Witch Way: The New Ashton Chronicles

by F. R. Southerland

  Witch Way

  The New Ashton Chronicles, Book 1

  F.R. Southerland

  Copyright © 2021 F.R. Southerland

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher.

  It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. For permissions, contact frsoutherland@gmail.com

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  This book contains strong language, violence, and other content that may not be suitable for all readers. Please read at your own discretion.

  If editing or formatting issues are found, please contact frsoutherland@gmail.com

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  Andy

  Friday Evening

  The house reeked—not just of cat piss and mildew, but of something worse. Burnt amber, she thought, mixed with sulfur. Andy Foster knew that smell. She hated that she knew it.

  The woman had called forth a demon.

  She blew out a breath. Her eyes watered, burned from the strong ammonia stench. “Godsdamn it. What the hell did you summon?”

  There were demons of all kinds—thousands of them—from different mythologies, different realms. She couldn’t know right away what kind. Working with demons—good or bad—would take far more magic than she had anticipated anyway. If it was a lesser demon, something more bestial or feral, it might not be as difficult to take care of but a greater demon? Yeah, that would be tougher and would cost her and her customer more in the long run.

  “I didn’t—I never summoned anything. I swear!”

  She cast a wary glance around, searching for any sign of the demon before she cut her eyes back to her customer, a Nervous Nelly of a woman called Maddie. “So a demon just showed up here of its own accord?” Andy dropped her tote bag near the front door where it made a heavy thump on the hardwood floor.

  “He. And yeah. That’s exactly what happened.”

  “Bullshit. This place stinks of summoning magic. You know that, right?”

  “But I didn’t! I don’t know how to summon anything. I don’t do things like this. This is” —she gestured toward the other room— “this isn’t me. I’m not a warlock.”

  Warlock. Andy bristled at the word. Bad witch, Maddie meant. Ugh. Labels.

  It wasn’t only bad witches who summoned demons. Any idiot with a few candles, a true incantation, and strong intent could summon a demon. Novice practitioners annoyed her. There were enough summonings lately without throwing amateurs into the mix.

  Now wasn’t the time for a lecture. She had work to do.

  “Turn on some of the lights. I need to see what I’m dealing with.” She had a hunch it could be a lesser demon after all. A pest. Probably a Kothi. They were small things, sometimes mistaken for rats—ugly, scaly rats, but still. They were good at showing up when they weren’t wanted. Even the most inexperienced person could summon one without much work. Andy never understood why someone would want to.

  Maddie quickly followed directions. She started with a lamp. A yellow glow chased some of the darkness back. A second lamp helped more. “I can’t turn on any more lights. He—he gets angry when I do.” She gnawed her bottom lip with uncertainty.

  That didn’t sound like a Kothi. They didn’t shy away from the light. Andy furrowed her brow and peered about the disarray of Maddie’s home. Couch cushions lay far separated from their proper place.

  Newspapers covered the floor and magazines scattered across the coffee table. This place was a mess, but she couldn’t tell it from the outside. For gods’ sake, this was an upscale neighborhood, as far from the Otherside of New Ashton as a person could get. She even saw an honest to gods’ white picket fence when she pulled up to the curb.

  But if Andy knew anything, appearances were deceiving. This middle-aged mouse-faced woman before her, for example. She didn’t look at all like a summoner, but here they were. Most humans didn’t look at Andy with her red hair, faintly-freckled face, and big blue eyes and think witch.

  The further Andy walked through the house, the stronger the assailing scents became. She took in the droppings and wet urine spots across the newspapers. Covering her nose didn’t help.

  “You’re not some crazy cat lady, are you?” Despite the smell and the evidence, she had yet to see a single cat.

  Or a demon.

  Maddie fidgeted with her sleeve. “I had one, but then—” She hesitated. “I thought I could tame him. He seemed so sweet, in the beginning, you know? But then he—he ate Mr. Snuffles and I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t just turn him out. And he wasn’t so bad, otherwise—”

  Andy held up a hand. “Wait—you summoned a demon… and kept it as a pet? Even after it ate your cat?”

  “No, no. I didn’t summon him. He’s not a pet. I didn’t know how to send him away and I thought—he’s so small. He wouldn’t be a problem. He couldn’t be.”

  Andy cursed under her breath. Yep. Lesser demon. Some of them could look like animals. They acted feral, too—more savage than civilized. One could almost consider them wild beasts, if an extra row of sharp teeth, a third eye, or horns could be ignored.

  “Maddie… Maddie, look at me.” Andy leaned down some, now eye-level with the shorter woman. She couldn’t be sympathetic for a second more. “I’m guessing you haven’t been practicing magic for long, huh?”

  “Only a couple of years. I’m not—I’m not a witch or anything. Not like you. Not like anyone in that coven.”

  “If you can conjure demons and do magic of any kind, you can call yourself a witch. Even if you’re dangerously inexperienced.” And lack the pedigree bloodline, but whatever.

  “I said I didn’t summon Fred!”

  “You named it?” Jesus fuck.

  “Are you going to help me or not?” Maddie’s voice cracked with frustration. “Please. Just—please! I called you for help.”

