A Hidden Witch

chapter 15

It was a very bleary-eyed crew of witches who gathered at sunrise the next morning. The mists floating in from the ocean hid some of the yawns, but not all. Elorie handed out coffee and hoped for the best. The witchlings, many of whom had fallen asleep in the sand in the wee hours of the night, seemed relatively cheery. That was good—for many, it would be their first full circle.

Mike was huddled with a couple of their local fishermen who had done early reconnaissance on the current location of the algae bloom. The goal was to push it gently out to sea to be reclaimed by the ocean’s natural recycling systems. That was easiest to do if you knew exactly where the bloom was.

Each of the experienced point witches gathered up their trio. Moira cuddled Lizzie under her long wool cape; water witches got cold easily—something about their affinity with the chilly ocean waters. They chatted easily with Gwen, the third member of their trio.

Aervyn had somehow gotten Uncle Marcus laughing, which was a feat of magic unto itself. Air and water had the toughest jobs of the morning, so Elorie was happy to see a harmonious start. With Uncle Marcus, that couldn’t be taken for granted.

Mike motioned that he was ready to begin, and the circle started to assemble. The outer circle would be light this morning—too many witches sleeping off the aftereffects of the night before.

Nell, Sophie, Moira, and Marcus stood in the cardinal directions, flanked by the other members of their trio. The young ones were all excited, but the face that drew Elorie was Ginia’s. She looked so proud, standing tall in the earth trio, wind whipping her hair. This was her first full circle, and she was soaking in the full import of the occasion.

She was going to be an amazing woman one day.

She surely will be. Lauren stepped up beside Elorie. “She’s already an amazing witch. I’ve helped with her training a fair amount, and she’s so confident in her talents.”

Elorie smiled in welcome. “That’s what happens when the trainers do a good job.”

“Maybe. Nell doesn’t raise scaredy-witches either, but something about Ginia is special. A lot of witches fight with their magic, or at least brute force it a little. She’s so in tune with her power. It’s inspiring.”

Hmm. This was beginning to feel like a non-accidental conversation. “And what do you feel in my mind when I do magic?”

Lauren blushed. “Not subtle enough, huh? Sorry about that. Usually I keep my nose out of other peoples’ magical business.”

Elorie snorted. “We stink at that around here. Go ahead and tell me what you see.”

“Part of you feels like you’re resisting. Not the power itself, exactly—more the process. I’m not describing it very well, but it hampers your magic.”

“You describe it well enough.” She looked toward the full circle. “I want what they have. A power rooted in tradition, practiced by generations. Ginia has the heart of a pioneer. I don’t. I feel like I’m tied up in the back of the covered wagon, heading west whether I want to or not.”

And wow, where had that come from? She sighed and scuffed at the pebbles under her feet.

Lauren gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “If I can help with untying a knot or two, let me know.”

She needed to think a bit first. Her pioneering spirit might be lacking, but her sense of obligation to her craft wasn’t. Lauren was the second person in two days to point out that resistance was hampering her magic.

She looked on the gathering circle and sighed. Still yearning for what she couldn’t have. That had to change, and today seemed like a good day to begin.

As Gran’s lilting voice began the call to water, Sean stepped up to Elorie’s side. “Wanna watch? I can link you in so you can see the magic.”

There was nothing wrong with Sean’s heart, but as cool as it was to watch magic from the inside, right now she needed the comfort of her usual observer role. “I’ll link in for your circle tonight, sweet boy, so I can see your fancy spellcasting. For now, I just want to watch with my eyes.”

She drank in the sight of witches, young and old, joining in the age-old ritual of a full circle. Gran in her cape, Sophie and Ginia in matching long green velvet dresses, Kevin in jeans and a hoodie, Aervyn with chocolate smears on his face. Fine witches, all.

She gave thanks once again for Gran’s presence. She had stood as point in the water trio for as long as Elorie could remember. The day would come when she would step aside, probably for young Lizzie, but it hadn’t come yet.

Nell completed the final call to the elements, and Lizzie’s eyes went big as the power pulled by twelve witches surged around the circle.

Elorie watched Kevin, cheering him on silently. They’d all been surprised and pleased when he had tested as the obvious choice to partner Mike—normally channelers only worked well with one or two spellcasters—but he was young to channel a full circle. Far more experienced witches had panicked when it was time to link into the circle’s massive energy.

He’s okay, Lauren sent. He’s nervous, but he’s handling it.

