White flames danced around me, spreading from all the pieces of dogwood. Someone yelled behind me, but I couldn’t hear it over the crackling flames. Stay out of the salt line.
I hoped Rhett would listen, and guilt swirled in my chest. But I shoved the thoughts away and focused on the ritual I needed to finish.
The moon glowed in the dark sky above me as I kicked off my shoes. I spread my toes, and the burned ground below me was soft. The flames didn’t burn. They tickled my skin as they licked my feet.
I let out a slow breath, closed my eyes, and replayed the words the instructions had told me to repeat. Once I was sure I wouldn’t mess up, I opened my eyes and gazed up at the moon.
“Oh moon, send your beams down on this earth. Cleanse it and release the dark energy that this earth holds
