Post by StoryGirl83 on Aug 27, 2008 23:15:50 GMT -5
Chapter Sixteen – Trying to Summon the Demon
Wyatt’s car was about a three blocks from Mark’s apartment. Kali had been asking Arie various questions about herself, but the last one had put a frown on the young girl’s face.
“The poster?” Arie closed her eyes, trying to remember. “I found that on my bed earlier, maybe an hour before Gary called. I’m not really sure where it came from. At first I thought it was some sort of joke, you know a prank to scare me, but I cast a spell on it, a twist on the truth spell and it stood the test, so I know what it said was true, well except the reward part.”
“Reward part?” Kali asked. She didn’t remember seeing that.
“Yeah, it vanished when I cast the spell.” She looked up into the front seat at the back of Wyatt’s head. “I guess it meant that he and his brother had killed demons, huh?”
“I guess,” Kali agreed. “A truth spell.”
Arie grinned as Wyatt turned into the parking lot around Mark’s apartment. “Yeah. It’s fun. Mom said, I need to learn how to cast spells, since my powers didn’t work, but spells did. And now I have my powers, too.” She fell silent as she saw that they had arrived.
Wyatt’s car pulled into an empty parking place. The engine turned off and the doors opened.
Kali and Arie got out of the backseat. Then, Kali crossed around to stand by Arie.
Wyatt climbed out and pocketed his keys. “Are you ready for this, Arie?”
Arie gave him an uncertain smile. “I guess I’m very worried about my brother. Making a deal with a demon isn’t exactly well informed on them either.”
“Maybe after this,” Kali suggested, “you and your mom might want to get together some facts for him, your dad, and your other brother, and tell them about the magical world.”
Arie nodded, readily. “You’re right. We should.”
Seeing Wyatt head toward the apartment door, both Kali and Arie followed.
Inside the apartment, Beth was in the living room, standing a few feet away from Gary, regarding him suspiciously. Mark was farther away, against a wall. Chris was writing on a notepad. On an end table were a dozen potions in different colors and shades.
“Don’t you have any idea how to get him here?” Beth asked Gary impatiently.
“I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” Mark informed his sister, pushing flush against the wall. “What are we going to do when he gets here?” At the sound of a knock on the door, he shrugged, and giving Gary a wide birth, headed toward the front door.
Chris sighed as he started flipping through the pages of the notepad. Each page, over a dozen of them, had a different spell on it. “We’re going to try. We’re as prepared as we are going to get.”
A moment Mark returned to the room, followed by Wyatt, Kali, and Arie.
Arie looked down at the crystals surrounding her brother. “I can’t see how that is going to help matters any.”
Chris looked at the dark haired girl entering with his brother and friend. She couldn’t have been more than thirteen and that was probably pushing. “Arie, I take it.”
“Arie is right,” she retorted waving a hand at the crystals surrounding her brother. “I don’t see the point of that.”
“Mark’s peace of mind,” Chris informed her, “and Gary’s protection.”
Arie scowled at him as she shot back at him, “So when faced with a demon you don’t know how to defeat, your plan is to handicap yourself by cutting down on your man power.”
“At least one of us is safe,” Chris reminded her. “You have a better idea?”
“Yeah,” Arie returned. “Use the cage for the demon. Gary won’t hurt any of you.” She glared at her brother. “Will you?” When he shook his head, Arie turned her attention back to Chris. “And he can help. Use the demon’s powers against him.”
Chris shook his head. “The best thing he can do right now to help is get the demon here.” Look at Gary he instructed, “Since the best you can give us is he comes when you have doubts, focus on those doubts. Dwell on them. Look at these people and know you can’t just kill them.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned to his brother. “Wy, I’ve got some summoning spells we can try while he does that and some potions to try when he gets here.”
Wyatt chuckled as he surveyed Chris’ handiwork. “You’ve been busy.”
Chris shrugged. “We have a problem. I couldn’t just stay idle. It’s not who I am.”
Wyatt nodded as he walked over to his brother. Good old Chris. Always doing something.
Kali watched from the doorway. Her eyes focused on Gary, sadness forming in them. Why couldn’t you tell me? I know it’s all crazy and I know you didn’t know I understood magic . . . more or less, but couldn’t you have at least told me something was wrong. And why didn’t I know anyway. We’ve been dating for nearly a year.
Mark walked back to his wall, pulling his sister up against the wall with him. Not sure what to expect he resumed watching Gary. A shudder ran through him as he thought about just how close it had been earlier. Maybe I could have beat him earlier, or maybe I couldn’t have, but at what expense? If there is one thing Mom has taught Beth and me about magic, it’s that innocents come first, and it sure looking like as much as he scares me now, this guy is an innocent. Had I the chance, would I have killed him, and never considered that this wasn’t all his fault? All things considered, he couldn’t say that none of it was Gary’s fault, but for the most part, Gary was just doing what he had to until Kali, and later his conscience, got the better of him.
Gary’s shoulders drooped as he looked at his sister. He’d let her down. How can I ever look her in the eye, again?
Arie nodded and walked over to the computer desk. She sat down and spun the chair around so that she faced the others in the room. Putting her hands to her lips she blew and icy kiss in Wyatt’s direction. “Let’s see what you can do, witch boy.
Chris stared at her for a few seconds. Then, he looked at his brother with a silent laugh.
Wyatt pulled the notepad out of his brother’s hand. “Let’s just get this done.”