I quickly got out of bed rushing over to my desk and grabbing the ceremonial dagger that laid there. I felt a puff of air and a wet nose nudging against my palm. "Nyx! Thank Satan!" I dropped to my knees and buried my face in my familiar's fur inhaling her familiar earthy scent. She draped a comforting paw over my shoulder and nuzzled my hair. "I'm okay, girl. But we have work to do," I told her, pulling away to look into her golden eyes. They nearly glowed in the darkness of my room and I knew she understood. Quietly and quickly we made our way through the dark halls of the house until I found Sabrina's room. "Nyx, I need you to stay here and keep guard. Don't let anyone in without me knowing," I told her in a barely audible whisper. Entering Sabrina's room the shadows blanketed everything and I could barely make out her sleeping form. I conjured a small flame in my hand that illuminated just enough so I could see where I was going. I inspected what appeared to be a metronome ticking back and forth on Sabrina's bed. That must have been what the demon used to put us to sleep. I sat at the end of her bed patiently waiting for her to wake. Not long after Sabrina shot up in bed screaming. "That bad huh?," I asked grimacing. She panted, getting a bearing on her surroundings. "You have no idea. How are you awake?" She questioned. "Ms. Wardwell," I said simply. Heavy footsteps sounded down the hall and we both looked at each other with wide eyes. "Batibat," Sabrina whispered. That must've been the demon's name. Nyx let out a menacing growl before slowly backing into the room the hair on her back bristling to attention. I grabbed Sabrina's hand quickly sliding under the bed and placed my hand over her mouth, willing her to slow her breathing. Nyx squeezed alongside us baring her teeth prepared to attack. We heard as the demon ran into the room throwing Sabrina's blankets back. A door slowly creaked open as she exited. "Where did you go, little girls?" Batibat rasped as she continued her search. Sabrina grabbed the Acheron as we quickly made our way in the opposite direction that the demon had headed. We navigated our way through the halls with Nyx in the lead. Sabrina clutched the puzzle box to her chest and the dagger I grabbed earlier was clutched firmly in my hand. Lilith had told us to get out but we weren't leaving our family behind. The Spellmans were a dying breed afterall and we weren't going out without a fight. "Where are you?," the demon hissed off in the distance. Sabrina looked around but I pushed her forward gently urging her on. We eventually reached Ambrose's room in the attic and I immediately started searching his bookshelves to find something that would help us. "Ambrose. Ambrose!" Sabrina whispered trying to wake him. I sighed, "It's no use Sabrina. He's under Batibat's spell." The metronome clicked idly and she reached out to touch it. "Don't-," I warned but it was too late, Sabrina was zapped with a jolt of electricity, "touch it..." She clutched her hand to her. "How was I supposed to know?" She whispered defensively. "Oh I don't know. Didn't we already learn a valuable lesson about messing with magical objects we know nothing about?" I chastised. Satan, I was beginning to sound like my mother. She rolled her eyes, "Fine. If we can't wake Ambrose hopefully he won't mind if we use his books." I pulled a grimoire off the shelf that contained banishing spells. "He won't," I muttered. She crawled over and grabbed a book off the bottom shelf flipping wildly through the pages. "Exilium... Exilium?" she whispered. "Is banishment," I confirmed before she could ask. A meow came from the shadows and Sabrina turned around excitedly. "Salem!" She gasped. The black cat meowed in response. "I know, but I have the Acheron Configuration, and I found a spell to banish her." I closed the grimoire in my hands and grabbed the book she was holding going over the spell. Salem meowed again. "But I do know her name. Ms. Wardwell told me it's Batibat, and that might give me an edge," She responded. Salem meowed again and Nyx huffed haughtily. "But I have to confront her, Salem. I can't run and leave my family to be tortured by her," Sabrina reasoned. I handed the book back to Sabrina, "If you're done arguing with your cat our best shot is to surprise her. Batibat is an upper level demon and we need to strike now while the odds are on our side." I offered my hand to Sabrina helping her to our feet. We both made our way to