Page 40 of Sweaty Nights & Gator Bites

Dre nodded and knelt by the chest. We followed suit and extended our hands so they hovered above the surface. We began chanting a spell to reveal anything waiting to pounce and then we followed up with one to unravel them. A soft click echoed in the room. Dre reached forward with a smile. "All clear."

We opened the chest to find a collection of scrolls and ritual objects. The dark energy coming off of them made mystomach roil with nausea. It was like a thousand worms came to life. The scrolls detailed various spells and rituals. Most of which were linked to the Montclairs' less than stellar practices.

"This is it," I said, holding up one of the scrolls. "This is the evidence we need."

Just as we were about to leave, we heard a faint rustling from the entrance of the passageway. My heart raced as I turned to see a shadow dart across the corridor. "Did you see that?" I whispered.

Dani nodded, her eyes narrowing. "Let's get out of here. Quickly."

We moved swiftly back through the passage, each of us on high alert. As we exited the hidden chamber, the plantation seemed to grow darker. The air thickened with a sense of impending danger.

"Stay close together," Adèle warned. "There's something else there."

We hurried through the house, clutching our findings. Just as we reached the front door, a chill ran down my spine. I turned to see a figure standing in the shadows. It was difficult to make out any details, but the malevolent energy radiating from it was unmistakable.

Dre grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the exit. "We do this together."

As we burst out into the open air, the oppressive feeling lifted slightly. We hurried toward my car, leaving the abandoned plantation now behind us. "Unlock the doors," Phi said, catching her breath. "We need to get out of here."

"They're unlocked," I replied, holding up the scrolls. "I don’t know how we got out of there with the evidence we need to expose the Montclairs and their dark activities."

I drove like a madwoman back to the plantation and wehurried inside. Lucas and Noah stared at us and followed until we stopped in the ladies’ parlor. We dropped the items we found on the coffee table and I went into his arms.

“What happened?” he asked as he kissed my head.

I sucked in a deep breath and looked up at him. “We went to an abandoned plantation on Xinar’s behest and encountered something evil. We’re okay,” I was quick to reassure him.

"I don’t like you being in danger,” Lucas growled. “But I worry less knowing your sisters are with you. What did you find?”

“We aren’t sure,” I admitted.

"We found evidence of Dark magic on the Montclair’s part," Phi answered.

Dea leaned over and peered at one of the pages. "It looks like they're drawing power from spirits. But for what purpose?"

"Look closely at the pattern. There’s a symbol in the corner that might be the key," Adèle advised us.

I focused on the area Adèle had indicated. Sure enough, there was a small, symbol etched into the corner of the stone that was almost hidden. It was a circle within a triangle, with lines radiating outward. "I see it. This symbol... it’s different from the rest."

Dea, her eyes wide with realization, leaned in. "That’s a siphoning symbol. It’s used to draw energy from one source and transfer it to another."

Phi’s brow furrowed as she studied the symbol. "I bet they planned on using this to draw power from the spirits of the Leveau ancestors.”

Kota shot us a grim look. "And we just brought it here where it could do the most damage without them having to infiltrate the property. It’s why that shadow didn’t attack."

"We will get rid of the rock in a moment. First, check the alignment of the symbols. It’s crucial to understanding the spell’s structure," Adèle said

We nodded and followed her advice. As I traced the alignment of the symbols, a pattern began to emerge. "They’re positioned to form a conduit. It’s designed to draw power from the spirits and channel it into a central point. Kota is right."

"It will be better to neutralize this so they can’t get it on the property by other means. Right now, they think they’ve landed their Trojan Horse. We don’t want to tip them off that you’re onto them. You’ll need a counter-spell strong enough to neutralize the siphoning symbol. It won’t be easy, but it’s possible,” Adèle replied.

I leaned into Lucas’s hands as they rubbed my shoulders and said, "Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll prepare a counter-spell and disrupt their plans."

Phi nodded eagerly. “We can use one of Kota’s potions. But we’ll need all our strengths combined to pull this off."

Noah grabbed the small stone while we searched for anything else in what we’d brought back. Certain there were no other traps waiting to spring, we set to work. An hour passed in a blur of research and preparation. The sun climbed higher in the sky and my stomach grumbled as the time passed. Lucas and Noah brought us po boy’s, so we didn’t go into this hangry.

Finally, we had everything we needed. I looked around at my sisters. Their faces were as eager as I was to see how this went. “Let’s do this,” I said.

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