by Tracy Sharp
Rae turned to us first, and then Strummer and the rest of the group. He was pretty tuned into Rae, and the group was tuned into him. He was a natural leader without trying to be one. His dark presence was hard to ignore. And so were the blue spikes on his head.
As we approached, the young woman stood. She had a cute, round face and warm brown eyes, and she smiled at us, offering her hand first to Candace and then to me. “I’m Betty. You’re Candace and Ezra. Nice to meet you.”
Her friendliness was a breath of fresh air, and much unlike the broody silence of Strummer and snarky smirk of Rae.
And as I said, she was cute. “Nice to meet you, Betty. Friend of these two weirdos?”
She nodded. “We go back.”
“Betty was one of Lucian’s,” Strummer said. “Most of our group scattered when we got older, and the newer recruits came in.”
Rae rolled her eyes. “Recruits, that’s one way to put it.”
“Right.” Fiona looked out over the water, her face stony, as if remembering something she’d rather forget.
“Well, we ended up Okay, didn’t we?” Betty looked from one the other. “We had a place with him. A purpose. I learned not to be ashamed of who I am.”
“Yeah. Now we can just be ashamed of what we’ve done,” Rae said.
“Enough,” Strummer said quietly, and a silence moved over us. “We need to focus on the plan.”
“What is the plan?” Candace’s eyes flicked over each of the group.
“We’re keeping it simple,” Rae said. “Get the psycho bitch out of hell, get Baal out of her, send him back to hell, and finally, seal the portal.”
I nodded slowly. “I’m sorry, I missed the ‘simple’ part of that plan.”
“Just go with it,” Astrid said.
“O-kay. Any tips on how we go about executing this scheme?” I had little magic. Just a dusting I’d discovered as a kid. No wand. The only real talent I had was being able to recognize otherworldly entities, and figuring out how to get rid of them. It was more about wits and research than pure magical weaponry.
But I guessed that’s what I had my new team for.
Strummer opened a canvas bag on the ground and produced the small, twig-like wand, holding it between his thumb and index finger. “November wants this. And so does Baal.”
“So, the new plan is the same plan that failed before?” I said.
“We didn’t have Betty before. And I’m better prepared this time.” Strummer turned to the group. “Let’s do this. The longer we wait the deeper Baal digs down into November.”
“But we’re ignoring one very important point,” Rae said. “November likes having Baal possess her. He gives her power.”
“She may think she likes having him around now,” Fiona said, “but he’ll stomp her down, use her, and discard her like he does everyone else he possesses.”
Astrid shuddered visibly, rubbing her arms. “It was like death; feeling him possess me. Death and absolute insanity. It was so horrible. I’d rather die than ever feel that again.”
“Okay,” Rae said. “Let’s get this show on the road. Hold hands, everyone, and don’t break the chain. Our power together is stronger than any of us alone.”
“I don’t have any real power,” I said. “Not like you guys.”
Strummer’s strange, dark gaze penetrated mine. “You have more than you realize, Ezra. There is a reason hell wants you.”
I blinked. “Like what?”
“Maybe we’re about to find out. Link hands and focus. When I erect the wall, I’ll need everyone’s strength to keep it from shattering.”
As usual, I was confused. “And why are we erecting the wall? Don’t we want to get November out of hell and block her from going back in?”
“Yes,” Strummer said. “But when we get Baal out of her, which is where you come in, we will block her from going back in with the wall.”
“So, we get Baal out of November and send him back into hell, and we seal it before November can get back in.” Candace had a better handle on things than I did.
I never professed to be the sharpest tac in the box.
“Exactly,” Rae said. “You’re brighter than your partner.”
“And you’re an asshole,” Candace said.
“Stop,” Strummer said. “We have no time for petty sniping. Focus. Here we go.”
We grasped hands as Strummer walked toward the edge of the lake. He stopped about ten feet from it and held the wand up, speaking softly. “November, I have the wand. All you have to do is come up here and get it.”
