Nothing To Fear ....

Battle Plans

      The guys cheerfully obliged , gathering around her while Faith took several shots with her phone , making sure to get Katie's number , and promising to send her the pictures in a few days , when she'd had the chance to get her phone recharged . Katie thanked everyone for their help , and then Potter and Gibbs led her out to the truck , with Allan following behind . They had offered to take Blasko and Hawley as well , but both men politely refused , saying that they felt they would be of more use there .

      After the truck pulled away from the house , Crane glanced around the room , and a wide smile spread across his face . This drew puzzled looks from the others until he said , "Master Hawley , would you be so kind as to show everyone what you brought back with you ?"

      Hawley reached into his pocket and retrieved the crumpled sheet of paper , holding it up where everyone could see it . Diana shifted her attention from him , back to Crane , and inquired , "And this would be what , exactly ?"

      "If we are fortunate , Agent Thomas , this may be the key to defeating our demonic visitor ." , he responded . "This was in the reverend's desk , and while I've not yet had the opportunity to translate the document , it is my hope that this is either the incantation he used , or at the least , a clue to where it can be found ."

      "Well , what are we waiting for , then ?" , Jenny interjected . "The sooner you figure it out , the sooner we can come up with a battle plan . If we can get this figured out tonight , then we can go after the bastard first thing in the morning , when it's inactive , or at least weaker ."

      "Agreed , Miss Jenny . I shall get to work straightaway ." Crane grabbed a notepad and pen , and seated himself at the dining room table , as the others stood nearby , watching him scribble , while mumbling faintly to himself .

      After several minutes , he laid the pen on the table , and scanned the paper again . Finally , Blasko was unable to contain himself any longer , and blurted , "So is that it ? Your incantation , or whatever the hell it is ?"

      "No , this is not the actual spell , but it does provide insight on where to find it . So I need those of you who have any knowledge of Latin to help me go through the volumes we have with us . I'm almost certain it will be in one of them , but it will take too long for me to peruse them alone ."

      Everyone helped to move the books into the dining room , and Crane , Jenny , Jake Wells , and Hawley gathered around the table and began sorting through the pile , as the others settled down to wait for the results , hoping that the end of their problem was finally in sight .

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      The demon screeched in rage and frustration , flinging boxes of old Mason jars around the basement , heedless of the splinters of glass that flew across the musty space . It then began dismantling the furnace , tossing the chunks of rusty metal around as well .

      After several minutes of mindless fury , it began to regain control , and racked its brain to decide what to do about the infuriatingly troublesome humans . They had injured it , limited its ability to feed , and stolen what was to have been its new form , and they had to be dealt with . But how ?

      As it paced the cellar , pondering , an idea began to develop . It would be painful , to be sure , but as it recalled snippets of conversations it had heard between the humans , it acknowledged that this plan was its best chance to obtain both nourishment and a strong new body . But , it would require aid ...

      Calm now , it sat on the dirt floor and searched its memories , inspecting and discarding them , until it found what it sought . Realizing that more effort would be required to avoid the disappointing results of its previous effort , it spent several more minutes calming itself , then reached out a filthy claw and scratched a large circle in the soil , surrounding it with several bizarre symbols . When this was done , it stood in the center of the circle and began to chant . It repeated the words several times , until it saw the earth inside the circle begin to crack , and a clawed hand emerged .

      When its new ally had finally freed itself , it gazed at the demon , awaiting its orders . It didn't have to wait long :

      "Rest , my pet , and gain your strength . Soon we will leave this place , and gather that which is rightfully mine ." , the demon cackled . "They make the mistake of believing that I cannot do this thing , but they will know their error very soon . And we will make sure that they never think themselves my equal again "