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“Listen to me, child,” Mama tells the two of them urgently. “This talisman will keep the girl’s soul in her body for a little while, but we need him to put it back permanently.”
She points to the crumpled figure of the warlock. Juliana stares at him in horror and clutches Hex’s chest. She’s clearly afraid of the man, and for good reason. The man has literally put her through hell. It’s no small thing to rip a soul from a body, especially twice.
“There’s something else,” I tell them.
I look up to see Pocus and Seer standing over us, listening intently.
“There’s only one way to destroy Anderson’s soul. We’ll have to conjure hellfire to destroy the stone. It will rid the earth of his soul and he’ll be trapped in hell for eternity.”
“Do it,” the men shout in unison.
I look at Mama warily, and she nods at me.
“I don’t have the strength,” I tell them. “Even if I was at my peak strength, it’s a complicated spell, and it could kill me. It could kill anyone who does it.”
Pocus throws his hands in the air and turns on his heel, cursing magic. Seer crouches down to me and pulls me in his arms. “We’ll find another way,” he whispers in my ear. “There’s no way I’d let you attempt it.”
“Well, can he do it?” Pocus growls, pointing to the warlock.
“He can,” Mama confirms.
“But why would he?” Hex asks miserably. “We need him to put Juliana’s soul back in her body and to trap Anderson’s soul. Do you think he’s going to do all that and still willingly agree to risk dying to get rid of Anderson for good?”
Pocus reaches behind his back and pulls a gun out, then cocks it. “We aren’t giving him a choice,” he says darkly. “So wake him up.”
I look at Seer, but he shakes his head. I know what it means to Pocus to have this over with, but threatening the warlock doesn’t guarantee he’ll help us. I sigh heavily and look at Mama. “What are our other options?” I ask her.
She looks at me gravely and meaningfully. “I don’t agree with violence. But I agree with Pocus. This is the only way to end it. He’ll help whether he likes it or not.”
I’m surprised, but I won’t argue with her. If this is their decision, I’ll honor it. If it means bringing Abigail and Daisy back, and keeping everyone safe in the future, it’s worth it.
“Wake him up,” Pocus demands, walking over to the man’s body.
Mama slowly gets off the ground and follows him. I watch her as she says an incantation over the man and sprinkles some powder over his face. He opens his eyes. When he sees Pocus standing above him with a gun pointed in his face, he immediately raises his hands in defense and weeps. Poor idiot.
“I’ll do anything you want,” he cries. “Just don’t shoot me.”
“Hex,” Pocus calls, turning back to us without lowering his gun. “Bring your girl over here and let’s get this over with.”
Hex looks down at Juliana carefully as she sobs against his chest.
“We need a minute,” he calls back.
Pocus raises his gun and shoots it in the air in frustration, causing us all to jump.
I help Juliana stand. She claims she’s okay, but she must be hurting after everything she’s been through in the last few minutes. She leans into me as I pull her away from the watching crowd. I assess the parking lot to find a place for us to speak privately.
“Where are we?” Juliana groans.
“We’re a few miles outside of town,” I tell her. “This is an abandoned warehouse Anderson Gray used to own.”
“What did he use it for?” she asks weakly, though I think she knows. It’s too horrible to say out loud.
“It doesn’t matter,” I tell her. “The only thing that matters right now is that you’re safe. We need to talk.”
She nods and I pull her behind one of the buildings so we’re alone and secluded. This is the hardest conversation I’ll ever have, but I can’t force the warlock to put Juliana’s soul back into her body unless I’m sure it’s what she wants.
Juliana sits on the sidewalk, holding her knees to her chest as she watches me. I pace, unsure how to even broach the topic.
