That Good Hex by M. J. Caan

Author:M. J. Caan [Caan, M. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-11-07T23:00:00+00:00

Three times they repeated the incantation, each time their voices growing more forceful, demanding the guardians that kept the dead at bay to relax their hold on the spirit world. The living room grew cold, so cold that Torie could see her breath billowing before her. The candles flared, their flames roaring to a height that reached halfway to the ceiling before suddenly falling back to their normal size. They flickered slightly in a breeze that Torie couldn’t feel.

“She’s here,” whispered Alva from the far corner of the room.

Torie glanced at her mother, who had grown so dim and pale she was barely visible in the room.

“Where is she?” she asked.

Jasmin elbowed her lightly and pointed to an area inside the circle not far from the fireplace. At first, Torie didn’t see anything. Then, she could just make out what looked like a small patch of dark fog, nearly invisible against the hardwood flooring. Had it not moved slightly, she might not have noticed it at all. It stretched out, moving the way the mist might travel across a wet knoll, before gathering itself into a ball in the center of the circle.

There it sat, pulsing in and out; like it was breathing, or mimicking its own heartbeat.

“What now?” Torie whispered, not taking her eyes off the formless mass.

“Now, we see if we can get her to talk. But remember, no matter what, don’t give her any personal information. As a matter of fact, don’t even answer any questions if she asks.”

Jasmin took a deep breath and addressed the formless spirit.

“Is this the spirit of the now dead being that was known to us as Breonna, the hedge witch?”

Silence. But slowly the mass of fog began to unfurl itself, lengthening, appearing taller than before.

“You have to answer, spirit. Answer or be returned to the darkness from whence you came.”

The blob stirred, standing a little taller. Then came a voice; low and sounding far away.

“Who are you that you call to me?”

Torie felt her skin crawl; it was like having a very sharp knife saw back and forth across a porcelain plate.

“Never mind who we are,” said Jasmin, “You are bound by the rules of summation. You have to answer our questions.”

A sigh rolled like a breath of fetid air across the room.

“Fine. Yes, I am Breonna. Though in life, I was far more than just a hedge witch.”

Jasmin frowned, looking at Torie, wondering if she should pursue that, but then shaking her head as she turned back to the disembodied girl.

“Do you remember how you died?” asked Jasmin. “I need to make certain you aren’t some trickster come to take the place of Breonna.”

“Of course I remember. I was killed by the one I swore service to. I didn’t live up to my part of the bargain and was outsmarted by a couple of witches and a shape-shifter.”

“What was the bargain that you struck?” asked Torie, stepping forward to speak for the first time.

“To provide control of a vampire to a man, who in return would teach me magic.

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