by Cassandra
“What do I do now?” she asked, slightly panicked. She flipped the card to the back in search of instructions or some kind of a hint regarding what spell she should use against such a repulsive creature.
“Pardon me,” Frank interrupted, “but does anyone want to tell me why you’re playing with demon cards in the first place?”
“She didn’t know they were demon cards,” Pastor Norman replied.
“Yeah. Give her a break, already,” Chad said.
“I’m merely asking a question,” Frank said defensively. “I’m not very fond of demon cards. I know what kind of pests reside within those things. My cousin is in one, and he’s a complete jerk. I’d hate to see him come out.”
“Well, I’m sure that makes four of us,” Chad said.
“All right, back to my original question—what do I do now?” Jessica repeated.
“You get ready,” Pastor Norman said. “I hate to break it to you, but there’s no way to tell when the demon will show itself, but it’ll be here eventually. We merely have to be ready whenever it does.”
“Okay. And how do we get ready?”
“By learning the necessary spell.”
“I think you’ll find the smoke coven spells entertaining,” Chad said. He turned to Pastor Norman. “Do you mind if I do the honors?”
“Not at all,” he said.
Frank huffed. “Well, you guys have fun. I’m about to go watch TV.”
“I cannot believe this.” Jessica stared, astonished, at the fog that drifted around the room—smoke that she’d created with her bare hands. It had taken about an hour for her to learn the spell, but thanks to Chad’s guidance, she’d mastered it.
Pastor Norman smiled. “Believe it. I always knew you had great potential. Now, you can see why.”
She shook her head and laughed. “My potential doesn’t always seem reliable. It’s amazing that I could pull this off—among other things—but still can’t light a candle.”
“Well, fire magic can be tricky sometimes. A lot of folks think it’s the hardest. But I’m sure you can get the hang of it—with the right teacher.” Chad winked.
Jessica raised an eyebrow. “Really? My grandma said lighting a candle was like a fourth-grade level spell.”
He smirked. “Maybe it is to her.”
Pastor Norman laughed and checked his watch, and his smile faltered instantly. “Um… Speaking of Ethel—is it normal for her to still be out this late?”
She shrugged. “I suppose it is, now.”
He cleared his throat and shifted his gaze. She had the suspicion once again that her grandmother’s late-night outing bothered him for some reason. But, like before, she didn’t want to think about it.
“Well,” Jessica said to change the subject. “You guys will stick around, right? Until the demon gets here.”
“Of course,” Pastor Norman said. “You don’t think we’d leave you alone, do you?”
“Just checking.” She yawned widely, unable to hold it back anymore. The thrill of learning the smoke spell had worn her out more than she already had been. If she didn’t get to sleep soon, she was reasonably sure she would collapse on the spot. “I promise you, I’m not trying to shirk my responsibility or anything, but—”
“Get some rest, Jessica,” Pastor Norman said and smiled. “You look exhausted. Chad and I will keep watch for you.”
“Thank you!” So grateful, she threw her arms around the pastor in a hug. “Be sure to come get me when the action starts.”
“Will do,” Chad said. “In the meantime, I’ll crash on the couch. Pastor, how about we take turns as the look-out?”
“Fine by me,” he replied.
“Great.” The younger man headed for the couch and immediately made himself comfortable.
Not needing to be told twice, Jessica went upstairs to her room. Frank had fallen asleep in her bed, watching the Kardashians, of course.
She ignored the potato chip crumbs he’d dropped all over her comforter and simply crawled in beside him, curled onto her side, and fell asleep in an instant.
Meanwhile, with the demon cards in hand, Pastor Norman returned to the living room while Chad stretched out on the couch, channel surfing. The pastor placed the cards on the table in plain sight, took a seat, and proceeded to watch Ethel’s cats frolic about while he waited.
