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But, but what will you
do?”
     “ I promise you this will not hurt or do you
damage but you MUST do as I say ok?” Mordalayn’s feline face looked deadly serious and Jared
squirmed under his gaze. Fellicone stepped forward and smiled
reassuringly at Jared.
     “ It’s
ok my boy. This is quick but we need to do it immediately. Please
be assured we mean you no harm.”
      Jared looked from Fellicone to Mordalayn
and back. “What do you want me to
do?” he asked, his voice
cracking.
     “ Just sit still. This will be over
quickly,” Mordalayn said and looked to
Fellicone who moved forward.
     “ Please
don’t be scared, but be aware you may be shocked by what you
see.”
      Mordalayn moved to the windows and drew the heavy curtains,
blocking the final rays of sunlight. He lit a fat green candle in
the middle of the table and another on a cabinet near the front
door. Locking it he pocketed the key and turned to
Jared.
     “ Stay
in the chair and do not speak or move, no matter what happens. Do
you understand?”
      The
flickering candles cast an orange glow across the room and the
shadows were long and deep. He braced himself in the chair as
Fellicone stood in front of him and smiled once more. Gently he
took Jared’s hands in his large, pudgy ones. He closed his eyes and
began to say very softly:
     “ Eye of
evil, we see you. We know you. None trust you and none want you.
You are bereft and alone. Begone from this boy.”
      Jared
looked around but nothing was happening. Mordalayn stood next to
Fellicone, his face emotionless.
      Fellicone repeated the phrase and this time
he raised both arms with the palms facing down and moved to stand
over Jared. After a pause he began a third time and Jared felt
something prickling the skin on his chest, like pins and needles.
He squirmed slightly but Mordalayn whispered urgently. “Keep still.”
      Fellicone loudly shouted. “Eyes of treachery, beacon of betrayal leave this
boy and go. You are not welcome.”
      Jared could feel his skin getting hotter
and it felt like something was moving in his chest. He fought to
remain still but then he felt a bump against his ribs but from the
inside and he yelled out and squirmed. Suddenly Mordalayn was
behind him, pinning his arms to his sides and whispering. “Be still, you must be still.”
      Fellicone again chanted and then Jared saw a ghostly, shadowy
shape appear through his t-shirt. He gasped as it pushed through
and saw that it was the head of some sort of large bird. The beak
was open as if it was trying to cry out. He couldn’t feel the bird
moving, only the prickling sensation but he struggled against
Mordalayn’s grip as the bird continued to emerge.
      It was like a huge black crow, faded
slightly as if in an old photograph. It looked like a projection from a movie
camera. It’s eyes were red and angry. Fellicone chanted, raising
his arms higher. The bird thrashed its head from side to side and
then pulled clear of Jared’s chest, its huge wings beating slowly
as if they had been trapped. The bird shook itself and raised its
head in anger at Fellicone and silently screeched, its long curved
beak open in fury. Then as it finally wrenched itself free of Jared
it hovered in the air and finally made a sound. A horrible,
piercing screech that made the very air echo, as Mordalayn held
Jared fast against the chair. The monstrous bird raised its wings
and lunged forward as if to attack but then suddenly faded, the
screech dying out as it vanished.
      Fellicone opened his eyes and slowly breathed out in relief.
Jared blinked and looked around. The candle nearest the door had
gone out and the room was dull in the sputtering flame from the
other. Mordalayn released his grip and moved to stand in front of
him.
     “ The corvo is gone,” he said. “You will be
fine.”
      Jared
nodded slowly, sweat on his forehead and Mordalayn moved away from
him. Fellicone moved to light oil lamps on the walls and another