A Modern Witch

by Debora Geary

  Nell grabbed him up in a huge hug. “Love bug, it was a spell for the ages.”

  The circle formations vanished as those in the center were swarmed.

  Jamie handed Lauren cookies. “Eat while you enjoy your fame.”

  “I will, but I feel fine.”

  Jamie shook his head. “I have no idea how you and Aervyn do that without draining the both of you. The rest of us are ready to collapse, particularly anyone with earth talent.”

  Lauren frowned. “So, how did he do all of that so quickly? It felt like a really short spell.”

  Jamie nearly choked on his cookie. “Lauren, it’s almost midnight. He spellcast for hours.”

  It had seemed like moments.

  Jamie wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You held the power steady for him for hours. He talked to the freaking planet, and you held steady for him. If you’ve got any energy left, pop into Nell’s head for a moment.”

  Lauren saw Nell holding Aervyn in her lap. Her mind beamed only one thing. Gratitude.

  Someone called to Jamie, and with a last squeeze of her shoulders, he moved off. Lauren looked around for Nat, and saw Ginia in her arms, Mia and Shay hovering. Ginia looked awfully still.

  Lauren hurried to her friend’s side and realized Ginia was unconscious. Unable to find anyone in the milling throng, she reached for Jennie’s mind. Jennie! Something is wrong with Ginia.

  Jennie flew out of the crowd. “Child, what is it?” She looked down at Ginia, and smiled. “Oh, my. We have another witchling, do we?”

  She touched Mia’s arm. “Find your mama, sweetie.” Mia darted off into the crowd.

  “Did the circle harm her?” Lauren asked. Neither Nat nor Jennie seemed at all troubled by Ginia’s stillness.

  “Oh, no, love—quite the opposite. A full circle can be a very powerful catalyst. It often awakens latent talents. She’s not the only one.” Jennie nodded toward a teenage boy being held by his father.

  “Ginia’s a witch?”

  “It appears so.”

  Lauren looked around and saw another very groggy purple-haired child nestled in his mama’s lap. “Jennie. I think your grandson might be as well.”

  Jennie’s eyes filled with tears as she looked up. Seeing Nell emerge from the crowd, Jennie rose and headed for her grandbaby.

  Nell hugged Mia and Shay. “You two okay?”

  Mia giggled. “We’re fine, Mama. We felt Ginia’s head pop, so we knew she was gonna be a witch.”

  “I hope she can teleport,” Shay said. “That way, we can get even with Aervyn.”

  Nell laughed. “Or you three can keep your room clean, at least.”

  They’re not the least bit jealous, thought Lauren, and wondered how Nell managed to raise such well-adjusted kids.

  Ginia started to stir in Nat’s lap. “Mama, my head hurts.”

  Lauren remembered the headache she’d gotten after being blasted by Jamie’s precog, and winced in sympathy.

  Sophie appeared out of nowhere. “I can help with that. Sorry, it took a moment to get here—we have four new witchlings this evening, all with sore heads.”

  Mike, who had appeared along with Sophie, held out a bag of cookies. “They’re getting the fires going, but for now, have some of these. They’ll help with the energy drain. That was the longest circle I’ve ever done.”

  Sophie nodded. “It was an extremely intricate spell, and he went very carefully. He’s been well taught, Nell.”

  Lauren was still struggling to understand the long time lapse. “It seems like the two of you have the best idea of what actually happened.”

  Sophie laughed. “I think Aervyn has the best idea. We were just along for the ride. But yes, we’ve been chatting with some of the others. It seems like the stronger your earth elemental magic, the more you could follow what Aervyn was doing.”

  Nell nodded. “That makes sense. You and Mike would have been two of our strongest.”

  “The way we formed the circle today, at least,” Mike said. “You and Jamie are solid with earth elementals as well, but you were tapping into different stuff. A couple of folks in the outer circle picked up some fairly strong spell vibrations as well.”

  Lauren shook her head. “All I got was light and a few moments of zinging power.”

  “How’s Tabitha?” asked Nell. “Her earth magic is very weak, but she was in trio with the two of you.”

  “She didn’t get much more than Lauren did from the spell itself,” Mike said, “but she’s pretty rocked from the channeling. Sounds like the mind witches in the circle picked up at least some of what Lauren was experiencing.”

