The Vines Of Blood And Ash ( Book Two of the How Deep the Roots Go series)

Chapter 4

Long moments passed in which time stilled, quiet became vociferous, and the loud was muted softly like sleep. It was as if a shield had moved into the room where only stagnant air stood, and granted no place for movement or even a flicker of life to enter. No rational thought entered Temperance's mind, only oblivion wrapped its teeth into her, and laughed haughtily at her actions. Though her eyes were wide open, they were void of her spirit, no inkling of whom she was. Her smile still lifted at the corners of her mouth as she continued to dig into the flesh on her palm, where she was graving the numbers savagely.

Across the street, Wyatt stood at the kitchen window, arms crossed, observing the flicker of lights that were pulsing like a drumbeat in Temperance's home. Lilly was fussing around the kitchen, talking about the day and cleaning the casserole dishes from the church picnic.

"Mom," he called, not averting his gaze from the window.

She heard the concern in his voice. "What is it?" she asked, wiping her hand on a dishtowel and walking over to him.

His chin lifted toward Temperance's home, where the lights no longer flickered with frenzy, but now pulsated for long steady moments.

"What the hell is she doing over there?" Wyatt whispered.

Lilly shook her head, her eyes then widening with alarm. "Get Violet," she snapped, throwing the towel on the table, and then proceeding to run down the steps.

Grabbing the key to Temperance's home off the holder, and her bag by the door, she rushed over to Temperance's. Pushing the gate open, her steps took her to the front porch. From outside, she could hear something coming from within the house. A sound that was redolent with power and traced with hate, like loud thunder with chaotic unbalance of tone — unnatural and unearthly.Fumbling with the key, she whispered a prayer as her nervous hands attempted to place it into its bearing.

Once unlocked, she opened the door, preparing for the worst. She knew what it was— knew something evil lurked here. That was the reason the crows cawed and circled, and why the lights hummed oddly, as if someone was standing by a switch and was turning them on and off.

Energy, Lilly thought. Something coveted energy...

She rummaged through her purse, locating the vile of holy water she always kept tucked away in the inner pocket. Leaving the front door wide open, she ascended the steps swiftly. Her left hand gripped the railing, with her right, holding onto the bottle tightly. She edged closer to the landing at the top of the stairwell, feeling the gathering of force there. The bedroom was on the right, and the door was closed. Her hand reached to turn the knob, the coolness of it alarming on her palm.  She pushed it open. It was difficult to adjust her eyes, as the room was dark and hushed, with only the sound of the shower running, and movement from coming behind the bathroom door that had been left slightly ajar. Steam escaped, crawling the length of the walls, and lifting like clouds onto the ceiling in Temperance's bedroom. Lilly felt the humidity bathe her cheeks.

The light from within the bathroom was no longer flickering as Lilly had seen from her kitchen window, but was now off, and only light from candles frolicking in the darkness remained.

"Temperance," Lilly called, her voice shaken.

A hand touched her shoulder then, and she jumped.  "Mom," Violet spoke from behind her.

Lilly shook her head, placing a hand on her rapidly beating heart. She saw another shadow lurking at the bedroom door now, and instantly she knew it was Wyatt's.

"It's just me, mom," Wyatt stated.

Now that she reinforcements, she wasn't going to dally any longer. Without delay, she pushed the door open fully and was engulfed with heat and steam, and the element of herbs and sulfur. She reached for the light switch, but to no avail. Nothing would turn on.