In the dark of Perkiop, Pan listened to her breath. She had a small flashlight, as well as a backup light she took from the car. She began her trek with her own light. It illuminated three feet in front of her, less than the light provided by Kat during the first excursion.

Pan wandered and took a couple wrong turns. She had to backtrack, but soon, the light exited a tunnel and had no walls to bounce off. Pan had found the central room. From there, she thought she remembered the journey, though she saw the twists and turns through a heady fog in her mind’s eye.

She passed by the pit, wary of its edges. She wondered why they drilled straight down. Maybe, the miners found themselves atop a heap of ore, and that vein continued down into the very maw of Scaldigir.

Pan stared into the pit. It seemed to emit a low, constant sound, with the timbre of a man’s deep voice. She flashed her light inside, but of course, saw nothing, not even the glint of precious stone.

Pan hurried to the passage. She questioned her memory’s accuracy. She had to choose right. Pan closed her eyes and remembered the ghost seer in the doorway. She imagined the mummified face. She remembered the vague shape of the tunnel framing that face. Pan took a deep breath and assured herself she’d found the match.

Pan glanced back into the central room. Silence and dusty equipment filled the space.

After that last look, she turned and pressed her hand to the rough wall. No one sat along the path, ghost seer or otherwise. Pan’s hand and the flashlight shook. Again, she questioned her choice. No one could map the mine. Why should she be any different?

To make matters worse, the mine’s ghosts would remember their recent encounters, and this time, they would be ready. Pan marveled that she’d gotten this far without any kind of interference.

Then again, she’d found the mine door unlocked. That could count as interference – of a welcoming nature.

During the test, Pan’s team had been eager to leave. Even Ruair wanted to hurry away, but Kat made a point to relock the entrance. Pan remembered the event, her relief, and her agreement with Kat’s actions.

So, who opened the mine?

Pan doubted the miner would do so. He seemed to want people out not in. The mysterious spirit, perhaps? But, they had no history together. Pan’s best guess? The ghost seer. She had a motive to let Pan inside, and she had the power to do it. That moving body wanted something of Pan.

Pan coughed. Her distress echoed through the mine. Her throat stung, and her eyes watered. Between coughs, she tried to swallow away the pain. Slowly, it worked. As she regained her composure, she drew shuddering breaths. She had no mask, so she took in all of the air’s potential dangers. Pan prayed to reach the healer and become one herself. She felt the distant thrum of healing energy but wished for more.

Pan set her light ahead and stared into the dark. She took step after step. A distant knock sounded. Pan paused and listened. Another knock. This one sounded closer. Still rooted to the spot, Pan listened. She heard the knock two feet ahead. Pan moved her light towards the sound. Its glow quivered. Not one foot from Pan stood a short blue man, looking up into her face with a smile. Pan screamed.

 

Aria saw color inside the mine. She knew it should be dark, but even without a flashlight, she could find her way. She saw Pan’s trail, and she saw the light of her teammates. Along the walls, Aria saw the shades of fear, anger, and grief. Perhaps some belonged to ghosts.

Aria stayed close to Casimir, Alban, and Gavain. The three men formed a wedge of safety. Aria slipped inside, but she had a gaping hole behind. Aria reached for Sotir and pulled him into place. Now, she had a diamond of safety.

Sotir raised an eyebrow as if to ask Aria what he could possibly do to protect her.

Nearby, Aria saw old equipment. Dim aura surrounded the objects. The tools turned grey from lack of contact with Scaldin.

“There’s a central room,” Casimir said. “Let’s try to reach it.” He almost left the diamond.

“Wait,” Alban called. “We need to get our masks on.” Alban held a huge gun, with a flashlight mounted on top. He also held a mask. He pulled it over his mouth and nose.

Casimir turned and regarded Alban. “We don’t need masks. The mine has been tested numerous times. There are no dangerous gases or minerals here, not in quantities that will harm us.” Casimir’s flashlight painted a yellow glow across their faces as the detective spread his arms.

Alban stared hard. Then, he handed masks to Aria, Sotir, and Gavain. Gavain took his and donned it with gusto.

Alban shrugged. “Glad you aren’t worried. I don’t have one for you.”

With a sigh, Casimir turned away.

Aria worried for Casimir. She turned to Sotir and found him merely holding the mask. She still hadn’t put hers on as well.

