Off My Onion

Lisa examined the book and tried to open it, but found she was unable to. There was a clasp on the book—a tiny metal dragon with ruby eyes. Its diminutive claws hugged the front and back covers, keeping the book closed like a lock. But strangely, there was no keyhole. Lisa continued to struggle with the thing until Liev—grinning—gestured for the book.

Grumbling, she handed it to him.

Charlie felt a sudden pain stab the space behind his eyes. Nash gave him a concerned look, but Charlie waved it off.

Liev squinted to read something on the back of the small dragon.

“Look at this,” he said.

Lisa leaned over. “What is it? Is that Latin?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s it say?”

“It says EXSECRIFER. I don’t recognize that.”

“Hang on,” said Lisa, going to get a Latin dictionary.

“It’s kind of a cute little dragon,” Liev mused, receiving a few strange looks from Charlie, Nash, and Darcy.

“Exsecrifer. It means curse bearer,” said Lisa.

2 notes

Charlie clamped his mouth and threw himself back into the pillows, wiping his eyes. It was the same dream, of course. It just became worse, more real, every time. Somebody had been hurt—no, killed—but Charlie still could not see who.

The door nearly flew off its hinges as Mr. Sullivan launched into the room, bleary-eyed and more than slightly rattled. He brandished a notebook over his head. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Nothing,” Charlie sniffed. “Just a nightmare, s’all. Sorry, dad.”

4 notes

Loch cursed as the erkling stepped through the gateway. Its filthy boots thudded heavily on the white bridge as the monster trudged toward the old Hunter. He stowed the mirror box in his coat pocket and raised his shotgun, his right eye glowing red in the night air.
“Get back!” he called.
The erkling grinned, its teeth crooked and sharp. It raised its royal sword and stepped off the bridge, inhaling its first free breath in over two centuries.