Page 83 of Viper

Mia began to circle it, careful not to cross the lines of chalk. “And the couple is convinced it’s a conduit?”

“A conduit for pure evil. Their words.” Ella folded her arms. “Their son believes it’s actually possessed.”

“Have you met them?”

“No. They wanted rid of the doll, not to consult about it. They gave it to Neve, who dropped it off here so I could take a look at it.” Ella had accepted the suitcase from her, taken one peek inside, sensed the magick it gave off, and instantly closed it. She’d had the instant feeling that she’d need her sister’s input on this.

“It smells like a musty attic,” Mia groused.

“Considering it’s been sitting on a shelf in a kid’s bedroom, it shouldn’t.”

“That poor kid must have hated having it in their room.Iwouldn’t want to look at it every day.”

Ella would likely have dumped it in the trash when no one was looking. “At first, when Neve told me it supposedly moves around by itself, I thought maybe a telekinetic demon was acting as some kind of puppeteer. But I sense a hint of magick here. I think someone bespelled it.”

Mia dipped her chin in agreement. “Where did the family get the doll?”

“A second-hand toy store. So, if there’s a jinx at work, it’s likely not personal to them; more to its original owners. You’re the expert when it comes to jinxes and all that stuff, so I figured you’d recognize what we’re dealing with here.”

Mia leaned toward it without breaking the circle. “It has been jinxed. I don’t think an incantor is responsible. More like a witch or dark practitioner.” She stood up straight. “Have there been any fires at the house?”

“Yeah, actually. Two. One in the kitchen, the other in the dad’s home office. They thought the first one was an accident; that someone left the gas on. But the second fire had no obvious cause. The doll was somehow in the office—a place itshouldn’thave been—and it was the only thing that suffered no smoke damage, aside from the patch of carpet on which it lay.”

Mia juddered. “Creepy.”

“That was when the humans decided it was time to get shot of the doll. For a while, the parents thought that their kids were just pranking them; they didn’t believe it was moving around by itself.”

“Not many human adults would. Most instinctively shy away from anything paranormal.”

Ella unfolded her arms, letting them fall to her sides. “What was the purpose of the jinx? To cause fires?”

“No, to cause destruction for the family that owned it. That takes lots of forms. For instance, by moving around, the doll caused fear in the children. The parents didn’t believe their claims, which made the kids feel betrayed. And as the adults felt they were not only being pranked but lied to, they were upset and probably punished them. The destruction eventually turns physical—fires, falling furniture, malfunctioning electrics, etc, etc.”

Ah. “So whoever bespelled the doll had alotof beef with whatever family they ensured it reached,” Ella mused.

“It was definitely personal. Always is with such jinxes.”

“Can you dissolve the spell?”

“Yes, though it’s going to require a delicate hand. If you give me an hour or so, I can have it done. But I’d advise you to destroy the doll afterwards, because negative energy will still cling to it. Not the kind that’s harmful, but it won’t be pleasant to have around.”

“I get that. I’ll—” Ella stilled as a dart of magick shot up in front of her and burst outward like a firework.

“What was that?” Mia asked.

“The magickal alarm I put on my front door.”Shit.Ella tore out of the apartment, her sister close behind her. She didn’t bother waiting for the elevator. Her heart pounding like crazy, her demon losing its mind, she sprinted down the stairwell—descending one floor and then another before finally arriving at her own.

Dashing down the hallway toward her apartment, she frowned. Because there was no one there. Coming to a stop near her front door, she breathed hard and fast. “They’re gone.”

Mia swore, panting. “It has to have been your note writer.”

Ella scanned the carpeted floor around them. “There’s nothing here. If they came to leave another letter, they forgot to drop it off before they left.”

“Do you think they were trying to get inside?”

“Possibly.” Ella briefly chanted under her breath, causing the four wards protecting her door to become visible. The size of her palm, they were all gold, glimmering circles containing glyphs and old arcane writings. Scanning each of them, she froze. “Wait.”

“What?”

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