Lu Na wrapped the Buddhist talisman around her right hand with red string. The last thing she needed was to lose it. She could make more wards, but the abbot of their local monastery blessed this talisman her father donates to.

  “This is foolish Lu Na. We should go back and gather the Elders and the other spirits. Then we might have a chance,” Sun Ren said.

  “Don’t worry about me. Go back with the sable spirit and come back. I’ll defend myself with my bracelet if I have to.” Lu Na touched the null metal bracelet to the stone wall in front of her, focusing on pushing the excess spirit energy into it. Hopefully doing it this way the dense spirit energy won’t run rampant through her body again.

  “No, I’ll stay with you.” Sun Ren nudged the sable spirit with her feet. “Go back to your summoner and let her know what’s going on. Tell her that spirits can’t come into this room or else they will set off traps.”

  The sable spirit squealed before running back down the hallway.

  “Are you sure about this?” Sun Ren asked.

  Lu Na nodded. She had finished wrapping the talisman into her palm as carefully as possible. She wasn’t sure if it would work, but this was as good a time to try it as any.

  Lu Na walked around her wall. She didn’t collapse them in case she needed to run back for cover. She also had a backup plan in case anything went wrong with Zi Xu.

  “Welcome to the inner sanctum, where only the elite and nobles may spend their time,” Zi Xu said. He bowed.

  “Why did you send us into that burning building?” Lu Na asked.

  “Oh, was it burning already? I thought you all would have had a few more hours before it shifted. Besides, it was a shortcut. It allowed you to go straight to the inner sanctum.”

  The closer Lu Na and Sun Ren got to Zi Xu, the colder it was. It made the chilly hallway they walked through feel like a day at the beach.

  “Then tell me, where are my companions?” Lu Na asked.

  “Who?”

  “The monk and the other Wintersweet disciples. They walked through here.”

  Zi Xu smiled his wide smile. There was something coming. It was the same smile before he unleashed the nagas on them or before he invited them into the burning building.

  “You foolish summoners. You always think that with your skills, you can overcome the labyrinth. In the end, all that happens is you succumb to your ego. You’re in the land of the dead. You do not know how to deal with ghosts.”

  Lu Na’s spirit skin glowed orange. A ghost appeared right in front of Lu Na. It somehow stood in the small space between Lu Na and Zi Xu. Its face was so close, Lu Na could see the mole on its ashen face.

  Lu Na took a step back, only to bump into another ghost behind her. Everywhere she looked, there were more ghosts, all ashen faced. They had long hair that hung passed their shoulders. Lu Na couldn’t tell the difference between man or woman as they all wore long white shirts and pants. Their pale fingers reached out, each face bearing the marks of centuries of starvation.

  “Please, stop this Zi Xu,” Lu Na said. Every time a finger touched Lu Na, her spirit wall flashed orange.

  “Oh dear girl, I’m not doing any of this. I can’t control other ghosts.” Zi Xu walked around Lu Na with his hands held behind him in that slow gait. “By the looks of it, they’re trying to invite you to see their master. At least that’s what they did with your fellow companions.”

  “Oh no, Sun Ren.” Lu Na turned to find Sun Ren. When the ghosts wouldn’t move, she tried to push them away with her right hand. It went right through them, making them disappear. But as soon as she pulled her hand back, they reappeared.

  This was not fair. How were they able to touch her but Lu Na couldn’t touch them? Lu Na pushed past the ghosts and searched for Sun Ren.

  Her friend had walked some distance ahead. She moved slowly, as if every step was too heavy for her. There was a golden orange glow coming from her necklace, the figure of Guanyin. It pushed away the ghosts, but there were too many of them.

  Lu Na tugged Sun Ren’s arms, but she wouldn’t follow her. Her friend grimaced.

  “Sun Ren, are you in pain?” There was no way Lu Na pulled so hard that it hurt Sun Ren.

  Lu Na pushed against Sun Ren’s shoulders. When that didn’t work, she held her from behind while using her entire weight to stop her. It didn’t matter what she did, as Sun Ren’s muscular body kept walking forward. It reminded Lu Na again of the difference between them.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Zi Xu, please help me,” Lu Na said.

  Zi Xu held his hands behind him and walked beside the pair. His slow gait made him look like an imperial noble taking a stroll knowing that they had all the time in the world with nowhere to be in particular.

  “I’d help you, but I can’t. I’m a ghost. Not a ghost hunter. Besides, I’m more surprised that you’re not affected by the ghosts. You must be a very innocent woman.”

  “What do you mean?” Lu Na gave up holding Sun Ren back and merely held her hand as they walked together. She would not leave her friend to whatever fate these ghosts were pulling her.

  “You see, most ghosts have unfinished business in life and likely tragically died. These ghosts stick to the living, trying desperately to affect the living so they can finish their last desire. They usually attack the mind of their victims, using their guilt to make them do as they wish. That is what’s affecting your friend here and all your other companions that walked by here. Except you. You must have lived a peaceful life.”

  This conversation reminded Lu Na of the same one she had with the one in the village. The ghost there couldn’t affect her either, but it was powerful enough to hold both Sun Ren and Hen Li. There were dozens of ghosts here. She had no chance of breaking her friend free, especially since these ghosts didn’t talk.

