Page 39 of Hex You

“Hexing someone is bad news,” said Mercy. “It can hurt the witch that casts the spell as badly, if not worse, than whoever she’s hexing.”I should know. That’s what I did to Khenti’s dad and then we ended up in hell…Mercy shook off the thought and continued.

“But we haven’t hexed anyone here. All we’ve done is to try and protect the town. No.” Mercy shook her head emphatically. “It’s not a hex. It’s a monster. A water monster. And all we have to do is figure out what it is, and find it so Khenti can kill it and send it back to its hell where it belongs.”

“That is a lot,” said Khenti.

“Well, it’s a good thing Hunter and I are powerful witches and we have you four to back us up.” Mercy sounded a lot more confidentthan she felt. “Speaking of a powerful witch—H, how ’bout you get out your tarot cards and do some bibbidi-bobbidi-boo-ing? I’m ready to figure out how to take down this new boogey monster before the town tears itself apart.”

“Yeah. I can do that.” Hunter stood and then stumbled and would’ve fallen had Jax not caught her elbow.

“Hey, steady there,” said Jax.

“H, you okay? You look terrible,” said Mercy.

Hunter’s lips quirked into a sarcastic half smile. “Thanks a lot, Mag.”

“I didn’t mean that in a bad way. I just meant I’m worried about you.” Mercy spoke hastily—absolutely not wanting to start another fight with her sister.

“Kitten, I do not believe you have grounded yourself properly.” Xena spoke up. “The energy you manipulated yesterday was extremely powerful. Are you feeling unusually tired? Is your mind filled with feathers?”

Everyone looked at Xena.

“Feathers?” Hunter asked.

Xena nodded emphatically. “Yes, kitten. Feathers. It is a metaphor for a mind too exhausted to think well—and a rather good metaphor at that. Did you soak in a mineral bath last night?”

“No,” said Hunter. “You know I don’t like baths. Who wants to sit in warm, dirty water?”

“Well, I quite like it.” Xena gave Hunter a perplexed look. “But whether you usually enjoy a lovely bath or not—you should soak yourself in minerals—Epsom salts and magnesium will help. Add lavender oil to be sure you rest well tonight.”

“That sounds like a good idea, H,” said Mercy.

“Yeah, I’ll do that, but maybe I should try to get some answers from my tarot first. A monster that could kill Mrs. Stoll is bad enough. But now it’s affecting the whole town. We can’t exactlywait for me to bathe.” As Hunter spoke she swayed like she was standing on the deck of a ship.

“I know this is not my world, but it is clear that you must rest and regain your strength,” said Khenti.

“I agree with Khenti,” said Em just as her phone beeped with a text message. She glanced at it and gave the group an apologetic smile. “Sorry, that’s Mom. It’s late and she’s worried. I need to get home.”

“Yeah, I need to get going, too.” Jax stood and put his hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “Hey, rest first—tarot tomorrow.”

“Okay. Yeah. I get it. I’ll take the bath and go to bed. Tomorrow I’ll tarot.” Hunter walked to the door with Jax and Emily, who waved over their shoulders at Xena and Mercy and Khenti before going out into the warm spring night and their cars that waited in the driveway. When she turned back, Xena, Khenti, and Mercy were staring at her. “What? Do I have food in my teeth?”

“No! Nothing like that,” said Mercy. “It’s just that you look really tired, H.”

Xena gracefully hopped off the back of the couch and smoothed her wild mane of hair. “Kitten, I shall run a bath for you. I know exactly what to add to it to make quite sure you are properly grounded and will get a good night’s sleep.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Hunter rubbed her eyes again.

Quickly, before Mercy could warn Khenti, Xena bent and licked his cheek. “Good night, lovely Khenti kitten.”

His brown eyes widened and he grinned. “Good night, magnificent Goode familiar.”

Mercy dodged Xena’s lick by pulling the cat person into a hug. “Night, Xena. Love you.” She released Xena and met her sister’s weary gaze. “Love you, too, H.”

“Ditto,” said Hunter as she followed Xena slowly up the stairs. Partway up, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder. “You’re gonna stay up and research, right?”

“Totally,” said Mercy. She smiled. “I’m going to introduce Khenti to the internet.”

Hunter’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “That sounds fun. ’Night.”