the parlor where Batibat had still been searching for us. "I banish thee, Batibat," Sabrina exclaimed, holding the spell book in one hand and the Acheron in the other reciting the spell. "Focus, Sabrina. Speak clearly and with conviction. We can't afford to mess this up," I coached her softly. Batibat scoffed, "That's but a plaything in her inexperienced hands. You're not half the witch your father was. No witch at all. No power, no conviction, no will. And with three other Spellmans in my thrall, you children may die." Sabrina had already begun to falter and Batibat knocked both objects out of her hand. Sabrina threw her arms up in defense and Batibat raked her claws down, slicing the flesh there. Sabrina screamed and I pulled her back as our familiars went on the attack. While Batibat was distracted I uttered the word that opened the secret passage nearby pulling Sabrina through both goblins following close behind. We ran directly to my mom and Aunt's room and Sabrina attempted to shake my mom awake. I huffed, "You already know that won't work, 'Brina. We have to do this on our own." Her cat yowled and she spun around, "Salem! Nyx! Where did you leave Batibat? Still downstairs?" Salem meowed in response. "What do we do, Nicole?" I looked at my cousin. We were running out of time and options. "I'll go back downstairs. I'll try to get the Acheron and spell book." She shook her head, "What? No! You can't go back out there. Wait. I can go back.." At that Salem yowled, grabbing her attention. "Yes, I know Ms. Wardwell said not to go back to sleep, but if I were quick enough and focused enough to lucid dream, I could go and come right back," She reasoned. I sighed, "You're still learning the basics. How do you plan to do that?" She was insistent, "Well, for starters, I'd have to put myself to sleep." I studied her for a moment. It was incredibly dangerous but we didn't really have any other options. I nodded slowly, "Alright. You and Salem grab what you need and go down to the embalming room. Nyx and I will do what we can to keep her distracted." We gathered our wits and stepped out into the hallway. Sabrina looked at me one last time, "Please be careful, cousin. And 'Cole? Try not to burn the house down.." I huffed out a laugh and ruffled her hair, "Don't worry about me kid." I padded carefully down the hallways prepared to meet Batibat at every turn. Where could she possibly be? Her raspy voice echoed through the dark, "Where did you go? You cannot escape me." Nyx sniffed the air and turned down a hallway that led to the stairs. Her voice echoed once again taunting us and I knew we were getting closer. We entered the foyer and made our way to the kitchen, keeping to the shadows. "Naughty, naughty girl. Where are you?" Batibat called out. She was too busy looking for Sabrina and Salem to see us sneaking up behind her. "I'm right here, Demon!" I hissed, raising my dagger and plunging it into her back. She screamed in pain as the dagger burned into her skin black blood oozed from the wound. "You witch! What is this?!" She screeched. I smirked as she struggled to pull the blade out, "Celestial steel reforged in Hellfire. A corrupted blade that's fatal to your kind." The dagger fell to the floor clanging loudly. She looked at me and growled, swiping with her long talons. I easily dodged and dove for my dagger. Before she had time to attack again Nyx leapt forward closing her strong jaws around one of Batibat's arms and she let out a great shreek once again. With inhuman strength she flung Nyx into the nearby wall but she stood seemingly unphased. Her golden eyes flickered with hate and her tongue came out to lick the black ichor that stained her maw as she bared her long fangs. Then it dawned on Batibat, "You two are just a distraction." Without so much as sparing us another glance she took off. Nyx and I both ran after her but I froze at the top of the stairs leading down to the embalming room, my blood running ice cold. Nyx nudged at the back of my legs encouraging me further. I shook my head, "You know I can't Nyx. I-I can't go down there." Before I knew what was happening Sabrina ran through the foyer Batibat close at her heels. Nyx and I both looked at each other. "Salem. That clever witch," I told Nyx, "but if he's up here that means Sabrina is already asleep. If she's successful we only have about 30 seconds before she wakes up. We need to stay here in case she needs us." We waited patiently keeping an eye out