tried to remember the rest of Sophie’s list and get her meeting back on track. “What about healing? We’ve got several healers in Nova Scotia, but Gran was the only one in our village. I can set up a rotation for people to come stay at the inn for a while.”
“We can bring healers from farther away, too,” Jamie said. “With the newly tweaked shuttle spell, Aervyn and I can taxi anyone in through Realm.”
That would be amazingly handy, but it seemed like a big load for a small boy. “Isn’t he tired from all the people he moved around yesterday?”
Nell shook her head. “Nope. We fed him cookies. He’ll be fine.”
Mike took Sophie’s hand. “Help will be welcome, but Sophie and I can handle a lot of the healing.”
Elorie shook her head. They were newlyweds, and just starting a new life together. Gran would have been the first to object to intruding on that very special time.
Sophie held up a hand to stall her protests. “Is that small cottage to the left of Aunt Moira’s still for sale?”
Elorie frowned. “You mean that awful shack? Sophie, nobody could live there.” It had been for sale for ten years.
“No, but we could build there.” Mike kissed the top of Sophie’s head, and then grinned at Elorie. “We figure Seedling will have built-in playmates that way.”
They were going to move? Elorie’s heart stuttered in shock and joy. Earth witches never moved.
Sophie smiled. “I love her too, and she needs us now.”
It was an enormous gift of love, and not only for Gran. Elorie’s mind swam with visions of shared dinners and little ones playing together, morning soaks in Gran’s pool, and the everyday joys of a sister next door.
All that was left was a proper Nova Scotia welcome. Elorie held out her arms. “Welcome to Fisher’s Cove, you two. We’ll have a gathering. Nothing will get Gran well faster.”
Her meeting dissolved into a cacophony of well wishes and celebration.
Elorie sat quietly as the noise swirled around her. The last few days had been a miracle of community—so many people giving whatever they could. Sophie’s last gift, however, tugged particularly hard at her heart. Earth witches rooted deep and seldom left home. Anyone who knew Gran knew that.
And however much they would welcome her, building a house was a long process, one of chaos and upheaval.
It was the last thing Sophie needed, and Elorie realized it was in her power to help. She looked around for Jamie and Ginia, and motioned them over. “I have an idea.”
~ ~ ~
Her idea took the next several hours, seventeen witches, three coders, and every person with a shovel in Fisher’s Cove.
At the end of it all, Elorie stood in Gran’s garden, happy to be back in the village she loved, and marveled at what they had done. Sophie’s house—the Realm version, at least, and Jamie swore it was an exact duplicate of her real home—sat nestled in the grove of trees to the west of Gran’s cottage. If it weren’t for the freshly dug foundation—since apparently Realm homes didn’t need those little details—it might have been sitting there for years.
It was the right welcome for a sister’s homecoming.
The hordes of helpers had disappeared, leaving things quiet for Gran’s return. They’d left behind baskets of flowers, housewarming gifts for Mike and Sophie, and enough food to feed the entire village for a week.
They were ready. She pulled a loaned iPhone out of her pocket and smiled at Aervyn’s waiting face. “We’re ready, sweet boy. Beam them home.”
Moira’s bed materialized in the clearing behind her garden, Sophie and Mike holding her hands. It had taken creativity and general bossiness to keep them away from the village all afternoon. She’d finally had to let Gran in on the secret to pull it off.
Sophie looked over with concern. “She’s really tired today—I think we need to get her straight to her room.”
“Nonsense,” Moira said, sitting up with a grin. “I’m fine.” It didn’t come out entirely clearly, but no one mistook what she meant.
Sophie’s face was absolutely priceless. “I thought you were exhausted.”
Gran’s lopsided grin was equally priceless. It’s not easy to fool a healer, my dear. I did a good job, if I do say so myself.
“Fool a healer?” Sophie spluttered to a stop, a mess of frustrated confusion.
Gran reached up slowly to cup Sophie’s face. Her right hand was a lot slower than her left, but it made the journey. “Welcome to Fisher’s Cove, granddaughter of my heart. Look what they’ve done for you.”
Sophie turned around, totally mystified. Elorie watched very carefully and knew the exact moment when she finally spotted the house. Shock and joy exploded on her face—and the entire village of Fisher’s Cove exploded with flowers.
She clutched Mike’s hand and turned to Elorie. “My house. You planted it here.”
Elorie grinned. With the fresh dirt around the edges, that’s exactly what it looked like. A house planted for a family to grow in.
Sophie had a home, and Gran would have so many babies to rock. The most traditional of joys, provided by the most modern of magics.
Elorie clasped her heart pendant, knowing that in Realm, hundreds of eyes and hearts watched along with her. It was a very good day to be a witch.
Thank you!
I hope A Hidden Witch was a good read. If you have a moment, please help others enjoy this book, too.
Recommend it. Please suggest it to a friend.
Review it. Help other readers choose what to read—tell them why you liked this book. If you do write a review, please send me an email at [email protected]. I’d like to gift you a copy of the next book in this series as a small way of saying thanks.
Want the next book in the series? Visit www.deborageary.com to sign up for my New Releases email list. A Reckless Witch will be available late November 2011.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24