Lauren: Really. iPods are essential for babies, are they?
Jamie: Music is good for their brain development. I read it somewhere. Besides, I think Mia may have co-opted the iPod. She can’t resist anything red.
Lauren: Speaking of iThings, I need a favor. So far, Elorie has been stuck with a laptop to access Net power, and it’s restricting her freedom.
Jamie: Not a lot of Wi-Fi hotspots in rural Nova Scotia?
Lauren: Exactly. But Ginia used Nell’s iPhone when we first got here. I wondered if we could set up something like that for Elorie.
Jamie: By “we,” I assume you mean “me.”
Lauren: Pretty much. I’ll bake you cookies.
Jamie: That’s a suitable bribe. I can probably soup it up a little, too, so it has a wider range than normal. Give me a couple of days.
Lauren: Any way I can talk you into sending it for tomorrow? It’s her birthday.
Jamie: Taskmistress. That’ll cost you more cookies.
Lauren: Deal. And thanks. I think all the technology is getting in the way of her sense of belonging.
Jamie: She lives on the wrong coast—most witches out here spend half their life online. But yeah, she’s not used to leading a wired life. An iPhone in her pocket should be a lot less intrusive.
Lauren: Exactly. She’s casting for a full circle in a couple of hours, and the front lawn looks like a gamer convention. Ginia’s having a blast, but I don’t think Elorie’s going to find it quite so cool.
Jamie: She was raised in Moira’s world. Tradition’s going to matter a lot to her. And speaking of full circle, you’re going to need more than one phone to truly free Elorie from her Wi-Fi jail. Net witches don’t work alone.
Lauren: Crap, I didn’t even think of that.
Jamie: That’s what I’m here for. I’ll send a dozen or so overnight express so you can equip everyone, and then I’ll go buy a new freezer for all the cookies you’re going to bake me. Make some of them a kind Nat doesn’t like, okay? She’s on a bit of a food rampage right now.
Lauren: You’d think a teleporting witch could manage to hide a cookie stash.
Jamie: Nope. I swear she can smell them, even in the attic.
Lauren: It’s only another six months. You’ll live.
Jamie: Maybe. In the meantime, it sounds like I get to go shopping today after all.
Lauren: Stay away from the iPods. You’re on a mission. iPhones—focus.
Jamie: When did you get to be such a bossy witch?
Lauren: Ha. I was always bossy. Only the witch part is new, and that’s your fault. Gotta go, I’m being paged. Thanks, Jamie. I owe you.
~ ~ ~
Elorie sat on the grass behind the inn and wished she hadn’t eaten quite so many of Aaron’s pancakes. Or sausages. Or berries and whipped cream. None of it was sitting gently in her stomach at the moment.
Sophie sat on the grass beside her. “Nervous?”
That didn’t seem like an adequate word to describe the state of her insides. “And then some.”
“As I’m sure you’ve reminded many a witchling, that’s totally normal. It’s your first full circle, and you’re spellcasting, no less.”
She didn’t need to be reminded. “Is everyone straight on their spells?” Unlike normal spellcasting, where the caster shaped the spell, Elorie needed the right spells in place to blend for the final result she wanted. That meant each member of her circle had a really specific job to do.
Sophie nodded. “Mike’s walking the young ones through it one more time, but yeah, I think everyone’s got it. Lots of mind witches in the group, too, so we can adjust in mid-circle if necessary.”
Elorie frowned. “Maybe I should have tried something a lot simpler.”
“Absolutely not.” Sophie reached for her hands. “A caster’s first spell is supposed to be a memorable one, and it’s such a wonderful gift you’ve planned. It’s a truly beautiful idea, Elorie. Aunt Moira will be so proud.”
“She doesn’t know what we’re doing, right?”
Sophie shook her head. “Nope. The witchlings are sworn to secrecy, on threat of kitchen duty if they fail, and Lauren will make sure she doesn’t figure it out during the circle.”
“You’ve sorted out where to put it?”
“Yes, and where to move all the flowers. Fitting something that big in her back yard will be no easy task, you know.”
Oh, but it would be so worth it. Elorie hugged her knees and smiled. It had taken a lot of careful thought to come up with a spell special enough for her first full-circle spellcasting.