It was nice to have a monitor who worried about the trainers in the outer circle, too. Uncle Marcus was a skilled monitor, but he never spared a thought for trainer nerves.

Mike laid a hand gently on Kevin’s shoulder. It was time.

Kevin closed his eyes and slowly reached his arms out. Wind and misty light whipped around his body as he called the elemental powers in to the circle’s center. Elorie gasped as his feet rose slightly off the ground.

He’s doing beautifully. Marcus connected in with quite the thunderbolt—he’s not used to having Aervyn in his trio.

Kevin reached his arms to the sky, and moments later, so did Mike. Hand off. Now the power was in Mike’s hands, and he could go to work moving the algae further out. Finicky but straightforward work for an experienced spellcaster.

Elorie waited with quiet patience. She was so very proud of her two witchlings.

They’re very well trained, Lauren sent. Lizzie held steady, and Kevin handled the channeling absolutely beautifully. Mike’s almost done, I think.

Done? Surely not. The last circle they’d done to move the algae had taken almost an hour.

Moments later, Mike dropped his arms, and the shimmering energy hanging over the circle dimmed and disappeared. He lifted Kevin to the sky and spun him around. “That was some superb channeling, my young friend. I’ll work with you again—any day, any time.”

Then he looked toward Marcus with a half grin. “Were you trying to blow us all up there?”

Marcus flushed. “My sincere apologies. I asked Aervyn to push me more power, and I couldn’t fully control the surge.”

Aervyn looked dismayed. “Did I do too much? I’m really sorry. Lauren says I have to be carefuller about that.”

Marcus rubbed his head. “You did exactly right, my boy. You should always do exactly what your trio point asks, and you did. It was my fault for not remembering how much power you have.”

“It was all to the good,” Mike said. “Kevin handled it cleanly, and thanks to Aervyn and Miss Lizzie over there, we finished the spell in record time.”

The circle broke formation as everyone moved to hug the various witchlings.

Lizzie beamed as Elorie walked over. “Did I do good?”

Moira leaned down and kissed her head. “Child, I haven’t had that much energy in my trio in a very long time. It was a beautiful thing.”

Lizzie grinned and wandered off in the direction of her parents. Moira reached out for Elorie’s hand. “I think she should take point in the trio this evening. She’s well used to working with our Sean, and I’ll be right at her shoulder, should she need me.”

Gran was passing the baton. Elorie’s heart ached at the thought. Then she realized Gran’s face shone with something akin to joy. “I’ve waited all this time, darling girl. And now there’s a child of my heart, young and strong, ready to stand in my place.”

Elorie hugged her tightly. She wasn’t sure she could accept the change with nearly so much grace, but she would try. For Gran’s sake, she would try.

~ ~ ~

Lauren snuck into her room at the inn and quietly closed the door. The place was overrun by witches and their families, and privacy was at a serious premium.

She grabbed her laptop and debated one last time. It wasn’t that long ago that she’d been a new witch, fighting to accept the change and responsibility that came along with her power. Smoothing out a bump in Elorie’s road wasn’t necessarily the best way to help her.

Then again, it wasn’t always necessary to leave obstacles in place when they could be easily fixed. At least she hoped it would be easy. Only one way to find out. She pinged Jamie on instant messaging.

Jamie: You called?

Lauren: Hey, you got a minute?

Jamie: I do. Shay and Mia took Nat shopping for gooey baby things, so as long as you don’t need me to shop, I’m your guy.

Lauren: Ha. You’ve bought more cute baby things than Nat has.

Jamie: I buy necessary things. She buys frills.

Lauren: Really. iPods are essential for babies, are they?

Jamie: Music is good for their brain development. I read it somewhere. Besides, I think Mia may have co-opted the iPod. She can’t resist anything red.

Lauren: Speaking of iThings, I need a favor. So far, Elorie has been stuck with a laptop to access Net power, and it’s restricting her freedom.

Jamie: Not a lot of Wi-Fi hotspots in rural Nova Scotia?

Lauren: Exactly. But Ginia used Nell’s iPhone when we first got here. I wondered if we could set up something like that for Elorie.

Jamie: By “we,” I assume you mean “me.”

Lauren: Pretty much. I’ll bake you cookies.

Jamie: That’s a suitable bribe. I can probably soup it up a little, too, so it has a wider range than normal. Give me a couple of days.

Lauren: Any way I can talk you into sending it for tomorrow? It’s her birthday.

Jamie: Taskmistress. That’ll cost you more cookies.

