by Cadie Snow
Oliva stepped away from the bed and Jaime reached out, with her fist around the linen cloth. “I have it. I found the plate. We must act fast.”
Before Olivia could reply, Jaime gasped in horror and pointed at the bed.
The wedding costume hovered above the pillow. Jaime leapt for the dress, understanding what was happening. Yet the garment vanished into thin air, reappearing on Harper.
Harper wore the cursed dress once again.
“The dress failed to lure Harper to come to it,” Jaime said, “so it came to her.” Opening the tube with the curse inside had strengthened the power of sorcery behind the evil. Only black magic could perform the impossible feat she’d just witnessed.
Olivia froze. “What do we do now?”
Harper opened her eyes and sat up. She was more alert than she’d been since falling ill. “My lovely dress. I’m getting married to the man I love. William waits for me.”
Olivia moved closer and reached for Harper, but an energy field kept her back. “The magic is too strong.”
Jaime frantically tried to think of a solution. Harper had faded into the past, connecting with the persona of the dress and its history. There was one huge problem with that.
“She is seeing through Elizabeth’s eyes,” Jaime said. “The curse cannot be broken while Harper is in the past; she will die and never return to us.”
“It’s the morning of my wedding,” Harper said, her eyes glassy. “I will be William’s wife at last.”
It was fortunate that Jaime’s training in witchcraft included familiarity with the black arts. What she was about to do was dangerous—yet she had no choice.
“I must reach into the past to save her,” Jaime said, then stuffed the linen-wrapped curse into Olivia’s pocket for safekeeping.
There was no guarantee of success when dabbling in black magic. Not only was there a possibility that Jaime couldn’t bring Harper back, but that Jaime might be stuck in the past and die with her.
“I’ll help,” Olivia said. “You can follow the depth of the emotions to find Harper. I’ll guide you.”
Jaime closed her eyes and went into a psychic trance. She listened to Olivia’s voice, following her direction toward the powerful emotions that had drawn Harper into the past. Olivia sensed feelings of love and desire emanating from William and Elizabeth. Then the surge of hatred erupting from Albert.
The wedding was about to take place. William was dressed in a long frock coat, tall and handsome, an enigmatic gentleman nervously awaiting his bride. He reached into his breast pocket and retrieved a gold band. He gazed at the inscription on the inside. The wedding date was engraved next to the initials of the bride and groom.
Elizabeth wore the wedding costume with a ring of flowers in her hair. She looked lovely and radiant. She reached for the groom with love in her eyes. A dark shadow loomed, erasing the happy smile from her face. The fury of her recently deceased husband disturbed the tender scene.
Only the rage wasn’t directed toward Elizabeth. Wearing the lovely wedding costume, Harper stood facing the wrath of the man who craved her demise. Death reached out, and Harper shrieked.
Jaime remembered the amulet, secure in her pocket, and withdrew it. Its magic was a protection, so she wouldn’t lose her way, and she prayed that it worked.
Harper looked up, and her eyes widened when she recognized Jaime. Darkness was about to consume them both when Jaime grabbed her sister and allowed the amulet to guide her—hoping to return from where she’d come, and not drift deeper into the past.
Leaving the roar of death behind, Jaime ushered Harper back to the present then opened her eyes.
Olivia rushed over, sobbing and hugging them. “I nearly lost you both.”
For the first time in many days, Harper was standing instead of lying in bed. She still looked ill, but her skin wasn’t quite as pale. “I’m not sure what happened.” She looked at her nightgown, brushing an imagined piece of lint off the flannel.
The wedding dress had vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
“We have to break the curse,” Jaime said, handing Harper a robe. “Can you make to Aunt Iris’s with us?”
Harper gave her a weak smile, then her sisters helped her downstairs.
Iris’s house was equipped for magic, and suitable for a coven leader. The set up included an incinerator behind the house, as it had been used in casting a spell—or breaking one.
