Winter Nights

“I think I’ve seen plenty of this place, I’d like to go back to my time now.” I communicated to Kaleb after he showed me around the lost ruins of the city that he resided in.

“Soon, just one more thing I need to show you…” We entered through a locked gate and I found myself in a cemetery surrounded by tombstones, half of them looked like they had been destroyed while only a handful of them were still intact.

We strolled through the cemetery for a while, the wind blowing violently through the trees before Kaleb finally knelt down in front of a half destroyed grave, the writing on it barely audible but I could tell the way he was observing it, that it had to have been his fathers.

I knelt down next to him and grabbed his hand while he looked on in silence, a single tear rolled down his soft cheeks and I wiped it with the sleeve of my sweater. He looked down at his hands and smiled.

“I guess you’ve fingered it out by now; that this is my dad’s grave.” He responded quietly getting up and brushing the dirt off his pants.

I nodded solemnly.

Kaleb removed the orb out of his backpack and in an instant we were flashed back to my current time once more.

“So, what did you think?” Meredith asked as we were flashed back into her kitchen, the vampires still imprisoned in the fire ring I left for them.

“It was a little over whelming I have to admit…” I told her pulling out a chair and sitting down, my hands trembling from the nervousness I had felt. Kaleb looked a little dejected as he looked out into the backyard at the vampires.

“I know how to lift the curse.” He told us unexpectedly, an expression of determination planted on his face.

“How?” Both Meredith and I inquired in unison.

“I don’t know how well it will work, but once we turn him back into human we inject him with vampire venom.”

“Right, so then he dies and not only does he turn into a demon again but also a vampire demon hybrid, with more power than ever. Great plan.” Meredith told him sarcastically.

“It sounded a lot better in my mind…” He sat down at the table and sulked, and looked through his father’s journal after snatching it out of my bag.

Suddenly the room started spinning and I closed my eyes, everything was blurry and I felt sick to my stomach.

“Faith…are you okay?” I heard Kaleb’s voice from far away question my current state.

“Yea, just a headache; I’ll be okay.” I tried shaking off the feeling I felt, but then a voice whispered aggressively inside of my mind.

“Go to the temple in the forest at nightfall, come alone.” And a flash of a small temple within the forest by Meredith’s house was seen, there was an alter that a cloaked man stood at. I shook the fear away as I knew within me that it was none other than the demon.

I shook my head and suddenly the headache and sick feeling I felt had gone away, and I was looking into the concerned eyes of Kaleb and Meredith as Kaleb held a cold cloth up to my forehead. I was lying down on a couch in the living room, I sat up confused.

“What happened?” I probed, entirely dazed still. “How long was I out for?”

“About 5 minutes, you went weak all of a sudden, your face got really pale and you were burning up. Kaleb fearlessly carried you over to the couch before you ended up falling over or something, you were also mumbling something about a temple and being frightened.” Meredith responded to me as Kaleb put a hand on my back to keep me from sinking over once more.

“A voice…it spoke to me, to go to a temple in the forest at night fall.” Meredith’s face lit up when I mentioned the temple; she took a step back and turned to grab a large textbook labeled ‘Witchcraft’ from a shelf behind her. “It also said I had to go alone.”

“I’m not allowing you go alone.” Kaleb told me with strength in his voice, I knew that there was no way I would have to go unaccompanied.

“The strangest thing that happened while you were passed out was that, the moment Kaleb laid you down on the couch the vampires disappeared and the fire prison went out.” Meredith told me glancing out the back door.

“That’s…strange.” I said as Meredith read over a page in the large book she took from the shelf, I glanced over at it and it was mostly just a large blurb about different meanings of altered types of visions. “Is that what that was, a vision?”

“A type of vision actually, mostly the hearing types of vision were certain entities can speak to you. It’s happened to me a few times, but it’s rare.”

“Why does he want me to go to this temple, what’s in the temple?” I asked her.

“No one has been courageous enough to enter the temple in thousands of years; any other witches sent to the temple have all vanished shortly before.” She told me, and I felt a slight bit perplexed by the whole affliction.

“I can do it, I’m going.” I told both Meredith and Kaleb, feeling daring. “And, I’m going to go alone.”

Kaleb sulked wanting to protest against my decision but he stopped himself, and instead nodded in approval.

“If you must, there are precautions you must to take beforehand entering the temple.” Meredith explained to me, switching to a page in the text titled ‘Protection Magic’

She then got up and paced over to a small closet in the kitchen next to a normal looking shelf full spices and canned goods, and revealed a secret space full of candles and additional witch essentials.

