A Modern Witch - By Debora Geary Page 0,67
ice cream. There’s another pint in the freezer downstairs. It’s safe; I hid it under some peas.”
Lauren eyed her. “You must want something.”
More than one something. “I wanted to check up on you. How are you doing after the circle yesterday? It wasn’t exactly normal first-week witch training.”
Lauren contemplated her spoon for a long moment. “It’s still overwhelming. A couple of weeks ago, I was showing nice condos to newlyweds. Now, I’m flying around in the sky powered by a four-year-old on elemental power steroids.”
Nell nodded. “That was overwhelming for all of us.” She paused. “I didn’t expect you to be Aervyn’s channeler, but it looks like you may be. I’d like to tell you the ride will calm down some, but it probably won’t. Not if you’re that connected with him.”
Lauren frowned. “I thought Jennie said something about him working with other channelers, as well.”
“She did, and he will. It’s possible he’ll work as effectively with someone else, but honestly—after what happened yesterday—not all that likely. Most spellcasters prefer to work with one channeler.”
Lauren looked decidedly uncomfortable, and Nell debated whether to go on. The mother in her won. Newbie witch or not, if Lauren was going to be her son’s channeler, there were things she needed to know.
“Spellcasters rely on channelers to keep the power flow steady, and that’s no small responsibility. If you’d faltered yesterday, we might have fallen out of the sky, and Aervyn’s channels could have been seriously damaged, or worse.”
Lauren turned white, but that was nothing compared to Nat’s fury. “I thought it was a training circle. What the hell were you all doing?”
Nell had some mad of her own. “My baby was at risk. You think I would have done that on purpose? Ever agreed to that? We had no idea, Nat—none.” It had been a miraculous experience, but also one that would give her nightmares for weeks.
She took a deep breath and tried to explain. “Aervyn added power to the circle, which is supposed to be impossible. It meant the three of us —Jennie, Jamie, and I—weren’t really in control of how much power was flowing.”
She turned to Lauren. “The two of you were new to your roles, so you had no idea we were riding a dragon. Those of us who knew could only hold steady and go along for the ride. Interrupting the spell would have been riskier than letting it go on.”
And dammit, her boy had twisted that spell around his little finger and made it sing. Pride made her almost defiant. “Aervyn had it totally under control. Jamie and I have spellcast for hundreds of circles. We would have known if he was losing the spell.”
She ground to a halt. Where had the sob in her breath come from? “He never even came close. He’s my little guy, but what he did yesterday was the most impressive display of spellcasting I’ve ever seen.”
Nat sat beside Nell on the bed and hugged her shoulders. “You must be so proud of him.”
Nell leaned in for a hug. “And scared as hell.”
She looked at Lauren. “I don’t want to pressure you, but I thought you needed to know. If you are Aervyn’s channeling partner, it will come with immense responsibility for his safety, and that of others. You need to practice your craft and practice it well. There are many who will help you, but the commitment can only be yours.”
Lauren looked incredibly frustrated. “Nell, how can I do that? I live in Chicago. My life is in Chicago. I’ll come here for training when I can, but I’m barely getting my mind-witch powers under control. Who the hell would put a new witch in a position of that kind of responsibility?”
Nell debated and went with honesty. “It’s not the choice I would have made, but it wasn’t mine to make.”
Lauren had an impressive temper when she got rolling. “It sure wasn’t mine. I didn’t ask for this.”
“I know.” Nell took a deep breath. “I’m sorry; I didn’t come here to scratch at you. You did exactly right by Aervyn yesterday, and with no preparation.”
“You came to warn me.”
“I came because I thought you needed to know. Most channelers would find this a huge honor.”
“Nell, I’ve only known I can channel for a couple of days. And exactly one-half of my channeling experience involves cute Cat Woman illusions at the dinner table. I’m not ready for this.”
Nell handed Lauren the ice cream. “I’m not trying to panic you. I don’t mean