Chapter 14 #2
I laugh and climb onto a stool at the kitchen island. “Sadly, there was no canoodling or mattress dancing of any kind, just sleeping after an arduous session of mental exercises.”
Asher slides on a pair of oven mitts and bites his bottom lip. “Mental exercises? Is that what you’re into, Howe? Mind games?”
Wylder arches a dark brow. “What is actually happening right now?”
I wave away Asher’s teasing. “We don’t do the whole walk of shame thing. Asher and I celebrate the got laid parade. But sadly, no one got laid.”
Asher lifts a casserole dish out of the oven and snorts. “Speak for yourself, Pops. Orion is literally a wildcat with supernatural stamina. Life is good with those of us celebrating the penis parade.”
Wylder shakes his head and goes over to the coffeemaker. “The two of you realize you’re whacked, right?”
I snort and accept a plate and a fork from my bestie. "Really? We're dealing with demon contracts, kidnapped sisters, soul-draining ghosts tethered to innocent people, and you think us celebrating a night of horizontal hijinks is what's whacked?"
Asher points at me and taps his nose. "What she said."
He plates another serving and slides it across the island to Wylder. "Well, whatever you kids were up to, I approve. I haven't seen you this relaxed in weeks."
Wylder accepts his plate with a nod of thanks.
I finish chewing my first bite and swallow. "I told you what we were up to—mental exercises."
Wylder rolls his eyes and pauses with his fork at his mouth. "I was teaching Poppy to compartmentalize her memories. It has to be done with a relaxed and calm mind, so I thought a half-sleep-semi-coma would work best."
Asher pours me a glass of pineapple juice and slides it over. "So, did it help?"
I nod. "At least for the moment, the crushing weight of Tharuzel's darkness remains locked away in my mental jewelry box."
"Excellent. Any chance you can lose the mental key?"
"I will certainly try."
Wylder and I eat our brunch casserole, chatting with Asher about everything and nothing at the same time, until a new sensation prickles across my skin. I pause, trying to figure out what it is.
"Pops? Are you okay?"
I hop off my stool and follow the weird pull as I work to sort through the sensations. "There's something."
That the two of them follow isn't a surprise. That I end up standing on my front porch is a bit of a temperature shock.
"Here, put this on." Asher wraps my jacket around my shoulders as Somebuddy and Nobuddy race past us to do zoomie circles on the front lawn. "Is the something close or far?"
"Close."
"Is it demon or other?" Wylder asks.
"Other. I think it's a spirit. A spirit suffering, to be exact." I stand there, the late November wind pulling at my hair as the sensation strengthens, tugging my attention across the road to Margaret Pinehurst's pristine colonial.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." I lean against the porch railing, staring at the house where lace curtains hide the neighborhood's most prolific gossip.
Asher steps in beside me and follows my gaze. "Is it Margaret?"
"Apparently." I raise my hands and weave a simple spell to extend my vision. The magic settles over my eyes like a lens, and suddenly I can see through Margaret's picture window as clearly as if I'm standing in her living room.
She's dusting her mantle, moving with mechanical precision, but on her forehead, a demon sigil pulses with dark energy. And tethered to her—draining her life force drop by drop—is a translucent ghost, its face twisted in anguish.
"She's marked." My voice comes out flat. "And there's a ghost feeding off her."
Asher shrugs. "It's not that big of a surprise, honestly. Margaret is a nasty piece of sanctimonious work who has been spreading misery around this neighborhood for decades. She's a perfect candidate for negative emotions."
"Harsh but true." The woman basically said my mother's death was divine punishment for inappropriate practices.
Wylder crosses his arms. "She's certainly not the only one marked. We can just add her to whatever list we end up making."
"We could," I agree.
"Or?" Asher clearly recognizes the signs of my mental wheels spinning.
"Or I could try severing the tether." I let the vision spell dissolve for the moment. "If I can break the connection between the ghost and Margaret—"
"Absolutely not." Mom materializes beside me, her translucent form solidifying as clearly as she's been in weeks. "The last time you interfered with one of those marks, you were pulled into Tharuzel's consciousness."
"But I'm stronger now." I gesture toward Wylder and then tap the little silver disc behind my ear. "I'm safely beyond his influence and can actually think clearly for the first time in weeks."
Sebastian emerges from the house, drawn by the conversation. "What's going on?"
I blink. "Oh, hey, I didn't even know you were here."
"Your mother and I are working on something."
Yeah, they always are.
"So, again, why is everyone standing on the front porch?"
Asher fills him in while I study Margaret's house, mapping the connection in my mind.
The first time I encountered the tether and sigil combo, I just wanted to break it and free Mr. Peterson. This time, I take a moment to probe the magic and get a feel for it.
By the time I'm finished, I'm more convinced than ever that I can exploit my connection to Tharuzel and cut his hold on Margaret without getting sucked in. "I think I can do this."
Mom's expression softens. "Poppy—"
"Mom, seriously. Practice makes perfect, right? I have a better understanding of what he's doing and how these sigils work this time."
