Ghost Light

“Legend has it that the flute was forged in the fires of Hell,” Gaius said.  “The instrument allows the user to compel any creature, alive or dead, to join the Danse Macabre.  This dance is a perversion of the endless dance favored by faeries and uses demonic magic to animate the dead.”  A second vamp hissed, flashing fang.  “While dancing hand in hand with the dead, the souls of living victims are pulled down to Hell.  The life essence left behind is carried away on the music and absorbed into The Piper, sustaining his false immortality.”

More vamps hissed and gripped the table.  Apparently, the hypocrites didn’t like anyone else animating the dead or cheating death.  Good to know.

“How can I stop the Danse Macabre?” I asked.

“That knowledge is hidden from us,” he said.

Damn.  Okay, I now knew what The Piper was up to and how he would make it happen.  But I still needed to know where the Danse Macabre would take place and how to stop it.

“Any idea where I can find The Piper?” I asked.

“No, but he will need a location of power near a resting place of the dead,” he said.

I nodded deeply, but didn’t bow.

“I thank the council for answers to my questions,” I said.  “Call when you have a case for me.”

I stepped forward and placed a business card on the stone table.

“Oh, we will,” he said.

Sinister laughter followed us as we strode out of the chamber.

Chapter 16

I exited the banquet hall and stopped, letting my eyes adjust to the dim light.  Gerald stayed inside the council chamber, adding his chuckles to the chorus of creepy vampire laughter.  I wondered briefly if we were expected to let ourselves out.

No such luck.

We were met in the hallway by the master’s pet ghoul, Stinky.  I’d given the ghoul the nickname on my first visit.  He’d been ripe and falling apart months ago.  Now Stinky more than lived up to his name.

I pinched my nose and moaned.  Ceff snickered, but his skin paled as the doors closed behind us, making the stench grow tenfold.

Stinky shuffled along, leaving behind a trail of putrid slime.  I dodged the foul liquid, wishing I could get ahead of the ghoul.  But the narrow passageway didn’t allow for much elbow room, and I wasn’t sure how Stinky would react if I tried to hustle past.

If I couldn’t run up ahead, then maybe I could get Stinky to speed things up.

“Um, hey, we’re in a big hurry,” I said.  Talking?  Big mistake.  My mouth filled with the stench of decomposing ghoul.  I covered my mouth and mumbled.  “Can we pick up the pace a little?”

Stinky shrugged, the movement accompanied by the wet sound of flesh pulling off bone.  I wasn’t going to eat meat for a week.  The ghoul didn’t look back at us, but he did try to move faster.  Unfortunately, that meant leaving more than a trail of liquid in his path.

“Careful of the toe,” Ceff said through clenched teeth.

I dodged the chunk of rotting flesh and shook my head.

“That’s toe-tally gross,” I said.

I have a habit of making bad puns when I’m stressed and overtired.  Ceff raised an eyebrow and I started to laugh.  I choked on the intake of air and gagged, covering my mouth with a gloved hand.

I now had one hand over my mouth and the other pinching my nose.  The position left me feeling exposed, the back of my neck tingling.  I hoped that I wouldn’t need to go for my weapons.   I snuck a look over my shoulder, but the tunnel behind us was empty.  The only movement was our shadows dancing on the walls.  Our biggest threat was slipping in something nasty.  I turned back toward Stinky, careful to watch my step.

I had to hand it to the ghoul, he was really trying.  Stinky shuffled along at a near gallop, his gooey feet slapping on the stone floor.  We made it to the exit in minutes.

At the top of the tunnel-like hallway, Stinky lifted a large ring of keys and unlocked the door to the outside.  There was definitely something creepy about having the keyhole on the inside, so visitors couldn’t escape.  Thankfully, the ghoul had been given orders to let us out.

The key turned in the lock and Ceff and I rushed out the door into fresh night air.  I wanted to gulp in air like a kid drinks juice, but instead I turned to Stinky and forced a smile.

“Thanks for rushing,” I said.  “I appreciate it.”

I tried to meet Stinky’s eyes and fought to keep disgust and pity off my face.  The ghoul’s owner obviously didn’t take care of his servants with regular feedings and yet Stinky had done his best to comply with my request for speed.

Too bad his body wasn’t up to the task.

Stinky looked down at his abdomen as something started emitting a hissing sound.  He was terribly bloated.  The ghoul’s distended belly started to move beneath the threadbare dress shirt he’d been buried in.  Before I could duck for cover, the buttons of his shirt shot free of the fabric, leaving gray flesh exposed—and then Stinky exploded.

A buildup of stomach gasses had filled Stinky’s abdomen like a corpse balloon.  And when that balloon popped, it projected liquefied, rotten flesh all down the front of me.