Jess only nodded, and placed the book in my lap.
Prepared for it this time, the energy that pulsed gently against my knees didn’t scare me. Fascinated, I studied the book itself. It was clearly very old, bound in black leather worn smooth and gray in places, but the binding seemed tight. The edges of the pages were rough cut and the paper was thick and pulpy, like it had been made by hand. There was no writing on the cover—if there ever had been, it had long since worn away. Instead, there was a symbol that seemed to have been branded or stamped into the leather—an intricate Celtic knot at the center of a compass rose. At the four points of the compass, a jewel had been set into the leather, each a different color, each glittering in the sunlight like there was a tiny fire lit inside them. I didn’t need to be an expert in precious stones to know they were real and probably extremely valuable.
“Wow,” I muttered, in spite of myself.
“Yeah. That’s what Dr. Vesper said too, when she first saw it.”
Heart pounding, I lifted the cover and peeked inside, carefully thumbing through a few pages. The text was handwritten in different hands, some of it clear, other parts illegible, accompanied by sketches of plants, runes, and constellations. I closed it again quickly.
It was a spellbook. I was holding a spellbook.
I looked up to see Jess looking intently at me, like she was trying to read my expression.
“Did you, uh… did you look through this book?” I asked, hoping I merely sounded curious instead of nervous.
Jess nodded. “Of course. It’s really cool, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s…”
“A grimoire, I think.”
I stared at her.
“That’s what Dr. Vesper called it,” she went on. “She said your family had a history of witchcraft. In fact, that’s what Dr. Vesper studies. She teaches courses on witchcraft and other folk magic and traditions at Cambridge.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, once I tracked you down to Sedgwick Cove, I realized I must be on the right track. I used to live in Salem, Massachusetts, you know. These New England towns can be steeped in occult heritage. Once I saw your family’s shop downtown, I knew you’d appreciate having this. There’s probably some cool family history in there.”
I could feel my pulse calming down. The more she talked, the more it was apparent that this woman wasn’t here to drop a bombshell or expose my family’s magical secrets. It really seemed like she was just a nice young woman who found something cool that belonged to us, and wanted to return it. I finally felt I was able to return her smile.
“Thanks for coming so far to deliver it,” I said. “You could have just… just mailed it, or something. You didn’t have to come all this way.”
Jess shook her head, laughing. “An antique like that? Not a chance. I couldn’t have lived with myself if it got damaged or lost. Besides, it was agood excuse to visit the old stomping grounds. I caught up with some friends down in Massachusetts, and got to relive my college days. Seriously, it was a good trip.”
“Well, thank you. It’s… this is really cool,” I said.
Jess’ smile widened. “Good. Well. Mission accomplished, I guess.” She slapped her knees with her hands and stood up, hoisting her backpack onto her shoulder again. “Any suggestions for a place to grab food on my way out of town?”
“Xiomara’s Cafe,” I said, without hesitation. “Best food in town, hands down.”
Jess grinned. “Brilliant. I think I saw that place right on Main Street. Well, nice to have met you, Wren Vesper.” She thrust out her hand.
“You, too,” I replied, taking it. She gave my hand a hearty shake, waved, and headed off down the road toward town, tilting her chin back like she was trying to soak in the sun and sea air as she went. I was so rattled, so frightened of her sudden appearance, and then so mesmerized by the book itself, that I forgot that Asteria had also said something else about Jess Ballard:
She understands the Source. She’s connected to the Source.
I stoodfor a long time after she left, paralyzed with indecision. Do I go after her? Even if I did, what could I say?
Hey, so the ghost of my dead grandmother came to me in a trance and told me you’re connected to the Source. Would you care to elaborate?Even in my head it sounded insane.
I’d never told anyone about what Asteria had said to me that night in Xiomara’s presence. Xiomara had advised against it. She thought the message was too vague, and that I should continue to reach out to Asteria for more information. And I’d been trying to do just that, unsuccessfully, all summer. Either Asteria had no more information for me, or I was getting worse at connecting with her. Whatever it was, Xiomara had advised me to keep trying until the message became clear.
Well, despite Asteria’s continued silence, the message was now clear. The girl in question had arrived. She had indeed brought a book, and I had trusted her enough to take it. I looked down at it, and suddenly felt very exposed, standing out in the gravel drive. I turned on my heel and fled into the house.
Once inside, I sat down at the kitchen table and laid the book in front of me. Maybe I didn’t have to chase after Jess. Maybe the answers were right in front of me. The papers Jess had mentioned were tucked into the back of the book. I pulled them out, unfolded them, and spread them out on the tabletop. There were five pages in total, all written in the same loopy, slightly messy scrawl. The first was a letter on pale blue stationery.
Dear Ms. Ballard,
