“He’s good at that.” I go to the cast iron pot on the stove and check the potion. “And now it’s our turn to keep him safe.”
Pandora, who’s been watching the potion for us while we set everything else up, meows, letting me know it’s done and ready for the final ingredient. Eliza holds out her arm, and I take a potion vial and a knife from the block on the counter. I hesitate only a second before slicing her skin open, collecting as much blood as I can before her wound heals.
Then I carefully add three drops to the potion and stir it counter-clockwise thirteen times. The potion bubbles for three-and-a-half minutes, and then I remove it from heat, giving it only a minute to cool before scooping a ladleful and pouring it into a glass bowl. I wrap a towel around the bowl and take it outside.
“Should I get him now?” Eliza asks, and Felix nods.
“It is time.” His eyes meet mine. “Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Evander reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. “You can do this, sister.”
“We can do this.” I squeeze his hand back and set the bowl on the ground, next to the paralyzed deer.
“Witches!” Naomi calls. "Gather round.”
We all join her, sitting on the ground inside a simple salt circle. She gives us all a teacup and holds up a Mason jar full of cleansing tea.
“Invocabo elementum. Gubernet, et protegat. Libera nos a malo. Solidius nostrum vinculum efficiendum,” we all chant together.
Naomi pours a small amount of tea in our cups, and we all down it like a shot. Cleansing tea tastes terrible, but it’s good for your aura and helps you channel energy better.
“All right.” Felix holds up his empty glass as if in a toast. “It’s go time.”
We stand and go back to the main circle right as Eliza and Lucas are coming out of the house. More blood stains his shirt, and he looks even more ragged than he did a mere half-hour ago.
This has to work.
“Lie down in the center of the biggest circle,” Felix tells him. “This is going to hurt. We’ll have to restrain you.”
Lucas’s eyes meet mine for a second and he nods, slowly lowering his large frame to the ground.
Evander steps forward and holds his hands up, index fingers and thumbs touching to form a triangle. He closes his eyes, and the ground starts to rumble. “Coercitio.” He splays his fingers in the air, and tree roots come up from the ground and wrap around Lucas’s wrists and ankles.
Eliza, who was sitting on the porch steps, stands, eyes wide. It’s an impressive sight, I’ll agree, and showcases just how powerful we are.
Once the roots are properly wrapped around Lucas, anchoring him to the ground, Evander ignites a bundle of herbs, wafting the smoke over Lucas. He’s undoing the binding spells, and the moment they’re lifted, the curse will start sinking back into Lucas, killing him.
I look away, knowing this is going to hurt…and it’s not going to be the worst part. Lucas winces but holds still as the binding is lifted. Evander tosses the bundle of herbs into dewy grass, and Eliza stomps it out.
I inhale and step forward, next to Felix. Nicole and Naomi move into the corners, standing behind my familiars. They’re acting as backup, risking themselves to help keep the curse contained.
I pick up the bowl containing the potion and an athame and lift them into the air.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” I begin, tipping my head to the star-studded sky above me. “Daughters of darkness, hear my cries. What once was dead now shall rise.” I slowly kneel, spilling a bit of the potion down the side of the bowl and all over my hand, and set the bowl back on the ground. I hold the athame up with both hands, closing my eyes and drawing in the power from the dark side of the moon.
I dip the tip of the athame in the potion and then plunge it in the belly of the deer. Doing my best not to cringe, I pull the blade down, ripping open the deer’s flesh. Its guts spill out, and I turn back to the sky, holding my arms out as I feel the life slip away from the creature.
“Mors et lutum. Lutum ad mortem.”
The spell is necromancy at its roots, and I can feel the darkness rippling through me. I hold steady, letting it fuel me, and then redirect my energy to the dead squirrel.
“Mors et lutum. Lutum ad mortem.”
My eyes fall shut again, and I throw my head back. Something else pulses through me, something I can only describe as warm and bright. Blue energy sizzles around my fingers, and suddenly, the squirrel jumps up, squealing and chattering.
I let the athame fall from my fingers and exhale. It worked. Now for the hard part.