Chasing Ghosts
1
Cory Chase studied the landscape speeding by his window on a passenger train he had booked passage on with his limited funds. An airplane would get him where he had to be faster, but it would cut into his insurance money in big chunks while a train was cheaper and safer considering the events of the past month or so.
Chase checked his watch, then wondered how long it would be before he got to Old Troy. Two of the gems he wanted for his ring were in the California city waiting on him. He wanted to get them and move on to the next destination.
He hoped it was easy. He had already encountered several of the Tarot creatures. He preferred to avoid battling them, battling anything.
He wasn't a hero like Oliver Hunt.
Hunt had left him the ring, and the responsibility of assembling its jewels again. The only reason he hadn't shirked his task was the ring attracted trouble, and there was no reason to keep him alive if he didn't have the ring.
He wasn't convinced that his enemy would let him live even if he did drop out of the race for the jewels. That wasn't counting what had happened to his boat when he had first received the mystic band.
Chase didn't know what he was going to do with the ring once he had it assembled. Its powers made him wary, but he knew he had to use it to protect himself. Dylan Trail's heir had made that abundantly clear with the sea serpent, knight of wands, and that devil in Chicago.
If anything, Chase was going to deal with that pain in the neck before he thought about going back to sea and vanishing. Otherwise the jerk would follow him around for the ring, making him miserable. The sailor wasn't prepared for a life on the run, looking over his shoulder for any threat.
Chase definitely wasn't going to give him the ring after going to all the trouble of keeping it from him.
Chase slid the window open and looked out on the landscape. His ring activated. Suddenly he was standing miles ahead, looking at a sign. Old Troy was only a few miles ahead when he could see that sign from his seat.
Chase sat back, his ring cutting off. This new ability took some getting used to. It was like having a vision on demand.
He could be a great peeping tom with the thing if he wanted badly enough.
Chase decided he needed something to eat. He might as well do that. He still had miles to go to even reach the sign he had spotted, much less Old Troy itself.
Chase made his way to the dining car, and had a sandwich and a drink. He looked at the people sharing the space, wondering what they did, what brought them on the train with him. He brushed aside the thought some of them would be hurt if the Tarot attacked while the iron horse rolled down the rails.
If he thought about that, he knew it would paralyze him. Oliver Hunt had lost his love in the same closed in arena. Most of these people would suffer the same as she had. He put them at risk just standing there sipping his coke.
He didn't like that thought at all.
2
Yusuke Tremaine ran through Old Troy, using the shortcuts he had built with his amazing abilities. He was dead if he was late.
Kay Banner had requested his presence three days ago. He had told her he would be there mostly so she would stop bugging him. He had tried various ways of getting out of the meeting. Naturally Kay had said his word was his unbroken head.
Yusuke saw the building finally. He knew the room was on the third floor. He also knew he couldn't just break the window like he would ordinarily. He had to show a little adultness. He didn't like that, but a favor was a favor. He ran for the front door, hopping over the railing lining the steps in front of it.
Yusuke ran up the three flights of stairs, pulling himself along with the metal railing. That let him skip concrete runners as he vaulted along. He landed on the third floor, straightened his jacket much to the annoyance of the dragon picture on its front, and started looking for the room number.
"Here he comes," said Kay, standing in an open door down the hall. She waved at Yusuke in part greeting and part hurry up.
Yusuke paused in the door to examine his surroundings. He had been home schooled by himself. A school room was a new thing for him. He walked Kay home when he could, but he couldn't remember a time he actually set foot in the building.
"Yusuke," said Kay, grabbing him by the arm. "This is Mr. Fowler. He has a problem that only you can solve."
"Kay," said Mr. Fowler, a short, balding man hiding behind glasses and a cheap suit. "I don't think this is such a good idea."
"Trust me," said Kay. "Yusuke is the best guy for this. Everyone else will think you're crazy."
"What am I the best guy for?," asked Yusuke, thinking he already knew the answer before Kay said anything.
"Mr. Fowler has a ghost that follows him around and causes problems," said Kay. "I want you to get rid of it."
"It's not like that at all," said Mr. Fowler.
The look on Kay's face said it was exactly like that. Yusuke had two choices, neither of which fitted in with his own plans for the day.
"Since I don't know what's going on," said Yusuke, deciding on the better part of valor. "I'll pass. See you later."