Lauren: Deal. And thanks. I think all the technology is getting in the way of her sense of belonging.

Jamie: She lives on the wrong coast—most witches out here spend half their life online. But yeah, she’s not used to leading a wired life. An iPhone in her pocket should be a lot less intrusive.

Lauren: Exactly. She’s casting for a full circle in a couple of hours, and the front lawn looks like a gamer convention. Ginia’s having a blast, but I don’t think Elorie’s going to find it quite so cool.

Jamie: She was raised in Moira’s world. Tradition’s going to matter a lot to her. And speaking of full circle, you’re going to need more than one phone to truly free Elorie from her Wi-Fi jail. Net witches don’t work alone.

Lauren: Crap, I didn’t even think of that.

Jamie: That’s what I’m here for. I’ll send a dozen or so overnight express so you can equip everyone, and then I’ll go buy a new freezer for all the cookies you’re going to bake me. Make some of them a kind Nat doesn’t like, okay? She’s on a bit of a food rampage right now.

Lauren: You’d think a teleporting witch could manage to hide a cookie stash.

Jamie: Nope. I swear she can smell them, even in the attic.

Lauren: It’s only another six months. You’ll live.

Jamie: Maybe. In the meantime, it sounds like I get to go shopping today after all.

Lauren: Stay away from the iPods. You’re on a mission. iPhones—focus.

Jamie: When did you get to be such a bossy witch?

Lauren: Ha. I was always bossy. Only the witch part is new, and that’s your fault. Gotta go, I’m being paged. Thanks, Jamie. I owe you.

~ ~ ~

Elorie sat on the grass behind the inn and wished she hadn’t eaten quite so many of Aaron’s pancakes. Or sausages. Or berries and whipped cream. None of it was sitting gently in her stomach at the moment.

Sophie sat on the grass beside her. “Nervous?”

That didn’t seem like an adequate word to describe the state of her insides. “And then some.”

“As I’m sure you’ve reminded many a witchling, that’s totally normal. It’s your first full circle, and you’re spellcasting, no less.”

She didn’t need to be reminded. “Is everyone straight on their spells?” Unlike normal spellcasting, where the caster shaped the spell, Elorie needed the right spells in place to blend for the final result she wanted. That meant each member of her circle had a really specific job to do.

Sophie nodded. “Mike’s walking the young ones through it one more time, but yeah, I think everyone’s got it. Lots of mind witches in the group, too, so we can adjust in mid-circle if necessary.”

Elorie frowned. “Maybe I should have tried something a lot simpler.”

“Absolutely not.” Sophie reached for her hands. “A caster’s first spell is supposed to be a memorable one, and it’s such a wonderful gift you’ve planned. It’s a truly beautiful idea, Elorie. Aunt Moira will be so proud.”

“She doesn’t know what we’re doing, right?”

Sophie shook her head. “Nope. The witchlings are sworn to secrecy, on threat of kitchen duty if they fail, and Lauren will make sure she doesn’t figure it out during the circle.”

“You’ve sorted out where to put it?”

“Yes, and where to move all the flowers. Fitting something that big in her back yard will be no easy task, you know.”

Oh, but it would be so worth it. Elorie hugged her knees and smiled. It had taken a lot of careful thought to come up with a spell special enough for her first full-circle spellcasting.

She was really proud of her idea. She’d considered the unique strengths of her circle, and split the tasks into manageable parts neatly matched to the power of each trio. The only one she was suddenly doubting was herself.

Ginia spoke up from behind her. “The network’s all connected and ready to go.” Elorie took a deep breath before she turned around. She’d been trying to avoid looking at the sprawl of laptops and cables all over their lawn. They were a stark reminder that she was about to conduct the first full circle in Fisher’s Cove’s history that hadn’t happened down on the beach. While most witches could pull their power from anywhere, Net power required a Wi-Fi bubble—and even Ginia and Nell couldn’t make that reach to the ocean. They’d tried.

It was almost time.

A flood of witches came out the back door of the inn. Scratch that; it was time.

Fortified by food and naps, the witchlings bounced around, checking out the cool toys Ginia had set up. Marcus scowled and tried to protect as much of the equipment as he could, while most of the rest of the adults took the exuberant kiddos in stride.

Moira walked over to Elorie. “I’m so proud of you, my darling granddaughter. You’ll have this now.” She held out her hand, a simple silver ring with hand-etched Celtic symbols lying on her palm.

It was a ring Elorie knew very well. It had been on Gran’s finger for as long as she could remember, a gift that had been passed from witch to witch since time unremembered. It was one of Gran’s most treasured possessions.

