Chapter 5
Jane woke with a start in an unfamiliar place; she cried out and sat up as events from yesterday filled her mind. At least she thought it was yesterday, there was no way to tell in this windowless room. For all she knew it had only been five minutes since she fainted. She Rose from the bed and exited the room. A grotesque man (if you could call it that) scuttled by on eight legs, his ribs stuck out and he looked half decomposed. She screamed, bloody murder rising from her throat.
"Aunt Jane!" Cried Dinah rushing to her aunt's side.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Jane screamed, backing away as quickly as she could.
"It's just a cleaner, shoo now, go on." She ushered the spider man from the passage. "Things are weird around here, but there's no reason to be afraid." Jane nodded, attempting to understand.
"So this place… these things… are good?" Jane whispered, confused.
"Well, the cleaners and the guardians are… but the spirits in the vaults and that unbearable that tried to kill us aren't. But don't worry; you don't have to deal with them. That's my job. Calm down Aunt Jane, everything will be back to normal before you know it." Dinah said, grabbing her aunt's hand and pulling her down the passage. It came up in a brightly lit room. A mix between an entry way and a ball room the room had several plaques on one wall and a few doors on another, a staircase lead down from the right and the left faded into darkness. A small green cat with its pointed teeth either grinning or bared, no on could really tell, was curled up under the plaque wall. "Aunt Jane I believe you remember Edaniel." Dinah gestured toward the cat.
"But… that Edaniel I met earlier was… a man." Jane tilted her head slightly and squinted. "A man with a green tai…"
"Edaniel is a guardian, which means he has both a human and animal form, he's usually in his animal form. Don't worry the teeth are all show." Dinah smiled, cradling the cat in her arms. Jane kept her distance and shook her head. The cat opened its eyes and yawned.
"Well hi ya!" Exclaimed the small guardian, "Glad to see you're awake." He winked at Jane and hopped from Dinah's arms. His figure grew blurry; suddenly he was that attractive young man Jane had met before.
"I'm officially either crazy… dreaming… or just confused at this messed up reality." Jane sighed, rubbing her eyebrows.
"Reality," said Edaniel and Dinah simultaneously.
"What's reality?" Edrear asked popping up behind Dinah. She jumped slightly causing a fit of giggles from Edaniel.
"The world," said Dinah, elbowing Edaniel in the side to shut him up. He coughed slightly.
"So what's the word Dreary?" Edaniel asked, resting his elbow on Edrear's shoulder, "Can we go now or what?"
"Go? Go where? Where are we going?" Jane inquired, her features plastered in confusion.
"WE!" said Edaniel draping his arms around Dinah and his brother, "are going to go empty a vault. YOU! Are going to stay here like a good girl and play nice with the cleaners." He smiled devilishly as Jane shuddered.
"We'll be back before you now it." Dinah shrugged.
"Sun has set, if we are going we should go soon," Edrear whispered, his breath on Dinah's ear sending shivers down her arms. She nodded, giving her aunt a pleading don't-worry-I-probably-won't-die look.
"Da-da-da-da-da-da! Charge!" cried Edaniel spinning to view the plaque behind him.
Witches three
Not me or thee
What shall we do?
Our spell is through
We don't wish to die
It is not yet our time
But as we see
Triplets are free
Give us air
Give us blood
We so wish it
Rushing flood
"Rushing flood? That could be a river. Are there any rivers around here?" Dinah scratched her head.
"There's one that runs out along the northern border. 'Give us air, give us blood' sounds pretty hostile, you think this one's a little too… extravagant for us tonight?" Edrear stated, glancing back at Jane who was hovering slightly behind her niece.
"Nonsense! Poppycock! Sheer blasphemy! No vault is too extravagant for us! We are un dying-able!" shouted Edaniel, posing as if for a statue. He suddenly slung Dinah over one shoulder and began to skip off toward the exit. Edrear ran after him with Jane following close behind.
"Edaniel put me down!!" exclaimed Dinah, beating her fists against his back. He jostled her but didn't set her down. "I can walk on my own you know."
"Lies, big fat chocolaty lies! You can barely sit still without help. Don't make me get the purple rope again." He waggled his eyebrows.
"What purple rope?!" shouted Jane surprising the hell out of the vault emptying trio.
"He's kidding Aunt Jane, there is no purple rope." She glared at the back of Edaniel's head.
"Please Pardon my younger brother, he is very… dirty minded." Edrear nodded, "Will you put Miss Dinah down already, my god brother you act as if she is…" He trailed off.
"Please continue" Dinah dared.
"I most certainly will!" smiled Edaniel.
"Shut Up Edaniel!" Edrear punched his brother's back, causing him to curl in and drop Dinah. Edrear caught her and set her on her feet. She made a point brushing off her 20's style blue cocktail dress. She turned rapidly and tripped over the small cauldron shaped stone right behind her.
"Ouch!" Edaniel burst into hysterical laughter. Dinah glared at the stone, her face drawn to a pout. "I think I found it." She grumbled.
"And I think you already fulfilled one of the opening requirements." Edrear worried, taking a handkerchief from his armor. He wrapped it around Dinah's bleeding ankle. The cauldron began to glow, a bright rose colored light. "What was the rhyme? ' Give us air, give us blood, we so wish it, rushing flood…' we gave them blood… how do we give them air?" Edrear began pacing. Jane dropped to her knees and peered into the cauldron. Her face was screwed up as if her nose itched. She sneezed. The cauldron flared, sending blue sparks into the air.
"I guess that's how." Edaniel said clapping his paws in mock delight. Every one stopped, waiting for something to happen. "But, I think we're missing something…" Edaniel fidgeted when nothing did. Dinah smiled and stood, dipping her hand into the small river behind her. She let her fingers dangle over the cauldron, water dripped into the opening. The cauldron began to expand, larger and larger it became, until it was roughly the size of a merry-go-round. "Geronimo!!!!!" Edaniel shoved Edrear and Dinah into the gaping crater that was the entrance to the ghost world. He jumped in after them, leaving Jane completely alone, which she immediately hated. She took a deep breath to steady herself and jumped.