A Witch’s Demons (Witch's Path Series: Book 6)

by N. E. Conneely

  Now we simply had to finish planning the spell.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Late in the afternoon, after Mom, Dad, and Ethel left, I read through the spell. The first time was to check for errors. When I was sure I liked it, I started reading through it to memorize as much of it as I could. It would be nice if I could read the entire thing, but I wasn’t going to bet on that. When someone knocked on the door, I hurried over to open it. Landa stood there smiling.

  “Do you have a moment?”

  “For you, always.” And my eyes needed a break.

  She shook her head. “You have a guest in the parlor.”

  “Oh? I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

  “Then this will be a pleasant surprise.” She shooed me down the hall. “Off with you.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” I shot her a puzzled look, which she ignored. It wouldn’t be one of her guests. With the recent excitement I’d been keeping my distance, and if it were Wells or Rodriguez, she would’ve told me.

  I walked through the parlor door and stopped in my tracks, unable to stop my smile. This was seven feet of a very welcome surprise. “Julius! What are you doing here?”

  He bowed at the waist, his wings tucked against his back. His polished horns spiraled as they curved over his head. “I received your message and came as quickly as I could.”

  That was one worry taken care of. Gargoyles fought evil, and demons sure fit that description. “It’s good to have you here. I was worried you wouldn’t…” I didn’t finish the sentence because there was no polite way to say I’d been afraid he wouldn’t want to fight another demon.

  Julius tipped his head to the side. “I am a gargoyle. It is my duty.”

  “Of course.”

  He leaned forward. “When will we trap the demon? What do you know of it?”

  For the next hour I told him everything that had happened, even of Tiffany and Patrick’s deaths. Then I told Julius my suspicions. Landa even brought dinner to us. When I finished he sat, looking into the distance.

  Finally, Julius sighed. “I fear this will be a more difficult fight.”

  “I’ve called everyone I know. Hopefully they’re willing to fight when the time comes.”

  He nodded. “You have given me much to think about. I am not staying at the lodge, but I am close by. When you need me, I will be here.”

  “Thank you.” I tried to fill those words with my gratitude, my relief that he was again willing to join us against a demon.

  He bowed his head and walked out of the parlor, leaving the lodge.

  I leaned back against my chair. All the pieces were slowly coming together. This could work.

  A light rap on the doorframe had my eyes springing open. Elron leaned against the wall, his silver hair loose. “I have missed you.”

  I flung myself into his arms. Even through the sweater I could feel his warmth, and pressed against his chest I could hear the steady thump-thump of his heart. “I’ve missed you too. So much has happened.”

  “Perhaps you can tell me over a soothing cup of tea?”

  I nodded. It took two tries to release him. Before I could mourn the loss of contact, his fingers intertwined with mine, and he gently tugged me down the hall.

  When we were in my apartment, I took a deep breath and started recounting everything. I told him of the attack on the police, Patrick’s death, Dr. Wilson attacking Wells and me before escaping, and the funeral. My throat was starting to get dry when we talked through everything.

  Elron took pity on me and sent me to the couch while he made me a cup of tea.

  I settled against the cushions and sighed. No matter how much I thought through the fight with Dr. Wilson, I still hadn’t figured out exactly how he was connected to all this.

  Elron sat next to me and handed me a cup of tea. “Could Dr. Wilson be a witch the demon corrupted?”

  “No, I think he was a sorcerer.” I took swig and sighed with contentment. Elron brewed a fabulous cup of tea, but it didn’t fix the Dr. Wilson problem. “I wish we’d been able to capture him.”

  “His escape could benefit us.”

  “How? I don’t need another person trying to kill me.”

  Elron held up a hand. “If you will let me finish.”

  I bit my lip and nodded.

  “Thank you.” He took my hands in his. “Dr. Wilson’s near capture could put pressure on the demon, give it a reason to focus its attention on you rather than on other people. Perhaps it will even stress the demon enough that it makes a mistake.”

