Prologue
Michigan, 1920
Exhausted from a hard day’s work, Edward Griffin wiped his sweat-ridden brow with the dirty sleeve of his shirt. Ushering his horses back to their stables, he surveyed his dying farmland with a heavy heart. He was getting older and the demands of the farm were becoming too much for him. One person could only do so much. Times were changing, and the new farming equipment he desperately needed came with a heavy price tag. He and his wife had four children, with a fifth on the way. It made him sick to think about what kind of future they might have if he couldn’t figure out a way to turn things around.
Heading back to his modest farmhouse, he spotted his youngest child, Anna, playing on the front porch. Her mass of fiery curls fit her equally wild personality. At only four, she already exhibited some of his family’s traits. Traits he hoped to never reveal to his wife. She was an amazing and loving woman, but he wasn’t sure she would understand. Edward wished his magic could revive the farm, but sadly, his gifts didn’t include the power to manipulate nature. Instead, he and Anna had both been blessed with the power of telepathy. She was the only one of his children with magical abilities, and it made him feel more connected to her.
Years earlier, Edward had been drawn to this land. The earth itself seemed to give him a power boost. Now, it felt like the land had given up. He barely grew enough crops to sustain their daily food supply, let alone make money. At his wits end, Edward decided it was time to take matters into his own hands, and with his family fast asleep, he snuck out to the barn. Casting a circle in the middle of the hay, he sliced his hand with a knife, offering his blood to whoever might be listening. With tears in his eyes, he begged for a way to save his farm. When nothing happened, Edward dropped to his knees and wallowed in what felt like another failure.
Three days later, while Edward’s wife and children were busy tending to the animals, there was a harsh knock at the door. He opened the door to find a strange woman standing on the other side. She had a beautiful face, but her body was cloaked in a long, flowing black robe; that seemed to be hiding a large deformity on her back. Unsettled by her presence, Edward demanded to know why she was at his home.
“I am here because you summoned me,” she purred in a low raspy voice.
Her voice was seductive, somehow sending simultaneous waves of pleasure and pain throughout his body. Shocked by the revelation, Edward let her inside.
She seemed to glide over the floor. “Clearly, you do not understand the powers that you play with.”
Irritated by her accusation, Edward huffed. “I was never taught how to use them properly. But you still heard my plea. How exactly can you help me?”
Laughing, she countered, “Who said I was here to help you?”
Dropping to his knees, he begged, “I can’t lose everything. Please help me! I’ll pay any price.”
The women scoffed at him, “Stand up and be a man. Wallowing is disgusting.”
Rising to his full height, Edward struggled to find his voice. “Is this better?”
“Very well,” The stranger replied. “A time of great sorrow and war is upon us. I can guarantee your family remains prosperous, but in exchange, you will give me your life and the life of another witch every fifty years hereafter. Failure to comply will result in the death of every member of your blood line. Moreover, it will release the evil I hold at bay upon the world. What do you think of the price now?”
Tears filling his eyes, Edward thought about the consequences. “How can I guarantee the future generations will comply?”
Cackling, the stranger headed for the door. “That is of no concern to me. I will give you two weeks to get your affairs in order and then I will return for you.”
Stomach churning, Edward held back the urge to vomit. “What if I refuse?”
Turning around, she pierced him with an evil stare. “Then I will take your youngest child as payment for my summoning.”
Roaring, Edward grabbed the stranger by the shoulders, shaking her. “You will not touch Anna! Do you hear me?”
The women looked at Edward’s hands and with a flick of her wrist, sent him flying across the room. Snarling, she revealed a mouth full of sharp, pointed teeth. “Do not trifle with me, mortal!”
Horrified, Edward struggled to stand.
“Did you know your land rests on a Hell mouth? No? The same power that drew you to this land, that is the pulse of pure evil that lies beneath. I was able to escape it; however, my siblings remain trapped, and for good reason. If released, they would be a plague upon this Earth. An Earth I have rather come to enjoy. I will return in fourteen days.”
The stranger disappeared into thin air, leaving Edward with only one choice.
He spent the next two weeks focusing on his family. His days were spent laughing with his children, while his nights belonged to his beautiful wife. Lying next to her, he rubbed a hand over her distended belly, feeling a wave of grief wash over him. He would never meet the child she carried. Tamping down his emotions, he faked a smile. No matter how gut wrenching this was for him, keeping them safe was worth it.
He also struggled with the idea of passing down a death sentence onto his future generations, but he had to focus on the people he could save today. Anna was his only child with magic running through her veins, and Edward knew her children, and her children’s children would be the ones to bear the brunt of the curse. Every fifty years, it would be their responsibility to fulfill the bargain. It was a sad fate to bestow upon anyone, but for the sake of his own family, and the fate of the world, he had to do it. On the evening of the fourteenth day, Edward kissed his sleeping family goodbye and walked out to the barn to accept his sentence.
The stranger was waiting for him. “Have you made your choice?”
Finding strength, Edward met her stare straight on. “I have. Take me.”
The sound of bones cracking and splitting skin echoed through the barn as Edward watched the beautiful women morph into a hideous creature. Her face stretched and elongated into a bird-like beak, while her fingers curved into razor sharp talons. Ripping the cloak off her shoulders, she unfurled two large scaly wings from the back of her emaciated body. Descending upon him with the speed of the wind, she ripped out his heart, and as his life blood soaked into the cursed earth, the dark pact was sealed.
