Free Witch Road to Take by April M. Reign

older I got, the more I began
to understand.”
    “Who killed her?”
    “I never saw anyone kill her.”
    “What do you remember?” I asked.
    “She was fighting an entity. Something I
couldn’t see. But she was chanting and I remembered everything she
said, word for word. Before Father whisked us away, I wrote her
chant down. Later, when I was older, I looked up the spell she
cast.”
    “And?”
    “And she put a spell on Hell, one that
cannot be broken unless seven keys are brought together. The spell
entitles every spirit to a trial by fire.”
    “I know about the trials. I thought the
trials had always been a part of Father’s kingdom.”
    “Prior to Mother’s spell there was no such
thing, but after she cast her spell, spirits were entitled to
convince the court that their souls deserved a second chance.”
    He stopped for a moment, staring toward the
portal that only we could see. I waited for him to continue.
    Finally, he looked at me. “There were two
things in that spell that has had me baffled for years.”
    “What’s that?”
    “In part of the spell, Mother said: Lucifer will suffer the loss of trials, near and far. And
she followed that up with a repetitive verse: Separabis eos
vigilem .”
    “Separate them, watcher?”
    “How did you know what that meant? It’s in
Latin.”
    I shook my head. “I’ve no idea. You said it
and it replayed in my mind in English.”
    Damien placed his warm hand on my arm. “Your
powers are coming in fast and strong.”
    There was silence between us. We could hear
the sirens from the city below and helicopters making their rounds.
“A watcher needs to separate what?”
    “Exactly. What? Those two things have
baffled me for years.”
    “And you’re positive that you remembered it
word for word?”
    “More than positive.”
    “Why would someone or something kill Mother?
Gavin said she was a strong witch, but who or what had she
threatened? And what did she mean about Father suffering the loss
of trials near and far?” I stood and paced, repeating her words. Separabis eos vigilem ”
    Damien stood and gripped my hand. “It was
time for you to know and maybe with some luck, we can figure out
those things together.”
    I nodded.
    He hugged and kissed my forehead before he
started off toward the portal.
    “Wait.”
    He turned and faced me.
    “Will that thing I become only happen if I
get mad?”
    “For the most part until you learn to
control it, and then you’ll be able to invoke it when you
want.”
    I used this opportunity to remind him of
something very important. “My birthday is in four days. Think you
can make it?”
    “I wouldn’t miss it. And Dhellia, go home.
Don’t stand here and search for the one thing you wanted to get
away from. You have a life now. Go and explore it.”
    He was right. I watched him disappear
through the portal, happy that he had finally confided in me. I
turned around and propped my leg up on the ledge of the U.S. Bank
building.
    “ Separabis eos vigilem ,” I whispered
to myself.

Chapter Eleven

    I stood in front of
Jonas’s closet and eyed his wardrobe. With my index finger erect
over my lips, tapping ever so slightly, I was horrified at the
collection of plaid button-down shirts, polyester pants and
random-colored ties. I sighed in disbelief that he’d own any of
this stuff, let alone think he was going to wear something from
this closet to perform on stage this evening.
    “This is a joke, right?” I blew my
flaming-red bangs off my forehead and crossed my arms under my
chest.
    “This is what I got. We take it or leave
it.”
    I glanced at his body from head to toe.
“Well, we’re definitely not going to leave it. We want your fans to
have fun, right?” I giggled at the thought of Jonas nude on
stage.
    He put his hands on his hips. “I have plenty
of women who want this body. Look at this?”
    He lifted his sleeve and flexed his bicep.
Unintentionally, I laughed so hard I thought I would bust my side
open. I