Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island (Book II of The Hazy Souls)

  Chapter 13

  Arise

  A large male raged against his constraints as the orderlies subdued him with a needle.

  "I know what I saw―I'm not crazy!" he said, but the doctors only nodded and soon the man closed his eyes and some dribble came out of his mouth. "Demons, two," he whispered. "Searching..."

  The man was lifted from his bed and placed on a stretcher. Soon, he was being transported to the Watican castle's private medical facilities. The facilities were located in a building separate from the castle proper, enclosed with meticulously groomed hedges and a high fence on the perimeter.

  When Wantoro's entourage arrived with the drugged witness, Wantoro ushered them in through the large white doors with a steady hand. A petite doctor with a tidy bun and gravelly voice sucked in a large amount of air, as though she were witnessing a grave mistake.

  "Yes?" Wantoro turned to her impatiently.

  The doctor took a step forward and lowered her voice. "You're sure you want her next to Vinya Raaychila?"

  "Of course I'm sure! Someone, get her out of here." Wantoro waved his arm and a team of security officers fell on the petite doctor and led her out. The other doctors looked on, but quickly averted their gaze when Wantoro glanced their way. "I'll have my staff take it from here," he said. The doctors filed out.

  But Wantoro excused even his own staff, allowing only Mateo to enter the room. The door to Raaychila's private recovery chamber was locked behind him.

  "So how long until he wakes?" asked Mateo.

  "No idea." The two men crossed their arms and frowned. Their witness was in a deep sleep.

  But then they heard someone shift in bed and a mattress board creaked. Wantoro and Mateo's eyes rested momentarily on the witness, but he wasn't the one sitting up. In the next bed over, Raaychila began to rise like a phoenix, her fiery hair having lost none of its vibrance. Her face was ethereal and smooth from disuse, and she stared into another place. In an airy voice, she whispered, "They're coming."