by Kristie Cook
I gripped the thick cover of the book and flipped to the first page. It was crinkled by age and was a dingy yellowed color. The back of the cover was lined with a light brown fabric that had tiny red and gold flowers. The opposite page was gorgeous. Intricately designed letters made up the words: Book of Shadows — The Eternal Elements.
I’d heard of these before, from TV shows and books I’d read. They were books witches used to keep their spells and stuff in. The concept of my family having one fascinated me beyond words. I’d never heard of one being called The Eternal Elements before either. I ran my fingers along the edges of the book as I stared at the beautifully written words before me, feeling the magick that had awakened inside of me since coming to Soul Harbor lightly pulsate from the contact with the book’s delicate pages. I flipped the page, anxious to see what spells the book held within, but it wasn’t a spell that I saw. At least I didn’t think it was. It seemed more like a saying.
An it harm none, do what thou wilt.
My fingers traced across each word and I felt the impact of them seep through my fingertips, weaving their way into my soul, making an unspoken promise within me to obey. My eyes slid down the page to the next few sentences written in the same gorgeous handwriting.
Bide ye the Wiccan laws ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust.
Live and let live, fairly take and fairly give.
Cast the circle thrice about, to keep the unwelcome spirits out.
To bind the spell every time, let the spell be spake in rhyme.
Soft of eye and light a touch, speak little and listen much.
I stared at the book with its handwritten words scrolled across the aged page. Something about the poem, if that was what it was, seemed incredibly familiar somehow and resonated within me deeply. I shifted my fingers to the final words written and read them with an intense grasp of their meaning.
Mind the Three-Fold Law you should, three times bad and three times good.
“What is all of this?” I whispered aloud, my eyes never wavering from the page. Binks meowed as if to answer me, and I shifted my eyes to him. “I wish you could talk. You sure do seem to know a lot about this house and everything inside it. I bet you know a lot about whatever happened inside this room too, don’t you?”
He looked up at me as I spoke to him. His bright greenish-yellow eyes stared into mine as though he understood every word passing from my lips with the clarity of a human. I returned his direct stare, half expecting him to actually answer me. When he didn’t, I turned my attention back to the book.
Flipping the page, I read:
CANDLE MAGICK
The two words were written at the top of the page in the same handwriting as the previous pages. I scanned the page; it was a list of colors and their meanings. Some seemed pretty self-explanatory, something of common knowledge. Pink stood for love, affection, and friendship. Red was for passion, strength, and courage. But there were some that surprised me, mainly black. I’d always thought black would be associated with bad things—hexes and curses or types of negativity—but instead it was used as a color of protection, of banishing things, and absorbing negativity.
I continued to flip through the book, marveling at the wealth of information captured within its crumpled-by-age pages—spells for everything possible, lists for which days to do what magick, lists of herbs and crystals and their magickal properties, elemental blocks and how to remove them. The book seemed to be never-ending. There was so much to read, so much to learn. It was fascinating and overwhelming at the same time.
My cell phone rang from in my back pocket, startling both Binks and me nearly to death. Jumping, I jostled the podium the book sat on, causing it to rock and the book to slip off. It landed spine up at my feet across the hardwood floor. My heart hammered in my chest from the commotion as I reached for my phone. My stomach rolled when I saw who was calling—my mom. I didn’t want to talk to her right now, not in this room surrounded by all of this stuff. It seemed odd somehow. I left the book where it had fallen and darted out of the room and back down the stairs as I answered her call.
“Hello?”
“Honey, how are you? Is everything all right?” she asked frantically. Her hysterical tone made my heart race even faster.
“Yeah. Why? What’s wrong?” I asked out of breath.
“I just saw Clarice, Vera’s mother, in the grocery store. She said she had to meet you halfway this afternoon to pick up Vera, because she suddenly felt the need to cut her trip short and come home. Did you two get into a tiff?” The dinging of her keys being in the ignition while her driver’s side door was open echoed through my phone.
This afternoon? Wasn’t it still afternoon? I started down the second set of stairs to the kitchen, needing to check the time.
“No, we’re fine. I guess this place wasn’t as much fun for Vera. I don’t really know why she wanted to go home so suddenly. It was kind of strange actually,” I said as I rounded the corner into the kitchen.
My jaw dropped when I glanced at the clock hung above the back door; it was 7:15 p.m. I’d dropped Vera off nearly five hours ago. That meant I’d been in the attic room for almost two and a half hours already.
There was no way that was possible. I’d just gotten home.
“Well, Clarice said Vera never gave her a reason either, but she hoped you two hadn’t had a falling out. I told her I didn’t know anything, because I don’t. You haven’t called me a whole lot since you’ve been there, sweetie. I’m trying to not appear pushy because I understand this is your vacation and you’re trying to figure out what you want to do with that house.” She paused, like the mention of the house had left a sour taste in her mouth. “But, I would appreciate it if you called me at least once a day, especially now that Vera isn’t there with you anymore. I don’t like the idea of you being alone, honey. I’m sorry.”
