Page 172 of House of Pain
“You know any good spells that would kill these motherfuckers?” Alecto asked, her voice trembling.
“Grothics,” Jolene whispered. Blaze threw her a glance. He didn’t think that was a spell. “The creatures are Grothics, from the Cursed Forest. They—they feed on witches’ souls.”
Another creature lured from the Cursed Forest. It couldn’t be a coincidence.
Someone was really trying to take out the Snakes.
The creatures craned their necks, sniffing the air, and then one took a step towards Blaze and Jolene.
“You know what will stop them?” Blaze asked, keeping his voice low.
Jolene nibbled on her lip. “Well, hmm…the only way to kill them is with a witch’s athame doused in mortal blood.”
Blaze pinched the bridge of his nose.
Just fucking great.
Another creature shifted towards them, coming closer.
“No sudden movements,” Jolene warned, loud enough that Blaze hoped Alecto could hear. “It’ll agitate them.”
“They look agitated as it is to me,” Alecto hissed.
“It can get worse,” Jolene singsonged slowly.
They needed to do something.
“What weakens them?” Blaze asked again. “Light? Flames?Anything?”
Jolene’s eyes locked with his, and he knew the answer before she even said it out loud.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I suggest we throw everything we have at them.”
“And see if anything sticks. Fucking fantastic.”
One of the creatures advanced on Blaze, its long legs moving so fast it only took one blink, and then it was towering over Blaze, opening its round mouth filled with sharp teeth.
Blaze stumbled backwards, putting distance between him and the creature, but it didn’t help. The Grothic was on him.
“Don’t look in its eyes!” Jolene’s voice came just in time as Grothic brought its face to Blaze’s.
He snapped his eyes shut, willing his breathing to be even, and slipped a hand in the pocket of his leather jacket for his bones.
The creature’s face was so close that he had to fight the urge to move away, his insides recoiling at the stinking smell of blood and burned flesh.
Grothic released a low growl, and Blaze gripped the bones hard in his palm, muttering a chant under his breath. When he felt his palm warm, he shoved it over the creature’s face, the smell of burning flesh intensifying.
The creature shrieked.
The cries of pain were enough to stir the other two Grothics into action, and they shrieked before attacking.
Blaze shoved the burned creature to the side, letting it hit the wall nearby. He caught a glimpse of one of the monsters going after Jolene, but right before its claws made it to her, Jolene muttered a spell and froze it.
Alecto cried out. When Blaze found her backed in the corner by the remaining beast, there was a slash in her forearm, bleeding heavily.
To Blaze’s surprise, the Grothic hissed, retreating as it shook the long arm whose claw dug into Alecto.
Oh, fuck. Of course.
