Chapter 3: On Location

Stephanie decided to pass the time by freshening up. She stripped out of her traveling clothes and stepped beneath a torrent of hot water. Pulling the band from the base of her braid, she slid it onto her wrist. She untwisted the thick golden strands and combed them apart with her fingers. She could not remember her last decent shower. The water pressure in the RV was terrible. Washing hair took forever and the heat was gone before she finished. Osiris’s shower was a hot hydro massage. She tilted her head back and reveled in the warm ecstasy running over her. Masculine fingers slid through her hair. Her eyes opened and she stared up at Lee. He smiled as he lathered shampoo on her scalp. Smiling she offered her hand. While still massaging her head with one hand he deposited some of the creamy soap they shared into her palm. After rubbing her hands together she slid her fingers through the dark silken strands of his hair. He bent forward so she could reach and took the opportunity to indulge in the taste of her mouth. Replacing the shampoo with body wash, he slid his hands all over her. She returned the favor by washing him. He stopped her when she attempted to climb on for a ride.

“I want to do that in the bed,” he said.

Once they were rinsed off he turned off the water and wrapped one of the white fluffy towels around her. He patted it against her skin until she was dry. After drying himself, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to bed.

“What are you doing?” Stephanie asked as he laid her on the thick spread.

“I want to do this a bit different than usual.”

Usual was fast and hard leaving them both exhausted. Lee's version of of different was slow and tender. Is this making love? She sighed with pleasure.

“I love you.” He whispered.

She wasn’t sure if it was his words or the deliberate slow movements of his body that left her speechless. He kept repeating the words like a mantra as he continued. The tempo of both speech and movement quickened. The final I LOVE YOU was a guttural groan as he lost himself in her. Her body responded, but she did not repeat his words.

Her eyes remained closed but she felt him move off her. He turned her so she lay beside him and rested her head on his chest. When she was able to move she lifted her head and looked out the floor-to-ceiling wall of windows in time to see the sun disappear beneath the horizon. She pushed herself up and looked down at him.

“Why did you do and say what you did?” She asked.

“I wanted you to know how I feel.” Lee sat up and leaned in to kiss her mouth. He paused when she turned away. “It’s okay if you’re not there yet.” He pressed light kisses to her cheek and down her neck. “I can wait.”

What if I never get there? She wanted to ask but didn’t because she knew it would hurt him. He’d changed since she agreed to marry him. Would she have to go through with it? She hoped he’d forget about it, but he seemed to become more affectionate. It wasn’t something she was ready for or was sure she wanted. She got off the bed and moved to the dresser that contained her clothes. As she pulled on clean clothes she watched him dress. He was attractive enough and what he did a few moments ago made her body sing.

Was that enough? Her mind wandered to the blond who sat across the aisle from her during the plane ride. Could he have made her body sing? No, he would make her scream. Too late now. She said she’d marry Lee so unless he backed down it was a done deal.

There was a meal waiting for them when they entered the sitting room area. A man dress in what looked like a black wizard’s robe sat in one of the high-backed chairs. His pale face was framed by dark curls. A matching beard and mustache framed a pair of firm pink lips. His smile revealed to rows of white teeth. Steel grey eyes assessed Lee and roved over Stephanie. He stood and glided to them on feet clad in slippers that matched his robe. He extended a slender fingered hand to them.

“I’m Osiris.” His accent was not English but it was not one Stephanie recognized.

Lee stepped forward and shook Osiris’s hand. “I’m Lee.”

“Welcome,” Osiris said. He turned to Stephanie and offed his hand palm up. “And you must be Stephanie James.”

She nodded and extended her hand to shake but turned it palm down. A frisson of anxiety ran through her as he pressed his lips to her knuckles. Osiris withdrew and motioned to the chairs with plates in front of them.

“Please, sit and eat,” he said. “You must be famished.”

He pulled out one of the chairs and motioned for Stephanie to take it. Lee was left to fend for himself. Osiris sat in the chair between them. She noticed there was no plate for him.

“You’re not eating?” She asked.

“I have already eaten.” He removed the dome covering the plates before them. “Eat before it gets cold.”

The smell of cooked beef and potatoes drew her attention to the plate. A small, round, pink, slab of meat lay before her. Piles of roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables lay on either side of it. The sound of a cork being popped from a bottle made Stephanie look up. Osiris poured dark red liquid from a wine bottle into three metal goblets. He set one in front of her and another before Lee. Taking the third for himself he settled back in his chair and sipped. After seeing him nod in a approval she tasted the wine. It burned her throat on its way down but there was an underlying sweetness. Setting it aside she cut into the meat. The first juicy bite awakened her appetite. Osiris spoke while they ate. He didn’t ask any questions they would have to stop eating to answer. Instead he raved about the videos he’d watched on their channel.

“You two make a wonderful team,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what you will do with this place.”

“We were hoping to look around earlier,” Stephanie said. “But your staff locked us in.”

“I wanted to escort you myself,” Osiris said. “I wouldn’t want you to get lost or injured.”

“Hurt?” Lee chuckled. “From what I’ve seen this place is safer than most of the ones we’ve been to.”

“Most of them are run down and condemned,” Stephanie said.

“Every home has its secrets,” Osiris said. “Besides I wouldn’t want to miss seeing the looks on your faces when you see what I have here.”

