The Queen of Witches

by Brandi Elledge

  We all sat in silence for several minutes before I said, “That was really intense. So, uh, Jolene, do you have anything else to give me other than that…”

  While I was trying to think of the right word, Tandi said, “Completely confusing and useless information?”

  “Sorry. It comes in bursts, and sometimes I can’t decipher what all the images mean. The vision wouldn’t let me see that far. I’m sorry, Charlie. If only I was stronger, I could pick and choose what I wanted to see or deem helpful, but I’m not… there yet.”

  I gave her a watery smile. “It’s okay. Thank you for telling me what you did.”

  “I’m not going to lie, snitches, this night blows,” Tandi said.

  We all nodded in agreement. Jamison had made a promise to me, and I had one of my own. I also promised myself that I wasn’t about to lose my best friend. My friend with a heart of gold that thought if she could bring just a little laughter into the world with her commentary, she felt she had done her job. I refused to lose her. She would not die. Reaching over, I grabbed her hand and squeezed until her eyes met mine.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Since I had given my bed up for Jolene, I found myself later that night, being woken up on the living room floor. Someone was unzipping my sleeping bag. Rolling over, I saw Jamison crawling into my bag. “Can I lay with you?”

  I scooted over and felt him meld his body to mine. Rolling over in his arms I tried to make out his face in the dark. I knew with his eyesight he had no problem seeing me. His hand cupped my chin and within in seconds he was biting my lower lip. I pushed on his chest with a moan before reprimanding him. “My brother is upstairs. Go to sleep.”

  He was chuckling as I rolled over in the tiny space that I was left with. He draped a massive arm over me, and I felt completely safe as I breathed in his warm scent, letting sleep claim me once again.

  That night I dreamed. I dreamed of a place far away filled with horrors. A place that evil dwelled and was foreign to anything good. My sleep was pitiful, and I wasn’t sure how many hours I had gotten before the commotion started. I was jostled awake when something the equivalent of a grenade went off outside, shaking the entire house. Poor Wes. We would need to move after all of the destruction that kept happening to our home.

  Jamison rolled out of the sleeping bag, taking me with him. As I looked around, I saw everyone up and running in different directions, except for Jolene, who was on the couch rocking back and forth with her arms around her midsection, and Tandi, who was missing.

  Wes strolled into the living room with nothing on but a pair of sweatpants hanging low on his hips. “There are ghouls circling our house.”

  Jamison opened the front door, and I tried to peer out before he shoved me back, slamming the door with a curse. Going to the window, I caught a glimpse of the flying creatures Wes must have been talking about. They flew on what looked like wooden sticks. They had clumps of stringy hair falling in front of their hideous faces. Patches of their skin appeared to be missing.

  In shock, I asked, “What are they doing?”

  “They’re trying to keep us from leaving the house.” Jamison pulled me away from the window. “Their skin is poisonous. No matter what, don’t get close to them.”

  I had already decided to stay far away from those creatures but I nodded anyway. “Why do they want to keep us in?”

  Wes, now fully clothed, said, “Because the demons will be here any second. They don't want us to be able to run and hide.” He laughed. “They must not know me.” Only my brother would find humor in a situation like this.

  Wes walked over to the wall, pulling back one of the light fixtures. A secret door opened, revealing a room full of weapons. “Everyone help yourself.”

  How did I not know that was there? And when did he have time to do that?

  Jamison let out a whistle. “You just went up a notch, Undertaker.”

  He started grabbing things: guns, knives, and a bow and arrow. He grabbed hold of me and strapped weapons onto my body, too.

  “Do these things even work on demons?” I asked.

  “They’re not just normal weapons, love. They’re enchanted with spells. You can feel the magic radiating off of them. Remember the only way to kill a demon is to take its head or rip out his heart, and we’re not completely sure how much you can do before you tire out. You’re not immortal,” Jamison said. “Your wind will help hold them back, but just in case there are too many, these weapons can be your backup plan.”

  He handed me some sort of weapon resembling black stars with serrated edges.

