Page 33 of Rekindled Prophecy

Guess this makes it official … the woman is a true psychic.

She drew her daggerout from behind her back, letting its reassuring coolness and energy spread from her palm throughout the rest of her body. Greylyn took a deep breath, burying deep down any fear or trepidation.

There was no sound of her feet as they hit the broken pavement at a sprint. No more than a hundred yards from the building, she penetrated the black mist. Like a swarm, they descended on her.

She sliced her way past a dozen or more entities. There were a few iridescent puffs of mist that were simply spirits that got caught in the crossfire. For that, Greylyn was regretful. Most spirits were well-meaning, or just looking for answers to their own afterlife. But tonight, they were collateral damage in her fight through the more malevolent creatures standing between her and the human medium in that building.

Interspersed in the fog of spirits were a variety of monsters, some she had never encountered before tonight. She whirled amongst the throng of evil forces standing between her and the building entrance, slashing with her dagger. More creatures filled the void, collapsing in on her. A banshee flashed before her with its fairy’s face contorted as it wailed for impending death. Well, this banshee was not going to be around long enough to claim another life. The jagged edges of Greylyn’s blade slit the hag’s crinkled neck before she turned to fight off a horde of Jinn who continuously changed form. Some stayed invisible until just before they struck out at her. Others, both corporeal and not, Greylyn used her intuition to track, stabbing and cutting as she raced for the building.

The splintered wooden door was just within her reach when a large Vilkacis, a nasty werewolf hybrid, yanked her away by grabbing her ponytail. Intense pain flashed down her spine as a shriek escaped her lips. Her dagger slashed out, slicing its hand off. Free, she burst through the door.

Finally, inside the building, blood trickled down her face from a gash along her cheek. The demonic squad outside did not follow her in. At least the building was under full supernatural protection. She swiped at the blood with her forearm and continued up the darkened stairwell. Grimacing against the agonizing pain shooting through her side with each step, Greylyn climbed the stairs to apartment 207.

Chapter 14

Sofia the Psychic

Apartment 207

Sprinting up the unlit stairwell to the second floor, Greylyn encountered more spirits, but they posed no threat. Mostly they were lost souls desperate for attention. Her chest constricted and dusty air caught in her throat as she passed through one midway up the stairs. Apparently, the medium had done a decent job of warding off the demonic entities since none had made it inside the building. That was a comforting thought.

A red door at the end of the hallway had a faded sign,Psychic Readings by Sofia. Greylyn loudly rapped on the door until she heard a raspy woman’s voice from within. “Hold on, hold on. I’m coming.”

The woman cracked the door open, her near-black eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Guess she did not sense I was coming for a visit.

“Sorry to bother you so late, but I have an urgent need to consult with you.” Despite how horrific she knew she looked with the torn clothes and dripping blood, and the fact she was banging on the woman’s door in the dead of night, Greylyn still did not want to frighten her.

Shoving the door open, she entered the apartment while the elderly lady looked on in mild shock and fear. The front room was decked out in stereotypical psychic fashion. It was small and poorly lit, with red velvet wallpaper and multiple religious symbols throughout. An antique 1920s-era round glass table stood in the middle of the room with a large opaque crystal ball dominating it.

Greylyn gazed upon the elderly woman, probably in her seventies or even eighties, with long white hair pulled behind her head in a tidy bun and deep olive skin that was so thin and wrinkled it gave the appearance of crepe paper. Her eyes were deep brown, almost black, with the telltale signs of advancing eye degeneration; spotty clouds had begun to cover the iris of her right eye. More importantly, her eyes and expression reflected more surprise than terror despite the presence of a blood-covered young woman who had burst into her apartment uninvited.

Geez! I could have given the poor woman a heart attack!

Opening her mouth to apologize for the abrupt intrusion, the old woman shushed her and motioned for her to follow into the main living room. She gestured for Greylyn to take a seat on a faded, gold brocade sofa.

After a moment of contemplative silence, the psychic spoke with a voice crackled by age, but honeyed with wisdom.

“The spirits told me that I would be visited by an angel of ethereal beauty and immense strength. Regardless of everything these old eyes have seen, and ears have heard, I honestly did not believe them this time. It appears that I was mistaken.”

The woman’s gaze moved up and down as if assessing Greylyn from head to toe. “My name is Sofia Romani. How may I help you, dear? Are you in need of medical assistance?”

Covered in blood and other gory bits and pieces, Greylyn knew she looked frightful. Pain ricocheted through her body from several wounds over her body, but she would heal soon.

“No, thanks. I’ll be fine shortly.”

Sofia’s aura surrounding her physical body glowed like a glittering violet orb, indicative of intuition and attunement with one’s self and the spiritual world. Her eyes and warm smile reflected kindness.

Just to verify her preliminary perceptions, the guardian angel reached out a hand to clasp her hand – a traditional handshake, but for Greylyn, it was how she got to know a person’s thoughts or intentions almost instantly.

Visions flashed in her mind of a young, beautiful Romani girl transforming into a highly acclaimed spirit medium. Her upbringing had been difficult as her family had been unsupportive of her gifts, demanding she hide them away. Still, she had kept her own counsel, and had braved her life mostly alone with only a handful of people worthy enough to be called family. No husband. No children. Just lost souls looking for answers and the comfort of acceptance.

There was also a vibrant hum like a child singing a happy nursery rhyme. Greylyn’s lips twitched up in a playful smile. The tune was familiar, yet she could not place it. With the music came images of brilliant stars above in a cloudless sky and the warmth of raging fire against one side of her face, while the other was chilled by a brisk breeze.

Deepening the connection, she saw a carefree child who must have been Sofia years ago. But the time period did not seem to fit, unless the woman was several centuries old as well. The child smiled up at her in the vision and nodded as waves of light rushed towards her.

Greylyn jerked back from the woman, releasing her hand. Yes, this psychic appeared to be the real deal. Hopefully, that meant that the blessing she performed for Kelly and the baby were indeed good and fully functional protection spells.

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