The kids returned, looking confused. We motioned for them to join us near Llewellyn’s booth.
“We’re sending your mom to a magical sanatorium. They’ll keep her safe from herself, and keep others safe from her, while looking for a way to exorcise the spirit. Meanwhile, we’re going to scour your property. Somewhere, there are the remains of a fourteen-year-old girl who died here. We need to find them to lay her to rest.”
Evie’s eyes grew wide. “Is it that girl? The one who disappeared? Is she the one hurting Mom?”
“Yes, it’s her. But she’s not the one who’s hurting Marigold. Whatever is hurting your mother is related to whatever was in the corn.”
“If they take Mom away, won’t it take that creature away?” Dray asked.
I worried my lip. “I don’t think it works that way. And I have the feeling that there are more of them out there. Whatever they are. I’ve set my father to look for possible answers. Tonight, after they take Marigold away, Kipa and I will start hunting for the girl’s remains. But you kids—and Rain—need to stay somewhere else. You’re all still far too vulnerable to whatever forces have taken root here.”
“We don’t have the money to go to a hotel,” Rain said. “I don’t even have the money for the sanatorium, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”
Kipa interrupted. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll make sure everything’s squared with them. Consider it a friendly contribution.”
I leaned against his shoulder. “This is why I love you,” I murmured.
“I couldn’t accept—” Rain started to say.
“You can and you will. There’s no way you or the kids can take care of Marigold if you don’t have the funds. And I happen to have plenty of money. It won’t faze me in the least. Let me help, because it’s the right thing to do.” Kipa patted her on the shoulder with his free arm.
At that moment, the ambulance pulled in. There was something about the vehicle that felt odd, and then I realized that it was as if it were in an anti-magic bubble. The energy around it felt entirely muted. Three people emerged, two burly men and a petite woman wearing a white coat.
“I’m Dr. Canverse.” She smiled. “I’m one of the magic-born, before you ask.” She pulled out her identification. “All our staff and personnel always carry their badges. You can scan them with a bar scanner app on your phone if you want to verify them.”
She asked some questions about what had happened and we told her everything.
After a moment, Dr. Canverse turned to Rain. “All right, will someone take me to…” She consulted her notes. “Marigold? Also, who has the authority to sign the commitment papers?”
“That would be me,” Rain said. “I’m her wife.”
“Thank you.” The doctor followed Kipa and Rain, the techs right after her rolling their stretcher along.
I watched them go, then turned back to the kids. “Listen, how many animals do you have?”
“Two cows, a lot of chickens—probably forty or fifty. Two cats. A dog.”
“Get your cats and your dog ready. You won’t want to leave them here. I don’t know what to do about your cows and chickens.”
“We can ask Greg if they’ll take them for a while,” Dray said. “He’s one of our neighbors and he’s always been really helpful. It’s not going to be an issue to ask him to watch them for a few days. We keep watch over his goats when he goes on vacation. I should also ask him to take the petting zoo animals.”
“Don’t tell him about Marigold. Just say there’s been a family emergency and you need a hand. It occurs to me that telling your neighbors that your mother’s possessed isn’t the best way to ensure continued good relations.”
Dray nodded, stepping to the side and pulling out his phone.
“What do we do now? What if Mom never gets free of that thing?” Evie asked.
“We have to keep up hope,” I said. “Focusing on worst-case scenarios won’t get us anywhere. While Dray talks to your neighbor, I’d like you to do me a favor—” I stopped as Kipa’s men emerged from the path leading to the corn patch. They were carrying huge sacks filled with corn.
“We cut down the corn stalks as well. The field just needs to be tilled over, but we have all the corn here.” One of them I recognized as Jera dropped his sack on the ground. “Where should we put the crops?”
I glanced at Evie. “You’d be