The wand, such as it was, looked like he’d broken it off the nearest pitiful and dying tree and called it a wand. But I’d seen it in action earlier, and I braced myself when he waved it toward the lake and said something under his breath. A long swath of the surface of the lake hardened and became as clear as glass.
My breath caught in my throat as we watched Strummer walk toward the lake and then stroll onto the hardened surface, which seemed to roll out and stretch all the way to the other side of the lake. He spoke loudly, projecting his voice for November. “This is a handy little wand to have. I can do anything with it. Even kill or revive at will. One could create an army of the undead with this wand. There isn’t another like it in all the world. It is one of a kind.”
A whirling, mini cyclone came to life beside where Strummer stood, and he backed toward the beach quickly. His feet hit the sand again as the whirling tornado of water swept the hardened surface he’d been standing on, up and into it, returning it to liquid again. Water sprayed in all directions. November rose from the center of the swirling cyclone, Baal’s yellow eyes glowing in her fish-belly pale face.
I wondered if November was even still alive in there. She looked like she’d died hours ago, and Baal just kept her animated until he could get what he wanted.
According to Strummer, he could rule the earth with that wand.
That would be bad. Very bad.
Strummer held the wand up in front of him.
November reached for it, twitching her fingers, and a sickly green light grew from the center of her hand.
Strummer hid the wand behind his back and erected a bubble around himself. “Not so fast. There is a catch. Baal has to leave, then you get the wand.” He was speaking directly to November, as if he had no doubt that she was still in there somewhere.
Baal growled, the sound shaking the ground beneath our feet. “You give me the wand, and I will give you this useless cow.”
Strummer shook his head. “I don’t believe you’ll actually leave, Baal.” He glanced at me. “Ezra.”
Although Strummer had mentioned that I’d be doing an exorcism tonight, I was still shocked when he called me to do the job. I let go of Candy’s hand. I’d dreamed of holding her hand at least a hundred times, but not like this. I stepped forward.
Baal’s yellow eyes narrowed. “The hunter of monsters who fancies himself an exorcist?” A deep, wet chuckle whispered over me, and my blood chilled.
“Ah, Baal. Nice try. But I know you’re afraid of Ezra, because you know his secret, don’t you?”
I turned to Strummer, feeling my brow furrow. This was not something I’d expected. Baal knew my secret? What secret was that? It would be nice if someone would let me in on it. “What－”
But when Strummer threw me a look, I understood that now was not the time to ask.
Baal turned his greenish glowing eyes to me and my stomach dropped. “The secret he knows nothing about, which makes him weak. He is unprepared, and easy to finish off. Child’s play.”
“Really?” Strummer said. “He bested you before, without knowing his secret. Imagine how strong he’ll be when he understands.”
Fear came into Baal’s eyes then, and he raised both hands, coming toward me, cutting through the lake and dividing it on either side of him as he approached. His words came as a deafening whisper in my mind. “Not if I kill him first.”
Without thinking, I lifted m
y hands with my palms facing outward, simply to keep him off me. Fear clutched at my belly, but I wasn’t about to go running like a little girl.
In fact, I was pretty sure any little girl would be more courageous than I felt at that moment.
I shouted “STOP!” and watched through one open, squinted eye as November smashed against an invisible force field I’d apparently erected. “Holy shit.”
“Or unholy shit,” Strummer said beside me. “One is never really sure.”
“At this point, I don’t care.” I felt a lopsided grin spread on my face. I leveled both hands at November, and felt the force field drop. It was like the sudden vanishing of static that you hadn’t noticed was there until it’s gone. “Stay.”
She struggled to move, but it was as if she were bound by ropes or chains. A deep growl rumbled out of her. “Release me. Or I will kill one of your pathetic friends.”
Feeling cocky, I chuckled. “I don’t think you’re in any position to do that.”
