Free Resurrection by Nancy Holder

answered in a singsong voice.
    His vision cleared just in time to see a small greenscaly creature about a foot tall, with pointed eyes and a large sharp nose, hop on spindly legs onto his chair and with skeletal fingers slammed the book closed. It wore no clothes, and its pointed head was bald.
    Then it scampered off the chair and scooted under his bed.
    Daniel struggled to a sitting position, grunting in pain. He searched wildly around for a weapon, but there was nothing.
    â€œWho are you?” he asked, speaking to the air as he scanned the room.
    â€œCacoph. My name, my name, oh, Daniel of the Cahors!”
    â€œMy last name is Cathers. What are you?” Daniel shouted even as he struggled to calm his mind. He crawled to the bed and raised the edge of the bedspread. Bracing for an attack, he looked under the bed.
    â€œWhat kind of witch are you that you don’t know an imp?” The thing—Cacoph—hissed, baring its teeth at him.
    â€œI’m not a witch. My mother—”
    Cacoph screamed and launched itself. Daniel tried to twist out of the way but Cacoph landed on his chest, grabbed hold of his shirt, and leaned in so its face was an inch away. It smelled like rotten grass.
    â€œShe dabbles, she plays. She wishes the knowledge to bring your father back from the dead. But it is notfor her. She is not a true Cahors. She is not of the blood. You are, but I won’t tell you, either! I don’t answer to your kind!” Cacoph ended with a shriek.
    The imp slammed its fist into Daniel’s injured ribs, and Daniel screamed in pain. “My master will kill you and your children and your children’s children.”
    â€œI don’t have any children!” Daniel bellowed as he tried to throw Cacoph off him. It just dug its claws into him until he writhed in pain.
    â€œNo?” the thing asked, cocking its head to the side. “Then my master will kill you someday in front of your children and then will wipe out all Cahors everywhere.”
    â€œThere are no more Cahors. They all died a long time ago!”
    â€œI think not,” the imp said, foaming at the mouth. “But they all will.”
    It sunk its teeth into Daniel’s shoulder, and it was as though a thousand needles were pricking and tearing at him. Suddenly he heard himself shouting in French at the top of his lungs, “Tais toi!”
    The imp’s eyes went wide for a moment, and then it vanished in a cloud of smoke. Daniel dragged himself to his feet and made it to the bathroom, where he locked the door before stripping off his shirt. Blood was coating his shoulder and much of his chest, and he grunted as he tried to clean the wound.
    There was a knock on the bathroom door followed by his sister’s voice. “Hey, are you okay?”
    He choked back a curse. He was most certainly not okay, but not for anything would he drag Marie into this world of witches and imps and insanity.
    â€œFine,” he said through gritted teeth.
    â€œAre you sure?” she asked, her voice hesitant and an edge of fear creeping into it.
    He clenched his jaw, then exhaled to steady himself. “Fine. I just tripped and banged my shoulder. I’ll be okay in a couple of minutes.”
    â€œDo you want me to get you some ice?” she asked.
    He hesitated for a moment. “Yes, that would be great.”
    He listened as her feet retreated down the hallway toward the stairs. She was so rarely helpful. She must have known he was hiding something.
    â€œThis is one secret you’ll never get from me,” he vowed.
    When she returned with the dark blue ice pack, he managed to open the door partway and accept it without revealing the jagged wounds on his shoulder.
    â€œThanks,” he said, managing a grimace.
    She was trying to look inside the bathroom. “Anything else?”
    â€œNo. Just get ready for your party.”
    She started to turn away, and another thoughtstruck him. “But