A Modern Witch Page 19

  Nell reached out a hand. “Thanks for that. I keep telling myself the same thing, but it’s good to hear it from someone else.”

  “He’s done plenty of small circle work. He’s ready for this, Nell.”

  “And Lauren? If training makes you ready, she’s not even close.”

  Jennie tried not to bristle. They’d done a lot of work in the last week. “She lacks practice, for sure. But she’s a creative and confident witch.”

  Nell just raised an eyebrow.

  Jennie sighed. “Not after the magic is done, and can you blame her for feeling overwhelmed? But during the magic—you’ve worked plenty of circles, Nell. If you didn’t know she was new, what would you have thought, watching her channel for your son?”

  Nell was quiet a long moment. “I would have been deeply grateful he’d found such a skilled and sure partner.”

  “Exactly. She works with the confidence of long experience.”

  “Or the fearlessness of a newbie who doesn’t know any better.”

  And maybe that’s for the best, thought Jennie. “Some of that, too. I think it helps the two of them, actually. They don’t really have any idea how strong they are together. They headed into completely unknown territory yesterday.”

  “Were you as scared as I was?”

  Jennie laughed. “Watching them do five kinds of impossible? Heck, yes. The two of them didn’t know any better, and the magic was free to sing because of it.”

  Pride burst out of Nell. “I’ve never seen anything like it, Jennie. Never.”

  Neither had she. “Maybe it’s best for Aervyn to work with a channeler who isn’t completely awestruck by his power.”

  Nell suddenly smiled. “Yeah. She gives him hugs and feeds him cookies. She doesn’t forget he’s four.”

  Jenny raised her camera and clicked. “She’ll take good care of him, Nell. And trust your son. He was born to do this.”

  …

  Lauren felt like she was eight years old and at her first sleepover. She, Nat, and Sophie were all crowded into Nat’s room. Arriving guests for the circle tomorrow had taken up every inch of floor space in Jamie’s house.

  Nat had won the coin toss for the bed, but at the moment they were all tucked into sleeping bags on the floor, eating pizza. They’d missed dinner because of Sophie’s delayed flight, and Lauren had decided, with some remorse, that they shouldn’t jump straight to ice cream.

  Sophie laid out Lauren’s crystals, then pulled a velvet bag out of her luggage. “I brought you a couple more that will help with channeling, since we didn’t know about that talent of yours when I sent the first package.”

  Nat sighed over the beautiful colors. “Sophie, they’re so lovely. This pink one is almost alive.”

  Sophie beamed. “That means it’s yours. It’s a pink tourmaline, wonderful for heart opening and balancing the chakras. It makes sense that it would call to you.”

  “I thought you brought these for Lauren,” Nat said.

  “I did, but crystals tend to have a mind of their own. This one speaks to you. I don’t often get a chance to match people with the right crystal in person, since I mostly sell them online.” Sophie reached into her bag one more time. “Here, I have a lovely chain for it. A local artist makes them for me.”

  Nat slid the pendant over her head and touched it to her heart. “It’s warm.”

  Sophie cocked her head. “Jamie’s sure that you don’t have power?”

  Nat blushed. “He says he’d know by now.”

  Sophie laughed. “Yes, good sex with a witch will flush out even quite latent talents. You clearly understand and accept energy flows, even if you can’t create them.”

  Nat blushed harder. “Jamie says that, too.”

  I wonder what else Jamie says, Lauren thought, and then mentally whacked herself for being childish. Seriously, girl, be happy for your best friend. And be very glad she’s not moving several thousand miles to be with him.

  Sophie looked over at Lauren. “Is the lapis still working well for you?”

  “It is. Jennie says it’s a wonderful crystal, although she still doesn’t let me wear it for practice. I was wearing it when we did the circle yesterday, though.”

  “Then it’s a darned lucky pendant, if it got to go flying with Aervyn. That must have been spectacular.”

  Lauren wondered if it was too late to make up a handout of frequently asked questions and pass it out to all new arrivals.

  “I’m sorry,” Sophie said. “You must have answered that a lot, already.”

