Page 39 of Mending Mayhem
“In here.” Ash turned a corner, disappearing into the unfinished section of the basement.
I followed her inside, but Patrice hung back in the doorway. Who could blame her? She’d nearly died in this room.
Ash rummaged through her bag and pulled out a trowel before lowering to her knees and digging in the back corner. I stood over her, watching as she moved the dirt aside with confident movements.
Six inches below the surface lay the rest of the amulet.
“It’s here.” I looked over my shoulder at Patrice, and she sucked in a sharp breath, bringing her hands to her mouth.
Ash scooped the amulet shard into the trowel and lifted it, revealing a silver chain attached to the top of the stone. “Chrys must have used it to keep her subdued. The spell on those roots was strong beyond compare.” She dropped the necklace into a plastic bag and sealed it before sprinkling a premixed potion on the container.
“Vessel tight, vim bright, hold the magic until the end of our plight,” she said. “As I will it, so mote it be.”
Patrice sobbed, her knees buckling beneath her as she leaned against the door jamb. “I’m so sorry.”
Ash dropped the amulet and the shovel into her bag and rushed to Patrice’s side, taking her by the arm and helping her out of the room. “You have no reason to apologize.”
“But I remember now,” she said as my sister helped her into a chair.
“What do you remember?” I stood in front of her, fighting the urge to cross my arms. Patrice was sensitive, a healer. Demanding answers would only make her…
She dropped her face into her hands and cried.
Ash gave me her infamous shut the eff up look and rested a hand on Patrice’s shoulder. “Take your time. It was a traumatic experience.”
She sniffled and nodded, wiping beneath her nose before lifting her head. “She’d cast a binding spell on me, but not like the one we normally use. It squeezed me like a snake. I thought my bones would be crushed.”
Didn’t that sound delightful? “I’m so sorry you went through that. I should have known it was Chrys. There were clues.”
“Were there?” She sob-laughed. “I didn’t notice any.”
Ash rubbed her back. “Hindsight is always crystal clear.”
Patrice took a deep breath and blew it out hard. “She took me in there, to the dirt floor, and called the roots from the ground to trap me. Then she took off the necklace and used her magic to create a hole where she buried it. As soon as she did, dark magic started seeping into my skin.”
“Sounds like Chrys.” I paced behind her.
“She told me she’d be back for me and the amulet, and that’s the last thing I remember until you got me out.” She stood and touched Ash’s elbow. “I’m okay. Let’s get out of here.”
We followed her upstairs to the kitchen. Ash filled a glass with water and offered it to her, and Patrice guzzled half the contents before setting it on the counter.
“What will you do with the amulet?” she asked.
“Put it back together, summon the final demon prince, and break the curse Isabel started four hundred years ago.”
She wrung her hands. “Do the demons still plan to take revenge on Isabel’s descendants?”
I looked at Ash. Her lips formed a thin line, and her shoulders inched toward her ears. “I think so.”
Patrice pressed a hand to her chest. “Goddess help them.”
I shrugged. “It’s them or our entire coven. Our whole town. Thanks for the tea. We’ll let you get back to your gardening.” I jerked my head toward the door and strode outside, but Ash didn’t follow.
Five minutes passed before she joined me on the sidewalk. “She feels awful.”
“I can imagine.”
We walked two blocks in glorious silence before the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I looked at Ash, and her brow furrowed. We stilled, feeling the energy around us, but I didn’t sense any type of threat. The sensation felt earthly. Positive.