Free Spirit Storm by E.J. Stevens Page A

to find your amulet?” she asked.
    “Oh yeah,” I answered. “I was born ready.”
    I was still in my tough girl outfit and feeling the warm glimmer of hope building inside my chest. I could feel a wild smile spread across my face to match Emma’s frenzied grin. Maybe that’s why everyone is inching away.
    Stifling the hysterical laugh rising in my throat, I slipped into the stacks. I felt as though the answer to my salvation was just on the periphery. If I were fast enough and smart enough, I could catch it and survive Samhain. It was an empowering feeling and I wondered idly if this was how Cal felt when he was following a scent trail. I was on the hunt for Nera’s amulet and the trail of clues was leading me to unexpected places. Very unexpected.
    During my initial search for information on Nera’s amulet I was surprised to see old sketches and ancient carvings that looked vaguely familiar. The more I stared at images of the amulet the stronger the nagging sensation that I had seen it before. After my tenth cup of coffee, I finally remembered where. Could it really be that close?
    I didn’t want to get my hopes up, only to have them dashed on the rocks of reality, so I enlisted the help of Emma, researcher extraordinaire. If we could find more evidence to link the amulet I had seen with Nera’s legendary amulet, then I would begin to breathe easy and bust out my happy dance. Well, not a happy dance . No way was I risking accidentally calling out Cal’s wolf spirit. If there was reason for celebration, my happy feet would just have to settle for jumping for joy.
    With arms heavily laden with books, Emma and I clomped up to the third floor study area. Our usual cubical was available, not many people were in the library first thing Saturday morning, and began sorting through the books we had found. Whoever had the unlucky task of shelving these was going to have their hands full. We had books from numerous sections including archaeology and ancient artifacts, Celtic and Gaedhilic mythology, history of the Salem Witch Trials, and goldsmithing and the art of jewelry making. Emma even had an auction catalog.
    Why gather information on the Salem Witch Trials? The connection was tenuous at best, but the place I was sure I had seen the amulet, like the one used by Nera, was in an occult shop in Salem Massachusetts. If I remembered correctly, the amulet was in a glass case, on display as a historical piece. Now I just had to find out if they really were one and the same.
    “Why the books on jewelry making?” Emma asked, raising one eyebrow. Was I the only person incapable of doing that? Whenever I attempted to raise one eyebrow I looked like I was trying to join both brows to my hairline. So not fair.
    “If the amulet in Salem really is Nera’s, then it won’t be for sale,” I answered. “The shop owners had it on display to attract visitors, like a museum piece, so I may have to…borrow it.” This was the part that made my stomach churn and palms sweat.
    “Wait a minute, didn’t you say the shop was owned by witches?” Emma asked.
    “Yeah,” I said, shakily.
    “So if this is the right amulet, you’re going to go steal it from a bunch of witches?” she asked.
    “That’s the plan so far,” I said, nodding slowly. “But if I do have to take it, I’m going to leave a replica in its place. Maybe they won’t even notice.”
    Okay, I knew this was wishful thinking, but it was the best I could come up with. We were growing short on time and the spirit storm front was moving closer. I was diametrically opposed to stealing in principal, but I was even more against the idea of death and insanity. Blame it on the rain.
    “Right,” she said, pushing the goldsmithing books to the side and rolling her eyes. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I’ve seen your art projects and, girl, you are no Michelangelo.”
    “Great,” I said. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Like I needed another reason to