When they woke up the next morning, they had found that the Sad Lady had left the manor in quite the state. Lina sighed as she walked through hallways, littered with trash and broken possessions, to find Amelia to talk with her. It wasn't too difficult to track her down, and they stood in the upstairs parlor and examined the items that Indiana and Jean-Luc had found as they did their best to ignore the fallen paintings and knickknacks that now covered the ground around them.
"Yes, these will do nicely." Amelia said as she held a gold necklace embedded with sapphires. "If you don't mind, I'll pull Susan, Marcus, Kara and Maeve out of classes so we can work on canceling the spell keeping the ghost children from here, and perhaps even get that portal closed tonight!"
"Done." Lina said. "When I retired from the road I was hoping to leave being woken in the middle of the night by things that want to hurt me behind. The way this ghost keeps escalating things..."
"Well, hopefully once the portal is closed it will settle down, and you can go back to sleeping peacefully." Amelia said cheerfully. "I'll gather the kids after breakfast."
"Good luck."
After they had taken the time to put the downstairs parlor back in order, Amelia sat down on the couches with her chosen students and a box with the recovered jewels. After explaining what they would be doing, Amelia handed Kara the necklace and said, "Feel this."
Kara gasped as her fingers touched it. "You sense it?" Amelia asked.
"Yes." She replied.
"Pass it on, now take the chalice."
Kara gave the necklace to Marcus and she picked up the chalice. "I barely sense anything with this one."
Amelia nodded, "Any guesses as to why?"
"Well, maybe the chalice didn't belong to the Sad Lady." Kara suggested.
Susan gasped as Marcus handed her the necklace, "It was a gift to her from her children."
"How can you say that with such certainty?" Maeve asked.
"Some people are very sensitive." Amelia cut in, "Did you have a vision?"
"Yes," Susan said, "I could see them giving it to her to honor her."
"That's likely why it resonates so strongly. The other objects probably belonged to the Sad Lady, but this one connects her with her children." Amelia explained, and then she smiled a little bit as her own baby started kicking, and she was sure that the small butterfly movements meant that she was ready to fight for justice!
"So how do we use this to break the seal?" Marcus asked.
"Take the necklace back. Good. Now, close your eyes, and allow the connection to fill you."
"I feel like I need to go into the forest." Marcus said after taking a moment to do as instructed.
"Let's go then." Amelia said as they got up and started to leave the building. They were all quiet as they followed Marcus. Eventually they got to the edge of the forest, and Amelia asked for everyone to stop. "Marcus, give the necklace to someone else and let them have a turn."
He handed it to Susan, and she set off into the forest and they followed her. The butterfly movements in Amelia's stomach started again, and she took a deep breath to calm herself down. Still, it was hard to shake the feeling of being watched. Especially as, even though it was only morning, the forest got darker and darker as they moved deeper within it. Soon their progress was slowed by the density of the trees and thorny vines as they entered a part of the forest no one had visited for years.
"Oh, this will take all day!" Maeve exclaimed distastefully as her skirt got tangled on some thorns and she had to stop to get out it.
"Just rip it already." Kara said as she waited impatiently.
"I like this skirt." Maeve protested as she finally untangled it, and then she stared at the foliage ahead distastefully. "There. Now, Bram Gush!"
The wind spell cleared a path before them, and Maeve smiled as she set off down it. Kara still shook her head, "Serves you right for wearing such impractical clothing."
"I didn't realize we'd be walking through the forest." Maeve replied, "Besides, there's no excuse to not look good. Dressing well promotes peoples' confidence in our abilities after all."
"How is people's confidence in us going to get a damn thing done? Besides, that dress isn't going to help you perform the exorcism. It's just getting in the way. That's why you should always wear practical clothing." Kara shot back, "Right, Susan?"
Susan looked a bit startled at being put in the spotlight, "I don't think I'm wanting to get involved in this one."
"Princess Amelia manages a good cross between formal and functional." Kara said, "Though I don't know how her clothes stay so white and pristine."
"You could certainly use some lessons there. Honestly, Kara, there's practical and then there's letting yourself look like a pig farmer's daughter who spends her days in the pig sty." Maeve said as she wrinkled her noise distastefully at Kara's dirt stained clothes as she continued in a saccharine voice. "There's a simple spell you can cast to make your clothes repel dirt. I'll show it to you when we get back, sweetie."
"Maeve, Kara, these squabbles are beneath heroes of Justice! Different people dress in certain ways according to their station and we have to show tolerance to all of them." Amelia said reprimandingly as Kara's face heated, "Focus. Susan, go ahead and let someone else have a turn with that necklace."
Susan nodded, and gave the necklace to Maeve as she fell back to walk with Marcus, and they continued to move until the forest got thick again and Maeve had to cast another Bram Gush. An uneasy feeling crept into Amelia's bones, though she recognized it as the feeling that accompanies approaching an unhallowed burial. They were getting close!
"Do you sense that?" Amelia asked.
"Yes." Several of the students said.
