Page 54 of Shadow Seeking

“How do you do, Mr. Lazenti.” She turned to me. “All right, you want to know if he’s had a curse placed on him recently?”

“How far back can you check?” I asked.

“That depends on the curse—if it was weak, traces might fade in an hour or two. Stronger magic can leave residual effects in the aura for weeks or even longer.” She set her green velvet carpet bag purse on the table and opened it. In silence, as we watched, she withdrew a small wand about six inches long that was made of smoky quartz and copper, along with a small vial of powder.

Then, she turned to Lazenti. “I need you to tell me the symptoms that lead you to think you’ve been cursed.”

“I actually suspect the person I was talking to?—”

“Letty,” I said. “He was talking to Letty and she lashed out and told him to leave her alone. Very out of character from what Angela said.”

Lazenti cleared his throat. “Yes, she lashed out. Her words almost knocked me back, like something had pushed me. Afterward, when I left the restaurant, I got lost. I couldn’t remember why I’d been there and wasn’t even sure where I was, or where I needed to go. Everything went very fuzzy.”

“Hmm,” Penn said. “All right. Please sit still and close your eyes. I’ll be touching your head but I promise not to hurt you?—”

“I trust you,” he said, giving her a long look.

“You shouldn’t…not without a promise,” she said, staring him down directly.

Lazenti froze, then burst out laughing. “You can hold your own. I respect that. All right, I accept your promise that you won’t hurt me.”

Penn paused for a second, taken aback, then she laughed as well. “A vampire with a sense of humor. That’s hard to find,” she said. “I promise I won’t harm you, as long as you behave yourself. All right, sit back, close your eyes, andno hands.”

I glanced at Dante, trying to keep my composure. Penn was a spitfire, as well as a powerful witch. Unfortunately, she had the business sense of a worm, which accounted for her financial woes. She helped too many people and they took advantage of her. Once she moved in, I hoped to help remedy that habit.

“What about the rest of us?” I asked. “Will we interfere by being here?”

Penn shook her head. “No, I can focus the spell. That’s why I need to touch his head. But please, turn off your electronics and keep quiet.”

We all turned off our phones and quieted down.

As Penn began the spell, she waved her hands around Lazenti, not touching him at first. He shivered, but remained still. As she examined his aura, she began to chant.

“Wood and stone, water and rain,

Fire and sun, gale and wind.

From the depths of the earth,

To the stars out in space,

From the astral and ether,

All powers interlace.

Magic spin and magic rise,

Work through me, open my eyes.”

As she spoke, her words formed into strands of magic, sparkling energy that I could see if I squinted right. The strands grew stronger, braiding together to form a web around Lazenti. The web was a glittering purple, growing stronger as I watched.

Penn slowly lowered her hands to Lazenti’s head, gently resting on either side. Even though he remained unmoving, he looked uncomfortable. She inhaled deeply, then let out a slow steady stream of breath onto her hands. She lowered her forehead to rest on her hands, then abruptly pulled back.

“I’m going to use my wand now. I need to dig this out of your aura,now.” She reached for the powder, tapping some out in her hand. She blew it onto his head, then picked up her wand and pointed the end at his crown chakra.

“I call to you, Hecate of the Crossroads.

I call to you, Guardian of the Night.

---