Hail to the Queen (Witch For Hire 2)

“Luckily for us.”

“He said when he first discovered it, the place was swamped with bad juju. His words, not mine.” Sacha raises her hands when we eyeball her.

“Do you feel anything now?” I ask. We pause and tune into our environment. There’s an unsettling sensation that lingers in the air. A disturbance to nature has left a bitter taste in the wind. Chill bumps cover my arm.

“Did the temperature just drop or is it me?” Fel whispers.

“I feel it,” I say.

“Me too,” Sacha adds.

I can feel eyes on me. I slowly turn in a circle, trying to find the source. I rub my arms to ward off the chill. The stench of rotten meat burns the hairs of my nostrils. Fel gags.

“What the hell is that?” Sacha’s voice is muffled by the hand covering her nose and mouth.

“I don’t know.” A shushing noise breaks the cloying silence. I turn my head and freeze as I spot a writhing black mass of slithering bodies making their way across the grass.

“Lou, please tell me this is some mating ritual,” Fel whispers.

“Hell no. Nothing about this is normal,” Sacha hisses as the snakes encircle us. We move to stand back to back. The wind kicks up, rattling the trees in the distance. A crack of thunder has us all jumping. A streak of lightning illuminates the gray clouds, blocking out the sun. Nausea hits me. Gray figures began to rise from the ground. Smoky, humanoid figures, they wait in the distance.

“Lou,” Sacha screams over the roaring winds threatening to blow us over.

“I see them.” I plant my legs and raise my hands in the air. I focus on creating a circle of blazing white light. The figures rush forward. The intense cold they bring burns hot. Pain explodes in my head. Metaphysical claws rip through my mental shield. I scream. Images of Fel and Sacha broken and bleeding fill my mind.

“No.” I choke the words out as I force the foreign entity from my mind. Icy hands wrap around my throat. I’m yanked off my feet and tossed. I land on my back with am umph. With the wind knocked out of me, I’m unable to catch my breath. My vision blurs. I bury my fingers into the soil and pull energy from the ground. I wince as the remnants of the blood-soaked battleground buzz to life, disturbing sleeping ghosts.

This is more than a ghost. We’re under a demonic attack. I roll onto my side and push myself into a sitting position. Weaving back and forth, I focus on my faith and block out the shrill screams of the others. Ancestors, help me.

A surge of strength flows in my veins. I feel the helping hands of ghosts, tired of bloodshed, supporting and lifting me to my feet. I raise shaky hands as the weak barrier I’ve gathered around me holds.

“The light of God surrounds us.” The words come out loud, crisp, and sure. The exact opposite of how I feel. “The love of God enfolds us. The power of God protects us. The presence of God watches over us. Wherever we are, God is. And all is well.” White waves of energy glisten above my head, like a living rainbow. The dome of protection surrounds us. The smoky creatures flicker into nothingness. Sacha sends a bolt of her power out, flinging the snakes back toward the wooded area.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Fel whispers. The girls come over and help me to my feet. Their clothes are ripped, soiled with dirt, and their eyes are dilated with fear, but they seem relatively whole.

“You were right. It’s all connected, and that fucker is more powerful than I imagined,” Sacha says.

“It was after you. Why?” Fel asks

“I’m the one it saw at Hal’s.”

“Well, it’s seen all of us now,” Fel says dazedly.

“More reason to get the hell out of here,” Sacha mutters. I grip my side as we quickly depart. We’re battered, and bruised, but walking away. Next time we might not be so lucky.

“We need to learn how to protect ourselves,” Sacha whispers.

“Then that’s our next stop. I don’t know how long it takes this thing to manifest or regain energy. We hurt it. It’s going to be out for our blood.” I swipe at the trickle running down from my split lip. “Or more of it.”

We climb into the car, and I lean back against the leather, inhaling the earthy scent of sage Sacha continually keeps burning in the ashtray. I close my eyes and check in with a concerned Cristobal. “Ran into a demon. Everyone’s okay. Right now, I need to focus.”

“I’ll be monitoring.” The connection between us is muffled. He’s there in the back of my mind, present, but not distracting. What once terrified me has become a comfort. I’m never truly alone. In a world full of enemies and sticky situations, that’s a good thing.

“What do we know about this thing?” Fel asks.

“Nearly nothing. Other than the sigil there’s been nothing we can link to it. I think the demon is old. The kind of power it’s wielding isn’t something that underlings possess. I don’t know if it’s being controlled, or controlling. “

“Because one is better than the other?” Sacha’s voice drips with dark sarcasm.