looked down at the gently rippling waters and sighed. "To trust."
"Aye." Beth would manage the first two quite nicely - she was a disciplined witch. "It's the last that will be the test."
Nell's hands fisted on the surface of the water. A witch in turmoil.
A turmoil that clearly didn't make sense to anyone else in the pool. Moira spoke from her heart. "What troubles you so, Nell?"
Sophie leaned forward, her healer instincts also seeking. "We do circles with new witches all the time."
Nell stirred the waters, seeking wisdom in the pool's depths. "I don't like it at all. I honestly don't know why." She looked up, face taut. "But it makes my gut tie up in knots."
Moira felt worry settle in her heart. It might be overreaction - but witches didn't ignore their warriors.
"I watched her color a dragon and hug my girls, and that felt really good." Nell's voice hitched. "But this feels different."
A smart witch knew when to push - and when to let truth make its own way. "Perhaps it's more coloring and cuddles we need first, then." Time for trust to build.
"I don't know." More staring into the murky depths.
Once again, the pool's occupants sat silent, honoring Nell's struggle with truth.
When she looked up, her eyes were clear and bright. "Okay. It's a good idea. But I'm not the right witch to ask that of her. The trust."
"Not yet." Moira offered balm as she could.
"I don't know that I can trust Beth." Honesty shone in the words - as did worry. "But I do trust the circle."
Sometimes witching asked so very much of its strongest hearts. "We'll let you and Jamie work out the details. Perhaps Lauren can assist you." And maybe figure out what was casting shadows on the warrior's soul.
"She understands Beth best." Nell's breath let out with a whoosh. "Okay. I can live with that."
Moira didn't miss Lauren's worried look from across the pool. All was not yet well in the witching world.
She looked up at the stars, drawing solace from their light. On this dark winter's night, that would have to be enough.
They had a witch to woo.
And one of their strongest to steady.
-o0o-
Beth made her way slowly down the stairs to the shop, a small glass of eggnog in her hand. Tea might have been more appropriate to the hour, but she hadn't wanted to disturb Liri's sleep making it.
Apparently her Aspie brain was still on California time - and even a warm body cuddled in beside her hadn't been enough to convince her mind to drift off to dreamland.
She made her way to the back of the shop by feel, something she did often when her nocturnal thoughts kept her awake. Parting the curtain of blue crushed velvet, she let herself into the cozy back room that served as their coven meeting place and her usual spot for nighttime magic practice.
It hadn't been thoughts teasing her brain - it had been the lure of a new spell.
Magic, in a space and a time of her own choosing.
Carefully, she set out the things she would need to be comfortable and safe. A firm hassock to sit on and a cup of water nearby. Candles to light a ring around her workspace. A small fire extinguisher in the corner, never needed, but always present.
She pressed play on the iPod tucked away on the room's single, simple shelf, and smiled as Celtic Christmas carols filled the space. Liri loved them.
And tonight, love would support her work. She turned down the volume to barely audible and returned to the hassock. Already her breathing was settling into the quiet rhythm of the simple meditation she always used to begin her practice.
Slowly the breathing led her other senses to quiet, focused only on the air moving in and out. Bringing life to the energies that lay within.
And soon enough the drumbeat of power began to beat in her veins. A second heart, pulsing in time to an ancient calling.
The beat was strong tonight. Power, yearning for purpose.
Time for a map.
Filed in her mind between street maps and restaurant menus, Beth found the memory she needed. A simple fire globe, hovering over a five-year-old hand. Carefully, she zoomed in on