“Will you show us tonight?” Stephanie asked.

“When you’ve finished your meal,” Osiris said. After they finished he stood and moved to the door. He paused when they hesitated at the table.
“Leave the plates. One of my servants will take care of them.”

“Mind if I record while we walk?” Lee asked.

“Not at all,” Osiris said. He opened the door and motioned them out ahead of him. “It’s what you came here for.”

He led them through the main hall and up a flight of stairs. After giving them a tour of every room on the second floor, he led them back down to the first.

“Perhaps you would prefer to save this floor for tomorrow?” Osiris asked.

“I’m good to go,” Stephanie said. “We don’t usually go to bed until close to dawn.”

“Something we have in common,” Osiris said. He led them through the rooms of the first floor regaling them with anecdotes and history she did not find in a Google search. Stephanie scribbled on a tablet she brought with her. He paused again at another door in the back of the house.
“This leads to the basement where I do my necromancy.”

“What sort do you do?” Stephanie asked as he pulled a key from beneath his robes.

“Oh, a bit of this and a bit of that,” Osiris said. He pulled open the door and motioned them ahead of him. “Ladies first?”

“Hold on,” Lee said.

“What is wrong?” Osiris asked. “Afraid of the dark?”

“I usually go in first and film her coming in.”

“Very well,” Osiris nodded.

Lee stepped through the door way. Stephanie followed as he stepped backward down a few steps. The room was dark with a few rectangular windows spaced out along the top of the stone walls. Moonlight crisscrossed the dark room. A familiar foreboding slithered up her spine as Lee continued to descend the stairs. She wanted to call out to him to stop but something kep her silent. The closing of the door behind her made her look up over her shoulder. Osiris stood at the top making no effort to follow them.

“Aren’t you coming?” She asked.

“I want you to explore without my influence,” he said.

He did the same thing with all of the other rooms. Why did this one make her nervous? Perhaps because it reminds me of my dream? Her sneakers sunk into the dirt floor. It was fresh soil. Like a…grave?

“There’s nothing down here,” Lee said. He walked further in the room and turned in a circle. His camera lens raised and focused on Osiris.
“What’s the deal?”

“Oh, I assure you there are things down there,” he said.

Lee moved back further into the center of the room. The dirt around him began to shift and heave.

“Lee! Come back to me!” Stephanie called. She pinched herself hoping to wake up. I’m dreaming again. I’m still in bed with Lee and I’m dreaming!

The first scream reached her. Dark slender forms had hold of him and were beginning their feast. The camera lay on the ground at his feet getting trampled. She watched in horror as they drug him to the ground and piled on. Would there be anything left when they were finished? Something inside her urged her forward.

“STOP!” She heard herself call.

The forms on the ground did not seem to hear. Other mounds began forming in the dirt floor. More creatures rose. She could see them now. Pale flesh with oozing wounds. The reek of decay filled her nose. They moved toward her. She looked up toward Osiris. He was leaning on the railing of the stairs watching. His lips curved into a wicked smile.

“You’ll make a lovely addition to my army,” he said.

She looked back to see them closing in. Behind her the other group seemed to be ready for another course. She was surrounded. Something inside her burned. A righteous fury seemed to radiate from her body.

“STAY BACK!” Her hands flew up in reflex. White hot light pulsed from her palms and stunned a few of the closer monsters.

“You don’t have enough skill or energy to stop them all!” Osiris called.

His maniacal cackling cut off as a dark form burst through one of the windows. It rolled through the air and landed between Stephanie and the advancing horde. She recognized him as the blond haired stranger who followed her through the airport.

“NO!” Osiris exclaimed

She looked up just in time to see a pale figure dressed in black push through the door behind him. The Uber driver?! A roar drew her attention back to the blond. His head was now covered in gold scales. Golden spikes stuck out from the top and back. His face was now that of a lizard like creature. Its mouth opened and a gust of fire flew out. His head turned from side to side bathing the oncoming forms in red, orange, and yellow flames. The fled from him like comets. He turn and grabbed Stephanie around the waist. A pair of leathery wings sprouted from his back and opened to their full span.

“Liam!” He called in a guttural roar. Stephanie looked up to see the dark clad pale figure holding Osiris by his robe. His head shot up and he glared at them. His mouth was covered in a thick red liquid. Osiris’s head lulled and she could see the same substance oozing from his neck.

“I’m not finished!” Liam hissed.

“You know you can’t drain him!” The man who held her growled. “Let’s go!”

He tightened his grip around her waist and ran across the dirt floor. As he sprang into the air, his wings buffeted the air propelling them toward the window he crashed through. Something landed on his back but he did not seem to notice. When they landed outside the one called Liam dismounted from the other. He took custody of Stephanie pulling her onto his own back.

“Burn it down, Tomas!” Liam called as he hurried away from the mansion.

“Wait!” Stephanie called. “Lee!”

“He’s gone!” Liam said. “If he lives through the fire, he’ll be one of them!”

Stephanie craned her head to see. Tomas was gone. Flames shot through the windows of the first floor and then the second. A large winged creature burst through the roof and flew toward them.

A dragon?! Stephanie felt her consciousness slip away as Liam sped up. Her eyes closed against the buffeting wind. It’s all just a bad dream. When I wake up we’ll be on the road to one of those haunted castles.

Word Count: 2590

"Character Sketch: Tomas Crichton"