“I’ll call you at least once every day. Promise. But, I’m not a little kid anymore, Mom, and … I think I’m going to be staying here for a while.” I closed my eyes and held my breath while I waited for her response.
“Oh, okay. For how long?”
I swallowed hard. “The summer at least.”
“Well, if you’re sure that’s what you want to do,” she said simply, but I could hear the hurt laced into her words.
It stung my heart.
“It is. I really like it here. And besides, I just … I really need time to clear my head.”
“Honey, I know the breakup between you and Ryan was hard, but it’s certainly no reason to leave town. That’s a little drastic, don’t you think?”
There was the harsh, irritated tone I had been expecting. I closed my eyes and blew out a puff of air.
“It’s not really about that. I mean maybe a little, but really it’s more about … my biological family. There’s a lot I’m learning about them, at least my grandmother and mother. I’m not ready to walk away from it all just yet. I’m sorry,” I insisted.
God, I hated to say that to her, but it was the truth. The reason I was staying was because of them, not Ryan. Not anymore.
“Oh,” that was all she said. It wasn’t what she’d said, but how she’d said it. There was so much emotion wrapped up in that one tiny word that it hit me square in the chest and made me hate myself. It made me feel guilty for being here and for wanting to stay. So incredibly guilty. “I understand, just please be sure you call me at least once a day. I’ve gotta get these groceries into the house. Love you, honey.”
“Love you too.” She hung up then, leaving me feeling like the most worthless, selfish adopted child in the world.
I let out a loud sigh and jogged back up the stairs that led to the second floor and then the narrow attic stairs. The book and Binks were right where I’d left them. I bent down and picked up the book, hoping none of the pages had been folded beneath its heavy weight. Incredibly, they hadn’t. My fingers smoothed along the page it had opened to. It grew warm to the touch, and I focused on the words
written upon it as I sat the book back in its place.
To Reveal What Has Been Hidden:
(To banish a concealment)
To reveal something that was hidden, like car keys? A boyfriend’s true intentions? That could come in handy someday. If it worked. I read further.
To see clearly the ill effect that has taken place. To open your eyes to another’s cast upon you. To reveal.
A tingling sensation sparked across my skin. All I could think of was Vera and the true reason as to why she’d left. Then, I wondered if I would be able to do the spell without being initiated. Kace had said we could feel our magick, but we couldn’t use it until then. Maybe this was different. Maybe I was different. In books and movies about powers and situations like this, there always seemed to be someone who was the exception—maybe that was me. I would never know unless I tried. I read the list of ingredients.
— 1 copper or iron casting pot for banishings
— 1 black candle
— 1/8 a cup of rubbing alcohol
— 1 match
Glancing around the room, I searched for what it called for, unbelieving what I was about to do. My hands shook as I picked up a well-used iron pot on legs from the shelf with all the bottles of herbs and such at the far end of the room. I held my breath to stay quiet as I lined everything up on the table beside the pedestal where the book sat. I glanced at the page once more to see what was next.
Create your circle.
I thought for a moment, wondering what that meant. Create my circle? Then, years of movies and TV shows about witches flashed through my mind. They always created a circle made of chalk around them for some sort of protection or something. I glanced around the room, searching for something I could use to create such a thing. My eyes landed on a small piece of chalk that sat on a shelf near all the little bottles.
Crossing the room, I snagged it up and went back to the book. I began drawing a thick circle on the dark hardwood floor, making my way around the table where I’d set everything else. It was far from perfect, the line was shaky and the circle was sort of oblong, but it would work. I hoped. I didn’t need any crazy mojo coming after me while I was trying to do this spell.
Stepping inside of the circle, I closed it behind me and sat the chalk on the table beside the ingredients I’d gathered. Glancing back at the book, I read what I was supposed to do next.
Pour the rubbing alcohol into the casting pot.
I reached for the little glass bottle that had nothing besides alcohol written on it and prayed it was the right thing. Binks stood and began stretching. He moved to sit on the table beside where I’d set the casting pot as though he was curious now about what I was doing. His tail wrapped around his paws as he stared at me fixedly.
“I don’t know what I’m doing, I know,” I said to him as I fumbled to twist the cap back onto the bottle, which should be empty, but still appeared to be entirely full. “Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m attempting this. If Kace is right, it won’t even work.”
Binks meowed at me, and I was nearly positive it was a meow of encouragement. I scratched him behind the ears as thanks, and then turned my attention back to the book.
Light the candle and set it beside the pot. Toss the lit match into the rubbing alcohol.
I bent three matches horribly before I was finally able to get one to light properly. I put it to the candlewick first and then hesitated before tossing it into the alcohol. My palms grew sweaty as I held the tiny match between my fingertips. I took in a deep breath, silently prayed that it wouldn’t blow up in my face, and then tossed the lit match in. My eyes closed at some point in preparation for an explosion that never came. When I opened them, the casting pot had reddish-blue flames flickering across its top. I released my breath slowly and swiped my hands across my shorts before glancing back over to the book.
