Silence.
I refused to self-incriminate.
“This is your fault.”
“Savannah…”
“Imma plead the FIFTH, ma’am.”
“What was your safe word?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“What was it?”
“Nope.”
“Savannah.”
“KIWI.”
My bedroom door flew open. “KIWI?”
“I DON’T KNOW IT JUST CAME OUT.”
She threw her head back and cackled, then leaned over and gripped her stomach.
“That’s it. Plan is changed.”
I leapt off the floor and started grabbing my materials for the spell. I’d left all my black magic stuff from before in one spot so it’d be easier to grab again except this time I needed to swap out for my black flame candles. Once I had everything, I grabbed my basket and bolted for the door.
“Wait, Savannah, where are you going?”
“To do a spell—”
“But we were doing it in your room—”
“Nope, change of plans.
“Savannah,” Gigi huffed behind me as I basically sprinted down the hallway. “Where are we going now?”
“To my spot on the balcony.”
“Okay, but why are we running? You hate running.”
“I am not running, I am dancing slowly.”
“Wait a second, are those your black magic things?”
I rolled my eyes. “Say it a little louder why don’t ya, G. My windows aren’t all the way open.”
“Savannah, no.”
“Gigi, yes.” I shoved the balcony door open and hurried to my spot. “That spell we were gonna do was shit and you know it, that’s why you agreed to it.”
“The Coven ordered us to do nothing.”
“Well too late for that because we’d already done something.”
“That’s not how that works.”
“It is now.” I sat everything on the floor and shoved the basket aside. “I’m doing it.”
“Why? Just tell me why.”
“Because if Saffie wasn’t still missing I wouldn’t be such a shithole of a disaster and I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of…of…of—”
“Daddy.”
“Yes.” I gasped and spun around to her. “NO. Dammit. I am losing my mind.”
“Your spell didn’t even work last time.”
“It’s not the same spell for today.” I held up my black flame candles. “The spell I did before had a step two, this is merely step two. I have to finish a spell I started, that’s just safe witchcraft.”
“Savannah, this is dangerous. For many reasons. They told you not to.”
I shrugged. “I’m done playing. I’m done waiting. I can’t take it anymore.”
“The Coven is working on it,” she said softly.
“But will they use black magic?” I dumped my devil’s roots onto the floor then pulled out my glass case of henbane. “Because I will. Will they do some fae shit? I will.”
Gigi knelt down beside me and took the pewter chest from my hands. “Think about yourself for just a second…”
“Wouldn’t you just do this for me?”
“….of course”
I narrowed my eyes on her. “What was that hesitation?”
She opened her mouth then shut it. “I don’t like this.”
“Then go home. I’m doing it.”
“I’m not gonna leave you here by yourself while you do this.”
“EXACTLY, Gigi.” I slammed my onyx athame on the ground. “Today is January twenty-second. Saffie went missing on Christmas Eve. That’s almost a month. I know they’re trying everything they can but The Coven is not the type of group that dabbles in black magic and maybe this will help us find her.”
She closed her eyes and nodded, her ombre curls bounced all around her face. Then she stood. “I’ll be inside watching through the glass. Once you draw the circle I’ll come out. Don’t hurt yourself.”
Before I could say anything she’d bolted for the door.
As the door clicked shut, I sat down and crossed my legs under me then tried to clear my thoughts. That disaster of a conversation with Cooper had me on edge but I had to have my wits about me. Like the soul spell I’d done a month ago this version was also shit stupid dangerous. This was the companion spell to the soul spell, it couldn’t be done without first doing that other one. The soul spell created a tether between two souls. This summoning spell essentially pulled on that tether. This spell was dangerous for a multitude of reasons.
To pull a person through the veil of time and space required a lot of energy and the caster could give themselves Witch’s Shock. But also, because Saffie didn’t know we’d been bound she could resist the pull of the tether. Saffie was powerful enough to essentially rip my soul right out of me. That wouldn’t happen, I knew how to ground and protect myself…but still.
Push the kiwi aside.
My stomach tightened and butterflies exploded inside of me.
FOCUS, SAVANNAH.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting the blue haze of the early evening moonlight wash over me. I let my thoughts go back to Saffie and my concern for her, just like I’d done a month ago. Then I opened my eyes and began twisting the henbane stems together as I focused my intention on summoning Saffie. Once again, it didn’t take me long to get an entire crown made.
When it was done, I looked up to the moon…then placed the crown on my head.
Hot, tingling energy slithered down my hair then over my entire body.
Deja- vu slammed into me but I pushed it aside. I smiled and nodded up at the moon. Thank you.
I grabbed my little pouch filled with black salt then poured it onto the wooden floor starting from the south and moving counterclockwise until I closed the circle with me inside. I sat down and crossed my legs under me, then sat my salt pouch behind my back. Second step weas the candles. Except tonight, for this spell, I needed black flame candles and I was very excited about it.
With the candles set, I placed my black moonstone bowl on the right side of the black candle then opened my jar of new moon water and poured it in. The last part was the cauldron. I sat that on the left side of the black candle then began dumping all my devil’s roots inside. Once those were in, I poured in the cinnamon oil. The air was immediately filled with the scent of cinnamon and I sighed. I loved that smell.
I grabbed the lighter and took a deep breath. It felt like yesterday I’d done this, hard to believe a whole month had gone by. Focus, Savannah. This one is the big dog.
To open this circle in black magic I had to go counterclockwise from the south, so I started with the red candle. As I brought the flame to the wick I chanted, “Fire, strength and wrath, I call upon thee once more. Bind me to this plane with black flame.”
A thick black flame erupted from the wick. The ground under me grew so hot, steam billowed from the surface.
Next was the yellow candle on the east. “Air, invisible and relentless, I call upon thee, surround me with your gale until my journey is done.”
A hurricane-force gust of wind slammed into my face but the black flame stood tall and still like a statue.