The fox made a small affirmative sound.
“The next new moon is in two weeks,” Zara said.
“Thirteen days,” Ramona corrected.
“If we’re going to perform another ritual at that site — and we need to, because it’s the only convergence point within reasonable distance — we have to cleanse it first.”
“How do you cleanse demonic corruption?” Cammie asked quietly. Ramona paused for a moment, grateful that Cammie was always just going with the flow of her weird, magical roommates.
“There are rituals,” Kashvi said, already pulling up her laptop. “Purification magic. Dissolution spells. But they’re complicated. You need the right components, the right timing?—”
“And we need to do it without making the corruption worse,” Zara added. “If we try to cleanse it improperly, we could accelerate the spread.”
“So we research,” Ramona said. Her voice was steadier now. Determined. “We find out exactly how to cleanse demonic corruption from a convergence point. We do it right. And then…” She took a breath. “And then we try the severance again. Properly, this time.”
“Without using my magic to stabilize yours,” Zara said quietly.
“Right.” Ramona looked at her hands. “Which means I need to figure out how to control my magic on my own. Or find another way to keep it stable during the ritual.”
“The fox might help,” Posey said softly. “Familiars ground magic. That’s what they do. Even without a formal bond…” She looked at the fox. “He’s already connected to you. He might be able to stabilize your casting.”
The fox’s tail swished once. Agreement? Possibility?
“We have a lot to figure out,” Kashvi said, typing rapidly. “Cleansing ritual. Modified severance. Timing. Components.” She looked up. “This is going to take all of us.”
“I’ll search Hell’s archives for corruption cleansing protocols,” Zara said. “We have procedures for this. Demons corrupt things all the time. There are established methods for undoing it.”
“I’ll look through the grimoires for dissolution spells,” Ramona added. “Anything that might apply to sacred site purification.”
“I’ll ask the plants,” Posey said. “They might know how to heal the convergence point. They’re very good at healing.”
“And I’ll do some digging on the less… savory sites,” Felix said. Gerald cooed in solemn agreement.
“I can help…” Cammie glanced around, looking helpless. “Does anyone need a coffee? Chocolate?”
“Yes to both,” Felix and Kashvi said in unison, then glanced toward each other with a laugh.
Cammie stood, hurrying into the kitchen.
The fox made another sound — softer this time. Relieved, maybe. Like he’d done his part by showing them the problem and now trusted them to solve it.
“Thirteen days,” Zara said quietly.
“Thirteen days,” Ramona echoed.
The fox settled between them, warm and solid.
“We can do this,” Zara said. Not a question. A statement of fact.
Ramona envisioned the corruption spreading through the convergence point. Overwhelm sat heavy against her chest, and she could barely take a deep breath.
Zara’s thumb brushed over her knuckles, and she glanced back up to see Zara’s expression gentle and focused.
“We can do this,” Ramona agreed, and she almost believed it.
Felix unmuted the TV. “Okay. But first we’re finishing this episode because Zara called it and I need to see if she’s right about everything else, too.” He waited until Cammie reappeared with a bag of chocolate truffles from her café before hitting play.
“I am,” Zara said, her attention already shifting back to the screen, her hand still in Ramona’s.
