Night World 03 - Spellbinder by Smith L. J

Author:Smith, L. J. [Smith, L. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Dani looked shocked, but not appalled. "Which one?"

"Calling back the spirits."

When Dani didn't scream or faint, Thea told the whole story. All about her summoning-everything except why she'd been doing it. "And now I'm scared,

" she finished. "I let something out yesterday, and today Kevin gets murde red. Blaise didn't kill him. She thinks Randy may be involved, but . . ."

Thea shook her head.

"But, Thea, be logical. Why should it have anything to do with your spell?

" Dani's rational voice was soothing. "You let someone out, not something.

The elders summon the ancestors all the time without anything bad happeni ng. You just feel guilty because you know you weren't supposed to be doing it."

"No. Dani, I can't explain it, but the thing I let out-it wasn't friendly. It knocked Blaise and me down. None of the spirits I saw the elders summon ever d id that."

"Well . . ." Dani looked doubtful. "But why would one of the ancestors wen t to murder a human?"

"I don't know." Somehow talking about it had cleared Thea's mind. She said slowly, "But. . . maybe the book would tell us."

Ten minutes later, they were sitting side by side on Thea's bed, with the ir on chest on the floor and the book between them.

"First, could you tell anything about the amulet that fell in the fire?" Dani a sked in scientific tones. "Like, if the hair was gray, it could mean-"

"The witch was old." Thea caught on immediately. "No, it wasn't gray or whi te. It was dark-sort of like mahogany." She closed her eyes, trying to reme mber.

"It all happened so fast-but I think it was long. It was doubled up lots of time s in the clay."

"So maybe a woman."

"Yes." Thea read for several minutes. "Wait a minute. Look at this."

" 'Suzanne Blanchet,' " Dani read with difficulty. " 'Bom sixteen thirty-four in Esgavans on the day that they made bonfires for the peace between France and Spain. Tried sixteen fifty-three at Ron-chain, prisoner at the court of R

ieux.' "

"And listen to the charges," Thea said grimly. " 'Bewitching men's corn, killi ng cattle, bringing hunger into the country, and strangling babies at night wi th her long hair.' "

"Strangling," Dani breathed.

"She denied it, so they tortured her. Listen: 'Being a little stretched on the rack, she screamed ceaselessly that she was not a witch, but being more tightly stretched, said that it was true.' "

"And then they tortured her family," Dani said, her finger skimming the lin es. "Oh, Isis, look at this. She had a ten-year-old brother named Clement a nd a six-year-old sister named Lucienne. They tortured them both."

"And burned them." Thea had begun to tremble involuntarily. The room wasn't cold, but she had a feeling like ice deep inside her. "Look. 'The children having been promised the mercy of being strangled before burning, but the executioner not having been paid, they were committed alive to the flames .

..'." She couldn't finish.

" '. . . before the eyes of their sister,' " Dani whispered.

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