“I think it might be the spell she created to break the ward on the Book of Shadows.”
Marley stared at the words in awe. “Why would she do that?”
“Maybe she knew that it was a way of hiding the incantation that would last beyond her lifetime or maybe she was worried that they’d mess with her memory and she’d forget.” My mind was spinning with possibilities. “Or maybe she hid it for someone in particular. It would’ve had to be someone in the coven with access to the transcript though.” Unless the information hadn’t always been as restricted as it was now.
Marley blinked. “The incantation might have been meant for someone she wanted to be the gatekeeper of her Book of Shadows?”
“Not just of the book,” I said, my heart racing. “Of her magic.” And considerable power.
Marley’s brow wrinkled. “Something must’ve happened then because they never used it, not if the Book of Shadows is still locked.”
“Unless they weren’t meant to use it. Only to have the metaphorical key in case of emergency,” I said.
Marley clapped her hands. “Mom, this is so exciting! It might be the answer we’ve been looking for.”
“There’s only one way to know if I’m right.”
Marley bolted from the sofa and started toward the staircase.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“You’re going to need the wand,” she said. “I think we should have the grimoire here too, just in case.”
“We?” I echoed. “Marley, I don’t think you should be involved. If the magic is as powerful as it seems, then I don’t want you within range of it.”
Marley lifted her chin in defiance. “Aunt Hyacinth gave the wand and the grimoire to me. She must think I can handle it.”
“Sweetheart, Ivy couldn’t handle it and she was a grown witch. I’d prefer to be cautious,” I said. “If I manage to open the book and everything seems kosher, then I’ll reconsider.”
My response seemed to satisfy her. She hurried upstairs to retrieve the items and returned before I had a chance to sneak a cookie from my secret stash in the kitchen. She set the wand and grimoire on the coffee table and looked at me expectantly.
“I think you should go to Thornhold,” I said. “No, wait. Go to Florian’s man cave.” I didn’t want Aunt Hyacinth to know what we were doing.
“He’s probably busy with tournament stuff,” Marley said.
“Then go ride Firefly,” I suggested. The unicorn would likely be pleased to get out of the stables for a bit.
“That’ll take too long,” Marley said. “I don’t think you’ll be more than half an hour.”
I patted her arm. “That’s optimistic of you.”
“You have all the items plus the spell,” she said. “If you can’t do it now, then I don’t think you’ll ever be able to manage it.”
“Okay, now I feel less supported,” I said. “Why don’t you take PP3 and play in the woods? I’ll text you when it’s safe to come back.”
Marley scrunched her face, seeming to debate whether she should put up more of a fight. In the end, she relented. “Fine.”
I nudged her toward the door, eager to get started. “Don’t forget a bag.”
She grimaced. “Do you think he needs to poop?”
“No, but if you forget the bag, he definitely will. That’s how it works.”
She stuffed a green bag into her pocket and grabbed the leash. At the sight of the leash, PP3 came barreling toward her. Suddenly, he was a spry puppy again, ready to chew on furniture and run off with my sneakers. The leash was its own form of magic.
“Don’t let him in the pond,” I said. “I don’t want to smell wet dog all night.”
Marley snatched her phone from the dining table and slid it into her back pocket. “If I don’t hear from you in twenty minutes, I’m coming back!”
“Deal.”
“Good luck,” Marley called. She shut the door behind her and I took a deep breath. It was showtime.
I studied the three items on the coffee table. The grimoire didn’t seem necessary for this experiment, so I moved it to the chair. I wanted to minimize distractions. As I sat back on the sofa, I saw something I hadn’t noticed before. Thanks to the position of the wand on the coffee table and its proximity to the Book of Shadows, I realized that the bottom of the wand was about the same size and shape as a hole on the cover of the book. I pulled the book onto my lap and fit the wide end of the wand into the space, like a key into a lock.
It was a perfect fit.
