Page 24 of Midnight Witch

Lightning flashed outside as they ventured into the foyer. The bright afterglow scored shadows across Nikolai’s retina. Thunder boomed almost immediately, the sound so loud it rattled the building.

“This place is seriously creeping me out,” Mae mumbled.

Hellreaver quivered against her chest.

She squinted. “What do you mean, you want to go back to the car? You’re a demonic weapon.” Her mouth pressed into a thin line as she listened. “It’s your own fault for staying up all night watching scary movies.”

Hellreaver whined. Brimstone curled his lip in contempt.

Nikolai swallowed a sigh.

They decided to split up and headed into the side aisles.

Commemorative boards lined the wall under the windows Nikolai passed. The names scored into them had faded, the wood and the inscriptions damaged by exposure to the open elements. Broken votive candle holders glittered between the dirty cans and food wrappers underfoot as he proceeded up the gloomy corridor. He spotted a few bibles amidst the litter.

They explored the vestry and backrooms before meeting up in the chancel.

“Find anything?” Mae asked.

Nikolai frowned. “Nope.”

She glanced around the church. “Maybe it was the local kids fooling around after all.”

“That wouldn’t explain the coven members’ symptoms or those of the locals.”

“Could the kids have been smoking some extremely potent pot?” Mae hazarded.

Nikolai grimaced. “I doubt that. Even if they had been, from the effects the coven reported, they’d be in a coma.”

She sighed and tucked her hands inside the pockets of her jacket. “You’re right. It looks like this was a totally wasted trip. How about we grab an early dinner and head back?”

“We had lunch two hours ago.”

Mae arched an eyebrow. “And your point is?”

Brimstone studied Nikolai with equal brazenness.

He rolled his eyes and headed into the central aisle. “At the rate at which you guys eat, we’re gonna have to get second jobs to afford our food bills.”

“Look, I can’t help it, okay?” Mae protested, falling into step beside him. “I have a high metabolic rate. Granted, Brimstone and Hellreaver are just gluttons.”

Brimstone stopped and growled.

Nikolai and Mae looked at him, surprised. The fox twisted around, his hackles rising. He stared at the chancel.

An uncanny sensation prickled Nikolai’s nape as he followed the fox’s gaze. Alastair grew still on his shoulder.

There was something in the church. Something he hadn’t sensed until now. A faint undertone of darkness that danced at the very edges of his magic.

“Mae?”

“Yeah, I feel it too.” Mae frowned, her expression focused. “Brim says there’s a weird smell up ahead.”

They joined the fox as he headed back into the chancel.

Mae stopped a few feet from the wooden altar rising beneath a boarded-up, stained-glass window, dropped on her haunches, and examined the cracked tiles Brimstone was sniffing at.

“Those look fresh.”

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