She glanced at Camille. The older woman was standing several feet to her right, her red shirt clashing brightly with the clear blue sky.
"Looks like I can walk right on down there."
Camille sniffed. "You can try, but I doubt you'd succeed. See them black stones down near that sign below us?"
Nikki nodded.
"If you follow it along several feet either way, you'll see more black stones. They're warding or protection stones, and will ring the whole town. When placed in certain sequences they can provide protection against either magic, evil, or, in this case, good."
"These are a hell of a lot bigger than any of the stones we've been shown in class."
"That's because the circle of protection needs to be a whole lot bigger." Nikki studied the nearest stones for a minute, noting the way the black surface seemed to swallow rather than reflect the sunlight. "So why can't we just go down there and scatter the stones?" Camille raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say you took the class on that?"
"Yes." But she'd been half asleep, because Michael had whisked her off to San Francisco the night before to celebrate her passing the first section of the course. They'd partied, and then they'd made love all night...
Swallowing the anguish that rose swift and fast, she let her gaze search the streets again. No sign of Michael anywhere. No sensation of where he might be. She clenched her fists, resisting the temptation to just go down there and start looking. There were still twenty minutes to wait before the so-called door opened.
"Then you'll know that a circle this size cannot be destroyed by brute force. And it'll take time to do so by magic."
Meaning she was on her own for longer than any of them wanted. She bit her lip for a moment, then rose, her long skirt swirling around her booted feet, stirring dust. "I'd better grab my packs and head down there, just in case the door opens early."
"It won't."
She knew that, but she couldn't stay here, doing nothing, for another second. Lifting her skirt a little, she walked down the long slope to the small camp that had been set up in the hollow between two hills. There were probably a dozen people and tents down here, but there was really only one other person she wanted to see right now.
Jake glanced up as she approached. "I've packed everything that's on the list. I just hope the weather doesn't close in, because the sleeping roll may not keep you warm if it does." Nikki shrugged and picked up the first of the packs. It felt like she was slinging a load of rocks over her shoulder. "Then I'm just going to have to convince Michael to keep me warm with body heat." Jake gave her the sort of look a parent does a wayward child. "Don't expect too much at the beginning. Remember what—"
"I remember," she cut in tartly. "But I just don't think magic can ever entirely erase what we share."