A Hidden Witch

chapter 18

Elorie tried not to grumble as she settled onto the inn’s back porch. Witch lessons were putting a serious dent in her studio time, and her fingers still yearned to create. She touched the heart hanging around her neck.

Beckoned by some silent call, witchlings flooded up from the beach with Mike and Sophie in tow. Marcus, Moira, and Nell followed Aaron out of the kitchen, bearing glasses of milk and lemonade. It was the chocolate cake in Aaron’s hands that had everyone’s attention, though. Now Elorie knew why the witchlings had arrived in force. Sean could sense any freshly baked goods in a three-mile radius.

Lauren walked around from the front of the inn, a FedEx box in her hands.

“What do you have there, my girl?” Moira asked.

Lauren smiled. “Freedom.”

Borrowing a knife from Aaron, she opened the box and pulled out several iPhones. Elorie tried not to scowl at yet more technology. She was working on changing her attitude. Really she was.

Lauren met her eyes. “The Net witches amongst you will be happy to know that you are each now the proud owner of one of these. Jamie shipped them out, and he’s adjusted them in some ways he hopes will amplify your power.”

Ginia grabbed the nearest phone, touched the screen a few times, and closed her eyes. Moments later, she beamed. “It’s awesome. Uncle Jamie totally amped it.”

Elorie assumed that was a good thing.

Marcus handed her a phone, and then rolled his eyes when she looked at all the screen options blankly. Her cell phone was of the no-frills variety. Evidently her first official witch lesson of the day needed to be how to access the Internet on an iPhone.

It was mildly embarrassing that Aervyn figured it out faster than she could. It was mortifying that Gran did.

All that was forgotten when Ginia had them lay hands on their screens and call up Net power. Elorie felt the rush blaze through her mind. Her eyes flew open, mirroring the shock she saw on Gran’s face.

“Oh, my,” Moira said, looking at her phone in awe. “That was quite something.”

Elorie could see Uncle Marcus and Nell exchanging glances. She couldn’t blame them. Any sane witch trainer was innately cautious, and a ramped-up power supply probably wasn’t the greatest idea with a porch full of half-trained Net witches.

As one of those witches, however, she reveled in the power under her fingertips. Okay, maybe this was a piece of technology she could learn to appreciate. It was small enough to carry in her pocket.

Lauren touched her hand. “It’s more than that. Jamie fiddled with the way these phones access the Internet in ways I don’t understand, but you should be able to use it pretty much anywhere.”

Ginia grinned. “Totally portable Net power.”

Elorie paused in an agony of hope, wanting to make very sure she understood. “Even on the beach?”

Ginia nodded, engrossed in her phone. “Sure.”

It was freedom. Elorie stroked the phone reverently. She would be able to call her power standing where land and sea met, like witches since time began. It was a gift beyond measure.

She looked up at Lauren, heart on fire. “This was your idea?”

Lauren nodded. “Jamie did all the work, though.”

Elorie reached into her pocket and turned off Jamie’s other gizmo, the one that kept her head from leaking. She wanted them to feel how much this meant to her. Mind-witch heads snapped up as the full force of her gratitude swept across the porch.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Just—thank you.”

~ ~ ~

Nell grinned as Aervyn ported himself out of the way of a sizable wave. Given the wet state of his rolled-up pants, either he was mostly losing his game of magical chicken with the ocean, or he wasn’t trying very hard.

The iPhones had been a great idea, but sometimes it took a mama to add the important details. All witchling phones were now equipped with waterproofing spells. Marcus had declined her services, but if he spent much more time giving witch lessons at the beach, he might live to regret that.

Lauren and Marcus were currently coordinating a lesson that blended some Net-power experimentation with projected mindspeaking. They were testing to see how distance impacted Net power, so pairs of witches had spread up and down the beach. Hence Nell’s role as lifeguard.

Each training pair had a mind witch who was receiving instructions and reporting back to Lauren. Sean, for all his nonchalance, was able to mindspeak over impressive distances. His twin, paired with Elorie, was clearly stretched to the limits. Nell was pretty sure Lauren was gently augmenting Kevin so she could still hear him.

