Convoke

Chapter 16

I don't think anyone got a notification for the last chapter, so make sure you've read chapter 15 before reading this one! :D

- Sian

Tom had nightmares about demons. He dreamt of them storming the village and attacking the people he cared about. He woke in a sweaty panic at the crack of dawn. He wrapped himself in a blanket and watched the red sky until it faded to orange, and the sun peeked over the distant hills.

He heard Gerry get up with his niece and waited until he had left for work, and she had gone to nursery before leaving his room. He started work at eleven, and he wasn't in the mood for socialising, which was difficult when he worked with the public.

The demon situation had shaken him badly. What if more tried to hurt him? What if the rumour of him and Ezra working together spread, and demons stormed the pub to protect themselves?

His silence didn't go unnoticed. "Are you okay?" Declan asked, holding a bowl of cereal to his chest.

"Didn't sleep well," Tom mumbled to his dad, staring at the bubbling water in the glass kettle.

"Do you want the day off?"

Tom shrugged. "And do what instead?"

"Spend the day with Cal."

"He's working today too." Tom rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his brown hair. "It's fine, I'll work."

"Well, if you want to take it easy and have more breaks than usual, I'll cover you." Declan finished his cereal and patted his shoulder. "I hope that soul stripper comes to the pub today. I want him to know how grateful we all are that he was at the right place at the right time."

Tom wondered what his dad's reaction would be if he told him that he had summoned a demon to save his life. He looked down to his ring finger and decided that some things were best left unsaid.

Work was slow. Tom was tired. He rested elbows against the dark wood of the bar, wondering if he should get a bowl of water and a cloth to wipe down the dust that was settling on all the patterned oak that caged the pub walls. But Finn appeared at the bar, wanting another pint of Moretti. "Why's the pub called Glass Horns?" Finn's friend asked, eyeing the pork scratchings behind Tom.

"Because back in the day, a bull used to be in the opposite field instead of sheep," Declan answered. "And one day it got loose and smashed the glass in the front door with its horns. The pub had only been open two days."

"I once went to a pub called Viking Viktor because the guy who owned it was called Viktor and he was from a long line of Vikings, apparently."

Tom couldn't cope with such a boring conversation and decided to wipe down all the dust when Finn started naming all the pubs he had ever been to. He was ten minutes into dusting the back wall when he caught a figure sitting under their old tree. Tom leaned closer to the window, and Ezra stared back, existing peacefully with crossed arms and black hair rustling in the breeze. When Tom lifted a hand and waved, Ezra motioned for him to join him outside.

"Back in a minute," Tom said to his dad before leaving quickly. The sun was warmer than the previous day. Tom had struggled to warm up the night before. The pond was a level of cold he hoped to never feel again. "Hey," he said, stopping in front of Ezra who was sitting on the wooden table.

"Hi," he replied quietly. "Are you okay today?"

"I've been better. And you?"

"I've been better."

Tom sat next to him on the table and rested his feet on the bench. Ezra turned towards him with large, concerned eyes. "An angel watched over the building until dawn. I've been watching over it ever since."