Sotir tried to smile. “He’ll be fine. He’s right that there’ll be no long-term repercussions, whether we wear the masks or not.” Sotir pulled his on. “But, I’ll wear mine for now.”

Aria copied the motion. Up until then, Gavain’s aura engulfed her with pink concern. When she put the mask on, the pink faded to a gentle shade of affection. Beneath her mask, Aria smiled. This man adored her after a meager sampling of her personality. Aria wanted to share the experience with Pan, but Pan was in no state to hear about Aria’s flirtatious ambassador.

They walked the tunnels. Aria and Sotir carried no light. Aria saw the mine as a show of color against darkness. She followed the trail of red, grey, and blue. The trail would tell her where to walk and where to find Pan. Sotir’s lack of light would stimulate his perceptions of the future, and Sotir would see his way in flashes of imagery.

Aria almost wished they didn’t have light pollution from their non-arcane friends. They might find Pan faster, but then, they would have to walk the mine alone.

“This must be the central room.” Alban swept his light over the chamber. “Any of you been here before?”

Sotir shook his head. Aria did the same. Her mask felt heavy around her nose and mouth.

“Not Perikop, but I’ve been in my fair share of caves.” Gavain spun in a circle. He sent light over abandoned equipment and structures.

“I’ve been here.” Casimir frowned. “Twice actually. This time will be the third.” Casimir shook his head. “I had two separate cases where someone tried to stash a body in the mine. There are holes that lead from the surface into the shallow tunnels, but we won’t be in those parts. We’ll be quite a bit deeper.”

“Which way would those tunnels be?” Gavain asked.

Casimir shot his light to Aria’s left. “Those are the ones. Maybe. I can’t say I have a great memory for the place.”

Aria glanced at the tunnels, but she had no interest in them. She sought Pan’s trail. It puddled and meandered, like a river of split milk. The shimmering light lead to a tunnel across from the room’s entrance, far from the area Casimir knew or thought he knew.

Throughout the room, Aria saw evidence of the recent test. Yellow, blue, and red colored old structures and things. Among the light, Aria saw a small shed. It glowed blue to her eyes. Nearby the shed, she glimpsed a pit, complete with pulleys and surrounded by a miasma of red.

Aria squinted. There was more than light around the pit. There was a pattern – a ring. Aria thought it almost looked like one of the rune circles. White aura moved in abstract looping shapes.

Sotir touched Aria’s arm. “What is it?” he whispered.

Aria almost pointed to the pit. She couldn’t find the words to describe what she’d seen. A high-pitched sound stopped her. It came from far away and broke off.

“Did you hear that?” Aria asked.

Detective Casimir held up a hand for everyone to freeze. He listened. “Nothing now. I must have missed it.”

Ambassador Gavain and Lt. Alban both shook their heads.

Aria regarded Sotir.

He answered, “Yes, I heard something. And, I fear Pan may find herself in a bit of danger.”

“She’s that way.” Aria pointed ahead.

“Yes.” Sotir’s aura reached for the path with shades of yellow and pink. “Not too far yet. We should go.”

Sotir headed for the path, and Aria followed.

“Just a moment.” Casimir stopped them both with a hand on their shoulders. He pushed past them and strode toward the shed. Casimir opened the door, leaving some of his aura behind on the structure’s portal. He returned with two small devices. Casimir held them aloft. “These are old coms. They can communicate with each other as well as tap into the intercom system in the mine.”

Gavain’s flashlight traveled high across the tunnel walls. It stopped three times: once over a pole, again across a wire, and finally on a speaker. “We can call her. Did you turn it on?”

Casimir nodded. “I’m hoping it works.”

Alban approached Casimir and tried to take one of the devices. Casimir pulled it away.

Alban huffed. “Give one to the Ambassador. He can try negotiating while we walk deeper.”

Casimir shook his head. “We’re going to try a friendly approach first. Aria?” Casimir held the device out to her. “Your friend strikes me as someone, if given the right words, might reconsider her actions. You’re the best person to talk to her.”

Aria took the device. “I don’t know how to use it.”

She felt dirt on its contours and could see rust and other unsavory things, some of which covered a button. The com, unlike its modern compatriots, had rough edges, craggy controls, and a mottled speaker.

“I’ll show you how.” With those words, Casimir began to teach her the device.

 

Pan’s scream faded. She backpedaled. The knocker held its place and its smile. Pan frowned. With growing annoyance, she regarded the little blue man.

