Second Prophecy

As the darkness unfolded, Pancha felt another wave hit her mind. She could only heard loud whistling around her head. The image didn’t last over a minute, but she saw enough. The wind-chi raced into the beach house.

“Mistress!” she shouted. “Mistress!” Pancha made her way to the hidden chamber under the house. “He has spoken to me!” A face peeked out from the dark curtains.

“Did you see it?” she asked.

“Yes, mistress!” Pancha said in one breath.

“Do you know where he left it?”

“It was rather hazy to be honest.” Pancha bowed her head. “I am so sorry.” The face stepped forward from the curtains.

“You have done well, my child,” she said. “Take me to where he buried the other key.” Pancha led the ghost down the narrow pathway under the house.

“He told me to walk all the way to the door on the other side,” she said. The guardian picked up the pace as if someone had pushed her. A low thump rang in her ears.

“It’s close!” she cried. “I can feel it!” Pancha reached out for the door just up ahead. Her legs stopped moving when she touched the thick wood in front of her. The thumping traveled to her heart. Pancha drew in deep breathes. She battled to regain control of her body to open the door. Once inside, she tapped her floor around for the right stone.

Sing to me, she commanded in her mind. A high-pitched hum filled her ears again. Pancha’s eyes glowed blue as she walked to the block in the center. She got down on her knees and pulled it out. Kaze-san came up beside her.

“Here it is!” she said. Pancha pulled out a small dark wooden box. She rested her hand over the lid and the lock popped open. Kaze-san hovered over as Pancha reached inside.

“A scroll?” her hand maiden asked. She looked up at her mistress. “What is he trying to tell us, my lady?”

“Open it!”

“Okay, okay! Please calm down, my lady.”

“We don’t have much time.”

“I am aware of this.” Pancha pulled the gold string holding the scroll together. At first, the scroll unrolled, blank. The guardian narrowed her eyes.

“Is this the right scroll, my lady?”

“Give it a minute,” Kaze-san told her. Words began to form on the paper. Pancha’s jaw dropped.

“How did…?” she asked, trailing off.

“What does it say?” the ghost asked. The hand maiden read to herself at first.

“It says, when my darling falls, she will be lost in the darkness,” she read back aloud. “Only I can reach her, but not with words. Even then, she will never be the same.” Pancha turned to her mistress. “What does this mean?”

Kaze-san clenched her fists at her sides. “I knew it would come to this,” she muttered under her breath.

“What?” Pancha asked. Kaze-san turned and floated away back to the house.

“Mistress?” the guardian asked. The ghost didn’t like where this was headed. Spike, please don’t fail my darlings, she thought. For now, they could only stand by and watch for what would happen next.

The standoff raged on in the living room on Mars.