Woman King Read Online Free PDF Page A

vulnerable. You’re not even trying to
sense when you’re in danger. It’s why Stoner Halbert’s demon picked
you.”
    This remark caused me to drop my coffee mug
on the marble counter where it promptly broke into several
pieces.
    “I’m sorry, did you say demon ?”
    Elsa sighed. “I can see we will have to start
at the beginning. Your friend Mr. Halbert has been dabbling in
black magic. After his wife ruined him, he sought revenge and
became interested in the occult. He has managed to conjure up a
minor demon that promises him great wealth. The demon has given him
an advantage, a sort of influence…and he is using it against you
and others.”
    “Why me?”
    Elsa seemed to pause for a moment. “What’s
the expression? You are a sitting duck . The Others can see
that you have intentionally blocked off your senses. It makes you
an easy target for their mischief. Halbert’s demon has gone in
search of the most vulnerable. An empath who refuses to listen her
instincts? That is an easy mark.”
    “Why should I believe any of this is real or
true?” I asked, now frightened beyond measure. To cover my
feelings, I leaned down to pick up the broken porcelain pieces.
    Either I was having a complete mental
breakdown, or there was a spirit guide in my kitchen discussing a
demon. My grandmother had told me stories when I was a child of the
time-walkers who visited her village in Scotland. In her tales,
they brought news of loved ones and warned of impending dangers.
Free to move between the past and the future, these witches were
welcomed cautiously by the villagers and warmly by women like my
grandmother, who had their own gifts. I always thought they were
part of a charming folklore, the stuff packed into books in the
library.
    Elsa smiled and set down her teacup. “It’s
nice to see you get angry, Olivia. It’s long overdue, but welcome.
Who do you think I am then, if not someone sent here to help you? I
could have killed you while you were passed out in your kitchen.
And yet, here I am and you’re still alive.”
    “That’s my point,” I said. “You could be
anyone. You could be some con artist off the street. Why should I
believe you?”
    “How would I know about your gifts if not for
your grandmother?” Elsa asked. “You can try to pretend you’re not
connected to any of this, Olivia, but your grandmother was a great
seer. Your mother is extremely receptive. The fact that you have
ignored your lineage doesn’t erase the connections.”
    The mention of my mother sent my head
spinning. Demons. Spirit guides. It was all too much. I knew Elsa
wasn’t a vagrant off the street. Her arrival at the moment I asked
for her could only be connected to my dreams. But I wasn’t ready to
face these facts.
    “I’m tired. I think you should leave and come
back another time when I feel up to a discussion,” I said, walking
toward my front door and opening it.
    Elsa stared at me, a look of fury in her
eyes. “Do you really think you can avoid me like you’ve avoided
everything else? You asked me to come!”
    I nodded. “I didn’t know what I was asking
for. I don’t know why my grandmother sent you, but I don’t need
your help. I will get some rest and fix everything tomorrow.”
    “You cannot fight the demon without my help,
Olivia. You need me.”
    “That’s exactly my point,” I said as I
ushered her to the stoop. “I don’t intend to fight.”
    I shut the door, managed to walk upstairs to
my bedroom, and I started to cry.
    “God damn it,” I screamed as I tossed a
pillow across the room. “God damn it!” I had asked her to
come, but I truly meant it when I said I didn’t know what I was
asking for. What did I need? An exorcist? A psychiatrist?
    My mother and all of her warnings came back
to me. I was hunched over on the edge of my bed sobbing, when my
phone beeped, signaling a text. I picked up my mobile from my
nightstand. There, blinking, was a message from Stoner Halbert. I
glanced at his