‘What’s this?’ Edie asked, hopping onto the kitchen counter beside me. She picked up the worn leather book and studied it. ‘Looks old. Where’s it from?’
I laughed as I picked out herbs from the cupboard above her head. Old was an understatement. ‘It’s our family’s Book of Shadows.’
‘What’s that?’
I stopped what I was doing and stood, watching her. She swung her black jean-wearing legs back and forth, giving me flashbacks of when she was five-years-old and she did that while Javi and I prepared dinner. She might have been seventeen, but in some ways, she was just as naive. She had no idea what was really out there. I’d protected her for as long as I could. But when a ghost sent you a message, it was for a reason. Whether I liked it or not, Nathan had picked Edie. It might’ve been a convenience thing. I didn’t know. But I had to figure out what that warning meant, and I had a sinking feeling I couldn’t do that without Edie’s help. I sighed.
‘It’s like a guidebook for being a witch. I know, we’re not witches, but someone in our lineage clearly was. It’s got lots of ghost hunting stuff in, too.’
Edie flicked through the pages. ‘Whoa. Some of this stuff isn’t even in English!’
‘Yeah, like I said: old. Some is in Latin or Old English. I’ve never gotten the Latin translated.’
‘Why not?’
‘We haven’t needed it for generations. What’s the point?’
‘Wouldn’t you like to know what it’s all about, though? If there’s anything useful?’
‘Useful for what? They were witches, Edie. We’re not.’
She tilted her head, her eyes filled with curiosity and excitement. ‘But we could be, couldn’t we?’
‘No. It’s too dangerous.’
Edie scoffed. ‘You mean like exorcisms are?’
‘They’re different.’
‘Why are they?’
‘Because we know what we’re signing up for!’ I snatched the book from her and flicked back to the page I needed. Edie flinched. Guilt tugged at my heart. I hadn’t meant to be so heavy handed or snippy, but she didn’t get it, and I was worried she never would. ‘It’s one thing to play with magic you understand, but playing with magic you don’t understand is dangerous. It could kill you, or someone you love.’
Like it had killed Javi.
Edie hopped off the counter and wrapped her arms around me. ‘I’m sorry, Mum. I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m just excited, I guess.’
‘And that’s fine, but a little bit of anxiety never killed anyone.’
Edie scoffed. ‘A little bit might not have, but a lot sure stopped them from living.’
‘Look at you, Freud.’
She shrugged, a smug expression on her face. ‘So why do you need it, anyway?’
‘To make the exorcism potion. For an exorcism, you need a combination of a potion and a spell. The spell activates the ingredients in the potion.’
‘What happens if you use the potion without a spell?’
‘Nothing.’
‘And if you use a spell without a potion?’
‘Depends on the spell. Some work, some don’t. In this case, it’s less likely to work. The potion helps make the host’s body toxic to the ghost inhabiting it, although some can fight it off in the same way alcohol affects everyone differently. The spell makes it more potent and ensures the the host, er, throws up the ghost, if you will.’
‘Like drinking saltwater and shoving your fingers down your throat to throw up?’ she offered.
I stared at her, horrified at the image. ‘If that’s how you want to look at it. I so don’t want to know where you learned that was a thing.’
She giggled. ‘Biology. Don’t worry; I don’t want to do that to myself.’
My body relaxed. ‘Thank god. You had me worried for a minute.’
‘Please. I like food too much to make myself throw up, you know that.’ She returned to her spot on the edge of the counter and swung her feet. ‘What would happen if we didn’t exorcise Lila?’
‘Her spirit would leave her body and cross over. Or become a ghost.’
‘But her body would still be alive?’
‘Yeah. Only one spirit can inhabit a body long term. The longer the ghost is in there, the stronger they get and the weaker the original gets. If it was a strong spirit to begin with, things can get ugly pretty fast. Ghosts like kids because they can’t fight for as long.’
Edie’s mouth fell. Should I have told her that? Would she worry? Could she handle it? Well, it was too late now.
‘That’s so awful. We have to help Lila!’ She hopped off the counter, ready for action.
‘Hang on a minute,’ said Edie, narrowing her eyes, ‘if you’ve got that fancy Book of Shadows, why can’t we ward Josh’s place?’
‘Because only the words for the spell are in here. The paint potion isn’t.’
‘What?’ She angled herself so that she could read over my shoulder, flicking through the pages. ‘Why would they do that?’
‘Maybe they had the ingredients memorised so didn’t want to write them down. Or they’ve changed over time or something.’
‘Will the spell work without the potion? Offer some protection?’
‘No. The point of the spell is to enchant the potion, which is then painted onto the walls. Can’t do one without the other.’
Edie huffed. ‘Frazzle!’
‘It sucks, I know. I wish there was more we could do.’
Edie took the book from me, frantically flicking through it. If there was something to be found on warding – that was in English, at least – I would’ve found it. But Edie stopped on a page I didn’t recognise, running her fingers along it.
‘What?’
‘What about this one?’
‘You can read that?’
It was in a version of Old English that went over my head. I’d never shown it to anyone else for them to try to translate it. Not that I’d had anyone else to show it to. Javi had always been more of an action man and got bored reading the instructions. My mother only taught me the spells and potions she felt I needed to know.
Edie gestured me closer, pointing at letters on the page. ‘This F is an S. And Ye means The. Does that help?’
‘A little.’
I took a pen and paper from a drawer and scribbled out what Edie read out as we translated. By the end, we’d translated a spell and potion for warding a house that probably hadn’t been used in decades, if not centuries.
When she was done, Edie beamed. She looked so proud of herself. I was proud of her, too. Was it time for me to give her more of a chance? With skills like that, she could be a great ghost hunter, especially with so much written about it in old texts.
What was I saying? I wasn’t a ghost hunter anymore. I wasn’t going to train my daughter to become one either. We were just helping a little girl, her dog, and her parents.
‘Have we got all the ingredients we need for it?’ Edie asked me hopefully.
‘No. I think the eucalyptus is part of the problem. There are countless varieties and we need a particular one. It’s been hard to get to because of this year’s bushfires. That’s why I can’t get my usual supply.’
Edie tapped her foot. ‘Hold on. I’ll do an online search to see if we can order the right species from somewhere.’ She took her phone from her pocket and flicked through it.
I put my hand on top of hers. ‘Slow down there. We have a more pressing job to deal with first. Prevention is important, but so is saving someone who’s already suffering.’
‘Slow down? I’m already done.’ Edie patted my arm. ‘Welcome to the twenty-first century, Mum.’