"A grave travesty of justice occurred here." Amelia stated, "We are going to set it right."
"Setting it right would involve bringing the children back to life, as well as their mother, and letting them have their land back." Kara shot back, "It's a bit late for that now."
Maeve bristled a little, "So often forming a kingdom requires such sacrifices for the greater good. And really, the tribe who lived here was horrible violent. We brought civilization here!"
"That's easy for you to say. You're in line to inherit all of the land in this kingdom!" Kara shot back. "Meanwhile my family breaks our back to support yours…"
Amelia slammed her fists together loudly and stated, "Enough! We will see justice served and put these souls to rest! Justice always triumphs!"
"If you say so." Kara said sarcastically.
"Watch your tongue around a royal princess." Maeve snapped, and then her eyes widened, "They're here."
"What do you mean here?" Kara asked.
"Buried, likely." Amelia said sadly, though she was grateful for the distraction. As she knelt down she pulled out a bag and opened it and then pulled out a blanket and set it on the ground. "Now, let's see, what would be a good spell to use to recover the remains without destroying them?"
The students looked at each other nervously. Finally Maeve suggested, "Bephis Bring? Since it only targets the earth spirits it should leave the bone undisturbed?"
"Very good." Amelia said.
"I'll say this for you, you didn't just get in here thanks to nepotism." Kara quipped.
"I'm impressed an illiterate peasant like you would know that word." Maeve said.
"Oh, give it a rest!" Susan snapped, and Amelia silently thanked her.
"Let's get started! The sooner we start, the sooner we can get back, and it we time it just right, we will get there once lunch is served." Amelia said chipperly, "Who wants to do the honors?"
"Bephis Bring!" Maeve cast, and the earth started funneling away. Barely two feet down Amelia could spot a collar bone.
"Is that them?" Marcus asked.
Kara knelt down and started to brush the dirt away with her hands, "It's a human skeleton. We found one of them at least."
"Prasutagus." Susan said solemnly.
"I'd love to know how you do that!" Maeve exclaimed.
"No, you wouldn't." Susan replied. "I think Iceni is towards the west."
"Why don't you cast the spell this time?"
Susan cast a second Bephis Bring spell, and Amelia felt a chill go through her as Iceni's skeleton emerged. "Let's gather them up and take them home. And give them a proper burial. Do any of you know the local customs of the chiefdom that was here? It will help."
"I know a bit." Maeve said. "Some of the tribespeople married Queen Carliena's children and passed their traditions through them."
"That will be useful." Amelia said as the children started removing the bones and putting them on the blankets. "Now, can anyone think of a good spell that will remove the ward keeping them here."
"I have something." Susan said, and then she started chanting.
"How will we know if it worked?" Maeve asked when she finished.
"We will just have to wait until tonight." Amelia said.
When they got back, the adults and several of the students watched as Maeve performed a solemn burial at the outskirts of Maninstit after lunch. As Lina leaned against a tree as she watched with Gourry, he mused, "Makes you wonder where the Sad Lady is buried."
Lina shuddered, "Likely in the walls of the original downstairs parlor."
He looked at her in alarm, "Why did you have to say that?"
Lina smiled as she straightened up and walked her fingers along his shoulder to tickle the base of his neck, "Why, are you scared?"
"I just don't like the thought of there being a dead body in our house!" Gourry said as he folded his arms.
"An old manor like this probably has several." Lina said, "There was one time this castle got destroyed, and it was all Naga's fault by the way, and you wouldn't believe the stuff that had been buried in its walls that came to light when that happened."
He looked at her in alarm, and she wrapped her arms around his and stretched up to her toes and whispered, "If you're scared, I'll be sure to stay in your bed all night to keep the dead bodies away."
"Considering how you were clinging to me last night…" he said.
"Hey!" she shot back.
"Oh, give it a break!" Zelgadis said, "This is a solemn occasion."
"Right." Lina said as she straightened.
"Exactly." Gourry concurred, but then they glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes and grinned.
Finally Maeve finished the ceremony and the group started to break up. "Well, I guess we'd best get back to classes." Lina said.
"Yeah, there's not much to do until sunset when we can close the portal." Amelia added.
"So we just continue as normal until then?" Zelgadis asked as they walked back to the manor.
"Basically." Amelia said, "At sunset I'll gather Maeve, Kara, Susan and Marcus and then we'll close that portal right up!"
Zelgadis looked at her with concern etched on his features, "You don't want another hand?"
"I think we've got things covered." Amelia said.
"She's been quite vicious in the past." Zelgadis pointed out.
"Aww," Lina said, "He's worried about you, Amelia. I'm still impressed at how you were able to find his heart."
"It does come out from time to time." Amelia said as she grabbed Zel's hand, "And if it makes you feel better, you can watch."
"It does. Thanks." Zelgadis said.
