Page 116 of The Witch and His Crow

There was barely a moment of peace as I let reality sink in. I didn’t even have time to react, physically or mentally to Arwyn’s words.

A bell tolled. The warning gong that signalled the beginning of a Trial. The sound was so loud, so demanding, it was like being stood beneath the bell itself as it rang. My skin shivered with it, my ears threatening to bleed as the noise ruptured my insides.

But the Dreading had just concluded. There should’ve been at least a few days between. Never had two Trials occurred back-to-back. Unless… unless the entity behind it felt the need to rush.

And yet there was no mistaking that noise for anything else than what it was.

A signal to the next trial.

‘Bahmetneeds to find a new vessel,’ Arwyn continued, his voice clear but rushed. ‘The final Trial is upon us.’

All I wanted to do was scream at him, demand that he explained what this Bahmet was. A demon he said, and yet even Ifeltas though it was something more. Because all the name meant to me was a bad taste in my mouth, and a physical tremor of disgust across my flesh.

He took my distraction as a chance to move the athame from his stomach and gather me into his hands.

‘What did I say about touching me?’

‘You must listen to me, Hector.’ Arwyn interrupted, panic clawing across his face. ‘There is evil at work. Evil I want to destroy. But to do so, I must win the Witch Trials. I must become the vessel for the Grand High.’

I tried to break free of him, but his grasp was iron strong. My eyes glowed as I completely unleashed my gift. The athame raised in the air, held by invisible hands, and levelled itself against Arwyn’s throat.

‘I swear to Hekate herself, if you don’t release me, Iwillkill you.’

Arwyn’s grasp didn’t falter. All that changed was his expression. His full lips drew down into a frown, lines across his forehead more like deep gouges. ‘Hekate has no dominion here. Haven’t you worked that out yet?’

That was the proof I needed to know he was lying. Because if Hekate didn’t have control here, then why could I call upon the old magic? If Her presence was anywhere, it was here. I smiled at the knowledge that I had finally worked him out.

‘You’re wrong.’ I pictured the symbols for the elements in my mind, gathering the glowing cords of light in my minds eye as they burned brighter than any sun. ‘Hekate is here, I sense her.’

One thought and I’d unleash each element upon him. That was all it would take.

‘I didn’t say she wasn’t here,’ Arwyn added, looking no different to a frightened little boy. ‘I said she has no dominion. This place is her prison, as it is ours. It’s Bahmet who rules. Bahmet who infects. Bahmet who takes our souls and feeds them into this place. You saw his creations. You’ve felt their claws sink into your flesh. You cannot deny there is darkness here.’

I wasn’t sure what I could deny or confirm. Nothing was making sense. All beside a faint scratching sound that started just beyond Arwyn’s shoulder. Without lowering the athame with my mind, I peered behind him to see what was makingthe sound. Another witch? Had someone else survived the Dreading?

No. What I found was somethingother. An unseen presence was writing on the chalkboard. Over and over, they scrawled two words in harsh, knife sharp lines.

The Rewarding. The Rewarding. The Rewarding.

But no one was there. At least that was what I thought as the chalk moved on its own, as if my power controlled it. But the truth was much darker.

As my gaze settled on the dark corner of the room, just beside the chalkboard, I saw a figure concealed in the shadows. I first caught the orange glowing eyes, as though hell itself burned within them. They were set into an animalistic face of a ram or goat. It was too dark to tell which. Large, curled horns waited on either side of its head. It was connected to the unnatural body of a man, with legs of a satyr from ancient Greek mythology. I blinked, expecting the apparition to disappear. But the opposite occurred. Its outlines grew stronger, its presence so real I felt its burning eyes drink me up and down.

Fear immobilised me.

‘What is it?’ Arwyn asked, his voice soft. Even with the thorns between us, it was still natural for him to take the position of protector. It was the same for me too. For a moment I forgot he was a Witch Hunter, my enemy. I forgot everything that had been revealed and wanted only to bury my face into his chest and pretend I’d never seen the creature in the corner of the room.

Arwyn’s hold on me relaxed as he turned around to see what had caused all the blood to drain from my face. I took the chance to draw back from him. As I did, I lowered the athame, allowing it to float down into my waiting hand where I quickly placed it into my belt.

‘So the final trial is the Rewarding,’ Arwyn said what I had already discovered. But what he didn’t mention was the demonicfigure watching us from the shadows. Studying us. ‘Where we’ll be shown our greatest wish, and prove we are resistant to its draw.’

‘Why bother telling me if you’re so desperate to win?’ I asked, feeling those hellfire eyes devouring me. No matter how I pretended the creature was not there, I couldn’t deny the heavy presence.

Arwyn didn’t answer my question. Instead, he replied with a question of his own. ‘Because I’m confident I will pass it.’

I swallowed down the sudden rush of bile. ‘How so?’

The creature moved, lifting hoofed hands up. As it did, the darkness beat and swelled like a living thing. It crept up the walls, and across the floor, like oil spreading towards us. ‘Because what I desire most in this world, is your forgiveness.’ Arwyn lifted a hand and traced fingers down the side my face. I should’ve pulled back, for I allowed his touch to comfort me as the shadows gathered closer and closer. ‘And I already know that it is something I will never deserve from you. I’ve lost that chance before it even truly was one. That, Hector Briar, is exactly why I know I’ll win and you will lose.’

---