Itzal woke with a start, someone shaking him by the shoulder.
“Itzal! Wake up!” Sunshine whispered urgently. “Wake up!”
He jolted upright, eyes wide with panic. The sharp scent of blood and sulphur clung to his senses; the tell-tale signature of black witches. It took him a few seconds to register where he was: still curled on the sofa in the cinema room.
“You were having a bad dream,” Sunshine said softly. “You were chanting something.”
He rubbed his eyes and wrinkled his nose.
“Do you smell that?”
“Smell what?” she asked, frowning.
He sighed.
“Never mind. I don’t think I was dreaming. Not really. I don’t remember it, at least.”
Waking without a dream was rare for him—a gift—but the fact that Sunshine had thought he was in the grip of a nightmare unsettled him. He must have been more restless than he realised. Looking around, he saw the other ghouls and ghulehs asleep in a warm tangle of limbs on the floor, soft snores and murmurs rising from the pile.
“What time is it?” he asked.
Sunshine checked her phone.
“Just after eight. We can go back to sleep, if you want?” she offered, snuggling into his side again.
“I think I’d rather get up. My neck feels weird.”
He stretched it cautiously. Something was off. Sunshine’s eyes drifted to his collar, her brow furrowing. She reached out, pausing just before touching him.
“Is it okay if I...?”
He gave a small smile and nodded. Her fingers brushed the skin just above the collar, then pulled back. Her hand hovered in front of them both.
Grey ash dusted her fingertips.
Itzal’s heart lurched.
“What the fuck is that?” he whispered.
Sunshine’s expression turned serious.
“Okay. We need to find Secondo. Right now.” She pulled out her phone and began calling as they stood and left the cinema room, speaking quietly but urgently. "He’s on his way. He’s letting the witches know,” she said once she’d hung up.
They reached the door of the study and waited. A few minutes later, Omega and Seren appeared around the corner, looking like they’d just rolled out of bed. They smiled in greeting, though Seren’s gaze lingered on Itzal’s neck.
Then Secondo arrived, calm and composed as ever, his slacks and shirt immaculate, despite the early hour. He ushered them into the study.
“Sit down,” he said, gesturing toward the seating by the cold fireplace. They each took a seat. “Tell me what happened.”
They did, though there wasn’t much to tell.
“We were in the cinema room. It was movie night. We fell asleep on the sofa,” Sunshine explained. “I woke up because Itzal was twitching and mumbling. I couldn’t tell what he was saying, but it sounded like chanting. A spell, maybe. It took a while to wake him.”
Secondo’s brow furrowed.
“Did you notice anything about the collar? Was it glowing like before?”
“No,” she said. “I don’t think so.”
“Itzal, do you remember what you were saying?”
“No. I didn’t even realise anything was happening until Sunshine woke me. Usually, if I’ve had a nightmare, I know. This time there was nothing. But when I woke up, I thought I smelled them again.” He turned to Seren. “Santos’ witches. Just like the dream I had the night before.”
Secondo raised a brow, and Itzal recounted the dreams: The compulsion to follow th darkness, Santos on the Academy steps, the blonde witch in his bed.
“This is worrying,” Seren murmured. “It sounds like they’ve found a way around the amendments we made to the collar. May I see it?”
Itzal nodded and looked towards Omega, who stood protectively at Seren’s side.
“Is it okay if I touch your neck?” Seren asked gently.
He nodded again, jaw tight. He lifted his chin, locking eyes with Omega, grateful for the soothing pulse of quintessence that followed. Seren’s fingers brushed his skin, feather-light. He flinched only slightly this time. Progress, he thought grimly.
Secondo stepped in to examine the ash still clinging to his neck. Seren held her fingers to her nose and sniffed. Secondo did the same.
“Agrimony and sulphur,” Seren noted thoughtfully.
Secondo nodded.
“They were trying to reverse the protections we put in place. I don’t think they succeeded entirely, but the fact that their spells are manifesting physically now is troubling. It only happens when you’re asleep. They’re linking to your unconscious mind. Tapping into the bond that way. Can you feel it, Itzal? The bond?”
He focused inward, and his heart sank when he felt it there.
“Yes. It’s faint. Like an ache in my chest.”
Secondo cursed under his breath. Sunshine was watching him with that focused expression she got when reading his aura.
“It’s back,” she confirmed, voice low. “Very faint. But it’s there.”
“Then we move forward with the plan,” Secondo said, decisive. “Get Helena here. We start today. We’ll work through the night if we must.”
Sunshine turned to Itzal, puzzled.
“What plan?”
Itzal sighed. He hadn’t meant for her to find out from someone else.
“I meant to talk to you about it today,” he said.
“Alright. Let’s grab some breakfast first. We can go back to the lairs. You can fill me in while we eat. That is, if Secondo’s done with you?”
Secondo gave a nod of dismissal, and together, Itzal and Sunshine left in search of food.
YOU ARE READING
Nameless Ghoul
ParanormalA ghoul is summoned illegally and enslaved by a rogue sect of the Clergy. For the past twenty years, an evil Satanic sorcerer has held Itzal captive. He took control of his will, subjecting him to unimaginable horrors, and forced him to commit acts...
