One stormy night, the shadow finally came forth fully. Lily was sitting in the study when lights began to flicker out one by one, casting a pitch darkness in the room. She heard a very soft, rhythmic beating as something moved down the hall, closer and closer. Her heart ran as if every instinct shouted in her to run away but could not move a limb to do so.
A dark shape stood in the doorway, its outlines writhing and shifting as if it were something made of smoke. It drifted toward her, quiet and purposeful. Then, without warning, it heaved forward, pinning her to the wall, leaving her breathless from the impact. Cold hands closed about her throat, constricting as the room began to spin.
Just as she was poised to pass out, something low and powerful cut through the darkness. Mr. Armitage appeared, paled, holding in one hand something ancient and glowing: an amulet. The shadow let out its hiss and shrank backward from the light of the amulet. It seemed to wavering and then melted off into the floorboards while Lily gasped for her breath.
You must steel yourself, Armitage said, his face grave. The shadow will not be turned out so easily. There is a ritual, however, one that might permanently bind it. It's dangerous, but this is your only hope.
Lily nodded, fear dissolving into grim determination. She would take whatever there was to end this. No matter what the cost. The shadow had taken enough from her family. It was time to fight back.