Page 58 of Love's a Witch
“It just shows blank pages for me,” Lyra said, leaning close to look at the pages over my shoulder.
“Definitely a grimoire of sorts, then.” Mandy Meadows nodded. “One of the first spells used when making one is to conceal the interior from anyone it wasn’t meant for. It’s an easy enough protection spell to circumvent, but it does take some concentration.”
“Wait, why would she have to remove the protection spell from this? Isn’t it more about helping her to read it? We don’t need to see it, right?” Lyra pointed a finger between the women and the book.
“If you’d prefer a simple translation spell, that’s also an option.” Mandy Meadows studied a nail like she didn’t have a care in the world. But I wondered, too, why she wanted to take the protection off my book. Filing that thought away for later, I smoothed a hand over the pages.
“Let’s start with a translation spell. If that doesn’t work, we can look at removing the protection.”
“If you insist.” Mandy Meadows returned to her shelves and studied them for a moment.
Again, why did she have to phrase it like that? I wanted to snarl at her, but Lyra squeezed my knee sharply, and Raven winked at me over the table. It pacified me somewhat, so instead I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the bitchiness that was Mandy.
I definitely was going to spill a drop of my coffee on her rug on the way out.
“A sprig of juniper and a sacred water from the enchanted burn outside Briarhaven.” Mandy placed the branch in front of me, as well as a small jar of water. “Open the book, trace the juniper in a clockwise circle around the book, and then dip your finger in the water. Dab some water on your brow and then repeat after me.”
“Why juniper?” Lyra piped up.
“Juniper helps with visions as well as protection. Shall we?” Mandy Meadows lifted her hands, mumbled a few words about protection, and then dropped them. “The circle is cast. Onward.”
Picking up the sprig of juniper, the scent crisp and refreshing, I gently circled the book as instructed, and then dipped a finger into the water. Surprised, I glanced up at Mandy Meadows, who just nodded at me to continue.
The water was bathwater warm.
Dabbing it on my brow, I turned back to the book.
“By the gift o’ Seer’s sight,
Grant me now the ancient light.
Tongues long gone, words long veiled,
By this rite, let truth prevail.”
I gasped as the words clarified in front of me. There was a certain section highlighted, as if the words simply hovered over everything else. Had the book chosen what I needed to see and only shown me that part? I wasn’t sure if this was a temporary spell or something that would always be available to me, so I hurried to read out the passage it wanted to share with me.
“To break a curse that harms your bloodline, perform the following ritual. In a sacred circle marked by hematite stones, prick the fingers of those involved in the curse. Let their blood drip into a single cauldron with honey and whisky. Stir the mixture and place your hands over the chalice. Repeat the following three times.
“By blood that bound, by love now freed,
Let this curse be undone in word and deed.
Honey sweet, whisky strong,
Upend this heartache to right a wrong.
“The cursed must drink from the cauldron, and the ties of heartbreak will dissolve, allowing the cursed to move forward in peace. Remember, three fragments mended, a heart restored, let curse unwind, its chains no more.”
I tried to turn the page, but the book wouldn’t let me. I looked up, and Raven nodded at me, pen in hand.
“Got it.”
“That’s all we can do, then.” Mandy Meadows quickly closed the circle, and I patted my fingers on the book, silently thanking it. The cover warmed in response.
“That’s grand, isn’t it?” Felicity, who had been surprisingly quiet all morning, bounced in her seat. “We can do the ritual and free you of the curse. No more snow! Except, you know, we’ll want snow for a white Christmas.”
“It seems too easy.” Lyra worried her bottom lip.
