by Jasmine Walt
Careful to be extra quiet and not wake Mom and Dad, I crept down the stairs into the basement. Hunter followed close behind. It didn’t take long for me to sort through the boxes in the storage room before I found the one I was looking for. It was too big and heavy to carry upstairs, so I dragged it down the hall and into the guest bedroom. I sat cross-legged on the floor, going through the random items.
I gasped when I pulled a huge book out of the box. Tattered and worn, this was exactly what I needed. I slowly opened it and ran my hand across the brittle pages. I was holding an encyclopedia of demons. I vaguely remembered the picture on the front page, an evil pig-thing with twisted fangs and beady, black eyes. I shuddered as the memory came back. I was twelve when I got this as a birthday present from Aunt Estelle. I had just opened the book when Mom took it away from me. I was honestly surprised she kept it.
My hands shook as I flipped through the pages, and my heart skipped a beat. Staring up at me from the yellowing paper was the bird-demon.
“Harvesters,” I read out loud to Hunter. A rush of excitement flooded my veins. I finally knew what the hell these things were. “An ancient, evil being summoned to collect, or ‘harvest,’ powers of other magical creatures. Often seen working alongside a more powerful demon, the Harvesters stop at nothing to obtain their goal. The Harvesters have a special ritual to extract one’s powers, which usually results in the victim’s demise. While these creatures posses the strength of a man, battle is not their domain.” I sat still for a minute, letting that sink in. I wanted to call Ethan, and I picked up my phone to do so before deciding that it was late and he was most likely asleep.
Thinking I should get some sleep myself, I shoved the box back in the storage room and took the demon encyclopedia up to my room. I sat at the foot of my bed, not knowing what to do. Who wanted my powers? Suddenly, darkness encased me. I felt the heavy encyclopedia slide off my lap and onto the floor.
My heart pounded in my head. I leaned against a tree, trying to catch my breath. I didn’t know what they wanted from me. I was so terrified. White-hot fear coursed through my body, making me tremble. The barn was close…I’d be safe when I got there. After another few seconds, I sprinted forward. I could see the dark silhouette of the barn and felt relief wash over my heart. I fell to the muddy ground to find the spare key. It had been so long since I’d used it, but it had to be around here somewhere. Frantically, I turned over stones and rooted through fallen leaves.
The metal brushed my fingers before hands with razor-sharp nails grasped my shoulders and threw me back with such force that it knocked the wind out of me. My head cracked against the root of an oak tree. Once my fuzzy vision cleared, the sick face of a Harvester was looking down at me, hissing in delight.
My eyes flew open. I was back in the basement.
“Oh my God,” I breathed shakily. Hunter was pawing at me, not liking my nightmare. “Ryan!” I sat up. “Ryan,” I said again, this time talking aloud to Hunter. “The Harvesters were after him too!” I put my head in my hands. I felt terrible. Had he been trying to warn me the whole time?
I got the Book of Shadows from my closet. I knew what I had to do, even though Ethan warned me not to do it. I flipped through the pages and quickly read the instructions. I’d alter the spell to make it safer. It didn’t take long for me to come up with my own version.
“You have to sit up here and stay,” I told Hunter as I motioned for him to sit on bed. I tossed him some treats, but he ignored them, looking at me with more worry in his eyes than what was possible for a dog.
I poured a circle of salt on the floor and lit four white candles. I mixed lavender and sandalwood together in a small cast-iron cauldron and set it on fire. The smoke wafted around me. I breathed it in and started reciting my spell.
“Spirits of the in-between, I conjure thee to be seen. You’ve whispered to me in the night, now come to me, be in my sight. Appear before is my command, in my sight is where you’ll stand. When I tell you to depart, go at once and leave no part of your world that can do harm. And hurt no one with this charm.”
A big cloud of smoke blew into my eyes. They watered like crazy. When I opened them, I saw that an eerie grayness had been cast over my room. Was I dreaming? No, I probably wouldn’t think that if I were dreaming, right?
