No scent. That definitely meant wraiths. They were vengeful spirits who wreaked havoc in the afterlife. Usually victims of horrific ceremonies, whose souls sought revenge.
Maybe Mother was right. Wraiths in the area could mean that the Black Claw was committing more vile ceremonies. I stomped my paw in frustration. Wraiths were difficult to catch. I was sure this was outside my skill level, and I was fighting alone.
But I reminded myself I was hunting the wraith. It wasn’t hunting me. I had the advantage. I wasn’t going to crawl back home with my tail between my legs when there was a possibility that the wraith could kill someone else.
I changed back into my human form. I needed to get a bird’s eye view, and since I didn’t have wings, I was going to have to do it the old-fashioned way. I started scaling buildings. I swiftly climbed the apartment complex I was standing next to, and once I got on the roof, began surveying my surroundings.
The wraith wasn’t up here. I perched on a gargoyle, scanning the streets below for the wraith. They were invisible to humans and Marked, but a Companion could see them clear as day.
Finally, I spotted it. A black shadow hovering over one of the buildings. The wraith looked like a skeletal figure in black cloth, a shroud covered in swaths of dark blood. I couldn’t see its face, or any other features. It was as large as a human male, but I remained cautious. I knew it could kill me.
And it had seen me. There went the element of surprise. Instead of attacking, the wraith let out a terrifying screech and made a run for it.
I wasn’t about to let it get away. My footsteps fell hard against the clay shingles of the rooftops as I gave chase. I had to jump from building to building in my pursuit of the wraith. It glided soundlessly above the ground. I made a lot of noise as I darted to keep up with it. I was forced to parkour off of buildings, ledges, and balconies while the wraith merely flew over them. Damn not having any wings.
I managed to catch up. I changed into a wolven mid-jump as I tackled the wraith. It squealed, and scratched at my eye as we tumbled off one of the buildings and to the ground. We fell into valances and canopies that ripped and slowed our descent as the cobblestone streets loomed closer and closer.
Finally, we hit the ground. The wraith broke my fall, and I ended up uninjured as I rolled off the top of it. The wraith hissed and stood to its full height, unbothered by the rough landing. Ghosts couldn’t be injured in such a way.
Wraiths could only be killed once you freed the trapped spirit. But you had to make it weak enough to do that. I changed back and ripped my father’s jeweled dagger out of the hilt on my belt. It was ceremonially blessed by sorceresses, and so, could hurt ghostly forms.
I charged at the wraith. It glided out of the way, but not before I sank the dagger into its middle. It was like slicing through air. I met no resistance, but I knew I had harmed the beast when it howled in rage. Dark magic flickered off its form and flung at me, but I managed to roll out of the way and only caught the edges of the spell.
The magic stung, like accidentally putting your hand on a hot stove. If the spell had actually hit me, I would’ve been consumed with pain, and the wraith would’ve easily finished the job.
I barely got to my feet before the wraith lifted a hand and I was blasted back. It screamed, and the windows in the buildings around us shattered. I wanted to cover my ears and block out the sound, but instead I gritted my teeth and rolled out of the way of the falling glass.
The wraith came at me several times, each time extending bony fingers toward my throat from under its black covering. It intended to rip my jugular out. I jumped out of the way and pierced its cloak three more times before it finally backed off. It tried to get away, but I stepped on the edge of its cloak and pinned it down before sinking the dagger into where I presumed the heart would be, if it had one.
The wraith squealed in pain. I waved my hand over the wraith and purple magic exploded from my palm, passing through the wraith and releasing the trapped spirit.
The wraith let out one last squeal before it exploded into a cloud of dust. I coughed, then wiped off the dagger on my cloak.
I wasn’t sure if the wraith would be gone for good. Usually, to banish them completely, you had to undo whatever crime had been committed against them. Resolve unfinished business. But the protective spell would at least keep it out of the city for a few days.
I noticed something. Where the wraith had once been was a small doll— a child’s plaything.
I picked up the doll and observed it before tucking it into my pocket. The wraith had left it behind for me. I had to return it somewhere— it was important to the spirit. Otherwise, it would come back. I would have to do some investigating to see where it came from.
Lights came on above me, and I heard voices. I looked up to see Arcanea poking their heads out of their broken windows, wondering what the hell had happened and what was causing all the noise.Shit.
“The Phantom!” I heard a boy cry out from above. Then there were more voices joining it.The Phantom, the Phantom.
I hated that cursed name. I couldn’t change into my wolven form. They’d see three legs and know it was me. I kept my mask on and my hood up as I high-tailed it out of there. Cheers and applause followed me as I fled the scene.
Not everyone in Dolinska thought I was a hero. It wasn’t long before the authorities arrived to give chase. I could hear the cries of the authorities as they came after me. Griffins and dragons took flight, while wolvens and alicorns stayed on the ground in pursuit. I had to pin to the walls and avoid the lights Marked cast with their hands in their search. I stayed low to the ground and hid behind various objects as I outran the authorities. The Arcanea Alliance— the local police— didn’t like the Phantom coming in and doing their job for them. Made them look bad. I knew they’d love to catch me. But I’d be damned if I ever let them.
I needed to get to the palace, and back in bed before I was discovered. I took a risk and bolted. A few Marked saw me and cried out to their Companions that I was getting away, but I knew these city streets better than anyone else. I was able to zig-zag down a couple of unknown alleyways and lose them before they even knew what happened.
When I got back to the palace, the whole thing was lit up with the announcement that the Phantom had been seen again.Dammit. More complications.
The servant’s door was now locked. I’d have to scale the wall. I chose a lightly guarded part of the wall surrounding the palace to get back inside. Once I’d scaled it and landed in the palace courtyard, I planned to make my way back to my grappling hook, so I could pull myself up to my bedroom and inside without another thought.
But when I rounded the corner to do just that, I saw a plethora of guards around the barrel where I’d hid the hook. I couldn’t get to it. I either had to find my way around the guards, or risk falling to my death climbing up the tower without assistance.
I chose risking the fall. There were too many guards to sneak past, and if I was caught as the Phantom, there went my chances of participating in the King’s Contest— not to mention guaranteed prison time. Vigilantes were outlawed in Dolinska. I wasted no time and started climbing. I had to stick to the wall and stay still a few times as searchlights from the Marked passed me by, but with luck, no one saw me.Thank Luka.The thief god was on my side tonight.
I nearly slipped a few times on my way up. Damn prosthetic. Once, a stone on the side of the tower crumbled beneath my feet, and I was left hanging by one arm.