After grabbing what she knew that was needed, Meredith made her way back over to the table a few moments later with some candles, a spell book, and chalk. I questioned in my mind what the chalk would be used for.

“It’s for a circle of safety.” Meredith told me smirking; I had forgotten she was able to read minds. I nodded lamely as she walked over to the living room and drew a large circle on the floor with the chalk, and placed four white candles around it.

“Come, my dear.”

The lights suddenly went dark and I jumped back in fear, a little bit spooked but realized that Meredith had shut them off herself with her powers. I felt less frightened as I walked into the circle with her, watched as she lit the candles and extended her hand out to me.

Kaleb sat on the couch and observed everything happening; he had also appeared to be a little bit off and distant from current reality.

“That necklace it shields you, but not enough security from what you are to face; you must repeat after me to ensure total and complete protection from all evil.”

I nodded and waited patiently for her to continue.

“This shield is my power to protect against evil.” She recited and I closed my eyes and repeated it back to her.

“This shield is my power to protect against evil.”

“This shield keeps out harm. This shield does not allow demons or negative entities to pass through it.” She continued, the strength in her hands tightening around mine.

I repeated the words she had spoken and felt the wind of the outside from an open window, began to brush over me with force, I had started to open my eyes but the next words had begun to be spoken and I repeated them in one final outburst.

“This shield is my domain and I alone determine what is allowed to pass. No dark entities shall pass through this shield. As I will it, so it be”

And with that everything for the moment was as silent as could be, only the slight sound of my heart racing inside of my chest could be heard in that moment.

“Are you okay?” Meredith asked me concerned when I had nearly fallen backwards onto the floor.

“That felt real powerful.” I whispered, glancing over at the couch where Kaleb was previously sitting to notice that he was sitting upright staring straight ahead, a look of fright plastered on his face.

“Don’t leave the circle…” Meredith whispered to me eyeing Kaleb down noticing something was not right at all.

“But Kaleb!” I protested, as his eyes grew into a dark black, he growled out some words that I was unable to comprehend but being inside the circle I knew I was safe from any harm.

After a few moments of penetrating fear, the blackening from Kaleb’s eyes had gone away and he had gone back to normal.

“What happened?” He asked, shaking his head and getting rid of the confusion he had felt.

“You had gotten possessed, and Faith you are able to leave the circle. You are safe from any harm that may come to you in the temple.”

Kaleb practically flew up to me and put his hands over my face in a panic, “Are you okay, please tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m fine Kaleb, but are you?” I asked placing my hands over his and noticing that his were as cold as ice.

“I’m fine, I can’t believe I gotten possessed.” He shook his head in disbelief, scared of what was to happen next. “Are you sure you want to go to the temple alone?”

I nodded, “I’m sure, I’ll be okay. I’m protected.”

Once everything was over, Meredith disappeared into the kitchen to make us some dinner; as it had been quite some time since Kaleb and I had eaten anything. In the meantime, Kaleb and I sat on the back porch observing the snow tumble onto the powdered ground.

“Are you scared?” Kaleb asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had grown between us. I considered it for a moment and nodded.

“I’m just scared of what will happen after all of this, like we kill the demon and then what; what happens with us, where do you go?”

He hung his head for a moment and thought about all that I had said before finally answering my fears, “Depends what happens and how things happen, I have the choice of staying her and continuing my life here with you, or going back to my time…”

“What do you want to do?” He looked over at me with pain in his eyes, and grabbed my hand in his and kissed my forehead gently.

“I want to never leave this time with you, but only time will tell what happens next.”

I nodded, slightly satisfied at the answer I got. Meredith appeared from around the corner and peaked out from the door suddenly.

“Hey guys, dinner is ready. Is pasta and meatballs alright?”

“Mmmm…. Yes perfect.” Kaleb replied getting up from the porch and giving me his hand lifting me up with him.

After our delicious pasta dinner, I began equipping myself with all I needed for my journey to the temple, I was unaware what dangerous awaited me but I wasn’t going to let the fear consume me.

Kaleb walked to the door with me and when he turned to give me a hug I tugged on his hand and insist he walk to the temple doors with me, he nodded in agreement.

“Thank you for everything Meredith.” I told her as we left and walked down the steps finding a path that would lead to where I needed to go.

“Anytime, stay safe!” I heard her call out to us.

Once we arrived at the temple I turned to Kaleb and glanced into his eyes, he showed fear as I turned to make my way into the temple all on my own.

“I’ll see you again soon.” He whispered to me as I opened the door slowly, not knowing what laid ahead for me.