  “Wait, why aren’t you like them then?”

  Zi Xu snorted.

  “I’m not like the common ghost you see. While I didn’t choose to die in this labyrinth and I have many regrets in life, I chose to enter this labyrinth despite knowing my eventual fate. In fact, I relished it at first. To have eternal life.”

  “This is not life,” Lu Na said.

  Zi Xu laughed, a loud throaty laugh.

  “Indeed, little girl. This is not life. That’s why I have been trying to help whoever comes into this labyrinth so they can finally solve that stupid puzzle and release us all.”

  “That’s a lie. You’ve tried to kill us a few times already. I don’t trust you.”

  Sun Ren turned, pulling Lu Na with her. A large space opened up to what looked like a courtyard. Flowers carved from wood and stone were everywhere. Stone tables with intricate carvings stood underneath wooden pavilions. A deep ditch circled the courtyard and the large mansion at the opposite end. A wooden boat lay at the bottom of the ditch near a small gangway.

  “What is this place?” Lu Na asked. She had followed Sun Ren into the courtyard, their steps slowing down. The ghosts moved at a slower pace. With every three steps, they bowed at the waist toward the mansion. It was as if they were paying their respects to it.

  “Oh, this was the crown jewel of the labyrinth. There was a time when the rich and powerful could enter and leave the labyrinth through a secret entrance. At least that was what those snobby ghosts told us. They claimed they couldn’t find the way back because all their servants carried them. Apparently, the rich and powerful never cared about little details, at least until their servants murdered them and became stuck in the labyrinth.”

  “What?”

  Zi Xu shoved one ghost that got too close to him.

  “These miscreants decided they weren’t too happy being trapped here forever or that their masters sent them to their deaths to serve them for all eternity. So when the food ran out they all did the most horrible things to their masters. The irony was, after their own deaths, these ghosts are now forced to serve their masters faithfully.”

  “That’s so cruel.” Lu Na couldn’t imagine what had happened here in the past. Would her own servants and maids murder her for how she treated them?

  “Oh, you haven’t seen cruel yet. The rich and powerful that were murdered turned into sadistic ghosts.” Zi Xu walked ahead of the two ladies. “Luckily, you know me. I’m going to negotiate with the lady of this house. She and I are good friends. Maybe she won’t murder you the same way she was murdered.”

  Lu Na wasn’t sure what that meant. Not that she had much of a choice anyway, as Sun Ren was caught in the ghosts’ flow. Meanwhile, her own spirit skin kept sparking orange every time a ghost got too close. It was like the flicker of the lantern whenever an insect flew into it.

  “Wait, I can use my wards to hold you.” Lu Na clenched her left fist and flicked it left. An earth wall rose and surrounded the two in a dome. The darkness swallowed them.

  There was a clawing sound next to Lu Na. She tapped the light ward on her bracelet, flooding the small space with light.

  The ghosts still surrounded Sun Ren, but she had stopped moving. The clawing sound came from the ghosts that followed them into the dome. They dug at the earth wall, making small holes in it.

  “Let’s see you dig through this.” Lu Na clenched her left fist and focused on the density of the spirit energy within the earth wall. She pulled them close together until the earth wall turned into stone.

  The ghosts stopped digging. They stopped moving, their hands hanging limply. Then, as one, they turned to face Lu Na. Their faces contorted in anger.

  Lu Na stumbled backward from their intense glare. They can’t touch her, can they?

  The ghosts swarmed Lu Na, reaching her with their pale hands. Her spirit skin turned into a bright spark as every ghost grabbed at her.

  Lu Na held onto her Buddhist talisman in her right hand. At least Sun Ren was safe for now. Nothing could…

  Sun Ren turned to face Lu Na. Her eyes were glazed over and her movements were slow. She unsheathed one of her daggers and took an uneasy step toward Lu Na.

  “How are they controlling you?” Lu Na began punching every ghost that got close to Sun Ren. They faded only to come back instantly.

  Sun Ren didn’t stop. Her Guanyin necklace was glowing golden. It was the only thing Lu Na could focus on. Was there someway she could use that to save Sun Ren?

  Sun Ren raised her dagger, her arms shaking as if the dagger weighed more than she could bear. Every step looked like it pained her.

  Wait, was it because Sun Ren’s necklace wasn’t touching her skin?

  Lu Na walked around Sun Ren until she was behind her. Before Sun Ren could turn, she tugged her friend’s necklace out of her tunic. The moment she did, the golden glow overwhelmed her light ward.

  The ghosts wailed and disappeared.

  “Sun Ren?” Lu Na asked. She stayed behind her friend just in case it didn’t work.

  Sun Ren’s dagger shot out at Lu Na’s head. She turned and glared at Lu Na. Her eyes were glowing with a pale blue light. She took a step forward and stabbed at Lu Na.

  Lu Na flicked her wrist left and the earth dome opened, allowing her to dodge Sun Ren’s dagger. It still nicked her tunic.

  “Sun Ren, snap out of it. You’re free. Please stop.”

  Sun Ren took two steps forward, slower this time, but not as she was before. These steps felt deliberate like she was stalking Lu Na.