Aervyn could have made them all deaf from half a mile away, but he was showing surprisingly good manners in not making that clear to Sean. Her punk witchling had shown some signs of maturity lately that made her a little wistful. It was good that he learn to be less innocently overwhelming, but it also meant he was growing up.

Nell moved down the beach a little closer to Lauren and Marcus. Her own weak mind-witch powers didn’t extend to long-distance conversations. Elorie looks happy, she sent. Those phones were a brilliant idea, Lauren.

More importantly, she’s opening to her power with far less resistance, Marcus sent. We might manage to make some progress here yet.

Trust the grumpy old man to think happiness didn’t matter, Nell thought. She tried to ignore the fact that he was only a few years older than she was.

They all watched as Elorie tried again to blend two simple spells, one from Lizzie and one from Sean. They’d spread further down the beach for this second attempt, and the spell merge failed. She hasn’t got Ginia’s range, Marcus grumbled, and I can’t figure out why. Ginia can blend spells from the other end of the beach, but Elorie has to be within a few feet.

Nell was surprised the issue wasn’t obvious to Marcus. Kevin’s her limit—she can’t blend spells if she can’t see them, and his mind magic isn’t all that strong. He can’t visualize it well enough for her when they get farther away.

Hmm, Marcus sent. That’s going to make him a lot less useful to her.

Nell gritted her teeth. She’d show him just how “less useful” Kevin could be. She had a theory about Elorie’s Net power, and now seemed like an excellent time to put it to the test.

With careful precision, she sent a message to Lauren only and asked her to relay it with equal care to the trainees. When Aervyn burst into hysterical giggles, she was pretty sure her idea had been shared.

Elorie looked skeptical at first. A moment later, she looked a little mad and a lot focused. What’d you tell her? Nell asked Lauren.

That Marcus thought she and Kevin were kinda wimpy together.

Nell snickered. Lauren was turning into a very effective trainer.

Marcus was still oblivious. The man couldn’t read emotions around him unless they knocked him on the head or he paid full attention, and right now, neither was happening.

Elorie and Kevin headed to the far end of the beach, closer to where the other witchlings were gathering. Nell grinned as Aervyn, Lizzie, and Sean all began forming spells as they walked. It looked like a little more than what she’d asked for. Clearly they were improvising.

What are they up to now? Marcus was getting testy. We’ve already experimented in close proximity. They’re just wasting time.

They’re kids at a beach, Nell sent. Let them play a little. She meant it, but she also needed to distract him for long enough to let her evil little plan come to fruition.

We’re ready, Lauren! Aervyn, as the strongest mind witch, was clearly on messaging detail. She hoped he’d remembered to exclude Marcus.

Mama! Nell nearly laughed at Aervyn’s indignant protest. He was probably rolling his eyes, too. If I told him, it wouldn’t be so funny, would it?

Lauren stepped back from Marcus and made a big show of waving her left arm around. Nell snorted. No self-respecting spellcaster did that kind of hocus-pocus stuff. Maybe she was just trying to distract Marcus from the fact that her other hand was in her pocket, on her iPhone.

Then Lauren started rhyming.

“I ask the Water and the Air

Make a raincloud hover there

Above the head of he who doubts

Moans and grumbles, whines and pouts.

Let him the power of happiness see

As I will, so mote it be.”

Nell gave up and dropped to the sand, holding her ribs. Lauren was milking her moment as an elemental witch for all it was worth. And damn, the girl could rhyme. As she watched in breathless laughter, a storm cloud of monster proportions formed over Marcus’s head and let loose a torrential downpour.

Marcus appeared to be raining curses down on all their heads, but no one could hear him over the thunder.

Moments later, the cloud dissipated, and Marcus’s clothes instantly dried. Nell rolled her eyes. Aervyn had a soft spot for the man. Her son was the only fire witch present with enough power to do a quick-dry spell that fast. Oddly, he never thought to do it on his own wet clothes.

Marcus glared at Lauren. “I assume you were just the decoy for that little stunt.” He turned and stormed down the beach, muttering epithets under his breath. Nell sighed. No point letting some poor witchling take the blame.

She called after Marcus. “Lauren wasn’t the decoy. She did the magic.”

He spun around, eyes sparking. “She’s no elemental witch.”

