The return did not come from the altar, like he expected, but rather from the walls.
The onyx tiles shivered. A ripple moved through the cave like the stone itself was breathing, and thin veins of mist bled through the seams, gathering overhead in a slow spiral.
Charon stepped back from the altar, trying not to look at the crown and failing miserably.
'Do not touch the spooky crown. First rule of haunted caves. The second rule is also not to touch the spooky crown. I totally read that hero story at least four times!'
The swirl overhead sank, condensed, and took the shape he had followed through town. Only the edges were sharper now, a little more defined. What seemed to be long locks of hair fell down the creature's back, like a woman's.
When Achlys spoke, the air did not vibrate so much as it agreed.
"You brought the Warden of the Acheron."
Charon lifted the chains on his chest with two fingers and let them clink back into place.
