Night World : Spellbinder Chapter 8

A sharp, acrid odor assaulted her nostrils. She had to blink away(predicate) tears as she held the bottle over the fire and very c atomic number 18fully tipped it.One drop, two drops, terzetto.The fire flared, burning deplorable.It was ready. The balefire that was the solitary(prenominal) way to get a aspect from the otherwise side-aside from encompassing the conceal and fetching it tail yourself.Thea took Phoebes talisman in both authorises and snapped it, snap fastener the clay and breaking the seal. Then, holding the broken amu wholeow over the fire, she utter the words of power shed heard the elders speaking last Samhain.May I be given the Power of the Words of Hecate.Instantly, she found words plan of attack to her, rolling glowering her tongue. She heard them as if it were more or lessbody else talking.From beyond the mist I c all told you support Through the mist of social classs I call you back From the airy void I call you back Through the narrow path I call you back To the philia of the flame I call you back sum up speedily, conveniently, and with bug out delayShe tangle a rumbling vibration alike(p) an earthquake rock the floor. above the ordinary fire different flames manipulatemed to burn cold, ghostly flames that were pale blue and violet and rose to lick at her knuckles.She started to open her hands, to let the amulet fall into the magical flame. unless well(p) as she was around to do it, thither was a bang.The door to her sternroom swung open, and for the second condemnation in twelve hours she found herself horrified to see Blaise.The whole pasture is shaking-what are you doing?Blaise- dependable stay backBlaise stared. Her jaw dropped and she lunged forward. What are you doing?Its almost finished-Youre crazy Blaise grabbed at the amulet in Theas hands, and t here(predicate)fore, when Thea snatched her hands back, at the silver box.Leave it just Thea grabbed the other side of the box. They were struggling w ith it, each nerve-wracking to pull it from the other. kick up scorched Theas hands.Let go Blaise shouted, trying to twist the box away. Im sample you-Theas fingers were damp with sweat. The box slipped.That was when it happened.The silver box flipped in Blaises hands, institutionalizeing a spray of amulets invariablyywhere. Locks of gray hair, black hair, red hair, all flying. Most of them pee the floor-solely iodine landed directly in the balefire.Thea heard a crack as the clay seal broke.For wholeness second she was frozen, therefore she plunged her hand into the fire. But the clay was already burning-not red hot, but white hot. She couldnt nearly up her fingers slightly it. For just an instant she seemed to see a symbol engraved in blue flames, and then a flash like sheet of paper lightning exploded from the fire. It knocked her into Blaises bed and Blaise into the wall.The lightning formed a column and something tantrum out.Thea didnt so more than see it as sens e it. A wraith haoma that tore around the room like a blast of polar wind. It sent books and articles of clothing flying. When it reached the window, it seemed to pause for an instant, as if gathering itself, and then it shot through as if the glass didnt exist.It was gone.Great Mother of life, Blaise whispered from once morest the wall. She was staring(a) at the window with huge luminous inwardnesss-and she was s gondola cared. Blaise was scared.That was when Thea authoritativeized how unfavourable things were.What hand we done? she whispered.What nurture we done-what start out you done, thats the question, Blaise snapped, sitting up and sideing more like her ordinary self. What was that thing?Defensively, Thea gestured at the scattered amulets. What do you mobilise? A becharm. ,But who?How should I fuck? Thea almost yelled, fear braggy way to anger. This is the one I was passage to call back. She snatched up the auburn hair and cracked amule t of Phoebe Garner. That one was just whichever one fell out when you grabbed the box.Dont try to make this my fault. Youre the one doing forbidden enchantments. Youre the one summoning ancestors. And whatever happens with that one- Blaise pointed at the window-youre the one responsible.She got up and agitate out her hair, standing tall. And thats what you get for trying to sic the liven up on me She dark and stalked out the door.I wasnt trying to sic the affectionatenesss on you Thea shouted-but the door had already slammed shut.Theas anger collapsed. Feeling numb, she looked at the disquieted silver box, where she had temporarily stored the tissue with Erics blood.I was just trying to call up a protector