Page 70 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife

My aunt had said the spell would work best at night, so I finally surrendered to my fatigue, taking a nap in my aunt’s bed while Des played his game on the sofa. It felt like I’d only slept a few hours, but Ethyl informed me that I’d been sleeping all day when she finally shook me awake. Though I was too nervous to eat, I forced down a few slices of bread and some olives and cheese. Ethyl was nervous, too. Frederica still hadn’t returned from the Tribunal.

“She’s probably still spying for the Insurgi,” I tried to reassure her.

Ethyl shook her head. “Serena has been avoiding my questions.” She bit down on her knuckles, her eyes misting. “I think she’s in trouble.”

I gave her a hug while rubbing her back, for I knew the worried feeling all too well.

We pulled apart when Serena came into the room, dressed in leather pants with all kinds of blades and wands strapped to her vest. Holy hex! She was dressed for war. The realization of what we were about to undertake churned my gut.

She summoned two Insurgi to create a pentagram circle made of salt on the slate floor beside her bed. Once the pentagram was complete, we sat inside the circle, a large cauldron beside us while Des and Ethyl remained at the table.

“Do you have another bra like the one you lost?” my aunt asked.

I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest. “I only have one other bra.”

Serena held out a hand, an expectant look in her eyes as she waggled her fingers. “Let me have it.”

“You want me to go braless?” I cupped my poor boobs.

She looked at me as if she was scolding a child. “You want the spell to work, don’t you? We have to offer the dryads something similar to appease them.”

Holy hex! I was about to go braless, something I hadn’t done since before nursing, possibly before puberty. My girls and I had long ago come to an understanding: I provide them shelter and support, and they don’t bounce off my chest. I reached under my shirt and unclasped my bra, reluctantly handing it to her, then said a silent farewell to my bra when she tossed it into the cauldron.

“Now, I want you to imagine the bra you left behind,” she said. “What color was it?”

I looked longingly at the cauldron, still wishing I could have my other bra back. “Black.”

She stirred the cauldron as if it was soup, and I was shocked to see steam rising from it when it had been empty just moments ago. “Give me more details.”

“36D with lace trim and no underwire.”

“Comfort and style.” She flashed a wide smile. “Nice.”

And probably infested with succubi cooties by now. And now that Gus had shut down my bakery, I couldn’t afford to replace it. My girls would be forced to go through life with no warmth and shelter while stretching toward my knees in protest.

Serena held a dropper over the cauldron, and when the liquid hit the bottom, I gave a start at a moan that came from inside. Then she whistled to Puffy. He hovered over the cauldron, puffing with all his might until a spark flew from his mouth and hit the steam.

“Good boy,” Serena said, patting the top of his head.

She tossed in a shimmery, blue-green scale, and what looked to be a petrified flower. “Now I want you to have a clear visual of your bra in your head and repeat this spell...” she said to me.

‘A pixie’s tear

A dragon’s fire

Give to me what I desire

A siren’s scale

A flower’s frost

Lead me to which I have lost’

I repeated her spell while also praying it wouldn’t get too cold today, lest my traitorous nipples alert everyone that they were free and unhinged.

“Now whisper ‘regresio’three times and imagine your bra and where you left it,” Serena added.

I whispered, “Regresio,regresio,regresio,” surprised when my wand extended to its full length, the tip lighting up like a beacon before casting a glow onto the nearby wall like a flashlight. Much to my shock and horror, a translucent woman who was at least eight feet tall materialized in the light. Though she appeared to have been a spirit of some sort, she had skin that looked like tree bark, flowers growing out of her arms, and long vines for hair.

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