Page 17 of Witch Please
“Oh,” snorting, I smacked the back of my hand on her shoulder while she sniggered. “Speaking of boobs. Let’s go find River before we all end up paying child support to a demon.”
Sissily laughed but I did not find it funny. The pigeon had no idea how to keep his zipper up.
CHAPTER10
“So, I have a question.” We searched the long dark hallway for a good hour with nothing to show for it at that point. “How did you know that the lump I was kicking was Charon? He wasn’t exactly recognizable.”
“What? That was Charon?” she recoiled from me as if I had some contagious disease. “I was just saying that to stop you from killing whatever poor soul landed on the wrong side of your temper.” With an outraged gasp she snatched my arm and yanked me to a stop. “You beat up Charon? You have got to be kidding me!”
“Ummm,” pursing my lips I debated whether I should give an affirmative or play dumb. “Yes?”
“Are you asking me if you beat up Charon or you are telling me you did?”
“Yes.”
“Hazel!”
“Sissily.”
Saying her name calmly, I removed her talons from my arm. “I was trying to find you. Not just Charon. I would’ve kicked Lucifer’s ass if he stood in my way.”
She shot me a glare as I laughed, but really, I could not be mad at her. She was right, I did a stupid thing yet again that will cost us dearly later. Since River was still nowhere to be found I pushed that worry away for another day.
We walked on in silence, Sissily stewing in anger I had no doubt, until we reached a wooden door. There was no handle, no lock that I could see, nothing to suggest how to open it—except for my bestie trying to push it open with her shoulder but then realized it was too heavy for just us two to move. It didn’t deter her, though. Grinding her teeth, she kept shoving until I had enough and decided to stop her. But not before I stood back a good ten minutes and laughed.
“Sissily, stop it.” I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from the door when I was done chortling. “What are you doing? This isn’t going to open like that.”
Her cheeks were flushed with anger and frustration as she shoved me away. “We can’t just stand here, Hazel! River is on the other side of this thing; I can feel it! We have to do something!”
I sighed.
She was right but there had to be a better way to open the door than slamming our bodies into an immovable object. Dislocating a shoulder did not help anyone. Thinking quickly, I scanned the walls in search of something that might help us; and my eyes landed on a small groove beside the door frame. Reaching out, I touched it gently before pushing my finger in further until I felt a slight bump and a soft click was heard. The door made a low creaking sound as it swung slowly inward allowing us entrance into what appeared to be an ancient temple-like structure filled with altars, statues, and a heavy scent of incense burning in urns across the room.
The area was dimly lit and filled with wavering shadows that seemed to stretch and reach out towards us like gnarled fingers. I shivered despite the warmth radiating from the lit candles, the walls, and Sissily’s grip on my arm tightening as she stepped closer to me for protection. The short hairs on my neck stood at attention the deeper we ventured into the space.
“Hazel, do you… feel that?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“No.” I hissed at her, my eyes darting everywhere at once in case something jumped us. “The only thing I feel is your heel digging into my big toe.” After a thick swallow, I
couldn’t help but add. “You need to lay off the Danish pastries, girl.”
“If we were not in danger of dying, I swear to Hecate I was going to shove this heel where it doesn’t belong, Hazel Byrne.” She giggled nervously.
I chuckled slowly too, and together we scanned the area again for any sign of danger. My heart raced in anticipation as we moved deeper inside, expecting some kind of trap or a horde of demons waiting for us around every corner. Fortunately, nothing leapt out at us although I could feel countless eyes watching our every move as we ventured into the chamber until I felt his presence almost like a physical sensation on my skin. And I knew it was River. His presence was both familiar and foreign all at once. My gaze found him as if I knew he was there all along.
He stood in the middle of the room, his head bowed so low it was impossible to make out his features in the dancing shadows. His arms were tied behind his back and stretched painfully by metal chains preventing him from straightening up. He made no movement but still, something about him sent chills down my spine. Blackman seemed too still, almost lifeless; except for a faint glimmer radiating from his figure; like the aura shrouding him in secrecy and the power from his bloodline refused to abandon him even in Hell.
I knew this was not the River I had come to know – or even care about despite my better judgment - this was someone new… something else entirely and yet despite everything, he seemed strangely familiar to my heart. Even in his silence, I could feel a slight hint of sorrow coming off of him like a tangible force, which made me want to go over there and wrap my arms around him so I could shield him from the world.
An invisible force kept me rooted to where I stood—afraid that any sudden movement would break whatever spell held us both under its thrall in that moment. After what felt like hours passed in silence and I breathed through the onslaught of emotions clogging my chest, he raised his head ever so slightly as if my presence meant something to him, too.
River fixed his unblinking gaze on mine, holding me a prisoner, while time seemed to stand still for what felt like an eternity.
Sissily broke the silence with a single word: “Run!”
Sissily’s warning to run shook me out of my trance and I followed her lead without hesitation. We were already in trouble and the last thing we needed was to get cornered by a horde of Adlet demons. I knew enough about them to know they were not something we could take on alone, no matter how skilled we are with a sword or magic.
But it was too late. Before we could even make it three steps, the room filled with an eerie whisper that grew louder as dozens of hideous looking demons resembling deranged orangutans rushed us from all sides. Troll-like bodies with fangs for teeth and pointed long ears along with long sloth-like arms made them seem like a perfectly shaped gargoyle that stood too long under the sun and kind of melted. Half elf-like and the other half distorted, they were more horrifying than facing a pack of werewolves. The air thickened with the scent of ozone as demon magic filled every nook and cranny and we staggered forward even though everything in me was telling me to heed Sissily’s warning and run.