The boy medium turned to walk away. Something was going on. He could feel that much. He just didn't want to get involved. Helping people was a hero's job. He wasn't a hero.
"Hold on, Yusuke," said Kay. Her stance set in the one he knew that said he might as well suffer now than later. "There is a ghost. I want it gone. That's the bottom line."
"Okay Stone Cold," said Yusuke, holding up his hands. "Let's just start with where your ghost appears. Maybe I can get a grip from that."
"Mostly it appears in the stairwells and by the doors when I leave for the day," said Fowler. "It's almost like it doesn't want me to leave."
"Let's put it to the test," said the medium. "If it shows, I'll see what I can do about exorcizing it. I'm not promising anything. Ghosts generally do what they want, when they want."
"I told you he could fix it," said Kay. "Come on, Mr. Fowler. Let's bust your ghost."
The teacher shook his head in bemused worry.
3
Cory Chase got off the train at the Old Troy station, happy to be on solid ground again. Riding a carriage was better than running across the country, but the swaying reminded him too much of the sea. That was a place he couldn't go back to as long as he was looking for the ring's jewels.
Something might try to drown him while he was at a disadvantage in the water.
Chase looked around as he stored his bag in a locker. He consulted a map as he left the station. Most hustlers would see him as easy pickings until they looked at his face, and the way he examined everything intently.
That look usually warned off any but the most blind that they were dealing with someone who was ready to fight, and not willing to deal with others. A seasoned traveler knew the ropes and knew enough how to get around without the locals interfering.
Chase decided that the best thing to do was walk over to a trolley stop and ride the trolley in the direction he was going until that was no longer possible. Street signs pointed the way for him. He hoped they ran that late at night. Otherwise he was walking, or looking for some other method of transportation.
Neither option bothered Chase. Since he had taken the first jewel, he found that he could do as much as he wanted without being too tired. That jewel had given him enormous strength. It must also boost his endurance.
Chase let his vision roll out so he could take in the small city. He spotted the place he wanted. He hadn't counted on it being a school. It shouldn't be that much of a surprise. The mystic jewels apparently landed wherever at random.
Chase walked toward the building, taking the shortest way he could see with his vision. Once he got this one, he had to turn and head north for the next. These two were unusually close together. He didn't know if that was good, or bad.
Chase paused, listening to the slow bustle of cars, watching people who might be watching him. Leaves crackled as he headed for the front door of the building. If he couldn't get in now, he would come back after dark. Salt air gave him a pang as he checked the metal double doors to see if they were locked. One of the pink doors opened to allow him in the cool building.
Chase walked along the smooth tile, looking for a stairwell, or an elevator. He spotted a set of opened doors leading to stairs. He walked over, hand brushing the cool metal railing as he stamped upwards.
Chase thought he heard someone talking above him, but paid it no attention. He planned to talk his way out of any trouble if he could, but once he got close enough, choice would be out of his hands. The ring would seek its missing part, whether he wanted to do that, or not.
4
Yusuke Tremaine led Kay and Mr. Fowler to the staircase. The teacher nodded, bag of papers in his hand. Sweat littered his brow as he looked down the steps. He froze at the landing.
"Is anybody down there?" Fowler clutched his bag in front of his body.
"I am." A voice drifted up out of the stairwell. The echo tried to hide the owner, but Yusuke could see a flash of black coming up the stairs. A man's coat, he decided.
Fowler took courage in facing someone living. He straightened his back, grip shifting on the handle of his bag. He went to the top of the landing, looking down.
"The building's closed for the day. You will have to come back in the morning."
"I plan to be as far away from here as I can by morning." The stranger reached the landing just below the trio. His coat was blue, as dark as night. A watch cap covered his brown hair. He looked like a sailor from a television show. "I'm going up. I'll be glad to let you pass."
"Glad to do that." Yusuke herded the other two back from the steps. Something sparked his sixth sense. He could feel twinges in the air. That usually meant trouble. He didn't care about Fowler, but Kay was his friend and under his protection.
"He's trespassing, Yusuke." Kay stamped her foot.
"He's not a ghost." Yusuke made sure he didn't take his eye off the newcomer. "So I don't care. One problem at a time."
The sailor nodded as he proceeded to the next floor. He didn't try to smile. That would have been unnatural. He kept walking, glad that none of the three had tried to stop him.
"I can't believe you're letting some malefactor run loose in my school." Kay stamped her foot again, irritation plain in every gesture.
