4 - Powerful Witch

GILDEON

By the looks of it, the tattoo's magic had been drained, siphoning Paul’s life in the process. Whoever did this staged it to look like a jellyfish attack.

“Ghulik, can you trace the source?” he asked urgently. The goblin clambered over Plumber Paul's body, sniffing around.

“A witch, Master,” Ghulik said after a moment. “Ghulik smells the powerful kind.”

“Are you sure?”

The goblin nodded, stroking his pointed ear. “Ghulik lived with witches and faes long time ago,” he said somberly, his face twitching as if recalling a painful memory. “Ghulik knows who are friends and who are enemies.”

Ghulik had been his secret companion for a thousand years. They knew everything about each other, except for this. Once, he’d tried asking the goblin about his past on Earthland, but Ghulik had begged him not to pry any further.

He respected that.

“This is not friend, Master,” Ghulik said, lifting his face to him, his crimson eyes bulging in terror.

Gildeon stepped back, pushing a hand through his hair, and sat on the edge of an empty steel bed. He folded his arms, a knuckle on his lips. How could a powerful witch get onto this island without him knowing?

He glanced back at Plumber Paul, and a thought struck him, quickening his pulse. If the body was still here, they'd likely perform an autopsy. With no next of kin to object, the medical examiner would soon discover his death wasn’t caused by a true jellyfish sting. And if Arah had given the same tattoo to others and they turned up dead too, it wouldn’t be long before the police put her at the center of it all.

Gildeon couldn’t let that happen.

“Ghulik,” he called, unfurling his arms. The goblin was still on top of Paul, practically drooling over the dead man’s face. “That body, it’s yours now.”

The goblin’s red eyes grew big, gleaming in anticipation. “Ghulik can…” He pointed a sharp-nailed finger at his gaping mouth, then at the body. “Feast on him?”

Gildeon nodded. “Make sure not to leave any trace.”

The goblin whooped, tilting his head back, jaw expanding like a python about to devour its prey. Rows of jagged white teeth flashed as he lowered his monstrous mouth, clamping onto Paul’s throat.

He had watched Ghulik feed thousands of times, yet it never failed to amaze him how a full-grown mortal carcass could fit into that small belly.

Ghulik tore into the flesh with fervor. Blood splattered, staining his gray skin. The sounds of flesh squelching and bones crunching echoed through the cold room.

Gildeon looked away, feeling a pinch of guilt for violating Plumber Paul's body this way. It made him pause. Why did he even care? A dead body was nothing but a vessel, a husk. Once a human dies, their soul goes back to the spiritual plane to be judged for either ascension or reincarnation.

Perhaps it was the thought of Arah caring for this human that bothered him?

He remembered her every reaction from that dinner. Every disappointment. Every frustration.

His hands clenched at the edge of the steel bed. He wasn’t supposed to care about her feelings either. He only needed her to submit willingly, whenever that may be.

“All done, Master!” Ghulik’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The goblin was licking off the last drop of blood on the floor. Nothing remained of Paul. It was as if he was never here.

As they headed back to the car and drove away, thoughts of the powerful witch seeped back into Gildeon’s mind.

How did that witch know there was sylph magic to absorb on this island? Were they already here and just happened to sense it?

He put a hand on the back of his neck and rolled his head to ease the throbbing stress building up in his muscles and veins. He despised complications and setbacks—the unexpected variables throwing a wrench in his plans.

Now, it seemed he'd have to break his rule of not picking a fight with a supernatural being in Earthland. That powerful witch must be dealt with before this entire situation becomes a real problem.

First, he needed a plan to flush them out.