  “I don’t know how to use these,” I said.

  Wes came over to me. “All you have to do is throw. One of the spells these weapons are enchanted with is the ability to always find its mark. Focus on what you want to hit. Aim and then release. The weapon will do the rest. What’s cool about these shurikens is they’re enchanted to come back to you like a boomerang.”

  Laden down with weapons, I asked, “Can’t I just freeze time and take out the demons one at a time?”

  Jamison’s hand stilled on his bow and arrow as he thought. “I don’t know if you can freeze large numbers of supernaturals. Or how long you can keep them that way. But it’s worth a try. I would think it takes a lot of energy. Try not to weaken yourself to the point of exhaustion. This might be a long fight.”

  He had a point. “I need to go find Tandi.”

  Wes pointed towards the bathroom. “I passed her on her way to the bathroom.”

  Stephan ambled into the living room, looking like he was in between scenes on a movie set. Sammy was gently snoring, his chubby legs hanging over an armchair. Poor Jolene was still staring off into space.

  “I’ll go check on her.” I started toward the guest bathroom, when the house was consumed with smoke. I staggered back toward Jamison. Demons were popping up everywhere. There were already fifteen in the living room, and more smoke was filtering in. Then, like a bad dream, François appeared in front of us.

  Looking at Jamison, he said, “The Demon Prince said to kill the Prince of Wolves. In fact kill all of them, except the witch.” He pointed a finger at me. “Oh, and Beautiful, the Demon Prince made sure there will be no time manipulation going on today. It cost us dearly, and we have to have you playing fairly.” Before I could move, he blew orange powder into my face. Jamison had shouted something, but it was too late. As I wiped the remaining residue from my face, François had vanished.

  “What did he just do to me?”

  “He gave you some sort of drug.” Stephan shook his head. “Then he ran. I guess he didn’t want to get his hands dirty. Everyone is a coward nowadays. Have you noticed that?”

  Jamison gave me a horrified look. “Go lock yourself upstairs.”

  There was no way that I was going to leave the people that mattered the most to me. He must have recognized the look I gave him because he let out a frustrated growl before he smashed his lips to mine for a quick kiss.

  “Balls up!” Sammy sat up long enough to grab a blanket from the back of the chair. He covered his small body before he huffed, “If there is any way to move this fight outside, that would be great. I’m having a dream about the curvy blond, and I kind of want to get back to it.”

  “Dude,” Jolene said, “Your familiar sucks.”

  “For real,” I shouted to the lump in the chair. “Get up and help us. I just got powder to the face. I could be dying!”

  “Relax,” he said. “I need sleep, and you’re not dying.”

  Jolene nodded. “Yep. Definitely sucks.”

  I couldn’t wholeheartedly disagree at the moment, so I said nothing.

  Jolene stood up. “I really don’t want you to think I’m bailing on you, but Ariana said I had to be gone by six in the morning, and it’s two minutes ‘til. I’ll see you around.”

  I watched from a window in horror as she stepped outside. The ghouls were circling above her. She shot them a bird as she walked right to her car with no in
cident. They completely ignored her. What. The. Hell?

  “Tandi,” I shouted. “Stay in the bathroom!” Then I heard an earth-shattering scream. I knew that set of lungs, but I couldn’t see her. The whole house was filled with demons.

  A demon charged at Wes, missing him by an inch and went careening into where Sammy was laying. Poor Sammy flew through the air crashing into a bookcase. He jumped to his feet, his little fist shaking. “Oh, you bugger! All I wanted was my beauty rest! That’s it! You want my attention? Now you have it!”

  Sammy pointed a finger at the demon. A lightning bolt shot from his fingertips as he zapped the demon. He kept pointing his finger, and the demon looked like a bug caught in a bug zapper. “What are you waitin’ for, wolf boy? Take his head.”

  Jamison swung two short swords steadily as he moved through the crowd, taking heads as he went. “A little busy at the moment, little man.”

