A Modern Witch - By Debora Geary Page 0,50

when I try to set barriers.” Lauren squinted with concentration.

Jennie caught her broadcast image of Jamie in a Cat Woman suit, waving a wand at flying sushi plates. She was amused, and impressed. Lauren shouldn’t be able to push images with that kind of control yet, particularly an image with moving parts. It was a little blurry, but still. Sneaking a quick look through the monitoring link between them, Jennie tried to work out how Lauren was controlling her power.

There were small creatures of light flitting in and out from a warm, green shadow. Slowly working inward, she realized the creatures were small lightning bugs. When they flashed on, small bits of thought or feeling flowed out. Jennie recognized a couple of images from her own outer mind. Well, well. The girl was reading quite a bit more than she’d let on.

Jennie moved closer to the warm green center and suddenly faced a cloud of angry, buzzing lightning bugs. She could have swatted them aside with a breath of power. However, the fact that Lauren could summon any defenses at all at this stage was truly extraordinary.

Jennie focused on one of the lightning bugs and gently sent. Let me see. Please. The cloud dispersed, and her single lightning bug led the way. Jennie could see the flickering lights on either side, an escort of sorts. Good, the girl was no pushover.

Jennie grinned as she arrived at the warm green. This was where Lauren intuitively centered her power, and brick walls it was most certainly not. Unusual, but they could work with that. Slowly, she retreated, backing out to just a simple monitoring connection.

When she opened her eyes, Lauren watched her steadily. “You have a pleasing mind, Lauren. Sturdy and creative. Thank you for letting me see. Now tell me about your couch.”

Lauren blinked. “My couch?”

“Every mind witch needs to work from a center, a place of safety and strength. Barriers work best if they build out from this center. Mine is a camera.”

Lauren looked thoroughly confused. “You set your barriers from a camera?”

Jennie nodded. “I feel safe and powerful behind a camera, and there are lots of things I can control. I can change lenses and zoom in, or put on a filter to soften the light or block it out almost completely. The lens works as my barrier and as a channel to send and receive.”

Comprehension bloomed on Lauren’s face. “It’s your visualization for controlling what you do. Just like Aervyn used Matchbox cars.”

“Exactly. Jamie’s not a mind witch of any strength, so his barriers are rudimentary—bricks and bubbles. That’s more than enough for most of his students, and a good first lesson for anyone.

“More talented mind witches need fancier tools with better precision and more options. Aervyn may eventually outgrow his Matchbox cars, although last time I checked, he’d outfitted them with wings and laser beams, so maybe not.”

“Laser beams?”

“Protection is an important part of any good barrier system.”

Lauren laughed. “So, he shoots down incoming bad guys?”

“Something like that. It’s not literal—at least, not usually. He might shoot down stray thoughts he doesn’t want in his mind, for example. It’s powerful because it’s an extension of his center, the place he feels safe and in control. For a little boy, that visualizes as his favorite toys. For you, it’s your couch.”

Lauren blushed. “My couch is my center? That’s a little embarrassing. It’s just the place where I hang out and eat ice cream.”

“It’s the place you feel safe and secure, and that’s a wonderful thing to have. Since it’s the couch you have now, I’d venture that it’s also the center of the life and home you’ve built for yourself. A place of nurturing, friendship, recharging... how am I doing?”

“You’re the mind witch—you tell me.”

Jennie laughed. “Smart-ass witchlings come in all sizes. Some mind witches just ride power channels, but most of us find images and visualizations very helpful, and I think we’ve found one that will work for you. You’re already using it to drive some of your talents—I watched what you were doing when you broadcast Jamie flying the plates. For flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants magic, that was well done, and you powered it from your mental couch.”

Lauren lifted an eyebrow. “If I’m doing that, why don’t I know it? I thought I was just thinking loudly.”

“Jamie’s right,” Jennie said ruefully. “You’re going to make us all jealous if it comes this easily for you. You pushed that image to me quite nicely. Your barrier control is still weak