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I don’t hate it. I might even suggest that we keep it open after we’ve finished our mission.
To my surprise, the next couple of hours go by quickly, and when I’ve finished with the chapter I wanted to see through today, Xander’s waiting for me with an orange and a bottle of water.
“You need a snack.”
“You’re handy to have around.” I accept the water and then lean in to kiss him. “We should go join the others. I think everyone else is already there.”
“I was just waiting for you to finish,” he replies with a nod.
The trip over to the aunts’ house from Xander’s doesn’t take long, and when we pull into the driveway, I see that I was right. We’re the last to arrive.
When we join the others in the kitchen, where we always congregate whenever we go to the aunts’ house, it’s full of laughter, noise, and the smell of cookies. Aunt Hilda always has cookies on hand.
Today, they smell like lemon.
“Hi, everyone!”
“Thank the goddess you’re here,” Breena says excitedly before running over to me. She throws her arms around my neck and hugs me close.
“What happened?” With panic making my heart beat double-time, I grip her shoulders and hold her steady. “Oh, goddess, what happened?”
“Nothing,” Breena assures me. “Nothing bad. I’m sorry, I’m just so excited I had to hug you.”
“Okay.” I take a deep, relieved breath and will my heart to settle down. “Okay, good. I like good surprises. They’re just few and far between these days. Have you been waiting for us to spill the beans?”
“Yes, and it’s killing me,” Lucy replies, chewing on a cookie.
I glance around the room and see that everyone’s here. Mom, Hilda, and all six of us. Even Agatha is hovering in the corner, waiting to hear the news.
“Okay.” Breena clasps her hands at her waist and grins like a maniac.
A good maniac.
“Just say it, child,” my mom says, waving her hand as if to tell her to get on with it.
“I finished the tapestry of fate.” Breena bounces on the balls of her feet, clapping her hands. “I’m done.”
“Good job, darling,” Hilda says and hugs her daughter close. “That must be a relief. I know it’s been such a struggle.”
“Yeah, I’m over it,” Breena admits. “Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to do it for what we need it for, but it was so much work, and so much pressure. I’m relieved to have it finished.”
“Do we get to see it?” Xander asks her.
“Of course. Giles?”
“That’s my cue,” Giles says and steps out the back door. He’s back seconds later with a large piece of cardboard. It has to be four feet long by three feet wide.
When Breena pulls the sheet covering it away, we all gasp.
“Oh, Breena,” I breathe.
We all gather close to examine it. The image is of a place I’ve only seen once before in the vision I had where I saw Hallows End.
There are buildings in that old Puritan style on the sides, and a path or dirt road in the middle. In the very center of the scene is a large fire.
The sky is dark, but the moon is full, and she wove in beautiful stars. There are trees and flowers that she embellished with real moss and beads and shells the rest of us gathered and put spells on for her.
“Every stitch has been so carefully crafted,” Jonas murmurs, his eyes pinned to the artwork. “Breena, this is absolutely wonderful. Aside from the magic of it, and what we hope to use it for, it’s a stunning piece of art. You’re very talented.”
“Thank you.” Breena preens happily as we each take a turn pointing out something we especially love.
“I’m so proud of you.” I wrap my arm around my cousin’s shoulders and kiss her square on the cheek. “So freaking proud, Breen.”
“I can feel the magic pulsing off this,” Lucy adds as her hands hover six inches away from the stitching. “It’s incredibly powerful.”
“And that was the point,” Xander reminds her. “Because yes, it’s beautiful. But the power it wields is intense. It’s our best chance of breaking the curse.”
“Thank you,” Jonas says and kisses Breena’s forehead. “Thank you for this gift, sweetheart.”
“You’re welcome.”
We decided that the six of us should reconvene at Xander’s house to make some solid plans now that Breena finished the tapestry.
“We don’t have to necessarily wait for Samhain now that we have the right tool,” Giles points out. “I say we go right away and lift this thing.”
“We still don’t have the right words for the spell,” I remind him. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for getting this done as quickly as possible, but we’re missing a key ingredient.”
“Maybe there isn’t a specific spell,” Breena points out. “Maybe it’s magic we have to weave ourselves.”
“You could have a point,” Xander replies, his eyes narrowed. “I’d like to take one more look through Katrina’s Book of Shadows, just to be sure.”
