by Amy Boyles
Sylvia’s eyes widened in horror. “What are you saying? You would release the blight again? You can’t do that.”
Amelia shrugged innocently. “Can’t we? You’re trying to kill us with a magic eater, so what other choice do we have?”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she snapped.
Amelia glanced at Flower. “I think it would be worth the risk, don’t you?”
The possum’s eyes narrowed. “I think it would definitely be worth the risk. I say we try it.”
Sylvia pulled Flower toward her. “No!”
Flower bit the witch on the cheek.
Sylvia dropped the possum. “Ah!” She opened the book. “Erebus, kill them all!”
I was the closest, and the most convenient. The magic eater swept toward me, his mist seeping into my lungs, choking me.
Flower jumped into the mason jar. In a flash of light the possum landed on the floor while a white glow filled the jar. The glowing halo of light zoomed from the jar and encircled Erebus.
I coughed and sputtered, barely noticing that the magic eater was being sucked away from me. His mist receded. My lungs filled with air, and I watched the grim expression on his face transition to one of confusion as the blight zoomed around him like a satellite, yanking Erebus into its own self-made gravitation pull.
“No,” Sylvia screamed. “This can’t be happening.”
I didn’t know what was going on. All I knew was that Erebus was being pulled and yanked back, forced to retreat even though he’d been commanded to do the opposite.
Erebus and the blight moved toward Sylvia. Sylvia’s eyes widened in horror. The book fell from her hands, landing shut on the floor.
That was when I knew exactly what to do. This was my one chance to stop everything, to end this craziness.
I darted toward the book, flowing around Erebus and the blight. Sylvia didn’t notice me. She was too intent on watching the blight come for her.
I madly flipped through the book. “Come on. Where are you?”
Finally I found the page I was looking for and dashed away, putting as much space between the triangle of people and spirits as I could.
I felt Amelia’s hand clutch my arm. I shot her a grim look, and she nodded toward the book. Cordelia grabbed Amelia’s other arm, and the three of us stood, holding our breath and hoping this nightmare was about to be over.
The blight hooked itself around Sylvia, and the collage of Erebus, Sylvia and blight streamed toward the floor.
“No,” Sylvia screamed. “You can’t do this! You can’t!”
But the blight didn’t listen. It pulled with a power like a tornado. As objects fell and shattered around us, the three beings zoomed toward the book until they were sucked into it in a streaming mess of spirit and body.
The white blight, the blackness of Erebus and Sylvia’s red hair became a blurred line as the three of them disappeared.
The last bit of Sylvia’s voice that I heard was, “No,” as she was sucked, screaming, into the pages of the book that she had used to unleash Erebus.
It was fitting, really.
When the last pieces of the three had vanished, the cover snapped shut and silence filled the room.
My cousins and I stood staring at each other. We released our grips and huddled for a hug.
“We did it,” Amelia said.
“No, you did,” Cordelia corrected. “If it hadn’t been for you, we would’ve all died. All of us, and Sylvia would’ve gone on to have Erebus destroy our friends and family.”
“Well, Forbes Henry isn’t exactly my friend,” Amelia said.
We laughed. I nodded toward the book. “Don’t you think that thing should go to the Vault?”
Amelia nodded. We unlinked our hands, and she picked up the book. “I’ll take it over tonight. They have a night deposit I can use.”
“Good idea.” I glanced at the ground and noticed Flower sitting on her haunches, looking confused. “Cutie??”
Where’s CJ? she asked in my head.
Now that she wasn’t infiltrated by the blight, she could only communicate with me in her animal way. I opened my arms and picked her up.
“Oh, Cutie, you’re in for quite a surprise with CJ.”
The door blew open, and Betty, Forbes, CJ and Axel stood on Sylvia’s porch, concerned expressions on their faces.
“Where the heck have y’all been?” Betty demanded. “We’ve been waiting for forever for y’all.”
I glanced over at my cousins. The stress of the situation fell off me, and I howled with laughter.