Nell kept quiet, waiting for him to put it together. He might be an arrogant ass, but he was a very smart witch. She saw when it hit him. His anger vanished, replaced by total fascination. “Elorie sent the spell to Lauren?”

Aervyn popped up at Marcus’s elbow, having ported his entire tribe of troublemakers back from the far end of the beach. “She totally did, Uncle Marcus. Did you like the thunder? That was my idea.”

Sean poked Aervyn. Being a little older than four, he was wiser in the ways of not owning up to your part in witch pranks quite so quickly.

Marcus ruffled Aervyn’s head absently and turned to Nell. “How did you figure it out?”

Sheer genius, Gandalf. My daughter comes by it honestly. Nell shrugged. “I took a guess. It seemed reasonable that if Elorie can download, she could upload, too.”

Elorie looked confused. “Download and upload what? I just used Net power.”

“Aye, niece,” Marcus said. “But this time you didn’t pull magic to yourself. You pushed it to someone else. Someone without those powers.”

Ginia’s eyes got big. “You’re right. That’s so cool. I wanna try.” She jumped up and motioned to the others. “Let’s go make another spell for Lauren to catch.”

As a herd of witchlings ran down to the other end of the beach, Elorie moved away from Marcus. “Just in case you’re about to get wet again.”

Marcus snorted and waved a hand briefly in the air. “I don’t think so. Any witchling who tries is going to discover the meaning of counterspell.”

Nell wondered if Elorie had any idea of the implications of her newly discovered ability.

Not a clue, Marcus sent. She still thinks this is fun and games on the beach.

And you don’t?

Nell’s heart cracked when Marcus replied. With this, I could have saved my brother. I wasn’t strong enough on my own, and we couldn’t get a circle together in time.

~ ~ ~

Elorie held her breath as Ginia finished drilling a tiny hole in a piece of green sea glass. She wasn’t at all sure that equipping a nine-year-old with a power tool was a good idea, but Ginia had been sweetly insistent.

Her temporary apprentice looked up. “So now I do the same thing to the other one?” Elorie nodded. Ginia had found a couple of small bits of green sea glass on the beach, and she wanted to make them into a birthday gift for Lauren.

Elorie rummaged in her wire collection. She had some thin copper wire that would go well with the green glass and Lauren’s gorgeous hair.

Finished with the drilling, Ginia took off her safety goggles and looked at the wire with interest. “Now what?”

This was the fun part, if you had any artist’s calling. “Now you dream a little. You need to ponder the glass and the wire, and think about how they might look nice together.” She started pulling some half-done samples off her shelves. “You can hang the glass from a simple hoop, like this, or wrap the wire around to make a curly nest for the glass. That would look nice with the copper.”

Ginia contemplated for a few moments, and then looked shy. “What did you do for the heart one you’re wearing? It’s really beautiful.”

That caught Elorie by surprise. She’d expected Ginia to go for the curls. Her heart pendant had a hammered silver rim, which looked very simple, but required time and precision. “That’s tricky to do with copper, and it would take quite a while, sweetie. I’ll be happy to show you, though, if that’s what you want to do.”

“Yes, please.” Ginia grinned. “Lauren’s worth lots of time.”

Elorie messaged Aaron to let her know when dinner was ready. They would be a while.

She picked several pieces of glass out of her baskets. Ginia’s idea was a good one, and her inventory was in dire need of replenishment. She might as well work while Ginia labored. Her fingers blissed out with the normal routine of it all.

~ ~ ~

Moira giggled as Mike threw a pebble at Nell’s window. She felt about ten years old again, sneaking around at midnight.

Nell stuck her head out the window and spoke in a stage whisper. “They’ll be right down. Don’t lose either of them.”

Mike grinned back. “I won’t. You just make sure Sophie doesn’t decide to take a moonlit walk on the beach.”

“Ha. I have chocolate ice cream. She’ll never get past me.” Nell ducked back in the window as Aervyn and Ginia came bouncing out the back door of the inn.

Aervyn looked very alert for a small boy at midnight. “I was really sneaky. I didn’t wake up anyone.” His sister shook her head. Clearly a small boy’s standard for sneaky wasn’t all that quiet.

Elorie came out next, yawning and holding up a bag. “I have cookies. We ready to go?”

