Read Online The Babet & Prosper Collection I: One Less Warlock, Magrat's Dagger, A Different Undead, and Bad Juju by Judith Post - Free Book Online Page B

shedding
angst all over my car.”
    She shrugged. “It is what it is. We’re not
like mortals. Magic messes with things sometimes.”
    “But it hasn’t messed with your head. You’re
a good one. What my dad would call a keeper.”
    She gave him a quick, nervous glance.
    “Don’t worry. I’m not rushing things, but you
are working your way to the top of my list, so don’t do something
stupid and get yourself killed.”
    “I’ll try to keep that in mind. I wouldn’t
want to inconvenience you.”
    He reached over to lay his massive hand over
hers. “I hate first dates. Always awkward. You and I have known
each other long enough, I don’t have to aim to impress. So stick
around. It makes my life easier.”
    She was relieved when he pulled to the curb
in front of Hennie’s shop, next to her mother’s school.
    He chuckled. “Saved by the end of the ride.
You can relax now, Babs.”
    She shot a dirty look his way as she climbed
out of the car. He’d caught her off guard, but a tiny part of her
stashed his words away to enjoy later. The Were had just made her
day.

Chapter 6
     
    Mom’s classroom consisted of a large,
rectangular room, lined with bookshelves stacked with tomes of
magic and jars of potions. Hennie’s shop, next door, provided any
herbs and ingredients they might need. Nearly twenty desks formed a
circle in its center. Babet remembered the procedure well. Mom
paced in the middle of the grouping, going from one student to
another, making sure they copied information correctly into their
spellbooks.
    The old pine boards creaked as Babet and
Prosper crossed to join the others. A painted hexagram covered the
floor, stretching from one corner of the room to another. Gazaar’s
legs were too long. He’d pushed his desk aside and straddled a
chair. Prosper followed his example. Babet took a place between Mom
and Hennie, and Morgana slithered up to curl on the wooden
desktop.
    Hennie sighed. “What now? White magic can’t
summon a demon. We can’t make Jaleel come to us. How do we find
him?”
    Mom thumbed through an ancient book with a
worn, leather cover. “There’s a spell somewhere that will help us
track his magic energy.”
    “Like we do a fellow witch’s?” Babet
asked.
    “No, it’s never that easy with a demon, but
similar. The spell’s in this book, I’m sure.” She turned a page,
and her face lit up. “Right here.”
    Hennie read over her shoulder and looked
hopeful. “Yes, I remember. I’ve never used it. Have you?” She
glanced around the circle at the others.
    They all shook their heads. Every witch in
the coven had read every book on these shelves. Babet still
borrowed them to pore through, but knowing spells and using them
were two different things.
    “I don’t know any spells.” Evangeline sounded
nervous. “I have no training.”
    “I’ll teach you this one on the way,” one of
the witches told her. “From what I’ve seen of you, you’re a fast
learner.”
    Evangeline nodded, and her mother handed the
book to Gazaar. He studied the words and gestures carefully.
    “Do you know magic?” Babet asked him.
    “I have to worry about witches and warlocks
summoning my prisoners. I’ve learned many a counterspell, and
Jaleel’s learned from a sorcerer or two. So yes, I’ve studied magic
a long time.”
    There apparently was no end to what her
father could do.
    Hennie rubbed her hands together, trying to
summon courage. “If we have a spell and a plan, let’s go find
Jaleel. He’s drained right now. Our chances of success are
better.”
    Gazaar looked toward her mother. His wife?
Had they married? Bonded? Now wasn’t the time to ask. “Are you
ready?” he asked.
    Mom looked around the group. “Does everyone
remember the binding spell? We need to bind Jaleel to his demon
form, so that he can’t change. Then we can attack him.”
    They shifted in their chairs nervously.
Evangeline sighed, and the witch who’d befriended her said, “I’ll
go over that one for