  He looked at Lauren with serious respect. “Way to tame a volcano, girl. That was some very impressive channeling.”

  Lauren blushed. “When Jamie panicked, I was scared spitless, but we managed to get things tamped down. After that, it didn’t feel a lot different from the training circle.”

  Nell looked stupefied. “Jamie panicked?”

  Uh, oh. Lauren belatedly realized that not everyone picked up mind vibes as easily as she did. “Well, when Aervyn sent his power through the air trio, it was pretty wild.”

  Nell still looked shocked. “Jamie has trained Aervyn since the day he was born. I don’t even want to know what it would take to panic him.”

  Jamie, who had just walked up, answered with his mouth full of hot dog. “Panic is the right word, and I’m man enough to admit it. I don’t think they have a category for the hurricane Aervyn threw at us. Punk witchling. He was a little overexcited.”

  “I felt things shake for a minute when air hooked in,” Nell said, “but I had no idea. The rest of us weren’t linked in yet. How did you guys handle it?”

  Jamie handed the rest of his hot dog to Ginia and grinned. “Lauren yelled at Aervyn. Worked great.” He winked at Lauren. “You’ll make a great trainer one day.”

  “I yelled at him?” Oh, shit, thought Lauren. Really? It had been crazy intense, but she never yelled. Poor Aervyn.

  Jamie laughed so hard, he couldn’t stand anymore. “She channels the spell of the century, and she’s worried because she yelled at the spellcaster. He’s fine, Lauren—look.”

  Lauren looked where Jamie pointed. The kid who had burped the planet and stopped half of California from falling into the ocean was happily waving a stick with a burning marshmallow.

  …

  Moira settled her scrying bowl back on the table, tears streaming down her cheeks. Aye, her wee Aervyn and Lauren had done well, indeed. Lauren had answered her destiny tonight, even if she wasn’t yet aware it called her. Aervyn had cast a fine, fine spell, a lasting legacy for the people of California.

  Perhaps a bit of a legacy for Sophie and Mike too, if she’d read that situation correctly. They wouldn’t be the first couple to hook up after the intimacy of full-circle work. Two healers—it would be a nice match.

  And her sweet Ginia was a witchling. Imagine that.

  Chapter 20

  Lauren wished she’d finished her breakfast before Jamie had announced he was coming to Chicago. Her appetite had completely disappeared in the aftermath.

  Ginia, cheeks still streaked with hot tears, clung to Nat’s arm. “I don’t want you to go! You and Uncle Jamie should both stay here.”

  Nat somehow made room on her lap for three eight-year-old girls. “I’m so sorry. This is really hard for me, and awfully sad. Chicago is my home. My yoga studio is there, and I’ve already been away a really long time. But I will miss you terribly.”

  “There’s yoga here,” Ginia sobbed.

  Nat gave up talking and just hugged. Lauren thought it was very telling that, upset as they all were, no one had suggested that Nat and Jamie should be in separate places. And no one seemed to buy Jamie’s assertion that it was just for a few weeks.

  Jamie had a lapful of unhappy child too, although just one, in his case. Aervyn’s head was buried in Jamie’s chest.

  Nell rubbed Ginia’s back. “They’ll come back to see us
, sweetie.”

  Jamie latched onto that like a life raft. “We will. Lauren needs to train with Aunt Jennie, and to work with Aervyn. We’ll all come together.”

  Ginia looked up, eyes fierce. “When? When will you come?”

  Jamie looked at Lauren. Oh sure, she thought, get the innocent bystander in trouble. Thanks a lot. Holding back tears was making her really cranky.

  Nell spoke again. “The girls’ birthday is March nineteenth. That’s in four weeks.”

  “Four weeks?” Ginia sniffled. “Mama, that’s so far away.”

  Nell sighed. “I know, girl of mine. But wouldn’t Uncle Jamie and Nat and Lauren make an awesome birthday present?”

  Ginia shrugged and cuddled back into Nat. Lauren had no idea how they were going to fit a Nat-plus-three-girls-shaped clump into the van to get to the airport. Cripes, this sucked.

  …

  Moira: Good afternoon, Nell. I saw the little light that said you were in chat.

