Page 58 of Mastering Mayhem

“And everyone knows dark witches don’t play well with others.” I gave her the mallet, and we walked into the building to find Mayhem hand-feeding the griffin raw chicken breasts.

I curled my lip. “You’re feeding bird meat to a bird.”

“She is not a bird,” Mayhem said. “But even if she were, what do you think eagles eat if not other, smaller fowl?”

“I see your point.” I sat cross-legged in front of the grocery bags. “Did you bring anything for us? I’m starving.”

“Here.” Ash opened a bag and pulled out a container of chicken salad and a loaf of bread.

“I guess your credit card isn’t maxed out yet?” I used a plastic spoon to scoop out the mixture and spread it on the bread.

“No, it is.” She glanced at Chaos. “But we have to eat.”

I didn’t have the energy to protest, so I handed Mayhem a sandwich before making myself one.

“I also brought this for her.” Ash pulled out a jug of water, a plastic bowl, and a white plastic bag with purple lettering.

“Epsom salt?” I poured the water into the bowl.

“It’s a natural laxative.” She added the salt and stirred it with the plastic spoon. “To help speed things along.”

I set the bowl in front of the griffin, and she dipped her beak into it before tilting her head back to swallow.

Ash’s phone pinged, and she swiped open the screen. “It’s Miles. Still no sign of Ignacus or his soldiers, but the team reported a lesser fae swarm in the Common. He and Shade helped them take care of it.”

I chugged a bottle of water. “Tell them to start the All Hallow’s Eve ritual now. Every member of the coven is required to participate. No one gets a pass this year. If Hecate is the only person holding the veil together right now, we need to give her all the help we can.”

“Only the High Priestess can begin the ceremony,” Ash said. “The wood has to be lit by witch fire.”

“Which means any Holland can do it, not just the High Priestess. It starts with the founding family and spreads outward. You’ll have to light it.” I picked up her satchel and shoved it toward her. “Take Chaos and begin the ritual. I’m staying with the griffin until she poops.”

Ash gave me her signature look. The one that said everything on her mind, no words required. The ritual always started with the High Priestess. All the ones we had records of anyway. Changing tradition could be risky. I knew that, but I doubted she could name one thing we’d done in the past month that wasn’t.

She also didn’t like splitting up the team. Neither did I.

“You can call them to do it here if you want, but I’m not leaving her.” I took the empty bowl o’ laxative and shoved it into a grocery bag.

Ash’s jaw ticked, her expression a silent acquiescence. “One fire in this cemetery was more than enough, thanks. I’ll get it started in the usual clearing.”

“Good. Leave Patrice in charge of the first shift and then go home to set up Discord’s summoning circle. With any luck, we’ll complete the amulet and join you well before midnight.”

The griffin stood and turned a circle, pawing at the blankets and arranging them beneath her before she settled and closed her eyes.

“At this rate, I’ll have to poop before she does.” Ash swiped open her phone, her brow furrowing as she typed and scrolled.

“What are you looking for?” Chaos asked as he gathered the bags they’d brought.

“When I was little, I swallowed a tiny lion figurine. I remember being in a lot of pain because it wouldn’t pass. Dad wanted to take me to the hospital, but Mom tried Joan, our old healer, first. She cast a spell that drew it out. It was… Oh, I think this might be it.”

She rummaged through her bag and held up an herb jar triumphantly. “I have everything here.” She dropped to her knees and started mixing.

I took her phone and studied the recipe. “This sounds…forceful.”

“It is, and it will make a mess. We’ll have to take her outside.” She sprinkled amaranth into a copper bowl and added a dash of star anise and marjoram. “We’ll focus on drawing the amulet out, but pretty much everything in the way will come out too.”

“Will your ward protect her outside?” Mayhem asked.

“We only protected the building.” Ash scooped a drop of wildflower honey from a small jar but hesitated to drop it into the bowl. “Crappity crap, we should have made the ward bigger. It’s not a quick and easy spell.”

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