  “You called Embers & Ashes after hours. You’re lucky anyone answered at all.” Andy knew that wasn’t fair. The woman had to be desperate or else she wouldn’t have called.

  Why hadn’t Andy left for her night out an hour earlier? She would have avoided this whole mess. But, duty called—or, rather, Maddie had—and helping people was what she’d vowed to do.

  Best to get it over with, and quickly too. Maybe she could salvage the rest of her night after.

  Andy stood to her full height then let her shoulders sink. “Okay, okay. I’m helping. Now, where is… Fred?” With her hands on her hips, she cast her gaze around the room. Gods, the smell. And breathing through her mouth only made it worse. Ugh, she could taste it.

  “I don’t know. The light scares him.” But Maddie began to look and Andy did too. She did more than look. She let her senses take over. If she concentrated enough, she might be able to pinpoint the demon’s exact energy.

  “Fred?” Maddie bent down, peering under chairs and beneath the coffee table. “Freddy?”

  Hair spilled over her shoulder when Andy tossed her head. “It’s not going to come to you. There are tons of demons and whatever you summoned—”

  “I didn’t summon anything!”

  “—shows signs of being a lesser demon. That makes them pests, which is the worst kind of demon.” Debatable, Andy knew. Some might counter that the greater demons were more dang
erous. They had more power, more intelligence. They were more cunning and vicious—

  “Okay, worst is subjective, I know, but it’s pretty bad. They’re destructive beasts and you can’t control them. You fucked up here, Maddie. You called something from another realm and tried to tame it. They’re not pets, they’re pests.”

  Andy didn’t mince her words. She couldn’t judge or say much for stupidity. She’d made some pretty terrible and impulsive decisions, but she’d never summoned a demon for a pet. That was something else entirely.

  Something chattered from the darkness. Maddie’s eyes widened. “Freddy? Oh, Freddy baby. Are you under the couch?” She moved toward the sound and crouched down to lift the dust ruffle.

  “Maddie, don’t—”

  Something gray and brown skittered out from beneath the couch. Maddie gasped. It scrambled under a chair, where it hissed like a terrified cat.

  Andy’s gut tightened. She grabbed Maddie’s arm. Despite her protest, Andy pulled her back. And just in the nick of time too. Claws swiped out at her, long and razor-sharp. They would’ve sliced right through Maddie’s flesh.

  “Oh, shit. Freddy’s angry.”

  “He’s just grumpy. He hasn’t eaten today. At least, I don’t think he’s eaten enough. He’s always so hungry.”

  Andy shot her a look. “It’ll eat you out of house and home. And then eat you too.” She sighed. “I have to banish it back to wherever it came from.”

  Maddie pressed her lips into a thin line and said nothing. Good, Andy thought. She didn’t want to hear anything the woman had to say. Irresponsible people playing at demon summoning—it pissed her off.

  Honestly, there should be a law about it or something. Andy would have to remind herself to bring it up to her mother and the other Priestesses later. They could do something. Issue a mandate maybe.

  For now, though, she had to deal with it herself.

  “Okay, we need to make sure we keep it in one place. One area. Confined is better, but that’s not happening.” Andy would have to rely on her powers to keep it in one spot. Great. She hoped she could do that and banish it at the same time without getting too weak from magical exertion. She shouldn’t worry. She was a super witch, after all.

  Andy crouched down a bit, keeping far off from the edge of the couch, just in case. She had no plans for the critter to jump out at her face and claw her eyes out, but shit happened.

  She folded her arm on the floor and leaned down a little more. Ah, there. She could see it now. Its eyes burned golden in the dim light, reflective, like a cat’s. The creature growled low.

  “There you are, you little menace. You stay right there.”

  It seemed to understand—and to defy her. It moved faster than she expected. Andy flinched as it skittered toward her. It halted inches from her face, one of those long claws extended. The creature’s mouth pulled back into a snarl, sharp teeth exposed. It hovered in mid-air where her power had disarmed it. It looked surprised.

  “Gods…” Andy exhaled, laughter rounding her words. “It’s like a gremlin. I mean, not a real gremlin but the ones from that 80‘s movie.”

  Unable to move, the demon gave a frustrated hiss.

  Maddie crept forward. “You’re not—you’re not going to hurt him, are you?”

  Andy counted to five before she forced a smile and turned to the woman. “No, he’ll be fine. I’m sending him back to wherever he came from. Easy peasy.” Though Andy didn’t think it would be that easy. Banishing demons wasn’t simple no matter how lesser it appeared to be.

  Banishing rituals, right. She needed tools for that. She glanced around, looking to where she had dropped her bag. Spying it near the living room door, she knelt and began rummaging through it. She always carried general stuff for witchcraft on-the-go—crystals, candles, some herbs. She doubted she had anything specifically for banishment, but she could make do. The book though—she needed the book.

  She found it at the bottom of the bag and wiped the leather-bound cover clean of loose herbs as she pulled it out. Nearby, the immobilized demon hissed again.

  Maddie whimpered. “It’s okay, Freddy. It’s okay.”

