Chapter Fourteen

Dust flew up around Mai as Monk, John, and Lin broke the wall of the lounge apart. She had been feeling anxious since the first crack appeared in the wall. The others were crowded around her, watching the guys tear through plaster and brick, no words and even the barest whisper of air passing their lips.

The atmosphere in the house had taken on a thicker pressure. Mai felt as if it were pushing her into the ground and not for the first time wondered if Shuuhei had anything to do with the sudden increase in density. She was well aware that this time everyone could feel the stifling presence of the unwanted guest, eyes boring infuriated holes into their backs as they worked.

She didn't even realise when the boy had made himself known to the others, until she noticed them shooting wary looks toward the hallway. All except for Naru, of course. He had already taken measures to ensure their safety by making sure the spirit couldn't enter the lounge area.

She silently applauded his extraordinary intuition even though she knew part of the reason why he was successful was because of the very same thing. Still, she couldn't help but acknowledge it as she knew the others were silently doing, even though Naru himself hadn't claimed credit for it. They knew where it was due.

Mai ignored the particularly evil glare aimed at her and focused instead on the guys. Naru had gotten ahold of the original blueprints of the house from Madoka after the one she initially supplied them with didn't showcase any hidden areas under the house. In the original, there was a space beneath the lounge large enough to hold a grave and then some. Naru figured that the people who had buried Ammit must have changed the blueprints to erase the existence of the area. They probably hadn't wanted her getting out, due to someone else's meddling, unintentional or not.

Monk had taken off his jacket and Lin had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his forearms. Even with the three of them it took the better part of half an hour to clear away an upper portion of the wall. Naru stepped past them to peer into the darkness. Mai held her breath when he stuck his entire upper body through the hole.

"Hand me a flash light," he said, his head still in the darkness. He held out a hand, waiting until Lin placed one in it.

Mai watched as Naru's long fingers curled around the base of the flash light, watched as his thumb flicked the switch to turn it on, and then watched as it too, disappeared into the darkness, the span of the light not highlighting very much, not from where she was standing.

"What do you see?" she asked, not recognising the high pitch her voice had taken. She cleared her throat after Ayako shot her a look, hoping the other woman wouldn't notice the high colour in her cheeks.

Suddenly Naru's entire body silently disappeared into the wall. A collective gasp of anxiety burst forth as everyone raced toward the wall. Mai was the first, shouting Naru's name into the darkness. The sudden reappearance of his usually bland face tinged with the slightest annoyance made Mai stumble back into Monk.

"What is it?" he asked. Although he was able to keep his facial expression to a minimum he was unable to suppress the irritation in his voice.

Mai bit back a smile, relieved nothing had happened to him. She stepped forward and peered into the wall.

"Did you find anything?" she asked.

"I found a trapdoor covered by a Devil's Trap," he said. "It's a bit more to the left side of the wall. We may have miscalculated its exact location."

"You mean you miscalculated," she heard Monk mutter and had to bite the inside of her lip to suppress another smile. It was getting harder to do so but she didn't think Naru would appreciate it in their current predicament.

"I must warn you all. This Devil's Trap is sealing off the only entrance and exit to this chamber. The reason why Ammit hasn't physically come out to antagonize us is because of this. I reiterate this strongly, no matter how powerful she is she can't break a Devil's Trap, nor can she dilute its power. It is absolute. Clearly the men who caged her in were extra cautious. A double Devil's Trap is no joke. Anything can happen once we break it, so please, be very wary. We still don't know the full extent of her power."

Naru's gaze flicked to Mai and she knew instantly what he was silently asking her. Her body trembled with fear because she knew once the trapdoor was opened she was fair game. But she still shook her head. She would not back down. Naru inclined his head slightly in her direction, acknowledging her final decision. Then he faced Lin.

"I need a crowbar. Could you get one and join me in here. The rest of you wait here. I will let you know as soon as we're ready."

"Be careful," Mai said softly. She didn't think he had heard her but when Lin was inside the wall and following Naru to the trapdoor she heard his voice float back to her and this time she couldn't hold back her smile.

"Always am."

Naru brushed a cobweb clinging tenaciously to his hair. The dense heat between the walls was making perspiration bead on his forehead. He wiped it off with the back of his hand and shrugged off his jacket.

"This heat is diabolical," he heard Lin mutter.

They shifted in silence between the walls. The space wasn't big enough for two people to walk side by side. Naru spared a glance above them. Darkness coated anything beyond the flash light, a thick swirling cloud of nothingness. The beams holding the house together creaked ominously. He knew the ramifications of facing Ammit head on in a house this old. He just hoped it would hold long enough for them to take care of this business and leave.

Upon reaching the trapdoor Naru leaped over it and turned, pointing the flash light toward it. It wasn't a big sigil but the power he sensed emanating from it proved its reliability.

"This one is more powerful than the one guarding Ammit," Lin said quietly. "Mai didn't describe any symbols in the last one, did she?" he added, eyeing the sigils as well.

"No she didn't," Naru replied just as softly. "I think their leader must have done this himself."

"Maybe he didn't trust his subordinates to do it right."

"Or perhaps Ammit is more dangerous than we initially thought."

"That means we have more incentive than ever to put a stop to her."

Before she gets to Mai. Lin didn't say anything but the implication was there. Instead he jammed the curled end of the iron crowbar into the trapdoor and paused, shooting a glance up at Naru. When he inclined his head once, Lin pulled back on the crowbar with all his strength. The first crack of the wooden door was like a gunshot in the silence.

