"Why didn't you give us the full rundown?" Newel asked when Seth had finished.
"I figured I'd wait until we were all together," Seth said tactfully.
"So we need to set up some wraith guards, catch a leprechaun, and get off the preserve before sundown," Vanessa summarized.
"Those would be the first steps," Seth agreed.
"Have you any idea how perilous it will be to visit the Singing Sisters?" Vanessa said.
"Not entirely," Seth replied. "Do you have a better plan?"
She stared at him silently. "I wish I did. We're so close to utter defeat that the reckless schemes Patton proposed probably do represent our best hope for success. But that only holds true because we basically have no chance for victory. We are talking about pulling off multiple miracles before we earn even a small chance of slightly harassing these demons."
"You don't have to help," Seth said, a little crestfallen.
"I'll help," Vanessa said. "It would be criminal to let you attempt this alone. Any chance of saving the world is worth pursuing. I don't want to crush your faith in the plan. It does offer a glimmer of hope, which we would otherwise lack. Who knows? With luck, Kendra, Warren, and your hornless unicorn friend may find unforeseeable ways to be useful at Living Mirage. And if the new dynamics of the situation are forcing the Sphinx to work against the Society, we may have acquired a very powerful ally. That said, I want to make sure we're all clear that we're probably marching to our deaths."
Newel raised a finger. "Doren and I actually have an escape clause. We're free to withdraw our support and flee at any time."
Vanessa gave him an incredulous glance. "Keep in mind that by the time you know you should flee, it will probably be too late."
"Noted," Newel said.
"Seth will be doing the most dangerous work," Vanessa went on. "If he falls, we'll all cut and run."
"No more cheerful thoughts," Seth said. "All this optimism is giving me a headache. Now, I want to know if a wraith can beat up a bunch of centaurs."
"A wraith in the sunlight would fall to centaurs," Vanessa said. "But in the dark, or underground, or in a building, a hundred centaurs would retreat from a wraith."
"Then I need to go to the Hall of Dread," Seth said. "Can you help me figure out which ones are wraiths?"
"I can."
Seth led the way to the bloodred door. Although they had to walk some hallways and round a couple of corners, the Hall of Dread seemed much nearer to the Quiet Box than it had before his time at Living Mirage. The instructions from Patton explained that he had to say some words before turning the key to open the door to the Hall of Dread. Seth opened the letter and found the words. They were not in English.
"Can you read these?" he asked Vanessa.
She peered at the letter. "Yes. Give me the key." She inserted the key into the keyhole, placed a palm against the door, muttered a few incomprehensible words, turned the key, and pushed the door open. She handed Seth the key and the letter.
The air in the hall felt chilly.
"We'll stand guard out here," Newel said stoutly.
Vanessa gave him a knowing look. "Probably for the best." Newel avoided eye contact. Seth and Vanessa entered the hall. "I feel strong presences here," Vanessa said.
"How can you tell the difference between the dark creatures?" Seth inquired. He could hear them whispering about hunger and thirst, pain and loneliness.
"Experience, mostly," she said. "There are two basic types of restless beings: corporeal and ethereal. The corporeal entities have a physical form, like wights and liches and zombies. The ethereal beings are more ghostly, like specters or phantoms or shades."
"I can hear them gibbering," Seth said. "I've spoken to one of these prisoners before. It offered to serve me."
"Might be a good place to start," Vanessa said.
Seth hurried down the hall, passing many doors on either side. Forlorn voices babbled in the darkness. He paused at the last door on the left. Ahead was the blank wall where a secret passage could take them farther.
"I've returned," Seth said, facing the door.
The other voices went silent.
"I have been waiting, Great One," came the attentive response. "How may I serve you?"
Seth turned to Vanessa. "Can you hear him?" She shook her head. She looked pale. "Can you tell me what he is?"
She edged stiffly forward and peeked through the peephole. Seth assumed she was feeling the effects of the magical fear to which he was immune. She backed away. "Jackpot," she said. "It's a wraith. A strong one. Be sure it is bound by oath to serve you or we will all perish together."
"I will be your greatest servant, Strong One," the wraith promised.
"I could use your help," Seth said. "I need a, um, servant to stand guard over this dungeon. Any who draw too near would be yours to claim."
"Let me perform this duty," the wraith asked fervently.
"You would have to leave those who belong to this house unharmed, like my grandparents or my sister."
"I sense your intent. I understand."
"You would have to return to this cell upon my command."
"Yes, yes, anything you ask. Release me and I am yours."
"Swear to do these tasks and to follow my orders in all things," Seth said.
"By solemn covenant, I swear fealty to you, Wise One. I vow to obey word and spirit of all your commands."
Seth glanced at Vanessa. "I think he swore. He seems really eager."
Her brow twitched. "Make sure he's alone in there."
"Are you alone in that cell?" Seth asked.
There came a pause. "I am not alone. Two of my lesser brethren accompany me in my confinement."
Chills tingled down Seth's back. It had been a trap! One wraith swearing loyalty while two others waited in ambush. In the end, with the "master" killed by the unsworn wraiths, they would all have gone free!
Seth had to seem in control. "Would the other wraiths care to serve me?"
"They would serve you," came the reply. The eagerness was gone.
"I would send one of them to protect the old manor. The other to protect the stables and the livestock. They would be under the same terms and conditions as the first."
"I pledge fealty, and to perform your commands," affirmed a new voice.
"I pledge fealty, and to embody your commands," promised another new voice.