Her face was pinched with hate and fury. “You are new to magic, like a child driving an automotive. You are reckless. Soon you will crash.”
“Oh, yeah? You were the one doing the crashing a minute ago.” I felt brave because of the trick I’d just pulled, but I realized that I was wasting time. The longer I chatted Baal up, the more time he had to read the thoughts of everyone there, and mess with their heads.
“Let November go, Baal. Go back to hell. Take some time off. Kick back, go roast a few souls, or whatever you do down there for fun.” I knew that just asking nicely wasn’t going to work, but I had to state the reason for this little meet at some point.
“This one’s soul is rotten and her mind is like a nest of snakes. She doesn’t want me to release her.” He cocked November’s head to the side. “You aren’t trying to save her soul. You are trying to keep her from killing. How noble of you. But don’t you know she’s just one of thousands like her?”
“Whatever. Just go, Baal.” I aimed one hand toward November, fingers spread, and began chanting a Gaelic prayer to compel him to leave.
At first he gave a low, amused chuckle, but then fear came into his eyes. “No.”
Strummer stepped forward, the wand between his thumb and finger. “November, if you let go of Baal and push him from you; I will consider giving this wand to you. You will be my apprentice. You have power. I will teach you how to harness it. You will be stronger than you have ever dreamed.”
“She is stronger than she’s ever dreamed, now,” Baal’s smile was hideous.
“No,” I said. “Baal is using you, November. You have no power. Baal is usurping it. The power is his. As long as he possesses you, he calls the shots.”
Something flickered in November’s eyes, and she was back for a fleeting moment, but then Baal shoved her aside. “Shut your mouth, orphan. Your real mother didn’t want you. Couldn’t wait to get rid of you. Your adopted parents were Christmas shopping for you when they were hit by a drunk driver. I sent that driver hurtling toward their car. It wasn’t just an accident.”
I froze. His words felt like a knife. But then, I realized he was scared, so he was trying to back me off. It meant I was getting through to November. “You need to fight him. Don’t let him use you. Strummer will help you. We all will.”
Strummer took a step closer to November and held the wand out, like he was holding a cookie out to a child. “This could be yours.”
A shudder went through me. If November really got her hands on that wand, or worse, if Baal did, things would end up worse than they were now. The damage she could inflict would be colossal.
November’s eyes flicked to me and she grinned. Baal was reading my mind, and November heard my thoughts through him. Still restrained by my magical binding, she looked to me and said in a voice that was her own, “How do I get him out?”
“You need to be willing. Focus on my words.” I once again raised my hand, and spoke in plain English. “I compel you to release this girl. You are no longer welcome. November has revoked your invitation.”
I watched, we all watched, as the inner battle between November and Baal played out on her face. Blisters formed on her skin, and Baal shrieked through her, his scream full of rage.
“Say it, November. Say, ‘I revoke my invitation’. Say it and mean it.” I focused my mind on overthrowing Baal, on ripping him from the young girl before me.
He struggled, and the blisters filled and broke, causing sores on her face, neck, and hands to bleed. Her voice was strained. “I revoke my invitation. Leave.”
The screech that came from Baal was otherworldly as he looked somewhere behind me.
He was focusing on one of the group. I turned to look and took a step back.
“No, don’t break the chain,” Strummer shouted.
I whipped back toward November.
Someone screamed , but I continued chanting, using all of my determination and power to pull Baal from November. He wanted to break my concentration, and he had, for a second. Not this time. As much as I wanted to turn and look, I wouldn’t do it.
Then from the corner of my eye I saw someone run toward November. Betty stood in front of her and then collapsed to the sand.
November’s face looked momentarily shocked, then blank, and then her head dropped forward and she slumped.
No one said a word. The seconds ticked by.
Then she looked up, a sweet smile coming over her face. “He’s gone.”
“November?” I took a few steps toward her.
