UnFamiliar

Chapter 16

Nina and I swallowed herbs, drew runes on each other, and discussed what we should do next. Val kept watch, or at least that's what he said he was doing. In reality, I caught him looking at my shirtless chest no less than three times while Nina drew on my back in permanent marker. 

It made me blush, but I tried to ignore his stare. Commenting on it would bring Nina's attention back to Val and I really didn't want her to ask about the whole sleeping situation. Particularly when Val and I hadn't really been on the best of terms before we were shot at. I didn't think the almost dying thing was going to fix what Val was brooding over. 

"There," Nina said pulling away from my back, "I think I've fit all the ones you usually use."

"Thanks." I put my shirt back on, grateful to be able to.

"Where should we start?" Val asked.

I bit my lip. "I know we said we'd go look for another witch hunter and have them tell us what their goal is and go from there, but...I mean theoretically can't we just summon the ones you sent to hell?"

Val winced. "I doubt that would get us anywhere."

"Why not?" Nina was petting her familiar, keeping it calm.

Val pinched the bridge of his nose. "They've been there for at least five minutes."

"So?" Nina asked.

Val looked right at me. "Hell isn't the most hospitable to mortals."

I gasped. "You think they're dead?"

Val nodded.

Nina swore.

"But Ms. Branch was fine," I argued, remembering that the day I met him he'd sent one of my teachers to hell.

"She's a powerful witch, those were just normal mortals. Look, I can probably bring them back here, I just don't know what state they'll be in."

Nina sighed. "Let's just go find someone else. I don't particularly care to see how demons would murder witch hunt--"

Nina was cut off by a poof of smoke shooting up from the floor. Her panther jumped in front of her, growling at the being that emerged. Val pulled me behind him, and I had a moment where I thought about how much he's acting like Nina's panther, then I got a good look at the cause of the smoke.

Standing in our room with three humans tied up at his feet was one of Val's brothers. 

"Pamon, what brings you here?" Val asked as if he didn't see the witch hunters.

"It seems you keep dumping uninvited guests into our home, Valfar." Pamon kicked at the man who shot at us. It wasn't a light kick.

"Thanks for returning them," Val said. 

Pamon glanced at Nina, who looked like she wanted to ask a million questions despite her panther growling at him. "One other thing. Father didn't want me telling you this, he said you should've been able to figure it out yourself, but I think you should know. These men are marked by Abaddon." Then, Pamon snapped his fingers and dissolved into smoke. 

Val cursed.

"Who's Abaddon?" Nina asked. "Actually who was that? Do all demons look that eerily similar? Are--"

"Pamon's his brother," I said, knowing if I didn't cut her off, she wouldn't stop talking."

Val looked scared. He grabbed one of the witch hunter's by their hair. "You made a deal with Abaddon? What was it?"

The man looked...well like he'd been to hell. His nose was trickling blood. His eyes weren't exactly focused. "I won't tell you, you unholy creature."

Val turned to look at me and Nina. "Does your school get attacked often?"

Nina shrugged. "There's always a few quacks who think we're selling ourselves to the devil and that it's their responsibility to stop it. But...I don't think I've ever seen them get past the barrier spells before."

I focused on Val. He was shaking. Trembling really. Something was wrong, something that had nothing to do with getting shot at. He met my eye. "Abaddon rules the sixth realm of hell."

The witch hunter he was talking to spat at him. "Don't make up such sacreligious lies. He's just the guy that sold us the ammunition to take out creatures of hell like yourselves."

"So your aim is to kill us?" I asked. 

He smirked. "We will cleanse you all until you see the error of your ways. Those, like this one here," he nodded to Val, "who are beyond saving will die."

I tilted my head. He seemed to be under the impression that Val was nothing more than a corrupt human. I wanted to tell him that wasn't how it worked, but I didn't think it would help.

"Can I put him to sleep?" Val asked. 

I nodded. It was time we went looking for the other students. I didn't know what cleansing involved but I was pretty sure it wouldn't be pleasant.

...

We found nearly the entire school in the gym. Teachers were being held there as well. Ms. Branch caught me looking through the window. She shook her head, and then ignored me. 

"I can't sense their magic," Val said next to me. 

"What?" Nina and I asked at the same time.

"Remember when my father said he could sense great power coming off of you?" Val asked.

"He said what?" Nina put in.

"He was wrong though." I was still looking through the window. Everyone inside seemed sluggish somehow. Like they were moving at .75 the speed they usually go. 

"True, but I can sense when I'm in the presence of a powerful being and your teachers usually all can be sensed from across a building. They're all gathered here, not to mention the students, and I can't feel a single bit of power."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, a little irritated. They were all right there, I could see them. 

"It means either they've somehow drained them of magic or they're blocking it."

Nina cursed. "You mean we can't just waltz in there because chances are none of our spells will work?"

Val nodded. 

"What if you tried unblocking their magic with your power?" I suggested.

Val looked skeptical, but snapped his fingers anyway. Nothing happened. 

"What if--" Nina began.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Came from behind us.

I turned. A witch hunter with a gun held out sneered at me. I could tell he was a witch hunter because he wore the exact same t-shirt as the first guy.  

"A panther," I said gesturing to Sherril, Nina's familiar.

The guy glanced at the huge black cat, but kept his gun trained somewhere between Val and me. "Very funny. Now, time for you to join your classmates."

He gestured for us to walk.

The thing was, we couldn't go into that gym. We were probably the only ones outside of it that didn't want the people inside dead.

I glanced at Nina, and she nodded. We both recited a spell. Nothing happened. The runes on our bodies didn't glow. The herbs in our stomachs weren't used. The witch hunter stood before us looking bored. 

"Can we go now?" The witch hunter asked.

Val snapped his fingers. Nothing happened. 

The witch hunter got close, his gun full on pointing at Val now. "I supposed I could thin down the heard. This one doesn't look like he'll be able to be cleansed any way."

I let out a guttural scream. Val could do as he wished. He could break our bond and go live in hell for the rest of eternity, but he wasn't allowed to die. 

I threw my arms out with every intention for my spell to disembowel this guy, and said the incantation.

Nothing happened.