The Phoenix Chronicles: The Curse of Lustria

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Secret of the Antidote

(NARRATED BY CAMERON SETLER)

Peering around the corner of a building, I saw a large number of people gathered in a horizontal band. They were dressed in old-fashioned clothing from different eras, armed with all kinds of swingable objects.

"How do you suppose we get past them?" Lucia whispered at me.

I withdrew behind the corner. "I was actually hoping you had a plan."

Her shoulders slumped. "Really? You mean to say that you have not thought of anything?"

"Hey! Right back at you, Princess!"

"That is Impretis to you," she muttered, sounding slightly insulted.

Taking another peek at the crowd of spirits, I noticed one of them wipe a bead of sweat from his forehead. It wasn't particularly hot out at the time, so there must've been something else causing it. Then, examining the facial expressions of all his comrades, I realized something:

They were all scared out of their minds.

Turning back to Lucia, I whispered, "I think we can just frighten them away. After all, Veluma did mention that they're afraid of permanently losing their existences."

For a long while, Lucia gave me a look—one that perfectly captured the essence of the phrase, "Are you kidding me?" without actually saying it.

"What?" I finally asked her.

"That idea is... is so..."

"Amazing? Yeah, I know. Now, are you going help me or what?"

"What could I possibly do?" she whispered frantically. "How does one go about frightening a ghost?"

"I'm going to need some theatrical effects. Got any of those?"

"Of course not, you stuletom!"

I shook my head with a sigh. "Guess it's all up to me, then. Wish me luck, Princess."

Before Lucia could react, I shoved the umbriuspex at her and uttered the invisibility spell, "naeveso."

Stepping around the corner as loudly as I could, one of the ghosts asked another in Lustrian, "Hey, did you hear that?" There were a few nervous murmurs about it afterwards, but I was only just getting started.

However, that was when I noticed Lucia come up next to me, having most likely uttered the invisibility spell as well. Looking at her with confusion, I mouthed the words, "What are you doing?"

"Just go with it," she mouthed back. Then, she turned to the ghosts and spoke with a powerful, yet distant voice: "Spirits, why have you betrayed me?"

All of the ghosts were visibly startled. "Queen Lustria," asked one of them, whipping his head around, "is that you?"

"Why have you betrayed me?" the impretis asked yet again, this time with more power.

"We are trying to revive you!" another ghost shouted at the sky. "Is that not what you want?"

Her voice turned cold: "Foolish ones... by raising me, you will destroy the world I created. Do you want my beloved people's blood on your hands?"

This time, none of them answered. They were all scared stiff.

"You shall pay for the damage you have done. My spirit will make sure of that."

Lucia pointed frantically at a rock lying on the street, so I bent over and lifted it slowly. Meanwhile, the impretis went on, "If any of you do not wish to betray me, then you will have fled by the time this rock returns to the ground. This is your final chance." She motioned for me to slowly lower the rock.