"I can't believe you talked me into a ghost hunt." Yusuke started down the stairs, eyes alert. "We're even in my books."
"I don't get you sometimes." Kay pushed Mr. Fowler in front of her so he walked in the middle of the group. "You're descended from heroes. You should be jumping at a chance like this."
"What chance?" Yusuke's eye glowed invisibly as he glided down the stairs. "I'm supposed to stay out of trouble. Busting some guy in the head is not staying out of trouble."
"Descended from heroes?" Mr. Fowler's sweat had returned now that he walked toward the confrontation he had wanted to avoid.
"She's trying to make you feel better." Yusuke held up his hand as he stopped on the next landing.
"I don't understand." Mr. Fowler almost walked into the boy in his nervousness.
"I need you to be quiet." Yusuke held up his hand as he looked down the staircase. "This could be bad."
5
Cory Chase searched the fourth floor. His ring drew them to the last room on the left. He opened the door, fighting the drag on his arm. The jewel gleamed from the eye of an eagle at the top of a flag stand.
He walked over and dug the fragment out of the eagle's eye with a thumb. It locked in place easily. He felt emotions flood his brain, and knew they weren't his own. They belonged to others close to him. He concentrated and he stood with the trio he had passed in the stairwell. Something was up. He should find another exit and leave. Trouble wasn't his problem.
Chase called his vision back. Trouble wasn't his business, but he should at least go down and reassure them he was leaving as promised. He didn't need them to call the cops on him while he was heading up the coast after the next fragment.
Chase walked back to the staircase and started down. Like all powers from the ring, his emotion sensing snapped off when he didn't need it. That made it easier for him. He wondered what good it could be used for.
Maybe he could use it to read people in certain situations. He could be a poker shark easily enough.
Chase found the teacher and girl on the landing, but not the boy. He didn't need the ring to see they were concerned about something.
"I'm going." Chase made to go by. "Nice meeting you."
"You can't go downstairs yet." The girl got in the way, holding her arms across the top of the stairwell. "There's a wild animal loose."
"I'm sure there is." Chase didn't try to keep his face straight. He picked her up and moved her to one side. "Have a good one."
"It could be dangerous." The older man clutched his bag, looking down the stairs. "I don't think you want to go down there."
"Don't worry. I can handle myself." Chase started down. His unease made the ring flare on his hand. Why did trouble follow him around like a puppy?
Chase reached the first floor before he paused to look around. The boy in the jacket hadn't accosted him yet. His friends remained on the stairs above. Something was up. His perspective shifted as the ring placed him along the first floor.
He spotted the boy leaping around in a class room. Things flew at the kid from some unseen hand. Chase checked the room number. He should keep walking.
He should, but he opened the metal door and headed down the hall.
The sailor opened the door as silently as possible. A desk flew at him with unnatural speed. His skin toughened to protect him from the missile. Something was in the room with him and the boy. He just couldn't see it.
"It's getting away." The boy leaped and suddenly he was in the hall behind Chase, moving like lightning down the corridor. "Come back."
Chase started down the hall, wondering if the Blinker had more than one son. The boy had already started up the stairs after whatever Chase had sensed in the room. He still sensed it ahead somewhere. The ring gave him a bead on whatever it was. He didn't know how useful he was if he couldn't touch the beast.
Chase climbed the stairs as fast as he could, yards behind the dragon jacket, before he realized the ring gave him strength. He couldn't run fast but he could pull himself up and over the railings faster than climbing the stairs. A couple of quick vaults carried the sailor to where the boy had stopped on the steps.
The girl and man floated in the air above where Chase had left them. Fear and a choking grip made them pant as they drifted over the concrete ground below.
"Put them down." The boy stepped closer. "Hurting them will really make me mad."
Chase didn't know whom he was talking to, but he felt the malevolence above them. At least he knew what the new gem was good for now. Naturally it had to be in a high stress situation.
The hostages flopped in the air. Come get them, come get them.
Yusuke Tremaine glared at the mass of tentacles floating above him and the stranger. If he was alone, it wouldn't be a big deal. He would rip the thing apart in a few seconds. His parents' gifts allowed him amazing abilities.
The problem was Kay would be killed as soon as he did something threatening. No way could he free her before those prehensile limbs ripped her apart. A distraction might allow him the time needed if it was good enough.
"Got any ideas, kid?" The stranger looked up where the two hostages floated. Something about him pinged against Yusuke's natural radar.