Three generations of witches sneaking off to the beach on a top-secret mission. Moira had no idea what they were up to, but she was absolutely delighted. When Mike had recruited her, she’d taken a nice, long afternoon nap to be prepared. Who said an old witch couldn’t be ready for anything?

Mike offered his arm for her to lean on, and she wasn’t too proud to take it. The walk to the beach seemed a little longer these days.

When they reached the sand, she kicked off her shoes. It was a glorious night to be barefoot in the moonlight. This close, she felt Mike call earth power. “I found the perfect spot this morning,” he said. “I left a marker so I could find it again.”

Seven-and-a-half decades of life hadn’t dimmed her curiosity any. What was the dear boy up to?

They walked a little way down the beach, just past the traditional place for full circles. Mike stopped and grinned. “This is it.”

He squatted down in front of Aervyn. “Remember, this is top secret.”

Aervyn nodded solemnly. “Just until tomorrow, right? I can do it.”

Ginia grinned. “If he can’t, I think I’ve figured out Mama’s silencing spell.”

Aervyn looked affronted. Moira nodded in approval as Mike intervened before his troops turned on each other. He would make a very good father.

Mike looked at Elorie first. “I asked you to come as an artist, as a witch who can blend spells, and as Sophie’s oldest friend.”

Then he turned to Moira. She looked in his eyes and saw love shining there. “I asked you to come as the keeper of traditions and the grandmother of Sophie’s heart.” Moira could feel her eyes misting over. She began to understand what they were about, standing here under the moon.

Aervyn grabbed Mike’s hand. “Why are Ginia and I here?”

Mike grinned. “Because I need your firepower, superdude. We’re going to make Sophie an engagement ring.”

Aervyn frowned. “A what?”

Ginia elbowed him. “It’s a ring you give somebody when you’re gonna get married.”

“Oh.” Aervyn looked at Mike. “Is that because of the baby? Uncle Jamie and Nat got married right after their baby showed up in Nat’s belly.”

Mike laughed. “That’s a good reason, but the best reason is because I love her.”

Aervyn nodded. “Okay. Does that mean you’re going to kiss her, too? Kissing’s gross.”

Elorie giggled and leaned over to Moira. “I think he’s been hanging out with Sean and Kevin a little too much.”

Moira smiled. She’d seen a lifetime of ten-year-old boys turn into young men mooning over the very girls they’d scorned for years.

Mike called his troops back to attention. “There’s a lot of earth magic needed to make a diamond, and that’s what the three of us will do,” he said, motioning to the two children. “Can you feel the big chunk of carbon down below us?”

Aervyn scrunched up his eyes for a moment. “Yup, but that’s awfully big for a ring, and it’s kinda ugly.”

“That’s cuz it’s not a diamond yet, silly.” Ginia looked at Mike. “We’re gonna squish it, right?”

Mike nodded. “Aervyn, can you see the picture in my mind? We’re going to squish that big rock down to this really tiny shape, and then it will get all sparkly and pretty.”

Moira hadn’t known such magic was possible. Aervyn closed his eyes for another moment, and then nodded. Clearly he didn’t have any doubts.

Mike looked next to her granddaughter. “Elorie, I’m hoping you can visualize a setting for the diamond.” He held out a thin band of gold. “This was my grandmother’s ring. We’ll give you the power you need, but if you can shape it into something pretty, I’d really appreciate it. I’m no artist.”

Elorie’s eyes shone, ready to make a gift for the sister of her heart.

Ah, the boy was well rooted in tradition. Such a wonderful partner he would make her darling Sophie. Perhaps she was simply here to stand in witness.

Mike reached for her hand. “And if you would, I’d like for you to bless the ring.”

That she could do, and with a heart abounding in pleasure. “I can do that when you’re done, my dear. I’ve the blessing spell of my grandmother in my heart—I think that one will do nicely.”

“I was hoping…” Mike paused as emotion swept his face. “I was hoping you could cast a blessing as we build the ring. Elorie could meld it right into the diamond and the gold.”

Moira’s heart wobbled as she realized what he wanted. The oldest of traditions, and the oldest of blessings, united by the newest of magics.

She readied an old Irish blessing spell, and then pulled down a bit of moonlight. It would make Sophie’s diamond shine just a little brighter.