A Hidden Witch - By Debora Geary Page 0,49
earth magic, and that left Sean calling air.
Elorie’s heart danced with the beauty of it. The four streams of energy touched and twisted as each witchling created a spell. Lizzie’s and Sean’s looked fairly simple, but whatever Kevin and Aervyn were doing was complex and convoluted. She yearned to understand.
It’s not difficult, girl. Lizzie and Sean are working together to lift the plate, Marcus sent. Elorie jumped. She hadn’t realized anyone else was watching.
We’re all watching, child, came Gran’s soothing voice. Marcus and Lauren have patched us all in. Kevin calls fire, but he’s acting as channeler, helping to blend all the energies and keep them balanced. It’s very delicate work he’s handling, and well done.
Aervyn’s readying a teleporting spell, Nell said. But I don’t think he’s the one that actually uses it. Watch.
Elorie watched in fascination as Ginia’s fireworks suddenly got brighter. The four spells glistened for a moment, and then melded.
It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
Damn it! Marcus cursed. They missed!
Elorie felt Aervyn’s giggles beginning as they all thudded out of mindlink. She opened her eyes to find Uncle Marcus looking at the blueberry pie in his lap with disgust, and everyone else at the table in various stages of mirth.
Her own sense of humor kicked in as she realized they probably hadn’t missed at all.
You think I don’t know that, girl?
Elorie managed to turn Jamie’s gizmo back on before she collapsed on the table, laughing.
Gran leaned over and patted Marcus’s hand. “It might be a good time to practice those cleaning spells you so disdain, nephew.”
Marcus just growled.
~ ~ ~
“The moon’s gorgeous tonight.” It wasn’t often Elorie could convince her husband to take a midnight walk on the beach, so she was pleased the night sky had decided to show off a little.
Of course, it wouldn’t be her who had to get up at the crack of dawn to cook breakfast for an inn full of witches.
Aaron wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “So, what exactly happened at dinner tonight?”
“The magic, you mean?”
“Is that how Marcus ended up with my pie in his lap?”
Elorie stopped dead in the sand as realization hit. He’d been the only non-witch in the room. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. I should have told you what was going on.” Heaven knows she’d been shut out of the magic often enough to know what it felt like.
He kissed her forehead. “So, tell me now.”
“I think the children practiced together this afternoon, and they did a nice little demonstration with your pie. Each of the children cast a spell, and then Ginia blended them together to do one big spell.”
“Dumping pie on Marcus is a big spell?”
Elorie giggled. “I’m not sure whether they meant to do that part or not.”
“And Aervyn made it so that you could see what was happening.”
“Right. Uncle Marcus and Lauren patched in everyone else so we could all watch.” She winced even as she said it. “All the witches, at least. I am sorry, Aaron. That was horribly rude of us.”
He grinned. “Nah. I got to watch the look on Marcus’s face as the pie landed. The rest of you missed that.”
He stopped for a minute, bending over to pick up a shiny moon opal, and held it out to her. “I also got to see the look on your face. You were happy, Elorie. Really happy.”
The joy of that moment still echoed in her heart. “I’ve never been able to see the magic before, see power being used. It was amazing.”
“What Ginia did, blending the spells together—is that what you’ll be able to do?”
Elorie’s legs simply melted. She sat down hard, staggered by sheer shock. In the magic, and in all the laughter, she had somehow missed that one essential point. “Oh, my God. That was Net magic Ginia did.”
He nodded, clearly confused.
She could feel the tears coming. “I can learn to do what she did. I’m not going to be a useless witch.”
Chapter 12
Nell looked around Moira’s back yard and grinned. It looked like a tornado had swept through and dumped off random heaps of computer parts. Clustered around them were some excited, but very confused, witches.
Moira had put out the call—everyone should come to be tested. Clearly the witch population of Nova Scotia had taken that literally. There were almost a hundred people in the back yard, with only a handful competent enough to test for Net power. And one of those was four and in need of a nap.
To make matters worse,