Page 119 of Spirit Storm

"We need your help. Now that Tharuzel is banished, we want to clear the demon mark on our bloodline. He marked us because we are the descendants of the Key. But he took his shot, and he lost. We need the strength of our bloodline to help us cleanse the curse."

There's no deliberation. Our ancestors are with us always, and I reach for the contract.

Vale had been characteristically precise about this part.

'The words must precede the flame. The intent must be stated clearly. Do not mumble, Miss Hallowind.'

I don't mumble.

"By blood and name, by fire and will, I sever what was bound by evil intention. We remove the mark. We reject the claim. We release the blood which was taken without consent. This contract is void, and its claim ends now."

Violet and Lily repeat it with me, their voices certain.

I lower the contract to the flame.

It doesn't just burn. It goes up in a clean column of golden light, no smoke, no ash left behind in the dish. The glow spreads outward and runs up the walls of the crypt, and for one breathless second the whole room is the color of summer lightning.

Then it settles.

The warmth that moves through me is quiet and thorough, like sun on my skin after a long winter.

When I look up, our mother is still there, standing with our ancestors, watching us.

I press my hand flat over my sternum. Where the bond with Tharuzel used to coil, there is now nothing.

I draw a deep breath and smile. “It’s gone.”

“Yeah, it is,” Violet says.

“Hallowind for the win!” Lily cheers, raising her arms.

"I'm sorry you suffered because I failed, but I couldn't be prouder of you for finishing what I was unable to. Blessed be, my beautiful girls."

Warm tears spill and fall down my cheeks. "Blessed be, Mom."

Asher is waiting for us outside the Hallowind crypt. The moment we clear the doorway, he spreads his arms wide. "Did it work? Tell me it worked."

"It worked." Lily walks straight into Asher’s hug. "Mom was there. She looked really good."

He wraps an arm around Lily and looks at me over her shoulder, his expression asking the real question.

I nod and press a hand against my chest. "All is well. No mark. No backlash. Nothing."

Relief settles across his features, and he steps back. "Okay, good… because I may have done a thing."

Violet looks up. "What kind of thing, Ash?"

He holds out his arm, and we all know the drill. We grab on and he portals us to the backyard of Hallowind House.

A backyard which is, somehow, currently hosting a full-on summer barbecue at almost 1 a.m..

Fairy lights are strung from the fence to the oak tree, the grill is going, and there are folding tables covered with food, drinks, and what appears to be a significant number of paper plates featuring cartoon suns and bunnies that have nothing to do with anything.

Lily blinks. "Is that corn on the cob?"

Violet laughs, pointing at Asher. "He told us he did a thing."

Orion is the first one to greet us, stepping close and pressing his shoulder briefly against Asher's before scanning our group. "How'd it go? All good?"