"I need a distraction, but I don't know if you can help me." Yusuke looked around. "If we could get Kay free, the rest would be a snap to handle."
"Let's see if I can handle that." The sailor headed up the stairs, hands at his sides in a peaceful manner. His skin took on the hue of steel as he paused just out of reach of the man and Kay. That feeling of hate washed over him as he felt it concentrating all of its attention on him.
Some things, a lot of them, grabbed hold of the stranger, trying to lift him up like the other two hostages. One of his hands held the metal railing fitted into the concrete steps. For a moment, it was a strange tug of war between the two.
That was exactly the distraction Yusuke wanted.
Yusuke jumped on the wall bordering the stairwell and bounced to the top of the steps, talent active and showing him his enemy. Invisible limbs reached for him as he rocketed toward the floating mass. His hands sliced apart the tentacles holding Kay and Fowler.
Kay dropped safely on the landing, fleeing down the staircase to the next floor. Fowler grabbed hold of the rail with both hands. His reflexes had saved him from a fall down to the first floor. The sailor pulled him over the rail and got him started downstairs.
Yusuke landed on the other side of the jelly fish. Its mass of tentacles spread out in a net. None of the others could touch it. That made them unimportant. The boy could, so he was the most dangerous and had to die.
Yusuke waited, blocking the door to the classrooms. If he could keep it confined until he whittled down the arms of the beast, he was sure it had some central point he could grab and crush if he got an opening.
That was two big ifs too many as far as he was concerned.
The jelly fish lashed out, swinging one arm after the other in a stream of pain. It was surprised that the boy seemed to step out of the way while pulling part of the attacking tentacle off with a bare hand. It paused after losing two arms in this fashion.
Yusuke smiled. It had made the thing pause and rethink its strategy. Maybe he should try to scare it off.
Yusuke charged in, reaching for the central core of the thing. If he could grab that, fight's over. Tentacles swept at him as he flew across the ground. The thing tried to back up, but it was only ectoplasm and not nearly as fast as someone touched by Kwan Lee.
Yusuke's hand pierced its skin, lancing deep inside the monster. He pushed back, grabbing and ripping as he pulled his hand back. The jelly fish deflated as the hole hemorrhaged its liquid interior into a thin cloud around it.
"Didn't like that, did you?" Yusuke smiled as he examined his enemy.
"Quit playing around with it." The sailor still held on to the railing below the landing.
Yusuke realized the sailor was right. If the thing got away, it could heal up and come back anytime it wanted. It had already gotten strong enough to be a potential menace to anyone it didn't like.
He wasn't allowing that thing stay to hurt Kay when he wasn't around.
Yusuke lunged again. The jelly fish floated up over the landing, disappearing as he reached for it. He locked down on the landing before he flew into the stairwell. He looked around, grimacing at the disappearance of his enemy.
"It's still around," the sailor said from below. He pointed down. "It's that way."
Yusuke looked down, realizing that one of their circle had taken it on the lam. Of course the thing had gone down. It had gone after its intended victim. Fowler must have decided to leave them to it while he made his escape.
Yusuke jumped down to the next landing from where he stood. He vaulted down to the next floor, and headed for the exit to the first floor. He should have seen this coming a mile away.
He heard footsteps and knew the sailor and Kay were coming down after him.
Maybe he could use some help after all.
6
Cory Chase felt useless. His one talent that worked wasn't really that much help in this situation. Still he was doing something instead of standing by letting things happen.
Hunt would be so proud.
Chase felt fear and hate coming from the same direction. He charged toward the sources. If he could get in the way, the kid might be able to do something. The boy was already out the front door.
Chase leaped across the room. He pushed the door out of the way so he could get outside. He saw the teacher running across the parking lot. The source of the hate was right behind him. He spotted the boy in one place. Then the dragon jacket was halfway across the lot the next second.
This kid needs to meet the Blinker.
Chase jumped. He stood in last place trying to get to the teacher. He still possessed prodigious strength thanks to the ring. His leap carried him across the lot but not close enough. He landed on top of a car and jumped again. He dropped down in front of the man, feeling things wrap around him.
The hate wanted him to move out of the way. The slimy touch oozed on his armored skin and clouded the surface of his coat. It yanked. He bent and strained against the pull. The tentacles came apart as he staggered back a few feet.