  A bolt of lightning flashed towards Jamison, and he swore as it hit him on the backside. Sammy shrugged. “Sorry, wolf, I missed.”

  “Cut it out Sammy,” I said as I tried to call my wind to keep the demons at bay. Anger flared in me as nothing happened. I was completely helpless. My worry intensified immensely for my friends. I would not be able to help them in the slightest. “Well, at least we know what the powder was for. To dull my powers. I’m completely helpless.”

  “You’re too strong for that potion to stay in your system for long,” Sammy said. “Once it starts to wear off, use your ice, girl. Think about what you want to find. Their hearts! Then send the ice their way. Earn your keep.”

  Ugh. I was really wishing I could have chosen my familiar. The problem with the stars is if they were embedded in a demon’s chest then they couldn’t boomerang back to me. I was running out of weapons, but I continued to throw the stars that Wes let me borrow until I felt the edges of the drug starting to wear off. Poor François underestimated me once again. Once I felt more power flowing through my veins, I took Sammy’s advice and sent my daggers made of ice to the object I wanted. The heart of whatever demon stood in front of me. My ice wasn’t coming to me as quickly as it once had, but it was coming. I ignored my shaking hands. I was barely contributing, and I was already tired.

  As I moved in the direction Tandi’s scream had come from, Jamison snagged my arm, pulling me to a halt. I tried to wiggle from his grasp. “There’s no way you can get through the throng of demons safely,” he said. “We need to defeat the ones that are directly in our path. It’ll only take us a little while to kill the whole lot. You have to be patient.”

  “Patient? Are you serious? My friend needs me.”

  He dodged a blow to the head before he swung his blade at the demon. “Then fight faster!”

  Stephan was a blur as he went in between demons. He didn’t bother with a weapon as he punched his hand through their chests, coming away with a heart. “I can make my way to her, but it’ll take me a few minutes.” I felt a surge of relief that the vampire was on our side.

  Sammy whistled as he ran in between a pair of demon legs. He grabbed a weapon that was twice his size from the wall. How he would ever swing that blade without falling on his face was beyond me. But he did and with a certain amount of skill that was pretty impressive. Maybe I would keep him.

  Wes’s scythe was in his hand. The image he projected was enough to make the Devil himself shudder with fear. With a look of pure, deranged excitement, he jumped over the couch, yelling, “Come to Daddy!”

  If only I could freeze time, I could get to my friend. I could tell my powers were nowhere close to freezing anyone yet. The sooner these demons were laid to rest, the sooner I could save Tandi. I was so busy focusing on the wall of demons in front of me that I let one slip up behind me. He grabbed me by my hair, jerking my neck back. I dipped my head under his arm, making his fist even tighter in my hair, but now I faced him. I put a hand on his chest and called wind to me. Air surged into him, and he was cleaved in two.

  “Ha,” Sammy shouted. “I told you! There’s so much more to you, girl. Demons better watch out. My girl is back in business and looking for customers.”

  My knees were weak, that had required a lot of energy, but I refused to stop as I had a little bit more left in me and my friends needed me. I skirted around bodies with one goal in mind. To make sure Tandi lived.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jamison killed demons like taking out pins in a bowling alley, but it seemed every time he dropped one, another popped back up in his place. Not even a bead of sweat was on his perfect face as he moved like a well-oiled machine. Without breaking stride, his movements changed, and I could see the beast beginning to swirl inside of him and wondered if anyone else noticed Jamison called on his true form to come out and play. The moment his eyes changed colors I knew the transformation was complete, and if I thought he was unbelievably powerful before, the beast made him unstoppable.

  The vampire, Stephan, was lightning fast. He would be in one spot one second, then directly in front of a demon the next, ripping its heart out. My brother swung his scythe in a fluid motion, taking the heads of demons. I gave a mental eye roll at his eerie smile. It was hard to believe how much he was enjoying this, even if he was getting rid of evil. The power high he got from harvesting souls must be something else. Sammy had snuck around the demons to try and attack from behind. I knew he was still alive because every once in a while, I heard him giggle.