for Batibat and it wasn't long before we heard the timer downstairs. Sabrina came bounding up the stairs, "Nicole! Quick! Ambrose is distracting Batibat. We need to get Aunt Hilda's spiders and I need twine!" We made quick work and waited for Batibat to find us. As she appeared in the doorway I leaned down to whisper in Sabrina's ear, "Remember. You've got this. You're the daughter of a High Priest. This demon doesn't stand a chance." Batibat grew closer, "Oh, Sabrina. Oh, child. This little game has come to an end. You think those spiders can save you? Not even the Dark Lord can save you." Sabrina didn't listen, she stepped forward twisting the twine into an intricate web, the spiders did the same in the doorway successfully trapping Batibat. The demon screeched and fought against the web as her movements became more restricted. "Dream catchers don't trap dreams, Batibat. They trap nightmares." I smirked, placing my hands on Sabrina's shoulders, "Sometimes the oldest simplest magic works best." After we had trapped Batibat our family awakened. Everyone now sat in the kitchen save for me. I couldn't bear to face my mother after that awful nightmare. And it wasn't for the reason one might think. I realized that my own personal little hell hadn't been totally fabricated. There was some truth to it. So now I sat in the quiet of the night, a joint between my lips inhaling until my lungs were at full capacity and exhaled shakily. "Nicole?" I turned to see my mom at the top of the stares pulling her robe closed to protect her against the chill of the night air. She slowly made her way down the steps sitting next to me. "Sabrina told me how you helped her. How brave you were," My mother told me, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. I pulled away against my will and the look on her face nearly broke my heart. "Won't you tell me what that demon put you through? You don't have to..but you look as though you've seen a ghost.." she whispered softly. I stubbed the joint out reluctantly and turned to my mother. "It's not what she did, Mom. It's what I've done..." I nearly choked on my words a lump forming in my throat. She looked at me puzzled, "Whatever do you mean?" Hot tears burned in my eyes and I tried my best to keep them from falling, "It wasn't just a nightmare. Not completely. It was also a memory. Dad.." at the mention of his name the tears spilled over, "it was my fault. I was there. He was trying to protect me a-and they killed him. If he hadn't been worried about my safety he could've- a-and I couldn't save him. It was all my fault." By the time I had finished the tears were falling freely and I choked on a sob. Before I knew what was happening my mother pulled me into a tight hug stroking my hair, "Shhh. It's okay. It's alright. It wasn't your fault." I cried harder tears soaking the front of her robe, "It should've been me." At that she pulled back, lifting my chin to look at her. It was then I realized tears of her own rolled down her face. "Don't ever say that. Don't even think that. You couldn't save him because you were a child and no one expected you to!" She wiped her tears away, "when I came looking for you both I found you hidden away in a cupboard. You had done exactly as your Father had instructed and you were so brave. You didn't even make a sound until you were safe in my arms. Our brave girl was safe and alive so your Father didn't die in vain." I was shocked at her sudden emotion. My mother never cried. She wiped my tears away, "Now, be a good girl and light that back up. I think we could both use it." Still in shock I picked up the joint conjuring a tiny flame to light the end and handed it over. After a few moments of silence and passing the joint back and forth she spoke again. "You know when I found out I was pregnant with you it was the happiest moment of our lives. The Dark Lord had blessed us with a child. When you were born you looked so much like him, you still do. I never thought I could love someone as much as I loved your father until I laid eyes on you," she told me with a distant look in her eyes, "You were a little ball of fire and I could already tell I'd have my hands full." I laughed at that and she joined in, wiping away a stray tear. My heart sank again, "Mom... I saw him. He was there. Alive and well. It was so much easier when I didn't have any memories of him. Sure I missed him. But to have him back just to have him ripped away and watch him die again? I don't