Page 49 of Haunted Eclipse

“I suggest you use a spirit trap,” Nightshade said. “I can give you the components.”

I thought for a moment. I hadn’t thought about spirit traps in years—but yes, that might actually work!

Excited, I said, “That’s a fantastic idea. I’ve never used one and didn’t even think about it.”

“I’ll get you the components and we’ll go over the spell.” Nightshade excused herself. I felt my spirits lift. With one simple sentence, she’d given me the answer to Brenda’s problem. While it wouldn’t bring her a mate, it would clear the way.

On the way home,I texted Brenda. i’m pretty sure i can take care of edgar. i’ll explain later but how about if i come over tonight and we go after him?

A moment later, she texted back.really? i’d love to get rid of him. tonight at seven will work, if you’re up to it.

i’m ready. let’s get him out of your life. at least we’ll pave the way for you to find someone and he won’t be able to interfere.

I glanced at Astra. “I’m going to go over to Brenda’s tonight.”

“You’re going to fashion the spirit trap?”

I nodded. Nightshade had given me specific instructions. “It’s not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I should be able to handle it.”

“What did you think of her?” Astra asked.

I thought for a moment before answering. “She’s not somebody I’d ever want to tangle with, in terms of arguments. But I like her, and she seems fair.”

“You’ll find that most of the high priestesses who work with the Order of the Moon are like that. Strong willed, but willing to listen. Take no prisoners, but fair. They have to be stern, because they help guide the magical community in the direction that Queen Heliesa deems appropriate.”

“Have you ever met the queen?”

Astra paused, then added, “Yes, I have. She listens to her advisors, yet in the end she consults her own conscience. There have been a few members of the royal family in the past that weren’t as trustworthy. And there were some who had to be almost draconian, given the time periods.”

I thought back to history. There was a time when witches and Otherkin had to hide, because they were hunted out and targeted for execution. We fought back, eventually gaining enough trust that the witch-hunters were banned. Vampires, however, still had to fight for their rights, and there were still hate groups against all types of Otherkin. Unfortunately, the real enemies were bigotry and willful ignorance, and that affected so many groups of people.

“I’m glad I live now, but we can’t ever stop being watchful. It remains the same for other ethnicities, and for women. There will always be a subset of power hungry men who want to rule everyone else, and they consider suppression a weapon.” I shook my head. “I don’t understand the mindset.”

“Neither do I, dear. Neither do I,” Astra said, easing into our driveway. “Here, you jump out. I need to drop off a basket to a friend. She’s down on her luck, and some of us in the who are in my garden club have taken to making sure she’s got food and a bit of spare change.”

“I didn’t know that,” I said, opening the door and unbuckling my seat belt. “Garden club, huh?”

Astra nodded, shivering as a blast of cold air rushed into the car. “Yes, we’re all earth witches. I’ll see you later.”

As she inched out of the driveway, avoiding a skid onto the icy road, I watched my aunt leave. There was still so much I didn’t know about her life now, but I was looking forward to finding out.

All afternoon,I spent familiarizing myself with the spell components. Nightshade had given me a lodestone—it was one of the fraction that were naturally magnetic.

Legend had it that magnetic lodestones had been buried at the site of lightning strikes. While lodestones were primarily protective, if you found one that was magnetic and you set a binding spell on it, it could be used to trap spirits. Then you could hand it over to a witch who would guide them through the Veil, and see that they got there.

I followed Nightshade’s instructions, creating a binding spell that would fold itself into the stone, and as I was charging it, Irealized how much I missed practicing regular magic. Oh, I cast my share of spells, and I worked with magic on my clients, to find them a match, but this—this was different. It was actually fun.

I held the stone in my hand and breathed the binding spell into it, sighing as the energy settled into the lodestone. The rock vibrated in my hand. It was ready, and it would be like honey was to ants—hard to pass up and impossible to get out of once you were stuck in it.

“You are a beauty,” I whispered.

Yes, it is…

I jumped. There it was again, the voice I had been hearing. I decided it was time to find out who had been talking to me. I was still in circle, so I settled down, crossed my legs, and opened my third eye.

“Who are you? I know you’re there, and I want to know who’s been talking to me.”

A beat. Then another. No one answered, but I felt a warm, radiant energy begin to sweep around me. I opened my eyes. A pinkish mist surrounded me, flecked with shimmering flakes of gold. It was inviting, warm and sensuous, and yet it was caring and gentle.

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