  “Maybe.” I set the cup of tea on the coffee table. “I think I’ve come up with a spell that can kill not just this demon but all the demons.”

  Elron sucked in a breath. “Are you sure?”

  I closed my eyes and shook my head. “I can’t be sure until I try it.”

  He watched me like he was weighing and measuring me. Moments ticked by, and I wiggled uncomfortably under his gaze.

  “What are the risks?” he asked softly.

  “It depends on how much magic it takes to cast the spells.” I licked my lips, wishing there were a way to make it sounds less serious. “Worst is death, but that’s really unlikely. There’s a chance I could burn myself out. And I could end up with nothing bad happening. All the power I handled the other day didn’t hurt me.”

  “I want to tell you no, forbid you to take such a risk.” He held up a hand, delaying my protest. “However, I respect your right to make your own choices.”

  “Thank you,” I said stiffly.

  Elron leaned close and cupped my cheek. “However, as your betrothed, I do request that you take care of yourself. I love you.”

  Leaning forward, I kissed him on the cheek. “I promise I’ll be careful.”

  “Good.” He kissed my forehead. “Then I believe I have demon’s bane to prepare.”

  “Yes, you do, and we need a plan to draw out the demon.”

  Elron stiffened. “No, it is too dangerous.”

  “It’s less dangerous than waiting for the demon to run me off the road again, or attack the police, or kill more people.” He didn’t look convinced, so I kept talking. “We got lucky last time. Varro helped us, and Gremory fed us exactly what we needed to capture and eventually kill him. This demon is different. We have to adapt.”

  “I do not like it.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  He pulled me close. “You need to rest first.”

  “So, tomorrow?”

  His sigh ruffled my hair. “Yes, tomorrow.”

  We passed long minutes with his arms around me. I started toying with my medallion. I hoped the spell worked. I hoped we could kill all the demons, and I really hoped I could enjoy a quieter life with Elron after this. It might have been my imagination, but for a moment it felt like the medallion warmed.

  Later that night, long after Elron had retreated to his apartment, I was in bed awake. The spell kept running through my head. I still wasn’t sure it was right, and it needed to be perfect. When I finally drifted off, I dreamed of runes and magic.

  Morning brought with it an influx of magic—not enough for me to be at full strength, but much better than I’d been since draining myself at the joint training facility. Since I was trying to regenerate as much power as possible, I skipped disenchanting and went to paperwork.

  Writing up yesterday’s adventure wasn’t all that fun, but it gave me time to reflect. Yet again I was going to do the stupid thing for the greater good. And, yet again, all I wanted was to live a nice, significantly more boring, life.

  And next time I saw a falling star, I’d be sure to wish for that boring life.

  With a sigh, I returned my attention to the paper in front of me. A couple of hours later, I took a break for lunch. I was just finishing a sandwich when my phone rang. “Oaks Consulting, this is Michelle.”

  “It’s Wells. Dr. Wilson is still missing.” He sounded exhausted.

  “Still? Do you have any idea where he is?” Blood started poun
ding through my veins.

  “No.” He sighed. “We got a warrant for his house. It was cleaned out, and a couple of officers said they’d been there before and it sure looked like he was living there. They started dusting for fingerprints, but so far we haven’t found any, and I don’t think we will. They’re going over his office too—hopefully they can pull a good set from there.”

  “Wait, why do they need fingerprints?”

  “Right, you aren’t here.” He sighed. “We started digging into his background last night. I don’t know who he really is, but everything we’ve got is a very good fake. Best fake the department’s ever seen. His references are saying they’ve never heard of him, the medical school his degree supposedly came from has no record of a student by that name.”

  “So fingerprints.”

  Wells grunted. “And now we know why people were believing what he was saying about you. He was doing something to them. People are claiming they don’t remember huge chunks of time, which overlaps with times they were spouting nonsense.”

