The wind brought with it a foul stench of decay. Silas heard a shrill screech of brakes, and when he stepped outside, Seraphina's car was in the middle of the road. Only two steps off the porch then he realized why she hadn't climbed out to greet him yet.
Mr. Snowberry lurched toward him with fleshy bits of something dangling in his mouth. How he could even devour anything was beyond Silas, who stood on his porch in utter horror as he struggled to force his jelly-like legs to move. Most of his former neighbor's abdomen caved in from whatever had gnawed him to death, but vicious chunks of bloody flesh dangled from the ravaged remains of his bones.
Son of a witch. How in the hell did Mr. Snowberry's rotting corpse find his way back to his house? Did someone curse him with black magic to follow him? Silas snatched his wand from his robe's pocket, inhaling a sharp breath before casting a defensive shield between him and the undead.
Memories bled into the present of when the dead attacked their home during the Harvest Fest only a few months ago. Silas heard his heartbeat roaring over the winds and inhuman snarls of the wizard clawing at his magic shield. He barely noticed Seraphina as she climbed out of her car, probably to assist in putting the guy back where he belonged.
"Silenite!" Silas chanted as he clenched his wand tightly, bracing himself for the raw power that surged around him.
Vines sprouted from the frozen ground, melting the snow around Mr. Snowberry's feet as they wrapped tightly around his ankles. The more he struggled, the more his vines tightened. A shift that resembled a roar of thunder struck as the ground beneath Mr. Snowberry caved and the mud sucked his legs in. Mr. Snowberry flailed and snarled his bloody jowls at Silas until he was only visible from the neck up.
With a sickening plop, the ground devoured him whole, returning Mr. Snowberry to where he belonged. The dead were no longer allowed to walk among them. Even the earth itself sensed that and took no mercy on the undead creature that threatened them.
When he gazed up, he locked eyes with Seraphina. A whirlwind of emotions filled his chest. He hadn't wanted her to witness him perform such wicked magic, but the undead had left him no choice. Silas had learned how to return them to the earth, where their remains would dissolve into the dirt to nothingness so they never took another living soul again.
Seraphina approached with cautious steps, avoiding the patch of mud that had taken Mr. Snowberry. "How did you even do that?" Admiration shone in her eyes. "I've never seen anyone perform necromancy magic like that before."
Silas blushed, not anticipating praise. "I studied up on ways to get rid of them after the dead attacked." he shrugged. "I worried he would hurt you out there."
"It also wouldn't look very good to the Supernatural Council either," Seraphina said. "They've been trying to locate his body all morning."
"They have?" Silas blanched.
She stepped onto the porch beside him. "My dad had me visit the morgue with him earlier, where they discovered the freezer he was in had been broken into. I didn't sense any black magic either. If I had to guess, it was already inside him or someone took the body, then cursed his rotten corpse."
"When they learn what happened to him, they'll consider me a suspect, won't they?" Worry laced his voice.
"Well, they would if they knew about this." With the wave of her hand, Seraphina used her magic to sweep fallen snow over the muddy patch that had swallowed Mr. Snowberry's remains. "Guess it's a mystery we'll never solve." She winked.
"Are you sure?" Silas's throat tightened.
"I'd rather the family believe a creep stole his body instead of him becoming that." Seraphina grimaced as she reached for the door, cracking it open. "Anywho, your offer for supper is still on the table, isn't it?"
Silas blinked. "Um, yeah. Of course."
He followed her inside and locked the door behind them. Chills raked down his spine as he peeked out the living room curtain, as if expecting more rotten corpses to stagger down the road. Thankfully, they did not.
"I bought you something." Seraphina held up a black plastic bag, grinning.
"You got me something? Now I feel bad for not getting you anything." Silas awkwardly laughed before accepting the gift.
A beautiful dreamcatcher weaved with powerful magic nearly took his breath away. He'd heard of such protection charms, and they were costly to get a hold of. But that wasn't even the only thing she'd brought. At the bottom of the bag, a small box contained a shiny sapphire necklace with just as much magic brimming inside.
"Just a little extra precaution, considering all the crazy shit that's happened lately," Seraphina explained, her lips curving in a tight frown. "I want you to be safe."
"Thank you." Silas slipped the necklace around his neck, admiring the glowing gem. "It means a lot to me."
