Page 81 of Demons & Damnation

Dylan’s face unfolded into a huge grin, his eyes shining bright and his pearly white teeth on full display. “We have an elemental witch in town.”

Sam sucked in a sharp breath. “What? Seriously? Where? Who is it?” She uncrossed her legs and leapt off her bed. “How do you know this?”

Dylan folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the doorframe. “Suddenly you don’t care if you might be naked or not, huh?”

“Stop being an asshole,” Sam said, throwing a pillow at him. “Tell me.”

“It was so weird,” he said. “I was just at the gym, doing some reps, you know, pushing the kilos up...” He glanced down at his biceps, smiling.

“Dylan, I don’t give a shit about how much you bench press. Tell. Me. About. The. Witch.”

“I’m setting the scene,” he said, looking back at his sister and shrugging his shoulders. “Do you want the story or not?”

Sam sighed. “Fine. Carry on.”

“So I’d just pushed my best record yet, one-fifty, and thankfully just set the bar back down in the cups when this almighty scent hit me like a bottle of smelling salts. It nearly knocked me out with the power I felt from it, it was like a wave but with the power of a block wall. Anyway, I ran outside and Mum called. Her and Dad felt it too. They were with Granny and she said she’s only ever smelled that scent once before and that came from an elemental witch.”

“Are you sure it’s not just Granny and one of her old tales? You know she’s getting mixed up with her memory lately.”

Dylan shook his head. “Definitely not. Dad said he’d never smelled anything like this and you know how many witches he’s been around.”

Sam’s heart started racing as her mind spun with millions of possibilities. This elemental witch could be a lifesaver, they could end her family curse, finally stop the torment that three generations of women before her had endured, and that she was enduring now.

“How do we find them?” Sam asked. “Is it just one? Where are they?”

“Granny thinks they’re close. I don’t know if it’s just one or not. But she said the strongest scent is coming from just outside of town. Whoever it is, they’re within reach, Sam. Are you ready to grab the bull by the horns? Or rather, the witch by the broomstick?”

“How are we going to find them?”

Dylan tapped the side of his nose. “Using my superpowers, of course.”

“Walking or driving?”

Dylan shrugged his shoulders. “Either or. How old school do you want to be?”

“We don’t have time for old school. If we have an elemental in town, we need to get there yesterday. I’ll even suffer your crazy driving for it.”

Dylan grinned. “That’s what I like to hear.”

Sam followed her brother out of her room, excitement jingling together with anxiety as the heady mix coursed through her veins. This witch could be an angel of mercy without even realising it.

Jumping in the car with Dylan, Sam didn’t fuss at all over his crazy driving or the insane speeds he reached as they hurtled closer towards their prize.

As Dylan raced around the country lanes, following his nose, Sam took in the scenery whizzing by the window, a familiar feeling of having been here before creeping up over her.

“I’ve been here before,” she said, frowning, as Dylan threw the car around a corner, the tyres squealing for grip.

She focused on her memories, trying to pull forwards how she knew these small little lanes.

“We’re literally in the middle of nowhere,” Dylan said, frowning. “I’ve barely even got any phone signal.”

Driving past a large crooked willow tree, Sam gasped as the memory hit her. “I know where we are,” she said, grabbing Dylan’s forearm. “Kyla’s gran lives around here. That can’t be a coincidence.”

Dylan let off the accelerator instantly. “What? Are you serious?”

Sam nodded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been around here but yes, I’m sure. I remember that willow tree and all it’s twisted branches. We used to spend hours climbing it.”

“This elemental witch could be Kyla’s gran?” he asked, the reality of that sinking in slowly.

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