Read Online Opal Fire by Barbra Annino - Free Book Online

be her, dammit.
    “So I was hoping you could cast some wave of protection around Cinnamon. I think she’s in real danger,” I said. “And if there’s anything you can think of that might help me find the truth faster, I’d be willing to listen. You all have lived here for...?”
    Not one of them had ever revealed their age to me. All I knew was Birdie was the youngest, Lolly the oldest, and Fiona was sandwiched between them. And thanks to a long ago courthouse mishap, there were no records of any of them ever being born.
    Didn’t seem like I would get that answer today, either. They stared blankly at me.
    “...Well for a long time anyway, so after I do some digging, I might need your help on the who’s who of Amethyst.”
    Lolly and Fiona locked eyes. Birdie stood up and said, “Wait here.” Then she disappeared into the cellar.
    Thor scratched at the back door and I went to let him inside. He found a sunspot in the corner and curled up.
    When I turned back the three of them were in a huddle.
    “She needs to find her own way,” Birdie was saying.
    “But Cinnamon...” said Lolly.
    “And Thor,” Fiona added.
    Birdie whispered something I couldn’t pick up and they looked at me.
    “Darling,” Birdie said, “It’s time you did your own bidding.”
    I didn’t like the sound of that.
    Fiona floated to the table, carrying a black box with a gold hinge and set it in the center. I recognized it as the container where their magic tools were stored. She flipped open the latch and pulled out a purple sachet. “Elderberry, hyssop, and rue. Hang it from the threshold of the cottage for protection.”
    I held out my hand and she plopped it in.
    Lolly stepped forward and dug into the box. She pulled out a gemstone with a coral hue. Agate, I recognized. “Under your pillow. To help you understand your dreams.” She set it in my open palm.
    Birdie came forward then, a large book in her hands.
    I met my grandmother’s eyes. “Is that...?”
    “The Blessed Book.” She confirmed my suspicion.
    The Blessed Book began as an oral history of the women in my family. When my great-grandmother came to the New World she recorded what she knew and what she had learned within these pages. Since then Birdie, her two sisters and my mother added to its knowledge base. I had never actually seen the book before. Never even believed it existed. But here it was.
    “Every truth you seek is bound within these pages,” Birdie said, cupping the book. She stretched her arms out and I touched the worn leather cover. “It belongs to you, now.”
    I snapped my hand back.
    Oh no. What was I supposed to do with this? They talked in circles, riddles, and rhymes most of the time. I doubted I could decipher whatever was in there. Plus, I knew little about pagans, witches, and especially magic. What could I possibly add to this book? Not to mention the thing was thicker than all the Harry Potter novels combined. It would take forever to sift through.
    “Um, this is not exactly what I meant. See, I was hoping you three could do your witchy thing and I could do my reporter thing and maybe we could figure this out together.” I smiled at Birdie, begging for a positive response.
    Birdie set the book on the table and tilted her head high.
    “Anastasia,” she said.
    I gulped. “What?”
    “You have already accepted your familiars. The cat, the dog. You believe they were sent to you for guidance—protection, do you not?”
    I looked at Thor who was licking his carry-on bags. Not exactly the portrait of protection. Plus I only said that once to appease her. I lied. “Yeah, sure. But Birdie, I need your help on this one. This is serious.”
    Birdie clasped my shoulders. “The magic is in here.” She pointed to my heart. “The knowledge is in there,” she pointed at the book. “Now, I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
    “Wait, you’re really leaving? Now?”
    She was slipping on her gloves, her purse hooked on her wrist. “Of course.