“Well, y’all will never believe what just happened to us. We sent back the blight, Erebus and even caught the person responsible—Sylvia Spirits. They’re all trapped in the book.”
“] I don’t understand,” Amelia said. “Why didn’t Snow use the book before to trap the blight?”
Betty rubbed her chin. “That may be a question we’ll never know the answer to. Perhaps she didn’t want to ruin the purity of the book. But anyway, I always thought there was something fishy about Sylvia.” She pulled out her pipe and stuck it between her teeth. “Tell us everything.”
TWENTY-TWO
“So, do you think maybe we can visit a couple places to get married?”
I nudged Axel from his spot under the hood of his Land Rover. He edged out from under and cleaned the end of the oil dipstick.
“I thought that’s what I’ve been telling you all along?”
I laughed. “You have. But I think now that things have finally calmed down we should be okay to actually spot some places, don’t you think?”
He winked at me. “Your wish is my command.”
After Sylvia Spirits ended up in the book and the book ended up in the Vault, I showed Garrick the golden hat, which he tucked onto his head and watched the history of what had happened between Snow and Sylvia.
“It’s a shame people had to die,” he said, “all for one woman’s ego.”
All of us agreed. It was a grim affair, but there were two funerals to attend—Snow’s and Saltz’s. Since all this had happened, Betty’s words about Snow came out kinder as she understood there was a lot more to who Snow had been than simply a woman who wanted to call a blight and couldn’t control it.
One good thing that did come from all of it was that CJ Hix became reunited with Flower, who amazingly hadn’t aged a day since she had been used to house the blight.
The reunion between the two brought tears to my eyes.
But with Saltz and Sylvia gone, that meant the Southern School of Magic needed a new headmaster, and it also meant that the hat shop would go up for sale.
Lots of changes occurring in Magnolia Cove. Betty was considering taking over the position of headmistress of the school.
I couldn’t blame her for that. But still, I thought it would be better if we let things settle down for a while. Maybe let the dust collect into dust bunnies before we started changing things around.
Which was why I was trying to figure out where Axel and I should get married.
“I think you’re right,” I said. “We should just do it here. See if we can lower the shields that keep other creatures from entering, invite your family and have a wonderful wedding.”
Axel glanced at the sky in relief. “It’s about time you agreed with me.”
He placed the dipstick back in the oil reservoir and wrapped his arms around my waist. “We could get married atop a pile of dirt and I’d be happy.”
I nipped his nose. “I wouldn’t be. I’m pretty sure I’m not interested in getting married atop a pile of dirt.”
“It’s a figure of speech,” he argued.
I shot him a teasing look. “Nowhere is that a figure of speech.”
“It should be because it means I love you more than anything.”
“And I love you.”
We kissed and I sank into him, feeling whole and wonderful. Axel was truly my soulmate, and I couldn’t wait to be Mrs. Reign. Now all we had to do was set the
date.
“How long do you think I need to plan a wedding if we get married here?”
Axel’s fingers dug into my back. “A couple of months for folks to clear their schedules, that’s about it. The rest of it will require magic, and that’s all we’ll need. Magic for the dress, the food, the doves that won’t poop on anyone’s head.”
A laugh bubbled in the back of my throat. “So it should be pretty easy.”
He nodded. “Yep.”
My heart ballooned in my chest. I tipped my chin toward him and leaned in to give Axel another kiss when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
I groaned and unlinked my hands from behind his neck. “Duty calls,” he said.
I fished my phone from my pocket. “It’s Amelia.” I took a step back and answered. “Hello?”
Amelia’s voice came clipped. “Hey, don’t forget that today’s the opening of Southern Wishes.”
I groaned. I had completely forgotten. Cordelia and her dad and uncle’s store was officially opening. It was the first shop that offered wish granting.
Needless to say, I was totally intrigued. I had to know how the wishes worked.
“The party’s tonight, right?”
