P-Catacombs Chapter 26

Read Table of Content | +Kyla Scurchio
======================================================================= "Come, won't you join us?" said the Acolyte pointing to his companion who had returned to muttering over the Sorcerer's corpse.
I carefully got to my feet keeping a good space between myself and the other mice. I backed against the wall being careful not to make any sudden movements.
"There, that's it." The Acolyte turned to the stone where the Sorcerer lay. As I watched, the flesh of the mouse melted off leaving nothing but bone behind. I held back vomit as I stared appalled. Both Acolytes carefully re-clothed the dead mouse. Replacing its old red robes with blue fabric that draped over the bones in layers. They then strung a belt around the middle and fastened a jagged blade to
it. Last they lifted the dusty book from the floor and placed it carefully back into the mouse's paws. The book looked all too familiar.
I tore my eyes away from it quickly when I noticed an Acolyte watching me carefully.
"The Forgotten Book, Plankrun. I do believe you are familiar with it, or should I say, one edition of it. You see, there are three in the set. One was stolen from us on the high seas. Do you know where it may have, vanished to?" he asked coldly.
I stayed silent. Though my pockets were weightless I suddenly felt the full weight of the old dusty volume.
"Come now Plankrun, we can’t be having that."
Suddenly, even though we were feet apart, I felt a hand close over my throat. Tighter the invisible force squeezed until I could no longer breathe. I gripped at my throat trying to tear away the hands that weren't there. The Acolyte lowered his robed arm and the force vanished from around my throat, leaving me gasping for air.
"I don’t know where he is, if that's what you are asking." I said hoarsely. I could hear the hatred in my voice as I spat on the ground at the Acolytes feet.
"No matter, my Lich will soon be able to tell me all I need to know. Won't you welcome him in his rebirth?"
As I looked over at the stone slab, the once dead mouse began to rise from it. The robes fell to his feet and he clutched the book to his body as if cradling a young child. His boney hands opened his volume, flipping through it briefly as the Acolytes looked on.
"He is not meant to be here." said the Lich with an odd echo in his voice. The mouse clearly was being forced to remain on this plane of existence. He was being tethered here by the use of dark magic. I was beginning to hate magic.
“He followed us old friend." said the acolyte defensively.
"Leave him masters. We have work to do. Where is the Wight mouse?"
"Filling his staff with the life essence of useless rodents. Perhaps he would like to have a taste of our human friend here?" the mice laughed darkly together before exiting the chamber.
I felt my heart hammering in my chest. I needed a plan. I walked over to the stone slab, intrigued by the tiny designs upon it. Small runes were etched into the stone. More magic. And then I had a thought. I grinned to myself as I flipped open my book to the shrinking spell I had found in it the night before. Carefully and quietly I muttered the words over the stone and to my astonishment the slab began to shrink; smaller and smaller until it would easily slip into my pocket.
"Let's make a trap shall we." I muttered to myself grinning.