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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Astra drove me over to Brenda’s, since my car was out of action. We followed Brenda, who stopped at our house before heading home from the hotel.

“Are you coming in?” I wanted her there, in case I messed up.

“Nightshade wants you to tackle this yourself, but I’ll come in. I won’t take the lead on anything.” She glanced at me quickly, then back at the road. “I know you’re scared, but you can do this. You’ll be fine.”

“I hope so. I hope I can keep us all safe.” I stared out the window, wondering how life had suddenly become so complicated. “Being an adult isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, is it?”

She laughed. “No, it’s not. And it doesn’t get any easier as you get older. We can eat candy for breakfast if we want, but then we feel the consequences from that. Nothing’s ever free in life, not even when it’s given freely. There will always be ramifications to whatever you choose to do. That’s why there’s no such thing as the perfect crime. There will always be something left behind…it may take a skilled detective to find it, and it may not be found right away, but there will always be something that leaves a crack.”

“Well, as a species, we’re all flawed. Perfection is stagnation. There’s no where left to go, except downhill.” I shrugged. “Good gods, I never thought I’d be pledging to Aphrodite as a priestess. I don’t look like one—I’m not in perfect shape. I may have an hourglass figure, but it’s overly plump in some areas.”

“You’re curvaceous and beautiful. And that’s part of being a woman. Unless you want to devote your life to diet and the gym, you’ll never be model-thin. And even if you were to live in the gym, that doesn’t guarantee the ‘perfect figure.’ Some women are naturally thin and fit, but most? Not really. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that, as long as you take care of your health, as long as you treat yourself with respect, then isn’t it better to love yourself than constantly berate what you think your flaws are? And the most important piece: if Aphrodite thinks you’re good enough to be her priestess, then that should be enough.”

“Well, I can’t argue those points,” I said, shaking away my thoughts. “I don’t know when I started doubting myself, Astra. When I was with Dan, I felt beautiful and capable and confident. He was always proud of me, he was always supportive.”

Astra slowed down. The roads were icy and, while it had stopped snowing, the temperature was hovering at around thirty.

“Do you blame yourself for his death?”

I didn’t want to answer that, but finally said, “In some ways. The night he was hit by a drunk driver, was our fifth anniversary. We were going to celebrate at home, but I’d forgotten to buy the champagne. I shouldn’t have even mentioned it. He wouldn’t have missed it. But I apologized for forgetting, and he said he’d pick some up at the grocery store. I told him not to bother, but he insisted. He never made it home. So…in a sense, I do blame myself. If I’d kept my mouth shut…”

“Don’t what-if yourself into a depression, love. Was it an accident? No, but it was due to someone deciding to drive while they were drunk. It wasn’t the fact that you forgot to go shopping. Neither you nor Dan are to blame, so don’t hold a grudge against him, either.”

I jerked my head around. “How did you know?” I asked, breathing softly. Truth was, I was angry at him, as well.

“Because when things like this happen, we need someone to blame. Put your blame squarely where it belongs: the person who chose to drink and drive.”

“But the guy’s dead—I can’t yell at him. I can’t beat him up. I was so grateful that I wouldn’t have to see him get a slap on the wrist for killing my husband. So many people walk away with light sentences. But it also meant I couldn’t confront him. I couldn’t tell him how angry I was with him. I couldn’t scream at him.”

Hearing the words pour out of me, I realized that I had so much anger left inside that it was eating me up.

“You don’t have to forgive him—the driver—but you have to walk away from it. You have to find a way to let it be in the past. Or you’ll never be free of that anger and it will eat you up from the inside. We can work on it, sweetheart.” Astra turned the corner, following the GPS coordinates. “But for now, let’s focus on the task at hand.”

I pressed my lips together, realizing how much energy I had invested in my anger at the man who killed Dan. I could never forgive him… But could I really let go? Astra was right in that it would eat up my energy. And that I was feeding the memory of someone I hated. Maybe I could talk to his spirit. Maybe I could get the apology I needed.

But she was also right in that this wasn’t the time to focus on it. I fiddled in my purse, finally finding my stash of miniature Peppermint Patties—my favorite candy. I unwrapped one and popped it in my mouth as Astra pulled into Brenda’s driveway.

“She has a lovely house,” Astra said.

“Yeah, but it’s so not her. She needs to redecorate, but I think Edgar has been preventing her from going through with the plans. He decorated the house, from ceiling to floor, and she hates it but she never can quite manage the energy to change things. Maybe by exorcising him, she’ll be able to move on.” I paused, then added, “In some ways, we’re running parallel lives. Only she hated her ex, and I loved mine. But we’re both controlled by them, even after their deaths.”

