Page 29 of Shadowed Summer Sun

“Far from it, Zachariah. The only demon here is you.”

I walked toward him, growing my vines and blocking out the light as they circled him.

“How do you—“

“I know many things, Father. I know how unworthy of that title you are. Timothy, Robbie, Kathrine, Angelica, Christopher.” Darkness bloomed around me, stealing the heat and revealing the Father’s breath as his eyes widened.

“What— Fuck you! You know nothing, witch! You’ll burn in the fires of Hell like the rest of your kind!”

I knelt before the man and pulled the World of Below into the space to weigh down on him like a boulder. Snatching his throat in a blink, I squeezed. The insect’s eyes bulged in his head, red veins straining as he fought for air and flailed uselessly.

“I am a witch, and the powers I possess will see you to your grave.” I let Darkness overtake me, dwarfing any trace of Sun as retribution boiled in my blood.

Father Paine shook in my grip, wetness growing on the front of his robes as he breathlessly sobbed.

“Please,” the words fought to escape his throat, “I have… children… a wife.”

I leaned closer to his face, whispering in his ear, “Paine is an appropriate name, isn’t it? It’s what you truly worship.”

The skin of Zachariah’s face began to fade into a dull blue.

“They will be better off without you.”

With a swift flick, I cracked the Father’s neck, and he went limp in my grasp. Dropping him to the floor, my Darkness swam through his body and collected his soul. I turned to Sarah.

“It is done. Leave this place. Your child waits for you Below.”

Ghostly tears flowed from her as she sobbed, screaming out into the forest, one last moment of agony. As the sound receded, a shimmering white edged her form, swallowing her up. In seconds, she was gone, a cool breeze sweeping her away to the Hereafter.

“Goodbye, Sarah.”

I traveled from the Crying House to The 100 Steps, counting my return journey and meeting the Undertaker at the top.

“My Queen. The door is open for you.”

I smiled, becoming more used to the title. “Thank you. Margaret Locke will seek you out, bringing you The Grimoire. Do as she asks.”

He nodded and turned to the open view at the top of the 100 Steps hill. The Undertaker gestured to the gate. Tearing open passage to the Guarded Wood once again, though this time done by my own hands, I paid one last look at the Mortal Realm and stepped through.

The strange mists of this liminal space between worlds clung to my skin, a welcoming and claiming that sealed my exit from the world of mortals. The muted colors of the Guarded Wood were soft and comforting, a cushion against the vibrance and intensity of both the Mortal Realm and the visions of the Pit.

As the gray-black fog swirled across my skin, I pressed on deeper toward Cottlewick Lake. The hushed forest was still apart from my travel, and an eclipsed full moon hung high in the muted night sky. The tightness with which I held my vines to me relaxed, and they traveled gracefully behind me as I allowed more of my black-and-pale skin to be exposed.

Shadow pooled behind the trees in the light cast by the joined Sun and Moon. Tendrils snaked out from them and intermingled with my vines.

He was here.

The solidified Darkness pulled at me, dragging me closer to the lake and faster. I stopped, smiling, and knelt down to run my fingers through the Shadow.

“Being a bit impatient, aren’t you?”

Suuuummmeeerrr. Cooommmmeee.

I stood, instinctively shortening my vines so as not to trip, and dug my feet into the Earth.

“If you want me so bad, come and get me.”

I took off running through the Guarded Wood, taking a much longer route around the lake. I felt the snap of my King’s Shadow against me as he struck out, ravenous desire bursting into the entirety of the Guarded Wood.

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