Gingerly, I turn to a set of blank pages. Placing my hands over the top of the splayed paper, I close my eyes and try to clear my mind of anything but what I need from it.
“All right, grimoire—I need a spell to help locate my dad’s….”—I swallow hard—“body. We need to stop his Lemure. Help me find a spell that will locate him.”
Keeping my eyes closed for a moment, I let the energy from my thoughts flow down through my arms and out my hands. In my mind’s eye, there are all sorts of colors, as my intentions slide through the energy centers of my body. In a strange way, it’s as if I’ve plugged my arms into some sort of an energetic outlet, only I’m the energy source and the book is what’s being charged.
When the information flow feels like it’s pulling itself back, my eyes flit open. I stare in awe as the pages beneath my hands begin to fill themselves in. Removing my hands from the paper, I can’t help but smile. There’s so much about this world of magic that never ceases to amaze me. The world of fiction isn’t all that far off.
Leaning in, I read the heading on the top of the first page. It’s written in bold calligraphy, with delicate embellishments of gold and red and reads:
Lemures.
Biting my lip, I begin to read.
Lemures, also known as Shades, are the restless spirits of the dead who were, for one reason or another, never afforded a proper burial by the living. They have not been interred into a tomb, grave, or other sacred location. Because of this, it has opened their spirit to the malevolent forces within the physical realm. Demons will seek their light out, seeking to destroy them. Should that happen, their soul becomes trapped on the earthly plane and slowly descends into a spiritual form of madness. As it tries to hold onto a sense of self, a Lemure might be able to last years before manifesting its own malevolent tendencies.
Lemures will often become attached to specific people, places, or things and will lash out at anyone who might wish to affect the items of their fixation. Their level of haunting may range on a spectrum from benign to indistinguishable from that of a poltergeist.
Should their remains not be properly buried, ultimately, their madness will even destroy those they are most attached to.
For those seeking to stop a Lemure, it’s important to know that very often their remains will be difficult to locate, particularly since it can be months, weeks, or even years before their madness catches up and their hauntings turn violent. By then, their body may be ravaged by time.
You can say that again. On both counts.
I shake my head, continuing on to the next section.
In order to fully vanquish a Lemure, it is imperative their hauntings are dealt with at the root. A simple seance or spell to cast out a spirit will only anger a Lemure. Instead, their remains must be located and burned in the Flames of Eternity.
I inhale sharply. Flames of Eternity.
There’s only one person I know with the power to summon flames—normal ones or otherwise.
I run my fingertips across my lips, suddenly able to see why Abigail wanted the Gilberts involved.
“Shit,” I mutter, reaching for my cell phone. But as my hand hits my pocket, I realize I can’t call her—I’m not even in the real world. Instead, I continue reading.
Without this elemental magic in play, the spark of their eternal essence—their soul—cannot be released and will not be reaped. Finally, their ashes must be properly interred and funeral rites be given.
The other page has another delicate heading that reads:
Summoning Spell for the Forgotten
The following location spell must be cast by a biomancer with the deep-rooted power to connect to earth energies. This allows them to bypass the spirit interference of the Lemure so they can connect with the earthly remains alone.
It’s important to note that no ordinary witch will have the power to summon the location for the remains of a Lemure. It is especially important that a psychic witch not perform this spell. Their spirit energy will be too strong and will actively block any attempts to locate their body. As such, a Lemure grows in power, lashing out and actively seeking to destroy anyone who might wish to get in its way.
I look up, shaking my head.
I’m completely wasting Dominic’s time. If he tries to do anything, he could be putting himself, and everyone else, in danger.
“Dammit,” I say, quickly studying the spell and committing it to memory.
The summoning spell requires something physical that’s directly tied to my dad. Like a picture, or some other likeness. The rest is all up to the biomancer’s intentions and summoning. Which, of course, would be Colton.
I should have listened to Abigail from the start.
Now I need to make it back to my body quickly so I can call it all off. As much as Wade and I wanted to avoid pulling the twins in, it looks like we’re going to need them both to make this happen. And if we’re going to make it work, we’re going to need to act fast.
“Thank you,” I whisper, sort of to the grimoire and sort of to the catacombs in general as I close the book.
As I step away from the pedestal, the flames begin to go out, one at a time. I walk to the tunnel entrance, which brings me back to the resurrection chamber, and close my eyes. Immediately, I sense the rest of the space go dark.
I wait a moment, allowing my extrasensory vision to catch up. When the bright colors spring to life, I don’t waste any time. I race forward, willing myself to get to the other end—and to my body faster.
Somehow, before I even reach the end of the tunnel, I’m thrust back into my body and I lurch forward with a jerk. I