“What’s your problem?” she hissed.

“I’m warning you.”

Pan whispered, “Cave-in?”

“No, but someone is coming.” The knocker looked back. “It’s like a force of nature.”

“Which way should I go?” Pan asked.

Without hesitation, the knocker pointed at a side tunnel that Pan had never seen.

She glanced down the tunnel then back at the knocker. “Can I still get to the cave entrance from there?”

“What cave entrance? This is a mine.” The knocker whipped its head back. Its eyes grew wide. “It’s coming.” The knocker ran down the tunnel it indicated. The little blue spirit moved so fast, it disappeared in a heartbeat.

Pan chased him. She kept her meager light pointed forward and tried not to trip. After a couple of minutes, she felt she’d moved far enough. She stopped around a corner and turned off her light. Pan needed to go in the right direction, the one that led to the caves. She would wait and listen, and hope to turn back when the thing had passed. The knocker had gone, and Pan found herself alone. She listened in the dark.

“Pan?” a voice boomed through the tunnels.

Pan jumped. She bumped her head against the wall. She rubbed it and waited.

“Pan? It’s Aria. I’m using the intercom to speak to you. If you can hear me, I want you to know that I don’t think less of you for being a reaper.”

“Aria?” Pan whispered to herself. With a flick of the switch, Pan turned on her light and looked for an intercom. She found one across the tunnel. Pan flipped her light off and listened.

“Sotir is with me too. He wasn’t surprised to find out that you were the reaper at all. He also doesn’t think less of you.” Aria paused. “We want to help. If you can find a com, we can talk.”

Pan strained her ears for any sound that might indicate a force of nature. She heard nothing, so she snapped her flashlight back to life and aimed it across the tunnel.

Pan saw a button just under the speaker. She could reach it and potentially send her voice to Aria. Pan crossed the tunnel and held her hand over the button. She almost pressed it.

Her hand hovered. Pan remembered that Sotir accompanied Aria, or so Aria implied. Who knew if more arcanes tagged along? Maybe, even Chara. Or, maybe the good Detective Casimir joined the parade, angry at the treatment of his donuts. No matter who else was there, Sotir would hear. Pan couldn’t have that. He’d figured it out – as she knew he would. He probably had some idea of what Pan planned to do next, and if she talked to him or even Aria, Sotir might try to steer her on a certain course, one that he liked. Pan withdrew her hand.

“I will let no one stop me. This has to be done,” Pan whispered the words into the silence. “She’s not going to get away with this. I promised myself that.”

Pan looked back the way she’d come. She needed to move. Aria could track her, and Pan needed time to reap and escape. Pan started down the tunnel, ready to risk an encounter with the spirit.

A rattling sounded ahead. It was hoarse and deep. Pan froze. In the distant shadows, she saw something creep forward.

I can’t go that way.

Pan turned, ready to run. She would heed the knocker’s warning with more enthusiasm. But, the ghost seer stood before her. The ghost wore an angry face but didn’t attack. Pan was relieved to see the ghost and not its animated body. But, she would have preferred neither.

The ghost seer beckoned. The rattling shadow crept behind. Pan had no choice. She followed the ghost seer.

 

“She didn’t answer.” Aria let the com fall from her lips.

“Give her time.” Sotir put his hand on Aria’s shoulder. “She might not be near a com.”

“I’m seeing coms every two hundred feet.” Alban moved his light over a speaker and button. “She’s near one.”

Gavain hummed his agreement. His aura ran with complex colors: yellows, pinks, blues, even some red. Aria would need some time to decipher his feelings.

“Is the entrance the only way out of the mine?” Gavain asked.

Casimir rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. She’s small enough that she could squeeze through one of those body disposal holes. No one knows of another exit. It seems unlikely, given four girls died in here, along with countless miners.”

Gavain nodded. “So, why not guard the exits that we do know of?”

Alban moved towards Pan’s tunnel. “The exits are guarded. I called it in already. We need to get moving. Come on.”

Casimir’s aura flared in red. “I think that’s a bad move. Pan’s angry and scared. We shouldn’t corner her.”

Alban faced off against the detective. “That’s how you beat a reaper. You corner them.”

Gavain held up a hand. “Maybe, it’s not such a bad thing to guard the exits, and maybe, we should let Pan know they’re guarded.”

Everyone paused. Aria watched Gavain’s aura and its storm clouds of blue.

