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Of upholding the balance the gods decreed.
For the magic used, you shall bleed.
Juneau went on, You will start the first line of the spell standing in front of the witch you’re transferring from, drawing a pentagram on her forehead. By the last line, you will stand in front of the witch you’re transferring to, drawing the pentagram on her forehead as well.
Sophie scribbled eagerly in her notebook, then raised her head. “Anything else?”
That is all.
Sophie nodded, closed the notebook, and took a shuddering breath. “Thank you, Mother. We will work on the derivative spell and will release you as soon as we finalize it.”
Give it to Shobha, Juneau said. She has the most experience crafting new spells.
“Will do.”
“Okey dokey,” Merle said, clapping her hands. “Back to the munchy-munchy of your very own starving darkness.”
Juneau’s energy vibrated with hatred.
“Hear me, ye Shadows,” Merle intoned. “Reclaim Juneau Laroche, bound by Merle, daughter of Emily, of the MacKenna family. Into darkness take her back.”
With a hiss that was half roar, the smoke of the Shadows plumed and billowed like clouds of a gathering storm front, and then there was a distinct sucking sound before the coils of darkness dissipated and silence reigned once more.
The candles flickered, but the shadows they cast in the room were of the regular kind, empty and unthreatening.
“All right,” Merle said and dusted off her hands. “Now we just have one problem.”
Hazel shot her a look. “What?”
“I can’t get up off the floor by myself because I’m the size of a baby whale and about as nimble as one, too, when stranded.” She threw a pitiful glance Hazel’s way. “Help me.”
CHAPTER 26
Hazel had just made it back home, walking into the kitchen after she’d said goodbye to Merle, when her phone rang.
She pulled it out of her bag and checked the display. Tallak.
Her belly did a fluttering somersault, and a warm feeling suffused her chest. “Hey,” she answered. “What’s up?”
“How was your witch business? Everything okay?”
“Yeah, actually.” She quickly filled him in on the Laroche situation and the events of this morning, not even pausing to marvel at the fact that she was casually including him in this, or that he was listening like he was truly interested in this aspect of her life. He’d ask pertinent questions or throw in a fitting swear word here and there, and it felt…natural, talking with him about it.
Meanwhile, she was raiding the fridge for something quick and easy to make. She was starving, and the prospect of having to actually cook lunch soured her mood.
“So, have you eaten yet?” Tallak asked as if reading her mind.
“No.” She sighed, rummaging in the freezer now in the desperate hope of finding one frozen pizza her kids had spared.
“Good thing I brought you this, then.”
She frowned at his words, then jumped and dropped her phone when something moved in the periphery. With catlike reflexes, Tallak caught her phone before it hit the ground, and nonchalantly handed it back to her.
Tallak. Who was here, standing right next to her, instead of somewhere else on the other end of the call.
She flailed. “What—how—when—don’t scare me like that!”
His grin was unrepentant. “You made so much noise looking for food that you didn’t even hear me come in. I was sitting on a stool here for a full minute just watching you bend over the freezer and admiring how good your ass looks in those jeans.”
