“What?” I laughed at him and he skipped and jogged away from the car. Leave it to him to force a laugh from me just when I thought I wouldn’t be able to laugh again for quite some time.
I rested my head back and closed my eyes again. I felt like I was about to drift into sleep when I heard a faint static noise. It sounded as if it were coming from the speakers, even though the car was turned off. I pushed my ear to the vents behind where I imagined the air conditioning fan would be. Maybe there was something wrong with the car. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard the strange noise. Each time, the car had been off, with nothing running.
I moved my hand to the dashboard and reached for the speakers. As my hand got closer, I heard what sounded like a scream through the static and jumped. The ring Alistair gave me hit the windshield, making a small round crack in it, the size of a pea.
“Oh no.” I looked up just as Chad was heading out of his house with two large suitcases. After fiddling with the seatbelt again, I was finally able to release it and make my way out of the car.
“I don’t need any help.” Chad hefted the suitcases up in the air to show off his amazing animal strength.
“I am aware of that.” I rolled my eyes. “No, come look at the windshield. It has a crack in it. Can we drive it like that?”
“A crack? How did that happen?”
“I don’t know. I thought I heard some noise coming from the speakers. While I was checking on it, my ring hit the windshield and it cracked.”
“That doesn’t sound right. Did you have help with that?”
“What?” I asked, forgetting my recent troubles.
“Did something startle you? Make you jump?” He tipped his head and gave me a look that said he knew he was right.
I was reluctant to answer, mainly because I really didn’t know if I’d caused the crack. Although it was entirely possible it had just been a jolt of my magic. “Yes. I jumped. My ring hit the windshield and there was probably a bit of magic behind it.”
“See.” He walked over and inspected the damage to the window. “Yeah, that should be okay. It’s low enough.”
“Enough?”
“Not in the field of vision.” He must have thought I was going to freak out or something. As he placed one bag in the trunk of the car and the other in the back seat, he kept glancing back at me. “You sure you’re okay?”
I nodded and smiled, but I couldn’t be sure if what I said was true. If it wasn’t true, it would have been the first time I’d jumped and didn’t have a bad magical aftereffect. So, maybe it was just what I said. A magical boost that helped the ring. I looked down at the amethyst stone and white rose etched on top of it. I hadn’t started wearing it right away. I left it in my jewelry box, afraid I’d lose or damage it in some way. I couldn’t even recall when I’d started wearing it on a regular basis. Whatever the reason, I was glad I had it on for graduation. I knew Alistair wanted to attend the ceremony, but he’d been ill for so long, I told him it would be okay if he didn’t go.
“Are we ready?” Chad asked as he slipped back into the driver’s seat.
“Sure. Do me a favor though,” I told him as I stood from the car again to remove the gown I was still wearing.
“Sure, anything.” His hand skimmed the side of my face once I sat in my seat and buckled once more.
“Turn on the air. I’m dying.” I gave him my best do-it-or-die look and he started laughing as he turned over the ignition.
“Aye, my lady. We wouldn’t want you to perish from heat stroke.”
The drive to the Blackwood house wasn’t long. We managed to get into my house before my parents got back and grabbed my suitcase, so I wouldn’t have to worry about bumping into Michelle before the party. The likelihood of her pestering me to go on the trip was slim to none with so many people around.
By the time we arrived at Clara’s house, the party was in full swing. We could hear the bass of the music down the driveway. I’d never realized how far back her house sat until we couldn’t get past the gates at the beginning of the property. The house sat up on a small hill but wearing heels and walking the entire length of it made it feel like Mount Vesuvius. Not too big to be impossible, but big enough to make me complain.
As we got closer to the house, we could see the pool was in use, as well as the rest of the property. The music was coming from the inside as well as the back yard.
“What do they have, central stereo?” Chad asked, slipping his hand in mine and helping me up the last bit of the drive. I felt sticky from the heat of the sun and the cars' engines as we weaved around them toward the back gate.
