by Jamie Davis
“Those stone idols are powerful. If they’ve been used, even partially, to summon a demon here to Elk City, then the whole city is in danger. The demon lord tied to those figurines is one of the most powerful I’ve ever heard of. My family’s lore masters were clear in their records. His presence here will spell doom for Elk City unless we can find a way to send him back to Hell.”
Chapter 6
Dean was still shocked by how quickly the tables had turned with the spell. It seemed his family was doomed to have spells fail when they least expected it. The other members of the spell circle had left the casting room for other areas of the massive coven house. Only Anya remained with the three of them.
“Young Jo here still has much to learn,” the Wiccan leader said. She looked from Jo to Jaz and Dean. “You must protect her while she is tied to this spell she has cast on the idol. Once the demon discovers it is she who blocks it from connecting to the other two idols, he will come searching for her.”
Dean had a thought. “Wouldn’t it make better sense to have her stay with you all here? She’ll have the full coven to protect her.”
“No, Dean Flynn. The demon will surely come searching here first since he will detect the nature of the protection and realize it must come from one of our number. We can watch over ourselves, but it will soon learn that the protection spell does not emanate from any caster in this protected place.”
“If this is so strongly protected, then it would be the perfect place to keep her from harm,” Dean protested.
“Nay, Dean. There is stronger protection available. The huntress knows.”
Dean looked at Jaz. She was staring at the floor and shaking her head.
“What, Jaz? You know what she is talking about, right?”
“Family,” was all Jaz said.
“What do you mean, ‘Family’?”
“Dad, she means that the hunter clans have created protections over their family structure during the centuries they tracked and hunted down demons. It is a level of protection that no one else but one of our family can offer. It is called a sanctuary spell and it is very strong.”
“But it is also extremely hard to do and I’ve never done it myself,” Jaz added, joining the conversation. “I know the theory and the words to enact it, but I’m not sure how to make it work in this instance. I’m the last Errington. If I’m to provide sanctuary, then who is the one who will go out and hunt this demon down?”
Anya smiled. “You are forgetting that you are not as alone as you think you are, young Jaswinder. Your family is only mostly gone. Dean here is a member of your clan now, too.”
“What?” Dean asked. “How can that be?”
“You are tied together by Joanna, Dean. Despite your doubts, you and Jaz will marry someday, and after that, have a daughter. That daughter ties you to the Errington clan. You may provide sanctuary.”
“But all of that is in the future. It hasn’t happened yet,” Dean protested.
“Dean, magic and magical beings aren’t as concerned with our human ties to linear time, past, present and future. Magic sees all of it as a whole that exists at once, in the same space. You will marry Jaz. She will bear your child. As far as magic is concerned, that is enough.”
“Trust her. It makes sense, Dad,” Jo said.
“Jaz?” Dean asked. “Does it make sense to you? You’re the one who needs to make this work.”
“Yes,” Jaz nodded. “I may not have fully admitted it all being true to myself, but it makes sense. If that is the case, then I should be able to lay the sanctuary protection on you so that you can watch over Jo. It does mean that you will have to keep her close to you at all times. She must stay by your side, within a few yards of you or she must stay in your apartment.” Jaz shot a look at Jo. “You understand that? You will only be protected while inside your father’s home or by his side. You must not go out on your own.”
“I understand, Mom. I’m not the newbie here.”
Once he learned she had to stay another three months, Dean had hoped to get another place for Jo to stay while she remained here. It seemed, however, that she was to stay with him for a while longer. He’d have to come up with some sort of excuse again that would work for his landlords. She was young enough to still be in school, so he’d have to explain to them why she wasn’t going to the local high school like other neighborhood kids.
“Anya,” Dean said. “I thank you again for your willingness to undertake another spell on our behalf. We’ll keep Jo safe. Please remain safe yourself. We’ll see you back here in three months, I guess.”
“Be safe as well, Dean Flynn. We shall surely see each other again in three months.”
Anya led the small family to the entry of the large home and watched them head outside. The three walked to their two cars, parked next to each other on the street. They were all silent. Dean wondered how he was supposed to protect Jo from a demon. If some creature came up and burst into his apartment, he’d do his best to defend her, but he was no trained fighter like Jaz, or even Jo.
“Dean,” Jaz said, interrupting his train of thought. “The sanctuary should be cast in your home. It will tie to you and Jo there and remain with you when you are together. That should be our next stop.”
“How does this work, Jaz? I’m not a fighter like you. I will not be as able to defend her from an attack as you would be.”
“The sanctuary spell should avoid that necessity,” Jazz replied. “If I understand how it works from the family lessons and lore, sanctuary makes it so the target of an attack cannot be found. It is like they don’t exist. Some magical beings won’t even be able to see Jo when she is under the protection of the spell.”
“So how close do I have to be to Dad to make it work?”
“My guess is within his aura, so say about five to six feet, maybe more? But remember that you’ll always be within the protection when in his apartment. So just stay close to him whenever you go out and you’ll be fine. I’ll track down this demon and get the other stones back. You just stay safe.”
