A Hidden Witch - By Debora Geary Page 0,31

you still doing readings on that new power?”

“Sort of,” Jamie said. “We’re trying to figure out how to train it.”

Lauren could feel mixed emotions streaming out of their new arrival. Jamie was right—Elorie’s brain was really leaky. She tightened up her mental barriers.

“It’s okay,” Aervyn said, obviously reading the emotional storm as easily as Lauren. He took Elorie’s hand. “It’s really easy to use. I can show you.”

Lauren started to interrupt, and then reconsidered. Elorie might well respond better to coaching from a pint-sized teacher—she seemed to have a real fondness for kids. Go ahead, Super Boy, she sent to Aervyn. But go SLOW. Remember, she’s a brand-new witch.

Jamie’s mental voice was highly amused. If he goes as slow as he did when you were new, he’ll scare her silly.

Lauren remembered all too well the totally overwhelmed feelings of her first week at witch boot camp. She hooked into Aervyn’s mental connection with Elorie, ready to put on the brakes if necessary. Hearing Jamie’s mental knock, she patched him in as well.

Aervyn, taking his trainer responsibilities very seriously, helped Elorie watch as Ginia accessed Net power. Then, in a very nifty move, he replayed it in slow motion for her.

Well, heck, Lauren muttered. Why didn’t I think of that?

That’d be why he’s Super Boy, and we’re just old and creaky, Nell sent dryly. Although, even seeing it in slow motion, I don’t think I could do it any better. We’ll see how our newest witch does.

After watching the replay several times, Elorie’s emotions had settled. Good, Lauren thought as Ginia handed over the mouse. And very interesting. Unlike everyone else, her brain showed a low level of Net power activity even when she wasn’t trying to pull power.

That’s why we were getting readings on the scanner, Jamie sent. She’s got a really strong affinity for Net power.

So, what does that mean, exactly?

Damned if I know.

Aervyn very patiently walked Elorie through her first attempts at accessing Net power, and like most newbie witches, her initial efforts got nowhere.

By now, Lauren had patched in Nell and Ginia as well, and they let out a collective mental sigh at each failed try.

Lauren thought she could see the problem. At the key point of engaging more active power, Elorie balked.

She’s not the first, Jamie sent. I remember a certain mind witch who didn’t step up and claim her power happily, either.

Lauren stuck out her mental tongue at him. Then she paused. Aervyn was setting his student up for another attempt, and she had the distinct feeling he had something up his sleeve.

As Elorie hit the sticking point, Aervyn moved like mental lightning. Giggles reverberated in all their heads as he launched a sneak tickle attack.

A moment of shock and laughter—and then fireworks exploded in Elorie’s head.

Lauren could feel the awe of every witch present, including Aervyn. Oh crap, Jamie sent. Now we’re in the big leagues.

Yup, said Nell. With a newbie at bat and a four-year-old manager.

Ahem, came from Ginia.

Well, I guess you’re a little better than a four-year-old in charge, Jamie teased as Ginia spluttered.

Who’s going to tell Elorie she’s the baddest Net witch in the West? Lauren asked—and was promptly reminded that when push came to shove, the Walker clan voted as a bloc, and Jamie was all too happy to join them. Terrific.

~ ~ ~

Elorie took off her shoes and enjoyed the feel of sand between her toes. Most Nova Scotia beaches had more pebbles than sand, so this was a strange, but lovely, feeling.

The crisp night air was a welcome change from the smells of stale popcorn and slightly burned hot dogs she’d been breathing in her booth.

She could feel her very soul exhaling as she began to meander down the moonlit beach. Jamie had dropped her off and then gone for a late-night ride, promising to return for her in an hour. She had a blessed sixty minutes to herself.

The motorcycle ride had been exhilarating, but what she really craved was silence. Or what passed for silence on an ocean beach, with the sounds of waves crashing and occasional birds overhead. Night spray blew against her face as she dipped her toes into the receding water.

She didn’t think of herself as a solitary creature, but three days in a row of people-packed art show, and she was ready to drop.

She sighed. And that was what Gran would call utter hogwash. The Art Fair was an amazing experience, with so many people loving her handcrafted glass trinkets. As an artist,