Alexa play: Burn the Witch by Shawn James
Salem, Massachusetts - 1692 AD
The screams of my people came to me in the wind. The Earth was my constant connection to the lives I was responsible for, and despite knowing this was Shem’s attempt at a trap, I needed to go to them.
Sköll and Fenrir had tried to convince me to remain in Rome, where we had learned Shemhazai, for some unknown reason, would no longer step foot… but I couldn’t.
I could feel the hysteria from across the sea, and the terror and pain of my people were just something I couldn’t ignore.
Things were worse than I could have imagined when I arrived in Salem. The humans had managed to hang some of my witches. However, they had mostly hanged innocent women and men.
In typical puritanical fashion, the men who ran the town had skewed the witch hunt to serve their greed.
They began targeting individuals with wealth and land, as the law stated that if they were accused of witchcraft, their property was forfeited to the government or claimed by accusers.
I was seeing red when I manifested in Salem, flanked by a snarling Sköll and Fenrir, who remained in their canine forms.
Knowing Shemhazai would be waiting for me, ready to gloat, I was surprised to find another demon standing on the outskirts of town. This one had tanned skin and ice-white hair.
He smirked at me, his piercing blue eyes swimming with a sinister sort of excitement.
“Hello, Hecate,” he hummed, giving me a cool up and down. My back went up, and magic sparked at my fingertips.
“Who are you? Where is Hazai?” I spat. The low rumble of Sköll and Fenrir’s growls punctuated my words.
“My name is Arteqoph,” he replied, his voice laced with a quiet sort of disdain. “You must be the little bitch that has stolen Shem’s attention from me.”
I scoffed. “I have stolen nothing. It’s not my fault he’s developed an obsession with chasing me.”
He narrowed his eyes. For a moment, it looked like he wanted to snap at me, but instead, he smiled.
“Come. I’m sure you’re angry with him for what he’s done here. I’ll take you to him.”
You fucking better.
I waslivid.
Following the demon into the woods, I did my best to contain my rage. It wasn’t worth wasting my depleted magic on him. My quarrel was with Shemhazai and Shemhazai alone.
Sköll and Fenrir sniffed the air next to me as we walked deeper into the forest outside Salem.
‘Something is wrong,’ Sköllwhispered into my mind.‘I don’t smell Shemhazai. I smell an angel. A powerful one.’
That didn’t make any sense. Why would there be an angel in the woods? And why would someone loyal to Shemhazai be leading me to one?
We entered a clearing, and Sköll and Fenrir’s suspicions were immediately confirmed. We came face to face with a seraphim, his six ivory white wings curling around him ominously.
He was old.
Older than any angel I had ever come across.
So old that he even appeared more physically mature than most of his kind.
“Good, Arteqoph. I see you held up your end of the bargain,” the angel crooned, and I glanced over at the demon who claimed to be Shemhazai’s partner. “Now bring Shemhazai to me.”
Art glared at the angel. “No. The deal was I give you the mother of witches, and you leave Shem and I in peace,” Art snarled, and I frowned.
What the fuck was happening right now?