Nothing happened, of course, probably because I hadn’t performed the incantation. I was more convinced than ever that the seemingly random words in the transcript were deliberately placed. Ivy Rose wasn’t driven mad by magic—she was crazy like a fox. I reviewed the words one more time and released an anxious breath. Placing both hands on the wand, I held it in place as I recited each word, careful to enunciate each letter. Marley had told me there was no silent syllables in Sumerian and that each letter was sounded out. One wrong pronunciation and I could trigger the protective ward. I’d made it halfway through the list when the wand began to tremble. It was either resistance or progress.
Sweet baby Elvis, I wish I knew which one it was.
I kept going. The book began to glow with an orange light, as though it were about to combust. The wand shook with the force of a jackhammer and I was glad to already have two hands on it.
I uttered the final word—PETA. A powerful force tossed me up and over the back of the sofa. I missed the dining table and landed hard against the wall. When I recovered my senses, I realized my hands were empty. Despite a throbbing head, I crawled back to the sofa to find the Book of Shadows. The wand was on the floor and the book was still on the sofa, minus the orange glow. I climbed back onto the sofa and hesitantly tried to lift the cover.
The book opened.
I whooped so loudly I was sure that Aunt Hyacinth probably heard me in Thornhold. I started paging through the book. Some of the entries seemed to be written in Sumerian. The pages reminded me of a scrapbook with scraps of material mixed in with images and handwritten entries. This would be a lot to process. Maybe I’d ask Delphine for help, although I’d have to swear her to secrecy. I didn’t want word of this book leaking out. If the enormity of Ivy’s power was to be believed, it was too dangerous.
“Mom?” Marley entered the cottage a few minutes later with a worn-out PP3.
I gave her a giddy smile and held up the open book to show her. “I did it!”
Marley continued to stare at me with her mouth open. “Mom…”
“Oh, sorry. We did it. I didn’t mean to steal your thunder, sweetheart.”
“It’s not that,” she said. “Have you looked in a mirror since you opened the book?”
“Why would I?” I was vain, but I wasn’t so vain that I needed to give my reflection a victorious wink.
Marley bit her lip. “Did the book do anything…strange when you opened it?”
“It exploded and blew me across the room, if that’s what you mean.”
She nodded. “Okay, that explains it.”
Now I had to look. I opened the mirror app on my phone and screamed at my reflection. The ends of my hair were singed and pieces were sticking straight up as though I’d been electrocuted. There was also a coating of black dust on my face.
“You can tell how excited I was because I didn’t sense this at all.” I put the phone on the coffee table.
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” She joined me on the sofa, leaving a comfortable gap between us.
“My head hurts and I’m sure the rest of me will be sore later. I’m not limber enough to take a tumble like that and not pull a muscle or two.” I didn’t care about aches and pains right now though. I had opened Ivy’s Book of Shadows and that was all that mattered.
Now that Marley was reassured about my condition, she turned her focus to the open book. “I can’t believe it. What’s it like?”
“It�
�s a little difficult to understand at times because of the unfamiliar words and phrases,” I admitted. “It’s also a disjointed story. It’s not in chronological order so it’s hard to follow. I’ll need to try to create my own timeline so I can piece it all together.”
Marley leaned over for a better view. “I can help with that. I’m good at timelines. I’ve done them at school in history class. There are even software programs that can sort out information by date.”
“Maybe another time,” I said. Truth be told, the quick glimpses I got of Ivy’s memories in English were distressing. If I was understanding the entries correctly, it seemed that she was under constant scrutiny and criticism by the rest of the coven. They were particularly unhappy when she was chosen as High Priestess. There had been a ceremony where the name of the next High Priestess was whispered by the wind. Apparently, everyone heard Ivy’s name during that ceremony, yet there was still a disagreement as to whether to appoint her. Her authority was controversial from the very beginning. It was surprising, given the amount of respect to descendants of the One True Witch, but Ivy clearly had her detractors early on. Maybe because they were uncomfortable with her potential. Although I got the sense that powerful women were more acceptable in a coven than they would have been in the human world during that period, Ivy’s advanced level might have been a bridge too far.
