Page 63 of Hallow Hill at Halloween: Part Two

CHAPTER THIRTEEN The Black Annis

It seemed to be a season for nightmares. Because of this case, I’d found it necessary to read up on a demon subcategory that appears from time to time in regions above the equator. This was a particularly nasty form of demon and, honestly, one I would’ve been just as happy not knowing anything about.

The Black Annis is a female demon that requires no mate to reproduce. Sightings are rare, but her appearance is both unmistakable and unforgettable as she has dark blue skin and yellow eyes.

There’d been rumors of one taking children first from Tuscany then Provence. Rumors had spiked in both number and the intensity of alarm when there were reports of both sightings and more missing children than usual in London. That’s when the Bureau had to take notice and get involved. If she had migrated to such a densely populated city, BOBO had no choice but to apprehend her.

Humans don’t like it when children go missing. And, for many centuries, it had been widely known in the rural areas of Europe that children weren’t just taken. They were eaten.

Since Anni (that being the plural of Annis) leave bones wherever they eat, such a horror could cause humans to stop watching TV long enough to pay attention to the world around them. Worse, TV could becomeaboutmissing, eaten children, and that would not suit magic-kind at all.

Magic-kind depend on humans being preoccupied, with a distinct lack of curiosity or interest in observation.

The case before me was simple, short, and a no-brainer.

After court resumed, I turned to Max, who was back on the side of the courtroom where I was accustomed to seeing him.

“Counsellor Pteron. What say you about the matter of the Black Annis?”

Max got to his feet. “The Bureau requests authorization from the court to hunt down a certain Black Annis who’s been seen in London, Your Honor.”

“How extensive is the authorization you seek? Capture? Or kill?”

Max hesitated then cleared his throat. “Capture and kill, Your Honor. This form of demon has a nature that cannot be altered or rehabilitated.”

“So, the authority is broad and lasts as long as it takes to find this perpetrator?”

“Give the document to the court clerk. I will sign it and grant authority for a hunt restricted to this species and this jurisdiction.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.”