Chapter 20
20
SALEM, PRESENT DAY
Sephy was busy in the kitchen. She had a cloth spread over the kitchen table with an assortment of dried eggshells, some lumps of charcoal that hadn’t burned in the grill out back last time she’d used it, a giant bag of sea salt and her trusty mortar and pestle.
Lenny walked in and took one look at it. ‘Black salt, really? You think that’s going to work against Corwin, did it work in the past?’
‘Good morning to you too, Lenny, and yes, it always works to a certain degree. Must you always be so dismissive, the old ways are the best, you know that.’
Lenny took the pot of coffee from the stove and poured herself a mugful.
‘I guess living so far away from you in London where I rarely got to use my magic has kind of wiped all of that whimsical charm right out of me.’
‘Well, if we are to stand the slightest chance of defeating Corwin for good you better make an effort to bring it back. We won’t have any power if you’re in denial and Dora can’t remember a single thing.’
Sephy continued grinding the eggshells into a fine dust with her mortar and pestle then tipped them into a large, clear glass mixing bowl. Next, she began to grind the charcoal, which was much harder.
Lenny sat down opposite her. ‘Would you like a hand?’
Sephy, who had a fine film of perspiration on her brow, nodded, then pointed to a cupboard. Lenny took a glug of her coffee then opened the cupboard to take out another mortar and pestle. There were eight of them all lined up in various sizes, and she chose the largest and carried to the table.
‘Let me do the charcoal, get some of my early morning angst out of my system.’
Sephy looked at her sister and laughed. ‘I hate to tell you this but it’s not just early morning, you seem to hold on to it all day and night too.’
Lenny gave her the finger. ‘Did we ever live an uncomplicated life? One where we weren’t always running from a psychotic witch hunter, or trying to rein Dora in? I feel as if they’ve all merged into one long nightmare.’
‘You know that we did, we just didn’t appreciate how simple and special it was at the time.’
‘Oh, spare me, are you going to tell me that living in that draughty old cabin, with no heating and lumpy straw for a bed, was the most perfect of them all? Because I would not look back fondly on the sixteen hundreds.’
‘Then I won’t say it. Don’t you remember how it was back then, seriously?’
Lenny was crushing the charcoal to a fine dust in the bowl in front of her. She shook her head.
‘Okay, it was basic, and we lived rough, but there was nothing other than our love for each other and living our daily lives the best way we could and helping those that needed our help.’
‘What did it get us though, that helping out the needy?’
‘Well, if you hadn’t teased that man, it might not have ended the way it did.’
Lenny looked at her sister with her mouth open, her green eyes sparkling with fury.
‘Teased that man? I did no such thing, he followed me everywhere and I disliked him back then although nothing compared to how much I hate him now. What would you have me do, go back in time and marry him, live a miserable life as his wife? It wouldn’t have stopped him, Sephy, he would have still hunted them down, tortured and hanged them because that’s the sort of man he was and still is. I can’t believe you said that. Is that what you and Lucine think, I should have shacked up with that misogynistic maniac to save our own necks?’
Sephy rushed over to Lenny and wrapped her arms around her.
‘No, of course not. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that to come out how it did, and you’re right, he would have still done it regardless. I guess some people are born evil, time and time again, just like some of us are born good every lifetime.’
They both looked up to see Dora standing there, her hair mussed and rubbing at her eyes.
‘Morning, is it morning or is it afternoon? I have no idea, and I had the weirdest dreams.’
Sephy straightened up. ‘We weren’t arguing.’ She glanced at Lenny unsure of how much Dora had heard.
‘What, oh I wasn’t listening, I just came down to get a drink. My mouth is so dry, I feel as if I spent all night at a bottomless prosecco party.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry, that’s my fault, I got carried away with the valerian root. Apart from a sleep hangover, how’s your sickness?’
‘I haven’t got any, I feel great, sort of – or at least I will when I get a drink.’
‘Help yourself. There’s a jug of freshly squeezed grapefruit, pineapple, pear and mint in the cooler. It will revitalise you and give you a spring in your step. You should have a glass too, Lenny, might be better for you than pure caffeine.’
Dora poured herself a glass of the ice-cold juice and took a seat at the table. She looked at the charcoal and salt.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Making some black salt, dear, it’s wonderful for protection and you’re going to need it. I was thinking that maybe if you had a wander around town on your own you might get a feel of the place. See if it brings back your memories. Perhaps pop into the apothecary – I have an assistant at the shop who can help you collect a few things for me.’
Dora smiled at her aunt. ‘I’d love that, of course I will.’ She finished her juice and rinsed her glass under the tap, placing it on the draining board. ‘Do you not want me to help you make the salt?’
‘Maybe you could help me with some protection jars when you get back, I need this to be powerful so I’m infusing it with mine and Lenny’s magic. And then I’ll work on this finders’ spell. When you’ve had some fresh air, we could work on your memory a little too.’
‘I’d like that. Of course I will anything I can do to help.’
But Sephy had another reason to send Dora out into Salem on her own. She hoped that the first memory that came back to Dora this time would be the location of the journal they needed so badly. Might she be drawn to it if she wandered around looking for memories? Sephy hoped so. She could create this finders’ spell, but she knew Dora was their best hope of securing it.
She took a notepad and began to write down what she wanted from the apothecary. She wondered if Dora might find Ambrose in town, it was Margo her other assistant’s turn to open the shop today. He had been waiting for her for much longer in this lifetime than he’d ever waited before. Ambrose would surely help Dora and perhaps together the pair of them could find where she hid that blasted book. She clasped her hands and said a silent prayer to Hecate, asking her for her help.
‘How’s Lucine this morning?’
Sephy dropped the pestle into the bowl, a look of pure panic on her face.
‘Oh my, I forgot to take her breakfast up, I was so busy making salt. She’ll be starving.’
Lenny stood up. ‘Let me, I have some catching up to do and when I popped my head in, she was fast asleep.’
Sephy nodded, the worry that was etched across her face smoothed itself out and her shoulders relaxed. She smiled at her sister and niece, so glad to have them home even if the happiness would be short-lived. None of them knew when Corwin would make his move and come back to Salem, but she hoped this was the lifetime where they’d break the curse.