  Lauren sighed. “It’s not you. I’m just grumpy, and I’m not sure why—it’s not like me. I feel like a sulky teenager.”

  “I could maybe help a little with that. Will you let me scan you?”

  “I thought you weren’t a mind witch.” Lauren was having trouble keeping witches and their talents straight.

  “Not even a tiny bit. I’m asking to do a healing scan—I do have some talent with that. Mostly physical healing, but I can also help soothe power channels, things like that. The scan will give me an initial reading, and I won’t take it any further than that, for now.”

  Anything that might fix her cranky mood was worth a try. Lauren nodded, and Sophie reached for her hands. She began to hum quietly, something Nat obviously recognized. Lauren listened more closely and realized it was a track Nat used often in her yoga classes. Terrific—she was being scanned by a new-age witch with a penchant for crystals and potions.

  Sophie opened her eyes and smiled gently. “We’ll get you believing in crystals and potions yet.”

  Lauren’s felt her face flame. “Oh, cripes—I’m sorry. It’s not very nice to be rude in my own head, but at least I could not broadcast it.”

  “Well, I know why you’re out of sorts. Brace yourself—it involves some more new-age mumbo jumbo.” Sophie handed Lauren a slice of pizza. “Eat first. One of the problems is that you haven’t been properly fueling yourself.”

  “I eat like three hungry teenagers.”

  “Cookies and ice cream don’t count. You need protein.”

  “I’ll make smoothies in the morning,” Nat said. When Lauren grimaced, she laughed. “And omelets.”

  Lauren turned to Sophie. “That’s it? I just need to eat protein?”

  “Proteins are the building blocks of all the little chemicals in your brain that keep you happy. Your serotonin is crashing, which makes some people depressed. Apparently you just get cranky. It’s a fairly common side effect of circle work.”

  Lauren laughed. “That’s the new-age mumbo jumbo part?”

  Sophie shook her head. “No, that’s my biochemistry degree.”

  “So, how do I keep from turning truly mean after tomorrow’s circle, besides eating omelets before we start?”

  Sophie’s grin had ‘I told you so’ written all over it. “Crystals and potions, my dear. That would be the mumbo-jumbo portion of the program.”

  She’d walked right into that one. “I don’t want to be a cranky witch, so what specific mumbo and jumbo do I need?”

  “It would be easier for now if you’d just trust me. I’d like to drop you into a light healing trance. Your channels are a bit clogged up, and clearing them out will help. I can also encourage your digestive system to get to work on that pizza, which will help your serotonin levels rise gently while you sleep.”

  Lauren frowned. “Assuming I can sleep. That’s been a bit of an issue the last few days.”

  Sophie nodded, apparently unsurprised. “That’s the low serotonin again. With your permission, I’ll set a light sleep spell when we’re finished.”

  What’s a little more hocus-pocus. Nat and Sophie both laughed. Shit, she was still thinking too damn loud.

  Sophie asked Lauren to lie down on the bed, and looked at Nat. “Will you help with this? Lauren trusts you, and you have a very serene presence. That can be very helpful for healing.”

  Nat looked fascinated. “Sure. Just tell me what to do.”

  “
Are guided meditations part of your yoga practice? If you could walk Lauren through a visualization to relax, that would be extremely helpful. If I don’t need to draw power for that piece, I can do her more good.”

  Lauren did feel better with Nat walking her through a familiar shavasana meditation. She felt warmth slowly seeping into every muscle in her body, gently making everything heavy and quiet. Sophie was chanting in the background, but Lauren couldn’t quite catch the words.

  Her lapis pendant suddenly felt almost hot, and she was aware of other crystals on her forehead and outstretched palms. Then four hands began to lightly brush her skin, and she smelled rosemary. Must be the potions part of the program, murmured her lazy brain.

  Her pendant cooled, and Sophie’s words came through more clearly.

  “I call to sleep,

  That it may come and carry deep.

  Let this mind rest held safe in love,

  And friendship three.

  As I will, so mote it be.”