for him. Somebody whod help him fend score your spells, whod reckon that hes a person even though hes a human.She looked forlornly around the room. Then, feeling older than granny knot, she struggled to her feet and started mechanically cleaning up the mess.When she dump ed the ashes out of the scroll she found some sort of residue sticking to the bottom. She couldnt wash it off and she couldnt pry it offwith a steak knife. She stashed the entire bowl under her bed. wholly the while she cleaned, her mind kept churning.Who got out? No way to k direct. make of elimination wouldnt help, not with all those unmarked amulets.What to do instantly? She didnt know that either.If I tell anyone-even granny-theyll destiny to know wherefore I was trying to summon the dead. But if they find out the truth, it means death for me and Eric. slightly sunset, a limousine pulled up in the back alley. Thea saw it from her window and rushed under in alarm.Grandma was being helped out of the car by two politely expressionless vampires. Servants of Thierrys.Gran, what happened?Nothing happened. I had a midget weak spell, thats all She whacked at one of the vampires with her toleratee. I can help myself, sonMaam, said the vampire-who might have been three or four t imes Grandmas age. To Thea, he said, Your grandmother fainted-she was pretty upset there for a while.And that unafraid-for-nothing apprentice of mine never showed up, Gran said, making her way to the back door.Thea nodded good-bye to the vampires. Gran-it was my fault about Tobias. I let him have the day off. Her stomach, which had been clenched like a fist all day, seemed to draw even tighter now. Are you really cast off?Im good for a few years yet. She began laboriously working her way up the stairs. Vampires just dont understand old age.What did you go there for?Gran halt to cough. None of your business, but I had to settle some arrangements with Thierry. Hes agreed to let the Inner Circle use his land on Samhain.Upstairs, Thea made some herb tea in the tiny kitchenette. And then, when Gran was in bed with the tea, she gathered her courage.Gran, when the elders call up the spirits on Samhain-how do they send them back?Why should you want to know? Gran said crossly. But when Thea just looked at her, she went on. There are certain spells that are utilise for summoning-and dont you ask me what they are-and you enunciate those backwards to send them back. The witch who calls a spirit has to be the one to dismiss it.So only I can do it. And thats all? Thea asked.Oh, of course not. Its a long process of lighting the fire and strewing the herbs-but if you do it all right, you can draw the spirit down from between the standing stones and send it back where it came from. Grandma went on muttering, but Thea had snagged on a earlier phrase.From between-the standing stones ? she got out.The standing stones that fortify the spirits. Well, suppose, Thea If you didnt have a circle of some winning to hold them in, theyd just-voom. Gran made a gesture. Theyd zip out and how would you ever find them again? Thats why I went to Thierry today/ she added, taking a noisy drink of tea. We need a place where the sandstone forms a natural circle and naturally its up to m e to arrange everything. She went on grumbling softly.Thea felt faint.You have to be-physically close to them-to send them back?Of course. You have to be within spitting distance, And dont think I dont know why youre asking.Thea stopped breathing.Youre planning something for Samhain- and its probably all Blaises idea. You two are like Maya and Hellewise. But you can forget about it right now- those spells are for the elders, not for girls. She stopped to cough. I dont understand why you want to be crones before youre done being maidens. You ought to enjoy your juvenility while you have it.Thea left her still grumbling.She hadnt cast any benevolent of a circle before calling the spirit. She hadnt realized she was supposed to.And now how could she ever get close enough to the spirit to send it back?Well-itll just have to stay out in the world, she told herself bravely. Too bad but its not as if there arent other spirits aimless around out there. Maybe if it doesnt like roaming arou nd, itll come back.But she was sick with guilt and disheartened. Not to mention worried-if only a little-about Grans fainting spell.Blaise didnt come to bed. She stayed downstairs and worked on her necklace long into the night.On Monday, everyone at school was talking about Randy Marik and the ruined dance. The girls were annoyed about it and fiery with Blaise the boys were annoyed and furious with Randy.Are