His head jerked as he caught himself drifting off to sleep. The pastor cleared his throat and sat upright, then groaned at the ache in his lower back as he remembered that he was supposed to keep watch over things. The truth was that he grew more tired by the second himself, for he too, had had a rather long day.
He looked into the living room toward Chad and contemplated asking if they could trade places so that he could take a brief nap. The young man snored on the couch, his mouth hanging open while he still gripped the television remote control in his hand.
Pastor Norman chuckled and shook his head. He didn’t have it in him to wake the boy. Funny how he was the old man but had more energy to stay awake than the young folk currently in the house with him. Back when he was young like them, Pastor Norman had been able to go days without sleeping when necessary. The adrenaline of demon hunting had worked better than coffee and energy drinks combined.
He stood and his old bones creaked and popped from sitting for so long when he stretched. How long it had been? He glanced around and looked for anything that appeared out of place. Several cats lounged around and some played with balls of yarn. Everything looked normal, and the demon cards were right where he had left them.
Satisfied, he was about to check his watch for the time and go upstairs to make sure Jessica and the imp were all right when a noise sounded from somewhere farther back in the house.
Pastor Norman froze. On instinct, his hand went into his pocket to grip the little bottle of holy water he kept with him at all times.
When he heard the sound again, he realized it came from near the kitchen. His achy bones made him move a little more stiffly than usual but he headed toward the kitchen, his holy water in hand and ready.
Before he could make it to his destination, the downstairs bathroom door along the way swung open unexpectedly. Reflexively, he tossed the holy water and was barely seconds away from casting a demon-banishing spell.
“What the devil?”
Pastor Norman blinked and slowly registered that it actually wasn’t any kind of devil. Instead, it was Ethel. For several long seconds, they simply stared at one another.
“How is it that I come home to find you in my hallway?” she asked to break the silence that was only interrupted by Chad’s snores and purring cats that had begun to slink around her ankles. “What is this supposed to mean? Am I in trouble, or am I getting lucky?”
“Ethel, where have you been?” he asked and his heart pounded as he returned the bottle of holy water to his pocket.
“Where does it look like I’ve been? I was using the bathroom. Dinner was a little too spicy, I’m afraid. My stomach ain’t what it used to be. Now, what are you doing in my house in the middle of the night? Who let you in? Is Jessica still awake?”
Pastor Norman shook his head. “You have not been in the bathroom this whole time, Ethel. You’re not fooling anyone. It’s obvious that you teleported from somewhere. It’s me you’re talking to, remember? I’m not Jessica.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “If you weren’t a holy man, mister, I’d sure tell you about yourself. Having the nerve to question me in my own house! I’m not Jessica either, so I don’t have to explain myself to you. Now, once again, what are you doing here?”
He pressed his lips together. Although he wanted to make a retort, he knew it really wasn’t his place. Ethel was right. Who was he to question her in her own house?
The pastor sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m here because of Jessica. She needed my help.”
“Oh, Lord. What has that girl gotten herself into now? And why didn’t she call me? Oh, wait…my phone was off.”
&nb
sp; “Jessica accidentally bought a pack of demon cards.”
Her eyes bulged. “Pardon?”
He nodded. “Demon cards. She didn’t know what they were, obviously. And you really can’t blame her. The packaging makes them look like a game. Any kid could have been fooled. See?” He led her to the dining room table and showed her the cards.
“Well, I’ll be damned. How’d she get these?” Ethel frowned.
“She said she got them from the magic shop you took her to.”
“That little stinker. She didn’t tell me she bought anything.”
“Anyhow,” Pastor Norman continued, “she realized the cards had taken her imp captive, so she called me. I came over, along with Chad and Roger. Chad’s over there.” He pointed to the young man, who still snored on the couch. “As you can see, however, Roger isn’t here. He rolled the dice and was sucked in.” He pointed out the card with Roger’s image on it. “So Jessica had to roll the dice and continue the game to rescue them. We have the imp back already, but as for Roger, no such luck yet. We’re still waiting for his return—and for the demon that should show up at any moment now.”
