Callie moved her open left palm so it hovered only an inch above the stone. The bracelet came into view with its silver chain links and a tiny heart inscribed with G & M.
“Glenna!” Skye jumped up, breaking the trance. “It stands for Glenna and Mickey. She showed it to me a couple of weeks ago. I should have known it was her from the beginning. Wait until I get my hand on that psycho bitch.”
Callie sat back and began frantically blowing on her left palm. “Get me some ice. Quick!”
Skye ran to the kitchen, flipping on lights as she went from one room to the next. “Here.” She shoved an ice cube over the one inch round burn on Callie’s hand. “Sorry, Callie. How bad is it?”
“Stings, but I’ll live.”
Skye poked at the obsidian and saw it had singed a hole in the altar cloth and blackened a bit of the coffee table’s wood. “Wow, it didn’t burn like that when I used it.”
“Because you’re gifted with elemental earth magic.”
Skye laughed.
“Stop it.” Callie banged her non-injured hand on the table. “Listen to me. You have more power than you suspect. I feel it in you. There’s a time coming when you are going to have to dig down deep and draw on that power. You can do it.”
Skye rolled her eyes at the pep talk but when Callie glared, she held up her hands in mock defense. “Okay, all right. Whatever you say.”
Callie nodded. “Do you suspect this Glenna acted alone in the killings?”
Skye cocked her head to one side, considering. She’d never liked her coworker and couldn’t imagine anyone else at the store with a dark side. “No, I really think it’s just her. But what surprises me about Glenna is that I thought she was too stupid to pull off some kind of elaborate scheme. That, and the fact she’s a total fake. If she’s a true psychic, I’m the tooth fairy.” Skye winced at her own analogy.
Callie’s brow creased and she again tapped a finger over her lips. “There must be something else I can do to help.”
“I know. You could do a binding spell on Glenna to make her stop killing the fairies.” Skye leaned forward in excitement.
“I will. But I still think there’s something we’re missing here.”
Skye grinned. “Did you bring your crystal ball when you flew in on your broomstick tonight?”
“Hardly. My Dixie doodlebug is still going strong-even with over 200,000 miles on it.” Callie delicately blew on the burn, her rosebud lips puckering in an absolutely adorable way. Even when injured she managed to look as graceful as a ballerina. Skye mentally contrasted her own appearance – tangled, purple hair, dirty and sweaty from the night fly, and still wearing red sweat pant bottoms with her sweatshirt all scrunched up at a weird angle, wings poking out.
She yawned and stretched her arms. The smell of incense lingered and that, combined with the ebb of her adrenaline rush, made Skye drowsy. “I don’t know how well I can sleep with these wings in my way. Plus, the last two times I woke up either in a treetop or found a fairy invasion in my bathroom.”
“Go to sleep,” Callie said. “I’ll be here to keep an eye out. No fairies allowed. I’ll light some sage and do a protection ritual.”
Skye grabbed a pillow and sank on the couch. “While you’re at it, how about doing some magic to get rid of my wings? Very inconvenient. Don’t know how I’m supposed to hide them.” She sat upright and smacked her forehead. “I’m supposed to go into work later.”
“I’ll wake you up at the last minute and you can call in sick.” Callie walked clockwise around the room with a burning smudge stick. “As for your wings, that’s for you to work out with the fairies at Samhain.”
Skye was silent, watching Callie’s deliberate protection ceremony. Callie was right, this was something she had to figure out herself. But first she needed some sleep to come up with a game plan.
Callie continued sweeping the room with the sage.
“No fairy beings great or small
May enter by door, window or wall.”
Her friend’s familiar voice was a soft, soothing lullaby and Skye shut her eyes. Her words seemed to come from a great distance, instead of across the room.
“Be ye good, or evil, or in between
Keep away this day, stay out of her dreams.”
As I will, so mote it be, Skye mentally added, allowing the peace of sleep to shut down her mind.
She awoke to a hand gently nudging her shoulder.
“Wake up, Skye.”
She bolted up from the sofa, disoriented and drowsy from sleep deprivation. She saw Callie’s face and groaned. “It can’t time for work already.”
“No, sorry, but I have to go.”
Her sleep haze lifted at Callie’s agitation.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s trouble with the coven. They need me.”
Skye nodded. Callie was indispensable in protecting the coven members from dangers that roamed the Appalachian hills. “Call me later and let me know you made it home safe.”
They hugged goodbye and Callie got in her car. “Remember what I told you Skye, you have the ability to get through this.”
“Yeah, I know the drill. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
***