"Just relax... I won't hurt you." said a voice in Rachel's head, as her entire body seized in agony.
"What. Do. You. Think. You. Are. Doing." she thought back to it, fighting to remain conscious.
"I can help the pain go away. But only if you will let me." it offered.
"Never!" she screamed aloud, defiantly.
The voice stopped talking to her. "Good. It's gone. Now to get Barry, and get out of here." she thought.
Rachel slowly got to her feet, then for one awful moment, she thought her body had exploded.
"I told you, I want to help you." the voice said kindly.
"Then... LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" she roared, staggering over to the table she had used for cover. There, she found a pencil, and put it between her jaws as she would a stick if she were to have to pop her shoulder back into place, yet again. Placing both hands flat on the cool surface, she thought "GET OUT OF ME NOW!"
Several seconds later, she felt the mist reluctantly exit from her mouth, as the pencil clattered to the table, in two pieces. Then, she remembered Bucephalus' words. "If it can't find a weak or willing host, it can't stay." she reminded herself.
"Right... Time to get out of this house of horrors." Rachel whispered. She groggily dragged Barry towards the window, her energy returning more with each second. Soon she felt like her old self, perhaps even more so due to the adrenaline. Had Barry been conscious, he would have told her that Busk's Dragon had reacted similarly.
"Sheila, finish him. I'm full, and we need to get rid of the body soon. I'll feed in Slickville. The help will be back in a couple of hours, then we can leave." said a small child, as she entered the room. Then she saw Rachel.
The master spy and the powerful demon locked eyes. "You... How DARE you treat my brother's life so trivially! Do you have any idea who he is? Or is he just some sort of meal for you?" Rachel asked in a steely voice.
The childlike creature smiled sweetly, as her eyes glowed red. "You will find out soon enough, Dear." I will take you with me to Slickville. And this time I won't have to share. Sheila can catch her own."
"You're not taking me anywhere..." growled Rachel, as she lunged.
"Looking for me?" Dionor asked, an evil grin on her lips. Rachel shivered despite herself. The tiny demon was sitting behind her, in an ornate chair, only two paces away.
Then the creature's glowing red eyes fell on Sheila's body, and she smiled. "Well done! I never did like her. She was always so needy and weak." Dionor said approvingly.
"Stay still!" ordered Rachel, determined to close her hands around the neck of this demonic being, and send it back where it came from.
"Why? Don't you like to play?" asked Dionor, laughing.
"I love to play." growled Rachel, with murder in her eyes. Ignoring the opportunity to strangle her opponent, instead she flicked her arm. Dionor gasped, and fell to the floor. In her left eye, was a perfectly balanced throwing knife.
Black mist escaped the child's open mouth, and pooled at Rachel's feet. "Oh no you don't! Your associate already paid me a visit." she said, taking a step back.
Just then, the beautiful bay window exploded into a million pieces. In the middle of the room stood Bucephalus. The magnificent black mare reared, and came down hard on the mist. It sank, disappearing under her hooves.
Seconds later, Selene walked into the room. "What's the meaning of this?!?!" she asked, outraged. Then she saw the two dead bodies, and crouched in a defensive posture.
Bucephalus snorted, and stamped her front right hoof angrily.
"You... What are you doing in this world? Aren't you supposed to be there, staring adoringly at Him?" Selene asked disgustedly.
"I'm His devoted servant, not a lapdog." Bucephalus said evenly.
"Then go serve elsewhere. This is none of your concern." Selene hissed.
Bucephalus arched her neck, and neighed. But the sound came out as bugles - a battle cry! Selene was blown against the wall, hard.
Rachel heard a sharp crack, and saw blood pour out of the back of the woman's head. But she ignored it, and agilely rolled into the other room.
Bucephalus and Rachel followed, and saw the crumpled form of Delilah's stepmother, kneeling beside a withered potted plant. Over her hovered a large cloud of inky black mist.
"Please... Fawlazar. Come back. I will heal quickly, and we can live together forever, in this world. And who else do you have? Don't you need a host?" pleaded Selene, sobbing.
"Let's leave them. Fawlazar would be back quickly anyway, she is very high up. And Selene is Delilah's stepmother after all. She raised her." suggested Bucephalus.
"Wait... Delilah was raised by a demon?!?!" Rachel asked, incredulous.
"No... Fawlazar didn't come through until very recently. I suspect that Selene was promised eternal life, and more. It's always easier and more pleasant for a demon to inhabit a willing host." explained Bucephalus.
"Ah. That explains it. If we aren't going to kill her, let's get Barry home. He needs a doctor ASAP." said Rachel, as she went to check on her brother.
Early the next morning:
"Barry? Can you hear me?" asked Danny Rupert, who hadn't left his side since Rachel had ridden in with her brother's limp, unconscious body.
"Uh, Danny? Did you die too?" asked Barry, sounding regretful.
"You're not dead, but you came pretty close." Danny said, sounding a little relieved.
"Then I'm?" he asked, uncertain, and daring himself to hope.
"Yes Barry, you are home. Rachel went to let you know that she found Henry, and that there will be a Pizza Feast, in honor of my brother. That's when she found out that you were... Tied up."
Cover image made on Canva using their gallery