Southern Conjuring Read online

  “Yeah, don’t get in trouble,” Amelia whispered.

  I said goodbye, and CJ strode off to speak to the older man.

  “I wonder what that was all about,” Amelia said.

  There wasn’t time to question it because Snow clapped her hands. The conversations died down. “I believe we’re all here. It’s time for the Proof of Craft.”

  We joined Betty in a corner. Amelia placed the box of rattling mason jars on a buffet. “Are you going to let them do this?”

  Betty shrugged. “What choice do I have?”

  My cousin watched the scene unfold. “They’ll probably open a vortex straight to the underworld.”

  Betty shrugged. “There are plenty of witches here who could close it.”

  “These witches don’t look like they’re interested in anything other than the punch,” I murmured.

  Mint and Licky took positions on either side of a cauldron of bubbling green liquid.

  They chanted low, but I could still make out the words. “Who are they conjuring?” I directed to Betty.

  “Sounds like a spirit that cleans the house.”

  I shot her a skeptical look. “You’re kidding.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not. Listen.”

  My aunts said the words together. “Sprite of light, sprite of might, make my house clean and bright.”

  They each threw a handful of ingredients into the cauldron. A plume of yellow sulfuric smoke rose to the ceiling, and a second later a white, cloud-like spirit stood in the middle of the room.

  “What is it you command of me?” the spirit said.

  Mint and Licky looked to Snow for approval. The room erupted into clapping. Snow flicked her hand as if to dismiss the spirit.

  Mint nodded. “You may leave, spirit. Thank you for your help.”

  “Hmm,” I murmured. “I wonder if that spirit could help me do some cleaning.”

  “Don’t even think about it,” Betty snarled. “You need to do things the old-fashioned way. Taking shortcuts is never a good idea.”

  “Well, it sounded good to me,” I said.

  “I’m shocked they didn’t kill anyone,” Amelia said. “It’s not even Christmas, the time for miracles.”

  I snorted. The room’s clapping dissolved, and Snow announced that Mint and Licky would be the newest members of the Magnolia Cove Founding Witches group.

  About an hour later the meeting was over and people were congratulating Mint and Licky on a job well done.

  I wandered around the room, eyeing the antiques that Snow had accumulated. I placed a hand on a silver jewelry box.

  “It’s a very pretty piece.”

  My gaze flickered to Snow, who stood beside me like a shadow. I moved away to give myself some personal space. “It is.”

  Snow lifted it from the table. Delicate silver filigree curled around the sides. “The funny thing about this box is that the spirit trapped inside it fought so hard when I made him enter. He didn’t seem to understand that I wanted him for my own personal collection.”

  My eyelids flared. “I’m sorry? You trapped a spirit?”

  “Yes.” Snow gestured around the room. “These were all troublesome spirits or sprites, little pestering fairies that needed to be dealt with. Some had wreaked havoc on witches. One in particular believed it was his life’s duty to turn all witch’s hair the color green.”

  “Ew,” I said.

  “Yes. Ew.” She moved closer. She flicked a hand toward a leather-bound book on a shelf. “And that’s my pride and joy there—a book filled with creatures. I would say it’s the most complete compilation of magical species that ever existed.”

  I peered at the golden letters running down the binding. “Catchings and Conjurings of Creatures Mythical.” I quirked a brow. “Catchings of them?”

  Snow nodded. “Yes, it’s quite unique. It houses everything from magic eaters to trolls.” She dragged her gaze from the book back to me. “I saw the look of interest when your aunts worked their spell. Are you interested in conjuring, Pepper Dunn?”

  My mouth quirked. I was sort of interested in conjuring, I guessed. “If I can make a cleaning spirit show up and go through my closet, that would be great. I would love that.”

  As if on cue, Snow pulled a slip of paper from her pocket. “These are the instructions if you decide to do it. It’s very simple, and when you want the spirit to return to the other side, just tell it to go and it will. You saw how we did it.”

  I swallowed a knot in my throat. “I did. I saw.”

