Ruby looked over at Enola and placed one finger to her mouth.
“I feel nothing but pure hatred. Mamma, what do you hear?” Ruby whispered to Marie.
Marie went completely silent. She gently pushed Enola aside and closed her eyes. “They’re in the house!” she whispered harshly.
Marie waved them over to the bed. “Join hands,” she ordered.
As instructed, the ladies joined hands. Marie and Ruby whispered a chant that Enola wasn’t familiar with.
“That should hold them off for a while,” Marie assured.
“Not if they’re with witches,” Ruby pointed out.
Enola looked to her grandmother. “Can you tell how many there are?”
“No. It’s a lot of jumbled noise.”
“Can’t Nola just do that fire thing she does?” Margo asked.
“If we can get ‘em outside. We ain’t trying to burn the house down,” Ruby explained.
“So how do we get them outside?” Enola asked.
Ruby stared at a wall, wringing her hands. Enola said a silent prayer that her aunt would come up with a solution that would get them all out of there alive.
“The balcony!” Ruby blurted. “We’ll lure them out back.”
“How are we gonna get gran down a balcony?” Enola asked.
“Hell, how are we gonna get us down the balcony?” Margo inquired.
Ruby ran to the balcony. A warm breeze caused the sheers to fly when she yanked open the double doors.
“Come on!” Ruby ordered.
“What about Gran?” Enola asked as she hurried to the balcony.
She watched Ruby toss a drop ladder over the rail of the balcony.
“Gran?” Enola repeated. “She can’t climb down this thing.”
“She not. We’re leaving her.”
“What! No! We are not leaving Gran!”
“Nola, we gotta lure them away from her. Trust me, Mamma can handle herself.”
Enola shook you head. “Uh-uh. She ain’t gotta handle herself.” Enola ran over to her grandmother’s bed and grabbed her elbow. “Come on, Gran. I’ma put you on my back.”
Margo rushed to help, but Marie pulled away.
“Girls, you have to listen to your aunt. She knows what’s she’s doing. I’m too weak to be moved.”
Enola’s brows wrinkled as she stared at her grandmother. “Too weak? I just watched you cook a seven-course meal. You were on your feet all day.”
“Yes, baby, but your strength has grown. It radiates around you.”
“And?”
