Page 3 of Emerald Rising
Chapter 2
EMMY
I placed the tip of the knife against my palm and froze.
Was I really doing this? Was I really going to perform a summoning in the hope of finding answers my father didn’t even want to give me?
I knew it was stupid. Insane. Completely bonkers. But I needed answers. I was still livid over that letter. Still annoyed about the information I’d found out and I wasn’t entirely sure that this would work. The girl I’d spoken to in the shop was encouraging and helpful, saying that all the ingredients I’d purchased were for a demon summoning. I didn’t even know there were different kinds to be honest and what the Hell was I supposed to do with a demon when they turned up in my circle? Just say hi and ask if they knew who my father was and hope they had a clue what I was talking about? Urgh, this was crazy.
No, I was crazy because I was about to perform this stupid summoning and call a demon to my aid. I was literally on the cusp of slicing my hand open to perform witchcraft. Which was stupid. Demons didn’t exist and all I was going to get out of this was blood on my floor, but something niggled at the back of my mind to at least try it.
I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?
I actually get some answers?
Yeah, right.
A snort escaped my lips and echoed around the room. I looked down at the instructions one more time, just to make sure I had everything right. I checked that the drawing on the floor matched the image drawn on the paper and yep, it was a perfect copy. Four circles on compass points, with me in the centre on a five-pointed star and some intricate symbols linking the four circles together. There were then lines from each compass point connecting to the centre star, and I’d placed candles along the circumference of the whole thing. They threw the room into an eerie glow. It was all very spooky.
And all very stupid.
It was like a scene from a horror movie where the clueless girl is messing with a Ouija board, and you’re rolling your eyes because you know she’s going to end up dead. Now I was that stupid girl. I just hoped I didn’t end up dead. Dying today was not on my to-do list.
One last look at the words I needed to chant, and I was ready. In one swift motion, I scored the blade across my hand and hissed. I hoped I didn’t cut too deep that I’d need to go and get stitches. That had hurt more than I thought it would.
Okay. Deep breath. My heart was pounding in my ears like a drum, and I was suddenly nervous. What if this worked? What if I called a demon? Or what if I was just wasting my time and delving into the realms of fantasy?
Ah, to hell with it. I’d come this far, might as well finish what I started.
“River of Blood, Ash of Flesh,
Blaze of Fury, Griffon of Strength.
Be blood of thine, flesh of thine,
Be thy fury and thy strength.
Hear thy call and come to thee,
Be thine for all eternity.”
My voice was loud in the room and when I’d finished, there was nothing but silence.
Silence and stupidity.
I was an idiot. As if this would even—
A gust of wind blasted through the room and the candles went out instantly. A chill settled in my bones as my heart rate kicked up a notch. I’d thought it had been racing before, but now it was positively frantic.
There was a pop as the flames came back to life, only this time they were no ordinary flames. They towered above the candles by at least three feet. It was unnatural, and I was now officially scared shitless.
Manic laughter drifted in the air as it swirled around me, pulling at my hair and clothes. It was like a tornado had started in my lounge. The wind rushed around the room chaotically and still the flames burned brightly.
A scream tore itself from my throat as the wind intensified. I shut my eyes tightly and wrapped my arms around my legs. The wind pounded against my ears, drove my heart wild and then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped, and the room descended into silence once again.
I tentatively opened my eyes and saw darkness. The candles had been blown out completely but there was no damage to the room. Had I imagined it all?
As my senses returned to me, I became aware that there was someone else in the room. More than one someone. I could hear them breathing. Hear them on all sides. Oh, god. I wished there was some light in here so I could see them.
