I recognized it as a transport key.
“Bridgette, do you have the incense?” Sarah called out to Bridgette who was marching down the hallway behind us.
“There is some in the warehouse.”
“And chalk from the Isle of Wight?”
“I’ve got some in my pocket,” Bridgette said as she came to a rest beside us and patted her pocket.
Sarah Anne let out a tense sigh. “Then I guess we’ve got everything we need.” She made eye contact with me. “You should probably start concentrating on Fagan now. Remember absolutely everything you can about him. Every detail. It’ll help us do a location spell.”
I gritted my teeth, even though I should probably have been asking questions like what a location spell was and how exactly I was meant to help with a séance if I’d never experienced one before.
Sarah didn’t give me the opportunity to question. She whirled on her foot, brought up the carved key, and jammed it in the lock.
There was a distinct grating sound as the door unlocked. Then she settled a hand on the handle, breathed in another tense breath, and opened the door.
It swung open into a warehouse.
Fortunately, this one was not covered with plastic, so my stomach didn’t have to kick with fear.
The warehouse was relatively clean. It looked pretty old, too, from the turn of last century, if I was any guess. Instead of metal pylons holding up the large ceiling, they were made out of brick and carved wood. Though the concrete floor was cracked in places, otherwise it looked as if it had been meticulously cleaned.
At first, it appeared as if there were soft, dimmed lights lighting up the room. But as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized there was a circle of candles in the middle of the room.
About 100.
Women and men were gathering, chatting in hushed voices. They stopped speaking as Sarah strode forward. Bridgette was at her side, and she peeled off, heading towards a basket that rested by the candles. It was chock-full of incense sticks. She called someone over, and they began lighting them one by one.
So this was my first séance, ha? Though it was a stupid thought considering what forces were after me, I wondered when we’d start getting naked. Because it wasn’t as if I’d never been naked in front of Max, right?
A totally inappropriate thought, I told myself as I clenched my teeth and watched the proceedings.
Sarah continued to talk to the other witches in low tones, obviously instructing them on what was to happen next. Meanwhile, Bridgette lit the last incense stick then pushed a hand into her pocket, plucked out the chalk from the Isle of Wight, and began scattering it around in what looked like a random pattern.
Max stood silently by my side, hands in his pockets.
When Sarah was done, she twirled around, her summer dress twisting around her legs as she walked up to him. She pressed an awkward smile over her face. “You have to wait outside, sorry.”
Max shrugged. “I figured.” He shifted his gaze towards me. “Just do what she says, okay? You’ll be okay.” With that, he nodded and walked out. He exited through the door behind me, but it no longer led to that funky café. Instead, it seemed to lead to a laneway right outside.
I didn’t want to be pathetic, but part of me wanted to call out, grasp Max’s arm, and hold him in place. Maybe somehow he figured that out, because he cast me a lingering look before the door finally closed.
I shivered.
Sarah pushed up beside me. “It’ll be okay – it’ll be over in a flash, I promise.”
I turned to her. “Just what exactly is meant to happen, anyway? I’ve never been to a séance,” I admitted through a gulp. I turned over my shoulder, staring at the room. All the preparations had apparently been made, and all the witches were now assembling in place.
The warehouse was large, and rather than congregate around the circle of a hundred burning candles, everyone spread out, occupying most of the room as they formed a wide, large circle.
Sarah offered me a glum smile. “Max mentioned you’re new to this world. It doesn’t matter. Just follow what we say. When the time comes, I’ll ask you to concentrate on Fagan. That’s all you’ll have to do. Concentrate on a memory of him, what he wore when you last saw him, what he looked like, how he sounded, what he said. His facial features – anything that would help you recognize him. Okay?”
It took me a long time, but I forced myself to nod.
Sarah shot me a thankful smile then waved me forward.
I was gratified that Bridgette took up position beside me. Sure, I barely knew the woman, but considering we’d saved each other’s lives, we were more connected than I was to anyone else in this room.
I suddenly appreciated how drafty this room was as I stood there, still, watching the hundred candles shift and flutter in a driving breeze.
They were kind of mesmerizing, and the more I stared at them, the more they managed to pull my mind off the horror of what would come next. For I did not want to concentrate on Fagan. Don’t ask me how, but part of my terrified mind told me it would just bring him closer.
Sarah Anne took up position roughly on the other side of the room. By now, one of the witches had handed out robes, and everybody dressed in them apart from me. Sarah’s robes covered her sweet summer dress and her cute white heels, the dark color of the robe no longer making her look like the girl next door. Instead, she cut the commanding figure of a witch.
She took a rattling breath. Rather than explain the process in English,