  Alarm bells went off in my head. “They need to get checked by a good witch—a team of good medical witches would be an even better idea. Memory loss is one of the signs of being bespelled or playing host to a demon. I’ll drive up if you like.”

  “This involves you. It’s better if you keep your distance. I’ll see what I can do to get all of them in front of doctors.”

  I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Do what you can. Tonight I’m going to try to draw out the demon. If I catch it, I’ll give you a call. What with everything, I’m guessing you and the other officers want to be there to document everything?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it.” I heard people talking in the background. “I’ve got to go. I’ll let you know if we come up with anything.”

  I wished there was more I could do, but right now my most important job was regenerating energy. That didn’t feel like an important task, but it was, and I was doing it. Go me for doing my part.

  Hoping to make the rest of the afternoon go by faster, I curled up on the sofa to nap.

  I woke up to Elron shaking my shoulder.

  “You’re home.” I yawned.

  “And I come bearing demon’s bane.” He held up two large jars of white powder.

  “You, sir, spoil me.”

  “That is my job.” He leaned over and kissed me.

  I savored the moment, trying to draw it out as long as possible. I didn’t want to think about reality, how at any time he could be taken from me and I’d be left with a ring, memories, and pain. He changed the angle of the kiss, and I forgot all about the demon.

  When his lips left mine, I was smiling. “You do it well.”

  “As do you, my love.”

  Looking into his blue eyes, I had to ask. “Can we set a date for the wedding?”

  He studied me. “No. I do not want to set a date out of fear, but with hope.”

  “So that’s a no until after we kill the demon.”

  “Precisely.”

  “Unacceptable.”

  He shook his head. “I will not set a date until the demon is dead.”

  I frowned at him, wishing he would give me this one thing to look forward to. “That’s not fair. Our life together doesn’t stop because a demon is around.”

  “I will not set a date.”

  Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to think of a way to have a conversation rather than a fight. “It would mean a lot to me.”

  “Should I die, I do not want our wedding date to be an annual reminder of what could have been.” He sighed. “I love you, and this is me loving you.”

  I couldn’t deny the sincerity in his blue eyes or the gap between what each of us wanted. Arguing wouldn’t fix this. “I don’t agree, but I understand.” No matter how much I wanted a wedding date, which really didn’t seem like that large of a request, what mattered was us, our love, and our bond.

  He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “As soon as the demon is dead, we can set a date.”

  “Thank you.” I wiggled back into his arms, wishing that for just a little while I could forget about everything.

  Several peaceful minutes later, Elron spoke. “We should start preparations.” He started to get up.

  I pulled him down. “It can wait.”

  He studied me for a moment before returning to the sofa and pulling me into his arms. Just a few more minutes and I’d be ready. Just a few more minutes in case this all went horribly wrong.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Are you sure this is wise?” he asked softly.

  “No.” I sighed heavily. “But I’ll enjoy the run, and it’s a good way to draw out the demon or one of its associates.”

  “I should accompany you.” His voice was soft and hesitant. “We would not have succeeded against Gremory had either of us faced him alone.”

  I took a deep breath, wishing we didn’t have to go over this again. “We agreed you and Ty will be in the woods. I’ll only be off Landa’s property for a few steps. I have magic. I can do this.” I really hoped I could live up to those brave words.

  “If you insist,” Elron said grudgingly.

  “I do. I need to get moving or I’ll run out of light.”

  “Good luck, Michelle.”

  I wrapped my arms around him and rested my cheek against his chest. “Thank you.”

  His arms came around me, and his cheek pressed against my hair. “I did nothing deserving of thanks.”

  “Well, you’re an awesome fiancé.” I grinned and went up on my toes to lay a gentle kiss on his lips. “And for that I thank you.” We shared a smile, and then I wiggled away. “I’ve got to hurry or I really will be running in the dark.”

