The calm of the night was interrupted by two arguing fellows, both cloaked and fully garbed in cloak, hood and cape in this heavy London smog. One clearly the senior by a good aeon with dusty grey eyes and wrinkled face with the symbol of a flame over his heart on his black garb. The other only just a man with bright green eyes and black intent with a spark on his left hand side, his slim build complimenting the slightly more form fitting black robes he sports.
The older gentleman motions for the other to open the door to the small cottage by the wayside that they must occupy, the younger obliges and swiftly climbs the drain pipe for the guttering making his way to the roof, following up by opening the attic window and entering the house. The older gentleman seeing he will need to wait brings a flame from his finger and lights a cigar, puffing silently out in the street.
The younger man finds himself in a small room with a sleeping child and a teddy along with the usual accoutrements of a bedroom, wardrobe in the corner, bed by the wall and carpet on the floor. The man slowly and quietly moves to the door and carefully opens the door. Swiftly closing it afterwards.
Moving down the wooden retractable stairs that lead to the attic he finds a larger bedroom with the target and his wife, ignoring the couple he moves out and opens the door. The wife stirs “Hmm Darren is tha…?! While the wife was mumbling the young man takes out a small scroll moving to her side he places it on her head keeping her asleep until otherwise.
Not wanting to keep the older gentleman he moves swiftly and opens the outer door with a flourish before bowing, the older man taking another puff of his cigar and enters, not before griping the Youngers’ shoulder “We don’t have time, we must be swift!” he spoke in a harshly restrained whisper carrying enough intent to kill. The younger restrained himself from snapping back and started to move the furniture out of the way so as to lead to the basement.
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The older gentleman immediately set to work trusting his accomplice to continue he opened a tome bound in leather with dusty pages onto the final page. He lit a flame on his right hand and forced it on the circle on the final page of the tome setting it alight, burning the work of his chapter, but once the circle was made manifest in the centre of the basement it was not a true loss.
While this was occurring the younger man began to procure their ‘help’, he moved with no regards to stealth and ran into the pairs’ bedroom he began the work of knocking out gagging and tying the prisoners, sorry, ‘help’ together. Again running upstairs opening the door and finding the child understandably worried about the open window. “Papa?” the child asked worried only to find the young man at the door. The child already clutching his teddy looked on in terror at the man and tightened his already tight grip on his teddy. The young man ran over and hugged the child “Hush child, be happy for we are the chosen for tonight,” he spoke softly in the ear of the child and slowly tightened his hold on the child moving him to unconsciousness.
His work done the old man began to add the finishing touches with the small pyres at the desired points on the circle and awaited his protégé.
The young man carried the pair of ‘helpers’ on his shoulders while carrying the boy in his arms, moving them into the basement. He placed the boy in the centre with the parents between two pyres with their head near one and feet near the other, the young man steps so that he is inside the circle but facing the older fellow. Who by now is already beginning with a cigar in mouth, frayed grey hair visible under the hood and his wrinkled face clear to the man his two hands splayed upwards with flames hovering above each, eyes closed. He slowly turns his palms so that they face the floor and the flames begin to grow as a commotion is heard above.
“What the devil…” a clear bark sounded throughout the house, “Worry not we solve this issue” another voiced hopefully.
The flames now meeting the circle making it light up, the flame spreading the light round the circle as the intensity grew and grew. Suftly burning through the ‘helpers’ and completing the ritual. The flame spread round leaving a trail of smoke and ash swiftly obscuring the boy and young man not unlike magicians smoke, leaving nothing behind. Only an old gentleman with a smile on his face.
“Ah ha found the bugger!!” the bark resounded in the basement before being blown away by a torrent of flame and ash. The house quickly catching flame ending the lives of all within, adding more ash and smoke to the smog and fog of London.