  Andy rolled her eyes and flipped open her father’s book to the front. She deciphered his small, cramped handwriting easily—she’d been studying it for years, after all. Her fingers slid across the pages, over the indentations where pens had pressed too hard to the paper. It didn’t take long to find what she needed. There was no shortage of banishment spells.

  She grinned in triumph when she found a suitable one, but her smile then dropped. Shit. It required blood. She hated blood magic. One of Victor Foster’s specialties, but certainly not a favorite of hers. Andy swiftly flipped pages as she searched for an alternative. Ah, yes! Another spell—no blood required. It might work. Andy read it over as fast as she could, memorizing it.

  Candles. She needed candles. She took out three white ones from the bag. The spell called for black, but white was all she had. White would work; they worked for anything. She arranged them in a triangular pattern as indicated then lifted her gaze to the demon.

  It hadn’t moved a millimeter. Good. Andy had feared her concentration might waver too much, but it held. She just needed it to hold for a few minutes more. “Ignis,” she muttered. Flames leaped upon the wicks, flickering dangerously.

  The demon’s hissing grew frantic at the sight of fire. It struggled against Andy’s invisible bonds and pulled hard against her magic. Fuck, it threatened to break free. She had to do this fast.

  Andy took a deep breath and positioned herself to face the demon. She lifted her hands—an unnecessary action, but it helped her focus and steady the energy.

  The creature’s struggling ceased.

  As the words of the spell intoned, the power resonated within her voice with each word. Each syllable came laced with more power, more intent than the one before. It came from within and it came from without. It was everywhere, all around her. That’s how magic had always been for her and Andy used it to her advantage. Even after years immersed within magic and power, the surge of it took her breath away.

  “Are you—?” Maddie loomed nearby, her eyes wide. She reached out to Andy.

  The portal opened above the couch—a swirling purple and black with unhinged power. The vortex drew at her, stronger than Andy expected. It pulled at her, at Maddie, at everything in the room. Furniture rattled and newspapers fluttered. A magazine lifted off the table and flew into the vortex. It hit the center of it. Pfft. Gone.

  “Hold on to something!” Andy warned, putting her feet apart for a wider, more stable stance. She didn’t know how much more powerful this thing could get, but better safe than sorry. She didn’t want it to suck them all into only gods knew where.

  Maddie grabbed the door frame, fingers digging into the wood. She wasn’t going anywhere.

  But the demon was. It let out a furious screech. With Andy’s power holding it immobile and the force of the vortex pulling at it, it could do nothing to stop its fate.

  “Back from whence you came, never to return again. As I say, so shall it be!”

  The vortex opened wider with a loud hiss of air. The demon screamed—a horrible sound—and flew into the center of it. The second the demon hit, the vortex vanished. The audible snap as it closed sent the room into abrupt, jarring silence.

  Andy’s heart thudded and her breath came out in ragged gasps. She wiped at her nose and checked her hand. No blood. She banished a demon without the usual nosebleed. She counted that as good work.

  She gathered her thoughts, as she packed away the book, leaving the burned-out candles. “You can keep those. I’ve got a million of them,” she said. “Won’t even charge you for them.” She wouldn’t wait for the wax to harden. She’d wasted enough time here already.

  “That—that’s it?” Maddie sounded so small and far away. When Andy looked at her, she saw nothing but wide-eyed fear and awe.

  “Yeah. That’s it.” Her gut tightened again
and Andy tried to ignore it as she zipped her bag shut.

  “And he’s gone? Just like that? Really gone?”

  “Really really.” Andy stood and glanced at the couch. There wasn’t any sort of physical trace that the vortex had ever been above it, but she could still feel the energy. It made her shudder.

  Maddie let out a breath and sank to the floor, ignoring the soiled newspapers. “Oh, thank God. Oh, thank you. I thought—I thought I’d never get rid of him. I thought I’d be stuck with him forever.”

  Andy offered a tight smile. “If you don’t want demons in your house, don’t summon them.”

  “How many times do I need to tell you? I didn’t summon him! I found him one evening after I came home from the store, sitting on my back porch. He looked hurt. I felt sorry for him so I took him in and—I didn’t know what I was doing.”

  For the first time, Andy could focus on the woman, really get a feel for her without the threat looming over them. She studied her and felt the tightening of her stomach.

  Maddie wasn’t lying. She hadn’t summoned it.

  Well, damn. That was a problem. Maddie may not have summoned it, but someone had. Another mysterious summoning in New Ashton. Great.

  “It’s over now. He’s back wherever he came from.” Andy hitched her bag higher on her shoulder. “Sorry about your cat. And sorry about the mess.” She meant it sincerely, but her voice lacked sympathy.

  Maddie nodded, absently looking toward the couch. “You did—you really do know what you’re doing, huh?”

  “Yeah. I’m highly recommended.”

  “I’ll say.” She gave a relieved laugh. “I mean, I wasn’t sure at first because I’d heard things.” Maddie’s face paled and she stammered out. “I just—I didn’t know if you could do what the covens say.”

  Andy thought she’d held her temper well enough before, but her patience with Maddie had worn too thin. She’d played nice, she’d helped the woman out, but now she was tired—tired and done with this bullshit.