Dark Enchantment (Elvis Presley Story)

Chapter 34

The sun had gone down but the moon had not yet risen. Darkness cradled his car in its arms; even the sweep of headlights on the pavement looked more shadow than light. It was a strange, swallowing kind of darkness. Not a comforting dark like Elvis was used to. It was almost...

Spooky.

He laughed inwardly at his own foolishness, then pointed to two parallel dirt tracks, a barely discernible overgrown path between trees. "Turn there? That's the road to the Manor? Surely, you're kidding."

"It's not what it seems. Trust me, this is the way."

"If my car gets scratched-" Suddenly, he realised. "A concealment spell?"

She nodded. "We have several Shields in place to prevent anyone from accidentally finding their way onto the estate. During the day, people only see a large Manor perched on a hill in the distance. They never get close, and there's a spell of forgetfulness so when they lose sight of it they forget they ever saw it."

"Is that why I have to stay on the road?"

"That, and the scratch thing."

"Funny." A strange glow above the car caught his attention, and he leaned forward, peering through the windshield, up past the branches of the trees. An incredible rainbow shimmered directly above them, arching in multicolored spendor through the combat sky and into the distance.

He swore softly. "What the hell...magic?"

"A beacon, to lead the cadre initiates home."

"Nice trick."

He was beginning to feel as though he might be out of his depth here. Naturally, every Dark, including himself, held a healthy respect for the cadre, because of what it's initiates were capable of. Being able to chant a spell and capture you inside a crystal, that alone was worthy of great respect. But he had never heard that their magic extended to such powerful spells as these.

What else could they do that the Grigori didn't know about? The Hell. What was he getting himself into?

Elvis wasn't even Suprised when he turned onto the bumpy path and it instantly dissolved into a smooth road curving gently through the trees. The Enchanted forest.

About a quarter mile in, they pass a small, white gingerbread cottage covered in vines of spicy-smelling red roses. Coach lights framed the front door invitingly. A sweet-looking old lady with a Gray bun and rosy cheeks stepped onto the porch and waved. Sophia waved back and called "Hello, Ophelia!" Through the open window.

An old man peeked his head out and waved, too. "Good evening!" She called to him as well.

A tall, curlicured wrought-iron gateway with a spiked top spanned the road, but it was wide open. Elvis drove through.

"Who were they?"

"The cadre's threshold keepers."

"Demons?" He asked Suprised. They'd seemed so human.

She nodded. "The cottage is bespelled to appear wherever and whenever anyone ventures onto the estate. The uninvited are offered a drink and gently encouraged to leave."

He grinned. "A drink?"

"Yes. It's something Ophelia cooked up she claims it's magical properties make a person reveal the truth about themselves." She glanced at him. "Perhaps I should ask her to give you a glass."

He frowned. "Do you want me to leave? Because if you do, I will."

She sighed. After a moment she said, "No, of course not." She took a long breath and let it out. "Normally I issue a warning about now to anyone I bring home," She said, sweeping a gaze over their surroundings.

"What kind of warning?"

"Never go into the forest without me or a cadre guide. But I guess you're safe, being a demon."

The forest was one of the rare borderlands between the dark and mortal realms. It was one of the few places in the mortal realm a demon who had not been summoned by a human could manifest without needing a familiar to bridge him over.

She lifted a shoulder. "Paras aren't affected by the old magic. But it's dangerous for a human to venture into the Enchanted forest anywhere but on this road."

He figured he knew why but he asked anyway. "How so?"

"The place Is full of spells and Enchantments. There's an everchanging trail which unless you know the proper chants will keep you wandering on it for years, never finding your way out. The Sidhe holds dances-reels-in many of the meadows that will suck you in, zap your will and never let you go."

Sophia shot him a look he couldn't interpret, then glanced away again.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! And thanks for reading! xoxo