“To be released only when the moon rises on the Morrow of founders day.”
The black flames on my black salt circle immediately began to dance and sway. For a moment, I just sat there watching the way they moved like shadows in the wind. But it was time to try and find Saffie, which meant I had to close the circle. This was one of my favorite parts because I got to use the blood dripping from my hand to put out the flames. It was gory and I was here for it.
“Shadow and Darkness, I release you now to heed my call until the Morrow of founders day.” I held my bleeding hand over the black candle in the center and let the drops of blood extinguish the flame.
I moved my hand over to the blue candle on the west. “Water, I release you now to heed my call until the Morrow of founders day.” The drop of blood hitting the flame splashed over the blue candle.
“Earth, I release you now to heed my call until the Morrow of founders day.” The blood dropped like a chunk of hale onto the flame, swallowing it whole.
“Air, I release you now to heed my call until the Morrow of founders day.” The blood turned to red mist that coiled around the flame and extinguished it.
“Fire, I release you now to heed my call until the Morrow of founders day.” The flame on the candle shot up and met the blood halfway. There was a flash of light like fireworks and then it was gone.
I sighed and sat back, just soaking in the moment and letting the magic rush through my body. Ice-cold energy tingled on my palm so I looked down and my eyes widened. The blood was gone. The wound healed shut. But now the entire rune glowed a glittery silver. I looked down at my chest only to find it too was silver.
Light flashed out of the corner of my eye. I spun toward it and gasped.
A bright glittery silver line shot out of my circle and through the door into my house. It was a path to lead me to Saffie. It worked. I grinned like the fucking Grinch about to steal Christmas and jumped to my feet.
Landreia and Gigi shot out of their seats.
“COME ON!” I shouted as I sprinted for the door.
“What? Where? What just happened?” Gigi screamed behind me.
“Savannah,” Landreia said in a worried tone. “You didn’t clean your ritual. Your parents—”
“TO HELL WITH THAT! Y’ALL THE SPELL WORKED!” I pointed to the silver line beneath my feet and giggled. “SEE?”
They both looked down and frowned, then looked to each other.
“You can’t see it. Only I can because only I did the spell.” My heart sank. “Okay, well, there’s a line here that’s going to lead us to Saffie, or it should. So you’ll just have to follow me!”
I heard Gigi grumbling behind me but I just didn’t care. It worked. I’d never done a black magic spell quite like that one, as dangerous as that one, and it worked. I was flying high – or maybe that was just from the henbane around my head. Either way my pulse was singing like Dolly Parton at the Grand Ole Opry.
Although as I flew through the house and down the stairs I was grateful my dad hadn’t yet returned, because I didn’t want to waste a single second to explain it to him. I didn’t know how long this path would remain visible. I pushed through the front door and held it open for them. Once they were outside, I slammed it shut and used my wand to lock it feeling every bit like Hermione. I was just juiced up excited.
I turned and sprinted down the silver line onto the sidewalk.
“Wait, Savannah? Where are you — are we walking?” Gigi hissed.
“Come on, ma’am, this ain’t nothin’ on Canada. Let’s goooo!”
Landreia hurried up to my side and grabbed the back of my jacket.
I gasped and stopped short. “What?”
“Good.” She grinned then pointed to the ground. “Keep your eyes on the line, I’ll stop you if you’re about to hit something.”
“Perfect.”
With that, we fell into silence as I followed the yellow brick road – or silver. Whatever. Goddess, I hope this leads us to her. Please let this work.
No one spoke as this line lead us through town. I didn’t even know where we were because I hadn’t wanted to risk looking up and losing the path. Surprisingly, Landreia had yet to pull me to a stop.
The line was taking us farther than I expected and my speed was burning out. I was not a runner. This was already the most running I’d done voluntarily ever. My legs were tight and screaming in protest. My lungs burned and there was this sharp pain in my side that was growing worse with every step.
I slowed to a quick walk. My throat felt swollen from all the damn cold air I inhaled. My nose was hot and starting to run. This is why Savannah doesn’t do the running. I coughed and a cloud of white smoke left my mouth. I didn’t want to know how cold it was, that wouldn’t help my mental state.
“Why did is it bringing us all the way back here? She’s not over here,” Gigi groaned.
I frowned and glanced up for the first time and gasped. We’d just turned back onto Essex Street and Landreia’s Night Haven shop was two stores up.
“We don’t know where it’s taking us yet,” Landreia said softly. “Let’s just keep going.”
I nodded and looked back to the line. It led us to the intersection just after her shop then around the corner to the right. We followed it down the road, across Charter Street, and almost all the way to Derby Street when the line suddenly vanished.
“NO!” I slid to a stop. “NO, NO!”
“WHAT?” They both shouted at the same time.
“It’s gone!” I spun around in a panic only to find the line was still behind us. It hadn’t vanished. “It just…ended.”
“Right HERE?”
Landreia groaned and shoved her hands into her hair. “We’re at the church.”
I looked up then followed her gaze – and my stomach dropped. Sure enough, the church was right there. “We’re at the church. The line stopped at the church. Saffie went to the church.”
“I knew it. I knew it.” Landreia squirmed and fidgeted with her wand. “Something is wrong. Something happened. Something not human.”
“Maybe a demon grabbed her?” Gigi looked up at the dark sky. “One of those flying ones? Maybe it plucked her right off the ground—”
“No.” I shook my head. “The tracking wouldn’t have stopped just because she was airborne. Don’t ask me how I know that. I just do.”
“Well then what would make the trail suddenly stop?” Gigi spun around in quick circles. “I mean…could she have…could she be…”
“NO. She’s alive.” I stared at the silver rune on my hand. “I didn’t do a necromancy spell of any kind. This would not have worked if she were…gone. There’s an answer here we just have to think.”
“It’s like she was here…” Landreia pointed to the line where it ended, as if she could see it. “And then she…wasn’t.”
I shook my head. “The line ends at the church where she went to meet her dead therapist. This is not a coincidence—”
“No, it’s not.”
We all screamed and leapt back.
Ms. Kelly was suddenly standing right in front of us.