"Watch out!" I open my eyes, startled, staring at the knife stuck in a painting frame right in front of my face, it came flying from the kitchen one second ago and almost stabbed my neck. "Ruby, I'm scared..."
"Calm down," I whisper casting a shield spell that covers us and prevents the apartment stuff from hitting us while we keep walking and manage to reach the room. The situation is terrible and my heart skips a beat when I spot Elvira standing in the middle of the carpet whispering something, focused on the shadows that are dancing on the walls, sliding closer between the furniture, extending their thin arms and claws towards Diana who's crying desperately while her mother leans over her crib to protect her with her body. The negative energy makes the building foundations and windows shake, glasses shatter but the Mexican witch remains firm and the protective spells around the crib are powerful. No demon can fight the love my coven feels for Diana.
"Ruby!" someone yells behind me.
"Careful with the knives!" Iselen answers and Aletta stops abruptly, staring at Louisa's cutlery that's stuck in the wall right in front of her face in disbelief. Kanti holds her breath behind her and Lester casts a shield spell over them to be able to walk down the corridor safely. I push my druid towards Louisa so she can help her to calm down the baby while I stand next to Elvira despite the stormy wind swirling around us. I put my hand on her shoulder and link my energy to hers to make her spell more powerful instead of casting a new one myself, my sister recognizes me immediately and she seems to relax a little, relieved.
Aletta joins us and also Lester, our combined power keeps the nasty shadows away from the crib but it's not enough to kick their asses out and I don't have that wonderful sexual energy I managed to gather thanks to my druid to attack them: I need to remain firm here till my entire coven arrives. Elvira staggers, exhausted, and I squeeze her shoulder gently giving her a quiet order, the Mexican witch nods and steps back, slowly, drawing back her power so I can take control of the spell and lead my sisters again. Suddenly, I notice some kind of grey fog lurking on the other side of the broken window, trying to get in, and small lightning flash across these weird disgusting clouds. Things are getting ugly...
"Ruby!"
"Thyra, hurry up!" I yell. "Be careful with the knives!"
"What the actual...?" Savannah growls surprised from the corridor and all my sisters manage to reach the bedroom one minute later. "Louisa, your favourite athame has flown from the altar in the living room and almost stabbed me."
"We'll talk about it later, help me to push these shadows outside..." The girls run towards me, leaning her hands on their shoulders, getting linked to me through my druid who's hugging my waist standing behind me. The baby has stopped crying thanks to Kanti or maybe Diana feels better now that we're all here and her mom feels calmer surrounded by her sisters. I focus on their energy: pure, clean and vibrant, so familiar and pleasant, giving me strength and balance while the Goddess is carrying us in her heart. We're invincible together.
I smirk mischievously and cast an attack spell, a flash of light blinds us while shadows back down fast, they dig their claws into the wall trying to stay in the room and manage to scratch the paint... they may be like ghosts but their energy is real and they're capable of hurting us. My spell is too powerful anyway and shoves the shadows out, a warm wind pushes the fog away and the shards of glass go back to the window, fixing it like it was never broken. Suddenly, silence falls over the building and I can only hear my sisters' heavy breathing. Everything is a mess around us, like a bomb has exploded in the apartment while we look at each other in disbelief.
"Don't worry, Louisa, the baby is okay," Kanti whispers bringing us back to reality and the Italian girl nods, getting closer to the crib wearily. Suddenly, Lester points at something on the other side of the window and opens his eyes wide in shock, running out of the bedroom, startling us. I hesitate for a second and decide to follow him, jumping over turned chairs, slipping because of the broken sauce jars and food containers that have fallen from the open fridge and stepping on the books scattered around. Some knives and forks are stuck to the corridor wall and there're sharp pieces of glass from broken bottles everywhere so we must walk carefully. Luckily, the stairs are perfect and neighbours keep sleeping like nothing weird is going on.
THIRTY-FOUR (Ruby POV)
Start from the beginning