think I can bare it." She smiled sadly, taking my hand in hers, "Oh my darling girl. I'm so sorry. After his death you were so heart broken. You'd have night terrors that would leave you screaming and in tears in the middle of the night. You barely ate. It was as if a dark cloud was always over you. I didn't know what to do so I prayed to Satan that he'd take away the memories. To give our little flame her fire back. Eventually you started getting better. I just never wanted you to feel the pain I felt." I let out a shaky breath as I looked out into the night. "How do you do it?" I asked her. My mom pulled me closer, pressing a kiss to my temple, "I still struggle some days. I miss him terribly. But when that sadness starts creeping in...I look at you. You, my dear girl, are his legacy. When I look into your eyes I see him looking back at me. I never truly lost him because he lives on in you. Next time you look in a mirror I want you to remember that. He's always with you, Nicole. We both are." I threw my arms around her burying my face against her once again, "I love you, Mom." She kissed the top of my head, "And I love you. Now I think I'll go upstairs and get some rest. Here comes your cousin and Satan knows what trouble she's gotten into now." With that she took her leave. Ambrose and I both joined Sabrina in the cemetery after she insisted she had an urgent revelation. "We can add Ms. Wardwell to the list of liars, betrayers, and spies in my life." I slumped against a nearby gravestone exhausted from the events of that night. Satan, I loved Lilith but her charade was getting harder and harder to keep up. Wait, had I said I loved her? Ambrose broke me out of my thoughts, "It's a lucky thing she was spying on you, cous. Else, we might all still be trapped in the Batibat's nightmares. Then again, I sort of am, aren't I?" Sabrina and I both looked at him studying his melancholy expression. "Ambrose?" She questioned. "Might I suggest you give the woman the benefit of the doubt?" Ambrose suggested. I rested my head on his shoulder, "I agree with our cousin, 'Brina. We all just need some sleep." Sabrina shook her head, "I don't have it in me. My father deceived me. Aunt Zelda deceived me. Now my teacher?" Ambrose smirked, "Alright. Get me a bit of her hair and I'll make all her teeth fall out." I slapped his shoulder playfully and he chuckled, "Right. I forgot our cousin is smitten with her." Sabrina rolled her eyes at us, "I'm not quite sure what to do yet. One thing's for sure. I'm gonna wipe all the mirrors in the house clean of Ms. Wardwell's spells. No more spying." With that she walked off back towards the house.
Finally I was able to fall into bed for some much needed sleep demon-free. "Darling?" Well almost. I looked up sleepily as Lilith came to sit on the edge of my bed. "You know I just heard the most interesting story from Sabrina. Something about Mary Wardwell being a witch and that you've been spying on us because you were charged by my uncle to protect her?" I said through a yawn. She smiled down at me, combing her fingers through my hair, "I had to come up with a believable story, my dear." I crinkled my nose, "and you were in love with him?" She huffed out a laugh. "Jealous, darling?" She leaned down whispering in my ear, "You know it's not true." I would never admit to being jealous but my stomach turned at the thought of anyone else holding her attention. Typically I would come up with some witty comeback but my eyes were growing heavier with exhaustion. She pressed a kiss to my forehead before straightening back up, "I'll let you get some sleep you've had a trying night." I felt her shift to stand and instant fear washed over me. I was terrified that once I closed my eyes Batibat's nightmares would return. That we hadn't really defeated her. My hand shot out to grab Lilith's wrist keeping her in place. "Stay with me. Please?" I pleaded. Her eyes softened as she looked down at me. Without question she pulled the covers back sliding in next to me. In Lilith's arms I felt safe. Nothing could touch me there. I started drifting off to sleep and she must've thought I was already gone. She kissed my head and whispered softly into my hair, "I love you, Spellman." Exhaustion had already set in so I found myself unable to respond. I only hoped she knew how I felt. I drifted into a dreamless sleep wrapped in the warmth of Lilith.
((Sorry guys this was kind of long but ya know. Had to get it all in 🥴)))
