Chapter 28: Ghost Hunting
Sometime deep in the early morning hours, Mordivai woke up feeling chilled. Taris was usually humid and muggy, but when Mordivai opened his eyes, he saw his own breath on the air. During the night he had slid down the wall and was now lying awkwardly on the ground. After a few tries, he managed to hoist himself back into a sitting position.
A cold mist blanketed the floor, creeping in his direction like a rolling white tide. Mordivai pressed his back against the wall, feeling wary. He recalled seeing a similar fog back during his trials in the ruins of Kaleth. Something unnatural had been afoot then, and something similarly strange was happening now.
The lantern Master Ryen had left on the floor nearby wavered in its light, momentarily making shadows jump. The mist was rising, twisting, growing upward into a column as a faint bodily shape began to form. Mordivai could just make out the strong, pointed montrals, like horns, that marked the Togruta race. Then the figure solidified and Mordiavi could see a sour-faced Sith hovering in the air before him. Mordivai felt his heart skip a beat when the spirit's head swiveled to drop its gaze on him.
"What is this?" The ghost's voice sounded watery and distant. "Did my little Jedi child leave me a gift? A sacrifice to appease me perhaps?" He let out a gleeful chuckle.
Mordivai cleared his throat to find his voice. "I came looking for your help. The Jedi were here first and captured me."
"Oh, how inconvenient. I wish you could have gotten rid of them. I am so tired of the child's pleas and her nagging Jedi friends."
Mordivai tried to keep his voice strong but respectful. "I need help solving a mystery, one involving some ancient Sith artifacts. I want only knowledge."
The ghost made a snorting sound. "Sith artifacts signal Sith rituals at work, and Sith rituals can't be dissected in a brief conversation."
"I know, but I'm not exactly at liberty to go somewhere more private where we can talk."
"I can see that. And I am tied here to the site of my ignominious death. If I could leave this place, stinking of the light, I would have done it long ago."
"Are we at an impasse then?"
"Perhaps…" the ghost said thoughtfully. "Or perhaps not." He tilted his head as if listening to something. Then his face took on an eager expression. "I can offer you a deal."
Some voice in Mordivai's head reminded him that striking bargains with Sith spirits might not be the wisest course of action, but he could see no other way out of this.
"What are the terms?"
"I will help you in your quest. But you must let me join you, hitch a ride, you could say, and take me out of here."
"How does that work?"
The ghost turned his head as if startled by a sound Mordivai couldn't hear. "We are running out of time. Your creature approaches. With my power melded to yours, I can help free you, but first I need a promise of blood."
"A prom-, what's that mean?"
"I will bind myself to you, and you, in turn will make a binding promise to me. You will release me when I determine that my aid is no longer required."
Mordivai's thoughts whirled. He tried to think of stories he had heard or read in the Kaas City library of such bargains. Was there a catch?
"Our opportunity to strike is almost here," the ghost said testily. "Decide and make your choice!"
"Fine. I'll do it."
The ghost started laughing, his voice catching strange echoes from the corners of the room. "Good, good!" He stretched out a hand and Mordivai felt a sharp pain like claws raking across the tender skin of his inner arm. He hissed and tried to jerk away, but the binders prevented movement. He felt blood trickling hot and wet against his fingers.
The ghost smiled and held out his hands. From behind him, Mordivai felt a heat growing at the site of his recent wound, and then he spotted droplets of his own blood rising into the air around him. The blood coalesced into a fog, and for a moment, the ghost was outlined in a red haze, his features becoming prominent and easily discernible. Then the cloud became nebulous again and the ghost's shape melded into it. The cloud began to spin, twining itself tighter and tighter, until it wound into a cord of smoke.
The cord writhed in the air a moment, the end probing its surroundings like a hound catching a scent, and then, before Mordivai could react, it dove towards him and slammed into his chest.
Mordivai gasped as the breath was knocked out of him, and twisted in pain. He felt like he'd been pierced by a spear of ice, and when he looked down, he saw with horror that the snake-like cord was burrowing into him. It squirmed, and he felt the urge to scream but no air would leave his throat. A terrible cold burst through his chest, until Mordivai thought that it would freeze his heart solid, but then the tail end of the coil did one last wriggle and disappeared inside him.
Mordivai fell over, his face hitting the dirt. He coughed and sucked in painful gasps of air, releasing a gut-wrenching groan.
Hurry! The spirit's voice sounded like an alarm inside his head, causing Mordivai to jerk in surprise. I will lend my strength to yours.
A sudden well of energy sprang up inside him, and Mordivai felt it shooting like sparks down his torso and out through his limbs. He wrenched his arms apart with a cry and the binders snapped. A second effort broke the ones on his legs.
Mordivai sprang to his feet just as Ashara came bounding into the room.
