“Your choices are Right Hand or Left Hand path. The Right Hand path draws from your internal strengths and abilities, in your case latent color magic. Astral projection and remote viewing would also come from marshalling the Right."
“How does color magic work?”
“The expression is unique to the witch. You’d call out to meaningful colors in your life and weave emotional union with them to perform spells.”
“Such as visualizing the color green for money.”
Nerissa shrugged. “If you’re thinking long-term, sure.”
The words “long-term” bounced around in a series of bothersome echoes. Long-term might not suffice. “What’s up with the Left?”
“Left Hand powers originate from outside. Think transferring energy into objects in order to manipulate them, or splitting your psyche so as to exist in two places at once. The Left is potent and capable of producing immediate results, but also volatile and dark.”
A surge of curiosity charged through Helen. She scooted to the edge of her seat. Potent power and speedy results could save L&E before the bank snatched it away and Helen and Lisa trudged out carrying boxes.
Helen had slunk out of many front doors with tears in her eyes. Never again.
She pursed her lips, though, wavering at what volatile and dark might mean. In all likelihood, something bad. Yet depending on inner strengths didn’t seem like the right move, not when one of Helen’s dumb mistakes all but catapulted the studio into the abyss.
“Have you chosen?” Nerissa drummed her fingers on the book’s cover.
Bottom line, she could not afford to wait. “I choose the Left Hand path.”
“There will be a cost.” Nerissa rose and offered Helen the grimoire.
“What is it?” Helen accepted, her arms straining under the book’s weight.
Nerissa walked to a credenza. Jars filled with liquids in a variety of colors cluttered the top. Helen watched with interest as the old lady rummaged in a drawer.
The elder witch returned with a small sack made of black velvet and a jar half full of clear fluid. She handed over the pouch. “Depends on one’s constitution. Could be as trivial as a stomachache.”
Helen took the bag, taking a moment to stroke the silky material. She loosened a string and peered in. Crystals in a rainbow of colors sparkled one after the other as if they communicated. “But it could be worse.”
“Oh, yes.”
“What’s the worst case scenario?”
“If the universe decides the darkness wasn’t yours to take, it might generate a hex as punishment for selecting the wrong magic. Think karma, but magnified tenfold.”
Helen’s insides dropped. “Hold up. I don’t need more trouble. How would I deal with a hex?”
“Read your book. That’s the answer to all of your questions. But first, deploy the crystals. They are sentient and absorbent, and the clear ones are the most pliable and receptive to their witch’s will. Give both clear stones away to good people before you undertake your study, as cultivating others’ energies will refine your powers. Make sure to set a mental intention before gifting this pair of crystals. Done correctly, this means giving each one precise directions. Otherwise, the hex might begin with dark entities latching on to one or both stones. Once demons establish communion, they can possess crystals.”
Yawning, Nerissa thrust the jar at Helen. “Drink this and leave. The Reveal spell I did drained my energy. If I don’t get my nap in, my weakened state could compromise you.”
Though her pulse accelerated, Helen took the container and unscrewed its lid. She chugged, gag reflex lurching as she downed the sour glop. Her eyes watered, and nausea roiled her insides, but she finished the nasty potion. Go big or go home. “So twenty bucks is okay?”
“We’ll settle up down the road.” The old woman’s eyelids fluttered closed as she sagged in her chair. “Study now.”
A rush of pride prompted Helen to straighten her spine. She could be a decent student. Armed with a big book of witchiness and the crystals, she placed her empty jar on a coffee table and sauntered to the front door of the bungalow with her head held high.
The plan: give away two crystals, figure out magic, get L&E solvent, and save her dearest friendship. Doable? Helen smiled and hugged the grimoire to her chest. Hell yeah.
“Sacrificium.” A calm, male voice spoke inside of Helen’s head. An itchy surge of adrenaline shot to her toes. Though she’d never taken Latin, she sure got the gist—sacrifice.
Her hand tensed on the doorknob, and she glanced at Nerissa. “Did you hear that?”
“No!” Nerissa bolted upright. Her mouth dropped, and her eyes stretched wide, but the show of fear in her expression fled as fast as it came.
Helen’s mouth dried. Talk about a bad omen double whammy. “Are you okay?”
Rubbing her temples, the elder looked around the room. “I’m fine. Take care.”
Helen jetted to her Mini Cooper. As she fumbled for her keys, a plume of milky smoke erupted in the recesses of her consciousness, vanishing a second after it arrived. She tried to disregard the inexplicable intrusion. Probably just her magic settling in.
She drove to the Minnesota State Fair, but by the time she squeezed between two cars in a dusty makeshift lot, she hadn’t managed to forget the creepy voice and smoke.
A definitive slam of her door shoved the unsettling events out of her mind, and she strode to the flapping banner marking the entrance to the fairgrounds.
Today belonged in the win column, damn it.
Two
As she approached the row of ticket booths, Helen nabbed Lisa’s number from her contacts and pushed the green phone receiver icon. The fantastic surprise in store would kick off reconciliation. Let the healing commence.
After three rings, Lisa answered with a sigh. “This better be an emergency.”
Helen swiped the foreclosure notice from her purse and crumpled it into a ball, the crunch making a big grin split her face. She chucked the wadded paper into a recycling bin, nailing the shot from five
