Only organic matter could pass through a witch circle.
I’d been told that if demons tried to cross the boundary their blood boiled in their veins, killing them instantly. I glanced down at my hemp fatigues. I wore the witches’ standard combat uniform. It was dark green and form-fitting, and it held a little stretch, courtesy of some natural rubber plant woven between the fibers for ease of motion. The outfit was also spelled to act like a shield against some of the lesser demon magic, but it didn’t seem to be repelling much of whatever Tally had tossed at me.
Ray made a low strangled noise and began to stagger back and forth, bobbing and weaving like a drunk, his arms cartwheeling in front of him. He came close to the edge of the circle a few times but never crossed the line. Then, without warning, his chest bowed toward the ceiling and he bellowed, and a second later he doubled over and vomited all over the ground.
Thick, black sludge hit the dirt floor in a rush.
“Ew, Ray,” I coughed, covering my face with the inside of my elbow as bile rose in my throat. When I’d taken in the magic Tally had thrown at me, it had never manifested physically like that. We’re not ejecting anything, so where does our magic go? I asked my wolf. She gave a sharp bark and shook her head. I took that to mean she had no idea either. Maybe it passes through us and that’s why it’s not working?
Seeing it come out of Ray like that was sobering.
Before Tally could congratulate Ray on finally gaining control of the magic, a sweet child’s voice piped up from my right. “It’s okay to have a tummy ache. Demons don’t like you.” She pronounced the word demon like denims in her two-year-old cadence. “You are very strong.”
“Maggie,” Tally cautioned, the tenderness in her voice reserved only for her daughter, “you need to stay back. Mommy told you this was a very dangerous place. I agreed to let you come here at your insistence, but you have to follow the rules or go back upstairs.”
The child had indeed wandered to the edge of the circle. She pointed to Ray as she took a step backward, listening to her mom like a champ. “Reaper.” She smiled and clapped her hands together. “He did it.”
He had indeed done it.
Ray stood there with a big grin on his face, a smear of black sludge across his chin. “Take that, huh, kid? The demons won’t get me now.”
Maggie giggled before she abruptly sobered. “Demons are bad.”
“You got that right.” Ray strode out of the circle. As he crossed the line a crackle of power ran through the room, making my ears pop.
“Maggie, take another step back,” Tally ordered, as the toddler hadn’t gone back to play with her less interesting toys. “This circle is too dangerous for little girls. You can’t stand so close. Go and play with your dollies while Mommy finishes her work. I’m almost done. There’s only one more person to try.” She arched a pointed look in my direction.
The child took a few more reluctant steps backward, but was not interested one bit in playing with her dolls. Once she was situated a little farther away, she raised her chubby little finger at me. “Time for you to go.”
I chuckled. “Oracles don’t do time, remember, Maggie?” I edged toward the circle, resigned to yet another try. “But just for you, I’ll let your mom blast me one more time. How does that sound?” As I walked by her, I patted her on the head.
“Kitty be mad.”
She’d been calling Rourke “Kitty” ever since we arrived and it made me smile every single time she uttered that word. We had no idea how she knew what he was, other than she was an oracle and probably knew everything, but he’d indulged her the entire time, never correcting her. She’d even spent a few meals perched on his lap. The size difference between them was comical; he was the giant to her Tinker Bell. Witnessing him being so careful and patient with her was nothing short of heart-melting. He’d admitted to me later that he’d never held a child before. But it didn’t matter. He was clearly cut out for parent duty. My wolf made a sound that sent chills racing up my spine. I had to shake it off quickly or I’d leave right now and go search for him.
Instead of having fun time with Rourke, I sighed as I entered the circle for what felt like the hundredth time. I turned around and faced the bystanders, Tally, Naomi, Ray, and Maggie, who all stood on the outside, certainly hoping I would finally succeed and we could move on with business. “Kitty’s not very happy with me today, is he?” I asked Maggie as I readied myself for the assault.
The child shook her head solemnly.
After he had witnessed me repeatedly ejected from the circle, receiving constant contusions and broken bones, and engaging in intense hand-to-hand combat training, it was decided Rourke was no longer allowed in the Circle of Fun room. His snarls and threats were making it hard for everyone to concentrate, including me.
Incapacitating a demon had been much tougher than I’d ever expected, because their true nature was serpentine and they had extremely hard skeletons. The demon dummies the witches had built were made of some sort of spelled metal and they were a bitch to destroy. I was always left bleeding and exhausted at the end of the day.
It didn’t help that Rourke was still grappling with the fact that he couldn’t accompany me to the Underworld.
It consumed our daily conversation, and truth be told, he had begun to wear me down. I was on the verge of allowing him accompany me, even though the demons would know his signature the moment he crossed over. I couldn’t deny that he was my strongest ally and undoubtedly the best man for the job. And, ultimately, I wanted my brother back, and having Rourke with me in the Underworld would give us the greatest odds of achieving that goal.
The door to the circle room opened with a loud groan and I glanced over, half expecting to see Rourke barging in. I knew he was close because my blood rang with his tension. Once the door was open I could scent him, but it wasn’t him.
“Hiya,” Marcy called as she shut the door behind her, using her backside. “How goes the training?”
“It sucks, as usual,” I replied wryly, readying my stance to take the magic Tally was about to launch at me. “Your aunt is a wicked taskmaster and she thinks I can channel hybrid demon magic, but it turns out I can’t. It’s too strong and it keeps blowing me out of the circle.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. It’s not too strong.” Marcy’s tone was decisive as she strode forward. “You’re just a wimp.” She smiled as she bent over and swept Maggie into her arms. “Hi, Cherub. Fancy meeting you here.” She planted a kiss on the child’s cheek.
One of Maggie’s arms snaked behind Marcy’s neck. “Kitty be mad,” she told Marcy in an earnest voice. “He be mad at me.” She placed a chubby finger on her own chest.
Marcy raised an eyebrow at me.