Naru watched as the circle of the Devil's Trap was cracked open. It glowed brightly, almost blinding in its intensity, before fading. He could immediately feel the change in the air. The sheer magnitude of the power he felt radiating from beneath them was enough to make him take a step back.

"Get everyone in here. We need to finish this as quickly as we can," he said, forcing to keep the calmness in his voice. He knew that if the unease in his voice was heard it would quickly spread to the others, and an unfocused team was the last thing he needed. He tossed his jacket at Lin. "Leave that behind, would you?"

The blast of power that swept through the room nearly knocked Mai off her feet. She stumbled and almost fell but when she caught her footing she saw Shuuhei in front of her, crouched into a ball. His eyes bored into hers. The blood from the head wound dripped down his face. The sudden colour added to his otherwise pale features made him seem almost human. Almost.

Suddenly she heard Monk's voice loud and clear, chanting a mantra she knew well.

"Rin, Pyo, To, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen..."

"No, don't hurt him," Mai said loudly.

Shuuhei's form wavered in and out of focus before disappearing completely.

"I'm sorry, Mai. We don't know if he would have harmed us. It's safer this way."

Mai nodded bleakly, knowing it was the right thing to do. When Lin's voice instructed them to climb into the wall one at a time she was the first. He handed her Naru's jacket and asked her to lay it out neatly on the couch. She rolled her eyes and passed it onto Monk. Then she gripped Lin's hand so she wouldn't fall flat on her face as he helped her climb into the wall. She immediately started moving in the direction Lin pointed out to her. She found Naru there, shining his flash light into the darkness below. His gaze met hers for a few seconds before he spoke.

"Stay close," he said softly before beginning his descent down the wooden staircase.

Mai followed, worried the wood might not take their weight, seeing as no one had used it in centuries.

"It would have been smarter to destroy the staircase in case the curious found their way down here," Naru muttered.

"But that would have made it more difficult for us," Mai said, watching her steps carefully.

"I would have found a way."

Mai rolled her eyes at the arrogance in his voice, a smile pulling at her lips. "Of course you would have."

"Are you mocking me? Watch your step. There's a missing board."

Mai almost missed it, as closely as she was following Naru. She reached out and a hand and gripped the back of his shirt to keep her balance. She felt him tense at the contact but didn't understand why he did so.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, halting his movement.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Naru continued down, with Mai carefully keeping an eye on the stairs. She did not need the drama of falling through a rotting step or spraining an ankle. They reached the bottom and Naru shone the flash light around the chamber. It wasn't very big but the dampness and heat was making her sweat. The dream she had had about this place came rushing back to her, throwing images in front of her eyes. She blinked hard to get them to go away. This was not the time to reminisce.

The heat was making the air hard to breath. Naru levelled his breathing to keep from consuming too much needed oxygen. Beneath the discomfort was the undercurrent of something unnatural. He felt it strong enough to grip Mai's arm and drag her behind him. He had spotted Ammit's grave and magical energy pulsed around it as if it were alive, a living breathing entity.

"I feel so lightheaded," Mai murmured from behind him, peering around his shoulder.

"It's the lack of oxygen," Naru said shortly.

By that time the others had joined them and stood like a barrier between Ammit and Mai. Monk had a bag of cement tossed casually over his shoulder and Lin carried a barrel of water. John was holding two buckets, one with a trowel in it.

"All right then," Naru stated, his voice breaking the silence. "Let's get started."

The guys started mixing the cement and the water in the buckets while Naru stood over them, supervising. His glances were divided between the group's activities and the silent grave. Mai could see the worry etched on his face which was cleverly disguised when his gaze shifted away from Ammit's grave. She immediately picked up on his usually concealed thoughts. He was concerned that Ammit wasn't even giving the slightest inclination of reacting to what they were doing. And that was a very bad thing. It meant she was waiting for something. For her.

"Mai..."

The whisper reached only her ears. She knew because no one else reacted. Her eyes flicked frantically to every nook and cranny in the chamber. Nothing out of the ordinary moved. But she knew Ammit was there. Could feel her more strongly than ever. A shadow shifted to her left and she jerked away. Naru quickly shot her a look but she shook her head. No need to worry him with things that weren't real.

Another shadow circled her. She watched it with wary eyes. It rose up from the ground, like the fin of a shark circling its prey. Then it silently sank back into its earthy domain. Mai rubbed her eyes, clearly believing the lack of oxygen in the air was causing her to hallucinate. And yet when she looked to the others they seemed unaffected by such a simple thing.

A sharp pain at her ankle had her jerking back violently. She peered down and reached out a hand, covering the ache. When her hand came away it was stained red. She stared at the thick liquid, dumfounded. A hallucination couldn't do that. Which meant someone had to be pulling the strings. Her gaze went to Ammit's grave. And she blinked. And blinked again.

A thin white mist was developing over the grave. As the seconds passed it grew thicker and began to take on a woman's shape.

"Naru," Mai whispered.

The lower part of the mist swished to and fro and turned into dark grey skirts. Tendrils of opalescent threads formed fingers, an arm, a torso, up, up, up. A face came into view, eyelids tightly closed. Curling snakes of whiteness darkened to black and became flowing midnight hair. No one in the chamber breathed a word. Everyone was too stunned to even move. But by then it was too late.

Ammit's eyelids snapped open, revealing swirling blackness which changed to a brilliant blue. She was complete. She was as beautiful as Mai remembered. And then she smiled, a smile that did not reach her eyes, a smile that hid the depth of the darkness beneath.

"Mai," she whispered, her voice sounding ethereal. "I've been waiting for you."