“I can’t say I’ve ever done it before or know anyone who’s tried,” Noah responds. “From what I’ve heard, none of the gifted councils in the country have approved a summoning-spell application for years. But I have seen it in our family spellbook. I even memorized it, because it looked so badass.”

“I told you so,” Hattie says to me, looking smug.

“Would you be willing to teach it to us?” I ask.

Noah pauses and glances over at Hattie.

“We know it’s illegal,” I quickly add, “but we wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. And we wouldn’t tell anyone about your involvement, of course.”

Hattie nods. “It’s the only way we can think of to save our family.”

Noah runs his hand through his hair before answering. “Okay, I’ll teach you. Anything to provide and protect—it is our clan motto, after all.”

Emmett and I raise our eyebrows at each other. That’s an excuse if I ever heard one. We both know the real reason Noah is helping us is because he likes Hattie. Not that I’m complaining.

Noah rummages through the mess on his dad’s desk and somehow finds a pen and some paper. “I’ll write down the incantations for you, but you’ll also need to find some ashes of death and the elixir of life to complete the spell. That, and a willing initiated witch.”

Hattie raises her hand. “Willing witch present and accounted for.”

“Any chance you have access to some ashes of death?” Noah asks.

We all go quiet. They’re not exactly something you can find on the shelves of a supermarket, and I’ve never seen them stocked at our clinic.

Emmett clears his throat and slowly raises his finger—the one with his silver band on it. “Could this work? It contains some of my mom’s ashes.” He coughs uncomfortably. “There’s only a tiny bit in there, though, and I’m not sure how much you’d need….”

“You’d only need a pinch,” Noah confirms, “so that could work, if you’re willing.”

“No!” I shake my head furiously. “Absolutely not. Not your ring, Em. It’s your most prized possession.”

“But I’d get the ring back, wouldn’t I?” Emmett asks Noah.

Noah nods. “We only need the ashes.”

“In that case, I’ll offer it up. The sooner we get this done, the quicker we can go back to our normal lives. All this magic stuff gives me indigestion.”

I frown and study Emmett’s face. “Are you sure? Like, swear-on-your-salted-caramel-cookie-recipe sure?”

He shrugs. “It’s fine. The rest of the urn is at home. And besides, the ashes aren’t what’s important.”