They had taken care to move all of the furniture out of the Sad Lady's room before sunset, and then Amelia watched as the students made a magical circle and drew the needed runes. Zelgadis stood in a corner of the room as Amelia tried to ignore the growing gooseflesh on her arms as an unsettled feeling grew within her that the Sad Lady was not going to leave without a fight. The life within her started to flutter again, as if she also sensed the ominous feeling in the room. Amelia took a deep breath and exhaled. They were stronger than this ghost, and they would prevail!
"Go ahead and start the spell." Amelia said, and Susan started chanting. Midway through she stopped abruptly as she gasped as the two ghost children materialized before them. Several of the students screamed in alarm, but Amelia smiled.
"This is good news!" Amelia said calmingly as Zelgadis walked up behind her, "It means that they are reunited with their mother, and that justice has been served!"
The children looked at her expectantly as Amelia asked them, "Are you ready to cross over to your new home?"
They smiled, and then they started to giggle eerily, and suddenly Amelia felt as though they had fallen into a trap. "What's that?" Marcus asked, and Amelia saw a small jewel like object flying towards them but in the dark she couldn't get a good look at it.
"Wind Shields!" Zelgadis yelled.
The silhouette of the Sad Lady appeared as Amelia started chanting, and with some alarm Amelia finally recognized that she had managed to find one of those jewels that explode on contact! Before they could finish their chants to get their shields up, the Sad Lady grinned sardonically as she threw the jewel at Maeve and it exploded.
Gourry took a deep breath and dove under the warm bath water again, running his fingers through his hair as he did his best to get all of the shampoo out of it. He broke the surface of the water and took a deep breath. Was it the shock of hitting the air, or had it gotten colder? He looked around the bathroom, but all was still, even if his instincts were screaming at him that something was wrong and that someone was there!
His eyes scanned every corner of the room, but saw nothing out of place. He also sensed no other presence. No living presence that was. Given that they were closing the portal it was likely that some ghosts could be wandering the manor. He shuddered at the thought, and ran a hand through his hair. It was still soapy. He thought for a moment, and decided if it was a ghost going to the portal it wasn't likely to bother him much, and that the best thing to do would be to quickly finish cleaning his hair and get out of the bath.
He closed his eyes and dove back under again for what he was determined would be the final time, as he soon as he was completely submerged he found himself fearful that any minute he would feel an invisible hand on the top of his head, pushing him down. Fortunately it never happened. Finally he was sure that he'd gotten all of the shampoo out and he quickly broke the surface of the water again. He smiled at his silliness, but then, one didn't become this paranoid without good reason.
Smoothly he got out of the bath and grabbed a towel. While he did his best to dry his hair, when it was as long as his was, washing and drying it was a time consuming process. One of the many perks of being married to a sorceress was that she knew a spell that would dry it out though, and she would usually brush it as well. Lina had been in the upstairs parlor talking with her parents when he left, and he hoped that it was late enough that she would have decided to retire to her bedroom by now. If not it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to find her, though. He put his towel on the counter and then he wrapped his robe around himself, but stopped as he realized something was missing.
Tension filled him. The Blast Sword was gone! A void formed in his stomach. Had he been right about someone being in the room while he was washing his hair?
Suddenly an explosion sounded from below, and Gourry raced to the door and threw it open and felt the heat leave his body as he saw the translucent figure of his mother floating there, wielding the Blast Sword.
"Look what I finally got." She said triumphantly.
"What do you intend to do with that?" he asked, "You're dead."
A gleam formed in her eye as she stared at him coldly. "Take my revenge."
"How are Nerys and Owen doing?" Leia asked.
"Well, they're in the Elmekian Empire now, so far there's been no trouble." Lina said, "It's only a matter of time before that changes."
"I bet they'll handle it great." Han said.
"I'll feel better about it once they're back, triumphant." Lina said.
Leia grinned, "Now you know a fraction of what I felt when you were away."
"Hey…" Lina said, but then her voice trailed off as the energy in the room shifted ominously. She stood up, and her parents did as well as the walls started creaking.
Instinctively, the three moved together so that each of them shielded each others' backs as they stood guarded as a low moaning resounded from within. People started knocking from within the walls, politely at first, but it quickly become a more aggressive pounding as the walls started to vibrate as though someone within was trying to get out!
Suddenly the ground shook beneath them as an explosion sounded, "What the…?!" Lina asked, and she was about to break formation to run downstairs when a group of skeletons started to break through the walls and charge at them.
The sounds of a game most of the students were playing wafted in from outside as Danielle laid in her bed reading a book. Most of the kids were still out even though it was past the time that the adults usually chased them inside, but as one of the handful more interests in books than sports, she was happier indoors.
A chill tore through her as an explosion resounded from down the hallway. Danielle looked at Mara Jade, the only other person in the room with her, and they ran out of bed to see what it was. But as they went by the window, Danielle happened to glance out and stopped in her tracks. "Mara, look!"
"What…?" Mara asked, and then she stopped as she saw a horde of pale undead figures surging towards the students who were playing ball. Mara jumped on the window sill and opened it, "Come on, we have to help them."
"Right." Danielle said.