Page 29 of Witch Please
My snort sent a cloud of birds flying into the night sky.
“Not happening, Blackman.” I told him. “Keep moving or I’ll zap your pigeon ass.”
“What she said.” Sissily jostled him to tuck her shoulder under his, that is the best way to support him.
River chuckled and squeezed me affectionately. A lump formed in my throat.
Another howl split the night, and I tripped over some rock buried in a bunch of leaves. Instead of me holding River up, he tightened his arm around me, so I don’t faceplant in the dirt. My mumbled apology had him tucking me in closer to his body and sharing his body heat; what little he had left in him. Fear raked my insides when I noticed how cold his skin had become. All the emotions from earlier, or was it a month ago, who knows how long it has been, came rushing in threatening to double me over.
“It’s going to be okay.” He mumbled.
I knew Sissily could hear him too, but with the night surrounding us, and his arm around me, it was almost an intimate whisper. Swallowing thickly, I didn’t say a word, I just pressed my mouth tight and stayed alert. Something was going to come at us at any moment I could feel it.
We started walking faster, but that didn't make much of a difference with all of the obstacles we were facing. Trying to dodge roots, mud puddles, and fallen branches became tedious work that left us all exhausted by the time we reached an opening in the trees. We arrived at an edge of a clearing where an old building stood with its walls covered in ivy and moss. The structure was dilapidated looking, as if it hadn’t seen use for years. It seemed like no one had stepped foot on this property for centuries, and that made me uneasy.
“We should take shelter.” Sissily rushed to crack open the door and to check if the building was empty.
River and I stood outside until she poked her head out and motioned for us to enter. The dust and dirt smacked me in the face the moment I stepped foot inside, but it was better than nothing. Whatever came our way, it would be easier to defend ourselves from the old house for sure. Heavy wooden beams supported a thatched roof over a sturdy stone foundation. Broken pieces of long forgotten furniture were sprinkled everywhere I looked.
“River needs to rest.” I said as I guided him to a corner and helped him slide down. “I’m going to look around and see if the door is anywhere nearby. When I find it, I’ll come get you.”
“I think we should stick together.” Sissily glanced from River to me, nervously twisting her fingers. Every second word was followed with a hiccup too. It spoke volumes about what state she was in.
Not just me, they were being drained too, and all this because I couldn’t stay put where I was told. I had to do things my way and run into danger to find out what? What exactly did I think Leviathan was going to do? Spill all his secrets to me? Now time was nearly up, and River was going to be stuck in Hell under Leviathan’s thumb no doubt. Sissily could get hurt and is probably traumatized for life, and as for me?
I’d always had a screw loose. Short of dying, I had no idea what was going to be different about me. Before Sissily convinced me to stay with them, I spun on my heel and rushed out of the old house.
Anger and guilt made me run for a while, blindly through the dark forest, the glowing eyes of creatures and demons following in my wake. I didn’t care about any of it. My magic was a living thing inside of me the longer I let the rage build, so I was hoping any of them would dare to test my patience. In my rush to escape my thoughts, I tripped over a root sticking out of a tree and pitched forward, sliding a few feet on my stomach over the forest floor.
Screaming in anger, I punched and kicked at the ground and leaves until I had no strength to breathe, much less anything else. The slow clapping penetrated the fog in my brain after a while. Spitting a bunch of leaves out that filled my mouth I raised up on my knees to face the monster that applauded my misery.
Dressed in dress pants, a button down that had its buttons opened to the top of his abs, and his hair perfectly brushed was Leviathan. Leaning his shoulder on a tree, he watched me with a glint in his eyes, his vertical pupils expanding and retracting in excitement. Each slow clap was like a nail in my temples, and if I had any strength left, I would’ve gotten up and punched him in his smug face.
“Impressive.” He murmured, not blinking in case he misses a twitch of a muscle on my face.
I glared at him.
“You don’t believe me, that I’m impressed?
“I don’t care what you are.”
“You should.” Watching me down his nose, he frowned at my dismissal. “You carry my blood in your pathetic body.”
“Feel free to remove yourself from it if you can.” Plopping on my ass I blew out a breath. “You won’t hear me complaining.”
“Ungrateful vermin.” The demon spat at me, but I was beyond caring so I started laughing.
“Am I worthy now you jerk?” Snorting and giggling, I dropped on my back and stared at the tree tops. “Let Sissily and River go. You can do whatever you want with me.”
“That’s not how his works, you need to go through all the doors.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You heard me, I said no.” I was tired to my bone marrow, and I wasn’t going to play anymore of his games. “I’m done.”
“Stand up and continue the test.”
