Page 274 of Mayhem and Minnie

Panic takes hold of her as her words become more and more erratic.

“I’m so sorry,” she continues to whisper, tears rolling down her face.

I cup her cheeks and wipe her tears with my thumbs.

“You’re the most badass person I’ve ever met,” I tell her sincerely. “And this is not meant to flatter you. It’s the truth. You’re stronger than you think, so don’t you dare give up. We’re not dying here tonight.”

She shakes her head. Tension lines mar her face from the effort of keeping the shield up and running. Her eyes continue to shift color, never settling on one for more than a minute.

“Say it with me. We’re not dying here tonight,” I demand.

She squeezes her eyes shut and hesitates.

“Say it, Minnie!”

“We’re not dying here tonight,” she finally whispers.

“Good. Now let’s think. There has the be a way to separate these demons. They’re this strong because they’re acting as one entity. Individually, they should be more manageable.”

She bites her lip as she turns her attention to the demons and our surroundings.

“Talk to me. How do you usually fight against demons?”

“We draw their essence out and then we slay it. Easy for one demon, hard for twenty,” she adds drily.

“What else?”

She rubs her temples, deep in thought.

“There’s a chant that might work to separate them. I’ve never used it myself, but I’ve seen it done before. It’s used by our High Priestess to cleanse demonic energy from an object, or a deity that has been infected with demonic essence. I’m not sure if it will work, though,” she mentions.

“Let’s do it. What do you need?”

“Water. An offering. And the chant.”

I look around us.

“Can you melt the ice?”

She shakes her head.

“It would require too much concentration and I can’t afford to be distracted.”

“Okay, fine.” I think for a moment. “What about blood? It’s liquid.”

She licks her lips.

“It might work.”

“Good. Next for an offering…”

“It has to be something that you genuinely value for the ritual to work,” she adds.

“What about this?” I ask as I take out the ring I’d made for her from my back pocket.

Her eyes grow wide with surprise.

“How do you still have that? I threw it in the furnace.”

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