“Over here.”
That wasn’t very helpful. I glanced around and couldn’t see anything. It was made harder by a mist rising and thickening. I heard a bark and frowned.
“There,” Celt said and pointed. Standing in a sliver of moonlight was a woman dressed in black.
“I’ve seen her before, and the dog. They seem to protect people from Lavender. She’s known as the Woman in Black,” Callum explained.
“Hi.” I stepped forward, and the Woman in Black didn’t move. She remained still, with the hound by her side, almost reaching her hip.
“Danger,”the word came from her.
“I understand. Can you tell us anything about yourself?” I asked.
“Widow.”
“Did the Lavender Lady kill your husband?”
“Widow.”
“Does that mean yes?” Chey whispered.
I shrugged; I couldn’t say; I didn’t have enough information.
“Was your husband buried here?” I pressed.
“Leave.”
“We’re here to get rid of the demon. Someone else, just like she controls the creature, controls the Lavender Lady. Any help you could give us, we’d be grateful for.” I faced the Woman in Black.
“Leave.”
“Please, we can’t leave until we’ve dealt with this. Lavender is a cambion demon, and the creature is a conjured minion. We need to know where her sire is so we can send them all back to hell. If we miss him, he’ll spawn another offspring,” I explained.
“Foolish girl. Leave.”
“We’re going in circles,” Sunny said. “She’s not going to help us.”
“No, she seems determined to protect us,” Celt agreed.
The Woman in Black pointed beyond us, and we spun, expecting to see Lavender, but the space was empty. When we turned back, she’d faded with the dog.
“Let’s head over there,” Callum suggested.
I nodded, and we walked towards where the Woman in Black had indicated. There was a copse of trees. They surrounded some gravestones which had been knocked over or were uneven. There was nothing remarkable about the area.
“Is that the cemetery’s exit?” Callum asked and motioned to some gates.
“Yes. Well, I guess that’s why she pointed here. To make us leave,” Sunny complained.
“Shush, everyone,” I snapped and gestured for them to get down. Everybody fell quiet and obeyed. There was a second creak, and we exchanged glances. Now they heard what I had.
“It’s coming from over there,” Sunny whispered, and I nodded.
I peered over the gravestone I was hiding behind and observed. The doors to a large, unkempt mausoleum slowly opened, and a hunched figure crept out. As we watched it, it craned its neck and looked around. It was smaller than a minion, but the blackness surrounding it reeked of evil. It cracked its back and cackled.
Behind it came Lavender without her creature. The demon wrapped a hand around her throat and dragged her to him. He placed his mouth near hers, and I saw her shaking her head. The demon didn’t listen and drank from her. Lavender cried out in pain and denial, but the demon refused to stop.
After a minute, he flung her from him, threw back his head, and roared. He started to grow, and a stallion formed under him. A dark laugh rang out as he leapt onto its back, and the horse bucked. The demon’s form changed, and he became the Headless Hessian. The stallion reared once more and then began galloping towards the gates and headed for the bridge.
