Chapter Four
At first, Lucy was too dazed to move. The putrid odor of the demon, accented by what could only be the smell of sulfur and brimstone, permeated the room. The ropes that had held Penelope lay frayed and empty, but still affixed to the iron rings in the floor. The candles were almost all burnt away, threatening to subsume the room into utter darkness.
Physically, she was drained. A tiredness swelled through her. She closed the grimoire and, leaving it in place, began to move towards the stairs to the upper levels of the house. She was able to drag herself a few feet and then she collapsed.
She awoke many hours later. Everything was dark. She rose carefully to her feet and fumbled along the wall until she found the light switch. She flipped it and the room was illuminated. Th