Ethel shook her head. “That’s impossible. I have a protective spell cast over this house. Demons can’t get in.”
“I don’t know about that. Bringing these cards into the house must have canceled your spell, then. Before all of this happened, Jessica had accidentally released a demon from the cards already. It tried to attack her earlier this evening.”
“Dammit,” she muttered. Her brow furrowed and she gazed around the house, her eyes raking over Chad on the couch. “Jessica—where is she now?”
“In her room resting,” Pastor Norman said. “I told her I would keep watch for the thing. The poor girl was so freaked out and exhausted.”
“And hungover,” Ethel added. She sighed. With a wave of her hand, she made the pack of demon cards vanish. “After hearing all this, I feel like I’m the one who needs to be hungover. Do you fancy having a drink with me?”
“Uh…sure,” he said and followed a weary Ethel to the kitchen.
Hours later, when the sun rose once again, Ethel and Pastor Norman had both had a couple of glasses of wine too many as they discussed yesteryear. That didn’t, however, stop Ethel from pouring them each another while Grace eyed the two of them from the kitchen counter.
In the midst of a laugh, her face flushed, Ethel shook her head. “It’s funny how things were both more complicated yet simpler back then, ain’t it?”
“Right you are,” he agreed and nodded vigorously, his head a little wobbly. “I was quite feisty in my day, believe it or not.”
“Oh, I can believe it. You still have some of that in you. I can tell.” She winked. “You must have broken quite a few ladies’ hearts when you decided to turn all holy, didn’t you?”
He chuckled and waved his hand. “Oh, I’m not that kind of priest. My vows don’t stop me from marrying if I want…or wanted. I think those days of consideration are long behind me now. It wasn’t of interest to me. The life I led was too dangerous. I didn’t want to risk having anybody mixed up in that. Anyway, regardless—no one could believe I wanted to get into clerical work back in the day. But I knew there was no better cover for hunting demons. Plus, I really do enjoy being a pastor at the end of the day and helping people maintain their faith. This is a messed-up world we live in. People need spiritual leaders to help them cope.”
“Hmm…” Ethel said and then took another swig of her wine. “I suppose that makes sense, your coven being Spirit and all. The spirit calls to you, and you like helping others with their spirituality.”
Pastor Norman nodded. “Exactly. And as for you, Ms. Ethel—you are a lively one, that’s for sure! It’s easy to understand that the life coven was your calling. In fact, Jessica tells me you’ve been extra lively lately. Going out at all times of night—”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it sounds like you’re interested in what I’m up to at the late hours of the night.” Ethel raised an eyebrow.
He cleared his throat. “I understand that it’s none of my business. I only…I hope you’re safe out there, that’s all. Although I know it’s silly of me to be worried about the infamous Ethel Libbons. I know the stories about you in your youth as well as anyone in this line of work.”
“Well, dare I say you might hear a few more stories about me soon.”
“Oh?” he said after a stretch of silence.
She sighed. “If you must know, Pastor, even though I’m out late at night, I’m not out there being a lady of the night. I’ve been hunting demons again. That damn Maximus—he’s got me back at it. And now look where it’s got me. Demons have come to my home again, exactly like in the old days. That man always knew how to make my life Hell and worth living at the same time.”
Chapter Nine
The sun had started to rise when Jessica yawned and opened her eyes slowly. For a moment, she looked nervously toward her bedroom window and halfway expected some demonic monstrosity to be waiting for her. But, thankfully, there was nothing. The only other creature around was Frank, who still slept peacefully beside her. With a sigh, she sat up in bed.
Immediately, she noticed the demon cards had been neatly returned to her desk.
She frowned and her skin tingled with anxiety. It was unlikely that anyone would have entered her room, and she liked to think she would have heard if someone did. However, since she’d been recovering from a hangover, she couldn’t be entirely sure about that.
