The girls do an admirable job in taking my mind off Anarch and Archer, but nothing will make me forget what I just experienced. The shock of willingly traveling to the demonic realm is something I cannot easily shake. The muddy shocks are a clear omen that I am starting to bring the darkness back with me.
The most shocking thing is the Teresos. Not only what I saw in the woods, but the man in the room. I couldn't quite make out his face, though there was something familiar about him. I would be willing to talk to Archer about it if I hadn't just seen him and his coven sacrificing a goat in the woods.
Laura's coven referred to them being darker. Sacrificing goats is dark on the spectrum. Most covens who still dabble in ritual sacrifice have no problem diving headfirst into demon summoning.
Allegedly.
The question emerges as to whether they are the culprits behind the missing people. Their goat-slaughtering, robe-wearing antics fit the bill for agents of chaos.
The only thing that keeps me from unjustly branding them the villains of our little nightmare is the ritual. The energy from their slaughter of the goat did not give off malevolent vibes.
It felt protective.
My mind shifts to the puzzle pieces excessively as we bounce from shop to shop. My body is on autopilot until we reach the main attraction, as Mori proclaims.
We head down the block to Sanderson's Magic Emporium after briefly stopping for coffee at the Moonpetal. Mori gushes about the ambiance of the shop.
From the outside, there is little indication it is different from any other shop on the block, other than the name and a couple of poorly drawn runes in the window.
Mori drags us into the spacious shop. It looks bigger than it should from the outside. We are greeted by a circular table with various "potions" and baubles. A large sign informs us that a hodgepodge of magical paraphernalia is on sale.
Shelves are set up to make rows of aisles for the assorted magical items in the store. A few of the items look authentic while most are for the rubes who don't know the different between a scrying crystal and crystal meth.
Near the middle of the store is a large counter space where the cash register and a few displays are set up. At the other end of the room is a space separated by hanging bead curtains as well as a sign for the bathroom.
Mori raves about spending an exorbitant amount of time in the store when she was younger and the store was under different management. She worked with the current owner until she found herself spending her rent money on merchandise.
The topic quickly shifts to the new owner and her eyes glaze over as a moony expression settles on her face. Sierra is as amused as I am by the stark romanticism.
"I wonder where he is. I'm going to go and find him. You guys peruse. Maybe you'll find a way to conjure the perfect man. Which, of course, would be a woman." Mori jokes.
Sierra and I laugh as Mori disappears beyond the beads. I begin to examine a shelf full of wolfsbane in an attempt to ignore Sierra's watchful eye. A banner on the shelf reads "the only guaranteed way to keep werewolves at bay" and I snort at the irony.
Sierra disappears and I find her looking at a mandrake. She is holding a piece of mandrake in her hands. Mandrake is the final ingredient I used in the spell to wipe her mind of magic. I panic and take it from her hands.
"I thought these looked like shrieking babies."
"You want too many movies." Sierra says. "I feel the oddest...sensation. It's like my mind is trying to remember something and it just can't."
YOU ARE READING
The Rede Breaker
FantasyParker Royce is sent to Prophecy Cove to investigate the sudden disappearances of many residents within the town. Parker finds himself at the center of a years-long bid by a demon to escape his demonic prison. But Parker didn't come alone. His best...
