Of Witches and Ghosts

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Kalush gently took Sam's hands in his.

"The fight which killed Zantana was the final catalyst. Things are going to start changing soon, they're snowballing; the changes have been going slowly, but soon...soon it will be an avalanche. I want to be there for you but... when I kissed you, I already knew that I couldn't ever keep you," he said with a somber smile. "You belong to someone else. I'm okay with that, even I can't fight fate. But...I still wish you could be mine; you're still one of the few people I would ever consider as a friend. If you need help, I will be there for you. Just call for me and I will come."

Kalush smiled at Sam, blushing slightly. She smiled back.

Gramm always told me I would be a heartbreaker.

Then Kalush gave a short laugh as he sat back. "How did you do it, Ivy? Not long ago, I was one of the most feared Daemons in existence, how the Hell did you tame me like a common dog?"

"My witty charm?" Sam shrugged still smiling. "I should get going; it'll be late when I get back, it was...interesting to see you again, Kalush."

Sam left the tent, not waiting to hear if the reformed Daemon had anything else to say. He usually never did.

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As Sam stepped out of the portal and back into the park, the early evening air whipped around her.

Her gut became twisted with the same sense of dread she felt the day of the Heat Fiend attack. Without stopping to even think, she threw her hood over her head and took off with her intuition as her guide.

Within minutes, Sam came across a hulking, yellow-eyed demon attacking two little boys at a playground.

Her violet eyes glowed in the dimming daylight as she scanned the area. The poor playset had been demolished and smoking scorched marks littered the ground and trees.

It wasn't the amber-eyed beast in front of her that frightened her, but the motionless Phantom lying in a pool of faintly glowing green liquid. He was completely out cold.

Sam felt the magick within her roil and bubble, a familiar sensation. What was unfamiliar was when she reached out with her hand, and, from ten meters away, "grabbed" the demon with a blue beam of power and flung him all the way across the playground and out of the park. Not grasping the gravity of what she had just done, Sam ran over to the boys

"Are you two okay?" she asked in a firm tone. The poor things nodded, too shaken to speak.

"What are you kids even doing out this late?" Sam scolded. "Go home, both of you, before you get caught in the crossfire!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" one the boys stuttered. They both took off running and Sam turned her attention back to the recovering demon on the road.

"Damn," Sam muttered to herself realizing it was a weaker middle level demon known as a Kojack. It almost looked like a giant 15 foot tall gorilla, but with deep, blood-red fur,  and razor-sharp claws and fangs. This particular species relied on their brute strength and not much else. They were easy enough to kill, especially with the potions in her satchel that sapped both demonic strength and power, but Sam was starting to worry about Phantom. He hadn't moved once since she'd gotten there.

Taking a steadying breath, Sam pulled a potion from her satchel as she dropped into a defensive pose. She took a quick glance to make sure it was the right potion before she charged at the demon. The terrifying beast prepared for the assault by dropping to one knee and crossing its arms in front of its face, a common tactic for this demon that her coven often exploited. When she got close to the demon she shifted her pace slightly and, using the crouching demon like a vault, leaped over the demon smashing the potion vial against its head as she went.