Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“The demon took their souls. And they know… they know what happens when your soul can’t ascend.”
I blink and visions of a hell escape full of brimstone and fire flash before me. That is what Hell looks like to the guy sobbing, desperately reaching for his body. It’s where he knows he will go—unless I can stop the demon.
If I kill the demon, whatever kind of contract he has over countless souls will be broken, and they will be free to move on, going to wherever they deserve to go.
“Get the bodies as far away from here as you can,” Xavier tells Devon.
“The boathouse so they can be identified later,” I say and suck in a shuttering breath, wanting to collapse onto the floor, crying. Knowing that my soul will never again be in my body is the worst type of existential terror that anyone can ever feel. But it’s not my fear, though no matter how many times I remind myself that I can’t get rid of the feeling.
“Take a breath,” Xavier tells me, making sure I’m steady on my feet before he speeds a few feet away, jumping up to pull another body down from the tree. I extend my hand and pull the remaining ones to the ground, feeling a sting in the back of my head similar to the feeling you get when water goes up your nose after jumping in a swimming pool and plunging deep below the surface.
Devon grabs two bodies and flings them over his shoulder as if they weigh nothing. He grabs another around the waist and races through the dark forest, disappearing from sight.
Now that the crying man is gone, I’m able to steady myself a bit more. There are still three more ghosts around us, confused and terrified. It comes off of them like waves, crashing against me and threatening to drag me out in a sea of horror.
Then the smell of sulfur chokes me. Xavier moves in front of me right as something steps out of the forest. It’s the demon, appearing as an older, well dressed gentleman, with swept back silver hair, and gray eyes to match.
“A witch and a vampire,” it says, deep voice reverberating in one thousand whispers throughout the forest. The sound seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
“Go back to hell!” I scream, and throw out both hands, hitting it with a jolt of magic. Xavier pulls the dagger from my belt and speeds forward, sinking it into the demon’s heart. Like the spirits, the demon isn’t corporeal. But the blade seems to have some effect, and it sizzles as it slices through the thick shadow.
The demon vanishes, only to appear behind Xavier. It throws out its hand, fingers reaching into Xavier’s chest, similar to Xavier’s signature move of ripping out a heart. Thankfully, the demon can’t pull out Xavier’s heart, but whatever he does makes Xavier tense with pain and the dagger falls from his hand.
I spin on my heel, dropping down and out of the demon’s direct line of fire. I put my hand on the ground and pull from the Ley line, summoning power. I wrap my fingers around an exposed tree root.
“Vincti estis!”
The demon’s head lulls back, gray eyes wide with fear. He’s unable to move, but the temporary binding spell won’t last more than a few seconds. It’s more than enough time for Xavier to pick up the dagger and slash it through the demon. It vanishes into thin air.
“What was that?” he asks me.
“Binding spell,” I quickly explain, getting to my feet. “Basically how you would make a haunted object. It’s not strong enough to hold the demon and I don’t have an object to use as a vessel.”
Something crashes through the forest, and we both tense, but it’s only Devon.
“The vanquishing potions,” I tell him, seeing the backpack still on his shoulders. Quickly, he gets it out and tosses me a potion vial. The demon isn’t appearing in physical form. I can’t force it to consume the potion. But we can still get it inside in some way. I pull the cork out of a vial and look at the dagger. Xavier, knowing what I’m thinking, holds it out and I pour it on the blade.
Devon gets the last three bodies, carrying them away.
Energy crackles through the air like lightning and thunder at the same time. The demon reappears, standing at the weakened earth where the Ley line is surfacing. Energy pulses up and light flashes around us.
Pain suddenly starts to radiate from my arm and I flinch, trying to pull away from whatever fiery grasp. But before I can really even react, a sharp twinge in my chest almost brings me to my knees. Xavier catches me, and sees something on my arm.