Chapter 4. The Ghost

"Oh, move away, for the goddess' sake!" the fiery-haired healeress stopped her incantation to glare at sir Kedmon, who loomed over her shoulder as she drew healing runes on his father's torso. "I don't need you to supervise me! Leave the room, or I'll personally kick you out!"

Jules observed her from the corner, peeking from behind his master's back. Now he gaped, his bi-colour eyes following the healeress around Lord Harald's bed. He'd never heard a mage, a man or a woman, addressing a noble in such an abrupt way.

Sir Kedmon stepped back and collided with a young girl with ashen hair that assisted the healeress, knocking a bucket full of water out of her hands. He glanced at the infuriated woman, her dark-green eyes flashing with little flashes of lightning, and hurried out of the chamber.

"Leave it, Evi, and help me here!" she hurried the girl. As she moved, Jules saw the long, deep gush cutting through Lord Harald's torso, stomach and abdomen. His fall had been most unfortunate; having dropped his sword, the old man had fallen onto his own blade. The wound produced more blood than the ashen-haired apprentice healeress could wipe.

"It's bad," the healeress stopped humming the incantation. She tied her fiery locks in an unkempt bun. Then, she took the towel from the girl. "Give me the stitching kit. Disinfect and thread me a needle."

"Do you mind me placing protective runes in the room?" Ravin motioned at Jules to put the bucket away. "Just some simple ones, so they won't interact with yours."

"Go ahead," the woman muttered, her eyes never leaving Lord Harald's chest. "Made them strong. I need you to block the curse. He won't survive another attack."

The hunter gave a sharp nod, taking the rod out of his pocket. It was a piece of long, thin metal with a spiral of magical symbols carved around it. Now, when touched, they shone with golden light.

Approaching the lord's bed, the Ravin brushed past the apprentice healeress helping with the stitches, and ripped the tapestry hanging above the headboard.

"Catch!" having rolled it hastily, he threw it to Jules. The boy grasped the roll, sneezing as a cloud of dust raised from the material. "Put it away somewhere."

The hunter put the tip of the rod against the wall and traced it down the stones. The symbol was made of straight lines, yet complicated, a combination of runes joint together and intertwined. The rod left a golden trace on the stones as the man drew; the gold slowly faded into a dark, reddish shade.

Jules knew the symbol. It was Mothalah. It stood for purity.

He won't stop bleeding," the healeress bent over the Lord with a rod similar to the hunter's one in her hand. "Evi, ran to the infirmary and see if we have any swamper's saliva."

The girl dashed out of the chamber.

"Is he going to make it?" Ravin drew another rune on the opposite wall so that it fronted the first one. Jules observed him cautiously, moving out of his way.

"I don't know. The blade's edge cut deep into his stomach. His vitals are bleeding," the healeress put her rod aside and reached for the cloth to wipe the drying blood. "Kedmon believes there's a curse upon his family. He was really relieved when he heard rumours about you being in the area."

"It's not a curse," Jules chimed in, his eyes tracing the movement of Ravin's hand. "It was a ghost."

Both adults turned toward him; his master frowning, the healeress looking at him with surprise.

"He's my apprentice," the hunter saw the confusion on the woman's face, then turned back toward Jules. "Are you sure? What exactly did you see? And what were you doing by the door in the first place?"

"I saw a shadow and followed it," The heavy aura in the chamber slowly dissipated. The unbearable stink of rotting yielded to a smell of a stale room, and Jules finally allowed himself to take a deep breath. "She wasn't happy when she realised I could see her. She quickly vanished."

"Are you sure it was a she?" Ravin drew the rune on the third wall. "I sensed the ghost's presence but only caught a glimpse of some misty shape."

Jules opened his mouth to respond to him, but then the door burst open.

"Aunt Lara!" the blonde girl stormed inside, panting. "We have no swamper's saliva! And nothing to replace it!"

"Ravin," the healeress reached to touch the hunter's arm. "This is extremely important. I need a swamper's head, as soon as you can get one."

Jules frowned, observing them. The healeress hand rested on his master's arm unnecessarily long, and the hunter didn't seem to mind it. For the five long years, Jules had never seen him sharing an intimate moment with a woman - or anyone in that matter. Now he glanced at the ashen-haired girl, who stared at the adults as puzzled at her mistress' gesture as him.

"You'll have one tonight," the hunter's patted the woman's hand comfortingly. "The ghost is very unlikely to show herself today. She needs to recharge her power before she can attack again."

"Tell Kedmon I'm doing what I can. But don't promise him anything."

