AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Then, she placed them into a strange bowl, grabbed a hammer and smashed them. “I’ll blend these into olive and castor oil, and also the essential oil of cypress to form a cream.”
I watched somewhat in awe as she ground the rocks into a fine powder, breaking a sweat as she did; then she combined all the ingredients and poured it into a glass jar, placing a lid on top.
She wiped the moisture from her brow. “You’ll have to wait until tomorrow night to do this now since the night is already upon us.” Why, I almost asked, but she added before I could, “The lotion needs a night exposed to the moonlight.”
“Okay.” What else was I going to say? Are you serious? This cannot be possible. Have I entered some alterative universe?
After flipping through a few more pages, she continued, “Since the demon is bound to the house, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She turned to Dane. “Before you leave, I’ll tell you a few other things you can do to ensure it stays put.”
At his nod, she opened a drawer reached in, and took out a wooden stick, offering it to me.
I laughed, unable to help it. “You’re seriously not handing me a magic wand?”
She gazed at me, stern and serious. “It’s a wand crafted by my very hand, and I gift it to you.” She waved the damn thing at me and I took a big step back. “You’ll use this to draw the circle around you tomorrow night on a patch of grass, and it’ll awaken the magic within.”
I didn’t move an inch. “And just how do you make a wand?”
“It’s cut from a piece of lightning struck blackthorn, which gives it an extra bit of power. It’s the best choice for you since it wards off evil spirits.” She, once again, shook it at me. “I hope it protects you.”
I gulped, hoping more the thing didn’t send out sparks of magic—even though that was a ridiculous thought—I still didn’t like her waving it at me.
To ensure she didn’t do it again, I took the wand. As I wrapped my hand around it, it seemed like a piece of wood. Nothing more. That eased the lingering fear. “Do I need to do anything with it?”
She opened another drawer, and then handed me a piece of red silk. “Always keep it wrapped up in silk when you’re not using it. But if you can, keep it close to you at all times.” She handed me the fabric and I wrapped it around the wand. “I’d recommend you place it under your pillow when you sleep.”
“Why?”
“Because the wand will absorb your energy. The more you keep it near you, the stronger it will be.”
“Um…err…okay.” I had nothing—no comeback at all—so why bother trying to form a coherent response.
“Now then,” she continued. “When the sun sets tomorrow, go outside, take the wand with you—”
I raised my hand and cut her off. “Sorry, do you have a piece of paper and pen?” At Dane’s snort, I added, “What? I don’t want to forget any of this and we all know my memory sucks!”
Gretchen opened another drawer, grabbed out a pad of paper and a pen, then handed them to me. “Thanks.” I stepped in next to her and placed the notepad down. “Hit me with it.”
“All right. Here is what you do…”
I listened intently, wrote down her directions and I hoped I could read my messy handwriting later, or I’d be making a very embarrassing telephone call to Gretchen.
After she finished, I glanced up at her. “Is that all?”
“Once you’ve done the ritual leave the jar within the circle. The moonlight will awaken the magic. And in the morning, return to the circle, enter it like I’ve instructed and rub your body with the oil.”
I scrunched up my nose. “And this will provide me with extra protection?”
“It’ll keep you guarded since you’ll be going head-to-head with the demon.” Her gaze lingered onto my necklace before it lifted. “As much as I trust the Archangel to keep you safe, this is just an added bit of protection. The demon won’t be able to touch you, and that I’m afraid, is necessary.”
“You don’t need to tell me twice. Weird gem oil it is.” I scribbled what she’d said down. “What happens next? Go to the demon and tell it to go away.”
She laughed, as did Dane even if it sounded more like he was mocking me.
“It’s never that easy,” Gretchen said, as she strode over to the far side of the room. She picked up a small mirror and a black silk cloth off the bookshelf. “This is what you’ll need to banish it.”
I took the mirror from her, studying it. It looked like an everyday mirror to me. Sure, the designs around the edges were pretty and all, but it didn’t seem like anything special. “This is going to banish a demon?”
She gestured to my notepad. “You’ll need to write this down.”