you okay? Dani asked Thea after world lit class. You look kind of pale.Thea smiled wanly. It was a busy weekend.Really? Did you do something with Eric? The way she said do something alerted Thea. Danis heart-shaped face looked as sweet and concerned as ever but Thea couldnt trust even her. She was a Night Person, a witch, a human-hater.It didnt yield. Thea was so edgy that the words just seemed to burst out. Do something like what? Smash his car? Turn him into a toad?Dani looked shocked, her velvet-dark eyes wide.Thea cancelled and walked quickly away.Stupid, pudding head, s he told herself. That was so dumb of you. You may not have to pull in to be playing with Eric in front of Blaise anymore-but in front of the other witches youve got to keep acting.She headed almost blindly for Erics locker, ignoring the people she passed.Ive only been here a week. How can everything in my life have become so noble? Im at war with Blaise Ive worked a forbidden spell I dont boldness talk to Gran-and Ive broken Night World law.Thea I was looking for you.It was Erics voice. Warm, eager-everything thatThea wasnt. She turned to see green eyes flecked with dancing gray and an astonish smile. A smile that drew her in, changing the world.Maybe everything was going to be all right, after all.I called you yesterday, but I just kept getting the machine.Thea hadnt even looked at the answering machine. Im sorry-there was a lot going on. Eric looked so kind that she groped for something that had been going on that she could tell him about. My grandmothers been sick. He sobered at once. Thats terrible. Yes. Thea fished in her backpack for the small herb pillow shed put there this morning. Then she hesitated. Eric is there somewhere we could go to talk alone? undecomposed for a few minutes? I want to give you something.He blinked, then waggled his eyebrows. Nothing Id like better. And I know just the place. Come on. He led her across campus to a large building that stood apart from the rest of the complex. It had a shabby look and the paint on the trope doors was blistered. A banner announced in orange and black earn dont miss the .ultimate Halloween party. What is this?Eric, who was opening the door, put a finger to his lips. He glanced inside, then beckoned to her.Its the old gym. Theyre supposed to be renovating it as a student center, but there isnt enough money. He snorted. Probably because theyrespending too much on renovating downtown. Now- what was it you wanted to give me?It Thea stopped dead as she took in her surroundings. All thoug hts of the herb pillow vanished. Eric- She stared around her, feeling a shadowy wave of sickness roil through her stomach. Is this for the Halloween party?.Yeah. They do a couple fund-raisers a semester here. This is kind of a weird one-but they did it last year and it brought in a lot.Not weird, Thea thought numbly. Weird doesnt begin to decipher it.Half the room was empty, just scuffed hardwood floor, a broken basketball backboard, and unresolved pipes in the ceiling. But the other half looked like a cross between a me go byval dungeon and a casino. She walked slowly toward it, her footsteps echoing.wooden booths of various sizes were decorated with orange and black crepe paper and pretended spider webs. Thea read one banner after another.Fortune tell Drench a Wench Bobbing for Shrunken Heads?Its bobbing for apples really, Eric said, seeming embarrassed. And the gambling isnt real. You do it all with goblin money and exchange it for prizes.Thea couldnt stop looking at the boo ths. Wheel of Torture a money go around with a smoke dressed like a witch spreadeagled in the middle. Bloody Blackjack. D deplorables flutter a dart game with a cork witch as a target.And there were witch figures everywhere. Cloth witches on nooses hanging from the knock pipes.Cardboard witches leering from the tops of booths. Paper witches dancing on the wall. They were fat, skinny, white-haired, gray-haired, cross-eyed, squint-eyed, warty, jocund, shuddery and ugly. That was the one thing they all had in common.Thats what they think of us. Humans. All creationThea? Are you okay?Thea whirled. No, I am not okay. She gestured around the room. allow for you look at this stuff? Do you really think its funny? Something to party about? Hardly aware of what she was doing, she spun him around to face The straighten out Maiden-a wooden replica with rubber spikes.What are people going to do? Pay to step into that? Dont they realize that it used to be real? That real people were put in it, and that when the door closed, those spikes went into them, into their arms and their stomachs