Before long, the voices rose again downstairs in the Hall of the Dead.
Something was happening.
Elke told Flossie to stay where she was and retreated down the stairs. Flossie crawled around to watch her descend. Below, Elke listened in for a minute or two before returning.
“They’re preparing to leave,” she said.
“So,” Flossie said, “this is it.” All those notes that had been taken downstairs, when the moonbeam hit the crystal skull – she could only imagine the help that the light of a high full moon in the midst of a sacred rock formation would provide. The information stored inside the skull would be made effortlessly available.
Elke squared her shoulders. “We should go now,” she said, as if attempting to talk herself into this. “It will take the living men a while to drive there, but we have the advantage. We can go there now and ready ourselves.”
As the men started up the stairs from below, Flossie offered Elke her keyed hand.
* * *
“Oh!” Flossie exclaimed.
She had expected to see some small standing stones, the likes of which she’d seen in her own country. But this, this was an incredible sight. The pair was standing on a road that ran between several tall, narrow rocks that drove up towards the sky. The light of the moon shone white and bright, illuminating their sandstone crevices and casting eerie shadows.
Elke dropped Flossie’s hand.
“Come,” she said, beckoning her.
Flossie followed her along the road, the rocks towering above. After a few more steps they came to stand in front of a large religious carving in the rock face itself, high above their heads.
Both girls’ eyes were fixed upon it in awe.
“It’s medieval,” Elke told her. “People have been coming here for a long time. Forever, I expect.”
Flossie’s attention had moved away from the carving as she recalled all Violet had told her. “Where’s the altar?” she asked Elke. “I was told that’s where they might place the crystal skull.”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s up there.” She pointed to the tallest of the stone towers – the one that stood by itself in the middle of the others and had to be reached via a small, rounded, iron footbridge.
Flossie found the stairs she needed and then she was off, Elke running behind her to catch up.
The stone stairs were quite wide, but narrowed as the two towers of rock came closer together overhead. Flossie paused mid-flight, a strange, heavy feeling coming over her. It was almost as if someone was watching her. Was Viktor Brun here already? She could see only Elke. She felt uneasy – the rocks heavy overhead. She had to keep going. Flossie started upwards again, the stone steps curving around the side of the wide expanse of rock as they ascended. The girls moved to the point that would lead to the iron footbridge.
They turned the corner and the footbridge was before them. Flossie paused at the start of it. It was a short bridge, rounded and exposed, and the ground felt a long, long way below. There wasn’t time to be scared. One hand on each of the railings, she crossed it, her key clinking – iron against iron – as she went.
“Over there.” Elke indicated the small rock alcove to their right, only a step or two away from the end of the footbridge.
Surveying the altar, Elke stiffened.
“He’s close,” Elke said. “I can feel his presence. This way.” She ran back over the footbridge and crawled into a hiding space in the rock wall on the other side. There was just enough room for the two of them and from here they had a view of what was going on near the altar. Above her, the moon dimmed – hidden by a cloud.
It felt like hours before they heard the living officers’ voices as they approached. Then they saw them – several of the heavy-coated officers tramping over the footbridge, the silver braid on their uniforms and shiny death’s heads on their hats glinting in the moonlight. Flossie and Elke squashed in together even tighter when they saw the last two men pass by – Viktor Brun and the spiritualist. The spiritualist carried the black velvet bag, heavy with its precious crystal contents. Viktor Brun held the skull of the twilight world. They crossed the footbridge, the spiritualist already uncloaking the crystal skull as he went. He lost no time in placing it inside the small alcove, on the altar itself.
Thankfully, the moon was still behind a large cloud.
“How are we going to do this?” Flossie whispered to Elke. “Should I distract him while you grab the skull?”
Elke’s expression was determined. “There’s no rush. He’ll let me near him. You’ll see.”
“He might know you from the Invalid Cemetery. But does he trust you?” Flossie wasn’t sure about this.
Elke laughed a strange little laugh. “Yes.”
Flossie pulled back. There was something not quite right about this. She had a bad feeling. “Elke …” As she spoke, she saw that the cloud above was moving again. Soon the moon would reveal itself in its full glory once more.
Both the spiritualist and Viktor Brun were intent upon the altar.
And that was when it happened.
The cloud passed by, the moon shone down and the world was filled with light – the kind of which Flossie had not seen since she was alive. It was that blinding sort of light that comes from stepping out of the house on a bright summer’s day. Flossie squinted and held a hand to her eyes as she attempted to make out what was going on.
When she had adjusted to the light, she noticed that the crystal skull of the living world shone brighter than she had ever believed to be possible. The colours emanating from it lit up the rock formations in a dazzling display. The twilight skull also shone like a beacon.
But that wasn’t all there was to be seen. Now, the living officers pointed at something, a range of expressions on their faces – shock, fear, awe.
As one, they pointed at Viktor Brun.