"You mentioned earlier how you went to Nevermourn," Seraphina moseyed into the kitchen.
"Yeah, I did. It was just to change my bandages," Silas replied. "I accidentally reopened the wound after fighting off some zombified rats in the backyard."
Seraphina froze. "Zombie rats?"
"Very strange, isn't it? I smelled them when I went outside and followed the scent next door, where I thought they were just killed by something before they sprung back up."
"Do you think we have another necromantic killer around here?" Seraphina asked.
"Gods, I hope not." Silas stepped over to the stove and slipped his oven mitts on. "It would make sense with everything that's happened, aside from the vampire attack."
A plume of smoke popped out like a startled ghost as Silas removed the pan. Delicious smells of baked crust and beef from the pie embraced the warm kitchen.
"Maybe it was just a random attack?" Seraphina suggested.
"Maybe." Silas agreed as he placed the pan on the counter to cool. "But I doubt it. Ever since I saved you that night, something's been after both of us."
"Yeah, I noticed that." Seraphina fiddled with the pendant around her neck.
"Do you have any idea who'd want to hurt you?" Silas asked. "We could narrow down some suspects, at the very least."
"Could be anyone." She shrugged.
Silas slanted his eyes in suspicion. "But you do have some ideas, right?"
"I don't want to put you in any more danger than I already have." Guilt laced her words as her expression morphed into sorrow. "I hate myself for what I've done to you."
"You didn't force me to intervene that night, Sera. We've been over this before. I don't need pity either." Silas hadn't meant for that last one to sound so harsh, but he couldn't help it. Did she only visit him out of remorse? His hopeful heart had thought she actually liked him, but maybe he was being foolish.
"I'm sorry." Seraphina kept her gaze glued to the table. "I can't say for certain who sent that wolf walker after me because I've worked with a lot of shady folks."
"Like that lady who sold the toes?" Silas shivered.
"Yes, but she's one of the few who I trust wouldn't kill me. She's not as wicked as some of the others," Seraphina admitted.
"I see. Care to tell me about the others then? I only want to help you, and I'm already in this too deep as it is. Someone's after me as well."
"Because of me." Serahina sighed.
"You won't get any pie if you keep sulking and blaming yourself," Silas chided with a small smile as he went to fetch some glass plates from the cabinet.
"Alright, so you know about Agatha already. Her family runs a pretty large chunk of the black market here in Marusticia. Agatha's mother is the one I'm most concerned about. That wicked woman promised to sell my eyeballs and use my hair to make voodoo dolls if I ever crossed her." Seraphina bristled.
"Sounds like a frightening woman. Please, don't tell me you crossed her." Silas cut into the pie crust, then served Seraphina her slice.
"I did, unfortunately. I thought I could fix things, but it didn't work out the way I thought it would. Once you bring them things, they expect more and more. I was also buying summoning supplies from Agatha's mother as well, so you can imagine how ticked off she is with me."
"So, what happened?" Silas frowned.
"She wanted the tail of a demon." Seraphina cringed to think about it. "If not, she promised she'd take the heart of someone I love."
"Crystal balls, Sera." Silas almost dropped his own plate of beef pie as he took a seat beside her at the table. "You didn't try to cut a tail off a demon, did you?"
"Yeah, I'm still trying to." Seraphina bit into her slice of pie, taking a moment to swallow before adding, "Things didn't work out well the first few times I tried. They all saw through my lies, but then, I summoned someone I thought I'd never see again. Charlotte Cromwell."
"I heard rumors she'd let dark magic consume her soul," Silas said. "Guess they were true."
"Well, I thought about taking Charlotte's but I worried she'd see through my lies like the others I summoned did. So far, she's made no indication of knowing my true intentions, but that's probably because I'm hesitating. I don't want to do that to her." Seraphina sighed. "She thinks I'm summoning her to learn more about black magic, like she did, and it's been helpful. I wondered if I could master it like she did, maybe I could stand a chance against them."
"You realize how crazy and dangerous this all is, right?" Silas asked, concern growing. "Why didn't you just go to your mother? Sera, that demon could try to possess you. Hell, she might be the one who sent the wolf walker and all these other zombies after us. Haven't you thought about that?"
"I miss her," Seraphina's voice cracked. "That's why I sought the shop out to begin with. I wanted to see her again and talk to her. I sold vampire venom and toe nails to them, with some help from Castor. Please, don't ask. The people who run these shops are vile. They would sell our body parts for fun and make stews with them."