Chase felt the hate amp up. That was okay with him. It meant it would waste time trying to deal with him and less time trying to do what it wanted to do. That fit his plan.
Chase pushed the teacher back, standing between him and the thing that wanted to kill him for whatever reason. He waited as a human wall ready to react if he was touched. He had a feeling that was the only way he would be able to hurt it.
The boy flew in from the right, slicing the feelings away with his hand. The suddenness startled Chase even though he had seen the flying speed already demonstrated once that night. The kid landed to one side, ready for anything.
"What's this all about, Fowler?" the dragon jacket had his hand closed in a fist. Waves of anger drifted to Chase as he waited for a next move.
"I don't understand." Fowler straightened up his spine now that the danger seemed passed.
"I want an explanation of how you caused a devil to chase you around." The boy settled down to a low hum of relief and irritation. "We both know this isn't something minor. What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything." Fowler sweated in the cool night breeze. "I used to go here when I was a kid, but I never did anything to cause this. There's always been stories."
"What kind of stories?" Chase's voice sounded small to his ears. He repeated himself a little louder. "What kind of stories?"
"That the school is haunted by the ghost of Lazy Larry." Fowler looked at the two of them. "Lazy Larry was a janitor who died because the furnace gave off noxious fumes because he never cleaned it. Every kid has heard that story."
"I don't go to school," the boy said.
"Out of towner." Chase knew the guy was telling the truth. He didn't think it was the right truth. "Why don't you elaborate and show us?"
Fowler led the two of them back across the parking lot. His head was down and he clutched his bag to his side. The girl waved at them from the school's front door. She smiled, then stopped when she saw the mood they were in.
"What's going on?" She looked at Fowler and the boy with a spark in her eyes.
"We're trying to find out." Chase spoke so the others wouldn't be bogged down in explanations. "If you want to wait, I'm sure the thing is gone for now."
"No, I'm not going to wait." The girl joined the dragon jacket, walking at his side. "What's going on, Yusuke?"
"Show and tell." Yusuke's fist remained closed as he followed Fowler back into the school. "This isn't about a ghost."
"I don't understand." The girl looked confused. Chase didn't blame her, but kept his feelings to himself.
"That thing wasn't a ghost." Yusuke paused in the lobby, standing behind the teacher. "Where's the furnace?"
"I don't know." Fowler pointed down the hall. "I think that way. It would have to be on this floor, or in a basement maybe?"
"Let's find it." Yusuke gestured for the man to go ahead. "Lead the way."
Fowler led the group along until he found a door that said Janitor across the top. He tried the knob. It swung open quietly.
"Let's go." Yusuke nodded. "I don't have all night."
Fowler turned the lights on. The room beyond looked like it had never seen a custodian. Trash and spider webs vied with open supplies. A mop bucket stood in a corner.
"I don't see a furnace." Fowler's eyes shifted uneasily.
Yusuke and Chase looked around the room. Both looked at Fowler intently. He looked at them with a shrug and a hand wringing. The two looked at each other hoping for an idea to spring to life.
"I don't have an idea." Chase looked around the room again. "These pipes should go somewhere, but I don't see a furnace. Maybe it's somewhere else."
"Secret room." Yusuke walked over to the wall the pipes cut through. He tapped it with his free hand. "Something is behind this wall."
"You can't damage school property." Kay entered the room, making a moue at the disorder.
"Watch me." Yusuke slapped the cinder block and concrete in his way. One rectangle jumped out of place and fell. Red light swirled beyond the small opening.
"What's that?" Fowler quivered next to the door.
"The missing furnace." Yusuke slapped a door open in the wall, peering beyond into the red light. "This explains your devil at least."
Chase joined the boy at the opening, frowning at the foul odor exposed by the missing cinder blocks. He covered his nose as he looked around over the dragon jacket's shoulder as the teenager stepped inside the hidden room.
Chalk symbols surrounded the rusty furnace. Around those was a star in a circle. Pictures decorated the triangles between the star points. The red light drifted from inside the metal heater.
"Mystic drawing?" Chase had already seen enough weird things not to discount what he was looking at.
"Summoning circle." Yusuke looked at the pictures inside the diagram. They were faded from their stay inside the secret room. "I wouldn't be surprised if these guys are dead."
"This looks old." Chase stepped inside the room, avoiding the drawing. "How long could it work on its own?"
