The community gathered at the coven’s circle, while the local police shouted instructions on how to perform a search party. We would begin at Willow’s house and spread out in a circle, while shouting her name. They told us to go in pairs and remain in sight of at least one other group, at all times.
I grabbed Savannah’s shoulders, forcing her to look at me. “You told me you could take Kit’s shape. Do you think you can do that now?”
Her eyes darted back and forth, but she nodded. “Why?”
“Animals are predators; they track their prey. If you change into Kit, you can smell something of Willow’s and track her scent.”
“You want me to go get something of hers?” Griffin’s spoke gently.
Savannah nodded. “Yeah. Uh, grab the teddy bear on her bed. She sleeps with it every night and won’t wash it, because it’s old. She doesn’t want it to lose its stitching.”
Griffin raced over to Willow’s house, darting between people who were pairing up for the search. I silently held Savannah until Griffin brought the teddy bear back.
“Got it. Now, where do we do this shifter thing without creeping out the regular people?”
I led them towards the shed behind Maye’s house. It was for Maye’s gardening tools and the size of a small bedroom. Once the door was closed, I turned to Savannah.
“Okay, now we have privacy. Work your magic.”
Minutes ticked by during which, the most interesting thing that happened was a fly landing on my hand. “Come on, S. Hurry up.”
“I’m trying! This is the first time. They didn’t exactly give me an instruction manual.”
My arms lifted in defeat and gestured for Griffin to take over. “I don’t know much about shifting, but I would imagine you have to concentrate on your bond.” Savannah looked at him in wonder. He shrugged. “Ash filled me in on your ability.” She threw a contemptuous look my way, but focused again on Griffin. “Concentrate on your bond and immerse yourself in Kit’s memories. Use his experiences to guide you through his senses. Basically, think like a panther. They’re strong, fast, and great hunters. They are black and easily blend in with the night. Use all of that. Theoretically, if you immerse yourself, your body should follow the path that your mind creates.”
I briefly wondered where Griffin had learned about shifting. It wasn't something that the coven taught us.
“Okay, I’ll try. Just turn around and don’t watch me.” Neither of us turned. “I’m going to undress! I would imagine that this will rip my clothes and you boys are going to carry them, so I can change back into them when we find Willow. Turn around!”
We may have turned, but I still got a side show. There was a mirror propped against the wall of the shed, which allowed a perfect view. I wasn't trying my skills at being a peeping tom, I just wanted to watch her shift. My curiosity got the best of me, but I was still a man, who liked what he saw.
For a long while, nothing happened and then came the seizure. Black threads multiplied and spread across her skin in a maze. The threads transformed into fur, as they burst through her flesh. Her eyes widened and grew. The bones in her back broke and set in new ways. Her face resembled a kaleidoscope, as it shifted into its new setting. The whole process looked painful, but in way it was also beautiful.
With each crack of her bones, I could feel Griffin cringe beside me. Savannah didn’t make sounds of distress, but when the process was finished she growled. I turned around to take in Savannah in her feline form. As a ghost, Kit had blue eyes, but Savannah as a panther had bright yellow eyes. She was 8 feet long with sleek black fur.
Her roar rattled the shed. She shook her head and approached Griffin to sniff the bear in his hand. Nervous, he backed away. “Man, this is weird. Savannah, you know all those times I was an ass, I was just kidding.” He laughed and looked me in the eye. “She could tear my throat out.” He loosened the neckline of his shirt and opened the shed door. Everyone else had already entered the forest.
“S, if you can understand me lick my right hand.” I held my hands near her, fighting my instincts to run from her predatory form. She flicked out her tongue, catching the barest hint of my skin. “Okay, you track her and we will follow. Just, make sure we're able to keep up, okay?” She snorted and raced off with us following.
I couldn’t believe how fast she was. She tore through the forest, easily maneuvering around each obstacle. Unfortunately, she had to pause repeatedly for us to catch up. Often we would watch from a distance, while she climbed trees to lie on a branch.
Griffin and I were exhausted from running through the woods, when Savannah halted. She started circling, which reminded me of a cat chasing its tail. However, the anxiety coming off her in waves was vastly different than the playful attitude of a kitten.
“What’s wrong with her?” Griffin crouched near Savannah, while I searched the surrounding woods. “Ah. Here’s her problem.” I looked back to see Savannah nosing aside some leaves. Griffin lifted a leaf for me to see; droplets of blood smeared the waxy surface.
“Damn.” Savannah’s eyes glowed at me before she turned and sprinted away. We followed until she slowed. Her form began to slink low to the ground like a cat does when stalking prey. A head of us, I could make out the shape of a shed and realized it was the shed Willow and Savannah used to play in as children. My stomach clenched. What if Willow was dead too?
We neared the shed and Savannah sniffed around the edges. I opened the door, but it was empty.
“S, she’s not here.”
She let loose a deafening roar and starting using her paws to dig at the dirt around the shed. I looked closer and saw that there was a large cavern underneath, which the shed had been built on. Savannah was attempting to pull the dirt enough to squeeze through the opening. She wiggled her head through until only her body remained on the outside. That was when we heard the scream. It was loud enough that I thought an animal must be dying, but I could recognize the tone as Willow’s.