  I was continually throwing ice like bullets, aiming for the heart to kill the demons, and when I felt tired I threw the stars, wounding and slowing the enemy down to make them an easier kill for the others, but we were not making much progress. The four immortals fighting at my side were graceful in their deathly blows, but I felt myself growing impatient. We were outnumbered two hundred to one, and my friend needed me.

  “A little help,” Sammy shouted as two demons had him backed in a corner. “Use your fire.”

  “My fire is useless on them.”

  “Humph.” One demon picked Sammy up and threw him against the wall. “Wazzock! Send it like you do your ice, like you’re trying to pitch for the major leagues. And hurry before they rip me to shreds.”

  I felt a burst of power come from within me just as a ball of fire hit the demon, sending him flying through the air. He burst into flames, leaving nothing but ash in his wake. I looked over at Jamison, who had stopped two feet from me with his mouth open.

  Finally, he smiled that sexy half smile and said, “That was awesome.”

  He flipped his sword around and ran back into the throng of demons. I started aiming my palms at demons, alternating between ice and fire. Sweat dripped down into my eyes, and I was so tired I could barely stand, but I kept fighting. I wasn’t immortal like the boys who fought beside me. All I had to carry me was my will.

  After the fourth demon caught on fire, Wes yelled over the commotion, “You have got to be freakin’ kidding me. How the hell am I supposed to get these burn marks out of the floors?”

  Letting go of another ball of fire to take out the demon closest to my brother, I winced as the Persian carpet lit up. I shouted back so he could hear me, “I think it’s time to sell this fixer-upper.”

  He never stopped fighting, but in between the kills, he said, “I don’t think our insurance covers this type of fire.”

  Jamison was fighting a small group of demons, but another group crept up behind him for a surprise attack. I raised my hands, feeling the heat leave me in a rush. All four demons reeled in the air from the impact. They crashed through the front window, bursting into flames as they hit the lawn.

  I heard Wes cursing. “Reign in your emotions, Charlie. You know he’s immortal. You don’t have to burn down the whole damn house trying to save him.”

  Jamison laughed. “I think it’s cute you think I need saving, though.”

  I bit my lip, looking at the gaping hole where the window used to be. I knew an apology just wouldn’t cut it. But the good news was the demons were starting
to thin out. From the corner of my eye, I saw someone with long, blonde hair running through the kitchen. I yelled, “Tandi!”

  I completely ignored that my gas tank was now close to empty as I released fire as I went. Scorching demons in a crimson tidal wave, I made a blazing path, so I could get to Tandi. I made it past Jamison, Wes, and Stephan, and even though I heard them screaming for me not to take another step, I kept going toward my friend. Just as I was closing in on Tandi, a demon appeared behind her, jerking her back by her hair. He held her in front of him like a shield.

  I knew there were still traces of whatever François had given me pumping through my body. I also knew I was about done for the night. I might be able to freeze everyone once, but that would be it. My gut told me to hold off, but at the moment the demon tilted Tandi’s head to a weird angle, I knew he was about to kill her.

  There was no way in Hell I was going to let this demon murder my friend.

  I drained the last of my power, freezing every being in this room. Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to hold them for long, I quickly came up behind the demon and shoved my dagger through his heart. I was working on freeing Tandi from his clutches when time began ticking again.

  In the distance, I heard Wes shout, “Duck!”

  I wrapped my arms around Tandi and threw us to the ground. Wes’s scythe came soaring above our heads, taking the demon’s head off.

  “Damn demons broke into the bathroom. All I had was a plunger and Lysol to defend myself. Just so you know even demons don’t like anti-bacterial spray to face.” Tandi groaned as I rolled off of her. “Wow, that was an intense moment.”

  “Yeah,” I said as I looked over to where Jamison and Stephan were fighting the last of the demons. Within seconds, all the demons were dead. We were all tired and coated in demon blood, but we were alive. And that counted for something. “Whatever François gave me made me weak. I’m completely tapped out.”