Page 41 of Herbs & Hex-breaking

“I’m not giving you grief about that,” Circe insisted. “You followed your gut. And I gotta tell ya, cousin, I’d have probably given her my favorite talisman too.”

“I’ve never come up against something like this before,” I admitted. “I think it’s time to get some practical advice from the Magistra.”

“I agree.” Circe nodded. “We are going to need advice from an expert. Someone who has experience with this sort of thing.”

“I know. I had hoped that I wouldn’t have to, but since this morning—”

“And your own close call,” Circe interjected.

I sighed. “I realize that I need to call in the big guns.”

“Luckily for us the Magistra is close by,” Circe said, tongue in cheek.

“They deal with so much in the community already...I’m hesitant to bother them.”

“You’re not bothering me,” another voice said, joining our discussion.

And with that, Lorna Southern, my retail neighbor, friend, leader of the magickal community and the local Magistra breezed into my back room.

CHAPTER NINE

“Hello, Lorna,” I said. “I suppose you overheard?”

“I did.” She nodded. “Dex also spoke to me earlier this morning about Hattie. However, I want you to brief me on the situation. Don’t leave out any detail. Tell me everything. Since the first meeting with Hattie about the gown, to what happened this morning.”

“That may take a few.”

“We have a half hour before open,” she said. “Come over to the bookstore, Kate, and let’s talk.”

“Go.” Circe shooed me away. “I can get the point of sales program booted up and the lights switched on for you.”

I walked over to the bookstore with Lorna where we encountered Dex carrying a stack of new books in one arm. As soon as he spotted me his face went pale. “Are you all right?” he demanded, setting the books aside and rushing over to me.

“I will be,” I said.

Dex reached out and gently pulled me close. It was more of a comforting gesture—nothing romantic about it really—yet my stomach did a hard flip at his touch.

I felt his breath hitch and realized he was using his retrocognition. He was ‘seeing’ what had happened a short time ago.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’m okay.”

He leaned back and his eyes locked on mine. “I’ll go clean up the broken glass for you.”

“I appreciate that.”

He stepped back and turned to go, his hand giving mine a light squeeze as he left.

Lorna had stood to the side through that whole thing, and now that Dex had left, she inclined her head and I followed. We went straight back to her small office in the backroom, and she shut the door behind us. I took a seat in the chair in front of her desk and filled Lorna in.

Beginning with Hattie’s first visit, thinking her wedding dress had been cursed, to all the bad luck and scares the couple had been experiencing. I explained my impressions of the spider-web like shawl of energy that had been wrapped around her—plus Dex’s reading of the vintage wedding gown, and him also picking up on the spider webs—to the spellwork I’d done on Samhain to break the curse. I told her about the phone call and ER visit yesterday, and how I’d given Hattie my own amulet for protection. I showed her the video of Hattie’s accident, and finally I shared with her how my morning had gone.

“Now, I’m wondering,” I said, as I finished up, “if somehow I took on Hattie’s curse. Is it even possible that it could have transferred to me? Or did giving her my personal talisman open me up to an attack?”

“You should have come to me sooner,” Lorna said.

“I didn’t want to bother you with this,” I insisted. “I know there are many demands on your time. You are the community leader, and there’s the private book club with the covens.”

“You mean my New Moon Book Club?” she asked, her eyebrows raised.