I tried to stand, but there was tremendous pressure pushing down on me. It was like moving through deep sand. The candles in front of me were still, the flames frozen in place. I put my hand over it and felt no heat. Everything was silent. I looked at my bed. Hunter sat there, watching me. His eyes flicked to something in front of me. I heart skipped a beat.
“It’s okay.” I turned back and found myself a few inches from Ryan. I opened my mouth but didn’t know what to say. “Hi,” wouldn’t cut it.
“Anora.” His voice was a little stronger than a whisper. It had been him calling me all this time. “I’m so sorry for what I’ve put you through, but I can only appear here or in dreams. I’ve been trying to warn you.”
“I’m sorry too. I should have listened.” Everything was surreal. “Where are we?”
“The astral plane.”
I could only blink in response.
“I can only appear here,” Ryan said again, apologetically. I would have loved to ask him questions about this strange plane and death and dying, but I knew there wasn’t any time.
“The Harvesters,” I said, and he flinched. “What did they want from you?”
“My powers.” He looked deep into my eyes. I felt like he was reading my soul. “I can magnify the powers of crystals.”
“You healed Ethan,” I said with sudden clarity.
“Yes. And that night when—” He started to fade.
“Ryan!” I reached out for him, but my hand slid right through his arm. It felt like I was sticking my hand in an electrified rain cloud.
“I don’t have much time, Anora.” Fear took over his face. “You are in danger, the same danger I was in.”
I already knew I was in danger, so I waited for him to continue.
“Asaroth collects powers. She hunts people like us and sends her Harvesters to collect them. There’s something special about you, Anora. She was very excited when she found you. She even sent out the Pricolici to make she sure got the right one.” He looked at me as if he was expecting me to tell him why I was so special. I shook my head.
“I’m just a witch. I can barely do anything.” I held Ryan’s gaze. “What do I do?”
“Don’t agree to the ritual.”
“I never would.”
“They can’t take your powers unless you say yes. Surrendering your will is the first part of the ritual.” He looked down. “For me, they promised to stop the torture. But here I am, more than ten years later…”
“They won’t let you move on,” I said, remembering the dream where I got sucked back into total despair.
Ryan nodded. “There are others too. She won’t let us go, and we can’t move on. An aspect of ourselves is locked to this plane.”
“The powers.”
“Right.”
“If she has your powers, then how did you heal Ethan?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“We can still tap into them from time to time, but it’s risky. Asaroth has been too distracted with you.”
“Oh,” I said, again at a loss for words.
“The way you’ve killed everything she’s sent after you is impressive, I have to say.” He almost smiled. “You give us hope.”
“Thanks, I guess.” I looked into Ryan’s lifeless eyes. “The dreams were you too, right?”
“Yes. Again, I’m sorry, but it was the only way I could communicate with you.”
Images from my nightmares flashed through my mind. “But some of the dreams took place in my aunt’s house in Indiana.”
“Your memories filled in what I couldn’t. The basement of the old barn took on the form of the basement of her house because that is what you know.”
Everything
was clicking into place. Ryan whirled around. “They know I’m gone. They can’t know we spoke.”
I blinked. When I opened my eyes, Hunter was standing over me, licking my face. I had fallen backwards on the salt circle, missing a candle by a mere few inches.
“Holy crap,” I said and hugged Hunter. That changed everything.
34
I woke up around seven the next morning. I was so tired that I sat up enough to check my phone for missed calls or texts. When I saw that there were none, I collapsed back onto my pillow and slept for another four hours.
I got up, showered, and ate breakfast—or lunch, really—with Mom in the breakfast nook. I tried to hide my anxiety but failed. I blamed it on the nearing end of the semester and stress from keeping my grades up enough to pass my classes and graduate early. Mom gave me a hug and said she was proud of me for working so hard the last four years.
She stood and put her dishes in the sink before going to her room to get ready. She and Dad were going to visit friends that afternoon and wouldn’t be back until after dark. She left money for me to order pizza and have my friends over.
