Page 108 of Queen of the Crimson Throne

And we possessed Hecate’s full spellbook.

My mother had prepared me as much as possible. Telling me any information that might be useful to help in our pursuit.

She even sent me with relics and herbs from her personal garden.

I pretended I didn’t know she had a secret garden. And hadn’t been using the herbs for years.

I hauled the leather strap of my bag farther up my shoulder as we continued into the woods beyond the palace, past the training center, until we came to an area far enough away that we wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention.

Once we found a place we all found suitable, we set out on the tasks we had discussed beforehand.

Declan and Kara got to work setting up a perimeter around us, ensuring no one would find us, while Luka and Lennox set up the fire.

“Do you think this will work?” Nico asked as he helped me unload my bag.

“There’s only one way to find out.” I shrugged. “No one has ever been successful before, but maybe we will be the first.”

“I’m not getting my hopes up,” Lennox added, her and Luka had returned, each holding a pile of sticks in their arms. We needed a large fire for the spell, making an actual fire would be more efficient than relying on magic to sustain it. And I needed Lennox to focus her attention on the spell, not keeping a fire burning.

“C'mon Len,” Kara chidded. “Why do you have tobe so pessimistic?”

“It’s called being realistic.” She dropped her pile of sticks to the ground.

“Whatever you want to call it,” Nico mumbled.

Lennox flipped him off before returning her attention back to helping Luka start the fire. He had set up a perimeter of rocks and was now carefully placing the sticks in the shape of a pyramid.

I sat cross-legged in the grass, with Nico across from me, placing my stone bowl between us. He had my bag at his side, ready to pass me what I needed. One by one I asked Nico for the relics and herbs, consulting Hecate’s spellbook to make sure I was adding everything in the correct order and in the right amounts.

It didn’t say if those details were critical to the spell, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

I placed the last ingredient in the bowl, letting out a deep sigh as I looked at the fire now blazing behind Nico.

It was time.

I stood, taking the bowl and the two halves of Hecate’s spellbook with me as I approached the roaring flames.

I set the two halves of the book before the fire and the bowl on top of them before looking at Lennox and Kara.

“You ready?” The sisters nodded, reaching for their blades, each of them slicing open their palms and allowing a steady flow of blood to drip into the bowl.

Once our blood was mixed with the relics and herbs, I used my blade to mix them all before lifting the bowl over the flames.

Kara and Lennox stood around the fire, following my instructions and waiting for the next step.

I muttered the spell, completing the first part before dumping the contents of the bowl onto the raging fire.

It hissed as the blood mixture hit the flames. It dulled for a moment before rising higher as I continued the spell under my breath.

“Now,” I directed my cousins. They each sliced their palmsagain and I did the same before we all joined hands, our blood mingling together as we chanted the words we had memorized.

The fire blazed higher as the magic swirled around us. The air became thick with magic, even with my eyes closed I could see the blaze as it grew higher.

Sweat coated my brow, dripping down my face as we continued to chant.

The magic thrashed around me, sending my knees buckling—but I held strong.

I gritted my teeth and forced my tongue to continue with the spell. It was as if my magic was at war with the words—trying everything in its power to get me to stop chanting.

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