The hunter motioned at Jules to follow him, then he felt the chamber. Hurrying after his master, the boy closed the heavy door carefully not to make a noise and trotted to catch up with the man.

"Who was that? Do you know her?" Jules bumped into Ravin as he stopped in the middle of the corridor. "Uh, sorry! But she was-"

"Her name is Lara Dorven. She apprenticed under the castle healer around the same time I apprenticed under Pritchard," the hunter responded shortly.

The name sounded somehow familiar. Jules remembered Rai mentioning Ravin had formed a crush on his childhood friend before he had left Arvene. Was the healer Ravin's first love?

"She's kind of pretty for her age," he grinned a the hunter. "Did you date her?"

"For her age?" seeing his master frown deeply at him, Jules regretted his words. "How old do you think I am, anyway?"

"Well -" Jules' eyes travelled around the corridor as he searched for a safe answer. "It's not fair! You've never told me even when your birthday is, how am I supposed to know?"

"I'll be thirty-four this year." the hunter sighed with irritation. Then, he took a deep breath and composed his features into the blank, severe expression Jules' was used to see. "You'll probably meet Kedmon's wife. We won't talk about the ghost in her presence. She's heavily pregnant and has recently lost her only daughter. I don't want to make her nervous."

"I won't say a word," Jules promised. "So, what do we do now? We can't hunt for swampers before dusk."

"We'll put protective runes in other bedrooms," Ravin took the rod out of his pocket and handed it to Jules. The boy took it gently. It sent a warm shiver down his spine as it connected to his Sixth Sense. "Your turn. Focus and don't hurry."

Behind the door, the chamber was dim. Jules snuck inside behind Ravin, and squinted his eyes as heavy curtains covered all the windows and blocked the sunlight. The walls were upholstered with a tapestry that blended in the shadows. In the far corner, a huge bed was veiled with a canopy

By the fireplace, Lady Arver sat in an armchair, her weak posture wrapped in blankets. As the light of the fire played on her face, the circles under her eyes resembled old bruises. Her dress was loose on her body - except for her belly, on which the cloth seemed ready to rip. On her lap, a small boy with golden hair wiggled while playing with a tiara.

Sir Kedmon and his oldest son stood by the window, talking quietly. Jules scowled at the back of the other boy, but as the two turned around he forced himself to compose his features into a calm expression.

"Ravin, has she told you anything?" Kedmon Arver crossed the chamber in two long steps. "Is he-?"

"Lara's doing what she can," Ravin responded while bowing his head toward the woman. "Lady Arver."

The lady gave the hunter a wary look, embraced the little boy and hugged him tightly to his chest. She gave a short nod, acknowledging the man's presence, then turned away to face the fire. Standing in the shadow behind his master's back, Jules was glad the dimness hid his face like a hood, making his bi-colour eyes hard to notice. He had a feeling it was best for him if the woman didn't discover them.

"Oh, Guinevere," Kedmon Arver approached his wife to rest his hands on her narrow shoulders. "This is Ravin Blake, my childhood friend. I'm sure we can depend on his skills and discretion."

"I don't want a hunter anywhere near Michael," she petted the little boy's hair. "Tell him to do his work and leave."

"Mother is right," the older boy spoke from his position by the window. "If grandfather was healthy, he would never have let a -"

"Arthur, enough," Kedmon Arver cast his son a warning look, then turned toward Ravin with an apologetic smile. "I'll give you a free hand, just bring this nightmare to an end."

"We'll place protective runes around the chamber, then leave Lady Arver to rest," the hunter motioned at Jules and then at the nearest wall. "Start there. Focus and don't hurry."

"Isn't he too young to do this?" Kedmon Arver cast the boy a dubious look.

"He's been living with me for the past five years," Ravin waved at Jules to start working. "These are simple runes, and I guarantee they'll be of the best quality."

"I'll do my best, sir," Jules promised, but the man nodded at him rather reluctantly.

Runes were always his strength; he remembered their shapes easily and he liked sketching. More importantly, he knew Ravin watched him and would correct any mistakes he made.

Jules started drawing, observing with fascination as the cloth of the tapestry burnt under the touch of the rod. He enjoyed the warm feeling of the magic going through his hand. There were only a few lines to add before the symbol was finished.

"A bit further up," Ravin held his wrist and guided his hand. "Just like that."

Jules stuck out the tip of his tongue, focusing. The last line was always the most difficult, as it had to cut the rune directly in half.

"I'm done," he put the rod down. "How does it look?"

"Correctly. You have still three more walls to secure," the hunter turned to his old friend. "Kedmon, I need to speak with you privately if your family will excuse us."