few minutes of silence, Gram said, “I don't know if he’s Elliott, but I do know
that you’re safe. You found what I sent you upstairs for, I presume?”
I nodded.
She continued, “Once we’re sure Elliott’s asleep, we'll make a protection
potion. Now, we need to gather supplies. Let me see what I sent you to get.”
I pulled the cylinder out of my boot and handed it to her.
As my grandmother read it over, she said, “Yes, that's it. We can do this.
We'll need to get the juniper tree needles and rue flower petals. I know of a place, not far from the binding circle, where you can find both. For tonight, it will need to wait.”
Gram went into the pantry. She came back out with a small, silver book.
Flipping through the lavender pages, she muttered, “Yes, this will do.”
Handing me the open book, I read the page she’d left for me to see. Rabhadh
Fola was written on the top of it in a deep red ink. At least, I hoped it was ink.
The spell needed two white candles, burdock root, salt, and sage. All
ingredients were items we had in the pantry. Just as I finished reading, my grandmother returned with her arms full.
“Here, let's be quick.”
Gram placed the white candles on the table and lit each one. She directed me
to stand on the other side of the table, across from her. Handing me a large metal
utensil, she said, “Put the sage on the spoon and hold it over both flames.”
She then took a knife and scraped some of the burdock root onto the piece of
silverware, which was starting to get hot. “Hold out your other hand,” Gram ordered.
I hesitated, knowing what was next. When she raised her eyebrows at me, I
grimaced. Sighing, I submitted and held out my hand.
With a quick slice, she cut my finger before placing it over the spoon. As my
red droplets dripped onto the heating mixture, Gram cut her own finger. It wasn’t
long before our blood mixed together.
My grandmother took a pinch of salt. I cringed at the thought. The pain the
mineral caused when it came into contact with an open wound was not
appealing.
“With this blood, I bind this salt to me. Once the barrier it forms is crossed, I
request your warning.” Gram offered me the bottle of salt. “Now, you do the same.”
Pinching the tiny white crystals between my fingertips, I was surprised there
wasn’t a stinging sensation. Feeling confident, I repeated her words. As I
finished, a spark of hot electricity ran through my arm.
Gram dropped the red-tinted salt onto the spoon and nodded for me to do the
same. As soon as the mineral left my hand, the burning tingle stopped.
Next, my grandmother took the bubbling mixture from me and poured the
hot contents into a vial, labeled Waning Gibbous Moon Water.
Calling out in a quiet voice, she said, “Goddess, your blessing is needed on
this night. Please protect this home from harm. Bright blessings
Blowing out the candles, I repeated, “Bright blessings.”
