Free Destiny Disrupted by Sherry Soule Page B

of time. Do you think this could be the key to saving Trent’s humanity?”
    “Maybe…maybe not. I don’t want you to get your hopes up, Shiloh. In my experience, there are two kinds of people with Darkness in the world. The ones that want to be redeemed. And those that…”
    “That what?”
    “Become void of humanity. They can no longer respond to reason or love.” He cleared his throat. “Regardless of how this turns out, I’m extremely proud of you for staying on top of this dreadful situation.”
    “Thanks. What did you want to talk to me and Ariana about?”
    “Nothing I wish to discuss just yet. I’m going to search through the archives while I’m here and get all the facts straight before we discuss it.”
    “So it sounds like you’re enjoying your retreat,” I said.
    “Yes, there’s one every year in Yosemite. It’s a beautiful place. Very serene. There’s horseback riding and hiking and lectures about discoveries regarding the supernatural realm. It’s a great honor to be invited.”
    I shook my head. “Well, I’ll let you get back to your fun.”
    We hung up, and I went to my closet. I collected what I needed, then sat on my bedroom floor. To scry for the mystical item, I held a thin silver chain with an amethyst crystal attached to it over an unfolded map of Marin County. By moving it in a slow circular movement, applying a “warm or cold” method of pinpointing the location, I waited for the crystal to pull down on a spot.
    Within two minutes, the gem yanked down and stuck fast to an area within Woodcrest Cemetery. An incredible sense of lightness struck me, like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I Google mapped the locale and printed the directions.
    Grabbing my cell, I dialed Ariana and filled her in on the Orb of Oculus and the ritual.
    “It’s the only thing I could find that will strip Trent of his evilness,” I said.
    She was quiet. Usually, every conversation with Ari concerning Trent felt like a sparring match.
    “Will your boyfriend go along with this?” she asked after the long pause.
    “He doesn’t even need to be present. After the spell is completed, it will simply take away Trent’s darker powers.”
    “How does the orb work?”
    “Evans and I will perform an incantation with the orb that should purify his blood and remove all the Darkness taint for good.”
    “What’s it look like?”
    “The image sketched in the grimoire kind of looked like a crystal ball,” I said. “I scryed for the orb and one’s buried in a local graveyard. I read that using holy ground to bury something means it’s super powerful. I really think this might work!”
    She yawned into the phone. “Do you want me to go with?”
    “No, but thanks for offering. I can’t do my job if I have to worry about your safety. Until you get some magickal defenses of your own, it’ll be better if I do stuff like this solo,” I said. “I’ll be back in about an hour.”
    “Be careful.”
    “Always.”
    Ending the call, I shoved the cell into my pocket. I left the house with my supplies loaded into a backpack and hopped into the Jeep. The engine wouldn’t start. I tried to get it to turn over several times without any luck. I punched the dashboard.
    More demon pranks?
    Pushing down pointless anger, I got out, slung one strap of the backpack over my shoulder, and walked down the incline toward the street. Full moon tonight. Slick asphalt and warm rain struck my face. Streetlamps flickered. The neighbor’s German Shepard was barking and I wished someone would muzzle that dog.
    Beyond the rows of houses, the woods had grown up around the town, like an unnatural growth of ferns and redwoods as if to conceal the Sheol, or to protect it. The forest crooned at night with shrill cries and murmurs on the wind that rustled the naked branches. Leaves had turned gold and red, and the winds bit cold on my face and neck.
    My boots slapped the pavement with purpose. The sidewalk was fractured,