Ichabod Crowley series 3 The Thorn Tree

Chapter 7

Part and Parcel scrap yard

Abacus' lay at the center of an intricate spell circle, his body limp and motionless while Laurie gazed on, nervously tapping her fingers together.

"Are you sure this going to work?"

"Trust..."

"If you say 'trust me'," Laurie grumbled, "I am going to punch you in the nose."

"Yeah, still a ghost," Medea rolled her eyes.

The gate to the scrap yard creaked open as Ichabod shoved it out of his way.

"Oh, finally," Laurie came running up to him and saw Oriko's molten face through the windshield as she pulled the car in behind him, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Somebody tried to have brain sex with me, Caroline's been driven insane, and we need to get the Hell out of here."

"You were only gone for like an hour?!"

"Yeah, life in the big city," he joked, "Can you think of anything we need to take with us?"

Oriko finished parking the car and came strolling out with as much dignity as she was able to muster. They all watched her cautiously, Ichabod even managing to catch her as she fell only for her to immediately rip her arm out of his grasp and walk away.

"I was just trying to..."

"I know," she snapped, "I don't need your damn pity."

"We actually do need your help," Laurie insisted, grabbing hold of his hand.

"Huh, what's up?" he allowed himself to be lead over to Abacus' body, "Oh, damn, he didn't make it?"

"He...no," Laurie bowed her head, "But there's still...there's something you can do to save him."

"How?"

"The same way you made that ice dog."

"Deca?" Ichabod shook his head, "I'm not even sure how I did that..."

"The Centurion Round," Medea spoke up, finally making herself known, "Channel through it the power and will to save a life."

Ichabod glared at her suspiciously and shook his head.

"Alright, forgetting for a second that the explanation you've given is vague as Hell," he snapped, "We..."

He stopped short in his tirade when Laurie reached up to touch his hand.

"Please," the dryad whispered.