“Of course, we do!” Clara exclaimed from the front porch. “Where are you going?”
“The pool looks like a good idea,” Chad snapped back at her.
“Ugh, forget much? We have something to do.” She stuck her hand on her hip and waited for us to change course and head for the front door. “Mother thought it would be a better idea if we did this thing in a circle. You cool with that?” she spoke as she moved. Her teal dress looked like it was following after her. The lines of the fabric billowed around her legs as she moved.
The house wasn’t any different than the last time I saw it. Well, minus the golems that had been thrown about. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be intruding on this gathering like they had the last. The foyer gave way to three doors. To the left was the giant living room and connected dining room. Straight would take us to the kitchen after going down a long, narrow hallway. To the right would put us in Marshal’s office, or a choice of the stairs that led to the bedrooms and probably other rooms my house would never have. After going down the narrow hallway, we took a sharp right and went down the stairs leading to the basement rooms.
The floors were covered in a beige carpet and the walls were much the same color. As we descended the stairs, I could see the room in the back, which had been designed strictly for the purpose of circle meetings. The floors and walls were all dark wood. There were shelves wrapping around the room that hung three quarters of the way up the wall. They served as a bookshelf on one side and a place to hold their wiccan tools on another. Just as the last time I had entered the room, on the farthest side, the shelf held lit candles and an open Book of Shadows.
My friends and coven members were there waiting for us, as was Adelle and Marshal Blackwood.
“Do we have a spell?" I asked Adelle as she began to flip through her Book of Shadows.
“I believe we do. Care to do the honors?” She held the book out to me.
I placed the book down on the floor in the middle of the circle that was lightly etched into the wood. Chad and Crystal grabbed a candle, athame, and chalice, placing them opposite me and the book. I took a look at the spell, reading it over twice before calling my circle.
With Chad directly in front of me, I felt at ease, even though I realized this would be the first circle I had cast since the ritual. Matt and Crystal handed candles to Chad and Clara. I stepped from the middle of the circle, took a candle from the shelf, and stood in my spot.
“Shouldn’t we have Elle here for this?” I looked to Adelle and Marshal. Then without thinking, I looked over at Crystal. Did she know? Did she realize what they were doing to her mother and why?
“Yes, she should be arriving shortly," Adelle said, looking only at me. "Peter will bring her here directly. Cast your circle. Then when she arrives, make yourselves known and welcome her into it. Once she’s inside, she won’t be able to leave.”
I concentrated on her words but kept looking over at Crystal. When she saw me looking her way, she tipped her head down, refusing to meet my gaze.
“Elyse?” I heard Chad from across the room. My head moved swiftly in his direction. “Are you ready, E?” he asked as if it were for the first time.
“Yes. I can do this. I’ve gotten better at reigning it in. Let’s see just how good I am at using it.” My hands started to tremble at the idea of losing control is such a small space, and with so many
people. Instead of allowing the fear to consume me, I took a few deep breaths.
I put both of my hands out to my sides. On my right, where Crystal usually stood, Matt took my hand. On my left, Clara. I had written down the words I used before and studied their meaning. I hadn’t known why those words came to me that night. They felt ancient, and I had memorized them enough to use them in casting my circle. However, the Irish language was far too difficult for me to pronounce, and Chester had been teaching me to do what felt right; not to ignore my instincts. So I decided to speak the words, casting in English. With all eyes on me, I began.
“I cast this sacred circle of protection.” I held tightly to Matt and Clara as I felt the power surge through my body. “I ask of you, the power of the Earth, to entrust me with the power to protect this circle as I do your will.” I closed my eyes and waited for the warmth that had claimed my body the last time I had called unknowingly on the power of Earth.
