197 A Golden Pentagram

As Laki ran down the steps, a thick musty smell assailed his nostrils. The heavy stench of mold and mildew hung in the air, mixed with the earthy smell of soil. He raised his hand to the dirt wall and felt around, running his hand up and down the wall.

A smooth orb jutted out from the side and he placed his palm on it. Small streaks of energy flowed into the sphere before the lights in the basement turned on. The lighting was poor on the island, so the sconces flickered a few times before staying on.

While the lights were struggling to turn on, he realized a large bookcase blocked his view of the room. His eyes could see just above the top of the bookcase which allowed him to see that the area was roughly the same size as the house above.

When the lights stopped flickering, Tyr's heavy footsteps sounded as he descended the wooden staircase. He had drawn his lance and the tip of his weapon was the first thing to come into view.

The lance was interesting looking and Laki admired the fine craftsmanship of the wyvern that attached the blade to the shaft. For a moment he wondered if it was possible to lock his nephew down here and steal the airship. His eyes moved to the entrance.

Tyr noted his uncle eyeing the trapdoor with a look of guile.

"Try it. I'd like a reason to kill you." His uncle did nothing, so he continued, "If you're not going to do anything, then move. You're blocking the stairs."

Laki gave a huff and proceeded down the steps and rounded the bookcase. As soon as he turned the corner, his eyebrows shot up.

"What the… Eww…"

Tyr's footsteps quickened as he hurried down the remaining stairs. He moved to the side of his uncle, so he could examine what the man was staring at.

Killigrew had constructed a large pentagram made of gold. It appeared crude looking, having been dug out in the soil. She had melted gold and poured it into the dirt trenches she had made. In some places, drops of gold splattered on the floor, from where the liquified metal had fallen.

In the middle of the pentagram, a mummified snake wrapped around a long staff made of willow had been placed. Around the pentagram, seven golden bowls lay equidistant apart. Each bowl contained a dried hellebore flower in it. With the flowers, the bowls all contained one other item, each representing one of the seven different elements.

"Well, I found what you're looking for. Go on. Do your little thing," Laki said while waving his hand in the air. "Hurry it up. I wanna get back to sleep."

He then walked around the room, searching for anything expensive he could steal.

Tyr realized this was the contract he needed to find. It emitted a dark aura and too much effort went into creating the pentagram for it to merely be a decoration. He was unsure how to break the gateway that Barbas had in this world. If he did it incorrectly, he worried that it would have fatal repercussions.

His green eyes moved to the bookshelf, and he pulled a book out. Although he wanted to do this quickly, he needed to make sure he did it the right way. His harsh voice called his uncle over, "Laki, help me look for information on this contract."

As he flipped open the book, his hands ran along the cover. He realized it had been covered using human skin. The cover was also adorned with teeth and the pages had been bound together using hair.

A few hours later, Laki crawled over to Tyr. He had been lying on the dirt floor, skimming through the different books. His voice was now impatient, and he wanted to leave. "Ere. This one talks bout the summoning contract shit. Hurry up and break that pentagram so we can get back..."

Tyr placed the book he was reading on the shelf and took the book that Laki offered. It was smaller than the others and had many handwritten notes. The writing appeared to be of poor quality and many words were misspelled.

"Come on, jus' break the pentagram..." Laki wined.

Tyr held up a hand to silence the man-boy.

After reading the section on breaking contracts, he moved to the pentagram. He removed the hellebore flowers from each bowl. He then stretched out his hand and a ball of flame shot out and consumed the snake and willow.

As the contract burnt; faint unintelligible whispers breathed around them. The smell of sulfur crept into the basement.

Laki looked around nervously. He stepped closer to his nephew. This was not the sort of thing he enjoyed doing. His life consisted of airships, women, and wine. Not always in that order, but he certainly did not go looking for trouble. He just wanted an easy life where he would be able to enjoy himself.

A hush fell over the room when the whispers stopped. The only sound was Laki's nervous breathing. As the last bit of snake and willow turned to ash, a thunderous clap echoed in the room. A large green flame erupted and the pentagram disappeared.

Tyr hoped that would end Aži's stomach pains. If not, he needed to get back to Marseille as quickly as possible. He tossed Laki a stack of books that he set aside, "Hold these. Let's go."

****

Macha stayed up through the rest of the night, sitting beside Aži. The little wyvern's condition did not improve, and she tried to make him as comfortable as possible.

It was the late afternoon by the time Tyr came back. When he entered, he noticed that her hair was a mess, and she had dark bruises under her almond eyes. He tossed the books that he made Laki carry onto the floor and crossed the room with long strides. He knelt down by his onyx friend and gave the little wyvern a quick pat on the head.

"How was he?" he asked Macha. His eyes searched her face anxiously awaiting her reply.

"Nothing's changed," she said sadly. "A few moments after you left last night, he threw this up..." she lifted a handkerchief off of a silver bowl and revealed partially digested fingers that had rings on them. Her gaze purposefully avoided looking at the remains as she handed it to Tyr.

She gave a heavy sigh, "Where did you go?"

It seemed like they should have left the island and to return home instead of staying here. She wanted Aži to get medical attention as soon as possible, so Tyr's sudden disappearance bothered her.

Tyr picked up a few fingers and rolled them around in his hand. He gave them a small squeeze out of frustration before putting them back in the bowl.

After returning them to Macha, he explained, "I went to destroy the contract that allowed the demon to have a hold in this world. I had Laki assist me with locating it."

His eyes moved to Aži's pathetic form. "We have to head back today. I don't want him to get worse. He'll be able to get help in Marseille."

Before leaving to order the crew to pack up, he put a hand on the wyvern's head. There were many things he wanted to tell his friend, but decided not to. Instead, he got up and left to prepare for the return trip.

****

On the way back, Tyr and Laki took half the crew on the new airship. It could travel faster than the luxury ship they originally used. Because of this, Tyr had them travel ahead so they could get Aži the aid he required.

It took a few days to reach Marseille. Luckily the skies remained clear, and they did not encounter any trouble on the way back.

As soon as the airship docked, Tyr jumped off the side with Aži. He wanted to return to headquarters to ask Luna for help. He left Macha in charge of any paperwork that required signing or questions the captain would have.

After Macha signed the customs forms which needed to be filled out, she stood on the deck next to Laki. She moved her lips to one side as she thought about what to do with the man. He had been proclaimed dead, so she was unsure if she needed to take him somewhere to announce that he was still alive.

Her stomach gurgled, and she realized they had not eaten today. Since Laki was a relative of Tyr, she wanted to treat him well. Turning to the blonde-haired vagabond, she asked, "Uncle, would you like to have lunch with me? I know a great place nearby that my brother took me to."

Laki did not hear her. His blue eyes were busy trailing over the large country that his siblings called home. He stood, wide eyed with amazement at how enormous the city had grown in a few hundred years. Now roads and skyscrapers crowded the skyline when before it was just a modest village.

A wide smile spread across his face and his earrings twinkled in the sun. He felt glad that his eldest brother became King. After the war, he heard that Marseille won, and that Njord was appointed to be the King. Njord really was accomplishing his dreams, which gave Laki a slight sense of pride. He always knew his brother had been an amazing man.

Macha stepped closer to Tyr's uncle, "Uncle, did you want to get some food?"

He glanced over his shoulder and realized she was talking to him. A whistle escaped his lips, "Dragon shit, this place has changed!" He pointed to Marseille's skyline, "That was just a buncha wooden houses last time I saw it." Shaking his head in disbelief while keeping an eye on the city, he replied to her question, "Sure, as long as you're payin' I'm game."