Another passing of the baton.

Her heart wobbled as Gran slid the ring on her finger, but her resolve strengthened. However weird and modern her powers might be, she would try to be the witch Gran’s legacy deserved.

Gran nodded in approval at whatever she saw in Elorie’s eyes, and turned to the group with the opening words of ritual. “May the circle begin.”

Elorie watched as the circle—her circle!—took shape.

Ginia, Sophie, and Mike on earth trio had the heaviest lifting to do for her. Their spell was both complicated and demanding. Aervyn had moved to the fire trio with Nell, and he was supremely excited about what he would get to do.

The air and water trios had an easier job this time, which was a good thing. Sean and Marcus were always a little rocky together, and Gran needed a break after her hard work of the morning.

Mike helped Moira settle at a chair and table, and the rest of the group assembled on the grass, laptops and mice in their hands. Jeebers. It looked like computer class, not a working circle.

Doesn’t matter what it looks like, girl, growled Marcus. It only matters what you can do with it.

Elorie looked down at Gran’s ring. Traditional or not, this was her circle, and they had a job to do. Raising her head, she smiled reassurance at Kevin, and then nodded to Gran. Ready.

Moira raised her hands, steady and confident, and began the call to the elements. As each trio followed in turn, Elorie felt power beginning to swirl. She nodded to Kevin and felt his mindlink click into place.

And that’s when she truly realized the difference between a prank with a couple of friends and a full working circle. It felt like the eye of a hurricane—and they hadn’t done anything yet.

She felt the magic inside her rise up to meet the swirling power. There was no room for fear. This was her birthright, and she intended to claim it.

The spell forming to her left was the earth trio at work. She marveled at the intricate, patient work of three minds shaping a literal bulldozer of a spell. Their spellshape oozed confidence and power.

To her right sat a single, uncomplicated shape of white heat. She didn’t doubt Aervyn could get the job done—Nell had said the rest of the trio would just be holding on for dear life. And she was very glad for the containing spells spun by the air and water trios. Their job was to keep everyone safe. You didn’t let loose the fire witch of the century without some firefighters standing by.

Kevin nudged her mind. Earth was finally done shaping their spell. Elorie studied the shapes one last time before she began to work. With Kevin supporting and steadying the lines of power, she very carefully reached out a tendril of Net power to the earth trio’s spell.

She jumped in shock as tendrils reached out of the spellshape, and then calmed as the questing fingers met and easily linked. Ah, Ginia’s Net power. They’d hoped having her in the earth trio would make power blending easier. This was much easier.

Next she reached to Uncle Marcus and Gran, and the containing spells their trios had readied. No, wait. Those needed to layer over the outside. Visualizing as clearly as she could for Kevin, she backed the two containing spells away and reached for the fire trio’s spellshape.

It’s not a bomb, she reminded herself. It won’t go off until you tell it to. Still, she pulled it toward the earth spell with infinite gentleness. When the two linked, the power jolt was sharp and bright.

It’s just Aervyn again, Kevin sent, apparently an old hand at dealing with their super-witchling now.

Layering the containing spells around the final shape was quick and easy. Elorie paused for a few seconds, appreciating. This moment would never come again.

Each trio had included a trigger in their spell, and Elorie began the release. For this, at least, she had insisted on tradition—her very first rhyming spell.

“Fire, water, air, and wind.

Shaped and melded, bent and twinned.

Guide our magic to its place.

Form a gift of earth and space.

With our magic, four times three,

As we will, so mote it be.”

As she finished, she let go the hold on her Net power and pushed. This would take everything she had.

No longer was she sitting in the eye of the hurricane. She was the hurricane. Power blew around the circle, through her and Kevin in the center, and into the gigantic spellshape that connected them all.

Fourteen witches held steady and created a gift from their hearts.

The spell dimmed, and Elorie felt herself swaying. Uncle Marcus’s gruff voice came in her ear. “Next time, save enough to keep you standing.” She might have been irritated if his hands, holding her steady, hadn’t been so very gentle. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at Aervyn. Had they done it?

His eyes closed for a moment, mindspeaking with Lauren, who was at the site where their spell should have formed. When he levitated in glee, it was all Elorie needed to know.

Thirteen witches looked entirely delighted. Moira was utterly mystified. “Whatever did you do, my sweet girl?”

Elorie laughed. “It’s a surprise, Gran. The best surprise ever. But we can’t tell you until tonight.”