“I ask of you, the power of Wind, to entrust me with the power to protect this circle as I do your will.” Once more, I stopped to allow the small gust of wind I had experienced before, to make its way into the circle and surround me. When I opened my eyes, it looked as if all five of us had felt the power of the element. The wind swept up around each of us. I looked to the outside of the circle where Marshal and Adelle were smiling at me. Adelle nodded for me to continue, so I called on the next of the elements.
“I ask of you, the power of Fire, to entrust me with the power to protect this circle as I do your will.” Again, I opened my eyes and watched as the warmth of a flame pierced my skin. The flames of the candles grew, almost licking the ceiling and settling back down to the candle. However, it burned brighter than before I invoked the element. I could see the expressions around the circle and waited no longer to call the next element to soothe us from the heat.
“I ask of you, the power of Water, to entrust me with the power to protect this circle as I do your will.” I didn’t need to open my eyes to know the others were feeling the cool wash of water, which soothed the heat from the fire element.
I held on tighter to the two hands in mine and prepared myself to call for the last of the power needed. “I ask of you, power of the spirits of our ancestors, to entrust me with your power to protect this circle, as I do your will.”
The wind picked up once again and settled around us. I opened my eyes to see the smiling faces of my coven. My friends. I knew what it was I wanted to share with them. I should have cast a circle sooner, so they could experience the power we shared. I may have had to deal with it on my own on a regular basis, but that didn’t stop the fact that they shared all of my powers with me when we were in circle. The blood rite ritual bound us together by the sharing of our blood. While we were connected as a coven, each of them would have heightened powers other than what they were born with. During circle, we had equal access to all power. The feeling was amazing.
Adelle and Marshal were still visible to us, but we would not be to them. Once Elle entered the room, it would be my job to welcome her into the circle as she crossed the threshold of it, drawn into the floor.
I had begun to think she had been onto us when Peter sprinted into the room. He walked where Adelle and Marshal were standing, making sure to clear the circle. Knowing Elle was minutes behind, I closed my eyes to concentrate. I opened them again when I heard her heels against the hardwood floor. They clicked with each step, and when they grew louder and faster, I did what was necessary for her to walk into our protective barrier.
“I ask the elements to accept Elle Walters into our circle as guest of the High Priestess.” I said the words and Elle was reluctantly pulled into our circle as her left foot passed over the etching in the floor.
“Oh good. It worked.” I could hear Peter talking to Adelle and Marshal from where they stood behind me. His voice was muffled by the barrier between us. The three of them were staring at us, but I knew from where they sat, they were seeing an empty room. However, I couldn’t take my eyes off Elle, who was staring wide-eyed at us.
“What is the meaning of this?” She glared at her daughter. “You just couldn’t keep your mouth shut. Could you?” Elle spat at Crystal from the center of the circle.
Without asking what she was talking about, I started the spell, hoping I had remembered it correctly. I grabbed the piece of paper from my pocket, which Adelle had given to me when we arrived, and knelt down to light it in the white pillar candle that sat next to the book. Then I placed it in the chalice to burn.
“Fama Roman Goddess of Rumor, hear my plea, turn this message into a rumor of me,” I said, standing back in place and starting to chant again. The others joined me, saying the chant three times. Once the paper had burned completely, I knelt down and snuffed out the candle. The paper stated we would be arriving at the Dublin house midmorning on Saturday, as originally planned. This would be the only information Elle would remember. The paper also stated that the spell would be effective for twelve hours. By the time Elle realized she had been cast upon, we would already be at the cabin house to defend the books against Sabina and her golems.
I looked to Crystal, who still refused to look at me. So, I turned my attention to her mother. “You have been greatly mistrusted amongst your peers, Elle.” I used the power within me to strengthen my resolve, giving her an icy stare.
Elle looked no different than any other time I had seen her. Her blonde hair was pulled tightly into a French twist. She was dressed in a form-fitting pencil skirt; gray with pinstripes. Her strand of pearls was completely visible between the unbuttoned collar of her crème colored blouse.
