A Hidden Witch - By Debora Geary Page 0,41

a firelighting spell in your bag of tricks?”

“Of course. And a light globe, if that would be preferable.”

It might be. He didn’t really want to scorch Realm if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. Mia and Shay already had enough cleanup to do. Not all coding work was glamorous.

Jamie realized he was going to have to code a flower-opening spell. No self-respecting witch warrior had anything that soft in their stash. Or maybe one did. “Hey, Ginia, you got a blooming spell already coded that I can borrow?”

His message box pinged almost instantly. Warrior Girl has gifted you a spell.

“Cool. Thanks, cutie.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow. “Look it over carefully. It’s probably got a couple of mercenary fighters hidden inside.”

Ginia giggled. “No way. I sent Uncle Jamie the safe one.”

And this was the girl who had Realm trembling. Hopefully it kept her out of bigger trouble, at least. “So, Marcus, this is pretty straightforward for us. Trigger your spell and hold the power flow as steady as you can. I’ll do the same, and we’ll see if Ginia can join our magics.”

Onscreen, Marcus’s avatar walked over to the garden and lit a fire-globe on his palm. Jamie grabbed a random flower bud, and then triggered the blooming spell. Ginia stood between them in warrior stance, a look of fierce concentration on her face.

And then she held out her own hand, and a blooming ball of light slowly took form.

“Wow,” said Marcus reverently. “She’s going to wipe the ground with all of us, isn’t she?”

Jamie looked at Warrior Girl, power shining in her hands and glee on her face. “I suggest you find some Net witches, dude. You need allies, and fast.”

Marcus just put his head on his keyboard and groaned.

Chapter 10

Sophie: Aunt Moira, since I’m packing, do you need any more chamomile lotion? Crystals, anything? I have some new floral tea you might like, too.

Moira: Tea would be lovely, and another jar of your lotion. And perhaps you have something that would make a gift for my Elorie? It’s her birthday next week.

Nell: Glad you mentioned that. Do you have any ideas for what she might like?

Moira: I wish there were something we could give her to replace Jamie’s force-field gizmo. It’s an ingenious little device, but my poor granddaughter is not pleased about having to use it.

Nell: Maybe getting your mind witchlings fully trained is the long-term answer. I’m sure Lauren would be happy to help with that.

Moira: I’m sure Marcus will appreciate her assistance.

Nell: I’ll warn her :-).

Moira: My nephew is a bit brusque, but keep an open mind. I think your daughter is having an interesting effect on him.

Sophie: She’s about to kick his butt in Realm.

Moira: Sometimes men need to be taken down a peg or two before they can pay attention. Marcus is a bit old-fashioned, but he’s coming around.

Nell: I’ll believe it when I see it.

Sophie: I have some crystals that might help Elorie a little, but it sounds like she needs barrier training, no?

Nell: Lauren tried, but it seems like Net power has some important differences from mind magic. We’re in unknown territory. I assume we’ll figure something out eventually, but until then, Jamie’s gizmo is better than streaming out your every though to Marcus, a couple of ten-year-olds, and any other mind witch who happens to be nearby.

Sophie: Ouch. Amen to that. I need to go finish getting ready. I can’t wait to see both of you tomorrow. Blessed be.

Sophie put down her laptop, looked around the disarray of her bedroom, and sighed. Packing was one of her least favorite things. She wondered how the healers of old managed to travel with a rucksack of herbs and potions, and little else. They probably didn’t have five pairs of shoes to take.

She had a fragrant pile of salves, teas, and assorted goodies from her store. Other piles contained a stack of books to return to Aunt Moira, a small fraction of her shoe collection, and enough clothes to survive a week of beaches, witchlings, and potions brewing.

Cripes. She could really use a butler, or an apprentice, or whoever it was that used to pack your bags for you.

“Need some help?” asked a voice from the doorway.

Sophie whirled. “Mike! What are you doing here?”

He held out his arms and grinned. “Looking for more of a greeting than that.”

She stepped toward him, shock fading as delight blossomed.

Mike swung her up and kissed her thoroughly. Like most earth witches, he knew how to sink into a moment in time.