I pulled the truck into the small parking lot. The store looked like one of those hippy bong stores. I jumped out then stuffed my wallet in my back pocket. Remi walked with me to the door.As soon as we entered, the strong smell of herbs and other plants overwhelmed my nostrils. Remi split away from me as I browsed the numerous shelves. They were laden with glass apparatus, herbs, plants, crystals, gems, chicken feet, and a host of other items. It was the biggest magical supply emporium in the west. I was sure it had something to do with being so close to a major nexus point.I wandered through the cramped maze of shelves. One man stood staring at a shelf right next to the dragon's tongue. I moved in closer. The man looked up at me. He was short with purple skin and rounded mousey ears on top of his head. I tried not to stare, but I caught him looking at my left arm.I reached over to get the dragon's tongue. He stared hard at the red spiral on my arm. His mouth gaped. I realized he

I didn't see Remi for the rest of the evening nor for the next two days. The solstice was tomorrow and my birthday was today. I spent my time studying books upon books. I focused on anything that said fracture. I had a feeling I was on my own for this. After day one, I was still hopeful, but on day two, no matter how many times I called, Remi did not appear.I flipped open the book I took from my mother's library. It was getting harder to call her Mother. She never really treated me like a daughter. There was no love between us. I was more of a slave. And now my distrust in her was growing. I sat in my truck in front of the emporium as I poured over the pages. I really hoped I was getting this right. I had found a fracture spell to split a person into mind, body, and soul. It was close enough to the solstice spell, all I had to do was reverse it, at least that's what it looked like.I squeezed my eyes shut. My brain hurt from all of this. I wanted so much to be able to do this, but I

KiraI packed the laptop and book in my bag. I needed to find Lanie and apologize. I wasn't trying to push her away. I was just afraid to make a decision. Of all the people I had talked to, she seemed to be the one to always tell it to me straight. She seemed like the best person to trust. She really had no vested interest to help me, yet she stuck around. Either I didn't see what she wanted from me, or she was being genuine.I hit the sidewalk trying to decide where to go. If she were me, which she sort of was, I would go to the library to research more. But... she had been researching so much, and if it were me, I would go to a park and find some nature. So, I headed west to the park where I had summoned her. It was either that one, or the small one with the playground, but there were too many people there for me to feel comfortable. I would try that one next if I couldn't find her. The park I was headed was big, and full of trees, but I hoped if I stuck around long enough, I would

KiraI finished drawing the circle in blood. I added a delta for the power transference then placed the rune for connecting to the demon realm. I didn't have a specific demon in mind, but most of the demons had a square in their rune, so I just drew a square. The whole thing looked very empty, but I was getting a little woozy from lack of blood.I set some beers in the circle then stood at the circle's edge. "I, Kira Hatfield, summon a demon." I paused. It sounded so absurd, but that is exactly what I wanted. "Any demon. I can give you a bit of my energy and free rein on the Earth for..." I paused in thought. "Ten minutes. I offer up alcohol for your delight. Please, I beg you, grant me your presence. I will let you drink beer and wreak havoc on this bar."For a moment, nothing happened then the drying brown blood flared green. Yellow smoke billowed up from the floor. The smoke formed a figure then it popped into existence as a solid form. The demon was huge. His skin was orange wit

Lanie wouldn't say any more about the souls. She just marched us along in silence. By the time Lanie and I made it to the park, it was the wee hours of the morning. There was a chill to the air. I wasn't sure if that was because it was dark or because I was dreading what we would find in the park. We stood at its edge. There was a playground, tennis courts, and a huge field for soccer. The trees lined the edge of the improved areas, which led to the nexus point. Angie had left us to walk on our own, but the look he had on his face when he left stuck in my memory. I'd never seen someone so big and strong look so concerned.Lanie led the way through the trees. I wondered how she knew the way. I wish I could know everything she knew about magic. I am sure that was how she was doing it, or maybe she just had a really good memory.She placed a hand in front me, forcing me to halt. She turned back to me with her finger to her lips.I held my breath and listened. I could hear a voice, it s