Meet the weevils.
The glow didn’t move. It was only a few feet away under the branches at the base of the mesquite. He let out the breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, tried to breathe slowly, to calm his thumping heart, and then crawled under the branches. He reached out and his hand closed over the object. It was warm but not hot.
‘Oi! Keep your hands off.’
Lukas jerked up, smashing into the mesquite. Thorns jabbed into his shoulders and he tasted blood as his teeth smashed into his tongue. The demons had caught up. What was he doing when he should have been running to the village? He tried to scramble backwards but the thorns were caught in his tunic. He twisted, trying to jerk free and the thorns dug deeper.
‘Bloody memums! Think you can take everythin.’
Lukas blinked, peering through watering eyes.
I know that voice.
A tiny, black, humanoid shape fluttered in front of his face and poked him in the nose with a thorny forearm.
Not everythin belongs to you, memum.’
Weevils! I’m running for my life and now I’m being tormented by weevils.
Actually, the weevils aren't important characters in 'An Ancient Evil', but they do represent an aspect of the major theme that runs through all the books of 'The Year Reality Broke'.