The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 by Carissa Andrews (graded readers txt) 📕

and can guide me to the spell we need. However, I also know she’s doing her best to restrain my father’s malevolent energy.

When she doesn’t answer, I walk up to the grimoire, confident that even without her, I can find the answers I need. She wouldn’t have told me where to look if I didn’t have the ability to do it on my own.

I run my fingertips along the edges of the ancient-looking tome, feeling the reverence and mystical energy vibrating beneath my touch. Even though this book exists in a different realm, it’s imbued with a magical essence and it demands respect. Straightening my shoulders, I slowly flip open the book. I turn the pages with utter care, knowing how ancient it must be. Even if the book’s pages themselves aren’t real, I refuse to be the one who damages them with assumptions.

The paper is thin under my touch, and each page is handcrafted, written in a delicate scrollwork that is made in ink—and something else. Gold? Blood? All of the above?

The first few pages are familiar, showing me aspects of things I already know—things I’ve either learned or searched in the grimoire before. But nothing that stands out in terms of a location spell for my dad’s remains.

I narrow my gaze.

“Where are you?” I whisper to myself as I turn the pages.

Then, I remember something from my dad’s journal. He mentioned the grimoire can show me things about our family history—if I ask it. Perhaps it works the same way with spells?

Gingerly, I turn to a set of blank pages. Placing my hands over the top of the splayed paper, I close my eyes and try to clear my mind of anything but what I need from it.

“All right, grimoire—I need a spell to help locate my dad’s….”—I swallow hard—“body. We need to stop his Lemure. Help me find a spell that will locate him.”

Keeping my eyes closed for a moment, I let the energy from my thoughts flow down through my arms and out my hands. In my mind’s eye, there are all sorts of colors, as my intentions slide through the energy centers of my body. In a strange way, it’s as if I’ve plugged my arms into some sort of an energetic outlet, only I’m the energy source and the book is what’s being charged.

When the information flow feels like it’s pulling itself back, my eyes flit open. I stare in awe as the pages beneath my hands begin to fill themselves in. Removing my hands from the paper, I can’t help but smile. There’s so much about this world of magic that never ceases to amaze me. The world of fiction isn’t all that far off.

Leaning in, I read the heading on the top of the first page. It’s written in bold calligraphy, with delicate embellishments of gold and red and reads:

Lemures.

Biting my lip, I begin to read.

Lemures, also known as Shades, are the restless spirits of the dead who were, for one reason or another, never afforded a proper burial by the living. They have not been interred into a tomb, grave, or other sacred location. Because of this, it has opened their spirit to the malevolent forces within the physical realm. Demons will seek their light out, seeking to destroy them. Should that happen, their soul becomes trapped on the earthly plane and slowly descends into a spiritual form of madness. As it tries to hold onto a sense of self, a Lemure might be able to last years before manifesting its own malevolent tendencies.

Lemures will often become attached to specific people, places, or things and will lash out at anyone who might wish to affect the items of their fixation. Their level of haunting may range on a spectrum from benign to indistinguishable from that of a poltergeist.

Should their remains not be properly buried, ultimately, their madness will even destroy those they are most attached to.

For those seeking to stop a Lemure, it’s important to know that very often their remains will be difficult to locate, particularly since it can be months, weeks, or even years before their madness catches up and their hauntings turn violent. By then, their body may be ravaged by time.

You can say that again. On both counts.

I shake my head, continuing on to the next section.

In order to fully vanquish a Lemure, it is imperative their hauntings are dealt with at the root. A simple seance or spell to cast out a spirit will only anger a Lemure. Instead, their remains must be located and burned in the Flames of Eternity.

I inhale sharply. Flames of Eternity.

There’s only one person I know with the power to summon flames—normal ones or otherwise.

I run my fingertips across my lips, suddenly able to see why Abigail wanted the Gilberts involved.

“Shit,” I mutter, reaching for my cell phone. But as my hand hits my pocket, I realize I can’t call her—I’m not even in the real world. Instead, I continue reading.

Without this elemental magic in play, the spark of their eternal essence—their soul—cannot be released and will not be reaped. Finally, their ashes must be properly interred and funeral rites be given.

The other page has another delicate heading that reads:

Summoning Spell for the Forgotten

The following location spell must be cast by a biomancer with the deep-rooted power to connect to earth energies. This allows them to bypass the spirit interference of the Lemure so they can connect with the earthly remains alone.

It’s important to note that no ordinary witch will have the power to summon the location for the remains of a Lemure. It is especially important that a psychic witch not perform this spell. Their spirit energy will be too strong and will actively block any attempts to locate their body. As such, a Lemure grows in power, lashing out and actively seeking to destroy anyone who might wish to get in its way.

I look up, shaking my head.

I’m completely wasting Dominic’s time. If he tries to do anything, he