A Drop Of Haunted Blood

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Ernest Abernathy's Stupidly Large Mansion

The spider carried the three with surprising speed. They had to fend off a few poltergeists on their way to the surface, but once they were out of the tunnels and off castle grounds, it was an easy ride to Ernest's house.

Well, easy was relative. Felix's hoodie was not enough to shield him from the chill of racing through the night, and the ride was bouncy as hell, but at least monsters weren't trying to kill them. Yet.

It felt like much longer than half an hour before the spider slowed. It stopped at the edge of the forest they'd traveled through and waited for them to climb off. Moments after Felix's feet hit the ground, the spider scurried back the way they'd come.

"So much for a ride back," Mason said.

"Let's worry about that later." Felix moved to the tree line and peered through to the other side.

A disgustingly extravagant mansion sat at the center of a sprawling green lawn. The long driveway leading up to the front was packed with cars. Felix could just make out figures moving in the warm glow spilling from the front windows.

"As far as I can tell, no one's screaming or dying," he said.

"Good. Let's look for the wand." Mason cautiously raised a hand to the air at the edge of the lawn. Nothing happened. "Maybe the wards are closer to the house. Let's circle around and approach from the back. I'll get the masking spell ready."

Before they crossed the backyard, Mason dug the supplies from the witch shop out of his bag and laid them in a careful formation. The crystals formed a triangle, and Mason had each of the three stand at one of the points. He piled the bone fragments in the middle, sprinkled ash over them, and muttered a few words under his breath as he pointed the wand at the setup.

"I used the crystals as an anchor point," Mason said. "Hold onto yours, and it will keep your energy hidden."

Felix picked up his crystal and slid it into his pocket. He and the others stepped out of the cover of the forest and started across the lawn.

They made it all the way to the house without running into any barriers.

"It doesn't make any sense," Mason muttered. "There's no way Ernest would leave his house open to monsters, even if he does have some obeying his orders. He's not stupid enough to leave himself vulnerable."

Arisa tried the handle to the back door they'd stopped next to. "Can I animate the door to unlock it?" she asked.

"As long as you un-animate it when you're done," Mason said. "Once we're inside, avoid using magic as much as possible."

The door clicked and swung open. Mason entered without hesitation. Arisa followed. Felix had to take a deep breath to steel himself before crossing over the threshold into Ernest's house.

Arisa waved her hand, and the door eased shut behind them.

"What do we do now?" Felix asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"We should look for Hana," Arisa said. "Or Kendra."

"We should try to find the wand." Mason's eyes scanned the quiet hall ahead of them. "Once we have it, we'll have the upper hand if Ernest tries anything."

"I guess," Arisa muttered.

"Plus, once someone sees us, it's over," Felix said. "No more element of surprise."

Mason nodded. "As long as we stay away from the room where the party is, we can sneak around and see what's happening before we do anything stupid."

"Investigate now, do something stupid later," Arisa said. "Got it."