Page 69 of Between Ghosts and Gods

“How do you suggest we move that?” Arun gestured to the wheel.

Kasu circled around it. At the base, she spotted what looked like the dial of a combination lock.

Twice clockwise. Then once opposite.

She gave the dial a twist and the wheel began to glow again, softer this time. In a blink, it disappeared, replaced by a silver-and-white ring that fell to the floor with a clatter.

“Amazing!” Kasu stared at the ring in fascination. “There are stories of gods carrying reincarnation wheels to the Fates’ workshop for repair. Or displaying them in the palace of the Celestial Empress on holy days. I always found it hard to picture a god with a huge wheel strapped to their back, but this must be how they move them!”

Arun picked up the ring and slipped it onto his index finger. “That’s fascinating and all, but I think someone’s coming!”

Someone was indeed scaling the scaffolding. Kasu could hear the scratch of nails against the wooden beams. She could feel the platform shake and sway beneath her feet.

“The elevator!” she cried and dashed towards the battered wooden box.

Before she could reach it, Lady Camellia hauled herself onto the top of the platform.

“Ah, Kasu.” The demon rose to full height, adjusting her dress with a bony hand. “Just the little ghost I hoped to see.”

Chapter Thirty-Four Kasu

Kasu was consumed by the demon lord’s overwhelming shadow, her knees trembling as she gazed up at Lady Camellia’s skeletal face.

She was so beautiful and so terrifying.

Without another word, Lady Camellia stepped past Kasu and Arun and walked over to where the Pale Lady’s body had lain. She inspected the robes left behind, the fake armour, the counterfeit sigil of General Shusa. Picking them up carefully, Lady Camellia folded them and placed them in the middle of the stage.

“L–Lady Camellia, we didn’t do anything!” cried Kasu. “There was a curse!”

“A curse?” Lady Camellia’s gaze slid to Ruo.

The cat jumped back, fur standing on end. Kasu would not have blamed them if they decided to teleport away then and there, but Ruo stood their ground, fangs bared, just an inch away from hissing.

“N–not Ruo. A different curse,” Kasu faltered. She opened her mouth to explain why they were there, but was silenced by a bony finger pressed to her lips.

“I told you I would be paying the Pale Lady a visit tonight. Imagine my surprise when I find you here before me. And the Pale Lady dead.”

“Why do you care?” Arun spat. “The Pale Lady tried to steal your elixir.”

Lady Camellia’s gaze snapped to Arun and her one good eye narrowed.

Kasu wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground.

“You should reconsider how you look and speak to me, little ghosts. I’ve killed your kind for less.” Lady Camellia stood to full height, towering imperiously over them.

“Oh, I know,” Arun ground out between clenched teeth. The fact that he had not already launched himself at the demon was a small blessing.

Kasu’s thoughts raced. She just wanted to get Arun to safety. They could talk about revenge later, once they had regrouped, once they had rested, and once she did not feel as though events were racing past her like a headless horse barrelling down a mountain.

With a sigh, Lady Camellia pulled two ivory dice from the folds of her dress. They rattled in her hand like hollow bones. She tossed them onto the ground and Kasu watched them roll to a stop.

Two perfect sixes.

“Step into my chambers.”

A door materialized in front of the demon. When it swung open, the room on the other side was a familiar one filled with bottle-lined shelves.

Lady Camellia gestured for them to step inside.