A Drop Of Haunted Blood

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Sixth Ghost

The power Felix had in the Kodiak bear's body was overwhelming. He chased Ernest through the halls of the mansion, momentarily forgetting everything but the unbelievable strength and speed he had now. His exhaustion and even his pain had fallen to the back of his mind.

Ernest looked back over his shoulder and lifted the Ironwood Wand. That was a mistake. With one swipe of his paw, Felix knocked the wand aside. As it clattered against the ground, some part of him thought he should grab it, but then Ernest was running again and that was all he could focus on.

Felix took the next corner too quickly and slammed into the wall hard enough to send a painting tumbling to the floor. He pushed forward, driving Ernest through an archway into a room. A dead end. He had Ernest cornered.

Ernest unleashed a blast of wind, but it wasn't strong enough to move Felix. He was losing strength.

Footsteps sounded from the direction of the doorway. Ernest glared past Felix at the newcomer. "Took you long enough."

The distraction caused Felix to lose his hold on the bear form. He shrank back into a human as he whirled around. A jolt of fear shot through him.

The necromancer stopped in the middle of the room and laughed. "We meet again." He wore the same long white coat he had the night he attacked Felix and Jace, but the hood was down to expose his short curls of white hair.

"You," Felix hissed.

"The name's Hugo Underwood."

"Enough talk, Hugo," Ernest snapped. "I want the boy dead."

Hugo clicked his tongue. "If you wanted him dead, you should have done a better job. I'm not killing him."

"If we take him alive, we'll regret it."

Cold laughter echoed around the room. "Ernest, you think too small. We don't need to kill him to stop him from being a threat." A wicked grin crossed Hugo's face. "He doesn't need his legs and arms to live, now does he?"

Ernest lifted an eyebrow. "Fine. He's all yours. I have to go find the wand, anyway."

"Not so fast!" Felix flung out an arm. A bear arm, lined with brown fur and ending in sharp claws. He tried to reshape the rest of his body to match, but his form remained firmly human.

Hugo chuckled. "Oh, I have the perfect match for you." He turned and assessed the room's decor. "Taxidermy animals are harder to animate. All that stuffing puts them in this strange gray area between dead and inanimate. But I think I can—"

Ernest's hands twitched at his sides. "Just shut up and do your job so I can get out of here!"

Two peacocks perched atop bookshelves took to the air and swooped at Felix. Felix knocked them aside with his bear hand and raced toward Hugo.

"What's with all these scars?" Felix asked as he slashed at Hugo's face.

Hugo ducked. "Bit rude to ask about that."

"Bit rude to try to kill me." Felix swung and missed again.

Hugo laughed. "These scars are a gift from your friend Archer. One of these days, I'm going to repay the favor."

Ernest attempted to run past Felix. Felix's other arm took on the bear's form as he leapt into Ernest's path. He grabbed the man's shoulders, and the two stumbled a few steps while Felix let his claws sink into skin. He picked Ernest up and threw him into the closest wall.

Hugo, meanwhile, brought a small bobcat to life and sent it after Felix. It pounced on him and knocked him on his back. The remaining few animals in the room joined the fray as Felix struggled to fight it off.