I didn’t want to admit it, but I was nervous. That Grams was guiding the ritual was a relief. I was too afraid I’d screw it up.
“That’s fine with me,” I said. “Even though you told me how to summon the portal, I’m not sure that I can manage to find the right one.”
As we got out of the car and walked toward the creature, Grams seemed to be taller, and her back straightened fully. She had good posture as it was, but all of a sudden she looked intimidating to me—foreboding even.
The comstod did exactly as she predicted. The misty form began to swirl, swelling to make itself look bigger and stronger. The demon knew we were here, and it probably sensed how powerful Grams was.
Grams held up her arms, stretching them wide. Energy began to crackle between her palms. I watched the arc build, an intense, unwavering rainbow of purple lightning that crackled and snapped.
“Repeat the incantation with me. Focus on the words, and the energy behind them,” she directed.
I stepped closer, the crackle of her aura sparking against my skin. She was revved up like a live wire. Together, we joined forces, our voices blending as one.
“Creature from the nether realms,
creature from the dark of night,
creature from the depths of hell,
we command you to take flight.
Away from field, away from tree,
away from city, thou shalt flee,
you who are of darkest scourge,
from this realm we now thee purge.
Away from this realm, hie you hence,
never more to jump the fence.
Nevermore return to this realm,
with threat of death, we overwhelm.”
“Throw the water and help me force it through the portal!” Grams voice echoed through the whirling gale of energy as it spun around us, creating a vortex.
I raised the bottle, and then I could see it—the portal opening wide. I wasn’t sure how it had appeared and I didn’t think I was the one causing it, but I could see it… Brilliant and vivid, surrounded by crackling light that snapped and fizzled and sparked.
The comstod was visible now, no longer a pillar of mist, but a demon with three toes, and puppy dog ears. It looked far more terrifying than the drawing had, and I almost yelped, but caught myself. Grams was pushing it, an invisible force field propelling it backwards towards the opening of the portal.
I joined her, using the force of my mind to push against it. We aimed toward the center of the portal, which was now wide open. Beyond the edges of the vortex, I could see lightning crackling around the edges. The smell of ozone was strong, so strong it almost burned my nostrils.
“Now! Push hard!” Grams said, and we used our will to drive the comstod demon into the portal and through. It fought against us, sending sparks showers our way, but it was no match for the two of us together. We gave one final shove, and the demon vanished, the portal snapping closed behind it.
It was gone.
I stared, slack-jawed at what we had done. I had used plenty of magic, but I had never attempted anything on that scale before. My body felt like it was vibrating a thousand times faster, and I gasped for breath, trying desperately to fill my lungs.
Grams grabbed my hand and pulled me down on the ground, forcing me to rest my hands against the snow and the dirt beneath it. “Ground yourself, now. Dig deep, sink into the earth, you know her energy—she’s part of you. Burrow deep and soak in her grounding energy.”
I joined her, sinking deep into the flow of earth and water.
The energy had burned so hot that my nerves felt frayed and jarred.
But finally, the soothing waves of water, and the gentle barren cradle of winter earth appeared, pulling me deep into the great mother of us all. As I attuned to the plants and the trees of the woods and the animals of the forest, they began to sooth me, anchoring me deep, clearing out the char from the energy of the demon. I soaked up the magic, grateful for the soothing medicine from the earth herself.