Jo nodded and the three of them loaded up in their cars and headed to Dean’s apartment. Jo rode with him while Jaz followed in her black Ford SUV. It was time to get the sanctuary spell in place.
* * *
———
* * *
The ride back to Dean’s apartment was quiet. The time travel spell had failed and Dean was back to having Jo stay with him. It was going to be a little awkward with his landlords. They were a nice enough elderly couple but they did have definite notions about how things were supposed to be.
Now she had to stay with him through the entire summer, for three months, until the next heavenly event, the autumnal equinox. They had that long to find the other summoning idols and get Jo back to her own time. If that didn’t work, Dean guessed he’d have to enroll her in school and make her attend just like any other fifteen-year-old.
They got back to Dean’s apartment and pulled up out front of the small suburban home where he rented the apartment over the garage. He winced when he saw Mrs. Baxter out watering her flower garden. She waved and then saw Jo and got a look of puzzlement on her face.
Dean told Jo to take Jaz upstairs and walked over to his landlady when he noticed her expression. “Hi, Mrs. Baxter. We ran into a bit of a snag with Jo’s mom and dad, so she’s going to stay with me for the rest of the summer. I hope that’s not a problem.”
“No, Dean, of course not,” the elderly woman said. “I know not everyone has parents as supportive as they’d like. She’s lucky to have you and your new friend Jaz to keep an eye on her.” She waved at Jaz and Jo as they went by.
Dean and Mrs. Baxter watched as the two women in question walked up the stairs on the outside of the garage up to Dean’s apartment.
“How are things going between you and your new lady? I have to say I miss your Ashley, but don’t get me wrong. I understand how these things go. We each have to make our own decisions in these things.”
&
nbsp; “We are getting along alright, just good friends right now I guess. I miss Ashley, too, Mrs. B. She just had to leave suddenly and couldn’t tell me when she would be able to return, so we sort of broke things off.”
“I understand, dear,” the woman said. She laid her hand on Dean’s arm. “Don’t let an old lady’s sense of what is right for you get in the way of your own heart. You’re a nice boy. You’ll find the one for you.”
She said goodbye and went back to her gardening while Dean walked over to his apartment. As he was climbing the stairs, he heard a heated discussion between Jaz and Jo.
“You can’t leave me here without some weapons to defend myself, Mom. I am more than capable in handling myself. At least bring me my sword.”
“It’s not your sword, it’s my mother’s. You don’t get it for at least eighteen years yet, right?”
“That’s not the point, it’s tied to me, too. I can feel it when I hold it. I will feel better if I have it with me.”
“So, you’ll settle for just having the sword?”
“No, you should leave me a pistol and AR-15, too.”
“Absolutely not. People will talk if you are found toting that kind of weaponry around a residential neighborhood.”
“I’m not stupid, Mom. I won’t be wandering around outside with them.”
“Then you don’t need them. The sanctuary spell will protect you in the apartment, and if you stay close to Dean when you’re outside of the home, you should be safe as well.”
“C’mon, just a pistol? What could it hurt?”
Dean decided he needed to enter and add his two-cents-worth. Pushing open the apartment door he entered, shushing the ladies as he came in.
“Can you two quiet down a bit? We are lucky Mrs. Baxter is a little hard of hearing so she can’t hear you arguing over which assault weapons you’d like to leave in the apartment on their property.”
“Dean stay out of this,” Jaz said. “This is between the two of us. We know you’re not a big fan of guns, so let me handle this.” She turned back to her daughter and paused for a moment. “I’ll leave you one Glock with a few holster arrangements for you depending on what you’re wearing. I’ll also leave mom’s sword, but it’s just a loan. It’s not yours yet, no matter what you think or feel. Understood?”
“Hey, I thought you just said the spell would protect her?” Dean asked. “If that’s the case, we don’t need all the weaponry. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this.”
Jo looked over at him and rolled her eyes. “Dad, you’re never comfortable around guns. So what else is new?”
“You two stay here and I’ll go get what we need out of the SUV,” Jaz said. “It is better to be safe than sorry, Dean. She’s right. Jo knows how to handle firearms safely. If I raised her, she’s been handling guns since she could write her name. I’ll be right back.”
Dean watched her head out to her vehicle and shook his head. It was like he wasn’t even here when the two of them had these discussions.
“Don’t take it so bad, Dad. She didn’t like it when you insisted you honor your commitment to the Coven and turn me over to them to be educated as a Wiccan. She didn’t like it, but she also accepted that you made the promise in good faith and couldn’t go back on your word. She is still working through all that now, but when the time comes in fifteen years or so that you first send me there to live for a while, she gets over it. I secretly think she’s proud of how powerful I already am.”
“You do seem to have a lot of power for one so young, Jo. Have Anya and the others ever commented on it?”
“They seem to think that the innate hunter magic is part of it. I’m the first of one of the major hunter clans to ever become a witch. So there’s that. Some of the sisters seem to think there is something magical in your past, too, Dad. They say that only a unique combination of family powers could explain my affinity for magic.” The teen shrugged. “It’s no big deal either way. I like it and the magic comes easily to me.”
