Nocturnal (episode n. 1) (8 page)

Then a thunder-like sound could be heard, and suddenly the spiders were no more.

Amanda and the incubus turned simultaneously towards the noise. Something heavy had hit one of the windows facing the road, while the howl of the wind, so far just a distant background noise, could now be heard clearly. The hurricane was approaching.

Amanda knew there were only a few things that could break the grip of an incubus on its victims. Seeing the object of your desire perform a sex change in front of you seemed to be one of those, and the spiders must have been the finishing touch. The magician had regained enough of his self control to decide and react in the only way he could, by shaping the power the other controllers were broadcasting, and call the hurricane to him, instead of keeping it at large from the building as he had been doing so far. It was just a temporary distraction – the incubus had already reshaped itself in its female features, and the dazed expression was back on its victim's face – but anyway it had broken the illusion and given Amanda a chance.

She seized it for a desperate measure, afraid it would be useless but hoping it wouldn't. She ripped off from her neck the amulet Kate had given her, and threw it against the incubus. Exceeding her best hopes, the dream catcher proved faithful to its very name. As soon as it touched it, the incubus dissolved into a puff of mist, which then seemed to be sucked into the crossed strings of the amulet and disappear into it, forever imprisoned, or maybe sent back to the places it belong to, from which it should have never been summoned.

EPILOGUE

The damages made by the hurricane were large. Its victims, fortunately, just a few. Police had done its best to inform the people of what was going to happen – as soon as it had been clear that there was no chance to stop it – and to help those who couldn't find a safe harbor in time.

The count of those few included Thomas Marsten, first victim as well as prime cause of it all.

It seemed that the safety measures used by Weather Control weren't good enough to detect the influence an incubus could exert on a living being. After all, considering how long ago the last incubus had been summoned from the land of dreams, that lack could almost be understood. It wouldn't be if they didn't promptly improved the systems to prevent anything like that to happen again.

For what concerned Parker, Amanda decided not to deny the official theory of his natural death. If he were guilty, he had paid more than enough. If he weren't, there were no reason to throw mud on his memory hinting he could have been.

Then there was the hugest question: what was it that the incubus wanted so much as to do all that? Shim didn't want to tell her, and since he had saved her life, almost losing his in the attempt, she hadn't insisted.

But she was sure she would find out.

Sooner or later.

THE AUTHOR

Carmelo Massimo Tidona, employee, writer and translator in his spare time, has been reading and writing since as long as he can remember. Some of his short stories have been published in various anthologies.

For 0111edizioni Carmelo Massimo Tidona published:
“Trittico Oscuro”
, collection of urban fantasy tales (2009, Italian).
“Riflessi d’Ombra”
, urban fantasy novel (2009, Italian)

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