Spells Trouble (Sisters of Salem #1) - P. C. Cast Page 0,43

claimed the remaining spot next to her and Emily shuffled to the open space between Jax and Kirk. If Hunter ever got a girlfriend, she hoped Jax wouldn’t be as sullen about it as Emily was about Kirk. Although, none of them, Mercy excluded, were completely convinced that Kirk wasn’t a cloudy bag of old douche. But none of that really mattered. If Hunter was being honest, there was zero reason for her to think that she’d have a girlfriend any time before graduation. At Goodeville High, if anyone else’s sexuality landed outside of the hetero portion of the spectrum, Hunter and company definitely didn’t know about it.

The moonstones thrummed and sizzled against Hunter’s palms as she cupped them and held her hands over the empty cauldron. “Pick whichever stone calls to you.”

Jax, Emily, and Kirk blinked at one another before each shrugged and nodded like they shared a hive mind.

Emily tucked a stray curl behind her ear, leaned forward, and plucked a stone from the pile. “Whoa. It’s warm, like, really warm.”

Jax went next. He wrapped his fingers around the pearlescent orb and smiled. “It’s magic. Real magic.”

Kirk’s eyes widened as he picked up a stone and inspected it. “Have you ever seen Sabrina?”

Hunter ignored him as Mercy carefully stared at the final two stones. “I can’t feel anything, H. I’m all blocked.”

Hunter chose for her sister, handing her a lovely pink-tinted moonstone that was the smallest of the bunch. “You’ll be good as new after this.”

Jax rolled the charged rock between his palms. “What exactly is this?”

Mercy clutched the little stone against her chest and cocked her head. “You’re going to scry, aren’t you?”

Hunter didn’t want to share with the group. What if she failed? It was quite possible she’d bitten off way more than she could chew, and they’d all end up holding warm and aggravated moonstones while staring at a basin of room temperature water. No, she wouldn’t tell. She’d pull a Mercy and leave it up to her friends’ imaginations.

The wood floor made a hollow clank as Kirk set his rock in front of him. “Scry? Is that what it’s called when you take out an emotion, kill it, and bury it in a hole?”

Emily sucked the air from a bubble and placed her stone on the back of her hand. She spoke as she balanced the moonstone and studied her perfectly manicured nails. “It’s the act of using a crystal ball or something reflective, in this case I’m assuming it’s the jars of water, to see, like, the future and stuff.”

Hunter clenched her teeth to keep her mouth from flopping open. Emily was right. Unfortunately, Hunter wasn’t gifted enough to see into the future (at least, she wasn’t gifted enough yet), but she could perform small spells—or, in this case, a medium-sized one.

The stone rolled off Emily’s outstretched hand and she caught it before looking up. “Gawk much?” She fisted the moonstone and crossed her arms over her chest. “What? The pretty girl can’t also know things?” She cocked her head and squinted at Kirk. “Try reading a book instead of streaming. There’s no way H would remove an entire emotion from Mag. That’s insane.”

Hunter opened her mouth to agree, but Mercy’s sniffle pulled her back to what mattered most. “We should begin.” Hunter set her stone in her lap and picked up the first jumbo-sized Mason jar and unscrewed the lid. “So, I’m going to say a few things while I pour the water.” Her mouth went dry as she spoke and she dragged her tongue across her lips. She didn’t have a script or any words prepared or a book to quote. She’d only read about spells like this one, but they weren’t exactly this one. She’d have to trust herself and her abilities, which was a lot easier to do before the moment as opposed to in it. But Hunter did know one thing they’d need to do for sure.

“It’s important that we set and maintain our intention throughout the entire spell.” Her voice caught. In that moment, she reminded herself of her mother, of last night. Had that only been yesterday?

Mercy folded her legs against her chest and buried her face in her knees. She felt it, too.

Hunter cleared her throat and continued, “We’re here to cleanse Mercy of her grief. That is our intention. That is our focus.”

The three friends nodded and leaned closer to the cauldron as Hunter set the lid on the ground and lifted the jar