  Chapter 18

  Nat handed Lauren a smoothie the moment she set foot in the kitchen. It wasn’t coffee, but it would apparently have to do, since there were about fifty people standing between her and anything that resembled a coffee pot.

  “Who are all these people?”

  Nat shrugged. “Relatives, friends, and pretty much the entire witching population of California, I think.”

  “I thought the circle today was only fourteen people. There are enough for four circles in this kitchen.”

  Jamie spoke over Lauren’s shoulder. “There are more in the living room. There will be about a hundred people at the circle tonight.”

  So much for a quiet ritual in the woods, Lauren thought. “Sounds like we’ll have an awfully big audience.”

  “They’re not just here to watch,” Jamie said. “They will participate, in a very real way. They’ll form an outer circle of love, light, and community around the working circle. Nat’s going to help with the opening invocation.”

  Non-witches got to play too? Harry Potter had led her seriously astray. “Is there any danger to having so many people there?”

  Jamie sighed. “Nell spooked you. She was afraid of that. There are risks to magic, but all these people are here because it can also be wondrous. Tonight is going to be awesome, and we have a lot of witches on hand to help manage any surprises. It will actually be a lot safer than the training circle on Saturday.”

  “Now you tell me,” Lauren said dryly.

  Jamie laughed. “You’re going to have a front-row seat on a miracle, little sister. Hold on with both hands and soak in the thrill.”

  He grabbed two omelet plates out of thin air and handed one to her. “Eat it fast, before someone notices I disappeared them.”

  Lauren grinned and dug in. She was feeling a lot happier, so maybe Sophie’s protein idea was worth a try.

  Jamie’s plate vanished just as he stuck a fork in the omelet. “Damn, didn’t eat fast enough.” He swiveled his head around, clearly looking for the culprit. A man with inky black curls saluted with his fork.

  “Too many teleporters in one room,” Jamie grumbled. “That’s Mike—he’ll be point for earth in the circle tonight. He’s a strong healer, when he’s not swiping my breakfast.”

  “He a relative?” Lauren asked around a mouthful of eggs.

  “I don’t think so, but I’ve known him forever. He’s a good guy, and very experienced handling a circle trio. We’ve decided for tonight to put a mind witch at each direction, and then two elemental witches. That blend of energy seemed to work very well for you and Aervyn.”

  “Will you be part of the circle?”

  “Yes, and so will Nell, Sophie, and Jennie. We’re trying to use witches familiar to both of you as much as possible. You met Tabitha, right? She’ll be in the circle, and so will Aervyn’s older brother, Nathan. Come on, I’ll introduce you to some of the crowd in the kitchen. At least a few more of the circle are in here somewhere.”

  Lauren blessed her realtor experience as they did a whirlwind tour of witch central. Matching names to new faces was a requirement of the job, and today she’d clearly better get it in high gear.

  Taking a quick break to snag some more food, Lauren looked around. One thing was obvious—tonight was going to be big. The odor of excitement beat out even the onions and garlic Nat had heaped on the omelets.

  Lauren glanced over at her friend, happily playing short-order cook to a herd of witches. Ginia, radiating an advanced case of hero worship, stood beside Nat, getting a lesson in the fine art of cracking eggs with one hand.

  Aervyn and two other small boys were attempting to juggle eggs. Aervyn was currently teleporting all the misses before they hit the ground, but even wonder-boy super-witch couldn’t keep that up forever.

  Jamie snatched a couple of eggs in mid-juggle and snuggled in between Ginia and Nat. A brief exchange earned Ginia a high-five and Nat a seriously steamy kiss. They must have agreed to feed the guy.

  Nell stuck her fork in Lauren’s second omelet and grabbed a bite.

  “Hey,” Lauren said. “I’ve been told I need to keep up my protein intake. Get your own breakfast.”

  “I don’t have Jamie’s inside track, and Aervyn’s too busy teleporting raw eggs to send his Mama some cooked ones.”

  Lauren relented and shared her plate. If there were any eggs left at the end of the rampage, she was pretty sure she could call in some best-friend chips and score more breakfast.

  Nell looked over to the trio at the stove. “They’re both totally stuck on Nat, my girl and that brother of mine.”