"Lovely image." Silas wrinkled his nose. "But I understand that feeling of wanting to see a lost loved one again. I just wish you could have said this before so I had an idea of what was going on. It felt like you were leaving me in the dark."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I thought I could handle this on my own. Guess I was wrong." Seraphina slumped her shoulders. "You know, I always loved coming over here as kids. It was nice to get away from all the important family business and keeping up with appearances. Charlotte and I had that in common. Our families worship their traditions and namesake. I never want to take my mother's place as Monarch of Marusticia. Some day, I have to take responsibility for this whole damn town and I don't want it. I'm barely keeping myself and you alive."
"Has she tried pushing you to take on more responsibility within the council?" Silas asked softly.
"No, but my father is. He keeps trying to force me to sell the bakery." Seraphina shook her head. "It's only a matter of time until mother grows tired of letting me waste my life away. One night, I overheard my father talking to her about arranging a courtship for me. My parents' marriage was arranged too, after all."
Silas's stomach dropped. "They wouldn't force you to do something like that, would they?"
"My mother wouldn't, but I understand their concerns. I'm summoning demons and making deals with sketchy vendors on the black market who might be planning to harvest my organs. Certainly not someone who has their shit together."
"If they keep pestering you about finding someone, just tell them you're with me." Warmth heated his rosy cheeks. "I mean, I'm sure they already suspect something after seeing us together at night, right?"
Silas's heartbeat echoed thunderously in the silence, but he soon realized that it wasn't just his own - Seraphina's heart was also beating just as loud.
"Silas-" The sound of glass shattering interrupted her sentence. "What the hell was that?"
Silas frowned as he rose from the table and took cautious steps into the living room with Seraphina trailing close behind him. One peek out the window showed him nothing but the snowy street outside. A screech pierced his ears, and he staggered back with his hands over them like it could somehow lessen the pain.
It didn't seem to bother Seraphina, who simply opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch like she wanted something to kill her. Silas chased after her with his wand drawn before plunging out into the icy hellscape outside.
A flurry of black descended from the gray sky at rapid speed, followed by a far larger creature. Before either of them could dare form a spell or move a muscle, the two critters plummeted into the snow. Silence swept over the neighborhood, like the calm before the storm.
The ground beneath them shook with rage. Silas felt a potent power surge around them, seeping down into the ground and into the roots. Despite the cold, a sudden warmth cradled his face like the flames of a firepit, and then, his entire yard burst into flames like the devil had risen from the depths of hell.
From the fire, a bat emerged, struggling to flap his wings. Silas smelled blood in the air. As the bat neared them, droplets of blood sprinkled the steps of his porch as it fell onto the rocking chair.
Silas took cautious steps toward the bat while his yard burned behind them, then jolted back into Seraphina's arms when it started to grow. Velvety skin melted away to porcelain flesh. The bat's features dissolved into a young man, who Silas immediately recognized. It was Castor Vale.
"Hells bells," Castor hissed, literally, as he bared his fangs at the flames behind them. He curled up like a cat, body rigid as flames encased his backside. "That wicked owl attacked me mid-air."
"So you set it on fire?" Seraphina pointed to the magical flames that melted all the snow in the yard.
"Of course." Castor glowered. "What did you expect me to do? Eat it?"
The flames curled and twisted like golden snakes, then vanished underground. Despite the hellish inferno, the yard was not left in ruins. The Rosewood family prided themselves in their Earth magic, which protected their yard and conveniently helped Silas hide an undead corpse earlier. Not even Castor's hellfire could destroy their magical barriers, but that protection did not extend to the charred remains of the owl which had attacked Castor.
"Something was wrong with it," Castor said, shaking his head. "Its eyes looked hollow and it kept trying to bite me. The nasty little fucker bit my shoulder and wing." He rubbed his upper arm, which was covered in blood. Vampires normally didn't lose that much blood either.
"Are you okay?" Concern crossed Silas's face. "My dad's got a medical kit in the house I can use."
Castor nodded. "Yeah, okay. I need to make sure it's not infected by that rabid ass owl."
Once they stepped back inside, Silas noticed how Castor hesitated outside on the porch.
Castor frowned. "You have to formally welcome me in. Otherwise, your house is going kill me."