Page 69 of Spelling Disaster

I throw the potion directly at the center of her chest. The cork pops out of the top and the liquid inside splashes onto her skin and clothing. Just a minute, that’s all I need to get her to call off this chase.

“Listen to me, Lark, you’ve got to stop,” I say as she shakes the liquid off like a dog. She twists her head, pain flashing across her face. “Whatever he’s doing to you, you have to fight it. You’re stronger than he is! We can’t let him get away with this.”

I shuffle backward as I speak.

Grunting, the high priestess turns to me. “Find the book,” she manages to get out. “Return him to it by sacrificing that which you love most. Only then can we all be free.”

She doubles over, grunting in pain, fighting. She’s fighting against the thrall but the more seconds tick by, the harder it is for the high priestess to continue against the press of power. It’s growing stronger and those vines slither along the sidewalk reaching out for me.

Sacrifice what I love the most?

What the hell does it mean?

An image of Theo instantly flashes through my mind and I balk. I can’t hurt him. I won’t. I refuse to do it because there has to be another way. Any other way.

“How do I get the Horned God back in the book?” I ask the priestess. “Please, tell me. You have to know. You have to have some kind of spell that will trap him. Help me find a way to free us all.”

Yasmine, listen to me.

I hazard a step closer before a voice sounds through my head. Not my own, though.

Gus appears at my feet with his whiskers twitching. He works his little white front feet together in a prayer.

You’ve got to follow me.I know where we can find the book.

“You were supposed to stay with Remi.”

When I bend to scoop Gus up, he darts away down the sidewalk in the opposite direction.

Lark stays rooted to the spot with sweat glistening along her forehead.

You’re wasting time! Come on.

If Gus is here without Remi, then it’s for a reason.

I take off after him, not surprised when he leads me to the remains of the charred library. Sadness flickers inside me for only a moment before I push it aside and follow him through the stacks.

Soon the unbearable weight of everything I’ve lost threatens to push me into a pile of ash. These are the ruined stacks I’d once called home. All the books my coven had treasured. I memorized the number of steps it took to get to any section, to go anywhere.

The library is mine, and this is what it’s come to.

“How do you know the book hasn’t been destroyed? It’s got to be a pile of dust at this point.” I stop dead in my tracks and Gus flicks a look over his shoulder at me, his whiskers twitching.

It’s magic.It’s here somewhere.Do you remember where you dropped it?

Not particularly, but it’s worth a shot to walk the paths where I’d last shoved the book. The coven will be here shortly. I’m surprised they aren’t already. And the likelihood of finding the book is slim. If that’s the only place to imprison the Horned God then he more than likely already has it in his possession. To keep it from me.

If I listen carefully, I hear the coven members growing closer. Beneath the odd silence of the town inside the barrier, it’s almost like I hear them screaming. Screaming beneath the weight of whatever thrall they’re under and begging me to free them.

Great.

The pressure is enough to give me a heart attack as I pick my way along the destroyed valleys between the shelves.

They’ve got me surrounded and there’s no way out. Claustrophobia sets in and makes breathing difficult. A few more paces and I should be there. The shelves are mangled, books everywhere and ash filling the air with each step. I choke, swallowing down on the sound unless I want to give away my position. And just as I’ve been found out, ducking behind a blackened shelf, the footsteps pass me by.

Gus climbs my pant leg and nestles on the strap of the bag next to my face.

We’ve got to hurry.

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