Page 125 of Surrendering Hope (The Hope Legacy)

She arches a sculpted eyebrow at Duncan. “Is it possible?” he asks.

Everyone holds their breath. If this can’t be done, we are running out of options to save Archan. She nods. “It is. But it won’t be easy.”

She clicks her fingers and a parchment, inkpot and quill appear in front of her. I contemplate another Harry Potter joke, but at Duncan’s hard glare decide to leave it. She scrawls on the paper in an elegant scroll, dipping the quill in the well. She hums a few times, using her hand to run over the parchment and erase some words before replacing them with a satisfied nod. She recites the words in a mumble back to herself before rolling the parchment up and stretching her hand out to me. I grasp the strong paper, the room shifts and ice pierces my veins, making me shiver. I look around to discover the guys frozen, like they are behind a veil. Only Marsha and I remain in the here and now, with both our hands on the spell.

“Don’t panic. They are fine. But we need a little girl time.”

Just once I wish something would be easy. No tests, no secret discussions. “Okay, what do you want? Your hair braided? Toenails painted?”

Her lips twitch. “I need to know you will do what it takes to put the beast down.”

“Back in the Jar?” I clarify.

She shakes her head. “Have you heard of the term belt and braces?”

I nod. “Sure.”

“Your belt is this spell, to put the beast back in the Jar. Archan survives and you live happily ever after.”

“And the braces?”

“You put the beast down, personal sacrifice be damned.”

Damn fate. I nod in understanding. She releases her hold on the parchment. “Read it,” she instructs.

My eyes glaze over as I scan what she has written. As I speak the words, they disappear off the paper; the ink evaporating into the air to leave behind the reversal spell everyone is expecting. “I understand,” I croak out. Everything is tying together. The reason for my protectors, the future the fates showed me, the tarot reading from Julie and the advice I’m getting here. She squeezes my hand.

“You are strong enough to do what is needed, Pandora. Stay true to your heart.”

A red business card appears in my hand, elegant gold lettering displaying her name and number.

“I thought you were difficult to contact?” I say.

“I am, I only give my number to those that might require it.” I tuck the card away in my pocket as the icy glaze evaporates on my skin, and she disappears, leaving only a stupefied squad of men all blinking at me and the parchment which holds one solution, and hides another in my hands.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Natia

Don’t try to change a Taurus’ mind. You’ll have better luck moving a mountain.

Getting out of the cave was a hundred times easier than getting in, the lack of zombie spiders was a total bonus.

“What did she say to you?” Duncan asks as we emerge into the humid moonlit night. The pin pricks of blinding light peeking through the velvet darkness make my heart ache like I was homesick. They always had, now I understood that they had once been my home.

I swivel to face Duncan, a frown forming on my face. “You knew you had been frozen?”

He nods.

“What?” Zee says.

I wave my hand. “Let’s get back to the bat cave before we discuss it.”

Jed rolls his eyes and grabs Zee and Uncle Charlie, they blink out of existence. Duncan glances at me. “Do you want to try to teleport to the cave?”

At some point I have to get better at this, and I crossed the bayou. How hard can it be? I rub my hands together like I’m preparing for a race. “Yes, let’s do this.” I dig in my pocket for the spell and hand it to him. “In case my clothes don’t make it.”

Duncan chuckles. “Okay, we’ll wait here until you text to say you are in the cave.”

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