Dean nodded in agreement. He remembered the way she defended herself with no trouble when they were on the rescue mission to get Ashley back. She was able to command some pretty incredible powers on her own. It seemed at the time that she was able to do things that surprised even herself.
Jaz came back up to the apartment then, carrying a small, black plastic case and a long, cloth-wrapped bundle. The bundle must be the sword. He guessed the case contained a pistol.
“First things first,” Jaz said, opening the small plastic gun case. Inside Dean saw a black semi-automatic pistol and three magazines. There was also a box of bullets in the case.
Jaz continued as Jo laughed with delight. “The pistol is a standard that you should know very well. I’ve left three magazines and a full reload for each. They are standard silver frangible reloads which should handle most Unusual types, and at least slow a demon down. You don’t have a license to carry these outside of the house so this is just for home defense or emergency situations. You’ll be careful, right?”
“I will, Mom.” The teen picked up the pistol, checking to make sure it was unloaded and safe. Dean knew she was capable with one of them. He’d seen her handle one like it before. “I still need to get used to the manual safety. In the future, we use biometric grips that sense and recognize the owner when you pick a gun up. It means that it can never be used against you in a fight.”
“That’s good to know,” Jaz said. “The technology exists now, but few gun owners use it.”
“That changes with the new licensing laws that go into effect in 2028. All gun owners have to use the technology to deter thefts.”
“Hey, no talking about the future,” Dean cautioned. “We don’t want to know things we’re not supposed to know, remember?”
“Sorry, I forgot.”
Jaz turned and unwrapped the bundle. It did contain the katana. It also held a belt clip holster with another double magazine clip-on holder for her belt as well. There was also a shoulder holster rig that held the pistol on one side and two magazines on the other.
“These are for emergencies only if you have to leave the apartment. I don’t expect you to use them, but I wanted you to have options based on what you were wearing at the time, if you have to leave without your father.”
“But she’s not going to have to leave alone, right?” Dean clarified.
“Plan for the worst, hope for the best, Dean,” Jaz said.
“Yeah, I guess so. So, what do we need to do to enact this sanctuary thing?”
“This is the sticky part,” Jaz said. “The spell works because the family members are of one blood. It comes from being blood-related and from physical intimacy, if you get my meaning.”
“Wait, you mean we need to …” Dean started. He was uncomfortable.
“Eww, Mom, that’s gross…”
“No, I definitely do not mean that. In theory, though, it should work if the blood of one mixes with the other, without the intimacy part.”
“Kind of like a blood pact from the middle ages?” Jo asked.
“Yes, or like some of the native cultures around the world. They all understood the nature of blood as a binding and protective agent in magic.” Jaz pulled out a pocket knife and flicked the blade open with her thumb. She laid the blade against her palm and drew it toward her while wrapping her hand around it. She hissed in pain and opened her hand to show a long, shallow cut there. She handed the knife to Dean.
“Well, the funny thing is, this isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve ever done,” he said. He took the blade and repeated the process that Jaz had done. The pain was sharp and burning but he opened his palm to show a matching wound to Jaz’s.
“What now?” he asked.
“Clasp my hand while I say the binding spell. This is usually part of a hunter wedding ceremony to bless the wedding night. Hopefully this works as well.”
Dean clasped her hand, palm to palm, their blood mingling. Jaz closed her eyes and started saying something. Dean thought
it was Latin but he wasn’t sure. After a while, he might have started feeling a tingling sensation between their clasped hands. It felt kind of warm and kind of like there was a small insect buzzing between their clasped palms. Jaz opened her eyes and released his hands.
Dean smiled and observed, “You know, for monster hunters who dislike magic, you sure use a lot of it.”
“We use what we need to protect us from the creatures we hunt, nothing more.” Jaz’s tone was cold and her glare told him not to press the point. She was more than a little uncomfortable with Jo’s magical endeavors and he wouldn’t make any points following this little jab with more similar observations.
“So did it work?” Jo asked.
“We’ll know if the demon shows up here,” Jaz said.
“Wow,” Dean said. “That’s encouraging. Is there anything else I need to do?”
“No, the magic should be working. It felt like the spell completed,” Jaz said. “I’m not completely sure. I’ve never done this before either.”
“Okay, then, I should get some gauze and a bandage to clean up that wound. I don’t want you dripping blood all over the apartment.”
Dean went and got his home first-aid kit out and started tending to Jaz’s and his own wounds all the while wondering what would happen if and when the demon showed up here.
Chapter 7
The next day and a half sped by. Dean got Jo settled back in and they prepared for her staying with him for another three months. They even took a trip to the mall to get Jo some more clothes beyond what she had packed to bring back in time with her. Jaz helped out with some funds to help offset the expense since Dean’s paramedic salary was not up to supporting both of them in the long term.
Jo had wanted to wear her shoulder holster rig to the mall, but Dean pointed out that while she might have some sort of allowance to do that in the future, she’d end up in jail here in the past for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. She pouted a bit about not being able to go out armed, but she got over it as soon as they got down to some serious shopping.