A Reckless Witch - By Debora Geary Page 0,63
in Hawaii more than once. “So why is it bright orange, and the other waves were only yellow?”
TJ zoomed in on the map. “Lots of villages in low-lying areas in that region, and normally very little wave action. A couple of twenty-foot waves would cause a lot of damage down there.”
Sierra squinted as the alert started flashing. Estimated death toll: 11,312. Oh, God. “The waves would kill people? And you try to guess how many?” She stared at him in horror. What an awful job.
He nodded slowly. “It helps us figure out where we can help most. Save the most lives.”
“What if you can’t help enough? What if you can’t fix it?”
He didn’t look like a Dorito-eating biker anymore. “Then we have really bad dreams.”
~ ~ ~
Govin sat on the small dock by his weather pond and looked over at his two companions. They both made him nervous, and for some of the same reasons.
They already knew Sierra had enough power to wreak havoc—and very little understanding of the potential consequences of her actions. Devin wasn’t nearly such a loose cannon, thanks to a lifetime of training, but he was reckless by birth.
They were magical risk-takers. And he was anything but.
“Thinking about the last time I was here?” Devin grinned. “I promise to be better behaved.”
Govin groaned. No, he’d actually managed to forget about the hailstorm they’d made, the one that had dented the brand-new paint job on TJ’s chopper. “I put up a much tighter training circle today. Feel free to help reinforce it.”
Devin waved his hand negligently in a circle. “Done.” He looked over at Sierra, who seemed really subdued this morning. “You might do the same—neither of us have much air power, so you’re the best witch to be containing your magic.”
She looked totally blank. “Sorry—what’s a training circle? Is it like a groundline?”
Govin felt the knot in his gut tightening. “It’s a way of containing magic while you’re trying new skills. A trainer normally sets one for beginner witches, or anyone trying a new spell.” He grasped at wisps of hope. “Maybe your mom used to set one for you. It’s definitely something you should know how to do for yourself.”
Sierra squinted and reached out with a trickle of power, clearly following the lines already blending into the training circle spell. Moments later, Govin felt the weight of her power added to the existing reinforcements.
He breathed a sigh of relief. “That was quick—you must have seen something similar before.”
She shook her head. “No, not that I remember.”
Devin’s eyebrows shot up. “You worked out a spell you don’t know that quickly?”
“Sure.” She nodded, all unconcerned teenager. “That’s how Momma always taught me. She’d do something, and then I’d trace it. It’s how Aervyn learns spells, too—I felt him trace my funnel at Ocean’s Reach.”
Govin blinked. Not very many witches casually put themselves in the same sentence with Aervyn.
Devin nodded slowly. “That would make sense—explain how he picks up spells so quickly.”
Sierra frowned. “How else would you learn a new spell?”
Hard work, practice, and lots of mistakes. Govin chuckled ruefully. He should be glad his new student was a quick learner. “Let’s put your tracing talent to good use then, shall we?” Freaking out that she’d done magic for eighteen years without training circles or groundlines could wait until later. For now, he had a witch to train. The faster they started, the safer she’d be by dinnertime.
He pointed to the pond, calling power as he did so. “This pond is like a mini-world. We make small-scale magics here and watch how their effects travel outward.” Working carefully, he created a very small funnel, using a wisp of fire power to heat a curling stream of air.
Sierra sucked in her breath. “That is so cool—how’d you do that? Fire magic, right?”
“Govin’s the master of baby magics.” Devin grinned to take the sting out of his words.
“If you can’t control a spell when it’s small, you have no business making a big one.” Govin fired off the usual retort, and then winced as he realized Sierra didn’t know the thirty years of history behind their bantering. “I use micro-versions of weather magic to practice.”
She nodded solemnly. “Do it again, please.”
Govin complied, moving a little more slowly this time.
“Ah.” Her eyes brightened. “I get it. You’re using fire magic to heat the air instead of water. That’s a lot faster, but I don’t think I have enough fire power to do that for a full-sized funnel.”
He shrugged. “And I don’t