Page 61 of A Witch in Notting Hill

“Yes,” she said. “Should tell us which direction the current should flow. Or where the sun should be at the time of the ritual.”

“Go on, then,” I said, hating the buzzing in my chest and the conflict I felt hearing Willow talk about witchcraft like it was factual. “You’re going to be grand,” I added, so she didn’t think I was rushing her because I was a dick.

“Hope so,” she said, and exhaled. “Well, if you guys will just...”

“Right, right, sorry. You’re meant to be alone,” Lola remembered, ushering the two of us out of the room. “What if someone else comes up?”

“I’ll make sure they don’t,” I said. “We all will. Willow, we’ll be at the top of the stairs whenever you’re... done?”

“Thanks,” she said, still staring at the pendulum as we left the room. Whatever the hell she was planning on doing, I really hoped it worked.

Interstitial

Forage for Clinopodium menthifolium, grown locally. Prepare and consume locally in accordance with your preferences. ??

Conduct an Orientation spell with the Wharram Percy Pendulum. Use its direction as a guide.

Complete the Ritualistic Restoration Cleansing in a pond, lake, or slow-moving river to prepare the body for the Reversal.

Participate in a Full Moon Ceremony. Stay awake until the following sundown for maximum effect.

Commune with those who have passed on. They know more than any of us who remain in our mortal forms on Earth.

Convince a skeptic of the existence of magic. Use the experience to fortify your powers to effectively produce the Reversal.

Chapter 23

Willow

Part of executing a successful spell was staying focused, which was becoming increasingly more challenging with Oliver in the vicinity. Especially on the other side of a glass wall, where I could just make out the outline of his broad shoulders and the wave of his hair as he pushed it behind his ears.

The truth was, I hadn’t focused on much of anything since that night on the isle. Every glimpse I got of Oliver’s personality that went beneath the surface pulled me like a magnet, further and further from the point of the quest.

I was drifting away from the shore with every stolen moment, and I was rapidly losing sight of my life raft. Pretty soon, I’d be flailing in the middle of the ocean with nothing to save me but his strong hands and his green-gray eyes and the sound of his voice in—