Page 108 of Jingle Spells

“That’s just item one,” Luna said firmly. She gestured toward the hill where the oak grove stood, its silhouette just visible. “The wards have to be removed.”

“And we want all that tourist crap cleaned up immediately,” Delilah added, feeling bolder with each passing moment. “And fix the forgetting spell you tried so hard to break.”

Ramona’s face twisted with contempt. “If witches had any real skill,” she said haughtily, “you could have solved all those issues easily.”

A look passed between the sisters, a silent communication born from a lifetime of shared mischief. Luna cocked her head to one side, her expression suddenly innocent in a way that made Delilah brace herself.

“You know how my sister mentioned the Mariana Trench?” Luna’s voice was light, conversational. “Well, that was far from the only idea we kicked around. Me, I’m known as the whimsical one, so my big idea was sending your casino to the surface of the moon.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully, eyes wide with mock concern. “How good are magicians at holding their breath? Do you know, Del?”

“I think David Blaine does that pretty well . . .”

“Oh gosh, that’s right!” Luna snapped her fingers in exaggerated realization. “So, what do you say, Magician Lady? Wanna find out which one we chose?”

Ramona’s face went from red to white during this exchange, color draining away like water down a drain. A muscle twitched violently at the corner of her eye. Through the portal behind her, Delilah could see other figures moving with increasing agitation.

“All right,” said the magician through gritted teeth. Each word seemed physically painful to pronounce. “You win.”

Delilah felt a rush of triumph so intense it made her light-headed. “Fix it now,” she added. “Not eventually, not tomorrow. Right now.”

Another sudden disappearance, more conferring inside the light. Delilah caught sight of an older man with a silver-streaked beard gesturing emphatically, his face twisted with anger. After a moment, the magician reappeared again, her face twisted as if she’d just bitten into something rotten. Delilah could almost taste the woman’s defeat in the air—bitter and metallic.

“Oh no,” Delilah said without an ounce of sympathy. “Did we get you in trouble with your boss?”

“Shut up,” snapped Ramona. “And step back.”

The sisters exchanged glances, then took three synchronized steps backward. Aphra and Jerusha followed their lead.

A second portal appeared beside the first, this one darker, its edges ragged. Through it, Delilah could see a barren landscape stretching into what looked like infinite darkness. A void between realities that made her stomach lurch just looking at it. After a moment that felt like a lifetime, Kelly, Belinda, and three other Oak Haven witches stumbled through, blinking at the sudden change of scenery.

“Mama!” The word tore from Delilah’s throat before she could stop it, raw with emotion she hadn’t allowed herself to feel until now. She and her sisters rushed forward as one, colliding with their mother in a tangle of arms and relief so profound it felt like physical pain.

Kelly smelled like home: cinnamon and woodsmoke and that indefinable scent that had meant safety for Delilah’s entire life. She clung to her mother, face pressed against her shoulder, suddenly a child again despite everything.

“It’s all right, my darlings . . .” Kelly murmured, her hand cradling the back of Delilah’s head. “I’m here now.”

She looked remarkably unruffled for someone who’d been trapped in interdimensional limbo. Her silver-streaked hair was perfectly coiffed, her clothes unwrinkled as if she’d just stepped out for a moment rather than being held hostage in some non-Euclidean nightmare space. But when Kelly pulled back from the group hug, Delilah saw the dangerous gleam in her eyes as she glared at the magician.

“Ramona.” Kelly’s voice carried the chill of every New England winter at once. “I see your hospitality hasn’t improved since our last encounter.” Kelly straightened her already-straight jacket with a precise movement that Delilah recognized as her mother tamping down fury.

“This isn’t over, Kelly,” Ramona spat, her face contorted with the special hatred reserved for old enemies. “Not by a long shot.”

“Oh, but I think it is.” Kelly’s voice was smooth as river stones and just as implacable. She stepped forward, positioning herself slightly in front of her daughters, still protecting them, even now. “You’ve lost, my dear. Yet again. Take your second-rate illusions and crawl back to wherever it is failed magicians go to lick their wounds.”

Ramona’s face twisted with rage so pure it was almost beautiful. “Where are my people?”

Luna nodded, her expression carefully neutral though Delilah could see the triumph in her eyes. “We’ve sent them to 35.0110° N, 115.4734° W. The Mojave, not Mariana. Go now, get them. And don’t you ever come back.”

“You’ll regret this. All of you.” Ramona’s gaze swept over them, landing finally on Luna. Her eyes narrowed, focusing with predatory intensity. “Especially you.”

The portal snapped shut with a sound like a thunderclap, leaving behind only a faint smell of ozone and the echo of Ramona’s threat. For a moment, no one moved, as if afraid that the wrong words might somehow undo their victory.

Scarlett, naturally, found her voice first. “Why’d she single out Luna? I’m just as scary as Luna!”

Delilah had to laugh. “You so aren’t.”

“Hey!”

“Girls!” Kelly brushed some nonexistent dust from her sleeves. “No bickering, please. We’ve had one hell of a day.”