A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS ~ SEPTEMBER

It’s that time again. And wow… I’m not sure where the image came from but damn… I have no idea what to write for this one. But… I shall do my best to pull something out of my preverbal arse… so. Here is the image, and the resulting words 😉 Not going to be all that long.

BarbedWire

“Are you sure this is a wise idea?”

Grace Porter glanced over her shoulder as her brother’s voice broke the relative silence. Patrick had been antsy since she’d first proposed the idea. Now that they’d reached the abandoned warehouse, his restlessness had escalated. Hell, she couldn’t miss the way his hands shook as he scanned the area, no doubt looking for anything out of the ordinary.

She grinned at the thought. They were in the midst of demon territory about to summon a far great power and Patrick was worried a mugger might happen along. She’d be happy if they lived long enough to recite the summoning spell.

Grace gave his shoulder a light punch. “I thought you agreed this was our only option.”

He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “I did, but that was before I realized we’d have to come here. Why can’t we just perform the summoning somewhere safe? Like the barn behind the house?”

“I told you. The kind of power he has…” She sighed. “We’re liable to level the area as much as get it right. And if I’m going to die trying something this desperate the last thing I want is to take out the rest of the coven with us. That’s if they don’t decide to kill us once they discover what we’ve done.”

Patrick’s expression softened. “You’re stronger than all of them put together. Between the two of us…they’d be lucky to mess up your hair let alone hurt you.”

“A wise person doesn’t take anything for granted. You know better than anyone there’s safety in numbers. And they outnumber us eleven to one, brother dear.”

He gave her a light shove. “I’ll side with you any day.”

She grinned, hoping she wasn’t sentencing them both to an early grave, as she followed the fencing around to the back. Despite being empty, the main entrance fronted a fairly busy street and Grace didn’t want to risk being seen entering the building. Having a couple of cops show up in the middle of their spell wouldn’t do them any favours.

She picked her way through the thick grass to a spot near the rear. Layers of barbed wire blocked her way, the sharp ends gleaming in the rising moonlight. Patrick cupped her shoulder, motioning her to stand back as he grabbed a few lines of the wire, fisting them tightly in his hand. He muttered a short incantation, and she watched as the metal glowed red then simply melted into a puddle on the ground. Her brother repeated the procedure with the rest of the wire, grinning as he waved her through the narrow opening. She sidestepped through, careful not to cut herself on the broken ends before heading for a door next to a loading ramp.

She flicked her hand at the single lamp burning overhead, breaking the glass and casting the area into deep shadows. Patrick darted ahead of her, using another spell to break the lock and open the door. A hushed squeak was the only hint of noise that followed before he waved her inside, closing the heavy metal door behind them.

He scanned the area, moving in close to her. “Pretty sure any security they had in here is long gone, but just in case…”

She nodded, removing a few supplies from her bag . She placed the objects on the floor, chanting the spell before tossing the final ingredient on top of the others. A flash of light filled the room then winked out.

Grace smiled at Patrick. “That should disable any cameras or alarms for about thirty minutes. With any luck we’ll be gone before then.”

“If we’re not dead.”

She swatted his arm, shaking her head as she headed for a doorway on the other side of the open space. Uncertainty gnawed at her resolve as she wove her way to a small room on the lowest level, her brother using another spell to light their way. She stopped in the centre, spinning around before grinning. “This is it.”

Patrick didn’t speak, just bent low and set to work inscribing a sigil across the floor. The scent of paint infused the air, increasing the jumpy feeling in her stomach. God, she hoped this wasn’t a one-way trip. That she really was as strong an everyone claimed. That she wasn’t about to sentence her brother to death.

He straightened a few minutes later. “Ancient summoning circle, check. Now all we need is some blood and the right spell cast by…” He pointed at her. “Yours truly.”

“I’m not sure what’s scarier. That the blood is the easy part or that I’m starting to wonder if this was a bad idea.”

“If anyone can pull this off…” He raised his chin, confidence shaping his features. “I believe in you, sis.”

“Let’s hope I don’t let you down.”

“It’s not like the alternative is any better. If we don’t try this…”

She nodded. “Like the saying goes… Damned if we do…”

“Considering who you’re planning on summoning, I think the ‘damned’ part is more than fitting.” He grabbed her shoulders. “You sure you’re ready? I know we’re desperate but—”

“No buts. He’s our only hope.”

“Then let’s get this show on the road before I change my mind and take us both as far away from this place as I can.”

Grace glanced at the sigil as Patrick removed a silver knife from the bag. “Guess it’s time to see if I can live up to all the hype. If I’m as good as they say and if he really does exist.”

 

And that’s it for me. Go check out Bronwyn Green and Jessica Jarman for their amazing tales.

 

5 Replies to “A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS ~ SEPTEMBER”

  1. Really? You are leaving me there? Humf! Who are they calling? Why are they desperate? Yeah, you got my attention. Need to see more.

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