Crimson Shadows - 20. Chapter 20

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As soon as they had gathered the needed items, the group; minus Lien, who was watching the monitors and Marana, who was still out of it, headed for the out buildings to begin the cleansings. While Markus and Kyle waved sage and said a prayer, Kyender and the twins held cameras and audio recorders, taping what was going on. Outside of a lighter feeling in the buildings, there wasn’t much, prompting them to move to cleansing the land. Sobbing, cries of pain and even children laughing danced on the wind as they worked. David smiled and told them that it was the impressions of the past letting go, nothing to worry about at all.

Taking a break to eat a late lunch, check on the two in the living room and change out tapes and chips, the group started to cleanse the house from the attic, quiet giggle s and the sounds of fading foot stops following them. This time, Richard told them that it was the bound souls being let go from whatever binds held them to the land and the house. After the attic was done, they moved onto the second floor, getting growls along with the sounds they were coming to expect, the sweetly sickening scent of decay and blood flooding their noses as they worked from the back of the floor to towards the stairs, a sweet scent of flowers filling the air around them as they finished.

“It seems that your guardian has decided to come help. She looks much like you told me your mix ancestor looked like. Seems she is far from happy with her brother,” David hummed, smiling at the spirit that faintly glowed and stood near them, sweet brown eyes sad as she smiled. “I think she’s been trying to protect her children, her descendants since the day she died,” he continued, watching soft smiles spread onto every ones faces.

“So...we continue on right?” Richard asked, getting a nod.

“You do. Remember when you asked why Lien was watching the monitors and not someone else, Markus?” David asked, digging around his bag as they stood on the steps. “Well, that’s because you guys are a group. You’re used to working cohesively. Lien doesn’t go on all of your hunts, so his energies aren’t balanced with the groups. Maranas is off due to the obsession.” Finding what he wanted, the small male sprinkled a mix of herbs along the top stair, making a barrier against the creatures they were driving out.

“I see,” Markus said, blinking a few times before nodding and lighting a new bundle of sage, the other bundle burning out in a large sea shell. “Let’s continue.”

Moving down the stairs and through the ground level of the house, the group was greeted by even more growls and hisses, the scent of decay and the scent of flowers warring in the air around them. Markus changed the prayer to one that he remembered his mother using, Kyle picking it up with him as the other three muttered their own prayers, the flowers over taking the decay as they reached the basement door. Once more, David laid a layer of herbs down onto the floor on the first step before following them down.

“So, final show down?” Markus asked, getting soft snorts.

:Pretty much,” David chirped happily, getting odd looks from everyone before Markus groaned and shook his head.

“Goody. You’re smoking your herbs along with spreading them,” he muttered, getting laughter from his friends.

“No, more like I got laid, and laid well, before I got called,” was the reply, all of them falling silent before laughing once more. The laughter was greeted with a growl of pure hatred and disgust.

“Ooh, sounds as if we’ve pissed them off,” Richard cooed, eyeing Markus and Kyle. “And to think, Kyle, I wanted to date you. But now, with the nutso ancestor, it makes me wonder.”

“Ah, about that, your dear great -whatever grandmother is mouthing that it’s not just her brother but his master. She calls him the Blood, capital B,” David hummed, sitting down on the stairs.

“Goody. My ancestor is the pet and sex toy of something that isn’t and never was human,” Kyle snorted, Kyender mussing his hair with a smile. “Stop that, man,” the smaller male whined, drawing snickers from his companions.

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They were laughing.

Actually laughing...

They did not know what they were up against otherwise they would have cowered in fear. But here they were, laughing, finding his growls of displeasure funny. Their cleansing was more of a knat buzzing around his head, but the herbal barriers put down by the damn blond was more of a slap to the face, stopping him and his pet from getting past them. Now...they were stuck in the in-between world he had created.

“Everient, there seems to be more to this then expected,” the Blood growled, eyes glowing in disgust, shadows dancing in them.

“Master?” Everient asked as he tried to figure out a way to get them free, pouring over the scrolls they had.

“The blond one, the one laying the herbs, he has power and a lot of it. Somehow he escapes notice because he knows how to hide it,” he drawled, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair as he sat back, turning to look at Everient who was looking on the apprehensive side.

“Master, could he be the Guardian that you rant about on occasion?” the black male asked, far more solid in the in-between world then in the living plane.

“He...could be,” the Blood said slowly, narrowing his eyes as he stood, stalking towards Everient. “They know how to hide, how to lay a misleading trail after all. They’re well trained to do so, so creatures such as the idiots in the lower levels of hell can’t find them, much less beings like me.” Blinking up at his master, the spirit tilted his head before nodding and turning to the mirror that showed what was happening in the basement, the group still laughing and joking as they laid a circle of salt down, getting ready for the last bit of cleansing.

“It looks as if they are planning on a mass, final push,” Everient observed, tilting his head the other way.

“Yes, and it looks as if your sister-lover plans to help. To bad we cannot touch her,” the Blood sighed.

“Yes, to bad,” Everient sighed with, gazing at the sparkling form of his God touched sister-lover, before turning away from her.

She was the past and one he had no interest in; not anymore.