“I think it’s him.” My words were quiet, and yet, a chill filtered through my spine as we stepped over a boundary line that was formed with bricks in the ground. My eyes only just caught it as we entered the circle.
“Shit!” My muttered curse caused Dave to stare at me. “The ground. We’ve just stepped into a bloody circle.”
Turning around, I pushed my hand back towards the pathway. Surprise, surprise, there was resistance. We were trapped within the circle. Crap. That was not a good sign.
“Oh dear.” Dave’s less than enthusiastic response made me laugh.
Yes, an actual laugh left my mouth, even though we were trapped. It was now time to work out whether or not someone knew we were there. Sometimes boundary spells were put up to stop anyone from getting close, even when there was no one home.
“Come on.” Taking Dave’s hand, I tugged him towards the house. “No one has come for us. The owner might not know we’re here yet.”
The hairs on the back of my neck suddenly rose as a loud hiss sounded behind us. Dave spun me behind him, turning to face whatever it was that threatened us. A gargoyle was flapping his little wings, hovering right above where we had just entered the circle. He was obviously a guardian of the house, placed to protect it at whatever cost.
“Gem,” Dave murmured, his hand still firmly wrapped around my fingers. “This might be a good time to try and get as much magic as possible. I’ve still got some from the gate, I’ll use that. You use the ley line.”
Nodding, I squeezed his hand to let him know that I understood. We would have to take down the gargoyle if we wanted to get near the house. I had believed that someone was inside, but now doubts were setting in.
The gargoyle was made of stone, its bulging eyes the only thing that showed any colour. They were bright red, flames licking across the expanse of the eyeball. What could he do to harm us? There was no doubt that the spell had given him power to stop people from entering the house.
Closing my eyes briefly, I dug the heels of my boots into the ground and felt into the ley line. As the warmth of the magic tickled my soles, I allowed it to filter into me. The warmth of the pure magic sent tingles across every single muscle. Relaxing as the power spread throughout me, I opened my eyes and stared at the gargoyle.
His stone face didn’t change expression, but it felt like he was looking into my soul. Unable to tear my gaze away, I lifted my hand and pointed towards him. Suddenly breaking eye contact with me, the gargoyle charged towards Dave, flames extending from its eyes.
“Move!” I shoved Dave, jumping in his place.
As soon as I was in front of the gargoyle, it reversed, as if it didn’t want to hurt me. What was that about?
Holding my hands high, I recited a freezing spell. The magic from the ley line was strong here. It filtered up and out of me, the spell instantly causing the gargoyle to freeze in mid-air. Ice crystallised over his stone body. A smile came to my face as it travelled up to its eyes.
Movement beside me made the gargoyle scream, its form able to wrench free of the ice that was trying to hold him. He charged again, his little body heading straight for Dave as he stood up.
Dave swore as he scrambled away, his shoes trying to gain traction on the small stones that made up the circle. The gargoyle chased him instantly, shooting fireballs from its eyes. Luckily, Dave was able to dodge them as he headed towards the house.
Without saying a word, I held up both hands again and incited a breakage spell. Focusing all my attention on the gargoyle, feeling the stone of his skin in my mind, I squeezed as hard as I could with my magic. The sound of stone cracking reached my ears as the gargoyle exploded, the solid chunks of stone falling to the ground. Dave must’ve heard its destruction as his feet skidded to a halt at the bottom of the steps that led up to the front door.
Able to breathe again, I tried to slow the erratic beating of my heart. Dave bent over and leant his hands on his knees, his hair falling forward. The adrenaline that pumped through our veins made us both pause for a second. If the gargoyle was there to protect the house, there would more than likely be others.
The house towered above us, the redbrick harsh against the soft blue of the sky. Although we were in England, a porch wrapped around the front of the house. It wasn’t something I’d often see in London, making it look out of place.
“Come on.” Dave gestured for me to join him.
Taking a few tentative steps, I studied the windows of the house. They were covered in black material from the inside, keeping anyone from being able to see in. There didn’t seem to be any life behind the walls. Was the witch hiding there?
Reaching Dave, I put my finger to my lips as a slight sound reached my ears. It was hard to determine where it had come from, or who had made it. But the scraping of something against something else was evident as it repeated again.
Nodding, Dave acknowledged that he had also heard something. Indicating that we should go up the steps, I led Dave to the door. Goosebumps lined the skin on my arms as I prepared myself for the worst. If a barrier spell had been around the house, there would probably be an even stronger one on the door.
My hand hovered over the handle, ready to try and gain access. Just as
