The school had a service for Trish a few days after. It was a somber affair where professors and friends told stories about how wonderful Trish had been and how tragic it was for her to die so young. They expected Nicholas to speak but he remained stoic and stayed seated. Matthias gave a speech in his place that ignited the earlier rumors about him and Trish.
The school had a bench made in the clearing where they had the Samhain celebrations. Students were leaving flowers and notes on and around the bench for Trish. Everyone was affected by the unexpected death. Shipton Academy was supposed to be a safe haven for witches and warlocks and their perfect little bubble was infected with fear and grief.A few people had asked to hear what she witnessed that night and she had to give them the same story she had to the police. She was the girl that discovered the body. She had Trish’s blood on her hands as she came out of the woods. The sight of her had made a whole school go silentBoth Aubrey and Matthias were pleased to have Nicholas finally leave his room and out into the world again. People were sympathetic and gave him his space. Nicholas went to class and was seen at the dining hall but didn’t really interact with people. He was physically present but emotionally distant.She had a feeling Nicholas was in his favorite hiding spot and there she found him in the classroom watching the view outside the windows. She didn’t uncloak herself until she was behind him and whispered into his ear, "Boo."He didn’t jump. He shook his head, exasperated with her behavior. "Hello, trouble," he said. "What are you up to today?"She gave him an innocent smile. "Who says I’m planning something?"He almost smiled back, his lips quirking up but he forced it away. "Do you know what I thought when I first met you?""That I’m pretty?""No." That made her pout and he continued, "I thought ‘there goes
Callie's eyes widened in incredulity. "The apocalypse?""Armageddon, Ragnarok, and whatever you want to call it.""And two ghosts–"He corrected. "Witnesses.""–are a sign that the world is going to end?""It’s the first sign. There will be others.""Like?""War, famine, plague, death," he listed off. "The Four Horsemen of the apocalypse will come and wreak havoc while we’re powerless to stop it."She leaned against the bookshelf and pointed out, "You’re awfully glib about the prospect of the world ending.""Every generation is obsessed with being the last and that the Second Coming happens in their life time." He rolled his eyes. "I’m from generations of Seers who all insisted it was going to happen to them and they were all wrong."That made sense. It probably made them feel better to think they were important. People had strange priorities when it came to their egos. She once watched two demons
Callie was twelve when she woke up to her bed stained with blood. She was horrified to learn she was bleeding between her legs. There was no wound or pain and she went to her mother for help. Lilith explained to her about moon blood and babies.The concept of becoming a mother terrified her more. She imagined a baby in her belly growing like a parasite and it would burst out of her once it was big enough. "I never want to have kids," Callie declared.Lilith smiled and gently patted her hair. Her mother had moments when she was sweet and kind and Callie wished she could have her like this more. She loved her mother best when she was this way. Lilith felt like a real mother and Callie treasured these moments."I was not that older than you are when I was cursed to be barren," Lilith told her, somber. "My husband, Adam, punished me for leaving him. But how could I stay when he could not accept me as his equal? He could not love me and he hated me instead."Cal
Callie ducked into the girls’ bathroom between classes. The fourth floor bathroom was her favorite as it was the least busy since there were fewer classes on that floor. She nearly bumped into the Fourth Year girls who were on their way out. She weaved around them as they ignored her and left.She went to the sink to wash her hands when she saw something silver on the ground. She bent down to pick it up and found it was a headband with cat ears snapped into two pieces. It was identical to the one Aubrey owned. There was a quiet sobbing coming from one of the stalls.She walked over to the stall, unsure of what to do. She couldn’t be sure it was Aubrey in there. She hesitated before knocking softly on the stall door. There was a pause."Is that you, Aubrey?" she asked."Go away," Aubrey sobbed. "I want to be alone."Callie looked around as if the answer on what she should do would appear. This was none of her business. She tried to be as considera
All the avian familiars were getting sick. They were all brought to the Medical Bay where Doctor Dougal diagnosed them with West Nile Virus. Nadia’s familiar was one of the infected and was quarantined in the Medical Bay. Goblins could heal faster than regular animals but they weren’t immortal.A few of the familiars had already succumbed to the virus. Nadia was distraught as the days went by and her familiar wasn’t getting any better. Magic could only do so much and even witch doctors couldn’t find a cure. Nadia’s familiar was going to die and there was nothing they could do about it.Callie came along as Nadia and Aubrey visited the Medical Bay. The golden parakeet was asleep in its cage. It looked small and pathetic. Nadia couldn’t touch the bird as she could become a carrier for the virus and infect the other familiars so she just watched the bird sleep."Tiya’s going to be okay." Aubrey wrapped her arm around Nadia and le
"Callie! Wait up!"She stopped and turned around to see Enoch running towards her, his familiar pulling him forward on his leash. They stopped in front of her. Enoch took a moment to catch his breath and she let him. She was in no rush to get to her Herbal Magic class and brave the cold."I’ve been looking for you everywhere," he said, still winded. "You’re a hard one to track down."She tried her best to be."Thank you." He grinned. "I just wanted to say thank you for what did for the familiars."She froze and her heart started beating faster as she began to inwardly panic. "What are you talking about?""You helped cure them.""What makes you think I had anything to do with it?"He tapped his temple with a finger. "Seer, remember?"Her heart beat even faster as she tried to think about what to do next. Her fight or flight instincts kicked in. How much did he see? What did he know?"What did you see?" she demanded.
