Page 61 of Bewitched By the Headless Horseman
“That’s the spell I already had prepared for if Levi showed up.” Lucia smirked.
As her sister-in-law raised her hand in the air, Stevie said, “Can you make some clothes for me first? Holding up a blanket the entire time doesn’t scream battle ready.”
“Good catch.” Lucia spun her hand in a circle and the blanket cradled Stevie’s body until it formed a tube-top dress that flared out at the waist. “When we leave you can slip a pair of Ginger’s shoes on and she’ll fit them to your size. Now let me cloak you before we leave.” She held up her hand again, and a tingle spread through Stevie’s body, tickling beneath her flesh.
Stevie blinked. “Am I invisible?”
“Not to me, but to everyone else, as much as the Invisible Man, except you don’t have to be naked to not be seen.”
Stevie laughed softly as Lucia gathered what she needed and passed Stevie a dagger to tuck through a belt loop that had been fashioned at her waist.
“Apologies, we’re going to need more seer blood than usual tonight. Getting the ghosts out of the bodies is my main concern.” Lucia sighed.
“Tonight we’re going to perform our own version of an exorcism, and I think I know who can help us.” Stevie grinned.
Lucia’s gaze slid toward Stevie’s. “Who do you have in mind?”
“Just someone we’ll be borrowing from my brother,” Stevie said innocently. “Her name’s Maxine.”
“That’s perfect!” Lucia clasped her hands together. She then instructed Ginger to cloak herself until the reveal.
Before they left the house, Ginger gave Stevie a pair of flats that were two sizes too big, but as she slipped them on, they cradled her feet perfectly.
Just when she thought the fog couldn’t get any thicker, it had. Not a single star lit up the sky, the darkness hiding them from all of Sleepy Hollow.
As Lucia drove toward their duplex, Stevie asked, “I know you’re going to use Kit’s bone for spells, but is it possible if we don’t bring it, that the Hollow will stay closed?”
“The skull is what will open the gate. I believe the bones and his ghost are more for the sacrifice. If it’s still at your place, you’ll keep it in your dress pocket until I give you the signal.”
As a backup plan, Lucia pulled up beside the curb instead of in the driveway in case for some reason she didn’t come out and Stevie had to take the wheel and speed off.
It only took Lucia a couple of minutes to run into both sides of the duplex. She hopped back into the car, her chest heaving, and tossed the purse to Stevie. “Bone is inside, but the rest of Kit’s skeleton is gone. Go ahead and give Maxine a drop of yourblood and guard her with your life, or Gideon will never get out of bed.” She carefully passed the plant to Stevie, and she held onto Maxine as the plant opened and closed her mouth.
Just as Lucia’s foot hit the gas pedal, the ground shook like an earthquake and she slammed on the brakes. Stevie’s heart hammered when orange smoke wafted up outside the window, swirling within the fog.
“It’s beginning,” Lucia breathed. “The demons are lining up at the gate, waiting for it to open.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Even as smoke seeped from the ground and the earth shook, lit candles illuminated the fog of the cemetery, some people not willing to give up the chance to be amongst the ghosts, wishing to speak with a loved one. If the Hollow opened, staying locked up in one’s home would only be a temporary escape of what was to come anyway.
Lucia parked a short distance away from the bridge, giving them an opportunity to not be noticed so easily before cloaking herself with an invisible spell. She couldn’t see Ginger or Lucia clearly, but her sister-in-law surrounded them in a lavender glow that only they could see to follow.
Stevie trailed her finger across Kit’s bone one more time, hoping he could feel her, before she slipped it into her pocket. Clutching Maxine for dear life, so she wouldn’t have to incur her brother’s wrath, Stevie trekked beside the two witches across the shallow creek, the cool water brushing her legs.
Lucia guided them to the opposite side of the bridge, their footsteps muted, and they hid within the trees. The single red bleeding orb shone down on the trio as if the Eye were spying on them. Lucia sprinkled a vial of liquid on the ground, then softly chanted, her voice assured.
Like hands drawing back curtains to unveil a hidden mystery, the fog slowly separated where the gate should be. Stevie didn’t see a sign of Levi or Clara, but then a light flickered on, revealing two kneeling robed forms. A skull and the wooden box of bones rested before them next to at least ten lit candles. Kit writhed in front of a sycamore tree mere feet away, his chains keeping him bound to the trunk, unable to pass through like he normally could’ve. Stevie’s heart clenched at seeing Kit so incredibly close to becoming the demons’ plaything.
“Someone lifted our cloaking spell,” Levi purred and peered around. “Come out, come out, little witch. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Their protection spell is incredibly strong. This might take longer, but hopefully it won’t be too late,” Lucia whispered. “I need to distract them so they lose focus. You’re up.” She uncloaked herself and pointed to her aunt, signaling it was showtime. Ginger’s own spell vanished, allowing her to mirror Stevie in every way.
“Release Kit,” Ginger bellowed, stepping out from behind the tree, her voice matching Stevie’s.
“How sweet, you were let out of your box early,” Clara sneered, her gaze meeting Ginger’s. “Where’s Lucia?”
Trust me, Lucia mouthed to Stevie and gestured for her to follow behind her. She then led Stevie out from the trees, the invisibility keeping her hidden for now. “I heard you wanted my body,” Lucia called while Ginger now walked with them. “It’s too bad I don’t share.”
