A Reckless Witch - By Debora Geary Page 0,71
was really smart. And she said I wanted to play with magic right away after I was born, so she gave me a tiny bit of her spell and let me follow it around.”
“And that’s how you learn magic, right? You start at one end of a spell thread and feel your way through.”
Sierra nodded, mouth full again. “Yup. It’s totally easy.”
Lauren tried to wrap her head around a newborn following spell threads. Weren’t they just supposed to eat, sleep, and poop?
You think that when my girl already kicks you out of her head? sent Jamie dryly. Can you monitor Sierra while she traces a simple spell of mine? See how she does it?
No rest for weary witches. Yeah.
Lauren mindwatched as Jamie created a simple fire globe—fire lines were easiest to visualize. And watched as Sierra gently untangled the end of a small spell thread, kind of like finding the beginning of a ball of yarn.
Then she jumped in shock as another mind reached for the dangling thread. You’ve got company, she sent carefully to Jamie.
His mind was full of wonder. I know.
Lauren watched, fascinated, as a small presence traced the lines of the spell—and then her eyes flew open at Nat’s sudden intake of breath.
Suspended over her belly was the twin to Jamie’s fire globe. Their little girl had done her first magic.
From the baby’s mind—pure joy. And from her teenage teacher—astonished pride.
~ ~ ~
Moira set three cups of hot chocolate on her table. It was a wondrous gift in her old age that people from thousands of miles away could just pop in for a visit. And there were few guests she loved better than her girls.
Even if they were being mysterious.
Giggles from the front of the house suggested they’d arrived. “In here, my lovelies.”
Three girls, bigger every time she saw them, bounded into the kitchen and joined her around the table. Ginia picked up her cup, sniffing. “What did you put in here?”
Moira’s eyes twinkled. “That’s for you to guess, my dear. An earth witch doesn’t give up all her secrets.” Truth be told, Ginia could probably worm it out of her, but they’d both have more fun if she offered at least token resistance.
Mia’s headshake suggested there was more serious business at hand. “We came because we need your help, Aunt Moira.”
That much she had gathered from their message. “And how can I help my three girls?”
Ginia’s eyes had that look that made Moira fiercely wish she’d be around to see the witch this one would become. “We want to find out what happened to Sierra’s mama.”
Oh, my. Moira paused a moment, shaken. This, she hadn’t expected—but maybe she should have. “Has Sierra asked for your help?”
“No.” Shay was usually the quietest of the three—and the most thoughtful. “But her heart asks.”
Aye, it did. “I’m sure it’s extremely difficult for her, not knowing.” But answers weren’t always comforting, either. She reached out gently for small hands. “You know the answer is likely to be very sad.”
“We know.” Ginia looked down at their joined hands, then tipped her head back up, eyes fierce. “But if something terrible happened to Mama, we would find out. At least then we could be sad about the right things, instead of scared of all the things that might have happened.”
“She has bad dreams,” Mia said.
Moira was well aware of that. “I know, sweet girl. And she still might, even if we find the answers you seek.” Because none of those answers would bring Amelia back. That much, her heart knew.
Shay traced one of the petals embroidered on the tablecloth. “Will you help us?”
“Aye.” It would hurt all of their hearts, but she would. “Where do you think we should start?” She was certain the girls had a plan.
“With the old and the new.” Ginia sipped her hot chocolate carefully. “We’re going to ask Jake to help us with the new part.”
Jake was the new head of Sentinel, an organization that attempted to find and help witches in distress, particularly young ones. It had a bit of a spotty history, but Jake was as good as they came. And Sentinel’s magic alert system—and long record-keeping of witch incidents—was second to none. It was smart thinking. And it suggested the girls knew more than they were letting on. “You think there was magic involved when Amelia disappeared?”
Ginia’s chin jutted out. “Don’t you?”
Yes, she did. Moira tilted her head in acknowledgment. “Jake’s a good man. If there are records at Sentinel, he’ll be able