"Are you all right? What's goin-"
Mordivai threw out his hand and applied careful pressure to Ashara's windpipe. Not enough to cut off her air supply, but enough to silence any cry she might make.
Her hands flew to her throat and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Shhhh," Mordivai said. "Please."
With his other hand he yanked her two lightsabers from her belt and shoved them into the waistband of his pants. He spotted his own saber also attached to her belt and recalled it back into his hand. It ignited with a satisfying hiss and Mordivai raised his arm to smash the alarm sphere.
Wait...the ghost admonished. Not yet.
Ashara was staring at him, taking sharp, shallow breaths, her eyes angry and accusing.
Now! the ghost cried.
Mordivai swung, and at that moment, a split second from impact, he heard a yell from outside. Mordivai's lightsaber blade connected with the alarm sphere and it jerked and went spinning. A blaring alarm wailed from it, and the light from the energy field scattered around the room, shining for a moment into Mordivai's eyes and momentarily blinding him. He stumbled forward, releasing Ashara.
She let out a fierce cry for help and raced for the doorway.
Shouts resounded from beyond the wall, followed by a monstrous roar. Mordivai ran after Ashara, fearing the worst. Before he could make it outside, Master Ocera came barreling through the doorway, his lightsaber brandished in his hand.
Then he was on him, his glowing blade sweeping towards Mordivai's chest, forcing Mordivai into battle. Mordivai shuffled backwards, nearly tripping over strewn debris, his eyes struggling to adjust to the searing brightness of their dueling lightsabers. Ocera was relentless, closing every opening before Mordivai could exploit it and anticipating Mordivai's moves with ease. Mordivai picked up the pace, trying to disorient the Jedi with a sudden spin of his double-edged blade. Ocera blocked it, then counter attacked, and Mordivai teetered backwards as the Ocera's lightsaber buzzed past his face, its light close enough to leave spots in his vision. The Jedi Master was clearly more experienced than he was, and it took nearly all of Mordivai's concentration to keep up with him.
"I don't…" Mordivai sucked in a breath as he was forced to duck another close call, "...want to fight you!"
"Of course you don't," Ocera answered, sounding calm and not nearly as winded as Mordivai. "You know you will fail."
Mordivai stole a glance at the door, hoping for a moment to see Khem coming in to add back-up, but no doubt he was still engaged his own fight with the other remaining Jedi. The brief moment cost Mordivai dearly, for just then he felt a sharp jolt as his weapon was knocked loose from his hand, and he watched in horror as it flipped end over end through the air, landing in a puff of dust on the ground. He looked up to see Master Ocera's sword arm raised. His defeat would not be enough, Mordivai realized. The Jedi meant to kill him.
Mordivai's mind raced and time seemed to slow. The Jedi's lightsaber came towards him, and Mordivai stumbled backwards away from the blade. He fell, his head snapping back as he hit the dirt. Above him yawned the break in the building's roof, a black hole lined with jagged stone. Mordivai propelled himself sideways and stretched out an arm towards the opening, lashing out with the Force as he rolled, and then he pulled. A section of the roof came down with his motion, and Mordivai finished his roll, tucking his arms around his head, prepared for a blow, although he didn't know if he should expect it to come from the ceiling far above or Ocera looming just over him. Around him debris fell as chunks of the ceiling collapsed. There was a crash followed by a wave of dust, and Mordivai felt his throat choke up in response. He scrambled away, blind.
Mordivai lifted his head, blinking the dust from his eyes and lashes. In the center of the room was Ocera's lifeless body, crushed under the weight of a large chunk from the ceiling.
Mordivai stumbled to his feet and retrieved his lightsaber from the ground nearby. Outside he heard Ashara scream. He raced through the doorway.
He found Khem hulking by the campfire, inclining his head over Master Ryen as he held him upright in one of his claws. As Mordivai approached, Khem breathed in one last ragged breath and slowly lowered Ryen to the ground. His eyes flashed red.
Mordivai turned and saw Ashara nearby. She was pointing Master Ryen's lightsaber in Khem's direction, her face ashen and her hand faintly trembling.
"The little human Jedi escaped," Khem said. He pointed to the forest. "He ran off, too cowardly to face me. Only this one is left." He dropped his gaze on Ashara, and his tongue ran briefly over the fangs that protruded from his jaws.
"You have fed enough tonight Khem. We are letting this Jedi go."
Khem gave him a steady look, his eyes like bright pebbles and his face as emotionless as ever. "I am never sated, master. Why are we sparing her?"
"She is not responsible for detaining me."
"I tried to reason with these Jedi as you would have wanted," Khem said. "I ordered them to release you, but they would not listen. So I had to kill them."
"I understand. You did well."
Mordivai gestured to Khem to follow, and walked back to his speeder. He dropped Ashara's two lightsabers on the ground. He had gotten what he came for, but this victory left a bitter taste in his mouth. He was eager to leave Taris behind.