Smoke billowed out of the windows of the Sandy witch as Alastair and Lilith still inhabiting the guard captain came into the square.
A great column of black smoke plumed into the sky visible for miles around.
Nina came bursting forth from the main entrance, running a few steps and falling to the floor, Alastair ran over and picked her up an arm under her legs and one at her back, he carried her to a wall that marked the boundary of the inn. She coughed a hoarse cough, and gasped at the cool crisp air. Alastair flagged down a man running water from a well to the inferno, damping down a cloth and wringing it out into her mouth then using the damp cloth to clear the ash from her eyes.
What’s going on?’ Alastair asked desperately’ Did the guards do this?’
Nina wheezed and responded ‘Ash, he’s in there’
Alastair turned to run in but a firm hand held his shoulder, he looked up into the face of the captain of the guard only adorned with a bright red jewel.
‘let me go, demons don’t succumb to flames as well as you mortals’ Lilith offered a smile and made for the inferno, Alastair continued to dab Nina with the cloth and between breathes she managed to get out what had happened.
Ash had gone up to check on the old tavern keeper after the death of both his daughters, after a while Ash came down the steps and without a word began to pull the guardsmen to the middle of the bar one by one, Nina had gone upstairs to find the tavern keep Burt hung by his own belt, tear stains still lined down his cheeks.
She had rushed down stairs to talk to Ash but it was like he was in a trance and at once a black flame seemed to flicker all over his body.
She screamed at him to answer her but to no avail he continued to drag the men into the centre of the pub where they lay bound and gagged.
Ash lent down and touched a finger to one mans forehead when whoosh he was engulfed in flames and the screaming began, he walked to the next man and repeated the process setting them aflame only the men didn’t burn normally as Nina had experience of. The flames had a black/green hue the green she now recognised as regenerative magic, the men were being burnt alive and healed at the same time prolonging their agony. After being caught up Alastair caught the wails on the wind and the roar from the flames enveloped almost all audible sound.
‘By the gods’ He said ‘He’s a monster’
‘No’ Nina said sharply ‘They are the monsters’ she looked down frowning with a few light coughs.
Meanwhile inside the tavern Lilith burst through the door the sudden whip of fresh oxygen fuelling the raging flames around her, she walked as though not a car in the world looking down at the writhing mass of blackened men still screaming with every breath, the black/green flames danced all over them.
‘Wow its almost like home’ she thought for a moment.
Looking around amongst the flames she could make out the shape of Ash sat by the fireplace which of all places was absent of flames.
She made her way forwards but was battered back by the flames.
‘Ash’ she yelled ‘Ash we need to leave’
He didn’t move a muscle just looking down at the body of burt daughter below him, Lilith reached an arm forward but the flames burnt with such a ferocity it tore away at the flesh on her hand and arm.
She screamed in pain which given her current body came out as a manly yell, looking down the burn wasn’t healing its self.
‘Ash please snap out of it we need to go’
Ash’s head turned slowly to show black sclera and black flickering flames.
‘Oh gods you let it out, you need to put it away’ she yelled ‘I’m serious its too dangerous’
Lilith took a step back and pulled off her jerkin wrapped her arm as best she could.
‘If you kill me doing this ill never forgive you’
She held out a hand and allowed the gemstone from her forehead to fall into the palm of her remaining arm. Instantly her fingers gripped around the stone in an iron fist and she slammed her fist into the Firey wall, the smell of burning clothes and flesh filled her nostrils, she screamed in agony and she pushed her arm through the wall torching flesh and bone, by the time her fist had made it through her face was half enveloped by the flame. The charred black skeleton hand opened releasing the gem onto the wooden floor where it rolled almost sentient towards the body of Elodie.
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Ash for whom the world had faded black, sitting in a complete void, no colour, no sound, no scent. He though he heard his name being shouted but the barely garnered a fleeting interest. Burt and his girls were dead, at the hands of those who were to serve and protect and he was powerless, powerless to help, even in a world of magic where he’d been given unbelievable powers he still couldn’t do anything.