The next day, Callie was determined to get the sugar cookies to Enoch. She wasn’t going to be deterred. He would be walking back from the Greenhouses soon and she could catch him alone in the woods. She sneaked out of her Magical Zoology class and sat under a tree to wait for Enoch’s class to end.She carefully took out the pink box from her backpack and placed it on the ground. She opened the lid and looked over the cookies. The crushed cyanide she’d sprinkled over them looked like powdered sugar. Enoch wouldn’t suspect a thing.Guilt wasn’t a foreign feeling to her. She had nothing against Enoch but he could be dangerous to her. Her anonymity was her biggest advantage in reaching her goals and she didn’t know how much he’d seen in visions. He was a liability.A growl made her look up. A large dog that looked like a Doberman stepped out from behind a bush. The red eyes and the forked tail told her it was more than an ordinary
Callie had to stay in the Medical Bay for two days as Doctor Crane fussed over her injuries. Not many doctors had dealt with a Hellhound attack before so she excused the woman’s dithering about infection. A real bite from a Hellhound could take weeks to heal but she didn’t have that problem. She had some bruising but that would fade.The police were investigating the attack and she gave her statement to Officer Oliveira. Nadia’s father had a good poker face and she couldn’t get a grasp on what he was thinking. He seemed sympathetic but she couldn’t discount if he thought the attack had anything to do with what happened on Samhain. Fortunately, Doctor Crane ordered him out as Callie needed to rest and the officer hopefully didn’t return with more questions.Aubrey and Nadia brought over her homework along with a small blueberry cheesecake. Callie smiled brightly and helped herself to the dessert as the two girls kept her briefed on the go
Lucifer’s Cage was located in the deepest part of Hell where there was only darkness and the cold. The cage was a solid metal box wrapped in chains that no one could see in. The Four Horsemen visited him whenever they could. They informed him about all that occurred in the realms. While he could hear them, they could not hear him through the cage. It was part of his punishment. To never be seen or heard. It had been a very long time since anyone had seen Lucifer’s face.Asmodeus tried to remember Lucifer’s face but wasn’t sure if he was confusing him with another’s. Even a demon’s memory wasn’t infallible. He remembered when he was first met the Morningstar. He had taken a human form to mock God’s newest creation, Adam.He had been the most brilliant thing Asmodeus had ever seen. Like the Pied Piper, he led his fellow angelic brethren to fall from Heaven. They were banished to Hell where they would start building their
Callie didn’t know what would happen to her once they left Hell. She expected to be thrown back into prison or she would have to disappear into the world and never return. She hadn’t counted on Frederick Wood to be her protector. The uncle she’d never known defended her against the Council and the police. She had been a minor arrested and acquitted without trial. They never contacted her legal guardian which should’ve been him. All her actions were made under duress after years of abuse and trauma. It was a case the Magical World had never seen before and it would’ve become bigger than what it was if Head Warlock Castillo didn’t want to keep things quiet.He had a lifetime of secrets he did not want to get out to the public. Frederick did not hesitate to use this leverage to his advantage. Callie could admit she was lucky she got off on probation and half a year in house arrest. Maybe all those years of terrible luck were finally turnin
The dust clouds dissipated. Callie couldn’t look away from the pile of ashes that used to be Finnegan. It was difficult to process that he was truly gone and she could never have him back. It was a new kind of pain she hadn’t felt before. It threatened to overwhelm her.Nicholas touched her shoulder gently and asked, "Are you going to be okay?"She wanted to scream from the cocktail of emotions running through her. The loudest was anger. It beat like war drums in her mind, wanting to be unleashed. She felt restless."His death wasn’t your fault.""Don’t lie to me," she snapped. "He wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for me.""He made a choice and he knew the risks. We all did."She shook her head. "I’m not worth the risks. None of you should’ve come here.""You don’t get to decide that," he countered. "Only we can and we all decided that saving you is worth any danger.""You really believ
Mammon towered over Callie at nearly seven feet tall. He was muscled and strong and he swung his sword like a hammer. Callie was lighter and faster and had to dodge his blows as they came right after another. He gave chase like an angry dog trying to take a big bite out of her.She wasn’t fast enough to dodge one blow and his golden sword sliced her in the side. She ignored the sting and the blood wetting her dress and dodged another blow. His next blow nearly got her in the head. He growled in frustration."Fight me properly!" he roared. "Stop dancing around!""Make me!"He growled and lunged at her and she sidestepped a blow that would’ve sliced her throat. He elbowed her in the side where she was wounded and the pain made her stop. It was a mistake as he swung at her and she had to twist away to avoid getting hit. She tripped and landed on the sand, the air knocked out of her.She tried to get to her feet quickly but Mammon kicked her and forc
