Page 5 of Hex You

“What are you thinking, Mercy?” Khenti asked as he towel dried his long, dark hair.

“Remember the cloaking spell I cast so people couldn’t see me talking to you at the park?”

Khenti’s dark brows went up. “I do! Could you cast such a spell here?”

“Well, it’ll take a much more powerful spell to cloak an area as big as the outside of your mom’s cave, and there are no ley lines here for me to tap into, but I think I should be able to get enough power from the plants that fill this amazing room to set the cloaking. How long it’ll last, I don’t know.”

“Long enough for us to sneak out of here so that the demons are no longer drawn to Mother’s cave?” Khenti asked.

“I bloody well hope so,” said Mercy.

“But how will your sister find you if you leave my cave?” Meryt said.

“We won’t have to leave right away,” explained Mercy. “I’ll be able to feel when the spell is weakening. It’s only then that we’ll have to leave.”

“The Mighty Cosmic Witch Hunter will find a way to reach you by then,” said Khenti.

Mercy started to say she wished she had Khenti’s confidence in Hunter, but then she realized she did have confidence in her sister!I believe in Hunter. I always have. I just needed to remember that and stop being blinded by my own bullshit.“You’re right, Khenti. Hunter is a mighty witch. She’ll do it. I know she will.”

Meryt stood and nodded. “Of course Hunter is a mighty witch; her twin sister certainly is. Now, let us see if we are still in Hathor’s favor.”

Meryt led the way back through the growing room to what Mercy thought of as the living room of the cave. Meryt moved aside another beautiful tapestry—this one portrayed the fertile Nile, flanked by palms and flowers and a flock of hook-nosed ibises frozen in midflight. The room within was smaller than the living room, but the curtained bed in the center of it was spectacular, filled with linens the blue of the Egyptian sky. At the foot of the bed was a huge trunk decorated with Hathor’s horns and disc and encrusted with semiprecious stones. Meryt lifted the lid, gasped happily, reached within, and then when she turned to face Khenti and Mercy her arms were with filled with fat black pillar candles.

Relief washed over Mercy. “We are definitely still in Hathor’s favor.”

“What else do you need?” Khenti asked.

“Just shadows and power,” said Mercy.And luck—a lot of luck—she added silently.

“As you say, the growing room is filled with the energy of plants, and they have already recognized and accepted you,” said Meryt. “Could you use the shadows beneath a tree?”

“If the tree’s big enough. I’m gonna need a lot of shadows,” said Mercy.

Meryt’s smile beamed. “Oh! I do believe Hathor’s sycamore fig will work. Come! Come!” With the litheness of a girl, Meryt rushed past them, nodding for them to follow. “Tee, bring one of the torches beside the hearth fire. Mercy can use it to light the candles.”

They hurried back to the growing room. This time they had to walk farther. They crossed an arched wooden bridge and followed the stream in the opposite direction they’d taken to go to the pool. Mercy was amazed by the variety of plant life around them. She’d been to the Chicago Botanic Gardens several times, and had always loved the diversity of the flora there, but Hathor’s creation for Meryt made that seem shabby in comparison. Mercy was so enthralled by a field of purple and blue and pink wildflowers that she didn’t even notice the enormous tree until Meryt and Khenti stopped.

“Oh, wow! This is great!” Mercy stared up at the tree. It must have been at least one hundred feet tall with a huge, thick dome of wide, bright green leaves. Mingled among the leaves and rusty brown bark were clumps of figs that buzzed with wasps. Beneath the broad canopy the shadows were dark and plentiful.

“It is Hathor’s tree—a sycamore fig—sacred to her. Its wood is often used for sarcophaguses, but the tree is worth far more than just its wood. Every part of the fig is valuable—her leaves make healing tea. Her sap makes the sweetest of sugars, and her fruit is almost as divine as Hathor herself,” explained Meryt.

“She’s perfect. Absolutely perfect!” Mercy approached the tree respectfully. She placed her hand on the skin of rough bark and closed her eyes. Immediately she felt the tree inhale and exhale, and she was greeted with curiosity and warmth.

“Hello, ancient one,” Mercy said. “Your strength and beauty are truly magnificent. I am Green Witch Mercy, from a mortal realm far from here, and I need to borrow some of your shadows to keep Meryt safe. Is that okay with you?”

I serve Hathor and Meryt has the goddess’s blessing—as do you, young one. I shall aid you.

“Thank you, Grandmother Sycamore. You’ll be helping us a lot.” In response the tree sent a burst of energy through Mercy that made her feel like she could run a marathon. She turned to Meryt and Khenti, who were standing just outside the canopy of the tree and motioned for them to join her.

“How may we help?” asked Khenti.

“First, let’s place the black candles in a circle all around the tree, close to the trunk where the shadows are thickest.” The three of them quickly made a tight circle of candles under the tree. “Okay, now we need to light all of them.”

Khenti held up the lit torch he’d brought with them. “Do you need to do that, or may I?”

“You can do it. This spell is really an opposite spell, so it’s not actually cast until the candles are blown out—and I’m going to have you and your mom help me with that part, too,” Mercy said. Then she nodded in approval as Khenti lit all of the candles so that the darkness beneath the massive tree flickered with the soft illumination of firefly-like flames. When he rejoined her, Mercy continued. “We need to sit just outside the circle of candles, and we have to position ourselves so that we can be sure that we’ll blow out all the candles at the same time. Do you understand?”

Meryt and Khenti nodded. The two of them followed Mercy’s lead as she sat cross-legged before the tree. They positioned themselves around the circumference of the circle—equal distance apart. Then they looked expectantly at Mercy.