Page 89 of The Witching Hours

“Hello.” I tried very hard to quiet the butterflies in my stomach, but of all my strange and diverse experiences, I’d never come close to the weirdness standing before me. I wasn’t sure whether to be terrified or fascinated. “Thank you very much for coming. I’m Valerie.”

He smirked. “I know that.”

“Oh. Well. Might I ask your name?”

“Yes.”

“What’s your name?”

“Aeskilas.”

“Aeskilas,” I repeated.

“Yes?” he asked.

I could see it was going to be a literal conversation. “I wondered if we could have a talk about what’s going on in this house.” He shrugged agreeably. “Would you like to sit?”

He glanced at the floor where I’d been sitting then, mimicking my position, sat down cross legged in front of me. Likewise, I sat cross legged facing him.

“Should we begin by talking about what you are and what you hope to accomplish?”

With a ghost of a smile he said, “You have an agenda?” His tone was rife with disbelief indicating that he was amused by my presumption. Or arrogance.

I shook my head. “Only in the sense that I hope to gain information and calm the chaos that’s been plaguing this household.”

He laughed softly. “We should begin with whatyouhope to accomplish.”

Maybe I was a better shaman than diplomat.

“Can you tell me why this house has been targeted?”

His smile fell into a serious expression that could’ve been scary if I’d chosen to interpret it that way.

“We think you misunderstand.”

I nodded. “Possibly. That’s why I need clarification.”

“This house hasn’t been ‘targeted’,” he protested. “We’re at the mercy of this house.”

That sounded more like a riddle than an explanation. “I don’t want to tax your patience or seem tedious, but I’m lost. How are you at the mercy of this house?”

“This is an egress.” He gestured toward the wall. “It’s very old. Older than humans. We’ve been using it to move freely between your world and others for what is a long time by our standards. We need it to do our work.”

“I see. What kind of work do you do?”

His laugh startled me almost as much as the flash of brilliantly white and perfect teeth. “Let’s call that ‘need to know’.”

“Should I take that to mean I don’t need to know?”

He smiled. “You’re funny.”

“Um. Thank you?”

His serious look returned. “The people are a problem. They put furniture in front of the egress and interfere with traffic both physically and energetically.”

“Traffic?”

“Yes. This egress is used by many.”