“Betty, actually.” She straightened up. “Could you release the binding spell you put on her so I can stand up. This is uncomfortable.”
“Betty?” I stared at her, doubt making me hesitate.
“It is Betty. She can body hop. That’s one of her talents.” Strummer walked over to Betty’s still body on the sand and looked her over for injuries.
The way I’d done magic earlier was with intent born of fear and desperation. I didn’t know if it would work now. I shrugged, and focused on my intent to release her, then snapped my fingers.
November/Betty moved her arms around and slowly stood. “Ouch. That was tight. Understandably so, but...” she winced. “Ouch.”
“That’s the least of her problems,” Strummer said.
“She’s not moving!” Candace called from somewhere behind us.
For a moment I was confused. Betty was moving. Also, the panic in her voice seemed over the top for November. But then, I realized she wasn’t talking about November.
I turned toward her voice. She was about twenty feet away kneeling over someone, at the base of a huge pine tree. I looked at the other figures surrounding her. Rae and Fiona.
Astrid.
No. I walked toward them, my heart hammering in my chest, and suffocating dread filling me.
Candace looked up at me, her face pale. “She’s not breathing, Ezra.”
“What?” I moved between Fiona and Rae, and knelt down beside Astrid. A trail of blood leaked from her mouth, dribbling over her jaw. Blood puddled around her head. “Oh, no. Oh, damn. Astrid.”
Candace tried again to check for a pulse. She shook her head. “She’s gone, Ezra.”
Gone? How could she be gone? She should be here. It was November, that little psycho, who should be gone. Shaking, I turned to look at November, who was actually November again. Betty stood beside Strummer, who was keeping an eye on her, his face stony. Baal may be gone from November, but he could be squatting inside Betty, biding his time. I sensed that he was really gone, but you couldn’t be too careful.
I headed toward them, shaking my head. My entire body trembling. My stomach had dropped and I felt cold all over. Hot fury boiled in my blood. I was stood in front of November, and felt my eyes narrow. I wanted to choke the life out of her. “You killed her.”
She shrugged, and then turned to Strummer. “I want my wand.”
He looked at her with a strange, almost funny look on his face. He handed it to her.
&
nbsp; I opened my mouth, shock moving over me. “No, Strummer––”
He turned to me and grinned. What was going on?
November smiled brightly, like a kid opening a gift on her birthday. She waved it around. Nothing happened. She waved it again. Still nothing. “How do I make it work? Are there magic words I need to use?”
Strummer’s smile stretched across his face, but his eyes were cold. “You don’t.”
November looked confused, and then anger took over. “You tricked me.”
“I did. You little psychopath. You’re done. The wand will only work for people in my blood line.”
“You could have mentioned that little tidbit,” Candace said.
“Yes, but what fun would that have been?” Strummer turned to Rae.
“Just say the word,” she said.
He did. “End her.”
Without hesitation, Rae crouched and came up, her arms raised in front of her. She jumped, her movements supernaturally fast, and shifted in midair.
November launched herself at Strummer, a biting, scratching, and screaming ball of rage. Strummer grabbed hold of her and hurled her several feet away.
Rae dipped, her huge, ebony wings flying over November, a deep, black shadow hovering over her. She glided downward and wrapped her wings around November.
And the screaming stopped abruptly.
Rae pulled her wings back, leaving November lying in a heap on the sand. She shifted back to human form and took a few steps backward.
“She was a waste of oxygen.” She looked down at November’s still form, her face full of loathing. “Now she’s dead.”
“You killed her?” I said, watching her in awe. She was like some kind of angel of death.
“Yeah.” Rae raised her eyes to look at me. “I did.”
I looked down at November, her young girl body crumpled on the sand. “Good.”
14
Ezra
Strummer used magic to seal the portal. We thought it was a good bet that Baal had been sucked back into hell when Betty knocked him out of November, but we couldn’t be certain. It was Strummer’s best guess.
