When I felt ready, I opened my eyes and walked directly to where Aphrodite stood at the east side of the circle. I’d written the calling of the elements and the spell itself with a focus on protection. My words and my voice mirrored the power that I was determined to invoke.
“Oh, winds of storm, I call for you. Cast your mighty blessing upon the magick I work here. Air, come forth!” I touched my match to Aphrodite’s yellow candle. It lit instantly, and Aphrodite’s hair lifted, whirling in a gust of wind so wild that had she not covered her candle, it would have gone out. “Air, what is your offering for this spell of protection?”
Aphrodite pulled the ritual dagger from somewhere inside the fur trimmed cape she’d swathed herself in. “I offer an athame. May it cut through anything that stands in the way of our spellwork tonight.”
I bowed formally to her before taking the athame and tucking it into a belt loop on my jeans. Then I made my way clockwise to the south and fire.
“Oh, fire of lightning, storm bringer, magick worker I call for you. Cast your mighty blessing upon the magick I work here. Fire, come forth!”
I didn’t need to touch a match to Shaunee’s red candle. It blazed into life on its own in a burst of heat so great it made me flinch. “Fire, what is your offering for this spell of protection?”
Shaunee lifted the hand not holding her ritual candle and gave me a perfect pyramid made of crystal. I blinked in surprise.
Shaunee’s grin was fierce, making her facial tattoos, which were twin phoenixes rising from flames, seem to glow from her internal flame. “I offer a tetrahedron—the physical manifestation of the elements that create fire. It is my wish that it burns away anything that stands in the way of our spellwork tonight. I found it in one of the old trophy cases. Perfect, right?”
“Perfect,” I agreed. I bowed and took it. The pyramid rested, cool and smooth, in the palm of my hand before I put it in the pocket of my jacket. I moved to the west, and Shaylin’s personification of water.
“Oh, drowning torrents of storm-wrapped tornado rain, I call for you. Cast your mighty blessing upon the magick I work here. Water, come forth!”
It took Shaylin’s candle an instant longer than necessary to light, but when it finally did I held my breath as, for just a moment, I swear I felt as if I’d been transported to the middle of the ocean. Shaylin giggled gleefully.
“Water, what is your offering for this spell of protection?”
Shaylin handed me the fist-sized stone, water-etched with a heart. “I offer proof of my element’s power. It is my wish that it flood anything that stands in the way of our spellwork tonight.”
I bowed to Shaylin and water, and put the rock in my other pocket. It felt heavy and solid—and I thought how perfect it was, as well.
Moving to the top of the circle, I stood before Stevie Rae, who dimpled at me.
“Oh, earth—solid, mighty survivor of every storm ever created, I call for you. Cast your mighty blessing upon the magick I work here. Earth, come forth!”
Stevie Rae’s green candle lit easily and I was instantly transported to a mighty mountain range. I felt it all around me, and knew earth would support our protection spell with unparalleled power.
“Earth, what is your offering for this spell of protection?”
“I offer this rowan. It’s a magickal gateway as well as a protector. It is my wish that it serves as a doorway for our spellwork tonight.”
Clutching a wand, Stevie Rae lifted her hand. It suddenly reminded me of a scene from Harry Potter, which made me smile as I bowed to my bestie and took the slender, graceful offering. I turned and walked to the center of our circle, kneeling beside my purple spirit candle to complete its opening. “Oh, strong and powerful, all-knowing spirit, I call for you. Cast your mighty blessing upon the magick I work here. Spirit, come forth and complete my circle!”
An exquisitely familiar feeling swallowed me, reminding me how much I’d missed circling. Quickly, I made a silent promise to myself that I wasn’t going to let work keep me from the pleasure of circle casting. Then I reached up and released the braid that held my redbird feather.
“I offer this feather—the spirit of my people—free and strong. It is my wish that it fills our circle and focuses our intent for our spellwork tonight.”
I stood then, and let my eyes follow the glowing silver thread that bound my friends, the personification of the elements, together in a perfect circle of power, shining with intent. Feeling full, happy, powerful, I began emptying my pockets and arranging the items carefully on the soft, snow-sprinkled ground.
I worked backwards. First I held out the rowan wand. Speaking slowly, carefully, I began casting the spell of protection. I’d decided that there hadn’t been time for creating the rhyme and meter that usually went into the words of a spell. Instead, I focused on intention and power—lots of power.
“I begin with earth’s offering, the rowan. I return it to earth, blessed by the elements, and infused with power. May it grow strong and long—so mighty that it can withstand any negative influence.” I pressed the raw end of the wand into the ground, planting it firmly. Then I took Shaylin’s rock and placed it on the west side of the rowan twig, saying, “Next comes water. I place it beside the rowan where it can nurture its growth through life-giving waters, like blood through our bodies.” My hand found the pyramid, which I placed on the opposite side of the twig. “I move to the manifestation of fire, symbolized by the four sides of this pyramid. May its heat warm the rowan, even when the cold breath of Darkness threatens to stunt or destroy it.” Finally, I held the athame high. The light from our joined circle glinted off its blade, and its fierce beauty made me smile. “And now, air! With this athame I will mark a pentacle within our circle, to create a power-filled pentagram, infused with the might of the elements and our combined intent.” I moved deliberately because in order for a pentacle to manifest a circled pentagram fully, it must be drawn by a single line, with the spirit point up.
I’d drawn four of the five lines when it happened.
“I’m sorry, I’m going to insist you leave. This area of the park is closed for a private event.”
Darius’ voice—deep and firm—broke through my concentration. I glanced up, squinting as I tried to look through the glowing thread of power that held our circle together. There was a small group of people. I could see that one of them was carrying a camera, and that they were following a woman, who was striding quickly toward our circle.
“This is a public park. It cannot be closed for private events.” I was struck by the familiarity of the voice, though my mind, which was still trying to focus on the spell I was almost done casting, felt fuzzy—slow.
I heard Aphrodite gasp just before the woman spoke again.