on the floor in front of the candle. Savannah suddenly felt cold. She shivered.
âSit down,â Victoria ordered.
Savannah sat cross-legged on the floor across from her sister. The candle flickered between them.
âGive me the letter,â Victoria said, her voice low and serious.
Savannah unfolded Tylerâs letter and handed it to her sister. Victoria placed it on the floor. The candle flame cast an eerie yellow glow over the scrawled words.
âWhat will you do?â Savannah whispered.
âShh!â Victoria picked up the wooden box. It creaked as she opened the lid.
She lifted a pair of chicken feet out of the box. âKiss them,â Victoria commanded.
Savannah stared at the chicken feet Victoria held in front of her. Her stomach lurched. She shook her head. âI canât.â
âYou must if you wish to know the truth about Tyler.â
Savannah quickly touched her lips to the cold chicken feet. She shuddered.
Victoria swept the chicken feet over Tylerâs letter. Then she dipped the feet into the bowl and coated them with a dark liquid. She trailed the feet over the floor, making strange markings around Tylerâs letter.
âWhere did you get so much ink?â Savannah asked.
âItâs not ink,â Victoria answered. âItâs blood.â
Savannah covered her mouth. âYou frighten me, Victoria,â she said hoarsely.
âI frighten you?â she said harshly. She picked up Tylerâs letter. âThis should frighten you!â
She carefully placed the letter back on the floor. She raised her hands toward the ceiling and dropped her head back. She closed her eyes, swayed from side to side, and began to repeat an incantation.
The room grew frigid. Savannah wrapped her arms around herself. I should never have asked her to do this, Savannah thought. I can feel the evil in this room.
The drapes began to flutter.
Victoria released a shrill cry.
Icy wind rushed into the room. It lifted Tylerâs letter and carried it into the flickering candle flame.
âNo!â Savannah cried. She reached out to grab the burning letter.
Victoria shoved Savannah away. Savannah watched helplessly as Tylerâs letter crumbled into ashes.
âHow could you?â Savannah demanded. âHow could you let my letter burn?â
âYou should be glad,â Victoria said, her voice cold. âIn that single moment I saw the truth.â
âThe truth? You know nothing about the truth or Tyler. I never should have trusted you with his letter. You still want him for yourself. Youâre still jealous.â
Victoria grabbed Savannah by the arm. Her dark eyes glittered in the candlelight. âYou must believe in the dark arts, Savannah. They reveal the truth. Tyler Fier will destroy you as easily as a single flame destroyed his letter!â
Chapter
9
âT yler Fier is evil!â Victoria cried. âEvil! Evil! Evil!â
âNo!â Savannah yelled. She jerked away from her sister. âI donât believe that. I love Tyler and I am going to marry him.â
âBad luck follows his family,â Victoria warned her. âHis bad luck will follow you too.â
âNo!â Savannah cried, covering her ears. âI wonât listen a moment longer.â She fled into the darkened hallway.
Victoria doesnât know Tyler as I do, Savannah thought. She stumbled down the stairs and into the foyer. She threw open the front door. Bright moonlight poured into the house.
Savannah rushed outside. She took a deep breath of the night air. Lightning flashed in the distance and thewind picked up. It blew Savannahâs hair around her face.
A storm, she realized. A storm is blowing in.
In the distance she heard a sound. A flapping sound.
Geese! she thought. We can eat geese. She ran around to the side of the house, but she didnât see any geese. Only sheets hanging on the clothesline.
Victoria forgot to
Stephanie Hoffman McManus