  She smiled widely. “Then you know it’s simple.”

  “Simple,” I repeated dumbly. “Very simple. But I don’t know…”

  Snow inhaled and her chest rose proudly. “Pepper Dunn, you are the strongest witch that Magnolia Cove may have ever seen. To not know how to conjure is a travesty. Conjuring is your right as a witch. You may need that talent sometime.” She nodded toward the paper. “I suggest you take it.”

  Then as if Snow was the devil whispering into one of my ears and Betty was an angel on the other, my grandmother sidled up beside me, her hands on her hips. “You ready to go, Pepper?”

  I clutched the paper tightly. The last thing I wanted was for Betty to see me taking something from Snow. She’d be so angry her eyes might explode from her head.

  “Yes, I’m ready. Never been more ready. Wow, I am super ready.”

  Betty peered at me as if studying every curve of my face. “You’re talking like you’re nervous.”

  I waved away her concern. “I’m not nervous. Wow. Where has the time gone? I need to help Amelia clean up those mason jars.”

  I glanced at Snow. Mischief sparkled in her eyes. I understood her point—conjuring was part of a witch’s arsenal—but I didn’t feel I was ready for that.

  I didn’t want a conjuring spell. Why would I need it? I grasped Snow’s hands and tucked the slip of paper back in them.

  I swished past Betty, grabbed the box of mason jars and headed to the door. Amelia eyed me like I’d lost my mind.

  “You okay?”

  I nodded. “Snow tried to give me the conjuring spell that Mint and Licky used.”

  “Betty would kill her if she found out.”

  I nodded. “I know.”

  While Betty said goodbye to Snow, Amelia studied me. “So’d you give the spell back to her?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I don’t need any of that nonsense.”

  Amelia tsked.

  “What?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she said innocently. “There’s a lot more mason jars to clean after I’m done with these.”

  I scoffed. “I thought you said I shouldn’t take it?”

  Amelia tipped her head to the side. “I only said Betty would kill someone. I didn’t say it was a bad idea. In fact, I think having a cleaning spirit would come in handy every once in a while. Like now.” She gestured toward the jars. “I only have one box with me, but the witch who donated them to the Vault gave us a truckload.”

  A spike of excitement ran down my spine before I tamped it back down. “I guess you’ll just have to wash them the old-fashioned way.”

  “Fine,” Amelia huffed.

  Betty marched toward us. “Girls, let’s get out of here. I’m afraid if we stay too long in this forest, something bad might happen.”

  Amelia took the box from me. “What sort of bad?”

  “Snow might convince you she’s a decent person.” Betty cocked an eye at me. “Like she did to you.”

  Unbelievable. “Let’s get out of here, shall we?” We stepped onto the porch. A breeze picked up the hair on the back of my neck. “What about Mint and Licky?”

  “They’re going to stay with Snow for a while.” Betty rolled her eyes. “Learn some of the secrets of the group.”

  “Do you have secrets?” Amelia asked.

  “No,” Betty snapped. “The only secret is that for the most part we’re a bunch of old people.”

  I bit back a laugh. We headed down
the porch and started toward the spot where we’d arrived.

  A scratching from underneath the house caught my attention. I brushed away a strand of hair the wind had whipped into my eyes and peered toward the latticework that covered the crawl space.

  “What is that?”

  “Probably those rabid possums Snow told us about,” Betty said smartly.

  I was skeptical. I didn’t really believe that a family of rabid possums lived near the house.

  But the scratching continued. “Something might be caught down there.”

  I peered between the lattice. Darkness greeted me. I made out cobwebs, thick wooden beams and a dirt floor. “I guess it was nothing.”

  Just then something hit the side of the crawl space, bouncing off the wooden barrier.

  I screamed and shot away from the house. My heart thundered. Blood pounded in my ears. “What was that?”

  “Come closer.”

  Amelia appeared beside me. “Oh my gosh, the house is talking.”

  “It wasn’t the house,” Betty said. “It was a creature underneath it.”

  “The rabid possum,” Amelia shrieked.

