The fearsome face that McGlazer knew from his tortured inner vision projected centuries-old scorn at him, as its tiniest strands entwined his head and stabbed into his temples. McGlazer shrieked in an agonized falsetto.
“Silence,” said the familiar invading voice, that of Conal O’Herlihy.
McGlazer could not quiet his own anguish, yet he heard Conal above it, nonetheless.
“Within you again, I am!” mocked the sinister Celt. “This time, I have no need to share your body, preacher.” The steel-cable vines pulled McGlazer nearer the window. “So I will simply shred it to bits.”
The weight-room door burst open just ahead of a high-pitched war cry. DeShaun held a lighter to the end of the thick, gray mega-sparkler the boys affectionately referred to as the Atomic Corndog.
With the stamping of little sneakers, a horde of yelling children swarmed through the door, each wielding a bar or dumbbell or plate, cylinders and circles of heavy metal.
“Remember, you guys!” DeShaun said, as the sparkler burst into cascading flashes. “Don’t look at it!”
“Now go make the biggest mess ever!” added Stuart.
The army of evil orange gourds dispersed, clearing away from the brightness that blinded them.
Pockets was just strong enough to swing the four-foot curl bar he held, scoring a hit with his first at-bat that shattered his blinded demonic target into many disgusting pieces.
The other children, finding fun where there had just been fear, followed suit, smashing pumpkins with relish and aplomb. Stuart brought up the rear with the push broom. He slid it into the scrambling pumpkin babies, robbing them of leverage to leap away. Their little vine legs intertwined the broom handle as they accumulated against the advancing bristles.
Stuart gained speed as he deftly swept them toward the foot of the stage. Then a mighty final push sent most to abrupt and messy deaths. A few of the goblins escaped, rolling and sliding in all directions.
The children grew bolder, descending on the disoriented demons, stomping and squashing them as they essayed high-pitched war cries.
Conal’s giant orange face, bleached white by the mega-sparkler’s blaze even at this height, twisted into a furious grimace.
He dropped McGlazer like a bag of trash.
The minister hit the hardwood floor with a sick thud, landing mostly on his hands and knees. The former stung, and the latter radiated more dull pain than McGlazer thought possible. But experience told him he would be all right and ready to rejoin the battle in a few minutes.
Conal lashed his longest tentacles at the kids who were destroying his kids.
DeShaun rushed in front of the children protectively, waving the mega-sparkler to ward off Conal’s grasping tendrils.
Freshly promoted General Pockets and a pair of his new soldiers skirted around DeShaun to destroy the blinded baby pumpkins.
Stuart yelled like a berserker as he ran to Kerwin’s aid, slamming the sharp corner of his push broom onto the vine that constricted his brother’s ex-manager’s leg. The vine splintered and went limp.
Stuart helped Kerwin to his feet.
* * * *
Once they got Jill and Dennis pealed apart—a group effort—Ysabella marshaled her troops for a brainstorming session. She needed a large space that was sheltered, yet open, with a roof but no walls. There was a circle to be drawn, using salt and chalk, and it had to be safe from the supernatural torrent Violina had raised.
Dennis broke the news about Maisie. For a moment, it seemed that Ysabella’s rejuvenation was nearly reversed. Brinke had to help her to the bed, where they sat together. Ysabella gripped Stella’s wrist and closed her eyes to dam tears. “Poor, poor wonderful Maisie.”
They were soon joined by Brinke, who laid her long arms across their shoulders. “She’ll come to us in time.”
The three of them sat and wept together for little more than a minute, which was more than they could spare.
Ysabella had a job for Dennis and Bernard. “You know where Violina cast her sigil?”
“Yeah,” Dennis said grimly. “Right around Bennington’s stone.”
“I need you to go there and erase it.”
“We’re on it.”
Turning to Stella, Ysabella took her hand and held it like a sister. “I want Candace to go with us, but there is some danger.”
It had been little more than a whisper, yet Candace heard. She went quickly to them, eyes imploring. “Yes. I have to go, Mom. The town needs me.”
Stella swelled with admiration for the little girl and realized how valuable her courage and strength would be. “You will stay right by my side every instant!”
Finally, Ysabella turned to Leticia and Elaine, who would remain there with Emera and Wanda. She gave them very specific instructions.
Emera was set to protest vociferously, until Candace told her that Bravo would stay with her.
Then the witches piled into Stella’s car to head to the Grand Illusion Cinemas.
* * * *
Settlement era
The house where the nice big man and strong lady let Everett rest had been warm and comfortable. Better than any of the little shacks where his parents made him live. Better even, than his very own bedroom in the big house, from when he was a little boy, before the priests.
The scarecrow clothes made for a great costume, but they were itchy and dirty and not very warm. Everett knew someone in the odd little town had to have something better. Now that they were all out admiring the wonderful decoration he’d made, he could go into their houses and get warm and find stuff to eat.
Peering in the window of Marion Stansler’s house, Everett saw a nice fire burning in the fireplace.
Corn was growing in the field behind the house. Everett went to gather a few ears. When he came back, he found something very nice, hanging on a nail on the back of the warm little house.
It was so shiny at the top. It was like a bird with a long beak that pointed back to the town, where all the people were surely marveling over the man-in-half display he had made.
The
