Maudlin's Mayhem (Bewitching Bedlam #2)(44)

“Yes. The main thing is, Dirt Magic can turn really nasty, really fast. I can work up a set of roots that can destroy the average person without blinking. But I don’t. Because Dirt Magic, like every type of magic, can be abused and misused, or it can be useful. My grandma used to whip me when I was a boy, when she caught me working roots for my own gain. She’d beat my backside till I couldn’t sit down.” His eyes were twinkling now.

“Where did you grow up?” I was quickly growing to like Garret James, despite all the warnings. He was honest and direct, and I’d take that any day over somebody who might be more “acceptable” but also more glib.

“Why, down in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Kentucky. But that was a long time ago. My clan—the Blue Diamond Copperheads—were nomadic. People feared us because of our magic. They knew nothing about our abilities to shape-shift. If they had, they would have killed every one of us they could.” He paused, then shook his head. “I don’t like to talk about my past with strangers, though, so that’s all I’ll say about that.”

I glanced over at his workbench. At least fifty bottles lined the shelf behind it, each holding some sort of herb or twig or root. They were all labeled but I couldn’t read the language.

“What you need to break the hex for you and your friends is a good dose of whompwater smoke.” He shook out several roots, then closed his eyes and tossed them on the bench. After they landed, he opened his eyes and began to examine the pattern in which they had fallen.

“Whompwater?”

“Yeah, it whomps anything it touches, so to speak. The roots tell me I can break this spell, but it’s going to take me at least two days to prepare the formula. This isn’t something I can rush. I’ll be at your place, Thursday evening, shortly before sunset. I’ll have what you need.”

I took out my purse. “I assume payment in advance?”

He stared at my bag, then at me. “I could easily charge up to a thousand for a hex-breaker of this magnitude, but I won’t. I’d rather just say, you owe me a favor, Maddy Gallowglass. One I’ll collect later, when I need it.”

And with that, he stood, motioning to the door. “Now get moving. I fully believe you can take care of yourself, but it’s still not a good idea to hang around here as the day wanes. Besides, if I’m going to have this ready for you, I need to start on it now.”

I headed for the door, wanting to stick around and talk to him some more. The man fascinated me. But I also needed the hex-breaker and I didn’t have any other alternative at this point. I waved at him as he turned back to his workbench and began sorting through his arsenal of herbs.





I WAS ON the way home when a call came through from Delia, but I was driving and didn’t have my headset on, so I ignored it. I’d call her when I arrived home. The house seemed terribly quiet as I approached. Not being able to talk to Aegis had really put a damper on things.

A glance at the clock told me it was three p.m. Crap. The ritual was only a couple hours off and I was in no way ready.

“Oh, hell. I can’t believe I’m running so late,” I muttered to myself. I raced into the house and dashed up the stairs to take a quick shower. I grabbed my ritual soap and lathered up, trying to relax. The ceremony wasn’t so much actual magic as it was ritual theater, but that didn’t matter. It had to be real and sincere. We had practiced over the past couple weeks, so I knew the drill down pat, but as I put in a quick call to Sandy while toweling off, I realized that I had no heart for it. Too much had happened the past few days.

“Thank gods you remembered. I was going to mention it before I got off on my crying jag over Bart, but then it just slipped away. I’ll meet you downtown at four. Don’t be late.” She hung up before I could ask her if she had been in touch with the rest of the coven.

I dried my hair, then groaned when I realized my main ritual robe was still at the dry cleaner’s. Thank gods I had a backup. I sorted through my closet till I found the deep V-necked dress. It was open down to my navel, with a fastener at the waist, and was that royal blue that slid into purple. I contorted my way into my strapless bra—a long-line version with a deep plunge so that it didn’t show—then pulled on my dress.

After brushing my hair and redoing my makeup, I fastened on my circlet. Both silver and bronze, the headdress was a beautiful Celtic knotwork of vines and leaves, meeting in the front to support a crescent moon with a moonstone in the center. I slipped on my ritual rings and my pentacle, and finally, I fastened a thin leather belt around my waist before I attached the sheath for my ritual dagger on one side and a ritual flail on the other.

Giving myself a once-over in the mirror, I stepped into a pair of ballet flats and swung my blue cape over my shoulders, closing it at the neck with a beautiful gold brooch that Aegis had bought for me.

I let out a long sigh as Bubba peeked into the bedroom. He bounced up onto the dresser and pawed at me. I ruffled his fur, scratching him behind the ears.

“M-row.”

“I’ll be careful, Bubs. You too. I’ll be home as soon as I can. The ritual won’t last more than an hour, and the rest of the coven’s setting it up now, so I should be home by eight at the latest.” I leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “I’m just glad we broke the spell on you, babe. I love you. Be good and watch over things.”