  A face appeared from behind the lattice. White fur, a brown nose and glittering black eyes stared at us.

  “I’m not rabid,” it said in a raspy voice that reminded me more of the serpent in the Garden of Eden tempting Eve than a possum. “Please. Let me out.”

  I looked to Betty for guidance on this one. I didn’t know if the possum was rabid, but I was pretty certain if it got in there by itself, it should be able to get out.

  Plus, it was speaking where all three of us could hear it. It wasn’t just an animal talking in my head. No, this sucker spoke American.

  “Why should we let you out?” I said.

  Its little paw reached through the barrier, palm up. It was so cute and human. “She tricked me and put me here. That woman. Please, I’m not really a possum.”

  Amelia and I glanced at Betty. “If you’re not really a possum, then Snow had a reason for whatever she did. Besides, there’s no way for us to know if you’re lying. You could be a murderer that she imprisoned.”

  “I’m not a murderer,” the possum said. “Just lonely.”

  Amelia adjusted the box in her hands until it rested on her hip. “Well in that case, my name’s Amelia and this is Pepper. We’re cousins. Pepper is sort of my long-lost cousin, but ever since we met we’ve become really close. We have another cousin, Cordelia. She’s temperamental and makes smart remarks all the time, but deep down she’s a kitten. Anyway, I don’t currently have a boyfriend—”

  I cleared my throat, interrupting her. “That’s not true. You have a kinda boyfriend.”

  Amelia nodded. “Sherman Oaks is my kinda boyfriend. We’re just getting to know each other. Sherman doesn’t live here, but he visits often. Pepper here just got engaged.”

  “Why don’t you tell the possum what you had for breakfast,” Betty snarked.

  Amelia ignored her. “As I was saying, Pepper just got engaged and is currently planning her wedding.”

  “I could help you,” the possum said. “I know about weddings. I’ve seen ant wedding ceremonies. It can’t be too different.”

  How to politely say I thought that yes, those would be very different?

  “Um, thanks,” I said kindly. “But what I’m looking to do isn’t similar.”

  Betty pushed her pipe between her teeth and jutted out her chin. “Come on, girls. Let’s go.”

  We walked away from the possum, but I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of sadness. Surely there was a reason for this little guy to be there.

  It wasn’t any of my business, right? None of it.

  We left the possum behind, but something bothered me. I got one last look at the furry little face before Betty whisked us back home—back to a house filled with mason jars.

  THREE

  “I’m going out for an hour, and when I come back, I want these mason jars gone.”

  Betty stood with legs splayed wide. She stared at the mountains of glass that lined every single wall and were scattered across the floor in the house.

  “I’m giving you an hour,” she snapped. “Have them gone, or when I get back, I’ll vanish all of them to the ocean.”

  Amelia’s eyes widened. “You can’t do that. This is my job on the line.”

  Betty humphed. “I don’t care about your job. I care about finding my house.”

  With that, she left, slamming the door behind her. I shot a look to Amelia. “Looks like you’d better get to cleaning.”

  The back door opened. That would be Cordelia returning home from work. One, two, three…

  “What in the world is going on here? Amelia! I know this is your doing!”

  Cordelia stormed into the living room, flames shooting from her eyes. “What is going on?”

  My phone buzzed as Amelia started to explain the predicament. I glanced at the number and sighed happily.

  “Hey there,” I answered in a husky voice.

  “Hey, yourself,” Axel answered. “How’s my favorite lady doing?”

  I giggled. “I’m doing great, though I’m trying to avoid the apocalypse here at the house.”

  “Is Betty involved?” he joked.

  “No, but Amelia and Cordelia are.”

  “Then you’d better get out now.”

  I laughed and pressed my ear closer to the phone. It was so good to hear Axel’s voice. I hadn’t talked to him all day, and my heart shuddered in misery at how much I missed him.

  “Want to get dinner tonight?”

  “Yes, because I want to talk to you about venue locations for the wedding.”

  He sighed. Axel had already put up with me going over at least five places. He said he didn’t care where we got married, but I wanted the location to be perfect.

