Of Gold and Sapphires

Chapter 16: An Uninvited Guest

Unearthly screams seared her eardrums as the binding spell took effect. The malignant spirit writhed in agony at the centre of the chalk drawn circle. Her sister was lying unconscious nearby, unbeknownst to Sylvie slowly breathing her last. The energy and stress released had taken its toll on her mind and body. Sheer exhaustion and eyes stinging from sweat threatened to derail her concentration, but it would be madness to stop now. Screaming with one final Herculean effort, a portal appeared to another plane, and the cursing entity disappeared through it.

Hurled rapidly from the dream, she awoke startled at the vivid events. As they slowly subsided, Sylvie struggled to drift back to sleep. The humid atmosphere increased her discomfort. Her intuition whispered of someone else being in the flat, but she impatiently dismissed the notion. Like her daughter, she had an unbridled imagination, which often ran riot. A few wooden creaks from the living room brought fresh reminders of an intruder. She hadn't been burgled in years, but the memories occasionally surfaced. Sleep resisting, she drowsily clambered out of bed and headed to the kitchen in search of a cool drink

Padding through to the living room, Sylvia slumped into her favourite comfy armchair and continued reading with her latest novel. Apart from the occasional car that drove past, headlights briefly lighting up the room, her flat was cloaked in heavy silence. Delving deeply into stories greatly distracted her intrusive thoughts and dissipated shadows of the past

Her mind wandered to the recent visit by her daughter Sophie. Seeing her beloved daughter for the first time in several weeks finally cleared the clouds of depression, loneliness, and loss. Reaching out to her at Maria's funeral, a decision she'd agonised over had miraculously worked. Their subsequent conversation was arduous because they were expressing raw and tumultuous emotion. Anger and guilt were life sapping demons that needed to be confronted and exorcised.

A short while later, an otherworldly chill invaded the room, dispersing the midnight heat. Sylvia shuddered, and not just from the cold. Her senses were placed on high alert. She was used to dealing with visitors and entities from the great beyond. They no longer gave her fear because the majority were harmless souls tied to this existence because of grief and pain. Like living human beings. No, with the one she awaited, its sorrow had turned to murderous rage and revenge.

A new blackness emerged from the gloom, eventually coalescing into a female human shape with the garb and style of the seventeenth century. The radiant golden hair and glowing beauty added to her celestial aura. Except those eyes still glittered with cold blue vengeance. In this moment, Sylvie grimly accepted that her life would likely end very soon. She was determined to meet her fate with calm courage and vigour.

"I've been expecting you, Elena. You took your time

Oh, sweet Sylvie. You knew I was always going to pay you a final visit."

"Of course. However, I'm curious how you escaped imprisonment."

"In your pride, you forgot about one key element in all of this sad, sorry situation."

"What...... what's that?" replied Sylvie, still struggling with her disbelief and horror.

"Someone has discovered my body. Or rather what's left of it. It provided a tenuous but vital link to the physical realm. With what remained of my power, I was able to return here."

Fresh waves of grief broke through the aura of dumb confusion surrounding her.

"You're more resourceful than I gave you credit for."

"Well, I have had over three hundred years to practice my skills. Besides, I couldn't pass the opportunity to meet your charming daughter. I think I'm half in love with Sophie already."

Angry, mothering instincts roared to the surface, ruining Sylvia's calm façade.

"YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU WANT WITH ME BUT LEAVE MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER ALONE!"

The sniggering sinister response sent further ripples of fear through her being.

"Oh, don't worry, there's plenty of time for me to get to know your precious daughter. She's quite extraordinary. She doesn't seem to have any awareness of her true power yet. I'm just confused as to why you didn't reveal the true story about you and me, Sylvie."

"My daughter does not need any more burdens to carry at the moment. Besides, she'll discover your true nature soon enough."

"Yes, you're right, I am a vile creature." There was a hint of sorrow and self-pity in Elena's voice. "One that I can thank your fellow human monsters for creating."

"If you're going to have your revenge, just get on with it, demon. I'm tired of waiting."

"I haven't made the decision whether to end you now or let you suffer slowly."

"I have no more strength left in me to fight you. But you knew that anyway. My daughter will seek retribution, one way or another. I know you're afraid of her."

The baited words had the desired effect. Sylvie tried to move, but her limbs were immediately paralysed by an invisible force. Excruciating pain danced through her body, and she managed a few strangulated cries. Desperately fighting for air, her surroundings slowly faded from view. The last image that filled her vision was the icy grin on Elena's spectral face before being dragged down to unconscious depths.