Savannah’s efforts increased, while I bent down to help push her through. Griffin and I soon followed. The cavern was a tiny basement to the shed, but large enough for the four of us to fit in. Griffin took out his cell phone to light up the surrounding area.
Willow was against the far wall; trying to shrink into it. Her skin was covered in layers of dirt, while clumps of mud and stray branches peppered her hair. Her nails were red from clawing at the wall behind her. She had left some decent sized abrasions in the wall.
Willow didn’t seem to recognize us. Her head shook back and forth, while her hands tore at her hair and cry’s racked her body. Griffin and I inched away from her, while Savannah moved forward. Willows picked up a rock and threw it at Savannah hitting her in the head.
Savannah whimpered, lowered herself to the ground and slowly inched forward. Her paws were outstretched and Willow watched like a hawk. Rolling onto her back, Savannah began to rock from side to side. She was trying to convey her harmless nature and Willow seemed entranced enough to allow Savannah near. For her last roll, Savannah ended up next to Willow and lifted her head. She moved forward and licked a large gash on Willows arm.
The sound that burst from Willow was one of defeat and acceptance. She pulled Savannah onto her lap and held her. Slowly, Savannah’s body changed until she was naked in Willow’s arms. She then moved to hold Willow and gently rocked her until she quieted.
“Shhh… Willow, everything’s fine. No one is going to hurt you. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”
“Me too.” Their heads snapped up at Izzy’s voice and Willow’s eyes held recognition.
Willow looked at each of us in turn and took in Savannah’s naked state. “Why are you naked?” We all laughed.
“When I shift, I don’t get to take my clothes with me. I didn’t think it was a good idea to take the time for clothes, when you obviously needed me.”
“Oh.”
I handed Savannah her clothes, which she quickly put on. Willow allowed me to help her up and out
from under the shed. On the way back to the search party, she explained that the demon had been in her head. If was telling her to kill someone and without knowing what else to do, she slammed her head into the porch. Her rationality had fled; she just wanted him out of her head.
Once she injured herself, the demons voice stopped. However, when she turned, she found him standing across the street and ran for the forest. She hid beneath the shed because she knew Savannah would find her.
SAVANNAH
I wanted to tear him limb from limb. I was so furious that I had half a mind to hunt down the demon. However, Willow’s mind was weakened by his onslaught and I couldn’t stand to leave her so soon. We each took a shower and curled on her day bed. She was shivering and kept moving her hand to make sure I was still next to her.
Why did Asmodeus want to take everything from me? Hadn’t he had enough? I ached inside at how terrified Willow had been, and the thought that she suffered through it alone, while I searched for her. Izzy stayed with us, but sat near the window watching the moon. Kit sat next to her. These were my two best friends; my family. I couldn’t allow him destroy my world.
I had spent my childhood being led on a leash through each trial. When I came to live with Maye, I promised myself that I wouldn’t allow my world to be dictated. This was five steps further than dictating my life; he had turned me into a puppet, while he created the stage.
“I can’t let him do this anymore.” I was hardly aware I spoke aloud, but Izzy turned to face me and Willow sat up. “He’s going to keep going until he kills everyone. That’s what the journal said. My parent’s killed all of those people to give me enough power to stand up to him. I think it’s about time I did.”
“Are you crazy? All he has to do is wiggle into your brain and pop goes the weasel.”
“Izzy, I don’t think that helps anything.” Willow’s voice shook. “Savannah, I know you feel responsible, but going all superhero on his ass isn’t going to help matters. He’s too strong.”
“Did you really just say ass?” Izzy laughed until it turned into a mad giggle. Willow responded by grabbing her teddy and throwing it at Izzy, but it merely passed through her to hit the window. “Ha! You can’t hit me unless I let you.” They demonstrated their maturity by sticking their tongues out at one another.
“Seriously, you guys! What else am I supposed to do? I can’t sit around while he kills people. Willow could have died and Izzy, you already have.” The three of us were silent, while we each thought about everything that had happened. “This isn’t a discussion, okay? I am taking this fight to him. There is no doubt about that. I just need to figure out how to do it. You can help me make a plan or stand by and watch. Either way, I have made my decision.”
14: Intervention
ASH
I slept until noon the next day and found Savannah’s bed empty. Maye was at an elder gathering and knowing Savannah, she was at Willow’s. I walked over to Willows intending to offer some solace, but when I got there I was marooned in the living room.
“Hi.” I turned to find Willow standing alone.
“Um, is Savannah here?”
“She’s still sleeping.” I gave her a confused glance, since Savannah never slept past noon before. “I placed some herbs in her breakfast to make her sleep. She didn’t get any last night.”
“Oh. I tell her I was here.” I began to leave, but Willow stopped me.
“She’s going to get herself killed. She wants to go after him, alone.” I halted, but didn’t turn to face her. “She thinks she can do it by herself, but she can’t. She will only allow me and Izzy to help her create a plan, but wants us to remain behind when she goes after him.”
“I won’t let her.” I tuned my head slightly, while I spoke and walked out the door.