"I don't know." Yusuke walked around the circle. "Maybe until it succeeded in whatever it was supposed to do, or someone like us stopped it."
"That's me." Fowler's exclamation took them by surprise. He stood in the door pointing at a picture of a much younger man. "I haven't seen that picture in years. How did it get here?"
"It looks like someone wanted you dead even if they couldn't do it themselves." Yusuke waved his free hand over the circle. "The pictures mean this thing has been sitting here waiting for you for a long time. I'm going to shut it down. I'll let you figure out what you're going to tell the principal when he asks questions."
"I don't understand." Fowler stepped back.
Yusuke shook his head. He grabbed the furnace and pulled it apart with one motion of his arm. The red light snapped out like a switch had been thrown. Wisps of red smoke filled the room with sulfur before quietly fading away. The boy medium squeezed the thing in his closed hand until it screamed out of existence. His feet kicked apart the drawing before he picked up the pictures from where they lay. He handed the teacher his own portrait.
"The principal is going to want to know where the janitor went. He is going to ask questions about things. He'll find out there was no janitor. He'll have a mystery on his hands." Yusuke tucked the pictures in his jacket. "Be smart. Play dumb. Say you saw nothing. Go home and forget everything you saw tonight as fast as you can."
"What if something else happens?" Fowler's eyes darted around the room.
"Let me know." Yusuke took one last look around the sanctum. "Whomever did this is probably long dead. If he's still around, he'll show up with another thing. Call me and I'll deal with it. Otherwise, it's back to the grind."
"You can trust Yusuke, Mr. Fowler." Kay smiled at her teacher. "I think we should be going now. Don't you?"
She led the way out of the janitor's closet, humming some song. Mr. Fowler wiped the sweat off his forehead, folding his picture and putting in a pocket as he followed her. Yusuke and Chase walked slower at the back of the line.
"Automatic killing machine?" Chase listened to the empty school, relieved to feel nothing but his companions.
"Yes." Yusuke smiled slightly. "It used to be anyway."
epilogue
Cory Chase walked the streets of Old Troy, stuffed with food that Kay Banner had put together as easily as he breathed. Two giant helpings made him believe that his ring strength wouldn't pick him up out of his chair.
It had been a while since he enjoyed any dinner that much.
They had talked about everything but what had happened at the school. Kay bragged on her friend, Yusuke's, talents and abilities, his heroism, his steadiness. Yusuke shared out Kay's reputation as a cooking goddess among the local contestants. Chase told some stories about his travels at sea, and riding cross country on a train.
He didn't tell them about Oliver Hunt's legacy, or the fact that he was being hunted by one of the man's enemies.
Finally Chase had to take his leave. He paid one last compliment to his host and hostess, then stepped out in the night. His ring pulled him north. He started walking, hands in his pockets. He would get where he needed to be when he got there.
Encountering the invisible thing had been par for the course, but at least there was no lasting damage. Fowler got to live. Kay hadn't been hurt. Yusuke could be a help if he came this way again.
Chase hated to admit it but he was starting to like this hero stuff.
Better than that, he was getting better with the ring the more he used it.
Chase walked the city streets, glad to be moving again. He wondered how many other ringbearers had to perform the same quest that he was undertaking. A stray memory of the labors of Hercules came to mind. Twelve labors, twelve jewels. He pushed that thought out of his head, laughing at himself.
He reached the city limits and kept walking. The ring gave him endurance to burn. He could walk all night if he had to. He decided to stop at a motel for night's sleep before continuing. Spending one day on a regular mattress that didn't sway to the movement of a vehicle might be a good experience.
Chase found a place. It didn't look like much, but he didn't care. He stepped inside the office and paid for a room for the night with a wake up call for the morning. He got his key and settled in for the night, wishing he had a book to read.
The next few addresses were on the other side of the world. Chase wondered why Hunt had did that for the hundredth time. A scavenger hunt seemed like the worst thing to do with the ring's powers.
Why do that when you had made at least one enemy who knew the source of your mystic powers? It would have been safer to keep the jewels on his person and then hand the complete ring over to the next guy in line.
And why Chase? Surely more qualified men existed to carry on the tradition.
Chase drifted off to sleep. His dreams were filled with faceless men turning the pages of history. The only consistent feature was the ring they carried as they entered battles across the world. Finally his mind descended below those memories of the past and darkness engulfed him until his phone rang to start him on his next leg.
He thanked the clerk and got ready for his new day.