Page 122 of The Demon's Spell

Grant picked up one of the last two granola bars and held it out to me. “Hungry?”

I hesitated. We only had a few berries left, and my stomach ached in hunger, but Grant needed to eat every five to six hours. I could wait until we made it out of here. We were so close.

“No, I’m good,” I lied.

“Tal?” Grant asked, holding it up to her as she tended the fire. The hole was much bigger now, and we could easily reach inside. I knew we had to be getting close, but we hadn’t spotted the Wand yet.

“I’m full on berries,” she said, though I was certain she was lying. “You can have it.”

Talia winced and clutched her stomach when she turned around. It looked like she was trying to hide her discomfort.

On second thought, she didn’t look too well. Maybe she had eaten too many berries.

Grant insisted that Miles and Lucas eat, but they both declined as well. It was like we’d all collectively agreed to let Grant take the rest of the rations. We knew how much he needed them. If Grant didn’t eat regularly, his blood sugar would drop to dangerous levels. He’d slip into a diabetic coma. He’d pass out, and by that time, he’d need immediate medical intervention, or he could die.

“Have I ever told the story of when Grant accidentally drank a hair-growth potion when we were kids?” Miles asked, trying to distract Grant from the topic of food.

“Nooo,” Talia said, sounding intrigued.

Grant groaned. “Aw, man. Don’t!”

“I have to,” Miles argued, already laughing. “You were, what? Eight? This was right when Dad was starting to bald, so naturally, he got some hair-growth potion to slow it down. He liked to add it to his coffee in the morning. Just as Dad finishes making his coffee, our baby brother Trenton starts crying. Dad sets his coffee down and goes to console him.”

“Oh, no,” Talia said. “I can already see where this is going.”

Miles started laughing so hard he could hardly catch his breath. “Grant thought it was chocolate milk! The look on his face when he realized it was coffee! I’ll never forget it!”

Grant groaned. Lucas smirked without taking his eyes off the stick he was whittling away at.

“The amount of hair this kid grew…” Miles clapped Grant on the back. “I’m talking down to his shoulders, with a full creeper ‘stash. He runs to the bathroom and—”

“Don’t you dare,” Grant warned.

“Aw, come on,” Cooper protested. “We’ve got to hear this part.”

Miles couldn’t stop laughing. “I just remember… hearing from the bathroom… There’s not supposed to be hair down there!”

My jaw dropped, and I started laughing.

“Did you learn something about puberty that day?” Lucas cracked.

Grant frowned. “It wasn’t like that.”

“It was exactly like that,” Miles insisted. “Dad had to sit us down and tell us about all the places men grew hair. I don’t think Grant’s touched coffee since.”

Grant crossed his arms. “I drink it every now and then—”

“Fuck!” Lucas cried.

My heart lurched. I didn’t see what happened, but the laughter in our group died instantly. Lucas shot to his feet, dropping his stick and pocketknife. Blood dripped into the dirt.

Lucas sucked a breath. “My knife slipped.”

I reached for his hand, which he clutched tightly with the other. “Let me look.”

He pulled away from me, and I knew it had to be bad. I quickly conjured a first-aid kit I kept with me. I uncapped a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and poured it over his hand.

“Fuuuck.” Lucas sucked a breath between his teeth and turned away from me.

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