‘YOU TOOK REVENGE’ came a voice that sounded like it came from a bubbling tar pit.
‘What use is revenge’ he replied
‘REVENGE SENDS A MESSAGE, YOU HURT ME AND I HURT YOU BACK TENFOLD’ replied the voice
‘It wont bring anyone back’
‘IT WILL PUNISH THE DESERVING’
‘I couldn’t help them’
‘SO BECOME MORE POWERFUL AND HELP THE NEXT ONE, THIS IS NO FAIRYTALE, THERE IS EVIL IN THE EVERYDAY YOU MUST BECOME STRONG TO OVER COME IT’
‘and how do I do that?’
‘GIVE YOURSELF OVER TO ME’
‘No’
‘THE ONES YOU CARE ABOUT NEED NEVER SUFFER’
‘No, I can feel where you come from, you are what Lilith warned me about’
‘THAT PUNY DEMON, I SHOULD HAVE SQUASHED HER THE MOMENT SHE STEPPED FOOT IN HERE’
‘Where is here?’
‘ITS IN YOU’
‘It’s a bit gloomy’
‘EVERYONE CARRIES A BIT OF DARKNESS IN THEM, ITWHAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO BAD THINGS NO MATTER THE REASON’
‘Is everyone’s this dark?
‘NO IVE BEEN WAITING IN THE PLACE BETWEEN WORLDS FOR A SUITABLE HOST’
‘What, why am I a suitable host?’
‘YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR GREAT GOOD BUT THIS IS A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD, YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR GREAT EVIL’
‘I couldn’t be evil’
‘TELL THAT TO THE MEN YOU ARE BARBEQUING RIGHT NOW.
‘I didn’t do that’
‘OH THAT WAS YOU, WITH A LITTLE NUDGE’ the voice laughed ‘IMAGINE WHAT WE COULD DO IF YOU SIMPLY HAND OVER THE REIGNS’
‘No, they got what they deserved I feel that, but letting you out feels more of an evil act’
‘MAYBE SO, BUT YOU WILL CALL UPON MY POWER AGAIN, YOU DON’T KNOW YOU ARE BUT YOU ARE SLIPPING EVERY MINUTE’
‘Get comfortable, I’m keeping you locked away in here’
‘ASH, ASH, ASH, Ash, Ash?’ the voice faded into that of a soft feminine tone.
Ash blinked and looked into Elodies eyes wide and full of fear.
‘Thank the gods its you’ She said
‘Elodie, I thought you were dead?’ cried Ash ‘I tried to save you’
‘Erm yes, the thing is I wasn’t left a lot of choice’ she said raising her hand to sweep aside an auburn fringe. She revealed Lilith’s gemstone standing proudly in the middle of her forehead, she looked down quickly at the burnt up remains of the captain.
‘I wasn’t left with a lot of choice, I know I’m supposed to run it by you but we need to get out of here before we both burn to death’ she half shouted.
‘You took her body?’
‘It was the only way to reach you’ she grabbed his shoulder and got him to his feet ‘Now we have to get out of here’.
Through a window Lilith could make out the remainder of the guards lining up in the courtyard, Alastair and Nina nowhere to be seen.
‘Alastair and Nina have cleared off, probably because of the guard we should go out the back’ she said taking him under the shoulder and helping him across the room.
The made there way out into the kitchen and Lilith swiped a large kitchen knife as they made their way to the back door.
As the burst into the rear court yard they could hear frantic shouts of the guards calling for water to be drawn from the well.
The made their way out of the garden through a back gate usually reserved for deliveries the wooden gate swinging with a high pitched squeal.
they made their way against the bustling torrent of people come to see what all the fuss was about and were soon beyond the city walls the posts abandoned to assist with the growing fire on the square.