and their eyes She couldnt go on.Eric looked as stricken as Dani had earlier. Hed never seen her like this. Thea-look, Im sorry I never thoughtOr that. Thea gestured toward the Wheel of Torture, the words tumbling out. Do you know how they really put a witch on the range? They broke every bone in her body so they could just thread her arms and legs through the spokes like spaghetti. Then they put the wheel on a pole and left her up there to die.Erics face contracted with horror. God, TheaAnd these picturesthe witches who got tortured didnt have green skin and evil eyes. They werent monsters, and they didnt have anything to do with devils. They were people.Eric reached out for her, but she spun away, staring at a particularly ugly hag on the wall. Do you think this place is all right for a party? That this is good fun? That witches look like that? She flung out an arm, close to bein g hysterical. Well, do you?In her minds eye she could see the world Dani and Blaise and all other witches on the left Eric and the students here and all other humans on the right, both races hating and despising each other-and herself somewhere in the middle.Eric caught her shoulders. No, I dont think its all right. Thea, will you just listen to me for a second?He was almost shaking her-but she could see that there were tears forming at the corners of his eyes.I feel awful, he said. I never thought about taking this stuff seriously-and thats my own stupid fault, and I know its not an excuse. But now that you say it, I do see how terrible it is, and Im sorry. And I never should have brought you here, of all peopleThea, who had been starting to relax, stiffened again. Why me of all people? she demanded.He hesitated a moment, then met her eyes and spoke quietly. Because of your grandmas store. I mean, I know its just herbs and imperious thinking- but I also, know that in the old days, there would have been somebody out there pointing a finger and calling her a witch.Thea relaxed again. It was okay for people to thinkGran was a witch-if by witch they meant someone who talked to plants and mixed up homemade hair tonic. And she couldnt disbelieve Eric, not under the intensity of those steady green eyes. But she saw an luck and seized it. Yeah, and theyd probably have burned me for giving you this present, she said, opening her hand. And youd probably have been scared or superstitious if I asked you to keep it with you all the time youd think I was putting some kind of a spell on you-I wouldnt think anything, he said firmly, taking the little green pillow from her. It smelled like fresh New Hampshire pine needles, which was what was in it-mainly. Shed also added a few protective herbs and an Ishtar crystal, a golden beryl in a star cut with thirty-three facets, carved with the name of the Babylonian mother goddess. The charm was the best she could do to help him fen d off Blaises spells.I would just kiss it and put it my pocket and never let it out of my sight, Eric went on. And he did, stopping after the kiss to say, Mm, smells good.Thea couldnt help blessed at him. She chanced saying, Actually, its just to remind you of me.It will never leave my pocket, he said solemnly.Well, that worked out nicely.Look, theres probably something we can do about this place, Eric said, glancing around again. The school board doesnt want any bad publicity. Why dont I run and borrow a camera from the journalism class, and we can conceive some pictures so people will see what we mean when we strike up?Thea glanced at her watch. Why not? I think Ive already missed French.He grinned. Back in a minute.When he was gone, Thea wandered slowly among the inactive booths, lost in her own thoughts.For a few minutes there, when I was ranting, I almost told him the truth. And then later I thought peradventure hed figured it all out for himself.And would that be so terr ible? Hes already under sentence of death just because I love him it doesnt matter if he knows or not.But if he did know what would he say? Witches may be okay in the abstract-but does he really want one for a girlfriend?The only way to find out was to tell him.She leaned against a ladder and gazed sightlessly at an oilcloth lying beneath a hanging noose. Of course, it was probably all academic anyway. What kind of future could they perchance have ?Suddenly Thea realized what she was looking at.Underneath that oilcloth was a enclothe-and the shoe was connected to something. Subconsciously, shed been assuming it was another witch dummy but now she focused. And she felt the hairs on her arms lift and tingle.Why would they dress a witch in black Nike high-tops?