Page 26 of Snips, Snails and Werewolf Tails

"I have to do something," I say, then heave a heavy sigh of despair. "None of this is working."

"We're doing everything we can," Blair says. Her voice is strained. All of us are exhausted. We are running out of energy. At best, we are only prolonging his painful death by mere moments. Our magic is holding him somewhere between life and death. But I won't accept Blair's words. There has to be something else we can do—there justhasto be.

I stare down at Lucian and see his eyes twitch behind their closed lids. I wonder which part of the dreamscape he is in now.

And then suddenly, I have an idea. Thereisone other thing we haven't tried.

I break away from the coven's magic.

"What are you doing?" Sybil cries.

"I just need a few minutes," I say. "Please hold him stable. I'll be right back. I think I can save him."

The three of them glance at me in disbelief. There is nothing in our repertoire that can save him. But I think there might be somethingoutsideof our repertoire. I don't tell them what it is because I know they will vehemently object.

I race back toward my apartment and begin to dig through my bookshelves, throwing books left and right as I search for the one, special book that can help me now.

"There it is!" I call out in the empty room. My grandmother's grimoire.

My grandmother was an alchemist. And not just any alchemist, but one that dabbled in dark magic as well. She made poisons and potions that could banish, curse, and kill. Ones that caused inexplicable things to happen—things that defied the limitations of most witches’ known abilities. She used plants and herbs that other witches steered clear of. And those witches had good reason to stay away from them; every dark magic spell has a price. Powerful magic requires powerful payment.

But if there is anything that can help me now, I'll find it in my grandmother's grimoire. And after flipping through the pages as quickly as I can, I find it.

I read through the spell with eyes so wide that it feels like they might pop right out of my head. This is powerful magic,darkmagic, and there will be a huge sacrifice for using it. But if it works, it will save Lucian's life. Above all else, I want to save him. I can't imagine my life without him. The thought of it makes me want to die.

So, as soon as I have the spell memorized, I race out into my garden to gather the necessary reagents. It's not the ingredients themselves that hold the power for this dark magic, but the words used to invoke the spell.

I grind the herbs and flowers at record pace and toss in some moon water and a spritz of wine, then I bottle the potion and practice the spell. As soon as I have it down, I run back to the coven building, fiercely hoping that the other witches have kept Lucian alive.

No sooner to do I walk back inside the building than Sybil spots the bottle in my hand and breaks her bond to Sybil and Isla's magic over Lucian.

"You can't use dark magic, Elspeth," she warns.

Lucian is moments from death, unless we pour the magic of the coven over him. I don't have time to waste arguing with the other witches.

"I have to," I say firmly. "I refuse to live without him. I can save him. Just step back and let me."

"It's not that simple," Blair says. "The dark magic willruinyou. I know you think it's worth it, but if you save him, he won't wake up to the same Elspeth. You'll lose yourself for him."

"I won't be swayed," I say, angry that we are wasting precious moments bickering while Lucian is dying. "I am going to use my grandmother's spell to save him whether you stand in my way or not. Trying to stop me is futile; it'll only delay things and make them more dangerous. Please step aside and let me save him."

"Elspeth, listen to us," Isla pleads. "We are trying to save you from making a big mistake. We care about you and even though we don't always see eye to eye, we don't want anything bad to happen to you."

For a second, I soften and look at the three of them, my sisters.

"I care about all of you too," I say gently, even as urgency continues to creep up my spine. "But I don't want to live in this world without Lucian. I love him and I want to be with him, so if you truly want to save me then you need to let me save him too. Otherwise, we will both be lost. Let me use this powerful dark magic to save his life. I will deal with consequences. Anything is worth keeping him alive."

Sybil sighs. "I'm afraid that's the part you aren't understanding. The consequences will be dire." She looks at the other two and then back at me with a heavy shake of her head. "But if you refuse to live without this man, there is nothing we can do to stop you, and we'll do our best to help."

"Thank you."

I drop down onto my knees next to Lucian.

I uncork the bottle and sprinkle the potion over him as I begin to chant the spell. With the very first word, I feel somethingpullingagainst my ribcage, threatening to break me apart. My grandmother must have been a lot stronger than I knew if she was able to practice dark magic like this regularly without succumbing to its negative effects.

Around me, Sybil, Blair, and Isla make a semi-circle as they try their best to cover me with protective enchantments that will ward off the ricocheting effects of the dark magic.

With each word I speak, I feel my heart race faster and my blood rush through my veins. I've never felt such sheer and utter power before. I've also never felt so strained trying to control my magic.

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