Page 29 of Mending Mayhem
I scraped the last of the wolfsbane into the bowl, hoping to Hecate it would be enough. “Actually, this guy and this guy…” I jutted a thumb at Chaos and then tapped my temple. “And the one gallivanting through the Underworld with Cinder are the reason we’re in this situation, and you…”
“And I what?” She rinsed the empty container and returned it to the cupboard.
I squinted at the screen. “Rose of Jericho? Do we have that?”
“And I what?” Ash took a cedar box from the shelf and handed me a ball of what looked like dried fern.
I broke off a few pieces and crumbled them into the bowl while Chaos finished crunching the bones. Ash’s mouth tightened when I tried to hand the herb ball back to her, a vein in her forehead beginning to bulge.
I huffed. “You’re already showing signs of the curse. The last thing we need is for dark magic to push you harder into bringing it to life.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she took the ball, returning it to the box. “I am not.”
I added mustard seed and poured garlic oil on top of the herbs. “You said yourself that your thoughts aren’t very light-witch-like lately.”
“Well, I?—”
“And you nearly choked on the sage when we tried to contact Hecate.”
“It was a fresh smudge stick.” She put the box down and crossed her arms. “The smell was strong.”
“Ember is right.” Chaos slid the mortar toward me. “If she does get caught, she will need you to rescue her before the execution. If you are both detained, your chances of breaking the curse and saving Salem are nil.”
She fisted her hands on her hips, her gaze cutting between Chaos and me. “The curse is not affecting me yet, but I do see your other point. I don’t like it, but I see it.”
She tapped a finger to her lips. “I’ll cast a magic-containment spell over the room, you cast the phoenix, and I’ll conduct the exorcism.”
“See? We’re still a team.” I shoved Ash’s phone into my pocket, added the crushed bone to the bowl, and carried everything to my bedroom.
“Why are you doing it in here?” Ash asked from the doorway.
“To keep you out of trouble. If I get caught, you had no idea what I was up to.” I grabbed a dagger from my nightstand and settled cross-legged on the floor, setting the items in front of me. “Do your thing so I can do mine.”
“Let me go mix the potion.” She hurried back to the kitchen.
“You are being really quiet. Everything okay?”
“For centuries I have believed witches to be the vilest creatures to walk the earth, but you… You have so many layers. I have to rethink everything I’ve ever believed.”
I laughed. “That’s me. Layers for days, just like an onion. Careful or I’ll make you cry.”
Ash returned with a blue plastic spray bottle filled with an amber liquid. “Are you ready?”
“Absolutely.” My stomach clenched and my heart attempted to leap out through my mouth, but yeah. I was ready to get on with the shit show.
Ash sprayed the potion over the walls, floor, and ceiling, giving the doorway a few extra squirts on her way out before reciting the magic-containment spell.
The energy in the room thickened, a blanket of magic wrapping around the space. I took a deep breath…two…three…trying to center myself, but my nerves made my hands tremble.
“You can do this.”
“I know.” My heart pounded against my ribs. Nausea churned in my gut, and when I leaned toward the door to close it, my knee hit the rim of the bowl, tipping it sideways and nearly spilling the contents all over the floor. Sitting upright again, I took another deep breath and lined up the dagger, the box of Mayhem’s ashes, the potion, and the phone.
I can do this. I swallowed hard and swiped open the screen, flipping through the photos to find the incantation. “Oil of garlic, eye of newt, hyssop flower, wolfsbane root? Why do I feel like I’m reciting Macbeth?”
“Shakespeare offered his soul in exchange for his works surviving the centuries.”
“Oh, wow. So now he’s what? Simmering in a tar pit for eternity?”