It was the seventeenth night after Ernest’s death when Nico shadow-traveled with Eric to the mansion.
Ernest’s disembodied voice echoed throughout the house. “No! Release me! Let me rest! Please!!”
“Valdemar, do you hear me? Be still!”
Erik and Nico peeked into the study; there was Carmichael, bent over several papers and scribbling away. Ernest’s moaning dimmed down, but he didn’t really pause. Erik and Nico tiptoed up to their old rooms.
“We need to copy those notes,” muttered Nico as he pulled out some paper and a pen from the bag he left at the mansion.
“I expect I’ll be doing that.”
“Well yeah, I can’t read French.”
They waited a while after Carmichael finally went to bed before they tiptoed back down the stairs and into the study.
Erik looked over the hypnotist’s notes. “Hmm, not much outside of ‘mind rules over matter’, ‘the body still decomposes’, and ‘I have complete power over him’.”
Nico picked up a page. “This one has Helene’s name on it.”
Erik took the page from him, and his eyes widened. “He is most certainly going to make Helene his wife, one way or another. We were right in thinking that he would use his power over Uncle Ernest to force her hand.”
Nico pursed his lips. “Good thing we decided to stay close. But, what of the doctor? He said he would call in the police if we couldn’t. What did Carmichael tell him to change his mind?”
Ernest’s low moans began to intensify.
“Valdemar, be still! Sleep!” came Carmichael’s voice.
“I will copy what is most important here,” Eric said.
“Alright, I want to check on Mr. Valdemar. Meet back in our room?”
Erik nodded. “Yes.”
With that, Nico shadow-traveled to the room where Ernest still lay. The odor of decay washed over him like a tidal wave, causing him to wince at the stench.
“Help me. Release me,” muttered the disembodied voice of Ernest.
Nico approached the bed, and let out a soft gasp when he saw the face. Ernest almost looked like he had been covered in flour, but Nico knew better; it was the decay of his flesh. Nico gritted his teeth. Ernest should have been buried by now; his spirit should have passed by now, but both were under the control of Carmichael. Nico leaned in. He had an idea, he just hoped it would work, and if it didn’t work, at least he had a backup plan.
“Mr. Valdemar, Mr. Valdemar, can you hear me?”
“Release me.”
“Mr. Valdemar, can you hear me?”
“Help me.”
Nico sighed, then began to concentrate. “Ernest Valdemar, I am Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. By the power my father gave me by birthright, I command you to leave your body.”
“No! So dark!” moaned Ernest as Nico gasped.
Ernest seemed to be fighting him, but Nico knew it couldn’t have been Ernest, he would have left willingly; no, Carmichael held too much power over him. Nico had to give up, he could feel his strength wane, just in time to hear a lock turning in the door. Nico ducked under the bed as Carmichael entered the room and approached the bed.
“Valdemar, do you hear me? Be still! Sleep! Keep up your strength, your wife and your doctor will be here day after tomorrow. You will tell them then.”
“No,” moaned Ernest.
“Valdemar, you will tell Helene that you wish for her to marry me.”
“Release me!”
“Only when I’m through with you, Valdemar, and not a minute sooner. Now, sleep!”
Ernest’s moaning slowly eased into quiet before Carmichael finally left the room and locked the door. Nico quickly shadow-traveled to his room, where Erik was waiting.
“What happened?” Erik whispered. “I saw Carmichael go into the room.”
Nico told him everything he heard, ending with, “We’re going to need to take the afternoon train back.”
Erik nodded. “Well, it looks like we’ll find out if your hypothesis is correct, and if Carmichael’s control will turn on itself.”
Nico nodded. “What did you find?”
“I think it would be better to show you at the hotel.”
“Right, hang on tight.”
“I always do.”
Nico shadow-traveled them back to the hotel, but instead of being shown the notes, was promptly marched off to bed. They did go over the notes in the morning and on the train ride back, Erik having translated the originals into Italian. The gist of it was that Ernest’s willpower seemed to get weaker the longer he was under Carmichael’s command, that the body seemed to decompose at a slower rate, and that the soul was clearly connected to the mind. They stayed at their old hotel room for the night, before heading out early the next morning to the doctor’s office. The way was slow as it was beginning to snow, and by the time they got there, they found out that Helene and the doctor had left for Valdemar’s. They instantly went straight towards Valdemar’s, unsure of what they would find upon their arrival.