“I know. That’s why I told you.” She closed and locked the door behind me.
My mind went through all of the possible scenarios and realized that Savannah is too stubborn for me to stop her. However, I could help her. Obviously, she didn’t want the coven in on this. I could understand that. With that many people, it would turn into a massacre. Besides, most of the coven was against using their power in such a way. That left me two choices; Griffin or Liam.
I got in my car and drove. I knew where to go, because Maye insisted on knowing Liam’s address when Savannah dated him. I memorized it the first time she gave it to me. He opened on my first knock and I gave him credit for not wearing a surprised expression. He merely opened the door and stepped aside for me to enter.
“I’m sure there is a good reason for you being here? Decide you need to attack me again? Maybe you want to piss outside my door to mark your territory?”
“Savannah is in trouble.” Liam’s attitude went from sarcastic to serious in the space of seconds. I sighed. “Look, we hate each other. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that much out, but we care about Savannah. If I am going to keep her safe, I am going to need more than a witchling, ghost, and spirit animal.”
“What do you need?”
LIAM
If Ash showing up at my place wasn’t bad enough, the news he came with was much worse. My head pounded from everything he told me. We managed to agree that we would confront Savannah about her plan and the stupidity behind it. Willow and Izzy were already on board. After we developed our intervention, we went to railroad Savannah into being part of a plan, rather than the sole participant.
We found Savannah rifling through boxes in the attic. It was a tight fit, but we all managed to squeeze into it.
“What now?” Savannah’s lips took on an angry pout that was completely kissable.
I expected Ash to take the lead, but Willow stepped up to the plate before him. “We are here to help and not just with the plan, but the execution of it.” Willow gave Savannah a sarcastic smile, and said “This is not a discussion. We are confronting him and we are creating the plan. You can help or stand back, while we take care of everything. Sound familiar?”
Savannah smiled. “Do you have to use my own words against me? I suppose this means that the boys have been filled in on everything?”
“Yeah.” Willow glanced at everyone in confusion. “You’re not going to argue? You know, tell us we can’t help or something? I had an argument all planned out!”
“You’re angry that you don’t get to argue? Typical!” Izzy shouted from behind all of us.
“Willow, I know you better than you realize. I knew you were going to stand by; I just hoped you would. You’re going to do this against my will, but if I work with you… I might be able to keep you all safe. God, you make me seem so irrational sometimes.”
Savannah shook her head and went back to digging around in random boxes. We all chipped in and brought the items we found to Savannah’s room. The girls placed the items on the bed and waited for Savannah to talk.
“Alright, I am building my plan based on my mothers’ journal. Bloodstone is the key here. Obviously, it works since it trapped him. Now, my theory is that if we managed to get the bloodstone inside him, we might be able to kill him. I mean, my mother said he couldn’t even touch the stuff.” She shrugged, sat on her bed, and leaned on her pillows.
“That’s it.” I couldn’t help it, but her plan seemed a little bland. “How are you doing to get it inside him? How are you going to live long enough to get that close? Oh, and what if it doesn’t work?”
Ash spoke from beside me. “Easy, the plan doesn’t work; we die. Then the covens both die and its celebration time in hell.” He walked over to a box with bloodstone decorated across it. “What if we made a bloodstone dagger? If we did that, it could puncture his skin.”
“Liam’s right, though. How do we get close enough? He’s strong.” Willow fidgeted with the sleeves of her shirt and I could see she was frightened.
“My panther; I’m strong in that form and fast. I can take care of him physically, while you guys attack him magically. One of us just needs to get close enough to stab him, while h
e is distracted by the others.”
“Still a problem guys” Izzy spoke from the corner. “How exactly do we make a bloodstone dagger?” We looked at one another and not a single one of us put forth an idea.
“You make it with light and dark magic and forge it in the essence of a spirit.” Unanimously, we turned in horror to find Maye standing in the doorway. “You honestly believe I have remained oblivious to everything that’s going on? Give me some credit.”
“Maye, you know? How?” Ash moved closer to Savannah and sat beside her on the bed. Savannah placed her hand over his mouth and spoke. “We have to do this. Please, don’t try to stop us.” She pleaded.
Maye gave us a warm smile. “I’m not going to stop you; I’m going to help you. Liam, Ash, Izzy come with me. I will need all three of you if we are going to make this dagger. Savannah, go outside and practice maneuvers as a she-panther. Willow, watch her and practice some moves of your own.”
No one moved. “If you all want to stop this thing, we better get moving. I’m a lot slower than I used to be. I’m no spring chicken.” She cracked a smile and went downstairs.
“She seems smart.” I felt stupid saying it, but I needed to break the silence.
“Yeah.” Everyone else spoke at once.
Izzy, Ash, and I trailed downstairs to find Maye. We left Willow and Savannah alone in the bedroom with shocked expressions still frozen on their faces. Maye brought us downstairs and into the basement. She signaled for us to come closer and moved aside a painting to reveal a small handle. She turned it and the wall opened up into a study.
“Come on in.” Maye smiled back at us.
We filed into the room; Ash sat in a velvet chair beside an antique cabinet. Izzy took up the space behind the chair and I leaned against the wall we came through.