  Nell: You’re getting pretty good at this, Moira. I was going to tweak the video chat code a little. Ginia said it might have been a bit slow.

  Moira: I don’t want to get in the way of your work, dear, but I think the video chatting worked just perfectly the other day.

  Nell: Honestly, I was just looking for a distraction, and you’re a better one. I have a houseful of sad kids. I just sat them down to watch a movie.

  Moira: Sad? After yesterday? I watched in my scrying bowl. That was incredible magic. And Ginia a witchling, too.

  Nell: I knew you’d be watching. It’s not yesterday that has them sad, it’s today. Nat and Lauren just left to go back to Chicago, and Jamie went with them.

  Moira: Ah, I see.

  Nell: I wish I didn’t. I could want no better than Nat for Jamie, but I can’t stand knowing he’ll be living thousands of miles away.

  Moira: That serious, is it then?

  Nell: Seems so. Nat’s work is in Chicago, and Jamie’s is portable, so it only makes sense, I guess.

  Moira: What of his training work? He’s been Aervyn’s primary trainer.

  Nell: His shoes can be filled, I hope. We have plenty of talented witches here, but…

  Moira: It’s the bond between them that can’t be replaced, I’m thinking.

  Nell: Exactly right. Aervyn’s still so little. This will be really hard on both of them.

  Moira: There’s no chance Nat would leave Chicago?

  Nell: You know, if it were just her yoga studio, I think she might. But she and Lauren are family, and Lauren’s life is in Chicago, too.

  Moira: Torn loyalties can be pure misery for everyone involved. Give it time, Nell. Let the journey unfold as it needs to.

  Nell: I’m trying. They’ll be back in a month for the triplets’ birthday.

  Moira: Ah, and spring equinox. That’s a powerful time for new magic.

  Nell: I hadn’t even thought of that. After yesterday, it’s probably hard to imagine, but magic took a backseat at this house today.

  Moira: As it should when love is involved. Better still when love and magic work together. I’ll send my love to all of you. Perhaps in a few days, the girls would come talk to me on the computer again.

  Nell: They will, and that’s a good idea, Moira. We’ll try video chats with Chicago. Maybe that will perk up my rug rats a little. In the meantime, I’ll try ice cream.

  …

  Lauren crawled in her door. Was it a basic rule of physics that all planes flying to O’Hare must experience flight delays?

  Add four hours of runway sitting in Las Vegas to breakfast drama and fixing earthquake fault lines, and you had the straw that busted the camel. She’d never been so tired. Making sure her suitcase wouldn’t trip her on the pathway to coffee in the morning, Lauren peeled off her jeans and collapsed onto her couch.

  She was home.

  Chapter 21

  “Oh, God.” Jamie looked horrified. “Is it all going to match and everything?”

  Lauren stuck to her guns. When a man had no furniture after three weeks living in a place, it was time to take action. “It’s not invasion of the home decorators, Jamie.”

  Jamie crossed his arms and went to answer the door. Lauren trailed after him, not at all sure he’d actually let the movers in.

  Her friend Kenya was a stager. She could take a lackluster real-estate listing, bring in a truck of furniture and accessories, and set up a stylish home in less than an hour. She owed Lauren a favor, although perhaps not this big a favor, if Jamie’s mood didn’t improve.

  “We could go to the bagel shop while they unload.”

  Jamie frowned. “No way. I want to see what kind of stuff she wants to leave here. If it’s frilly, I’m moving out.”

  He was reminding her very much of a certain four-year-old witchling. “I specified ‘early man cave’—I don’t think there will be any frills. Seriously, look around. How can you live this way?”

  Lauren pulled out her camera to document the sad state of affairs. She was going to win a bet with Nell when she sent the before and after pictures.

  There was one sad and saggy couch in the living room, a donation from his friend Nash. Stacked plastic milk crates served as end tables. The rest of the sizeable open living space was vacant, except for a state-of-the-art workstation in the corner, complete with three monitors. One was turned toward the couch and apparently did double duty as the TV.

  She braved a shot in the door of his bedroom, where a solitary bed continued his one-piece-of-furniture-per-room décor. That was as close as she was going to get. Nat said his clothes were stacked in piles around the outer edges of the room. The man was neat—he was just a decorating moron.