“It sure is,” Amelia said. “You’ll want to dress up. Be sure to bring Axel with you.”
“Thanks for reminding me.”
We said our goodbyes, and I thumbed off the phone. I shot Axel a wide smile. “She was calling to remind me that the wish shop opens tonight.”
Axel hiked a perfectly seductive brow. “That’s right. I wonder what sort of mischief we can get into with a magic shop in Magnolia Cove?”
I giggled and crossed to him, linking my arm through his. I stretched up to my tiptoes and kissed his mouth. “I don’t know,” I murmured through kisses. “I wonder what sort of trouble any of us can get into when wishes are possible?”
If I’d only known then what I know now, I never would’ve questioned the mischief that would happen, because surviving it took just about everything I had.
* * *
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Thank Y’all!
Thank you so much for reading SOUTHERN CONJURING. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review.
Pepper’s adventures continue in SOUTHERN WISHES. When Pepper and her cousins get the chance to rewrite their histories with a wish, the witches get more than they bargained for. Order HERE.
Sign up for my newsletter and never miss a release. Click HERE.
* * *
If you haven’t read any of my other series, consider picking up SPELLS AND SPIRITS, a cozy mystery sampler. It’s full of laughs and zany characters that you’re going to love! You can order it HERE.
And…I love to hear from you! Please feel free to drop me a line anytime. You can email me [email protected].
Also by Amy Boyles
SERIES READING ORDER
* * *
BELLES AND SPELLS MATCHMAKER MYSTERY
DEADLY SPELLS AND A SOUTHERN BELLE
CURSED BRIDES AND ALIBIS
MAGICAL DAMES AND DATING GAMES (November 2019)
* * *
SWEET TEA WITCH MYSTERIES
SOUTHERN MAGIC
SOUTHERN SPELLS
SOUTHERN MYTHS
SOUTHERN SORCERY
SOUTHERN CURSES
SOUTHERN KARMA
SOUTHERN MAGIC THANKSGIVING
SOUTHERN MAGIC CHRISTMAS
SOUTHERN POTIONS
SOUTHERN FORTUNES
SOUTHERN HAUNTINGS
SOUTHERN WANDS
SOUTHERN CONJURING
SOUTHERN WISHES (October 2019)
* * *
SOUTHERN GHOST WRANGLER MYSTERIES
SOUL FOOD SPIRITS
HONEYSUCKLE HAUNTING
THE GHOST WHO ATE GRITS (Crossover with Pepper and Axel from Sweet Tea Witches)
BACKWOODS BANSHEE
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BLESS YOUR WITCH SERIES
SCARED WITCHLESS
KISS MY WITCH
QUEEN WITCH
QUIT YOUR WITCHIN'
FOR WITCH'S SAKE
DON'T GIVE A WITCH
WITCH MY GRITS
FRIED GREEN WITCH
SOUTHERN WITCHING
Y’ALL WITCHES
HOLD YOUR WITCHES
* * *
SOUTHERN SINGLE MOM PARANORMAL MYSTERIES
The Witch’s Handbook to Hunting Vampires
The Witch’s Handbook to Catching Werewolves
The Witch’s Handbook to Trapping Demons
About the Author
Hey, I’m Amy,
I write books for folks who crave laugh-out-loud paranormal mysteries. I help bring humor into readers’ lives. I’ve got a Pharm D in pharmacy, a BA in Creative Writing and a Masters in Life.
And when I’m not writing or chasing around two small children (one of which is four going on thirteen), I can be found antique shopping for a great deal, getting my roots touched up (because that’s an every four week job) and figuring out when I can get back to Disney World.
If you’re dying to know more about my wacky life, here are three things you don’t know about me.
—In college I spent a semester at Marvel Comics working in the X-Men office.
—I worked at Carnegie Hall.
—I grew up in a barbecue restaurant—literally. My parents owned one.
If you want to reach out to me—and I love to hear from readers—you can email me at [email protected].
Happy reading!