  I left the safety of the lodge, feeling the love emanating from him. I went over to Ty, scratched his cheek, and told him it was time. He bobbed his head and nosed me. I took the hint and headed for the trail.

  At first all I could think about was the task. Bait the demon, capture the demon, kill the demon. But before long I found myself watching trees sway in the breeze and listening to birds chirp. The air was cool, bordering on cold, but breathing it in made me feel locked into the here and now. All around me the flora and fauna were starting to wake up. The early flowers were pushing themselves out of the ground, and the trees were preparing to bud. Above me, the sky was clear and blue. While the ground was a bit wet, it didn’t give me much trouble. The paths were well maintained and, with the exception of a couple of low spots, stayed rather dry.

  When I was nearing the border of the lodge’s property, I focused on the task at hand. Ahead of me was a quarter of a mile of trail that looped though an adjoining property. Following the path would take me outside Landa’s protections, which ended at her property line. That bit of trail was where I hoped the demon would appear.

  Wanting to give the demon plenty of time, I slowed my pace. My skin tingled when I left the lodge’s wards. I took deep, steadying breaths. If everything was going according to plan, Elron and Ty would be in the woods, ready to come to my aid. And I was prepared to capture the demon.

  The first few moments outside the protections were the worst. Every chirp, every whisper of wind was the demon, and I had to force myself to stay steady and keep moving forward. Those were the same sounds I’d been hearing, only now I was on edge.

  I didn’t really relax, but as I neared the halfway point, I started to wonder if the demon was even going to show. It wasn’t like we had a date. It could be miles away, completely unaware of my plot. After all, one of my primary assumptions was that the demon was keeping tabs on me and had some method of recognizing when I was vulnerable. While the previous attacks supported that theory, there was a good chance I was seeing correlation, not causation. Then again, Gremory had gone to great lengths to try to kill me. It was part of what had made it so dangerous.

  Not far from where I’d cross back onto Landa’s land, I heard a twig snap. Slowing to a walk, I glanced around. The crunch of a
twig didn’t mean the demon was near. There could be a deer or bear out in the woods. If an animal was there, I couldn’t see it. Though in the twilit gloom, I couldn’t see all that much.

  I picked up the pace and had convinced myself the demon wasn’t going to show when I heard chittering. Spinning around, I searched for the source of the noise but couldn’t find anything. Since most of the area was lost in shadows, I summoned a witch light.

  A head, a human head with black hair and hooded eyes, was floating in the air, vertebrae seeping fluid, blood oozing from the torn tissue. Fire danced in his eyes. Then he smiled.

  Yelping, I leapt back and shoved my hand into my pocket, grabbing a handful of demon’s bane.

  The head laughed and floated closer. “Michelle, so very nice to meet you.”

  I flung the demon’s bane into the air, summoning a small puff of wind to force it into his face.

  “I had expected better from you than some insignificant dust.” The air around the head started to vibrate, changing from clear to dark and opaque.

  All around me patches of air rippled. One darted at me, grazing my elbow before I jerked away. Frost covered the skin it had touched. Another one collided with my foot, and I saw the ice creep over my shoe. I couldn’t feel anything below the ankle.

  I summoned my wand and started the demon-proof containment spell. This head needed to be captured before it had a chance to freeze me to death or finished whatever it was casting.

  The demon laughed again and moved closer. I backed up, dragging my useless foot, wand continuing to swish through the air writing the runes that would end this. As I moved away, I passed through several more of the icy pockets of air. The one that hit my chest hurt. Each breath sent icy knives through my lungs and throat. When my back was against Landa’s protections, I stopped. The ice spells didn’t seem to be able to penetrate the wards, so part of me was safe. As much as I wanted to move into the safe area though, I couldn’t risk it. I needed to capture this demon, and to do that I needed to keep it here and focused on me.

  “Sowil haglaz,” I shouted. The spell snapped into place, effectively trapping him. The opaque cloud around the head began to clear. The icy pockets of air were unaffected.