  And that, thought Lauren, was going to cause some big heartache when Nat left tomorrow and Jamie followed her. It was a big move he was making, and not just in terms of the miles involved.

  Lauren saw Jennie on her way over and tried to think only about eggs. Keeping Jamie’s secret with all the mind witches around was going to be no small task.

  …

  Jennie kicked the last of the small children and stray witches out Jamie’s front door. Lauren and Aervyn had been less than pleased to be ushered out as well, but she needed to pull the rest of the circle together for a chat.

  Knowing witches, it wasn’t going to be an entirely smooth one.

  Jennie paused a moment, pushed feelings of calm and authority into her outer mind, and entered the living room. She scanned the room, meeting the gaze of each of the eleven sprawled on the furniture and carpets.

  “We are a fortunate few,” she said. “Tonight we will be part of one of the most momentous circles of our generation.”

  “We’re all aware of Aervyn’s power,” said Edric, the oldest witch in the room, and her great-uncle. “But is it wise to use an untested channeler the first time the boy spellcasts for a full circle?”

  Tread carefully, Jennie reminded herself. Edric was a powerful channeler and the most likely choice to partner Aervyn until a couple of days ago.

  “She’s very new, I’ll grant you that, but she’s not untested. She held a hurricane of power in a training circle two days ago and did it beautifully.

  “And as you know, Edric, we’ve always been concerned about finding a partner for Aervyn. Our strongest channelers are getting on in years, and we don’t want him to have to find a new partner as he grows into the peak of his power. Lauren is young, and I believe more than capable of handling a full circle, but the only way to be sure is to let her try.”

  Edric’s harrumph and looks of concern from others in the room meant she needed to go to Plan B.

  Watch, Jennie broadcast silently to the room. She pushed out her memory of the training session—the fumbling first attempts, and then the glorious, blinding success of their final effort. She opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow at Edric.

  His nod was a silent passing of the baton. “The girl is very creative, and too new to know the insanity of what she handled there.”

  Jennie nodded. “Yes to both—and maybe that’s for the best. Edric, we�
�d like for you to handle point for the circle’s water trio. Nathan and I will work with you.” Aervyn’s older brother had only done one full circle before, and his face shone with the honor.

  Edric frowned. “Nathan’s got a nice hand with water elementals, but aren’t you better with air or fire, Jennie?”

  “I am, but we want a mind witch in each trio. I’ll talk about that in a moment. None of us have very strong water talents, but I’m the best of the bunch, so you get me.”

  Jennie turned. “Sophie, Mike, and Tabitha, you will be the earth trio. Mike, as the strongest with earth elementals, you’ll take point.”

  Tabitha looked shocked. “Jennie, my elemental magic is practically non-existent for anything but fire. As far as earth power goes, I can hardly get a flower to bloom.”

  “Give me a minute, Tabby, and I’ll explain why we’ve got the mind witches where we have you. Nell, you’ll take point on fire, and Caro will be your resident mind witch.” Caro paused in her knitting and nodded. She never said much, but she was as steady in a circle as they came.

  “Govin, you’ll be the third in the fire trio.” The stocky man in the corner tossed a flaming globe in reply.

  “Jamie’s leading the air trio, and he’ll be joined by Aurelia and Scott.” The married couple nodded. “You’ll have one of the trickier tasks of the night. In the training circle, as you saw, Aervyn clipped in to the circle and added a power stream.”

  “Seems like a foolhardy thing for a spellcaster to do,” Edric said. “You’re not thinking he’ll do it again?”

  Jamie spoke up. “I’ve been talking with him, and while it looked like a stunt when he did it, I think it actually helped him ground some of the power leakage from his spell. I still don’t know exactly how he worked it, but his magical instincts are usually pretty solid. I think it strengthens his spellcasting, and I don’t want to mess with that.”

  Edric nodded. “I trust you, Jamie boy. It’s not the way I’ve done things, but what doesn’t change gets weaker.”

  Phew, thought Jennie. Where Edric went, others followed. The hard part was over.