Page 10 of Accidentally Summoned an Incubus

My grandmother’s home resembled a Victorian London townhouse. It looked like it should have been nestled between a continuous block of identical, red-bricked houses, but it sat solitary, tall, narrow, and reaching for the stars.

The acid green door swung open the moment our feet touched the first step, welcoming us into the narrow hallway.

“Come in,” my grandmother’s voice echoed from deep within the house. The door to the left slowly swung open, revealing a dark room bathed in swaths of velvet and sheer material from floor to ceiling. Hundreds of candles flickered, reflecting off the massive crystal ball in the center of the room, making it look like it might combust at any moment.

Grandma sat on an ornately carved black chair, her face impassive. A necklace of bones and twigs hung down her chest, clashing with her floral blouse and bright white apron. She held her cane by her side, carved into the shape of a snake with bright ruby eyes that bore into me.

“Alexis Cole.” Her voice was steely and bore no resemblance to the grandmother that would sneak me cookies before mealtimes. “You have performed a hex on a mortal and will be judged by your peers in four nights’ time. Until then, you will perform no magic.” Her cane clashed to the ground, and it felt like cold water had been thrown over me, prickling all over my body as I felt the last wisps of magic fade. “You will not leave the confines of the coven.” Her cane cracked against the hardwood floor once more. “And you will write your confession, as is our way.” The cane clattered a final time, and a black, leather book appeared on Grandma’s knee.

She picked it up and flicked through it. Voice back to her usual doting self, she cooed, “Oh! Look at this. Only thirty pages, sweetie. Not too bad at all.”

Thirty pages (technically sixty, as it was front and back) wasn’ttoobad, but the most I’d had to physically write out since high school was my name at the bottom of Yuletide cards. I would definitely be sporting carpal tunnel by the time the trial came about.

Grandma pulled the bone necklace off over her silver bob, dropping it unceremoniously onto the chair behind her. She gracefully made her way over to me, her cane an accessory as opposed to an actual walking aid.

Grandma threw her arms over me, planting a wet kiss on my cheek. “It’s good to have you back, dear. Even given the circumstances. Now, your mother tells me you’re looking for a place to stay?”

“Yes, Grandma,” I said, my eyes unconsciously glancing up in the direction of the room I would stay in when I slept over.

Grandma chuckled, pushing the leather notebook into one of my hands, an ancient, blackened key into the other. “I have somewhere else in mind.”

***

The house was... abandoned.

Like,longtime abandoned.

The floorboards creaked as I walked through the hallway and into the ancient kitchen, the house assessing my every move. Stacks of dusty books littered the old farmhouse-style table. The kitchen cabinets looked to be at least a hundred years old, hand carved and stained by time. The countertop was a single sheet of copper, peppered with patina and oddly beautiful. This was not the kind of house I’d ever be able to conjure from myimagination, but as I ran my finger over the worktop, tapping my fingertips lightly off the huge ceramic sink, I instantly fell in love.

Heat bloomed in the room, swirling around me, and I knew the feeling was mutual.

“We’ve left you some supplies, dear, and the house will provide the rest.”

“Thank you, Grandma,” I said, bidding my voice not to crack.

“That’s okay, dear,” she said, cupping my cheek. She glanced over my shoulder at an ancient cuckoo clock on the wall. “Dearie me! Look at the time! Almost three hours to midnight!”

I felt my lips purse, knowing exactly what Grandma was about to ask me.

She dropped her hand and casually walked to the door, feigning interest in the stacks of books she passed, before turning to me and asking nonchalantly, “Will you be partaking in the Samhain summoning this evening, dear?”

The house creaked and groaned with excitement.

“You know I won’t, Grandma.”

The cool air of disappointment swirled around my ankles.

“Ah,” she said, her face dropping slightly. “Well, I guess that’s that, then.”

“Mm-hmm,” I mused.

“Anyway, dear, you have a lot to get done before the trial.” Her eyes flickedto the leather notebook. “Goodnight.”

***

I spent just over an hour procrastinating and exploring the house. The living room was dominated by a huge stone fireplace, a garland of autumnal leaves and berries atop the mantle, pumpkins of varying sizes littering the ground around it. The house, surprisingly, had electricity. I spied a few old paint-encrusted sockets around, but it seemed to enjoy the authenticity of candlelight instead.

Four bedrooms were nestled upstairs, and after a quick glance in each of them, I naturally settled for the biggest room as my own. It had an en suite, which was shared with the adjacent room, complete with an avocado toilet, sink, and bath.

---