Dime Store Magic

Olivia hushed her. "She was only doing her job, Sava

We passed the barn and entered the forest.

"So are we practicing the ceremony?" Sava

"No, we're performing a rite. A special protection rite."

"Cool."

"Very cool," Greta said. "Not many young witches get this. It requires very unique ingredients. When we mentioned it to Mr. Nast, though, he gave us carte blanche. Anything to help his little girl on her special day."

I resisted the urge to make retching noises. "What kind of protection does it give?"

"The best. Think of it as a comprehensive insurance policy. It'll prevent everything from demonic interference to having Sava

"Huh," I said. "Sounds good."

"It's sorcerer magic."

"Of course."

They led us into the woods. We passed the spot where we'd practiced the afternoon before and kept going. As we walked, Sava

"Who's carrying the material?" she asked.

"What material is that, dear?" Olivia said.

"For the ritual."

"Everything we need is at the site."

"I should have brought my new athame."

Both Greta and Olivia frowned, then Olivia laughed.

"Oh, that's right. Coven witches still use their tools. You'll find we've moved beyond that. We all still have an athame as a keepsake-a reminder of our past. As I'm sure you know, the tools aren't actually required for casting."

"My mom used them," Sava

"That's because she was raised Coven. It takes a while to shake the old ways. I clung to my tools for years, like a security blanket. You'll find we only use tools that are imperative for casting."

"The same goes for materials," Greta said. "We've done away with all the nonessentials. Gemstones with symbolic meanings. Incense for mood. Candles for atmospheric lighting. All they do is complicate and prolong a ceremony."

"Maybe," Sava

Greta laughed. "Cabals don't have a budget for fun."

"Modern witches have made witchcraft modern," Olivia said. "You'll come to appreciate that, Sava

"And here we are," Greta said.

She stepped off the path, then pulled back a bush and waved us through. Sava

"He's sleeping," Sava

"He's supposed to be here," Greta said.

Sava

"Who is he?" Sava

"Prince Charming," Greta said. "You've heard of Sleeping Beauty? Well, this is the girl-power version."

Sava

"He's nobody. Just a human boy." Greta grabbed a small bag from the side of the clearing. "Now, as I've said, we skip all the ritual preliminaries, so you can just go right ahead and kneel beside him."

"What? Why?"

My gut went cold. "What's going on here?"

"The protection ritual, as we said. Sava

Sava

"No," I said. "Get up, Sava

Greta turned her back on me.

"Hey-!" I said.

I was cut off after the first word, frozen in a binding spell. Sava

"Hey! Don't-! Paige!" Sava

"Paige is a Coven witch," Greta said. "She doesn't understand."

She pulled a thin-bladed knife from her bag and knelt on the other side of the boy.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Sava

"A top-level protection spell requires an exchange. A life protected for a life lost. You should know this, Sava

"No! My mother never-she wouldn't-" Sava

"You forbid it?" Greta's lips twisted. "Did you hear that, Mother? She's giving orders already. Well, 'princess,' it's your father who gives orders around here, and he told us to do whatever was necessary to keep his little girl safe. Anton, put her highness's hand on the boy's chest. Over the heart, please."

Anton forced Sava

"No!" Sava

"He's a nobody, Sava

"Don't bother, Mother," Greta said. "It's obvious Eve coddled the girl. What do you think dark magic is, Sava

"It's not this. I know it isn't. My mother never did this."

"Of course she did. She just never let you see it." Greta pressed the blade against the boy's throat. "No!" Sava

"He's a pretty boy, isn't he?" Greta said. She put her left hand behind the boy's head and lifted it. "Would you like to give him a kiss, Sava

She slashed the knife over the boy's neck so fast that it seemed not to have left a mark. Then his throat split open. Anton shoved Sava

Chapter 45

I WON'T DETAIL THE NEXT FEW MINUTES, I CAN'T, it broke my heart the first time, and even thinking about it is enough to bring me to tears. Sava

Twenty minutes later I was in the bedroom, tucking Sava

On hearing the screams, Leah had come ru

Once I'd finished getting Sava

"I can't believe they did that," Nast said.

"They say you gave them carte blanche," Sandford said.

"Not for this."

"It's a common spell, Kris. Not too common, given the risk that comes with kidnapping and killing humans, but it's common enough."

"But to take her, unprepared, without a word of warning, of explanation…"

"I did warn you, Kris," Sandford said, lowering his voice so Leah couldn't hear. "They expected Greta's daughter to succeed her."

"You think they did this intentionally?"

"Duh, no, really?" I said, stepping forward. "Of course it was intentional! I can't believe you placed Sava