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Heavily wooded, Larrabee State Park encapsulated Western Washington scenery in a compact package, including two beautiful mountain lakes—Fragrance Lake and Lost Lake. It was a beautiful spot, incredibly scenic, and it gave a taste of the wilderness and the mountains in an easily accessible place.
As we drove south from Moonshadow Bay, I told Rowan about the reports that Tad had shown me.
“It sounds like we may be up against something formidable,” she said.
“I’m just surprised that the Covenant of Chaos chose that spot.
Well, if they did choose it. We still don’t know if they’re keeping her there.
” I stared out the window, thinking about my life choices.
I was headed to a former asylum for deathly ill people, which was apparently Ground Zero for everything from zombies to ghosts to cryptids.
Toss in the Covenant of Chaos and Cú Chulainn’s Hounds, and we had a recipe for disaster on our hands.
“I’m pretty sure that’s where we’ll find her,” Kerris said.
“I can’t think of many other places they could keep her captive.
There’s something about the magic of Pest Houses that traps the dead.
That’s why there are so many ghosts around most of them—the very energy of the house reaches out and absorbs them into its being.
Kind of like flypaper, when you think about it. ”
I grimaced. “Well, that’s an image. But I think I know what you mean.
When I first returned to Moonshadow Bay and I was hired by Conjure Ink, the first case that we investigated was an old asylum filled with ghosts and astral creatures.
It was as though they were drawn there. We found a land wight had burrowed beneath it. And that’s what kept them trapped.”
“A land wight? Are land wights attracted to chaotic places? Because it makes me want to check on the Pest House at home to find out if there’s one there.”
We both looked at Rowan, who kept her eyes on the road as she spoke.
“That’s a definite possibility,” she said. “Land wights aren’t like elementals, not in the true sense of the word. They are creatures that act like a vortex, and they trap chaotic energy and astral energy.”
“Are there fire wights and water wights?” Kerris asked. “Air wights?”
Rowan shook her head. “No, not in the sense of what a true wight is. But there are other types of creatures for the different elements that play the same role. They are far fewer in number, though, and usually you don’t find them on land.
I’m not even sure what their true names are. And I work with fire magic.”
“I’d really like to learn more about witchcraft.
I know several witches over in Whisper Hollow, but we’re not exactly on the best of terms. There’s a lot of dark magic over there, and while I know a few good witches, Magda kind of overshadows everything.
” Kerris let out a sigh. “You’d think that all of the shadow towns would have meetings occasionally, at least the ones around here. Like a conference of sorts.”
“We should start reaching out,” I said. “Maybe send invitations to our festivals to the different towns. After all, we’re sister cities, all watched over by the Court Magika.”
At that moment, Rowan made a left turn into the park.
Immediately, we were swallowed up by dense woodlands on both sides.
The state parks in Western Washington all had a similar feel: an energy that felt both ancient, yet new and volatile.
The woods felt like they were from out of some prehistoric rainforest, yet the fact that we were connected to a vast string of volcanoes running the length of the coastline, infused every tree, every inch of ground, every stone with a feeling of volatility.
The ring of fire encircled the world, and a number of the volcanoes in our area were still alive.
They might be asleep, but they could waken any day and roar to life, just like Mount Saint Helens had in 1980.
About a mile in, a small driveway veered to the left.
A sign posted on the edge of the road indicated that it was the turnoff to the Wildcat Cove Pest House.
Rowan made a left, slowing her speed to the five-mile-per-hour limit.
A couple minutes later we came into a clearing with a weathered four-story house up front, and several side buildings to the left and right.
I could see that beyond the house was a cemetery.
“Well, it looks like we’re here,” Rowan said. “Nobody split up. I know that there’s a groundskeeper here, but the last thing we want is for one of us to attract the attention of some of the nasties that may live here.”
The rain had backed off, and a sliver of sun shimmered through the clouds.
But as it reflected off the raindrops covering the grass and trees, the diffused light managed to make everything about the house more eerie.
I glanced up at the top floor, feeling like something was watching me from one of the windows.
“Well, they certainly kept this up better than they did the one in Whisper Hollow.” Kerris shook her head.
“I understand the historical significance of maintaining this place, but I think they should all be brought down—raze them to the ground and then salt the earth. There are so many unsettled spirits around these places. People might realize how uncomfortable they are around Pest Houses, but they can’t think of why. ”
“I agree,” Rowan said. “Who owns this place?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea. In fact, I did a little more research. Apparently, the state tried to buy the land from the owners before it was made into a park, and the owners refused. The house passed down through the family for years, and then, in a couple years ago, it was sold to a private company. I can’t find a record of who bought it.
That’s when the tours started. I do know there is someone on-site at all times, but I couldn’t find his name. Or her name.”
I looked around the small parking lot that surrounded the house.
There were two other cars in sight. From where we stood, I could see a couple out in the cemetery, looking around.
The man was kneeling by a gravestone, while the woman stood nearby, her arms folded against the stiff breeze that had sprung up.
“Shall we go inside?” Kerris asked. “We’re going to have to pretend to be tourists, but I know that we’ll have to sneak around in order to find Penelope.
They aren’t going to keep her front and center.
If the Covenant of Chaos and Cú Chulainn’s Hounds have trapped her here, they can’t do so in plain sight.
So she’ll have to be hidden. My guess is that she’s in some mausoleum out in the cemetery, given she lives in a tomb at home. ”
We headed toward the house. It was colonial in style, with a wraparound porch and what looked like Corinthian columns spaced along the front. I hadn’t expected it to be red brick, but it was. The brick was weathered.
The second, third, and fourth stories were lined with windows.
I supposed that made it a mansion, given the size of it.
How many people had it housed during its heyday?
How many people had died from the myriad diseases that were fatal back then?
If I closed my eyes, I could hear the sound of women and children crying, and men cursing.
It was a dark house, with a dark soul, forged through pain and loss.
Shaking my head, I tried to pull out of the mood. The energy was overwhelming and I felt smothered. I drew closer to Rowan, not wanting to go anywhere alone. I noticed that Kerris did the same. Her gaze darted from side to side, taking in every detail.
“I don’t like this place,” I whispered as we climbed the front porch. It was obvious that the porch had been restored, but it didn’t look modern.
“I don’t like it either,” Rowan said. “There are far more shadows here than I first thought. It feels like something is keeping them agitated.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Kerris said. “Haunted houses bring in a lot of traffic, from wannabe ghost hunters to thrill seekers. And that agitates the dead. They don’t like being used as a spectacle. Some of the haunted house events use the dead in that way, and it never ends well.”
“I can believe that,” I said. “Well, shall we get on with it? Pay attention to whoever’s at the desk—we have no idea if they’re an innocent employee or working for the Covenant of Chaos.”
I put my hand on the doorknob, then—after taking a deep breath—I opened the door and stepped inside.