Creatures Of Witchery

Chapter 28 - An Exorcism In Red River

I felt helpless.

There was nothing I could do to help my best friend as she lay dead asleep on the dirt floor. A pentagram had been made out of rice under her because apparently, rice will help absorb the demon. Kylon, Brackon and all the other witches and warlocks that are top of the coven were searching the library while the rest of us were either asleep in our houses or standing around Rina — The majority were asleep.

Eleanor had been trying to coarse the demon to leave Rina's body and go back to hell but it wasn't budging.

"You look hungry," Avernus observed from the left of me.

"I'm fine."

"I'll go get something small from the house." He insisted. "Rem can stay with you." Without letting me argue back he wandered off into the night to my lit house in the distance. I looked to my right where Rem was sleeping on his back, tongue out, legs moving in the air from time to time.

The forest felt freer tonight. The danger wasn't so threatening tonight with the demons back in hell. It felt almost peaceful.

"Adria Willows."

I turned to find a Korean lady my height smiling at me. Her shiny black hair reached her knees and her skin looked so smooth and flawless. "My name is Amala."

"You're the susurro — It's nice to finally meet you." I greeted her. She didn't look a day over sixteen.

"I've been hearing a lot about you — From humans and animals."

"I'm very well known apparently." I joked. "Kylon told me about how the crows came to you. They were following us on our trip and I always thought they were the elders keeping an eye on us — if they weren't the elders then why were they there?"

She slyly looked around us to see who was listening. She dropped her volume a bit and said, "I've been to a lot of covens and I've never seen an animal be drawn to someone that isn't an elder. It's almost like you're they're master that they have to protect."

"But I've threatened them many times and admittedly may have thrown a shoe or two. Why would they want to stick around me?"

"I feel something coming." Her voice hush and alert.

"What? What's coming?" I scrunched my eyebrows and hushed my voice a bit.

"I don't know. But there's something with the animals, whispers you could say, that there's going to be a change. Some of them are terrified while others seem... Neutral. When the crows came to me and begged me to alert your coven and help you, it's like you were very important to them in a way that an elder would be important to a familiar."

"I'm confused, what are you trying to say?"

"That you maybe-"

"We found it!" Brackon announced holding a book in the air. Amala nodded to me and stepped into the background. Her words repeated themselves in my head only making me more clueless. Damn Brackon for interrupting our conversation! I need to know what Amala was talking about with the change... And with me.

But this is better news.

We can finally free Rina.

Avernus appeared by my side again and held out a small packet of dried crackers. "It's all I could find that didn't need to be cooked." I accepted the snack and opened it, offering one to Avernus who just shook his head. "Was that Amala you were talking to?" I nodded with my mouth full. "What'd she say about this?"

I swallowed and kept my eyes trained ahead at the witches and warlock placing things down for the exorcism. "Somethings about to change."

"Alright," all attention snapped to Brackon. "We need every coven member over here — you too Adria."