They were in a coffee shop in Istanbul, enjoying tea in small glasses that was so sweet, the glasses were sticky.

“Can’t we move before tomorrow?” Asked Cesare, as he took another sip of his mint tea. It was too sweet for his taste, but he wanted to avoid insulting the locals, so he had made peace with the fact that he needed to drink it all up.

“No, the flight to Ulaanbaatar have already departed for today. They take nine hours, you know. And there are not many passengers. So, not too many flights go there,” said Antonius, looking around. He saw a poster and pointed at it.

“Have you ever been to a belly dance performance, Cesare?” Cesare’s eyes traveled to where Antonius was pointing, and he saw a scantly clad woman with a veil smiling seductively from the poster.

She wore something like a fitness top, but with embroidery at the edges. Furthermore, a skirt, but it was split on the sides to reveal her legs. She had tanned skin and green eyes. The same shade as Antonius.

“Never. Although I have been to a strip club before,” Antonius frowned at him.

“Don’t compare the two. A belly dance is a dance. The dancers don’t lose their clothing by the end of the performance, apart from the occasional arm veil they use to tease the patrons with. It is a form of seduction that is elegant and sophisticated,” Cesare nodded. He was not going to argue with Tony about something he had never seen.

“So,” Antonius said, eyes going back to the poster. “Do you want to go?”

Cesare considered it. He imagined dusky beauties weave around him, their veils caressing his skin. How their feet will bring them closer to him, teasingly slow, and then, at the last minute, they will move away from him. Fingers beckoning him to join them on the stage.

“Is it intense?” Asked Cesare. Antonius grinned.

“For a first time, you might get pulled on the stage,” said Antonius, looking mischievous. “When I first saw a belly dance, I got pulled from my chair with a veil around my neck. Then, I proceeded to try to dance the tango with the belly dancer. The woman was very considerate and teased me just a bit before she came in close and blew me a kiss.”

Cesare grinned. It sounded like something that Antonius cherished the memory of.

“How old were you, Tony?” Antonius took a pause to think, and then he grinned boyishly.

“I think I was fifteen. It was my first case. It was around here, in the ruins of Troy. I got the spirit of Hector to tell me where Achilles’s armor was buried. He was all too happy to do so, once I told him, I will be selling it on the black market,” Cesare’s eyes widened.

“Was it just like it was described in the Iliad?” Antonius took out his phone and swiped at photos until he found a particular one. He handed the phone to Cesare.

“See for yourself,” the breastplate looked well-polished. That surprised Cesare.

“Did you steal it from a private collector?” Antonius shook his head.

“Achilles, much like our khan here,” Antonius pointed at Genghis Khan, who was looking at the photo of the breastplate with appreciation. “Had an unmarked grave. He was buried in full battle regalia. His spirit guarded the place.”

“You defeated Achilles’s ghost?” Cesare wondered how that could have happened. Tony looked like your typical businessman. Not someone who could take down the best fighter of the Antique Age.

“All it takes to get rid of ghosts is a bit of salt and holy water,” Antonius took two small jars from the inside of his suit jacket and showed them to Cesare. “When we get to Mongolia, I will give you your set.”

“Surely, there is more?” Cesare didn’t want to believe that it was that easy.

“Well, for the older spirits, the ones that don’t want to move on, the dose is bigger. And, you might want to prepare to be thrown against rocks and trees. But do you know which type of ghost is the worst?” Cesare shook his head. Before he met Tony, he didn’t even know that ghosts were real.

“The swamp ones,” Cesare took his phone and swiped through the photos until he got to a new one. “There is something about swamps that negates holy water, so, you can’t stun them. Salting them is the only way, and that is done with bullets and hunting ruffles.”

Antonius gave the phone to Cesare again, and the Italian saw a zombie like woman that was peeking out of a swamp. She had red, glowing, eyes that send shivers down his spine.

“So, how did you exorcise it?” Cesare waited for the description of an epic battle, but he got a shrug.

“Not my duty to exorcise spirits. That is what priests are for. I just go, stun, grab the treasure they are guarding, and get the hell out of dodge,” Cesare’s brows furrowed.

“Yes, but, what if this thing catches a tourist? A hiker?” Antonius shrugged again.

“Tough luck. But, honestly, the only thing the people need to do is run away and inform a priest. Ghosts that guard something are glued to the resting place of the thing. That swam ghost I just showed you could only make weak whirlpools. Sure, they nearly got me under the water twice, but they were noting life-threatening,” Cesare nodded.

“But, do you know how to exorcise a spirit?” Antonius looked uncomfortable at that.

“I do, but it takes a lot out of a necromancer. That is a job best left to a priest,” Cesare felt that Tony wanted him to drop the subject, so his eyes found the poster again.

“So, belly dancing, huh?” Antonius smiled at being let off the hook.

“We can go to the club tonight. There is nothing quite like a good seductress expert performing her trade for you,” the ghost of the khan also looked at the poster.

“How I wish I was still alive,” both men looked at him. They have both forgotten that he would be coming.