“Give a kid a little power and he thinks he’s invincible. You don’t think I could build my creations with enough demonic magic to counter witch magic? Let me clue you in, kid. In this form, on this plane, my innate ability is more dominant than yours. Your magic won’t work on them directly. Of course, you could fling a desk or drop a ceiling on them. Not very good witch of you though.”

Declan was frowning now, reaching into his shirt to pull out a set of necklaces.

“Oh is that one your little anti-demon one? The little bear? How cute,” she said, moving from the front of the room toward him.

He had three necklaces on; one a soapstone carving of a bear, another a small glass orb filled with smoke and wrapped in odd-colored leather, and the last, which was the one he was now holding. That one was a chunk of stone, dark granite maybe, with equally dark quartz crystals embedded in it. The stone was wrapped in what looked like rusted wire with what looked like a few dull barbs on it, like it was pulled from an old farm fence.

He waved his right hand again and this time, every kid with a bracelet suddenly slumped down in their chairs, still staring, but almost as if the weight of the world was on them.

“Get up,” Lilith commanded the girls right in front of Declan. They struggled but couldn’t move. Arms twitched but legs and asses stayed glued to the floor and chair seats.

The demoness frowned. The witch smiled.

“You should leave,” he said simply.

She raised an eyebrow, still puzzled by whatever he had done to her mind-controlled minions, but not really too worried.

Still holding the lump of granite in his right hand, he now clutched the glass orb in his left. “It’s like rock, paper, scissors. Incarnate demon beats witch, but elemental magic beats demon.” He shoved his left hand forward, just a few inches and still holding the glass.

A burst of air picked up Lilith and threw her backward into the chalkboard and partially through it. She stared at him, shocked and angry, still stuck in the wall, then anger won out and she burst free from the remains of the blackboard, landing on two feet.

He moved his granite-filled right hand an inch to the right and the floor became liquid under her feet, dropping her a foot and a half into the concrete before it hardened back up. At the same time, silver orbs rose up, six of them, along the side and back walls of the room, including the one in front of his old high school friend Alli, who was watching, wide-eyed and pale.

“Didn’t anyone tell you I have a way with elementals?”

“Your elementals on Fairie have no power here,” she spat back at him, yanking her legs.