of whom had fallen asleep in the sand in the wee hours of the night, seemed relatively cheery. That was good—for many, it would be their first full circle.
Mike was huddled with a couple of their local fishermen who had done early reconnaissance on the current location of the algae bloom. The goal was to push it gently out to sea to be reclaimed by the ocean’s natural recycling systems. That was easiest to do if you knew exactly where the bloom was.
Each of the experienced point witches gathered up their trio. Moira cuddled Lizzie under her long wool cape; water witches got cold easily—something about their affinity with the chilly ocean waters. They chatted easily with Gwen, the third member of their trio.
Aervyn had somehow gotten Uncle Marcus laughing, which was a feat of magic unto itself. Air and water had the toughest jobs of the morning, so Elorie was happy to see a harmonious start. With Uncle Marcus, that couldn’t be taken for granted.
Mike motioned that he was ready to begin, and the circle started to assemble. The outer circle would be light this morning—too many witches sleeping off the aftereffects of the night before.
Nell, Sophie, Moira, and Marcus stood in the cardinal directions, flanked by the other members of their trio. The young ones were all excited, but the face that drew Elorie was Ginia’s. She looked so proud, standing tall in the earth trio, wind whipping her hair. This was her first full circle, and she was soaking in the full import of the occasion.
She was going to be an amazing woman one day.
She surely will be. Lauren stepped up beside Elorie. “She’s already an amazing witch. I’ve helped with her training a fair amount, and she’s so confident in her talents.”
Elorie smiled in welcome. “That’s what happens when the trainers do a good job.”
“Maybe. Nell doesn’t raise scaredy-witches either, but something about Ginia is special. A lot of witches fight with their magic, or at least brute force it a little. She’s so in tune with her power. It’s inspiring.”
Hmm. This was beginning to feel like a non-accidental conversation. “And what do you feel in my mind when I do magic?”
Lauren blushed. “Not subtle enough, huh? Sorry about that. Usually I keep my nose out of other peoples’ magical business.”
Elorie snorted. “We stink at that around here. Go ahead and tell me what you see.”
“Part of you feels like you’re resisting. Not the power itself, exactly—more the process. I’m not describing it very well, but it hampers your magic.”
“You describe it well enough.” She looked toward the full circle. “I want what they have. A power rooted in tradition, practiced by generations. Ginia has the heart of a pioneer. I don’t. I feel like I’m tied up in the back of the covered wagon, heading west whether I want to or not.”
And wow, where had that come from? She sighed and scuffed at the pebbles under her feet.
Lauren gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “If I can help with untying a knot or two, let me know.”
She needed to think a bit first. Her pioneering spirit might be lacking, but her sense of obligation to her craft wasn’t. Lauren was the second person in two days to point out that resistance was hampering her magic.
She looked on the gathering circle and sighed. Still yearning for what she couldn’t have. That had to change, and today seemed like a good day to begin.
As Gran’s lilting voice began the call to water, Sean stepped up to Elorie’s side. “Wanna watch? I can link you in so you can see the magic.”
There was nothing wrong with Sean’s heart, but as cool as it was to watch magic from the inside, right now she needed the comfort of her usual observer role. “I’ll link in for your circle tonight, sweet boy, so I can see your fancy spellcasting. For now, I just want to watch with my eyes.”
She drank in the sight of witches, young and old, joining in the age-old ritual of a full circle. Gran in her cape, Sophie and Ginia in matching long green velvet dresses, Kevin in jeans and a hoodie, Aervyn with chocolate smears on his face. Fine witches, all.
She gave thanks once again for Gran’s presence. She had stood as point in the water trio for as long as Elorie could remember. The day would come when she would step aside, probably for young Lizzie, but it hadn’t come yet.