“You’re right. And as long as you let that continue, you’ll never be free.” Astra parked the car and turned to me. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I think so,” I said. And, as I gathered my bag ‘o tricks, I realized that I was ready for more than just the exorcism.

Brenda met us at the door and led us into the living room.

Astra glanced around, then let out a laugh. “Yeah, you have unwelcome company, all right.”

“I know. Since we found out about him, he’s been up to even more problematic behavior. I can’t turn around without something going on—the lights flicker off and on, my hairbrush floated through the air the other day. Shadows creep along the walls where they shouldn’t. I walked into the kitchen this morning to see a column of mist spiraling near the fridge. It vanished, but when I opened the fridge, every thing in there had gone bad.” She shook her head in disgust. “I’m done with this joker.”

“Well, then, let’s get busy.” As I began to unpack my magical tool kit, one of the windows flew open and a gust of wind rushed in.

Brenda hurried over to close it. “See what I mean? He knows you’re here. I’ll be he knows what we’re going to do, as well.” She grumbled and shouted, “Edgar! Knock the fuck off! I’m tired of this. I’m done with you. You were a prick in life, and you’re even worse in death!”

As if in answer to her words, a picture on the wall crashed to the ground, the glass shattering. I jumped, but Brenda was over it. Done. She put her hands on her hips and once again, addressed the ghost.

“Look, fuck off! Go to the Veil. Go do whatever it is spirits are supposed to do?—”

This time, Edgar wasn’t so subtle. One of the pokers by the fireplace flew up and started spinning, heading directly for Brenda. She stared at it, too shocked to move, but Astra—who was closer than I was—managed to grab Brenda by the arm and drag her out of the way.

Brenda sputtered, but Astra shut her up.

“Stop! The last thing we need is to antagonize him. Let us do the work, and keep quiet. You can scream at his tombstone.” My aunt, when she was riled, was a formidable woman.

Brenda backed down immediately. “I’m sorry.”

“Let us work.” Astra motioned to the sofa. “Go sit down.”

Cowed, Brenda followed her instructions.

I arranged my dagger, my crystal ball, the loadstone trap, some Purification water, a protection charm Astra had made for after we exorcised Edgar’s ass up and out of here, along with my crystal tipped wand, and a copper wound pyramid, on the table. Then—eying the living room for potential threats—I picked up my dagger.

“I’m going to start,” I said. “Which means, don’t step out of the circle I cast, and please don’t interrupt me unless it’s an emergency.” I turned to my aunt. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll play guard,” she said. “If I sense he’s up to something dangerous, I’ll tell you.” She glanced at Brenda. “If you have to go to the bathroom, go now, because we won’t have time once she casts the circle.”

Brenda nodded, a contrite smile on her face. “I’ll behave. I’m good. Let’s get this underway please.”

I took a deep breath and, starting in the north, began turning in a circle, with my dagger held out to carve the channel of energy.

“In the name of the Maiden,

of fresh tilled ground,

I cast this Circle, once around.

In the name of the Mother,

Of abundance found,

I cast this Circle, twice around.

In the name of the Crone,

Where wisdom abounds,

I cast this Circle, thrice around.”

As I drew a pentacle in the air, a hush settled over the room. Though I could still feel Edgar’s presence, it had faded, as though muted. I took another breath, and turned to the North. I held my athame high in salute.

“Spirits of the North, spirits of the Earth. You who are stone and bone and crystal. You who are leaf and branch and tree. You who are the womb of birth, and the cradle of death, come to this space and be with us. Bring your foundation, your strength, and your grounding, and let nothing unwelcome enter within.”

A ring of power—heavy and steady as the planet—rose up to encircle us with its might. As it settled in, I turned to the east and, again, held my dagger up, saluting the elements.

“Spirits of the East, spirits of the Wind. You who are our breath, and wind and storm. You who are the gentle breeze, the spiraling autumn leaves caught in the dance, you who are the gales of winter. You who are the breath of life, and the clarity of insight, come to this space and be with us. Bring new beginnings, focus and thought, and understanding, and let nothing unwelcome enter within.”

A whirl of air spun around us, then flowed into the circle. I turned to the south and, once again, saluted the elements.

“Spirits of the South, spirits of the Flames. You who are the warmth of our blood, the heat of our pulse, the passion of our hearts. You who are sensuality and passion, drive and desire, health and creativity. You who are vitality and strength, come to this space and be with us. Bring the creative spirit, and let nothing unwelcome enter within.”

The room began to heat up, the energy of the southern watchtower flowing in to infuse the circle with its strength and vitality. I turned to the west.