She turned to me when I spoke, as if she had just noticed I was there. Her eyes hadn’t left Crystal during the spell. Once she was no longer staring at her daughter, Crystal looked up at her.
Elle’s face had gone scarlet. “What in the world is going on?” she asked with fake surprise.
“You have been conspiring with my enemy. We can no longer recognize you. You will, from this day hereafter, be cast from the coven.” I hadn’t practiced what I would say to this woman once I was able to confront her. My sole worry was that the power would be too much to handle. Nonetheless, the words flowed from me effortlessly.
“I don’t understand.” Elle became solemn and diverted her gaze to the floor.
“Oh, I’m sure you understand just fine,” Clara said in her usual mocking tone.
“Enough. We know you have conspired with Sabina in order to help her get the books of my families. What I want to know is this: What has she promised you in return?”
I thought she would deny her actions, but she simply looked up at Crystal and then to me. “She hasn’t spoken to you. She hasn’t told you of her involvement then?” She looked at her daughter again. “She must not have. If she had, I wouldn’t be the only one cast aside.”
“I repeat. What is it she promised you?” I asked in a tone that scared even me.
“She promised me what she’s always promised me. Wealth and power. This changes nothing.” She spat.
“Once this circle is broken, you will remember nothing other than what the spell declares truth, or rather rumor,” I told her plainly.
“And, that we want nothing to do with you.” I glared at Clara again as she mocked the woman before us.
I raised my hands and gave thanks to the ancestors of my family for allowing me protection over the circle and bid them farewell. “I thank you, Ancestors of my Spirit, for allowing me to keep my circle as I have done your will…blessed be." The elements picked up once more in a magical dance around us.
“I thank you, Water, for allowing me to keep my circle as I have done your will…blessed be.” I could feel the coolness leave us and prepared for the warmth of a fire’s flame to take its place.
“I thank you, Fire, for allowing me to keep my circle as I have done your will…blessed be.” The light of the candle, which had been extinguished for the spell, reignited, grew high, and then sunk back down to
leave behind white smoke.
“I thank you, Wind, for allowing me to keep my circle as I have done your will…blessed be.” A swirl of wind picked up around us and I could see Elle’s eyes go wide as she turned to me.
“You have the power over the elements?” she asked me, but instead of answering her, I bid farewell to the last of the elements.
“I thank you, Earth, for allowing me to keep my circle as I have done your will…blessed be.” I looked on as the warmth I felt in my toes began to dissipate.
Elle stood before us. Her eyes had gone blank and she blinked two, three times before speaking.
“What are we doing?” She looked to Adelle and Marshal, who stepped in closer to us as the circle dropped away.
“We just concluded a circle. To say thank you to the goddess for the children’s safety and protection while Elyse works to free Gwen and Silas,” Marshal said to the woman, who still looked bewildered. “Have you forgotten? They leave tomorrow for Dublin.”
“Oh, of course.” She looked at both of her children and then came to me. “I hope you are successful. It will be nice to be reunited with my dear friend.”
“How about we go and enjoy the party for our graduates?” Adelle placed a hand on Elle’s arm before the woman could reach out to me, leading her to the stairs and the main floor of the house. Before they disappeared, Adelle stopped, still holding onto Elle, who stopped as well. “Chad, your father wishes for me to convey his regret for missing today’s ceremony. He will, however, be leaving Dublin in the morning to meet you here. So, you all may have use of his truck.” She patted Elle’s hand and led her up the stairs, planting false information for her benefit.
“Well,” Clara said after an awkward silence, “that was fun. Not!” She turned and followed after her mother.
Chapter Ten
The party was a bit more than I thought it would be. Apparently, we were not leaving anyone out of the amazing accomplishment we had all completed. The Blackwood’s bash seemed to be a graduation extravaganza for the entire graduating class. How did I miss that memo?
Power Surge (The Crawford Witch Chronicles Book 2) Page 9