“Look what else I found.” I turned back a few pages and showed Marley an image I had spotted.
“It’s a hive,” she said, “like the one we summoned when we tried to summon Ivy’s spirit.”
“I thought you’d remember,” I said with satisfaction.
The image depicted a bee with a tiny crown hovering outside the busy and active hive. I noticed that the queen bee was facing the hive rather than away from it, as though she wanted back in. Ivy had been cast out and stripped of her magic, so it made sense that she would have wanted to be reinstated, to be part of the coven again. I felt a rush of sympathy for her. Ivy must’ve felt like she’d been forced to change at her very core. I didn't envy her.
“What now?” Marley asked.
“We take our time,” I said. “We keep this between us for now. Don’t tell anyone, not even Florian.” I noticed her downturned expression. “What’s wrong?”
“I thought it would be overflowing with magic or something,” Marley said. “Ivy went to such great lengths to hide it and lock it, but it just seems like an ordinary book.”
I placed my hands on the cover and felt the power radiating from inside. There was no way this was an ordinary book, but I was happy to let Marley believe that until I knew more. I still didn’t want to risk endangering her. For all we knew, simply having the Book of Shadows unlocked in the cottage would create issues we never anticipated. I couldn’t be too careful.
“I’ll make it my special research project,” I said. “Until I have more information, though, I don’t want you to touch it.”
Marley laughed. “Come on, Mom. Don’t you think you’re being paranoid?”
I hugged the book to my chest. “Like you said, Ivy went to great lengths. Let’s trust her judgment until we have a reason not to.”
Her head bobbed up and down. “You’re right. This is so cool. I can’t believe we have access to all her stuff now.”
“We should probably get cleaned up for dinner,” I said. “You know Aunt Hyacinth will want us all glamorous to impress Philip.”
“But he won’t be fooled. He’s already met us.”
I laughed. “Good point.”
Marley pointed at my head. “I think you need a shower. Even without a family dinner, you don’t want anyone to see you like this.”
“Fair enough.” I contemplated the book. “We need to find a good hiding place for this now that it’s open. Somewhere no one would find it.”
“The oven,” Marley said without hesitation. “You don’t use it and no one else would think of looking there.”
I cast a sidelong glance at her. “I want to be insulted, and yet I’m forced to admit it’s a great idea.” I scooped up the Book of Shadows and Marley reclaimed the wand.
“I swear it feels different now,” Marley said. “I think it’s humming.”
“That’s probably your imagination,” I said. “It’s the power of suggestion, now that you know the ward has been broken, you’re on the lookout for signs of powerful magic.”
Marley smiled. “Now you sound like me.”
“Just what this cottage needs—two clever witches.” I carried the book into the kitchen and placed it in the oven. Then I conjured a quick spell to lock down the oven so that no one could turn it on or open the door. There was always a chance that Raoul could decide to warm a box of pizza in the oven. As I headed upstairs to shower, I felt a faint tingle in my hands and brushed them on my top. The sensation reminded me of static electricity but without the shock. Probably residual magic from the book. Whatever it was, I had to get rid of it by dinner. If there was magic in the air, I had no doubt Aunt Hyacinth would sniff it out and I wasn’t remotely ready to share the news—not until I knew more about what happened to Ivy and why.
Chapter Thirteen
“Philip, welcome back to Thornhold.” Aunt Hyacinth sashayed into the foyer, her purple kaftan swirling around her ankles. She clasped Philip’s hands and kissed each cheek, an unusually affectionate greeting for the reserved witch.
Marley tapped my arm. “I thought she didn’t like him,” she whispered.
“She doesn’t, but she’s not about to show bad manners,” I said.
“That wouldn’t stop you,” Marley whispered again.
“That’s because I grew up in New Jersey. Now shush.”
Philip stepped back to admire her. “You look as lovely as I remember.”
