Read Online Succession of Witches by Karen Mead - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Karen Mead
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yourself.”
Serenus began to head back towards the kitchen to fetch a knife, but Sam motioned for him to stop. Instead, he pulled his pocket knife out of his jeans and cut a gash in his index finger, squeezing the required blood into the cauldron. The water immediately took on a dark hue; Sam’s blood was normally red, but perhaps it was turning black in preparation for the spell. It was sobering to think how much of his own biology was alien to him.
“Next, you will need onyx,” said Georgette. That made sense; even with Sam’s limited knowledge of gems and minerals and their use in magic, he knew that onyx was used as a blocker. Serenus quickly produced a jewelry box filled with generous chunks of dozens of precious stones and tossed in a few onyx chunks with a casual flick of his wrist. Sam didn’t even want to think about what the contents of the box must cost.
“Now, pick a stone to represent her. It can be her birthstone, or just a stone that makes you think of her.”
Sam frowned; he didn’t know her birthstone. Actually, he should probably do something about that if he knew what was good for him. Serenus knew without being told that Sam had no idea when Cassie’s birthday was. “Any ideas?”
“Sapphire,” said Sam quickly. “Like her eyes.”
“Are you sure?” asked Serenus. “Once you pick a stone to represent your familiar, it’s best not to change it.”
“I’m sure.” Serenus nodded and dropped a small handful of sapphires into the brew. It began to hiss with a sound that sent a shiver up Sam’s spine, almost as though a woman was sharply drawing in her breath.
“Good; you have already connected the spell with her,” said Georgette, smiling over her knitting. “The last ingredient is mint. Don’t be stingy Zeitbloom, it is important.”
Serenus shrugged and emptied a small cloth bag of mint leaves into the cauldron, which then began to simmer with tiny green and black bubbles. This was the part of that always lost Sam; he understood how gems, with their stores of primal energy, could be manipulated to serve the caster’s purpose, but the herbs had always mystified him. How a little bit of innocuous plant matter somehow tied the whole spell together was something he had never understood, no matter how many times Serenus had tried to explain it to him.
“That’s all the ingredients? It’s a simpler spell than I would have thought,” said Serenus.
“The best ones are always simple. Now, the final part,” said Georgette with gusto. However she might disagree with the object of this spell, she certainly seemed to be enjoying orchestrating it. “You must drop the baubles in, then imbue the brew with the purpose of the spell.”
At Sam’s puzzled expression, Serenus explained. “Tap into your own magic and put it in the brew, all while thinking about what the earrings should be able to do. You can vocalize it, if you think it would help.”
“No thanks. Next thing you know, you’ll be asking me to rhyme,” said Sam.
“Perish the thought.”
“That is all the help you should need, and it is getting late. I turn off the computer now?” said Georgette. Sam was surprised she didn’t want to stay for the grand finale, but it was getting close to midnight.
“Yes of course, and thank you so much for all your help; we never would have known what to do without you,” said Serenus, turning to face the laptop one more time.
Georgette smiled wickedly. “Oh, I know,” she said, then exited the chat.
Serenus closed his laptop, turning only his head to look at Sam as he did so. “Ready?” he asked quietly.
Sam nodded. First, he took the earrings out of their plastic case and dropped them into the mixture, rather enjoying the small plopping sounds they made as they fell. Taking a deep breath, he put his hands on the rim of the cauldron and reached with his mind for the part of himself he kept locked away; the part he had spent years trying to forget was even there.
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Serenus began to head back towards the kitchen to fetch a knife, but Sam motioned for him to stop. Instead, he pulled his pocket knife out of his jeans and cut a gash in his index finger, squeezing the required blood into the cauldron. The water immediately took on a dark hue; Sam’s blood was normally red, but perhaps it was turning black in preparation for the spell. It was sobering to think how much of his own biology was alien to him.
“Next, you will need onyx,” said Georgette. That made sense; even with Sam’s limited knowledge of gems and minerals and their use in magic, he knew that onyx was used as a blocker. Serenus quickly produced a jewelry box filled with generous chunks of dozens of precious stones and tossed in a few onyx chunks with a casual flick of his wrist. Sam didn’t even want to think about what the contents of the box must cost.
“Now, pick a stone to represent her. It can be her birthstone, or just a stone that makes you think of her.”
Sam frowned; he didn’t know her birthstone. Actually, he should probably do something about that if he knew what was good for him. Serenus knew without being told that Sam had no idea when Cassie’s birthday was. “Any ideas?”
“Sapphire,” said Sam quickly. “Like her eyes.”
“Are you sure?” asked Serenus. “Once you pick a stone to represent your familiar, it’s best not to change it.”
“I’m sure.” Serenus nodded and dropped a small handful of sapphires into the brew. It began to hiss with a sound that sent a shiver up Sam’s spine, almost as though a woman was sharply drawing in her breath.
“Good; you have already connected the spell with her,” said Georgette, smiling over her knitting. “The last ingredient is mint. Don’t be stingy Zeitbloom, it is important.”
Serenus shrugged and emptied a small cloth bag of mint leaves into the cauldron, which then began to simmer with tiny green and black bubbles. This was the part of that always lost Sam; he understood how gems, with their stores of primal energy, could be manipulated to serve the caster’s purpose, but the herbs had always mystified him. How a little bit of innocuous plant matter somehow tied the whole spell together was something he had never understood, no matter how many times Serenus had tried to explain it to him.
“That’s all the ingredients? It’s a simpler spell than I would have thought,” said Serenus.
“The best ones are always simple. Now, the final part,” said Georgette with gusto. However she might disagree with the object of this spell, she certainly seemed to be enjoying orchestrating it. “You must drop the baubles in, then imbue the brew with the purpose of the spell.”
At Sam’s puzzled expression, Serenus explained. “Tap into your own magic and put it in the brew, all while thinking about what the earrings should be able to do. You can vocalize it, if you think it would help.”
“No thanks. Next thing you know, you’ll be asking me to rhyme,” said Sam.
“Perish the thought.”
“That is all the help you should need, and it is getting late. I turn off the computer now?” said Georgette. Sam was surprised she didn’t want to stay for the grand finale, but it was getting close to midnight.
“Yes of course, and thank you so much for all your help; we never would have known what to do without you,” said Serenus, turning to face the laptop one more time.
Georgette smiled wickedly. “Oh, I know,” she said, then exited the chat.
Serenus closed his laptop, turning only his head to look at Sam as he did so. “Ready?” he asked quietly.
Sam nodded. First, he took the earrings out of their plastic case and dropped them into the mixture, rather enjoying the small plopping sounds they made as they fell. Taking a deep breath, he put his hands on the rim of the cauldron and reached with his mind for the part of himself he kept locked away; the part he had spent years trying to forget was even there.
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