppose happened here?"

Carlo followed his grandfather's gaze. "Lucy's father's is dead. His demon disappeared while I was stealing the scroll."

"Not necessarily," said Lucy. "Ask your grandfather about death and certainty."

"I concede your point, Lucia," said Paolo.

At the top of the stairs, Khun crouched over Caius Klaereon, whose face was a mask of agony. There was a hole in his chest. "Octavia did this," said Khun, trying out the words to see if he believed them.

"I didn't think Father had a heart," said Lucy, her voice level. "Certainly I see nothing inside him. There is no time to waste. We must find Octavia."

Carlo fidgeted. He didn't know what he could do to comfort her. "How terrible," said Carlo to Paolo. "How must she feel."

"She is not even concerned," said Paolo, only so Carlo could hear. "One sister is now as dangerous as the other. We should leave them to deal with their own problems."

Carlo shook his head. "You know I can't. We caused their problems."

"Not necessarily."

Carlo ground his teeth.

"If you will not go, I will stay as well," Paolo declared.

"Maybe you shouldn't. Lucy wants to kill you."

"She's not the first person who has wanted to do that, and I doubt she will be the last. Since you're going to stay, I want to see how all this turns out."

They left the garden and followed Lucy through the destroyed entryway. Khun nimbly navigated the rubble, but Lucy, Carlo, and Paolo picked around the debris. A maelstrom had swept through the hallway and splintered furniture and windows into fragments. Shadows floated around them like fog, leaving a space around Carlo, homage to the Solomon Scroll he carried.

"Ra is unhappy," said Paolo, surveying the damage.

Lucy led them into the gallery, bleached Binders mingling with portraits of other magicians from all lands. The Binders looked like vampires, ghouls; anything but human.

Lucy crossed to the other wall, dominated by a desert landscape. Carlo recognized Erasmus' Temple. Lucy touched the wall. Something clicked and the wall opened, revealing a secret passage.

"Where are we going?" asked Carlo.

Khun's hooves clicked beside Lucy on the stone of the passageway.

"This is the way to the scroll chamber. You did not use it before?"

Carlo shook his head. "I took a short cut by way of efrit." They moved down the passage to the impossible scroll chamber.

Paolo let out a low whistle. "No wonder you weren't impressed by my library, Miss Lucia."

"I can feel they are here," said Khun. "I will beat Ra to a pulp."

"You are not allowed to hurt Ra, not until we find out if Octavia can be saved." Lucy spoke without turning around. "Anything that helps me capture Ra will be useful. Khun, your main purpose will be to take Octavia to Trial."

"About that...?" said Carlo.

"Going to pull another impossibility out of an empty hat?" asked Paolo.