Page 40 of Jacob Michaels is Dead

Oma fluttered her fingers in the air.

“Yeah,” She grumbled, “the damn spell I did to make you both dumber than usual. I’ll reverse what I done did; you’ll remember everything…then wise ass over here can decide what he’s going to do!”

“What I’m going to do?” I frowned.

“About Bloody Bones, of course!”

“Why do I have to do anything? Why is that my job?”

“Because you’re the last damn ancestor of The Witch.” Oma barked. “This is your job. Like it or not, that’s what you was born to do, Rob.”

I started to say something hateful back but stopped myself.

“Ya’ know what?” I snapped at her. “If I could sink into the ground and get away from you, I’d do it, you old bitch.”

“Good!” She snapped back.

Lucas just held my hand.

“Now, let’s get down in the damn cellar where we got some protection if anyone comes nosin’ around here, and we’ll do this damn thing.”

Lucas and I looked at each other, our fingers twining together as we considered the request—well, demand—from Oma. My instincts told me that we should follow Oma into the cellar, let her do whatever magic she felt she had to do, and then face Bloody Bones when he showed up. However, something kept pinging around in my head, some little voice telling me there was a question that needed to be asked. Just as I was about to take a step towards Oma, pulling Lucas with me, I realized what the voice was saying.

“Wait,” I said, causing Oma to halt in her tracks and turn to look at me. “You said everyone talking about Bloody Bones, telling his legend, adding to his myth, gave him more power?”

“Yeah?” Oma shrugged.

“People stopped talking about him.” I shook my head. “I do remember that people in this town stopped talking about him. In fact, people stopped believing altogether. So…how is he more powerful now.”

“Because he stopped relying on the whims of humans and found a new way to get magic.” Oma waggled her head. “Every time he’s come back—up until the last time—he was using the magic humans give all their Gods, and—”

“All their Gods?” Lucas asked.

“What’s any deity but the creation of humans brought to life by myth?” Oma said simply. “Humans have a very peculiar magic of their own. They tell stories. Those stories spread from mouth to mouth until the story is the truth. Stories have power, Lucas Barkley. Just as humans give God power, they give Bloody Bones power.”

“Oddly,” I turned to Lucas, “that’s pretty logical.”

Lucas shrugged. When I turned back to Oma, she was smiling, happy with herself.

“Still don’t like you any.” I shrugged at her.

She frowned. “Well, when you idiots—humans—stopped talkin’, stopped givin’ him power…he started takin’ it from the land. I suppose he didn’t know he could do that before. But desperate times call for desperate measures. And he didn’t just take it. He used it. Not just to rise up and try to come back, but to gain allies. This town’s full of ‘em, too.”

“He’s been giving families around here power?” I nodded slowly.

“Damn right, he has.” Oma nodded firmly. “Nearly every damn family in this town is connected to the power he stole from the land. Whatcha think’s gonna happen when he takes it back?”

“Shit.” I sighed.

“Grandpa!” Lucas gasped.

“Ole Jackson’s probably already met his maker.” Oma waved him off casually.

“Oma!” I growled.

Lucas gasped again.

“Well,” She said, “it’s just the truth. Carlita, too. Maybe even Andrew.”