  “Why don’t we have the wedding at your house?” he said, which I took as he wanted to keep everything very, very simple. Plus, to be honest, I think he was tired of me showing him different venues.

  I balked. “At Betty’s? Well, for one it’s too small.”

  He laughed. I didn’t have to see Axel to know he was throwing his head back as a big belly chuckle flowed through him. “This is a town of witches. Size means nothing to us.”

  I nibbled my bottom lip. “I don’t know. I feel like having it here would be asking for disaster.”

  His voice lowered. “Whatever you say. If you want to discuss wedding venues over barbecue, that’s fine with me.”

  “Good.” Cordelia and Amelia’s argument seemed to be heating up. Amelia’s face had reddened, and Cordelia was waving her arms around. “Listen, I’ve got to go. I love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  I hung up and slid the phone into my pocket. Then I turned to my cousins, placed two fingers in my mouth and blew a whistle loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

  “Stop it. Y’all just stop it,” I fumed.

  Cordelia shot Amelia a venomous look. “Garrick is coming over in less than an hour for a date and look at this mess. I can’t have him seeing this. We look like an episode of Hoarders.”

  I grimaced. We sort of did.

  “I’m trying to get it cleaned up,” Amelia argued. “But it’s taking time.”

  “Then hurry,” Cordelia snapped.

  Amelia’s gaze slid to me. “If Pepper had kept that cleaning spirit spell from Snow, this wouldn’t be a problem.”

  I raised my hands in protest. “Don’t drag me into this. Besides, just because your moms conjured up a spirit easily, that doesn’t mean we can, too.”

  “Wait.” Cordelia swung her long blonde hair over one shoulder. “Our moms?”

  Amelia explained what had happened.

  “But I gave the slip of paper back,” I explained.

  “So what’s this hanging out of your pocket?” Cordelia plucked something from my clothes and inspected it. A slow, devilish smile spread across her face. “It looks like a conjuring spell fo
r a cleaning spirit.”

  I snatched it from her hand and had a look for myself. “How did that get in there?”

  “Snow must’ve snuck it back in,” Amelia said. “It’s a sign!” She clapped her hands happily. “It’s a sign that we’re supposed to do the conjuring spell, call the spirit and have it help us clean these mason jars.”

  I gave her a pointed look. “I don’t think that’s what it means.”

  “Well, if y’all aren’t going to do it, I am.” Cordelia yanked the slip of paper from my fingers. As quickly as she did that, her expression filled with an apology. “Sorry, I hope you don’t mind.”

  I nibbled my lip in worry. “I don’t mind. I just don’t know about this.”

  Amelia waved away my concern. “You saw how easy it was. Mom and Aunt Mint stood up there, chanted a few words and voila! They had a spirit. Then they just told it to go home. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.”

  My stomach twisted. “Okay. Whatever y’all say, but I have a weird feeling about this.”

  Cordelia patted my shoulder. “It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” She read the slip. “Okay, we need a few ingredients first. Amelia, grab a cauldron, batwing powder, frog’s breath and cat’s meow.”

  Amelia rushed to the hearth where Betty kept some of her ingredients as well as an extra cauldron.

  “Got it all.”

  Cordelia took the cauldron and placed it over the everlasting fire. She filled the bowl with water, making it appear out of nowhere, and started tossing in ingredients.

  “Okay, everything should turn the water green.”

  The three of us peered over the cauldron. The smell of decay wafted up my nose. “I don’t remember it smelling like this,” I murmured.

  “Me neither,” Amelia said, wide-eyed.

  “I’m just doing what the recipe says,” Cordelia said, shaking her head in annoyance. “If one of y’all would rather do it, you’re welcome to it.”

  I folded my arms and watched the chugging, gurgling potion. “I wasn’t sure about doing this in the first place.”

  Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Now all we have to do is say a few words.” She showed each of us the paper.

  Sprite of blight, sprite of spite, fill the world with your might. Chained double back and be the twixt, the one who controls you is the mistress.