With the curse in hand, Jaime led her sisters out to the incinerator. It was dark outside, and the dim porchlight cast shadows over the shrubs and garden. She stood in front of the incinerator and held the written curse in her hand.
Olivia turned up the incinerator’s heat to prepare for the ceremony.
Harper looked fragile but stood between her sisters, ready to do her part.
The heat radiated from the furnace. Harper linked arms with Olivia and Jaime.
After taking a breath, Jaime opened the incinerator door then stepped back. But she couldn’t toss the written curse into the flames.
A ghostly form, dark as death, loomed large to block her. His ugliness radiated from the depths of his soul. The filmy image of the man in a ragged suit was repulsive, his heart blackened by his despicable deeds. He leaned in, his narrow face in front of Jaime. His eyes were no more than empty sockets.
Jaime’s psychic ability kicked in, and she knew that Albert was preparing to throw her in the furnace in place of the curse. Seeing a split second into the future might save her and her sisters.
“Your reign of evil is over.” Jaime spoke with authority, yet the ghost didn’t move. “Your curse will soon have no more potency than the dust on your tattered suit.”
“No one dares to break my curse!” Albert shouted. “Elizabeth will not be free! She must pay the price for her treachery.”
With a burst of electric charge aimed at his heart, Jaime succeeded in startling Albert. He flinched aside, and Jaime tossed the curse into the incinerator.
Albert’s enraged image flickered red like the fires of hell. A nearby tree branch broke in two, falling and almost hitting Jaime in the head. Stones flew into the air, making Jaime and her sisters duck to avoid injury. The frame of the incinerator rattled, and steam poured out.
With her arms around her sisters, Harper chanted the revocation of the curse. She kept chanting to break the curse, even while flowers from the garden were ripped from their stems and a wooden chair smashed into the back wall of the house.
Holding tight, Harper repeated the magic words without pause…then the yard was quiet. The trees were still, the night silent. The curse was broken.
Tears rolled down Jaime’s cheeks as she hugged Harper, overjoyed that her sister had been snatched from the brink of death. Harper had survived; it was finally over.
Albert emitted a roar of pain that reverberated through the dark, then he was gone.
The deadly curse had been broken. Harper was vibrantly healthy; it was as though she hadn’t just been on her deathbed. She remembered the power the wedding costume had over her, yet upon her recovery that same dress was a source of pleasure.
The dress was lovely, and since it was no longer cursed, Lily gave it to Harper. “This wedding costume should be yours. You certainly earned it.”
Harper was delighted and promised to keep the costume suitably stored until the proper occasion. Although she wasn’t engaged or even dating one man exclusively. But Vic reappeared, having been away on a business trip. He inquired why he hadn’t heard from Harper.
Harper just smiled, then accepted his invitation to spend a day at the lake. Only this time, she’d like to take Abigail along. Vic had no objection to that. He gave Harper one of his winning smiles then lifted her in his arms and spun her around, letting her know how much he’d missed her.
Jaime’s life returned to normal—or as much as it ever was.
The kids were doing well, even Abigail. She’d made a new friend and was quite satisfied with that. Although she talked to Ja
ime about what would happen to Eve. That remained an unanswered question.
With Albert gone, Elizabeth was released from his hold on her. She would finally be at peace, free to be with her true love. The day that Jaime retrieved the dress from the trunk in the basement, Elizabeth had made one more appearance to whisper how grateful she was.
One afternoon, Jaime was tending to some overdue bookkeeping for a client. She looked up to see Ian standing in the doorway. He was terribly handsome, making Jaime’s heart skip a beat.
“Would you care to join me for a late lunch?” Ian said.
Jaime rose from her chair and went over to Ian. She put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a tender kiss. “I would love to.”
Ian smiled but didn’t appear anxious to leave. “Mmm, I liked that.” Then he leaned down for another kiss, so Jaime closed her eyes and enjoyed it.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Spirit Whispers by Cadie Snow ©2020 All Rights Reserved
Published By Camden Lee Press