"But why risk it? Freeing one person at a time puts you in the direct line of danger. Wait until we have a plan to break Tharuzel's hold altogether and then take the risk when everyone is there to help you."
I see the worry in her gaze and I appreciate it, but I don't agree. "I understand I can't do this one person at a time and expect to get ahead of Tharuzel, but if I can learn more, maybe that will help us figure out how to do it on a larger scale."
The guys are quiet for a long time before Sebastian speaks up. "She's got a point, Zoe. The more we know, the more prepared we are. And I'm here. The two of us can pool our spirit affinities and share the burden."
Relief washes through me. "Having Sebastian here to anchor the spell makes me even more sure it can work."
Wylder stares down the long laneway of our property to the house across the street. “Are you sure you’ve got the juice? That’s not close.”
“With an enhanced sight spell and Sebastian giving me a boost? Yeah, I think I can.”
“And you’re confident you can do it without being sucked down the drain?” Asher asks.
“Well, as sure as I can be about anything involving foiling demon magic."
Mom still looks uncertain, but she nods. "All right. But at the first sign of trouble—"
"Wylder and Sebastian will pull me out. I know." I take Sebastian's hand, then reach for Wylder with my other. "Everyone ready?"
We arrange ourselves in a loose circle on the porch, facing Margaret's house. Asher stands off to the side with the puppies, and Mom hovers behind me, her ghostly presence a comfort.
I cast the spell to extend the reach of my vision and then awaken my powers, following the invisible thread connecting Margaret to the suffering ghost.
Sebastian's power flows alongside mine, steady and controlled.
"It's really far," Wylder mutters. "You didn't get anywhere with Mr. Patterson until you touched the mark directly."
"We know more now, and we're stronger together." I push harder, letting Sebastian's magic amplify my own.
The prickling on my skin grows sharper, and before long I can sense the suffering of the spirit as acutely as if they were standing right in front of me.
“Unbind. Unwind. Undo.” I hold my hand out and, despite the real-world distance, pinch the red, glowing rope tethering the spirit to Margaret. Like the last time, the rope feels greasy in my fingers, and I’m hit with a wave of repulsion.
I'm expecting it this time and I don't let it distract me.
“Unbind. Unwind. Undo."
I feel Tharuzel's essence as I destroy the tether, and Sebastian was right. He's grown much stronger. We need to cut him off from his supply of siphoned souls.
I just don't know how.
The ghost explodes into motes of light, finally free. The sensation of its relief floods through me—gratitude, release, peace.
With the ensnared spirit set free, I shift my focus to the sigil. The mark thrives on imbalance and corruption and, unfortunately, I'm not close enough to sprinkle salt on her for purification and preservation.
But… "Wylder? Do you have salt in your pocket?"
He told me once that his mother believed 'salt is the duct tape of witchcraft' and always made him carry some.
To my relief, he pulls out a little cloth bag and when I extend my hand, pours a pile onto my palm.
With my focus honed, I whisper:
“This body is not your doorway,
This soul not yours to maim.
You use spirits as your weapons,
But I release them from your claim.”
When I did this with Mr. Peterson, the sigil fought me and I was lanced with pain. This afternoon, I'm ready for the backlash of power and take it in stride.
Goddess Mother, it is my intention to do your good work. Please help me help her.
As I focus on the sigil, the pure strength of the Goddess Mother's intention spreads through my body and gives me comfort.
The scarlet glow of the mark darkens, and my mental jewelry box rattles as Tharuzel's darkness stirs.
Mine, his voice hisses from within the locked box.
"Not today, asshole." I pour more power into the spell, feeling Sebastian match me step for step.
The sigil cracks. Fractures spread across its surface like breaking glass.
Then it shatters.
The backlash hits me like a wave, but Sebastian absorbs half the impact. We both stagger, but I don't get pulled into Tharuzel's consciousness. I don't lose myself in his hatred and hunger.
I just... stand here. Breathing hard. Victorious.
"Holy shit." Asher steadies me as I sway. "Did that actually work?"
Wylder's already moving toward the door of the house. "Asher, grab me some of whatever you baked this morning. We're going to be good neighbors and go check on her."
Asher dashes inside and returns a moment later with a covered dish. "Lemon poppy seed muffins. Perfect for nosy neighbors who've just been demon un-marked."
As they head across the road, Mom wraps her arms around me. "That was as brave as it was reckless."
I lean into her embrace, watching Wylder and Asher jog down the driveway.
"Yeah, well, that's pretty much my factory setting these days. Now we need to figure out how to do this on a countywide scale. Sebastian’s spirit magic power boost helped me cast my intention across the road, but it’s not enough to cover all of Emberwood. ”
Sebastian stiffens beside me and turns, wide-eyed. “Poppy, that’s it! You’re a genius.”
“I am? Well, yeah, I am, but why are you saying it?”
He grins. “You just figured out how to do the un-marking cleanse en masse.”
I blink. “I did? Well, yay me.”