  The only exception was the kitchen. In three weeks, Jamie had acquired every kitchen toy and gadget she’d ever seen, a gorgeous set of copper-bottom pots, dishes, even salt and pepper shakers. What kind of guy had no living room furniture, but outfitted a cook’s paradise?

  Taking one last picture, Lauren tucked away her camera and went to defend Kenya’s movers from the wrath of Jamie. At the moment, he was in quiet shock, but that might not last.

  She joined him at his post by the door. “Seen any frills yet?”

  “No. Zebra print, though. If the head to that zebra shows up, I’m going to put it up on your door.”

  “I don’t think man-cave décor runs to actual dead animals. Give this a chance, Jamie.”

  Jamie grumbled. “It’s easy enough to tell someone else to be flexible. How’d you like to have your life invaded?”

  Lauren snorted. “Says the guy who crashed my life a little over a month ago to tell me I was a witch.”

  “Okay, you win that one. Forgot about that.”

  Lauren elbowed him, glad to see the grumpies dissipating. Jamie wasn’t a guy who stayed unhappy for long. “I need you to do me a favor.”

  “I already am.”

  “Another one, then. Cover your eyes.”

  Jamie looked at her suspiciously, and then spun around to watch his pathetic couch walk out the door. Dang, she’d hoped to slip that one by him.

  “That couch was a gem. Where are they taking it?”

  Lauren shuddered. To couch heaven, she hoped. “Jamie, look at your living room.”

  Kenya stood in the middle of the room, ordering the final pieces into place with waving arms. In less than five minutes, she’d assembled a seating area that was twin to the one in Jamie’s Berkeley home.

  She felt recognition hit him—the twinge of homesick, followed by gratitude.

  Then Nat walked in the door. “Oh Lauren, it’s perfect!” She gave Jamie a kiss. “I saw your beloved couch heading down the stairs. I’m sorry it was a casualty of the upgrade. I ordered Thai food before I left the studio, so it should be here soon.”

  Jamie smiled. “Food to soothe the angry beast?”

  “If necessary.” Nat pulled him toward the couch. “It was Lauren’s idea. She got Nell to send a picture of your living room in Berkeley.”

&nb
sp; “Nell would approve of any plan to rid the world of bachelor décor.”

  Nell would approve of any plan to make her brother happier, thought Lauren. She settled into a really comfortable loveseat and let Jamie and Nat’s banter flow over her.

  For her and Nat, returning to the routine of their lives in Chicago had been welcome comfort. Lauren had been very happy to see her friends, her couch, and her stellar ice cream stash. Their first week back, Nat had taught all her classes on a yoga high, delighting in the familiar and what was hers.

  Jamie was different. He had taken the enormous step of coming to Chicago, but he hadn’t really settled. Other than in the kitchen, at least. The man took care of his stomach.

  Hopefully this had been a gentle reminder that home was where you made it. Jamie needed a nest, and Lauren was in the business of providing them.

  …

  Nell: Lauren—how did the home decorating invasion go?

  Lauren: You owe me chocolate. I got the old couch out.

  Nell: I’ve lost more chocolate to you and Nat… I keep taking sucker bets.

  Sophie: They say the first step of overcoming addiction is acknowledging you have a problem.

  Nell: Oh, shut up, girl.

  Moira: Do you have any pictures for us, Lauren?

  Lauren: I do. Nell, what’s the easiest way to put them up?

  Nell: Ginia and Mia added a photo library just for this occasion. See the little icon, top right?

  Lauren: Cool, give me a minute. Hey, there are pictures of the girls in here, too.

  Nell: Jennie uploaded a photo album for you as well.

  Lauren: I see it, thanks. I’ll take a look when we’re done here. Oh wait, there’s a video clip, too. Ginia’s doing magic—Moira, can you see her?

  Moira: Goodness, she surely is. Look at those flowers blooming. Nell, you have a little earth witch, do you?

  Nell: I do. She can do a little with fire too, but she’s very strong with earth elementals. Aervyn’s spell the night of the full circle seems to have awakened a lot of earth talents. All four that gained magic that night have earth power.

  Sophie: I think my magic has actually been stronger since then as well. Subtle, but there. Mike has noticed it too.