“You mean you already have something for me to wear?” I asked, surprised.
“No, this is my regalia. Or should I say, hunting suit. While I change, have a seat at the table and don’t touch anything. I know how you like to play with crystals and gadgets, but I have several things in process, and I want you to leave them be.” Grams patted me on the back as she passed by, carrying what looked like a pair of satin pajamas.
I did as she requested, sitting at her worktable, staring at several of the grid boards she was in the middle of making. I didn’t touch them, but I held my hand out, trying to feel out the energy. One with a deep purple amethyst spike on it sparkled with magic, and it threatened to pull me inside of it. I broke off contact, and just looked at the other two. One was obviously for prosperity, and another I suspected was for protection. But the amethyst one—I had no clue.
When Grams returned, she was suited up in a pair of satin trousers, which seemed a little loose. A black belt was threaded through the belt loops. She was also wearing what looked like a deep orange top. Over the shirt, she had draped a black satin overshirt that was hanging open. She wore a pair of ankle boots, and her hair was pulled back in a long ponytail.
“You sure don’t look like yourself,” I said.
“You’ve never seen me in action,” she said. She draped a golden sash around her waist, with a dagger sheath hanging off of it. As she slid a black bladed dagger into the sheath, her aura flared even more. It was at that moment that I actually caught sight of what she was talking about—the demon hunter energy. I wasn’t sure how I recognized it, but I knew what it was the moment I saw it.
“I can see it—the family aura. I think I felt that once in myself. I feel like I recognize it.”
I felt a bubble of excitement well up. While I’d always wanted to know more about my father, I realize that what I had been missing these years was a sense of belonging. And the moment I felt Grams’s energy in her aura, I knew that I was going to be able to join her. We belonged together as a unit.
She sat at the other side of the table, setting the grid boards to the side. “I’m going to teach you the incantation now. You need to remember it.”
I suddenly realized that it was going on three thirty. “Oh hell, I told Daisy I’d meet her at our house at 4 PM. She’s coming over to talk to Faron and I was hoping to be there. Especially now, since we know what’s going on. Can you come with me? Can we finish this over there?”
“Text her and ask if she can wait for an hour or two. I’d rather take care of this now, while we know the comstod is out there.”
“I can do that,” I said. I quickly texted Daisy and waited for a moment.
She texted back after a couple minutes. i can move my schedule around. how about six?
that should work fine, I texted back. and it really is important. see you then.
“Okay, that’s it. Now, teach me the incantation. Show me what I need to know.”
Grams nodded, and set to teaching me how to take on my first demon.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Grams insisted on driving. We had spent half an hour with her teaching me what to do. Although, as she said, this first time—and probably a few others—she’d be taking the reins, given the first few times were always the most dangerous.
“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, they often say. And that’s exactly right. I can tell you a dozen times what to do, but until you actually have enough practice so you can feel that portal open, there’s a good chance you won’t be able to exorcise the demon.”
Apparently, our family had a connection to a portal linked to the demonic realms, and we were able to open it. At least, once we had enough practice and instruction. I was worried—what if I screwed it up? But, at least Grams would be there and she had lived a double life as a demon hunter for years.
“What about killing them? I thought we were demon slayers?”
“There are plenty of demons that we can’t shove through the portal. And those, we have to slay. But comstod demons… I meant it when I said it’s a good one start with. They are sub-demons, which usually means they are easier to kill or send packing. If you can’t open the portal tonight, I can do it.”
“Grams, aren’t you worried? I mean… You have a lot of time left, but you are 120 years old.” Age was a sticky subject, and I didn’t want to insult her.
“Age slows me down, yes. But you’ll find that as you age, your powers increase. What the body loses, the spirit gains. Have you seen some of the Chinese monks? The Shaolin? Their elders are stronger than the young folk. They can do things with their bodies that I wish I had the stamina to do.” She paused, then added, “It’s all in the spirit. Whether you call it mana, chi, energy, or magic—it all starts on the spiritual plane.”
I nodded. My great-grandmother knew what she was talking about, and I trusted her.
We arrived at the place where Lucretia had ended her life. As we pulled in, I could see the misty form was still there. I wondered how many people could actually see it. While still in the car, I pointed it out.
“There it is. Why is it in a misty form instead of in the physical form you showed me in the book?”
Grams glanced at me. “The comstod demons don’t manifest fully on our plane. They can, but usually revert to their nebulous form. I believe it’s waiting for a new host. You watch, when we get out and walk over towards it’s going to go berserk. We’ll need to be ready. Grab the bag that I prepared and I want you to hold onto one of the vials of blessed water.”
Blessed water wasn’t exactly the same as holy water. It wasn’t blessed in any particular church. But it could act the same, and witches made it to accompany their protection circles and warding incantations.
“Remember, when I tell you, throw it directly onto the mist. Which means we’re going to have to get a little closer than comfort allows, in order to make this work. We don’t want to give it a chance to escape.”