I kept my phone next to me, waiting for Ethan to call. I knew he liked to sleep in, but it was nearing noon, and I still hadn’t heard from him. A bad feeling was forming in the pit of my stomach. I needed to do something to keep me from worrying myself to death. I carefully extracted two Vesta bombs from my closet and padded down the hall to Harrison’s room.
He was still in bed but was awake and watching TV. “Hey, Har.”
“Hey,” he called lazily. I sat at the edge of his bed. “What’s up?”
“I know what those bird-demons are.” That perked his interest.
He sat up. “What are they?”
“Harvesters. They collect powers for other demons.”
Harrison’s eyebrows wrinkled in concern. “They want yours.”
I nodded. “Listen, I’m gonna go to the barn, but,” I handed him a bomb, “just in case something happens, light this and throw it.”
“What the hell?” Harrison’s blue eyes widened. “This looks like a grenade!”
“It is.” My seriousness scared him. “But I don’t think they’re going to come after you. You have nothing they want.”
“Where’s Ethan?” Harrison looked out his door as if he expected Ethan to materialize in the hall.
“Home. He’s sick.”
“So you’re going to the barn alone?”
“Yeah, but I’m sure other people will be there.”
“You said these things are after you and only you. Shouldn’t you stay here?”
“And, what, hide from everything bad the rest of my life? No way.”
“Fine,” Harrison said, knowing it was pointless to argue with me. “Be careful.”
“I will be.” I got up to leave but paused in the doorway. Hunter wagged his tail when he saw me. “I’m going to leave you here to watch Harry, okay boy?” I told him. He stood and pawed at me, as if he was trying to tell me no. “I won’t be gone long, and I’ll bring weapons,” I said to convince him. He sat down and let out a long whine. I kissed his furry head. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be back before you know it.”
I called Ethan on the way to the barn, but I got his voicemail. He must have really been feeling sick if he was still sleeping. Not wanting to disturb his rest, I decided to ride both horses and exercise Henry to keep myself busy. Laney showed up as I was putting Henry back out in the pasture.
“Hey,” she said upon seeing me. “How’s Ethan feeling?”
“I don’t know,” I said as I took Henry’s halter off. “He’s still asleep.”
“Poor boy, he needs nurse Anora to take care of him,” Laney teased. She got Abra and walked back to the barn. I impatiently waited for her to take care of her horse before I told her about the Harvesters and Ryan.
“Oh my God,” she said after I filled her in. We were sitting in the heated office; it had gotten even colder today. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m waiting for Ethan to get up and call me. I should call him again,” I muttered to myself and got my phone. The call went to his voicemail again. Something was wrong. I knew it. I looked at Laney.
“Go,” she said. “Call me and let me know if he’s okay.”
I nodded and ran out of the barn, diving into my Prius. The ten-minute drive from the barn to Ethan’s house took forever. His car was in the driveway. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
I called him again, but this time his phone didn’t even ring. It was turned off or dead or…I couldn’t think like that. I ran up to the door, and of course it was locked. I ran around to the front; also locked. I began to shake. What if a Pricolici was waiting for him to come home? He didn’t feel well and wasn’t on guard.
Why did I let him go home alone? I rang the doorbell and pounded on the door. Not one sound came from inside the house. My heart raced, and I was on the verge of hyperventilating.
“Get a grip,” I said to myself. I put my hands on the locks and closed my eyes, imagining I was on the inside of the house looking out. In my mind, I extended my hand and shot back the deadbolt, then unlocked the little lever on the knob. I heard the clicks in real life and pushed the door open.
“Ethan?” I called, not expecting an answer. I called his phone again, and I listened intently for it to ring. The house was so quiet. I ran up to his room. The door was open and the bed wasn’t exactly made, but the blankets were thrown over it in a way that was obvious that Ethan didn’t sleep here last night. I felt like crying. I took a deep breath and told myself that crying wouldn’t help solve anything right now.
