Page 16 of Grimoires & Glamoury

“How do you mean?” Nash asked.

“All of that angry energy flying around, looking for a target. And with Shelby missing, and all the other factors of the situation—”

“Not to mention a murder,” he cut in.

“It is likely to...muddy the waters, so to speak,” I explained. “Which is why I’m here asking for your professional help.”

“I follow what you’re saying.” Nash helped himself to the remaining taco. “I’ll start looking into this for you and let you know as soon as I find anything.”

“Thank you, Nash.”

“Standard rate,” he said.

“I would expect nothing less.” I held up my bottle of soda, and he clinked his into mine in a sort of toast.

In agreement, we both took a drink and finished our food.

***

After leaving Nash’s office, I decided I wanted to check out Shelby and Sawyer’s house for myself. And no, this wasn’t because I considered myself a witchy version of Nancy Drew. Poking around a fresh crime scene was a sure-fire way to end up in jail.

Charles Montgomery—despite being aggravating—was a more than competent mage. However, I still wanted to ‘see’ the crime scene for myself. Why you may wonder? Because Montgomery wouldn’t have looked at the scene from a Witch’s perspective. Not that I blamed him. At the time he’d been solely focused on not touching anything and calling the police to report a murder.

Best of all, I didn’t need to be there in person; instead I could safely assess it from afar by performing a remote viewing. Once I made it home, I let myself in the back door, dropped my purse on the kitchen table, and went into my living room to collect a few supplies from the antique sideboard that was there.

I gathered several crystals: a clear quartz point for clarity, a tumbled amethyst stone for psychic prowess, and an agate to help me remain calm. Next, I selected a shimmering blue labradorite pendant for a smooth journey, and slipped the chain over my head. Finally, I chose a chunk of black obsidian for direction and a tumbled stone of black tourmaline to help ground and protect my physical body while I traveled.

Opening the sideboard door, I pulled out my quarter candles and set them in their proper points on the floor. I took a seat in the center of the candles and arranged the crystals around me. The black obsidian I kept in my hand as it would act as a compass for me in the astral realm, ensuring that my spirit found its way back to my physical body.

I took my time, centered my energy, regulated my breathing and smiled as the afternoon sunlight slanted through the small stained-glass windows of my living room. Using my traditional quarter call, I called to the elements and the candle flames sprang to life. Next, I cast the energetic circle that would protect me physically while I traveled. Closing my eyes, I began the chant that would assist in my astral travel and slowly but surely felt my spirit begin to slip free and soar up and out.

The feeling of weightlessness and freedom could be intoxicating, and an unprepared Witch could find themselves all too easily lost. But I had traveled like this many times over the years, and I was confident I could do so safely on my own.

I first saw the house from above, and then my spirit was in front of the house, viewing the crime scene tape that was wrapped around the porch and sealing up the front door. Using my will, my spirit went through the wall and into the kitchen.

It had probably been a charming home at one time. There were colorful dishes out and posters on the kitchen wall, but now all of the cabinet doors hung crookedly, and most of the contents were thrown on the floor. As I moved through the house and toward the hallway where Montgomery had found the body, I saw a large dark brown stain in the middle of the hallway carpet.

Pausing for a moment, I studied the hallway carefully. Pictures had been knocked from the walls here and the overhead light fixture was broken. In the two bedrooms beyond, furniture lay in pieces, mattresses were off the bed and the stuffing had been pulled out, and dresser drawers had been dumped. The entire house had been trashed.

I looked closely for any magickal sigils or symbols that may have been placed inside of the house, but to my surprise I found nothing. A Witch’s home was typically warded. The ward runes should have been shimmering away, plain to see on the astral realm. But shockingly there were none.

Returning to the hallway, I called out to Tadd with my mind, asking him to show me his final moments. Now I waited, even as I felt a trickle of sweat run down my back from the effort required to do a remote viewing.

Centering my energy, I called out again on the astral plane. A moment later all I heard were a male’s screams, horrible and desperate. Images spun through my mind in a blur. It was like being on a ghastly carousel.

Next there was confusion, fear, pain, a blinding flash of light...and then nothing.

CHAPTER FOUR

To my surprise, I felt myself shoved out and away from the house, like a slamming door—or more likely a shielding spell—had slapped into place. It was forceful enough that I felt the impact like a punch straight to the solar plexus.

Shaken by what I’d experienced, I closed my fist around the black obsidian I held in my physical hand and began the journey home to my body. The labradorite pendant warmed up where it rested against my chest, and I focused on that as a sort of secondary guide to ensure I went back to where I belonged.

I landed back into my body with an unexpected thump. Slowly I opened my eyes and then immediately laid down, right on my living room’s hardwood floor. One, so I wouldn’t pass out and two, because placing my back against the floor helped me to ground, center, and regulate.

“Wow,” I said staring up at the ceiling and trying to catch my breath. “That was a hell of a trip.” I stayed there for a good fifteen minutes, thinking over what I’d seen and letting my body settle.

Eventually I sat up, extinguished the candles, and opened the protective circle.