Keene Brian - A Gathering of Crows

“What happens if we do?” Gus asked.

“Remember how I said that traveling through the Labyrinth has adverse effects on people?”

Gus nodded.

“Keep your eyes closed and you won’t find out why. Now come. I sense our attackers are almost free.”

They moved onto the blanket and huddled together, jostling one another in order to fit. Jean picked up Bobby and held him. Levi checked the floor, making sure all of their feet were within the circle. Then he collected four candles from across the room and sat them down beyond the edge of the line of salt at different positions—north, south, east and west. The wax was still warm and pliable. He pulled a lighter from his pocket and relit them.

“Don’t do that,” Paul cautioned. “The dark men will see the light.”

“In a moment, that won’t matter. This procedure requires candles. Technically, they should be red, like the blanket, but I think I can make do.”

“But you just had me snuff one out.”

“Correct. And now I need some that are lit.”

He stepped into the circle, and they had to crowd together even tighter in order to make room for him on the blanket.

“Don’t anybody fart,” Gus said.

Bobby giggled at this until Jean shushed him.

Levi stuck his thumb in his mouth and bit down hard until he tasted blood. The others gasped and groaned, but held their positions. Taking his thumb from his mouth, Levi held his hand out over the blanket and squeezed out three drops of blood. As each drop fell, he repeated the same phrase.

“ Ia unay vobism Huitzilopochtli. Ia dom tergo Ha thor. ”

“If that don’t beat all,” Gus whispered. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“Quiet,” Donny said.

Levi bowed his head and pressed his thumb against his pants leg until the bleeding stopped. When he spoke again, it was in a strong, authoritative yet apologetic tone.

“I stand, rather than sit in the appropriate and required manner, but I am safe inside a circle of protection, and I humbly ask that you not molest me. I come with great humility. I cannot pay proper homage, for my enemies are beset against me, yet I pray I do not offend. I come here to open a gate. Despite my meager offerings, I come with awe and respect. I come seeking passage. I call upon the Gatekeeper, who gave to us the Nomos, which is the Law. I call upon the Doorman, who is the Burning Bush and the Hand That Writes and the Watchman and the Sleepwalker. I call upon the voice of the Tetragrammaton. I call upon him who is called Huitzilopochtli and Ahtu; him who is called Nephrit-ansa and Sopdu; him who is called Hathor and Nyarlathotep. I call upon him whose real name is Amun. And thus, by naming thee and offering my blood thrice, I humbly request an opening. Those with me in the circle are under my protection. By following the Law to the best of my abilities and with limited resources, and by naming thee, I humbly ask that you grant us safe passage from this place. I humbly ask that you protect us, and that we not be harmed or molested by those who dwell between the walls or within the halls, or the denizens of Heaven nor hell, or the realms between them, or the Thirteen, or the things that live in the wastes beyond the levels. I humbly ask that you guide us so that we do not end up wandering and lost in that realm beyond the Labyrinth, the lost level, in which there are no exits save death. I beg of thee, and hope that so shall it be.”

Levi paused, aware that the others were holding their breath. Outside, the revenants howled, free of the binding spell.

“Okay,” Levi said. “I’ll need to get to the door, so make a little room for me—without breaking the circle. Everyone hold hands and close your eyes. Stay together. Don’t let go of each other and whatever you do, don’t open your eyes until I tell you it’s okay. I’ll lead the way. Donny, you’ll bring up the rear.”

Donny nodded. “That’s better than taking point.”

“Can you shut the door behind us? Remember, you can’t open your eyes, so you’ll have to do it by feel.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Jean put Bobby down beside her and held his hand tightly. He reached up and took Axel’s hand. Axel smiled down at him.

“I forgot the Mrs. Chickenbaum stick, Mr. Perry. I’m sorry. Maybe we could go back and get it?”

“That’s okay, Bobby. I think Levi might have some better magic of his own.”

They carefully changed positions until Levi was closest to the door. Outside, the sounds of fury increased. Levi grasped Jean’s hand. Axel took Paul’s. Paul grabbed on to Gus’s hand and Gus took Donny’s.

“Won’t they be able to follow us?” Donny asked.

“No,” Levi said. “They can’t cross the circle.”

“But we can’t either.”

“We’ll be walking through a door. We’ll only step out of the circle for an instant. Now, everyone close their eyes. We have company.”

Upstairs, the front door crashed open, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Gus moaned and Bobby whimpered. To Levi, it sounded as if every window in the home had just imploded. Making sure that their eyes were indeed closed, Levi grasped the doorknob and opened the door. Gone were the shelves and the games and the winter gear. The door no longer led into a closet. Instead, it opened into a long, straight hallway that seemingly had no end. Each side of the corridor was lined with doors as endless as the hall itself.

“Now we have you, little magus! No more games.” The door at the top of the basement stairs was wrenched from its hinges by a powerful blow. Footsteps pounded down the stairs. Levi felt Jean squeeze his hand, hard.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the circle and led them forward.

“Somebody’s coming.”

Marsha’s eyes snapped open. She was amazed that despite their predicament, she’d almost dozed off on the couch. She’d been thinking about Donny— how angry she was with him for going with Levi, and how indicative it was of their entire relationship, and how she hoped, despite everything, that he was okay. Then her brother’s voice had roused her. She sat up quickly. Randy, Myrtle and Esther sat in the darkness. Randy was next to her on the couch. Esther and Myrtle occupied high-backed chairs across from them. Outside, the street was quiet.

“What do you mean, dear?” Esther leaned forward in her seat, staring at Randy intently.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “It’s just a feeling I’ve got all of the sudden. Someone is coming.”

“The killers?” Marsha reached out, took his hand and squeezed it.

Randy squeezed back. “I don’t know. Never mind. I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about… Oops. Sorry, Mrs. Laudry. Didn’t mean to curse.”

“It’s okay.”

“You could be right,” Myrtle said. “Perhaps you’re sensitive to these things. Levi seemed to think that you had hidden abilities.”

Esther rolled her eyes. “The boy would be much better off without Levi’s influence.”

Myrtle ignored her. “Did you ever notice anything before tonight, Randy?”

“Like what?”

“Feelings? Intuition? Maybe you knew what the questions were going to be on a test at school before you took it? Or maybe someone in your family lost or misplaced something, and you were able to tell them where to look?”

Randy stared at her as if she were crazy. “No. I’m just… me, you know? I don’t believe in that stuff.”

“It doesn’t matter if you believe in it or not. It’s still real.”

“I’m not special. That Amish dude is smoking crack or something. I’m just a normal kid. Brinkley Springs is my home.”

Myrtle pressed on. “But maybe you—”

“I’m not special!”