“Spirits of the West, spirits of the Ocean Mother. You who are the lifeblood of our world, you who are our tears and our joys. You who are depths of our psyches, the heart of our emotions, the cradle of our intuition and our compassion. You who are the creative depths, the opening of the third eye, come to this space and be with us. Bring understanding and heart, and the spirit of Magic, and let nothing unwelcome enter within.”

As the magic settled around us, I joined Brenda on the sofa. I picked up the lodestone and handed it to her. “Hold this and focus all the joy you can into it. Imagine how you’ll feel when you meet the man of your dreams.”

“About that—” she started to say, but I shook my head.

“Just do it, please.”

She gave me a silent nod and took the lodestone in hand, cupped her fingers around it and closed her eyes. I could feel the shift in her energy and then, there was a little ping that I felt more than heard. The spirit trap was ready.

I walked to the edge of the circle, knelt down, and rolled the stone outside of the protective barrier. “Hey, Edgar. Can you feel how happy Brenda is? That stone’s going to bring her happiness and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.” I turned and motioned for Brenda to join me, stopping her before she came too close to the circle’s edge. “Right? You’re ready to move on, aren’t you?” I gave her a nod and she picked up on it.

“Right…Right! Do you hear me, Edgar? I’m ready to move on and that stone’s going to help me do so. I’m so happy that I’m leaving you behind?—”

She barely got the words out when a dark mist descended near the stone. It was Edgar, and he was angry. He blasted the circle with his energy but we were safe inside, though a couple chairs went toppling over and a lamp crashed into the bubble of magic the circle created, then bounced off.

“There’s nothing you can do, Edgar!” I egged him on, trying to make him angry.

“She’s right—she’s helping me and you’re not going to be able to do a thing!” Brenda was shouting now. “You low-life piece of crap! You’ll never be able to hurt me again?—”

Her threat must have been the last straw, because the mist dove for the lodestone. There was a moment where Edgar froze and tried to pull away, but the magnetic properties of the stone had hold of him and, as we watched, he went swirling into the lodestone, and—in a matter of seconds—the air cleared.

I waited for a moment, watching.

“You did it,” Astra said, coming up behind me. “He wasn’t particularly strong, as Haunts go, but he was strong enough to cause harm, and that’s too strong.”

“Do you think he’s really trapped? He’s not hiding, is he?” I asked.

“What do your instincts say?” Astra asked.

I closed my eyes and took another breath. As it whistled out between my teeth, I could see the stone in my mind. Edgar was trapped inside.

“He’s there,” I said, relaxing. “Now, I need to find someone who can push him through the Veil, and he’ll be gone for good. But he won’t bother you again,” I said, turning to Brenda. “And now, we can get on with finding you a mate.”

“That’s what I was trying to tell you earlier,” Brenda said, blushing. “When I was at the hospital, I met someone. I’m going out with him tomorrow night, but we’ve been texting. He might be perfect.”

I stared at her. “But…I’m supposed to find you a star witch.”

“He is!” she said. “He’s a star witch, and he’s single. He said that he’s been feeling that someone would come into his life in an unexpected way. I met him at the hospital. He sprained his ankle, and was there getting it looked at. His name is Jamison Wanderson, and I can’t tell you how right this feels.”

“ Jamison Wanderson ? That’s who I was going to talk to you about!” I laughed. “I can’t believe it. I feel like I’ve wasted your deposit?—”

“Of course you haven’t. For one thing, I wouldn’t have gone to the hospital if I hadn’t been in the car with you. So, you’re still responsible for us meeting. And you just said you were planning on fixing us up for a date! Also, you cleared my house—that’s worth more than my deposit. You exorcised Edgar, and you’ve cleared the way for me to move on. I’m going to redecorate the hell out of this house, I’ll tell you that.”

She seemed so happy that there wasn’t much I could say, except, “Hey, invite me to the wedding.”

Brenda laughed. “I’ll pay you your commission if we end up getting married. I don’t care how the job gets done, as long as I find my Happily Ever After . And…I really think I have, Maisy. I feel it in the depths of my heart.”

There wasn’t much I could say to that.

Before I opened the circle, Astra and I cleared the rest of the house of residue energy, and then we saged it and blessed it. We took the lodestone with us. Astra promised me she’d find someone to get rid of Edgar. Then—after saying goodnight to Brenda—we headed back to our house.

“I’m so confused,” I said. “I’m not sure what happened.”

“I think you’ll find that in Midnight Point, things run as they will. Don’t question how the job get done, how the sausage gets made… Now, let me drop off Edgar here, and then let’s go out for dinner. We have a lot to celebrate.”

When I thought about it, we really did. We were healthy, Brenda’s ex was taken care of, she’d actually met a star witch and seemed ecstatic, and I was about to pledge to Aphrodite. Life was changing, and I decided to roll with it rather than fight it.