They found a sack to put Belphegor’s head in from one of the rooms and they left it in alley on the opposite end of Fallen’s Nest. The more time the Demon Lord had to put himself back together the better it was for them. They had to rush back to get their friends. The ravens all circled over the Duke’s Mansion, slamming into the windows to get in and help their master. Ravens flew down and tried to peck and scratch at them. Nadia knocked a few back with her defensive magic, blasting the birds several feet into the air. They burned the more determined ones. The ravens did not relent the whole way back to Witch Village.They found Aubrey outside the house with three camels and helping Matthias unto one. He still looked pale and sickly but was at least conscious. Enoch was sitting on the steps of the house and talking to Helena. Aubrey ran to them and hugged them each, relieved they were okay. Morgan walked over and demanded, "Is he dead?""Yes,"
Callie was surprised that Morgan didn’t throw them out into the street empty(-)handed. The Great demon weighed the odds of them actually defeating Allocen and decided to assist with the bare minimum. The only weapon she had in the house was an old battle axe Baba Yaga stole from the time of the Vikings. Nicholas didn’t complain and picked up the axe which looked heavier than it actually was."Don’t fail," Morgan reminded, glancing to where Aubrey was fussing over Matthias. "The consequences could be dire."Callie didn’t miss the less than subtle threat and glared at her. "It could be dire for all of us."Morgan gave Nadia one of the knives from her collection. The blade was dipped in a potent poison of Morgan’s own recipe. She handed them a few more potions that might be useful for the fight before declaring them ready. Aubrey gave them hugs and wished them luck.Enoch didn’t get up from where he was seated on the couch. Helena
Demons used Hellhound venom for torture. While it couldn’t kill a demon, it took a while to heal and it was painful. Callie had firsthand experience and Matthias hadn't said a word despite being in excruciating pain. She didn’t know if it was a guy thing or a human thing to be that proud or stupid.Nicholas, Aubrey, and Nadia carried the unconscious Matthias into Morgan’s house. It looked like a Victorian style home with ivy growing on the walls outside. Callie had always thought Morgan purposely tried to make her house more appealing as if to hide the terrors from within. The house looked the same since the last time she’d been there except for the overwhelming powerful cloaking spell around it.As formidable as Morgan was, wards and invisibility spells weren’t her expertise. The answer came when Callie saw Batibat was sitting by the fireplace wearing a plain black dress and her dark hair in a severe bun. The Great demon followed them as they
Much to Callie’s relief, her friends followed her advice and stayed on the Blood Road. They didn’t run into more lost souls or demons as they continued on their journey. Their only concern were the ravens that followed them, circling above like an omen. Callie kept Lucifer’s Grace in hand lest one of the birds swooped down and tried to peck at them.The ravens flew away when they reached the edge of the city. Paradise was a small city with a population of more than fifty-thousand demons. It was the oldest city in Hell and was created by the Fallen when they were banished from Heaven. It started off as a small village and expanded over the years as more demons populated the realm.Callie could have gone unnoticed if she had been alone. She had enough demon blood for the city residents not to bother with her. Her human companions would be like fresh blood to a shiver of sharks. They would sniff them out within minutes.Callie borrowed the small knife A
The Blood Road wasn’t really a road. There was no pavement or stone. It was a trail of dried black blood that stained the ground. It was made from the blood of Lucifer after God had ripped his wings from him and he had been forced to walk through Hell to his cage. It had not faded over time. The black blood was still stark as the day Lucifer staggered then crawled through the realm. Demons had been known to kneel and pray to the Devil on the blood road. Lilith and the witches would light black candles on Samhain and walk on the blood road, following the path Lucifer had walked.They walked closely together in case of an attack. Nicholas tried to hide how vulnerable he felt without the Holy Lance but Callie could see through him. He still had the use of holy fire but the spear had been an ace that was difficult to lose. They only had one weapon to fight with and Lucifer’s Grace would attract more attention than they wanted.Callie clutched the blade closer