Page 232 of The Lost Ones

“True,” Kysen agrees before continuing, “Or they have them disguised and I can’t locate them observing like this.”

“So that’s something else we will have to deal with when we’re actually there rather than being prepared for it.” Levi mutters not sounding pleased at all.

“Yes and no. I can ask my brothers to bring certain spell stones from the armoury at the academy that should be able to help against most defensive locks and guards.”

“Good, wait until we’re set up in camp first.” Levi orders.

“Got it boss.” Kysen replies, automatically.

“Guys look!” Kai interrupts.

We all re-focus on Ghost not that we could really look anywhere else but we were focusing on the conversation more than where he was taking us. He flies straight towards the castle wall and I brace myself despite knowing that he can ghost through things. Sure enough he disappears through the wall and reforms on the other side staying in his ghosted form and sticking to the shadows. The inside isn’t as bad as the outside of the castle but it definitely hasn’t been well looked after. Beautiful and ornate wallpaper is faded and torn, the paintings haven’t fared much better and the figures within them are unrecognisable. The carpets are ruined and some of the furniture broken and none of it cared for. There are piles of random things along the wide hallway Ghost is currently flying down and it all just looks rather depressing. As he flies through the many and vast hallways its clear to see where the most used area’s are, they are in slightly better condition.

Ghost is still following something that we can’t see and he flies rapidly through the walls of many rooms giving us small glimpses of what’s going on inside. Many are empty but we do fly through a ginormous dining room filled with people eating, drinking and generally just being loud and obnoxious.

Ghost stops going through the hallways suddenly and changes his trajectory so that he’s going down through the floors instead. I see far more of a random guy pounding into a woman, who is clearly faking it, than I really wanted to. As we go down, the castle changes again, from places that although rundown are functioning and clearly meant to be lived in to bare stone walls dripping with water and dark recesses, it gets super creepy.

The dark feeling gets exponentially worse when we drop through a room with screams of terror echoing loudly around it, Ghost moves too fast for any of us to really see anything but all I do see is blood.

So much fucking blood.

“Fuck.” Maverick growls.

Finally Ghost comes to a stop, landing on the floor outside a huge door carved right into the rock of the castle. The wooden door is crossed with heavy bands of black metal and decorated in multiple runes, none of which I recognise. As we study the door two guards appear and take up positions outside the door.

“I don’t know why we still have to guard the fucking thing. Its not like anyone is stupid enough to try and get in and the Centre’s are in no condition to get themselves out.”

“I know but that’s what the boss wants. Do you want to go up against him?”

“Fuck no. Scares the fuck out of me.”

“Me too man.” The other guard chuckles lighting a cigarette.

Fortunately none of them notice Ghost’s ghosted form even though he is directly in front of him.

“Well at least we can be pretty damn certain that they are in there although not in great condition from the sounds of it.” Kysen says. “That door is heavily warded with magic it’s not going to be easy to get into and will probably have to be a joint effort.”

“Alright.” Levi agrees. “Lets get a camp set up and you can get a message to your brothers. Hopefully it’s still early enough that they can get to us before nightfall and with enough time to brief them, that we can get the Centre’s and their Bonded out tonight.”

“Ghost come back before you get caught.” I say feeling like we’ve pushed our luck enough for now.

I watch as he takes flight leaving the castle quickly and my eyesight suddenly returns to normal leaving me feeling completely disorientated. I clutch my head as the world spins, vaguely aware of the guys doing the same.

“Wow, pretty Sage.” Jax murmurs, his vision clearing before mine.

I rub my eyes to finally clear them properly and see that in order to protect us whilst we couldn’t see my magic has weaved a web of purple and black strands over the top of us encasing us in.

“Subtle.” I chuckle.

“I doubt it can be seen from the outside magic is funny like that.” Kysen reassures me.

“Hunt call back the horses and then let’s get a couple of miles away so we can set up camp safely.”

“I don’t need to,” Hunter replies as he gestures to just outside my magical barrier, the horses all graze calmly.

My magic drops the barrier and I slowly get up off the floor my body slightly stiff from staying on the ground for a while. Thankfully it’s not like when I’m in a vision sometimes and time is the same now as it was when we were seeing through Ghost’s eyes. We all get on our horses and Levi leads us through the woods this time keeping a look out for somewhere that’s safe enough for us to rest up and for Kysen to contact his brothers and ask them to help.

“Here should work. Not so far away that it will take us too long to get back but not so close we’re going to be easily found.” Levi says pulling his horse to a stop in a small clearing with a stream running through it.