Reluctantly, she approached her desk for a closer look at the cards. Her frown deepened when she saw that the card she’d selected last night was now blank. That could only mean that the demon had escaped from it. It was now a matter of when and where it would show up, and what it would do when it did.
Jessica glanced at her door. It was still partially open like she’d left it on the reasoning that it would help her hear any commotion downstairs if anything happened. She had evidently slept soundly, though, and hoped she hadn’t missed anything.
Quietly, she exited her room and headed downstairs, where she heard voices. Stepping over a cat on the bottom step, the first thing she noticed was Chad asleep on the couch with the television on.
So much for him serving as a look-out.
A brief feeling of apprehension washed over her when she didn’t immediately see Pastor Norman. She debated the possibility that he had left in pursuit of the demon on his own without telling them, even though he should have known better than to do that. The game had given clear instruction that Jessica had to finish it alone.
Confused, she paused and looked around, then realized she heard voices that weren’t on the television, and one of them was indeed her grandma.
The sound led her to the kitchen, where Grandma Ethel and Pastor Norman sat at the table with half-full wine glasses in front of them and several empty wine bottles around them.
Jessica blinked, stunned. So it’s okay for them to drink, but not me? she thought bitterly for a moment. But her bitterness vanished quickly. After the ridiculous hangover she’d endured, she was absolutely certain she’d be all right if she never drank again in her life.
Engrossed in their laughter at whatever conversation they were having, neither Grandma Ethel nor Pastor Norman noticed her presence in the doorway. She cleared her throat to announce herself and both their heads snapped in her direction. “Good morning,” she said and folded her arms across her chest.
“Morning, Jessica.” Pastor Norman smiled easily.
Grandma Ethel, on the other hand, reached for her wine glass and took another sip. Frustration bubbled inside Jessica when she thought about how she had needed her grandmother, only for her to have snuck out of the house in the middle of the night without explanation.
“And where did you sneak off to?” Jessica asked pointedly.
The old lady set her wine glass down. “Demon hunting.”
Her eyebrows shot upward. That definitely hadn’t
been the answer she had expected. “Demon hunting? You mean, you weren’t—”
“Sneaking out with boys? No, Jessica. Not exactly. I’ve been helping Maximus. That’s what his letter was about. There really is something strange going on with all the extra demons that have appeared lately. I’m doing my part to fight them again.”
Jessica stood frozen on the spot for a moment, genuinely uncertain as to how to respond. She scratched her ear. “Well,” she said after a moment, “can I come with you?” It was the only thing she could think to ask.
Grandma Ethel chuckled. “Two requests in twenty-four hours.” She turned her gaze to Pastor Norman. “What a way to make an old gal feel popular.”
He gripped his wine glass but didn’t drink from it. Jessica was unnerved to see a blush spread across his face.
“Anyway,” the old lady continued, “from the sounds of it, you don’t exactly need to follow me around on hunts because you’ve done quite enough on your own.”
Now, it was Jessica’s turn to blush. “Not by choice,” she said. “I didn’t mean to. I—”
Ethel waved a hand to silence her. “I already know the story. Pastor here brought me up to speed on everything. It looks like we’ll hunt the newest demon on the loose. But answer me this though—why did they trap the imp?”
She shrugged her shoulders as both Grandma Ethel and Pastor Norman stared at her. “I don’t know. Well, the cards said they had someone I loved. Don’t get me wrong, I like Frank. But love is just such a strong word.”
“Hmm,” her grandmother said. “Well, maybe the cards can see the future. Maybe they know you’ll someday grow to love Frank. Those are powerful cards, after all.”
“So what do we do now?” Jessica asked. She felt like she’d asked that question a million times already, but it was still relevant, nonetheless.
“There’s nothing to do but wait for the demon to come out,” Ethel answered.
“I think it’s already out. When I woke up, I saw that the demon card with its picture is blank now.”