Hover your hands over the casting pot while staring into its fires and say:
Blazing power of revealing fire
Expose what cannot be seen
Banish the hidden, this is my desire
Help me see what is unseen
Xs 3
I did as the book said. The words felt strange at first, but after the second time, they lost their oddness. And by the third, the fine hairs across my body stood on end and something shifted in the air. A sudden heat flared from within me, running over my body and making my breath hitch in my throat. Binks meowed three times after I said the final sentence for the last time, and a loud crack of thunder clapped directly above the house, nearly making me pee my pants. At the same time as the thunder, the fire went out on both the black candle and the pot.
My heart raced, and I covered it with both hands in an attempt to keep it in and slow it down all at the same time. I laughed nervously as I stared at Binks and listened to the storm outside. The entire clichÉd moment of thunder at that exact moment was incredibly laughable. Same as Binks’s meows.
“This is crazy,” I said as I took in long, calming breaths to slow the rapid pace of my heart and shook my head. “I can’t believe I did this.”
Quickly, I began to clean up everything and put things back in their place. Without thinking of grabbing a towel or something first, I reached out and gripped both hands around the pot to move it back to its rightful place on the shelf. I jerked my hands back upon contact, not because it was hot like it should have been, but because it was cold. Icy cold, as though it had held no fire within it at all moments ago. I wondered if it had something to do with the metal as I placed it back onto the shelf and turned off the light.
Within minutes, I was changed into my pajamas and crawling into bed, listening to the crazy storm that had seemed to come from nowhere brew above the house. I hated thunderstorms. And I especially hated being alone during one. Too bad Vera had decided to ditch me before her two weeks were up. I fell asleep wondering what had driven her away and if that spell I’d attempted would show me anything.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - Symbols
I woke the next morning to the alarm on my cell at eight. I’d set it the previous night because today was my first day of work at Spellbinding Reads and I didn’t want to be late. Yawning and stretching in bed, I sat up and stared at Binks’s curled-up frame resting at the foot of my bed. He looked so sweet. After scratching him between the ears, I slipped from bed and headed to the bathroom for a shower.
My shower didn’t last nearly as long as I would have liked, because Binks began frantically scratching at the closed bathroom door and meowing at the top of his lungs for no apparent reason. Freaked out by it, I hurried and got out as quickly as I could to see what his problem was. When I opened the bathroom door, I expected him to be hurt or something, but all I saw was him sitting and staring at me intently.
“What’s the matter with you?” I asked him with my hands on my hips. He ignored me and started toward the stairs. “Good grief, are you really that hungry?”
I descended the stairs to follow him, grumbling all the way. When I rounded the corner into the kitchen, what I saw made me stop dead in my tracks.
Strange black and gray symbols floated in the air, hovering just above the trash can. I took a step into the kitchen, mesmerized by them. They appeared to be made of some sort of smoke, instantly reminding me of the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland and how he’d made the vowels out of smoke in that one scene. I inched farther into the room and noticed Binks sitting to the side of the trash can, staring at the same floating symbols I was with an incredible dislike glaring in his slanted eyes and the hair on his back standing on end.
“What are they?” I whispered aloud.
An overpowering desire to reach out and touch one of the symbols, which upon closer inspection resembled skulls and bones but blurred, gripped me entirely. I extended a hand out just as the memories from last night and the spell I’d attempted to cast flashed through my mind. Was this what had drove Vera away so quickly? Was this what the spell was revealing to me? I licked my lips and bent down
slightly to get a closer view of the oddities floating above the trash can. Just as my fingertip nearly brushed one symbol, Binks hissed and I jerked back like I’d been bitten.
“Stop it!” I scolded him. He straightened and sauntered just a few feet away from the trash can with more attitude than I thought any animal should have.
I reached out again and this time, touched one. My fingertips didn’t slip right through it like I’d thought they would. Instead, a vision played out before my eyes like a movie clip.
Someone with dark hands mixed a reddish powder together with what looked like dirt in an old stone bowl. They mumbled something in a language I couldn’t understand as they continued to mix, and I was certain I was listening to the voice of an old woman. Everything the old woman had been mixing was then scooped into a black drawstring bag using some sort of spoon made of bone.
Her dark fingers pulled both strings to close the bag and handed it off to hands of the same color, but larger and less delicate. Male hands. They cradled it carefully as they carried it out of a house, across a crumbling front porch, and inside an older black truck where it was then tossed into the passenger seat. The drive was far, but soon the truck engine was cut off and the male hands gripped the bag once more, stuffing it into a loose-fitting jean pocket.
The man’s hands retrieved it from within the pocket moments later and spread the dark powder across the floor just inside the front door to my house. Another few sentences were mumbled in the same strange language—this time in a voice I swore I recognized, but couldn’t place. A thump coming from someplace inside the house sounded, startling whomever it was, and he dumped the remaining contents onto the floor, and then closed the door as he left. Time sped up. Sunrise brightened the floor surrounding the mixture and a pair of bare feet with neon green toenails descended the stairs.
“Seriously?” Vera said hotly. “What a freaking mess!”
Her feet disappeared only to reappear a moment later, along with a broom and a dustpan. She swept the mess up, managing to only step in it twice and have to stop in her cleanup to brush the bottoms of her feet off. The mess was then dumped into the trash can.