Gavain continued, “If she thinks that she can’t get out, she might move slower and try to think of another option. That gives us more time to speak with her.” Gavain addressed the next bit to Aria. “Next time, I’d like to talk to her. Maybe, I can assure her of her safety and freedom.”

“I doubt it.” Alban flashed his light into the tunnel. “Come on.” He didn’t wait this time. He started the trek.

The others followed.

Sotir fell into step beside Aria. “Pan will never use the exits we’ve guarded. She knows a different way. She’ll take it out.”

Sotir’s words almost stopped the group, but Alban kept up the pace. In fact, Alban increased his pace.

“How can you be so sure?” Aria asked.

“Draw on my power, and you will be too. Try it.” Sotir walked and watched Aria.

Aria tried. She felt nothing. She had no practice controlling powers. Her own power called for no such thing. In fact, it didn’t allow for control. She didn’t even know how a different power should feel.

“I don’t think I can do it,” Aria said.

“Don’t feel bad. It’s hard. That’s why they planned to train people on power sharing,” Sotir said.

Aria’s respect for Pan grew. Aria couldn’t snatch up a power and make it work. Aria would make a terrible reaper. Though, she supposed it would come naturally if she were a reaper.

Alban stopped. “Juncture ahead.”

“She went right,” Aria said.

Alban started down the right path.

Sotir shook his head. “Not that way. That way lies danger, which Pan is in quite a bit of right now.” Sotir’s aura hazed into white, and his features hid. “She’ll get away. In the meantime, we have a chance to beat her to her destination, but we need to go straight.”

“Alright then.” Alban started on the straight path.

Sotir leaned close to Aria. “Try something else. Try to draw on telekinesis.”

“Sotir, I can’t. I have no practice with power control.” Aria looked at her own aura. It glowed dust blue, with a hint of white, a sign that she always used her power. She never escaped it. Aria frowned. “Have you…tried anything else?”

Sotir nodded. “I’ve tested aura reading. Just a little. The colors look like dust clouds. I have to say – it’s an adjustment.”

Aria smiled. “I wouldn’t call them dust clouds. What colors have you seen?”

“A lot of yellow, red, and blue, but I can’t make sense of it.” Sotir gave Aria a genuine smile. “I’ve also tested healing. You should try that.”

Aria eyes widened. She should try that. “How? Can you give me a hint?”

“I can. You want to feel for energy. It should make you feel…awake.” Sotir flexed his hand. “And, if you have a particular injury in mind, try to direct the energy. I’ve had no luck with that part.”

Aria tried to find the feeling. She felt tired instead of awake. One of her arms tingled, and Aria started to wish for a rest, even a nap. She’d achieved the opposite of wakefulness. “I can’t get it. I just want a nap now.”

Sotir laughed. “Keep trying. It’s worth it.”

Several steps later, as Aria thought of chasing Pan, she felt a thrum. She focused on it. The beat came up through the floor. Aria drew on that thrum, and the tingling in her arm faded.

Is this healing?

“I could get used to it,” she whispered.

“Me too. Have you tried mine again?”

“Sotir, there’s no way I’ll figure that one out.” Truthfully, Aria feared Sotir’s power. She watched her own aura betray bright yellow. She worried Sotir might see.

“That’s alright. Let’s try telekinesis.” Sotir’s staff clicked on the tunnel floor as he began to employ it in his stride.

“Telekinesis will be hard.”

“No, it won’t.” Sotir let go of his staff and let it float a second. It wobbled, and Sotir grabbed it quickly. “Alright, it’s hard.”

Aria gave a short laugh. “I’ll try it now.” She held the com on her palm and let it rest. She concentrated and wished it into the air. She watched as it scooted and hopped. Aria’s mouth dropped open.

The com lay still again.

“Wow,” Gavain said. “That wasn’t bad.”

“It was good,” Sotir agreed.

“Come on.” Both Casimir and Alban called from ahead.

For a few beats, they picked up their pace and traveled in silence. Soon, Aria would need to call Pan again. She clutched the com.

Sotir leaned close and whispered. “We need to remember that the power sharer will help us to see ghosts. I must admit, I’m curious.”

“I wonder if Pan has used our powers. If she figures out yours…” Aria let the sentiment hang.

Sotir would know her meaning. If Pan figured out Sotir’s power, they might find themselves at a disadvantage. Pan could make any power work for her.