Trembling with fear, I had to grasp the railing on my way down the stairs to keep from falling. I got back in car and held back tears the entire way home.
I burst through the garage door. “Harry!” I bellowed, desperate to talk to someone. He didn’t answer…and Hunter didn’t run to greet me.
Oh crap, this wasn’t good.
I ran up stairs; Harrison wasn’t in his room, and Hunter was nowhere in sight. Not knowing what else to do, I wandered back into the kitchen. I hoped Harrison and Hunter were around the neighborhood somewhere. I took my phone out of my breeches pocket and punched in Harry’s number. Set to vibrate, I jumped when I heard his phone buzzing on the cold granite countertop behind me. He could still be outside somewhere. I prayed I’d find him in the backyard.
“Harry?” I called, stepping onto the deck. My voice cracked with nerves. Something was on the ground near the shed. I hurried over. “No!” I picked up the remains of a Vesta Bomb. It fell from my hands, which had suddenly quit working.
Eyes wide in fear, I went back into the house. I sat down on a bar stool and put my head on the counter, trying to think of what to do.
“Okay,” I said out loud and stood.
Panicking wasn’t going to get them back. I needed to think clearly. It was most likely demons that took Ethan, Harrison, and even Hunter. Ryan warned me that Asaroth thought I was something extra special. I’d seen enough crime shows on TV to know that my friends were probably being held as leverage. Saving them would mean walking right into a trap.
But did I have a choice? Courage slowly seeped over my heart. I ran to my room and buckled the weapon belt around my waist. I shoved three Vesta bombs and a lighter in a black velvet bag and tied it to the left side of the belt. The dagger of course went on my right side, ready for me to grab. I rigged up a holder using a cell phone clip that hooked onto my boots to carry the throwing stars. I looked around my room to see if I should bring anything else.
My eyes settled on Romeo’s cage, and I thanked God he was still sleeping, safe and sound. I turned my cell to silent and put it back in my pocket. I quickly used the bathroom and paused at the mirror. I looked into my eyes trying to see this powerful witch that I was supposed to be.
My vivid, green eyes looked back at me full of fear. Now wasn’t the time to doubt myself. I took a deep breath, c
losed my eyes, and exhaled, trying to shed my fear. My heart raced, and my palms sweat. I took another breath and felt a little better.
I knew I needed to drop the mental shields I naturally held up. Using my extra sense would help me find my friends. It was way easier said than done. I worked on relaxing my mind as I walked out to the truck. I got in the cab and closed my eyes. Ryan, I called mentally. Where are they? The image of the old barn flashed with such clarity that it caused me to jump. Of course, it would be the old barn that housed the demons that almost killed me. Yes, it was most definitely a trap.
But if that’s where they were, then that’s where I was going.
35
I was engulfed deep in the woods. White moonlight filtered through the cold, bare trees. Weak wind rattled the trees’ branches enough to make it sound like something was lurking nearby. I had been wandering the woods for what felt like hours. Dejection was sitting heavily on my heart; what if I couldn’t find the old barn before it was too late?
I stumbled my way down a ravine and splashed through a shallow creek. Mist rose from the water’s surface. I slipped on the slick muddy bank and threw my arms out to regain my balance. As soon as I had my footing, a snowy white Pricolici materialized from the fog. Moonlight glinted off its yellowing fangs. Realizing that I was stuck between the steep hillside and the creek, my chances of fighting were limited.
Telekinetically, I threw the Pricolici backwards into a tree as hard as I could and sprinted up the ravine. I reached the top and turned around right as the Pricolici lunged for me.
With both hands, I extended the dagger. The force of the jump knocked me backwards, but the dagger still cut deep into its chest. I scrambled to get out from under the burning corpse.
My sense of direction had been thrown off. If I closed my eyes, Ryan might be able to show me where to go. But if I closed my eyes, I’d be an easy target for another demon dog. I thought of Ethan and my brother and Hunter. My eyelids fell shut, and I took off in the direction that felt correct in my heart.
