Chapter Thirty-Three
Over the Coals
Minutes dragged by and the little two-cycle motor refused to start.
Three eager demons stood poised at each upright, waiting for the signal to roll the mechanism over the pit. The rest had reformed into an arc around them. In addition to guarding the intended sacrifice from interference, they seemed to be focusing the malevolence of their collective will on invoking whatever entities they sought to influence.
The chanting continued ceaselessly, not monotonous despite its regular repetition. Perhaps it was just the suspense but those otherwise imperceptible energies now raised constant waves of gooseflesh up and down Bobby’s chilled skin. The more the ancient, cryptic words cycled on, a rhythm of inevitability accrued to even the most suggestive aspe