“I bet that’s a clever way of saying not lovely at all,” Marley said under her breath.
I elbowed her to be quiet. The last thing I needed was to draw Aunt Hyacinth’s attention. My hands were still tingling mildly from the Book of Shadows explosion, so I was hoping to avoid eye contact—or any contact—with my aunt.
He squinted at the design on her kaftan. “Are those kittens with wings?”
Aunt Hyacinth gave him a sour look. “Of course. What else would they be?” She inclined her head toward us. “I had this one made in honor of Marley’s familiar. You know she recently came into her magic.”
“Yes, I heard the good news.” He turned and winked at us. “Sounds like it was a real nail-biter.”
“Can I offer you an aperitif?” my aunt asked.
“Nothing for me, thanks,” Philip said. “I avoid alcohol during tournaments. I’d rather not compromise my reflexes.” His gaze traveled over the decor and furnishings. “This place looks the same as I remember. My cousin had excellent taste.”
Aunt Hyacinth’s smile tightened and I knew she was fighting the urge to take credit for the selections. Through clenched teeth, she said, “He married me, didn’t he?”
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked, inching closer to break the tension. “Usually, we’re the last ones to show up.”
“Yes, punctuality isn’t one of your strengths, is it?” my aunt said.
“Birds of a feather,” Philip said, smiling. “I’m not a big fan of time either.”
Aunt Hyacinth bristled. “It isn’t something you choose to support or not support. That’s like saying you’re not a fan of the earth being round.”
Marley raised a finger. “There are people who believe that…”
“They’re not called people, darling. They’re called morons.” Aunt Hyacinth turned on her heel and waltzed into the dining room.
Philip chuckled. “She hasn’t changed a bit.”
“You don’t seem to mind,” I said.
He seemed surprised. “What’s to mind? I like a little personality to shake things up. It was always obvious to me what my cousin saw in her.”
“She only started dating again recently,” Marley volunteered. “She’s been alo
ne all this time.”
Philip’s brow wrinkled. “Is that so? I hadn’t realized. Who’s the lucky wizard?”
“Why do you assume he’s a wizard?” Marley asked.
Philip smiled. “Because we’re talking about Hyacinth Rose-Muldoon. She wouldn’t dream of dating outside the coven.”
I decided not to share the details of my aunt’s recent dating adventures. “His name is Craig and he’s very nice,” I said.
“Will he be dining with us this evening?” Philip asked.
“I don’t think so,” I said. “She probably thought it would be in bad taste.”
“Oh, she’s been a widow been long enough,” Philip said. “She should know I want her to be happy.”
We trailed into the dining room and Philip took my usual seat adjacent to my aunt. I was relieved to have someone between us for a change—a nice buffer.
“It’s a shame Alec’s too busy to join us,” Aunt Hyacinth said.
I pulled out the chair beside Philip. “He said he’s sorry to miss it.”
The rest of the family streamed into the room and Philip stood to greet everyone. The only ones he hadn’t seen yet were Aster’s husband Sterling and their twin boys, Aspen and Ackley.
“Hey, I have that shirt,” Aspen said. The little boy pointed at Philip’s T-shirt with the picture of a seal saying ‘I approve.’
“Yes, but you were smart enough not to wear it to Sunday dinner,” Aunt Hyacinth said coolly.
“Mom told me no,” Aspen said.
“So you can wear flying cats on your muumuu, but I can’t have an adorable seal?” Philip asked.
“My look is age appropriate, whereas your taste in clothes hasn’t changed in the past two decades,” my aunt said.
“No need to fix what isn’t broken,” Philip replied cheerfully. Nothing seemed to rattle this wizard. He was definitely growing on me.
“Ember, you look remarkably pretty this evening,” my aunt said. “Did you change your hair?”
I nearly fell off my chair. Did my aunt really just pay me a backhanded compliment? I mean, the backhand part was a given, it was the compliment that threw me for a loop.
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